,,the ,,education                       
,,of ,,children                         
,,from ,,the ,,standpoint               
,,of ,,theosophy                        
,,by                                    
,,rudolf ,,steiner                      
,,ph4 ,d4 7,,vienna7                    
,,authorized ,,translation              
,,from ,,the ,,second ,,german ,,edition
                                        
,colophon                               
,,american ,,edition                    
,,the ,,rajput ,,press4                 
,further colophon                       
,,chicago4                              
#aiaa                        ,,copyright
 #aiaa1 ,,by ,,weller ,,van ,,hook1 ,,in
 ,,the                         ,,united 
,,states ,,of ,,america     ,,in ,,view 
,,of ,,the ,,many ,,unauthorized        
,,translations ,,of ,,dr4 ,,rudolf      
,,steiner',s   ,,works1 ,,the           
,,publisher ,,begs ,,to ,,give ,,notice 
,,that ,,all ,,authorised ,,editions1   
,,issued ,,under ,,the ,,editorship ,,of

 ,,mr4 ,,max ,,gysi1 ,,bear ,,the       
,,symbol ,,overleaf   7,,cross ,,in     
,,pentagram74                           
,,max ,,gysi1 ,editor1                  
8,adyar10 ,park ,drive1                 
,hampstead1 ,london1 ,n4 ,w4            
,,the ,,education ,,of ,,children       
,,from ,,the ,,standpoint ,,of          
,,theosophy                             
7,,translated ,,by ,w4 ,b47             
,present day life calls into question   
many things which man has  inherited    
from his ancestors hence the numberless 
questions of the day1  as for example3  
the ,social ,problem1 the ,woman's      
,movement1 ,education and  ,school      
,questions1 ,law ,reform1 ,hygiene1     
,sanitation1 and so forth4 ,we try  to  
grapple with these questions in manifold
 ways4 ,the number of those  who bring  
forward this or that remedy in order to 
solve this or that  question1 or at     
least to contribute something towards   
its solution1 is  immeasurably great1   
and every possible shade of opinion is  

manifested  in these endeavors2         
radicalism1 carrying itself with a      
revolutionary  air2 the moderate view1  
full of respect for existing things and 
desirous of fashioning out of them      
something new2 or conservatism1 up  in  
arms1 whenever old institutions and     
traditions are tampered with2  and      
besides these main attitudes1 there are 
all sorts of intermediary  points of    
view4    ,he who is able to probe deeply
 into life cannot help feeling one thing
  with regard to these phenomena--that  
the claims which are placed before  men 
in our time are met repeatedly by       
inadequate means4 ,many would like  to  
re-form life1 without really knowing it 
from its foundations4 ,he  who would put
 forth a proposition as to life in the  
future1 must not  content himself with  
merely learning to know life            
superficially4 ,he  must probe it to its
 depths4    ,life is like a plant that  
contains not only that which is visible 
to the eye1 but also a future condition 

concealed within its secret  depths4 ,he
 who has before him a plant that is just
 in leaf1 is  well aware that later on  
blossoms and fruit will be added to the 
leaf-bearing stem4 ,the germs of these  
blossoms and fruit are already          
concealed within the plant4 ,but it is  
impossible for one who merely  regards  
it in its present condition to say how  
these organs will  ultimately appear4   
,only he who is acquainted with the     
nature of the  plant can do so4         
,human life also contains within itself 
the germs for its future4  ,but to be   
able to say anything about this future  
one must penetrate  into the hidden     
nature of man1 and this1 the present    
age1 has no real  inclination to do4 ,it
 busies itself with the surface and     
thinks itself  treading on unsafe ground
 should it advance into that which is   
hidden  from external observation4 ,with
 the plant it is true the matter is     
considerably simpler4 ,we know that its 
like has often and often brought  forth 

flowers and fruit4 ,human life exists   
but once and the flowers  which it is to
 bring forth in the future were not     
previously there4  ,none the less they  
exist in human life in embryo1 just as  
much as the  flowers of the plant which 
at present is only just bearing leaves4 
,and it is possible to say something    
about this future1 when one  penetrates 
beneath the surface1 into the heart of  
human nature4 ,the  different           
reformatory ideas of the present can    
only become really  fruitful and        
practical1 when they are the result of  
this deep research  into human life4    
,theosophy is suited by its very nature 
to present a practical  philosophy1     
comprehending the whole sphere of human 
life4 ,whether or  not ,theosophy1 or   
that which in our time so often passes  
for it1 is  justified in putting forth  
such a claim1 is not the point4 ,the    
point  concerns rather the nature of    
,theosophy and what1 by means of this   
nature1 it is able to accomplish4 ,it   

ought not to be a colorless theory  to  
satisfy the mere curiosity of knowledge1
 nor yet a medium for those  men who1   
out of selfishness1 would like to win   
for themselves a higher  grade of       
evolution4 ,it can contribute something 
to the most important  problems of      
present day ,humanity1 in the           
development of its well-being4    ,of   
course if it acknowledges a mission of  
this kind it must expect to  meet with  
all manner of opposition and doubt4     
,radicals1 ,moderates and               
,conservatives of all departments in    
life will surely raise such doubts      
against it4 ,for at first it will be    
unable to please any one party1  because
 its doctrines reach far beyond all     
party motives4    ,and these doctrines  
have their roots wholly and solely in   
the true  understanding of life4 ,only  
he who understands life will be able to 
take his lessons from life itself4 ,he  
will draw up no capricious  schemes1 for
 he knows that no other fundamental laws

 of life will  prevail in the future    
than such as prevail in the present4    
,theosophy  will therefore of necessity 
have respect for the existing state of  
things4 ,even1 should it still find in  
what is existent1 very much that  might 
be improved1 yet it will not fail to    
perceive in the present  the germs of   
the future4 ,but it knows1 too1 that for
 all things  nascent there is a growth  
and a development4 ,therefore the germs 
for  a transformation and for a future  
growth will appear to ,theosophy in  the
 existing state of things4 ,it invents  
no schemes1 it only calls  them forth   
from what already exists4 ,but that     
which is so called forth  becomes in a  
certain sense itself a scheme1 for it   
contains within  itself the nature of   
evolution4    ,for this very reason the 
theosophical way of delving into the    
nature of  man must yield the most      
fruitful and practical means for the    
solution  of the vitally important      
questions of the present time4    ,it is

 my purpose to apply this to one such   
question1 namely that of  education4 ,we
 do not intend to advance any claims or 
pronounce a  learned dissertation1 but  
to portray simply the child nature4     
,from a  study of the nature of the     
growing man1 the educational standpoint 
here  suggested will develop quite      
naturally4 ,but to proceed rightly with 
such a study it is necessary to         
contemplate the hidden nature of man in 
general4    ,that which is cognised by  
the physical perception1 that which the 
materialistic view of life considers to 
be the only important element  in the   
nature of man1 namely1 his physical     
body1 forms1 according to  spiritual    
research1 only a part1 a principle of   
human nature4 ,this  physical body is   
subject to the same laws of physical    
life1 is composed  of the same matter   
and forces1 as all the rest of the      
so-called  lifeless world4 ,theosophy1  
therefore1 maintains that man possesses 
this  physical aspect in common with the

 whole of the mineral kingdom4 ,and it  
considers as physical body that part    
only in man which is able to mix1       
unite1 to build up and to dissolve the  
very same materials1 and after          
identical laws1 as are also at work in  
the mineral world4    ,now besides this 
physical body1 ,theosophy recognizes a  
second element  in the constitution of  
man--namely a vital or etheric body4    
,and that  there may be no cause for the
 physicist to reject the term etheric   
body  we would point out that etheric is
 here used in a different sense from    
the hypothetical ether of physics1 and  
it must be taken to mean here  that     
which is about to be described4    ,it  
has been considered for some time past a
 most unscientific  proceeding to speak 
of an 8etheric body0 of this kind4 ,at  
the end of  the eighteenth and in the   
first half of the nineteenth century1 it
  is true1 it was not considered        
8unscientific40 ,it was then said that  
matter and force operating in a mineral 

could not of their own power  form      
themselves into a living being4 ,for    
this there must be an especial          
indwelling 8force10 which was termed    
8vital force40 ,it was represented      
indeed that such a force operates in    
plants1 in animals1 and in human        
bodies1 and produces the phenomena of   
life just as magnetic force in  the     
magnet causes attraction4 ,in the       
succeeding period of materialism  this  
theory had been abandoned4 ,it was then 
said that a living being  builds itself 
up in the same way as a so-called       
lifeless being2 no  other forces prevail
 in an organism than those which are in 
the  mineral--they only operate in a    
more complicated manner2 they build up  
a more complex structure4 ,at the       
present time1 only the most obstinate   
materialists cling to this denial of the
 8vital force40 ,a number of  natural   
philosophers have taught that one must  
nevertheless admit some  such thing as a
 vital force of a life-principle4       

,thus the new science approaches in a   
certain sense the teaching  of          
,theosophy in regard to the vital body4 
,nevertheless there is a  considerable  
difference between the two4 ,science    
today1 by means of  intellectual        
observations founded on the facts of    
ordinary perception1  has accepted the  
idea of a kind of vital force4 ,but this
 is not the  method of a truly spiritual
 research1 such as ,theosophy aims at1  
and  from the results of which proceed  
the theosophical teachings4 ,it cannot  
be pointed out too often1 how ,theosophy
 on this point differs from the  current
 science of the day4 ,the latter        
considers the experience of the  senses 
to be the basis of all knowledge1 and   
whatever is not built upon  this basis  
it treats as unknowable4 ,from the      
impressions of the senses  it draws     
deductions and conclusions4 ,but        
anything that goes further it  puts     
aside1 as being beyond the limits of    
human knowledge4 ,to ,theosophy  such a 

prospect resembles the view of a blind  
man who only takes into  consideration  
those things that he can touch1 and what
 he may infer  from the touched object  
by reasoning1 but who sets aside the    
statements  of those who can see as     
being beyond the faculty of human       
perception4  ,for ,theosophy shows that 
man is capable of evolution1 that       
through  the developing of new organs he
 may conquer for himself new worlds4    
,around the blind man there is color and
 light1 but he cannot perceive  them1   
because he does not possess the         
requisite organs4 ,around man1 so       
,theosophy teaches1 there are many      
worlds1 and he can observe them1 if     
only he develops the organs necessary   
for the purpose4    ,even as the blind  
man looks upon a new world as soon as he
 has  undergone a successful operation1 
so can man1 through the developing  of  
higher organs1 perceive worlds quite    
different from those which  he observed 
at first with his ordinary senses4 ,now 

whether or not  it is possible to       
operate on one who is bodily blind      
depends on the  conditions of the       
organs2 but those higher organs by which
 one may  penetrate into the upper      
worlds1 exist in embryo in every human  
being4  ,anyone can develop them1 who   
has the patience1 endurance and energy  
to  make use of those methods which are 
described in my two books entitled      
8,the ,way of ,initiation0 and          
8,initiation and ,its ,results40#a      
,theosophy does not speak of limitations
 to man's knowledge through  his        
organism2 but says1 on the contrary1    
that he is surrounded by  worlds for    
which he has the organs of perception4  
,it indicates the  means by which to    
extend the temporary limits4 ,it also   
occupies itself  with the investigation 
of the vital1 or etheric body1 and to   
what  in the following may be called the
 yet higher principles of human  nature4
 ,it admits that only the physical body 
can be accessible to the  investigation 

of the bodily senses1 and that from this
 standpoint one  can at most only chance
 on something higher by a train of      
reasoning4  ,but it gives information as
 to how one can open up for oneself a   
world  in which these higher principles 
of human nature appear before the       
observer1 just as the colors and light  
of objects appear before the  blind-born
 person after his operation4 ,for those 
who have developed the  higher organs of
 perception1 the etheric or vital body  
is an object  of actual observation1 and
 not a theory resulting from            
intellectual  activity or a train of    
reasoning4    ,man has this etheric1 or 
vital body1 in common with the plants   
and  animals4 ,it causes the matter and 
forces of the physical body to  form    
themselves into the manifestations of   
growth1 of reproduction1  of the        
internal motions of the fluids1 etc4 ,it
 is also the builder  and sculptor of   
the physical body1 its inhabitant and   
its architect4  ,the physical body can  

therefore also be called an image or    
expression  of this vital body4 ,both   
are approximately the same in man as    
regards  form and size1 yet they are by 
no means quite alike4 ,but the etheric  
body in animals and still more in       
plants1 differs considerably from the   
physical body with regard to its shape  
and dimension4    ,the third principle  
of the human being is the so-called body
 of  feeling1 or astral body4 ,it is the
 vehicle of pain and pleasure1 of       
impulse1 desire1 passion1 and so forth4 
,an entity composed merely of  a        
physical and an etheric body has nothing
 of all this1 to which may  be ascribed 
the term--sensation4 ,the plant has no  
sensation4 ,if many a  learned man of   
our time concludes that plants have a   
certain power of  sensation1 from the   
fact that many of them respond to a     
stimulus1 by  movement1 or in other     
ways1 he merely shows that he does not  
know the  essence of sensation4 ,the    
point is1 not whether the being in      

question  responds to an outward        
stimulus1 but rather whether the        
stimulus  reflects itself through an    
inner experience1 such as pleasure or   
pain1  impulse1 desire1 etc4 ,if this be
 not the standard of sensation1 one     
would be justified in asserting that    
blue litmus paper has a sense of        
feeling for certain substances1 because 
on coming into contact with  them1 it   
turns red4#b    ,man has the astral body
 in common with the animal world only4  
,it is  thus the medium for the life of 
sensation and feeling4    ,one must not 
fall into the error of certain          
theosophical circles and  think that the
 etheric body and astral body consist   
merely of finer  matter than that which 
exists in the physical body4 ,for this  
would  mean simply the materialisation  
of these higher principles of human     
nature4 ,the etheric body is a form of  
living forces2 it is composed of  active
 forces1 but not of matter--and the     
astral body or body of feeling  is a    

form consisting of colored luminous     
pictures revolving within  themselves4#c
    ,the astral body differs in form and
 size from the physical body4 ,it       
appears in man in the form of an oblong 
egg1 in which the physical and  the     
etheric bodies are embedded4 ,it        
projects on all sides beyond these  two 
like a luminous cloud4    ,now in the   
nature of man there is a fourth         
principle which he does  not share with 
other earthly creatures4 ,this is the   
vehicle of the  human 8,i04 ,the little 
word 8,i0 as we call it in ,english is a
 word that  separates itself from all   
other words4 ,he who duly reflects on   
the  nature of this word1 gains access  
at the same time to an understanding  of
 human nature4 ,every other word may be 
used by all men in the same  way to suit
 some corresponding object4 ,anyone can 
call a table 8table10  any one can call 
a chair 8chair10 but with the word 8,i0 
it is not so4  ,no one can use it as an 
indication of some one else1 for each   

person  can only speak of himself as    
8,i04 ,never can the word 8,i0 sound in 
my  ears as a reference to myself4 ,for 
a man in designating himself 8,i01  must
 name himself within himself4 ,a being  
that can say to himself 8,i0  is a world
 in himself4 ,those religions which are 
built up on the basis  of ,theosophy    
have always felt this4 ,they have       
therefore said that with  the 8ego0 the 
,god begins to speak within--the ,god   
who1 among lower  beings1 is manifested 
only from without in the surrounding    
phenomena4    ,the vehicle of this      
lastly developed capacity is now 8the   
body of the  ego10 the fourth principle 
of the human being4#d ,this body of the 
ego is the vehicle of the higher human  
soul1 and through it man is  the crown  
of all earthly creation4 ,but the ego in
 present humanity  is by no means a     
simple entity4 ,its nature can be       
recognized when a  comparison is made   
between men of different stages of      
evolution4 ,take  for instance the      

uneducated savage and the average       
,european1 and  compare these again with
 a lofty idealist4 ,each one of them has
 the  faculty of saying to himself 8,i0 
for the 8body of the ego0 is existent   
in each of them4 ,but the uncivilized   
savage gives way with this 8,i0 to  his 
passions1 his impulses and appetites1   
almost like an animal4 ,the  more highly
 developed man allows himself to follow 
certain inclinations  and desires1      
others he checks or suppresses4 ,the    
idealist has formed1  in addition to the
 original inclinations and passions1    
others that are  higher4 ,this is all   
due to the fact that the 8ego0 has been 
at work  on the other principles of the 
human being4 ,and it is precisely the   
mission of the 8ego0 to ennoble and     
purify the other principles by its  own 
power4    ,so the lower principles1     
under the influence of the 8ego10 have  
become  more or less changed within a   
man who has surmounted the conditions   
in which the outer world has placed him4

 ,take the case of the man who  is just 
raising himself above the level of the  
animal--when his 8ego0  flashes out he  
still resembles the animal with regard  
to his lower  principles4 ,his etheric  
or vital body is solely the medium of   
the  living constructive forces of      
growth and propagation4 ,his astral body
  only gives expression to such         
impulses1 desires and passions as are   
stimulated by his outer nature4 ,all the
 time that the man is struggling  on    
through successive lives1 or            
incarnations1 from this degree of       
culture to an ever higher evolution1 his
 ego is remodelling the other           
principles4 ,in this way the astral body
 becomes the medium of purified         
pleasurable and unpleasurable           
sensations1 refined desires and         
longings4  ,and the etheric1 or vital   
body1 also transforms itself4 ,it       
becomes the  vehicle of habits1 of      
permanent inclinations of temperament   
and of  memory4 ,a man whose ego has not

 yet influenced his vital body has no   
remembrance of the experiences he       
undergoes4 ,he lives just as he has     
been brought up by ,nature4    ,the     
whole development of civilisation       
expresses itself for man in  this       
working of the ego upon the subordinate 
principles4 ,this working  penetrates   
even to the physical body4 ,under the   
influence of the ego1  the physiognomy1 
the gestures and movements1 the whole   
appearance of  the physical body1       
change4    ,one can also discern how    
differently the various mediums of      
civilisation affect the individual      
principles of the human being4 ,the     
common factors of civilisation influence
 the astral body4 ,they bring  to it    
other kinds of pleasure1 displeasure1   
impulse1 etc41 than it  originally had4 
,absorption in a work of art influences 
the etheric  body1 for a man obtains    
through a work of art1 the presentiment 
of something higher and nobler than that
 which is offered by the  environment of

 the senses1 and thus transforms his    
vital body4 ,a  powerful means for the  
purification and ennoblement of the     
etheric  body is religion4 ,religious   
impulses have1 in this way1 their       
sublime  mission in the evolution of    
humanity4    ,that which is called      
conscience is nothing but the result of 
the work  of the ego on the vital body1 
through a succession of incarnations4   
,when a man perceives that he must not  
do certain things1 and when  through    
this perception1 an impression is made  
on him1 deep enough to  communicate     
itself to his etheric body1 the         
conscience begins to be  formed4    ,now
 this work of the ego on the subordinate
 principles can either be  one that     
belongs rather to the whole human race1 
or it can be quite  individually a work 
of the single ego upon itself4 ,in the  
first change  of man1 to a certain      
extent1 the whole human race takes part2
 the  latter must depend on the inner   
activity of the ego4 ,when the ego grows

  strong enough entirely to remodel the 
astral body through its own  strength1  
then that which the ego makes of this   
astral body or body  of feeling is      
called the 8,spirit-,self0              
7,geistesselbst7#e or as they  say in   
the ,east1 ,manas4 ,this transformation 
consists essentially in  an imbuing1 in 
an enriching of the inner being with    
higher ideas and  perceptions4 ,but the 
ego can arrive at yet higher and more   
intimate  work with regard to the       
special entity of man4 ,this occurs when
 not  merely the astral body is         
enriched1 but when the etheric or vital 
body becomes transformed4 ,man learns a 
certain amount in the course of  life1  
and when he looks back on his life from 
any point1 he is able to  say to        
himself3 8,i have learnt much10 but how 
much less is he able to  speak of a     
change of temperament and character1 of 
an improvement or  deterioration of the 
memory1 during life4 ,learning affects  
the astral  body1 whilst the latter     

transformations affect the ethic or     
vital body4  ,it would therefore be no  
inapt simile to compare the change of   
the  astral body in life to the movement
 of the minute-hand of the clock1  the  
change of the vital body to that of the 
hour-hand4    ,when a man enters upon   
the higher1 or so-called occult         
training1 the  chief thing to bear in   
mind is that he at once begins this     
latter  transformation by the innermost 
might of the ego4 ,he must work quite   
consciously and individually at the     
changing of habits1 temperament1        
character1 memory1 etc4 ,as much of this
 vital body as he works upon in  this   
way becomes transformed into the        
8,life-,spirit0 7,lebensgeist71 or  as  
the ,eastern expression has it1 into    
,buddhi4    ,on a yet higher stage of   
evolution man attains to powers by which
 he  can effect a transformation of his 
physical body 7as for example1  changing
 the pulse and the circulation of the   
blood74 ,as much of the  physical body  

as is transformed in this way1 is called
 8,spirit-,man0                         
7,geistesmensch7--,atma4    ,the changes
 which are effected in the lower        
principles by man1 not as  an           
individual1 but rather as a whole group 
of the human race1 or a  part of it1    
such as a nation1 a tribe1 or a         
family--have in ,theosophy1  the        
following names4 ,the astral body1 or   
body of feeling1 when  transformed by   
the ego is called the emotional soul2   
the transformed  etheric body becomes   
the rational soul1 and the transformed  
physical  body1 the self-conscious soul4
 ,but it is not to be supposed that the 
transformation of these three principles
 takes place successively4  ,it takes   
place in all three bodies               
simultaneously1 from the moment  when   
the ego flashes out4 ,indeed the work of
 the ego is not generally  speaking     
perceptible until a part of the         
self-conscious soul is formed4    ,it is
 seen from the foregoing paragraph that 

there are four principles  in the ,being
 of ,man3 the physical body1 the etheric
 or vital body1  the astral or body of  
feeling and the ego-body2--the emotional
 soul1  the rational soul1 the          
self-conscious soul--and indeed the yet 
higher  principles of human nature      
also1--the ,spirit-,self 7,manas71 the  
,life-,spirit 7,buddhi71 the            
,spirit-,man 7,atma7 appear as the      
products of  the transformation of these
 four principles4 ,in speaking about the
  sources of our human capacities1 only 
these four principles can be  taken into
 account4    ,as a teacher works upon   
these four principles of the human      
constitution1 one must1 in order to work
 in the right way1 penetrate  into the  
nature of these divisions of man4 ,now  
it must by no means  be imagined that   
these parts develop themselves in man in
 such a way  that at any one moment of  
his life--say at his birth--they are all
  equally advanced4 ,on the contrary    
their development takes place at the    

various life-periods in a different way4
 ,and the right foundations for         
education and instruction depend on the 
knowledge of this law of the  evolution 
of human nature4    ,before physical    
birth the nascent human being is        
enclosed on all sides  by an alien      
physical body4 ,it does not come into   
contact independently  with the outward 
physical world4 ,the physical body of   
the mother forms  its environment4 ,this
 body alone can influence the maturing  
ftus4  ,physical birth consists         
precisely in the fact that the physical 
body  of the mother releases the child1 
thereby causing the surroundings  of the
 physical world to influence him        
immediately4 ,the senses open           
themselves to the outward world1 and    
this latter is thereby able  to exercise
 those influences over the child which  
were previously  exercised by the       
physical body of the mother4    ,for a  
spiritual comprehension of the world    
such as is represented by  ,theosophy1  

the physical body is then actually born1
 but not yet the  etheric or vital body4
 ,as the child until the moment of its  
birth is  surrounded by the physical    
body of the mother1 so too until the    
time  of his second teeth1 about the age
 of seven1 is he surrounded by an       
etheric and an astral covering4 ,not    
until the time of the change of  teeth  
does the etheric covering release the   
etheric body4 ,then until  the time of  
puberty there still remains an astral   
covering4#f ,at this  period the astral 
or desire body also becomes free on all 
sides1 as did  the physical body at the 
time of the physical birth and the      
etheric  body at the time of the second 
teeth4    ,thus then1 ,theosophy must   
speak of three births of man4 ,certain  
impressions1 which are intended to reach
 the etheric body can reach it  as      
little1 up to the time of the second    
teeth1 as the light and air of  the     
physical world can reach the physical   
body while it remains in the  womb of   

the mother4    ,before the coming of the
 second teeth the free vital body is not
 at  work4 ,as the physical body1 whilst
 in the womb of the mother1 receives    
powers which are not its own1 and within
 that protective covering  gradually    
develops its own1 so is this also the   
case with these later  powers of growth1
 until the time of the second teeth4    
,only at this  period does the etheric  
body perfect its own powers in          
conjunction with  the inherited and     
alien ones4 ,during this time1 while the
 etheric  body is freeing itself1 the   
physical body is already independent4   
,the  etheric body which is gradually   
freeing itself1 perfects that which  it 
has to give to the physical body4 ,and  
the final point of this work  is the    
child's own teeth1 which come in the    
place of those he has  inherited4 ,they 
are the densest things embedded in the  
physical body  and therefore at this    
period appear last4    ,after this      
period1 the child's own etheric body    

takes care of its  growth alone4 ,only  
the latter still remains under the      
influence of  an enveloped astral body4 
,as soon as the astral body becomes free
 as  well1 a period is terminated for   
the etheric body4 ,this termination     
takes place at the time of puberty4 ,the
 reproductive organs become             
independent1 because from henceforth the
 free astral body does not  work        
inwardly1 but openly encounters the     
external world4    ,as one is not able  
to let the influences of the outward    
world affect  the child physically      
before it is born1 so those powers      
7which are the  same to him as the      
impressions of the physical surroundings
 to the  physical body7 should not be   
allowed to affect the etheric body      
before  the time of the second teeth4   
,and the corresponding influences upon  
the  astral body ought only to be       
brought into play at the time of        
puberty4    ,common phrases1 such as1   
8the harmonious training of all the     

powers and  talents10 and the like      
cannot form the foundation for a true   
system of  education1 for this can only 
be built upon a genuine knowledge of the
  human being4 ,we do not mean to affirm
 that the above-mentioned phrases  are  
incorrect1 but only that they are as    
valueless as if one were to  say with   
regard to a machine1 that all its parts 
must be brought into  harmonious working
 order4 ,only he who approaches it1 not 
with mere  phrases1 but with a real     
knowledge of the particular kind of     
machine1  can handle it4 ,this applies  
also to the art of education1 to the    
knowledge of the principles in a human  
being and of their individual           
developments2 one must know which part  
of the human being should be  influenced
 at a certain time of life1 and how to  
bring such influences  to bear upon him 
in a suitable manner4 ,there is indeed  
no doubt that  a really intelligent     
system of education1 such as is outlined
 in  these pages1 can make its way but  

slowly4 ,this is due to the manner of   
viewing things in our day1 wherein the  
facts of the spiritual world  will still
 be considered for a long time as merely
 the overflow of a  mad fantasy1 while  
common-place and entirely superficial   
phrases will  be regarded as the result 
of a really practical way of thinking4  
,we  shall here proceed to give a free  
outline of what will be considered by   
many at the present time a mere mirage  
of the fancy1 but which will in  time   
come to be an accepted fact4    ,at     
physical birth1 the physical human body 
is exposed to the physical  environment 
of the external world1 whilst previously
 it was encircled  by the protective    
body of the mother4 ,that which the     
forces and fluids  of the mother's body 
did to it previously must now be done by
 the  forces and elements of the outer  
physical world4 ,up to the time of the  
second teething1 at the age of seven1   
the human body has a mission to  perform
 for itself1 which is essentially       

different from the missions  of all the 
other life-epochs4 ,the physical organs 
must form themselves  into certain      
shapes during this time2 then structural
 proportions must  take definite        
directions and tendencies4 ,later on    
growth takes place1  but this growth in 
all future time proceeds on the bases of
 the shapes  which were in process of   
formation until the time mentioned4 ,if 
normal  shapes have been forming        
themselves1 normal shapes will          
afterwards  grow1 and conversely from   
abnormal bases will proceed abnormal    
results4  ,one cannot make amends in all
 the succeeding years for that which1 as
  guardian1 one has neglected during the
 first seven years4 ,as the right       
environment for the physical human body 
is provided by ,nature1 before  birth1  
so after birth it is the duty of the    
guardian to provide it4  ,only this     
correct physical environment influences 
the child in such a  way that his       
physical organs mould themselves into   

the normal forms4    ,there are two     
magic words which epitomise the relation
 which is  formed between the child and 
its environment4 ,these are3 ,imitation 
and ,example4 ,aristotle1 the ,greek    
philosopher1 called man the most        
imitative of animals1 and for no other  
period of life is this more  applicable 
than for the age of childhood up to the 
time of the second  teething4 ,the child
 imitates whatever takes place in its   
physical  environment1 and in the       
imitation his physical organs mould     
themselves  into the forms which then   
remain to them4 ,the term physical      
environment  is to be taken in the      
widest sense imaginable4 ,to it belongs 
not only  that which takes place        
materially round the child1 but         
everything that  is enacted in his      
surroundings1 everything that may be    
observed by his  senses1 everything that
 from all points of physical space can  
influence  his spiritual forces4 ,to it 
also belong all actions1 moral or       

immoral1  sensible or foolish1 that the 
child may see4    ,it is not by moral   
texts1 nor by rational precepts1 but by 
what is  done visibly before the child  
by the grown-up people around him1 that 
he is influenced in the manner          
indicated4 ,instruction produces effects
  only upon the etheric body1 not upon  
the physical1 and up to the  age of     
seven the etheric body is surrounded by 
a protective etheric  shell1 just as the
 physical body until physical birth is  
surrounded  by the body of the mother4  
,that which ought to be developed in    
this  etheric body in the way of ideas1 
habits1 memory1 etc41 before the  age of
 seven1 must develop itself             
8spontaneously10 in the same way  as the
 eyes and ears develop themselves in the
 womb of the mother  without the        
influence of the external light4 ,it is 
written in an  excellent educational    
book1 ,jean ,paul's ,levana or          
,pedagogics1 that  a world-traveller    
learns more from his nurse in his early 

years than  in all of his travels put   
together4 ,this is undoubtedly true1 but
  the child does not learn by           
instruction1 but by imitation4 ,and his 
physical organs form themselves through 
the influence of his physical           
surroundings4 ,a healthy vision is      
formed when the right colors and        
conditions of light are brought into the
 child's environment1 and the  physical 
foundations for a healthy moral nature  
are formed in the brain  and in the     
circulation of the blood1 when the child
 sees moral things  in his environment4 
,when the child1 up to the age of seven1
 sees only  foolish actions taking place
 around him1 his brain assumes such     
forms  as to make him also1 in later    
life1 capable only of foolishness4      
,as the muscles of the hand grow strong 
and powerful when they do work  suitable
 for them1 so the brain and the other   
organs of the physical  human body will 
be directed towards the right path1 if  
they receive  the right impressions from

 their environment4 ,an example will    
best  illustrate the point in question4 
,a doll can be made out of an old  piece
 of cloth1 by making two corners serve  
for arms1 two for legs and  a knot for  
the head1 with the eyes1 nose and mouth 
painted in ink--or  a so-called         
8beautiful0 doll can be bought with real
 hair and painted  cheeks1 and given to 
the child4 ,the latter1 it is hardly    
necessary to  say1 is really horrible1  
and is calculated to ruin the child's   
sound  aesthetic taste for life4 ,here  
the question of education is quite a    
different one4 ,if the child has the    
rag-doll to look at1 it has to  complete
 out of its own imagination the         
impression of a human being  which the  
doll is intended to convey4 ,this work  
of the imagination  helps to build up   
the forms of the brain1 so that it opens
 up as the  muscles of the hand expand  
by doing their natural work4 ,when the  
child  possesses the so-called          
8beautiful doll10 there is nothing      

further for  the brain to do4 ,it       
becomes1 as it were1 stunted and dried  
up1 instead  of expanding itself4 ,if   
people could look into the brain after  
the  manner of the occultist and see it 
building itself up into forms1 they     
would certainly only give their children
 that kind of plaything which  is really
 able to stimulate the creative powers  
of the brain4 ,all toys  that are only  
composed of dead mathematical forms have
 a desolating  and deadening effect on  
the child's formative powers1 whilst on 
the  other hand everything that         
stimulates the perception of something  
living tends to influence in the right  
direction4 ,our materialistic  age      
produces but few good toys--such for    
instance as that in which two  movable  
pieces of wood are made to represent two
 smiths facing one  another and         
hammering at some object4 ,such things  
may still be bought  in the country4    
,very good also are those picture books 
in which the  figures are made to be    

pulled by strings1 thus enabling the    
child to  transform the dead picture    
into a representation of action4 ,all   
this  produces an inner activity of the 
organs1 and out of this activity the    
right form of the organs builds itself  
up4    ,of course these things can only 
just be indicated here1 but in the      
future occult science will be called    
upon to point out that which in  each   
particular case is necessary1 and this  
it is able to do4 ,for it  is not an    
empty abstraction1 but a body of vital  
facts quite able to  furnish the        
guiding-lines for practical matters4    
,one or two further examples will serve 
as illustrations4 ,according  to occult 
science a so-called nervous excitable   
child should be  treated differently    
from a lethargic and inactive one1 with 
regard to  its surroundings4 ,everything
 must be taken into consideration1 from 
the color of the room and the various   
objects by which the child  is generally
 surrounded1 to the color of the clothes

 in which it is  dressed4 ,one may often
 do the wrong thing1 unless willing to  
be guided  by occult science1 for a     
materialistic tendency will in many     
cases hit  on just the opposite of what 
is right4 ,an excitable child should be 
clothed and surrounded with red or      
reddish-yellow colors1 whilst for  the  
opposite type of child1 blue or         
bluish-green should be selected4  ,for1 
in accordance with the color used       
outwardly is the complementary  color   
produced inwardly4 ,thus1 for instance1 
green is produced by red2  orange-yellow
 by blue1 and of this one may easily be 
convinced by  looking for a time on a   
spot of a particular color and then     
quickly  directing the eyes to a white  
surface4 ,this complementary color is   
produced by the physical organs of the  
child1 and in turn reacts upon  the     
corresponding organic structures        
necessary to the child4 ,red in  the    
environment of an excitable child       
produces inwardly the green             

complementary picture4 ,the activity    
thus produced by the sensation of  green
 has a calming effect and the organs    
take upon themselves the  tendency to   
composure4    ,one rule must invariably 
be taken into consideration at this     
period  of life--that the physical body 
has to create for itself the standard   
of what is suitable to it4 ,it does this
 through the corresponding  development 
of desire4 ,generally speaking it may be
 said that the  healthy physical body   
desires only what is good for it4 ,and  
as long  as it is a question only of the
 physical body of the growing child1    
one ought to notice carefully what it is
 that is sought by the healthy  desires1
 cravings and pleasures4 ,joy and       
pleasure are the powers which  draw out 
the physical forms of the organs1 in the
 best way4    ,a very great error may be
 committed in this direction by not     
placing  the child in the suitable      
physical conditions with regard to its  
environment4 ,this can especially be the

 case with regard to the  instinct of   
nourishment4 ,the child can be overfed  
with things that  make him completely   
lose healthy instincts of nourishment1  
whilst  through correct feeding they can
 be preserved for him so fully1 that  he
 will ask 7even to a glass of water7 for
 that which under given  circumstances  
is good for him1 and will refuse        
anything that may be  harmful4 ,when    
occult science is called upon to        
construct a system of  education1 it    
will be able to specify1 even to the    
particular articles  of nourishment and 
table luxuries1 all that has here to be 
considered4  ,for it is a practical     
teaching1 applicable to life1 and no    
mere  colorless theory--as indeed one   
might suppose1 from the mistakes of many
  ,theosophists of today4    ,among the 
forces therefore which affect the       
physical organs by  moulding them1 must 
be included an element of joy with and  
amid  the surroundings4 ,let the        
guardian be cheerful of countenance1 and

  above all things let there be true and
 not artificial love--a love  that      
flowing warmly through the physical     
environment1 as it were1  incubates1 in 
the true sense of the word1 the forms of
 the physical  organs4    ,when within  
such an atmosphere of love1 the         
imitation of healthy models  is         
possible1 the child is in his right     
element4 ,special attention  should     
therefore be given that nothing may     
happen in the child's  environment that 
he should not imitate4 ,nothing should  
be done that  would necessitate saying  
to the child 8,you must not do that40   
,of the  way in which the child tries to
 imitate1 one may be convinced by       
observing how it can copy written       
letters long before it can understand   
them4 ,it is indeed an advisable thing  
for the child to copy the written       
characters first1 and then later to     
learn their meaning4 ,for imitation     
belongs to the developing stage of the  
physical body1 whilst the  mind responds

 to the etheric body1 and this latter   
ought only to be  influenced after the  
time of the second teeth1 when its outer
 etheric  covering is gone4 ,especially 
should the learning of speech by means  
of  imitation take place in these years4
 ,for by hearing the child best  learns 
to speak4 ,all rules and artificial     
teaching can do no good at  all4    ,in 
the early years of childhood it is      
especially important that such  means of
 education as1 for instance1 songs for  
children should make  as beautiful a    
rhythmic impression on the senses as    
possible4 ,the  importance lies in the  
beautiful sound rather than in the      
sense4 ,the  more invigorating the      
effect which anything can have upon the 
eye and  ear1 the better it is4 ,the    
power of building up the organs which   
lies  in dancing movements when put to a
 musical rhythm1 for example1 must  not 
be under-estimated4    ,with the change 
of teeth the etheric body throws off its
 outer  covering1 and then the time     

begins in which the training of the     
etheric  body may be carried on from    
without4 ,one must be clear as to what  
it is  that can influence the etheric   
body in this way4 ,the transformation   
and  growth of the etheric body signify1
 respectively1 the transformation  and  
development of the affections1 the      
habits1 conscience1 character1  memory  
and temperament4 ,one is able to        
influence the etheric body by  pictures1
 by example1 by regulated guidance of   
the imagination4 ,just  as the child1   
until it has reached the age of seven1  
ought to be given  a physical model     
which it can imitate1 so too1 in the    
environment of  the developing child1   
between the period of the second teeth  
and that  of puberty1 everything should 
be brought into play that possesses an  
inner sense and value upon which the    
child may direct his attention4  ,all   
that conduces to thought1 all that works
 through image and parable1  has now its
 rightful place4    ,the etheric body   

develops its power when a well regulated
 imagination  is directed upon that     
which it can unravel or extract for its 
guidance  from living images and        
parables1 or from such as are addressed 
to the  spirit4 ,it is concrete and not 
abstract ideas that can rightly         
influence the growing body--ideas that  
are spiritually rather than  materially 
concrete4 ,a spiritual standpoint is the
 right means of  education during these 
years4 ,it is therefore of paramount    
importance  that the youth at this      
period has around him in his guardians  
themselves personalities through whose  
points of view the desirable            
intellectual and moral powers may be    
awakened in him4    ,as 8imitation0 and 
8example0 are the magic words for the   
training of  children in their early    
years1 so for the years now in question 
the  corresponding words are            
8hero-worship0 and 8authority40 ,natural
 and  not forced authority must supply  
the immediate spiritual standpoint1     

with the help of which the youth forms  
for himself conscience1 habits  and     
inclinations1 brings his temperament    
into regulated paths1 and  wins his own 
outlook on this world4 ,the beautiful   
words of the poet3  8,everyone must     
choose his own hero1 in whose steps he  
may find the way  to ,olympus10 are of  
special value with regard to this epoch 
of life4    ,veneration and reverence   
are powers that assist the etheric body 
to  grow in the right way4 ,and he to   
whom it is impossible1 during this      
period1 to look up to anyone with       
unlimited reverence1 will have to       
suffer on that account for the rest of  
his life4 ,when this veneration  is     
missing1 the vital forces of the etheric
 body are checked4 ,picture  to yourself
 the following in its effect on the     
youthful disposition3  a boy of eight   
years of age is told of a person highly 
esteemed4 ,all  that he hears about him 
fills him with holy awe4 ,the day draws 
near on  which he is to see this honored

 person for the first time4 ,a profound 
reverence overcomes him when he hears   
the bell-ring at the door1 behind  which
 the object of his veneration is to     
become visible4 ,the beautiful  feelings
 which are produced by such an          
experience1 belong to the  lasting      
acquisitions of life4 ,and that man is  
fortunate1 who not only  during the     
happy moments of life1 but continuously1
 is able to look up  to his teachers and
 instructors as to his natural          
authorities4    ,to these living        
authorities1 to these embodiments of    
moral and  intellectual power1 must be  
added the authorities perceived of the  
spirit4 ,the grand examples of history1 
the tales of model men and  women1 must 
fix the conscience and the intellectual 
tendency--and not  abstract moral       
truths1 which can only do their right   
work1 when1 at the  age of puberty1 the 
astral body is freed from its astral    
covering4    ,one ought especially to   
guide the teaching of history into      

courses  determined by such points of   
view4 ,before the time of the second    
teeth1  the stories1 fairy tales1 etc41 
which are told to the child1 can only   
have for their aim1 joy1 recreation1 and
 pleasure4    ,after this time it will  
be necessary to use forethought         
concerning  the matter that is to be    
related1 so that pictures of life1 such 
as  he can beneficially emulate1 may be 
set before the soul of the young        
person4 ,it must not be overlooked that 
bad habits can be ousted by  pictures   
correspondingly repulsive4 ,warnings    
against such bad habits  and tendencies 
are at best of little avail1 but if one 
were to let the  living picture of a bad
 man affect the youthful imagination1   
explaining  the result to which the     
tendency in question leads1 one would do
 much  toward its extermination4    ,one
 thing to bear always in mind is1 that  
it is not abstract  representations that
 influence the developing etheric body1 
but living  pictures in their spiritual 

clearness1 and1 of course1 these latter 
must be applied with the utmost tact1   
for otherwise the opposite to  what is  
desired will be the result4 ,in the     
matter of stories it is  always a       
question of the way in which they are   
told4 ,the verbal  narration of a tale  
can therefore not be successfully       
replaced by a  reading of it4    ,during
 the time between the second teeth and  
puberty1 the  spiritually pictorial1 or1
 as one might also call it1 the         
symbolical  representation1 ought to be 
considered in yet another way4 ,it is   
necessary that the young person should  
learn to know the secrets of  nature1   
the laws of life1 as far as possible    
through symbols and not by  the means of
 dry and intellectual ideas4 ,allegories
 about the spiritual  relation of things
 ought so to reach the soul that the law
 and order of  existence underlying the 
allegories is rather perceived and      
divined1  than grasped by the means of  
intellectual ideas4 ,the saying that    

8all  things transient are only symbols0
 ought to form an all-important  motto  
for the education during this period4   
,it is very important for  a person to  
receive the secrets of nature in        
allegories before they  appear to his   
soul in the form of natural laws1 etc4  
,an example will  make this clear4      
,supposing one wished to speak to a     
young person of the  immortality of the 
soul1 of its going forth from the body1 
one might  as an instance make the      
comparison of the butterfly emerging    
from the  chrysalis4 ,as the butterfly  
comes forth from the chrysalis1 so the  
soul  comes forth from the shell of the 
body after death4 ,no one who has not   
previously received them by means of    
some such image1 will adequately  grasp 
the right facts in the abstract ideas4  
,for by such a simile one  speaks not   
only to the intellect1 but also to the  
sensations and  feelings1 to the whole  
soul4 ,the youth having gone through all
 this1  approaches the matter in quite a

 different attitude of mind when it  is 
given to him later in intellectual      
conceptions4 ,indeed the man who  cannot
 first approach the riddle of existence 
with this feeling is much  to be pitied4
 ,it is necessary that the teacher      
should have similes at  his disposal for
 all natural laws and secrets of the    
world4    ,in this matter it is quite   
clear what an enriching effect occult   
science must have upon practical life4  
,any one constructing from a            
materialistic and intellectual mode of  
representation1 similes for  himself and
 then propounding them to young people1 
will usually make  but little impression
 upon them4 ,for such a person ought    
first to  puzzle out the similes himself
 with all his mental capacities4 ,those 
similes which one has not first applied 
for oneself1 do not have a  convincing  
effect on those to whom they are        
imparted4 ,when one talks to  somebody  
in parables1 then he is not only        
influenced by what one says  or shows1  

but there passes a fine spiritual stream
 from the speaker to  the hearer4       
,unless the speaker himself has an      
ardent feeling of belief  in his        
similes1 he will make no impression on  
the one to whom he gives  them4 ,in     
order to create a right influence1 one  
must believe in one's  similes oneself  
as if in realities2 and that can only be
 done when one  possesses the mystical  
tendency1 and when the similes          
themselves are  born of occult science4 
,the real occultist does not need to    
worry  about the above-mentioned simile 
of the soul going forth from the  body1 
because for him it is a truth4 ,to him  
the butterfly evolving  from the        
chrysalis represents the same experience
 on a lower stage of  nature's existence
 as the going forth of the soul from the
 body at a  higher stage development4   
,he believes in it with all his might1  
and  this belief flows forth as if in   
invisible streams from the speaker  to  
the listener1 and inspires conviction4  

,direct life-streams then  flow forth   
from teacher to pupil4 ,but for this end
 it is necessary  for the teacher to    
draw from the full source of occult     
science2 it is  necessary that his word 
and all that goes forth from him1 should
 be  clothed with feeling1 warmth and   
glowing emotion from the true occult    
view of life4 ,for this reveals a       
magnificent perspective of the whole    
subject of education4 ,once the latter  
allows itself to be enriched from  the  
life source of occult science1 it will  
itself become permeated  with a profound
 vitality4 ,it will give up groping in  
the dark1 so  common in this particular 
domain of thought4 ,all educational     
methods1  all educational sciences1 that
 do not continually receive a supply of 
fresh sap from such roots1 are dried up 
and dead4 ,for all world-secrets  occult
 science has fitting similes1 similes   
not rising from the mind of  man but    
drawn from the essence of things1 having
 been laid down as a  basis by the      

forces of the world at their creation4  
,occult science must  therefore be the  
basis for any system of education4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,a power of the soul to which particular
 attention ought to be given at  this   
period of development is that of memory4
 ,for the cultivation of  the memory is 
connected with the transformation of the
 etheric body4  ,this has its effect in 
the fact that precisely during the time 
between  the coming of the second teeth 
and that of puberty it becomes free1  so
 that this is also the period in which  
the further development of  the memory  
should be looked after from outside4    
,the memory will be  permanently of less
 value to the person in question than it
 might have  been1 if at this period    
what is necessary to it is neglected4   
,that  which has thus been neglected    
cannot afterwards be retrieved4    ,an  
intellectual and materialistic way of   
thinking is liable to bring  about many 
mistakes in this direction4 ,a system of

 education arising  from this way of    
thinking is easily prejudiced against   
that which is  acquired merely by the   
memory4 ,it will not tire at times of   
directing  itself with the greatest     
ardor against the mere training of the  
memory1  and rather makes use of the    
most ingenious methods that the young   
person may not mechanically absorb what 
he does not really understand4  ,an     
opinion merely intellectual and         
materialistic is so easily persuaded    
that there is no means of penetrating   
into things except by abstract  ideas2  
it is only with difficulty that thinkers
 of this kind come to  the conclusion   
that the other subjective powers are at 
least just as  necessary to the         
comprehension of things1 as the         
intellect itself4 ,it  is not merely a  
figure of speech to say that one can    
understand just as  well with the       
feelings1 the emotions1 the mind1 as    
with the intellect4  ,ideas are only one
 of the means by which to understand the

 things of  this world1 and only to     
materialists do they appear the only    
means4  ,there are1 of course1 many     
people who do not imagine that they are 
materialists1 but who nevertheless      
consider an intellectual conception  to 
be the only means of comprehension4     
,such men profess perhaps to hold  an   
idealistic1 perhaps even a spiritual    
conception of the world and  life4 ,but 
the attitude of their souls toward both 
is materialistic4  ,for the intellect   
is1 as a matter of fact1 the soul's     
instrument for  the comprehension of    
material things4    ,and here1          
concerning the deeper foundations of the
 understanding1 let  us quote from that 
excellent educational book1 by ,jean    
,paul already  mentioned--a work        
containing generally golden ideas       
concerning education  and deserving of  
much more consideration than at present 
it receives4  ,it is of much more value 
to the guardian than many of the        
writings  on these lines that enjoy the 

highest repute4 ,the passage under      
consideration runs thus3    8,do not be 
afraid of unintelligibility1 even if it 
be of whole  sentences2 your look and   
the manner of your expression1 added to 
the  eager desire to understand1        
elucidates the one half1 and with this1 
and in due time1 the other half also4   
,for with children1 as with the         
,chinese and with men of the world1 the 
manner of pronunciation is half  the    
language4 ,bear in mind1 that they      
understand their language as well  as we
 understand ,greek or any other foreign 
tongue before learning to  speak it4    
,trust to the deciphering of time and to
 association4 ,a child  of five years of
 age understands indeed the words 8yet10
 8truly10 8on  the contrary10 8of       
course02 but for a definition of them   
one must go  not to the child1 but to   
the father6 ,the little word 8but0      
reveals a  small philosopher4 ,if the   
eight-year-old child with his growing   
power  of speech is understood by a     

child of three1 why should you then     
confine your language to his babbling8  
,always speak several years in  advance 
7for in books genius speaks to us       
centuries in advance72 with  the child  
of a year1 speak as if it were two1 with
 the child of two as  if it were six1   
for the difference of growth may        
diminish in inverse  proportion to the  
years4 ,generally speaking1 all learning
 is apt to be  too much ascribed to the 
credit of the teacher--therefore the    
teacher  ought to bear in mind that the 
child possesses half his world1 namely1 
the spiritual 7such as his moral and    
metaphysical ideas71 already  complete  
and taught within himself1 and that     
therefore a language  composed only of  
concrete images can never impart        
spiritual ideas1  but can only light    
them up4 ,the joy and assurance used in 
speaking  to children ought to be given 
as if the assurance and joy came from   
themselves4 ,we can learn speech from   
them1 just as we teach them by  means of

 speech2 by means of bold and yet       
correct word-painting1 such  as for     
instance ,i have heard spoken by        
children of three and four years  of    
age3 #8leg-fish' for otter2 #8pig-iron' 
for the fork used in eating  bacon2     
#8the air-mouse' 7unquestionably        
superior to our word #8bat'7 and  so    
on40    ,it is true that this passage   
refers to the understanding 7before the 
intellectual comprehension7 as exercised
 in another sphere than that of  which  
we are now speaking1 but for this also1 
the words of ,jean ,paul  have an       
important meaning4 ,just as the child   
receives into his soul's  organism the  
construction of speech1 without making  
use of the laws  of grammatical         
structure with intellectual             
comprehension1 so too1  for the         
cultivation of his memory1 the youth    
ought to learn things  of which he will 
not until later acquire an actual       
understanding4  ,that which has been    
acquired in this period of life1 at     

first in a  purely mechanical way1 is   
best put into ideas1 afterwards1 just as
  one learns more easily the rules of a 
language when one can already  speak it4
 ,all the talk of work learned by rote  
and not understood is  nothing more than
 a materialistic prejudice4 ,for        
instance1 the youth  needs only to      
acquire by a few examples the most      
necessary rules of  multiplication1 for 
which the fingers are far better suited 
than an  abacus1 and then to learn      
fully1 by rote1 the multiplication      
table4  ,if one so proceeds1 one takes  
into account the nature of the growing  
child4 ,but a mistake may be made with  
regard to this1 if1 during the  time    
that the memory is forming itself1 too  
much is demanded of the  intellect4 ,the
 intellect being a power of the soul1   
and only born at  the time of puberty1  
ought not to receive an outward         
influence before  this period4 ,until   
the time of puberty1 the youth should   
assimilate  into the memory treasures   

over which mankind has meditated2 later 
on  it is time to permeate with ideas   
that which has been impressed upon  his 
memory4 ,a man ought therefore not to   
retain merely what he has  understood1  
but he ought now to understand the      
things that he knows2  that is to say1  
the things of which he has already taken
 possession by  means of the memory1    
just as the child does1 when learning to
 speak4  ,this applies to a wider       
sphere4 ,at first1 assimilation of      
historical  events by mere rote1 then   
comprehension of the same by means of   
ideas4  ,at first1 a good impression    
upon the memory of geographical data1   
then  an understanding of the           
relationship of each thing with the     
rest1 etc4  ,in certain respects all    
comprehension through ideas should be   
done by  means of the stored treasures  
of the memory4 ,the more the youth      
already  knows through the memory before
 he comes to comprehension1 the better  
it is4 ,it is hardly necessary to       

explain that all this applies only to   
the period1 of which we are speaking1   
and not to any later period4 ,if  one   
learns a subject in later life1 either  
by going over it again1 or  in any other
 way1 the opposite process to that here 
described might be  correct and         
desirable1 although even then a great   
deal depends upon the  particular       
spiritual nature of the student4 ,but at
 the time of life of  which we have     
already spoken the spirit must not be   
parched by being  overcrowded with      
intellectual ideas4    ,it is also true 
that teaching by mere sense-objects1 if 
carried too  far1 is the result of a    
materialistic view of life4 ,at this age
  every idea must be spiritualised4 ,one
 ought not1 for instance1 to be         
satisfied with merely producing a       
sense-impression of a plant1 a grain  of
 seed1 or a blossom4 ,everything should 
seem as an allegory of the  spiritual4  
,a grain of seed is1 in truth1 not      
merely what it appears  to the eye4     

,invisibly the whole new plant inhabits 
it1 and that such  a thing is more than 
what the sense perceives1 must be       
absolutely  realised with the           
perception1 the imagination1 and the    
feelings4 ,the  mysterious presence of  
latent existence must really be felt4   
,nor can it  be objected that such a    
proceeding would weaken the perception  
of pure  sense2 on the contrary1 by a   
persistent adherence to sense           
perceptions  alone1 ,truth itself would 
be the loser4 ,for the complete reality 
of a  thing exists in ,spirit and in    
,matter1 and accurate observations can  
be no less carefully carried out if one 
brings to the study not only  the       
physical senses1 but also the spiritual 
faculties4 ,if people could  only       
perceive1 as the ,occultist is able to1 
how both body and soul  are spoiled by  
mere object-teaching1 they would not    
then lay so much  stress upon it4 ,of   
what value is it from the highest point 
of view1  if young people are shown all 

kinds of physical experiments in the    
mineral1 vegetable and animal worlds1 if
 with such a study one does  not suggest
 the application of the sense allegory  
to the feeling of  spiritual mystery8   
,certainly a materialistic mind will not
 be able to  make anything of what has  
here been said1 and of that the         
,occultist is  only too conscious4 ,yet 
it is also clear to him that a really   
practical  method of education can never
 proceed from the materialistic mind4   
,so  practical does such a mind imagine 
itself1 and yet so unpractical is it  in
 reality1 when it is a matter of        
considering life vitally4 ,opposed to   
the true reality1 materialistic opinions
 seem only fantastic1 while  to the     
materialist1 the interpretations of     
occult science must1 of  necessity1     
appear equally fantastic4 ,doubtless1   
too1 there will remain  many obstacles  
which must be overcome before the       
fundamental teachings  of occult        
science1 arising from life itself1 will 

permeate the art of  education4 ,but    
that is to be expected1 for at present  
these truths are  strange to many2      
nevertheless1 if they be really the     
truth1 they will  incorporate themselves
 into all culture4    ,only through the 
sure conviction that they are the only  
educational  means by which to work upon
 young people1 can the teacher always   
find  the right way to deal correctly   
with each individual case4 ,thus1 he    
must know how the individual powers of  
the soul --such as thinking1  feeling   
and willing--ought to be treated1 and   
how their development may  react upon   
the etheric body2 while this itself1    
between the period when  the second     
teeth appear and that of puberty1 can be
 perfectly moulded  by outside          
influences4    ,the foundations for the 
development of a healthy and powerful   
will can  be laid by the right          
management1 during the first seven      
years1 of those  fundamental principles 
of education which have already been    

considered4  ,for such a will must have 
for its support the fully developed form
 of  the physical body4 ,from the period
 of the second teething it begins  to be
 a matter of making the etheric body1   
which is now developing1  supply those  
powers to the physical body by which it 
can solidify its  form and make itself  
firm4 ,that which makes the most vivid  
impression  upon the etheric body also  
reacts most forcibly upon the           
strengthening  of the physical4 ,and the
 strongest impulses are evoked in the   
etheric  body through those perceptions 
and ideas by which a person feels and   
experiences his own relation to the     
everlasting ,universe1 that is  to say1 
through religious experiences4 ,the     
will1 and along with it1  the character1
 of a person will never develop         
healthily if he cannot  experience at   
this epoch of life1 profound religious  
impulses4 ,the  result of the uniform   
organisation of the will is that the    
person feels  himself to be an organic  

fragment of the whole world4 ,if the    
person  does not feel himself to be     
indissolubly connected with a ,supreme  
,spirit1 then must the will and         
character remain unstable1 discordant   
and unhealthy4    ,the emotional nature 
is developed in the right direction by  
means of  the allegories and            
sense-pictures already described1 and   
especially by  all which1 whether from  
history or from other sources1 presents 
to us  the figures of persons with      
character4 ,an absorption in the        
mysteries  and beauties of ,nature is   
also of importance in the upbuilding of 
the  emotional world4 ,and here it is   
particularly well to consider the       
culture of the sense of beauty1 and the 
awakening of the feeling for  what is   
artistic4 ,music should supply that     
rhythm to the etheric body  which then  
enables it to perceive in everything the
 rhythm otherwise  concealed4 ,a young  
person will be deprived of much in all  
his after  life1 who does not receive at

 this period the benefit of cultivating 
the musical sense4 ,to him in whom this 
sense is altogether lacking1  a certain 
aspect of the ,universe must remain     
hidden4 ,nor should1  however1 the other
 arts be1 by any means neglected4 ,the  
awakening of  the sense for             
architectural form1 as also for plastic 
shape1 for line1  design and harmony of 
color--not one of these ought to be     
omitted in  the plan of education4 ,so  
simply1 perhaps1 might all this be done1
  under special circumstances1 that the 
objection that circumstances  allow of  
no development at all in this direction 
can never be valid4  ,one can do much   
with the simplest means1 if the right   
sense in this  direction prevails in the
 teacher himself4 ,the joy of life1 the 
love  for existence1 the strength to    
work--all these arise for the whole     
being1 out of the cultivation of the    
sense of beauty and art4 ,and the       
relations of man to man--how ennobled   
and how beautiful will they become      

through this sense6 ,the moral sense1   
which will1 at this period1 be          
developed by pictures of life and by    
standard authorities1 will also  gain a 
certain stability if1 through the sense 
of beauty1 the good is  recognized as   
beautiful and the bad as ugly4          
,thought in its own shape1 as an inner  
life of distilled ideas1 must1  at the  
period in question1 be kept in the      
background4 ,it must develop            
spontaneously1 as it were1 uninfluenced 
from without1 while the soul  is        
nourished by means of similes and       
pictures representing life and  the     
mysteries of nature4 ,thus1 in the midst
 of the other experiences  of the soul  
between the seventh year and the time of
 puberty1 thought  must grow and the    
faculty for judgment be matured1 so that
 after a  successful puberty the person 
becomes capable of forming his own      
opinions concerning the matters of life 
and knowledge1 with complete            
independence4 ,indeed1 the less one     

works directly upon the critical        
faculty1 and the more one works         
indirectly through the development  of  
the other spiritual powers1 the better  
will it be for the whole  after-life of 
the person concerned4    ,occult science
 lays down the principles1 not only for 
the spiritual  side of education1 but   
also for the purely physical4 ,thus1 to 
give  a characteristic example1 let us  
consider gymnastics and children's      
games4 ,just as love and joy must       
permeate the environment during the     
first years of childhood1 so too the    
growing etheric body must be  taught    
really to experience from bodily        
exercise a feeling of its own           
expansion1 of its ever increasing       
strength4 ,for instance gymnastic       
exercises ought to be so carried out    
that with every movement1 with  every   
step1 the feeling rises in the inner    
self of the boy or girl3  8,i feel      
increasing power within me40 ,and this  
feeling should manifest  itself within  

as a healthy delight1 as a sensation of 
pleasure4 ,for  the devising of         
gymnastic exercises1 in this sense1 it  
is of course  necessary to possess more 
than a merely intellectual knowledge of 
the human body1 anatomically and        
physiologically4 ,it is necessary to    
possess a close intuitive and           
sympathetic knowledge of the relation   
of joy and comfort to the postures and  
movements of the human body4  ,the      
formulator of such exercises ought      
himself to experience how  one movement 
or posture of the limbs will produce a  
pleasant and  comfortable sensation1 but
 another a loss of strength1 and so     
forth4 ,a  belief that gymnastics and   
bodily exercises can be cultivated in   
this  direction is one that can only be 
supplied to the educator by occult      
science1 or1 above all1 by a mind       
sympathetic to such thought4 ,one  does 
not even require the power of vision in 
the spiritual worlds1  but only the     
inclination to apply to life what has   

been given out by  occultism4 ,if1      
especially in such practical departments
 as this of  education1 occult knowledge
 were applied1 then all the useless talk
 of  how this knowledge has yet to be   
proved would straightway cease4 ,for  to
 him who should rightly apply it1 this  
knowledge would itself be a  proof      
through the whole of life by making him 
healthy and strong4 ,by  such means he  
would perceive1 through and through1    
that it is true in  actual practice1 and
 this he would find a better proof than 
any manner  of 8logical0 and so-called  
8scientific0 reasons4 ,one can best know
  spiritual truths by their fruits1 and 
not through a pretended proof1  however 
scientific1 for such could hardly be    
anything more than a  logical           
skirmishing4    ,at puberty the astral  
body is first born4 ,with the free      
outward  development which follows1 all 
that which is unfolded by the world  of 
externalised perceptions1 by one's      
judgment and the unfettered             

understanding1 will first rush inward   
upon the soul4 ,it has already  been    
mentioned that these faculties of the   
soul1 hitherto uninfluenced  from       
within1 ought to be developed by the    
right management of  educational means1 
just as unconsciously as the eyes and   
ears evolve  themselves in the womb4    
,but with puberty the time has arrived  
when the  person is ready to form his   
own judgment concerning the things which
  he has hitherto learned4 ,no greater  
injury can be inflicted on any one  than
 by too soon awakening within him his   
own judgment4 ,one should  only judge   
when one has already stored up the      
necessary qualifications  for judging   
and comparing4 ,if1 before this1 one    
creates one's own  independent opinions1
 then these will have no sure           
foundations4 ,all  one-sidedness in     
life1 all dreary 8confessions of faith0 
which are  based upon a few mere scraps 
of knowledge1 and the desire to judge   
from  these human conceptions that have 

been approved through long ages of      
time1 rest upon just such mistakes in   
education4 ,before qualified to  think1 
one must place before oneself1 as a     
warning1 what others have  thought4     
,there is no sound thinking which has   
not been preceded by a  sound perception
 of the truth supported by obvious      
authority4 ,if one  wishes to follow out
 these principles of education1 one must
 not allow  people1 at too early an age1
 to fancy themselves able to judge1 for 
in  avoiding this1 one will leave them  
the possibility of allowing life  to    
work upon them from every side1 and     
without prejudice4 ,for by one  such    
judgment1 which is not founded on the   
precious basis of spiritual  treasures1 
he who makes it will have placed a      
stumbling-block in the  path of his     
life4 ,for if one has pronounced a      
judgment on any subject1  one will      
always be influenced by having done so2 
one will no longer  regard an experience
 as one might have regarded it1 if one  

had not  erected an opinion which is    
henceforth intertwined with the subject 
in question4 ,in young people the       
disposition to learn first and then  to 
judge1 should be present4 ,that which   
the intellect has to say of  a certain  
subject ought only to be said when all  
the other powers of  soul have spoken2  
before that the intellect ought only to 
play the  part of mediator4 ,it should  
only serve to lay hold of what is seen  
and  felt1 to apprehend it as it there  
exists1 without allowing the unripe     
judgment to take possession of the      
matter4 ,therefore the youth ought  to  
be shielded from all the theories       
concerning a thing1 before the          
above-mentioned age1 and it should be   
especially emphasized that he  should   
face the experiences of life in order to
 admit them into his  soul4 ,a growing  
individual can certainly be made        
acquainted with what  people have       
thought concerning this or that1 but one
 should avoid  letting him form opinions

 which arise from a premature judgment4 
,he  should receive opinions with the   
feelings1 without deciding at once for  
one view or the other1 not attaching    
himself to a party1 but thinking1  as he
 listens3 8,one has said this1 and the  
other that40 ,before all  things a large
 measure of tact is necessary in the    
cultivation of  this sense by teachers  
and guardians1 but occult knowledge is  
exactly  calculated to supply such tact4
    ,it has only been possible to       
develop here a few aspects of education 
in the light of ,occultism1 but it has  
only been intended to give a  hint as to
 what problems of civilisation this     
philosophy will have to  solve4 ,whether
 it can do so depends on whether the    
inclination for such  a way of thinking 
henceforth broadens out in ever widening
 circles4  ,in order that this may take 
place1 two things are necessary3 first1 
that people should abandon their        
prejudice against ,occultism4 ,he who   
will truly associate himself with it1   

will soon see that it is not  the       
fantastical trash which so many today   
imagine it to be4 ,this is  not intended
 as a reproach to such people1 for      
everything which our  time offers as a  
means of education must1 at first1      
engender the view  that occultists are  
fantastics and dreamers4 ,on the surface
 any other  view is hardly possible1 for
 there appears to be the most complete  
diversity between what is known as      
,occult ,science or ,theosophy1 and all 
that the culture of the present day     
suggests as the principles for a        
healthy view of life4 ,only a deeper    
consideration reveals to us how         
entirely in opposition the views of the 
present must remain without  these      
principles of occult science--how1      
indeed1 they themselves call  out these 
very principles and in the long run     
cannot remain without  them4 ,the second
 thing that is necessary is connected   
with the sound  development of          
,theosophy itself4 ,life will only      

welcome ,theosophy1 if  in theosophical 
circles the knowledge is made to        
permeate everywhere  that it is         
important to make these teachings bear  
fruit in the widest  manner for all     
conditions of life1 and not merely to   
theorize about  them4 ,otherwise people 
will continue to look upon ,theosophy as
 a kind  of religious sectarianism1 only
 fit for some fanatical enthusiasts4    
,but  if it performs positive useful    
spiritual work1 then the theosophical   
movement cannot1 in the long run1 be    
refused an intelligent hearing4         
,,footnotes    #a 8,the ,way of         
,initiation10 or ,how to ,attain        
,knowledge of the ,higher  ,worlds18 by 
,rudolph ,steiner1 ,ph4,d41 with a      
,foreword by ,annie ,besant1  and some  
biographical ,notes of the author by    
,edouard ,schur4 ,second  edition1 #bcg 
pages1 cloth1 crown #hvo1 #c_/aj post   
free4    8,initiation and its ,results40
 ,a sequel to 8,the ,way of             
,initiation40  ,second edition4 #c_/i   

post free4 ,to be obtained from the     
,theosophical  ,publishing ,society1    
#afa ,new ,bond ,street1 ,london1 ,w4   
#b ,this distinction is important1 for  
the ideas of the present time  with     
regard to this subject are rather       
inaccurate4 ,the difference  between the
 vegetable and the creature gifted with 
the power of  sensation is completely   
lost sight of1 because the essential    
characteristic of sensibility is not    
clearly defined4 ,when a being 7or  an  
object7 responds to an exterior         
impression by showing any effect        
whatever1 it is inaccurate to conclude  
that this impression has been  felt4 ,to
 bear out this conclusion the impression
 must be experienced  inwardly1 that is 
to say1 the outside stimulus must       
produce a kind  of interior reflection4 
,the great progress of natural science1 
which  a true ,theosophist must         
sincerely admire1 has thrown our        
abstract  vocabulary into confusion4    
,some of our biologists are ignorant of 

the  characteristics of sensibility1 and
 thus accredit it to beings who are     
devoid of it4 ,sensibility such as is   
comprehended by those biologists1  can1 
it is true1 be attributed to organisms  
deprived of it4 ,but what is  understood
 by ,theosophy as sensibility is a      
totally different quality4    #c ,a     
distinction must be made between the    
conscious inner life of the  astral body
 and the perception of this life by     
outward clairvoyant  observation4 ,here 
this latter perception by a trained     
clairvoyant is  intended4      #d ,the  
reader need not object to the technical 
term 8,body of the  ego10 because there 
is nothing of gross physical matter     
meant by it1  but occult science being  
forced to employ the vocabulary of      
ordinary  language1 the words applied to
 ,theosophy ought from the outset to be 
taken in a spiritual sense4      #e ,the
 terms 8,spirit-,self01 8,life-,spirit0 
and 8,spirit-,man0 need not  mystify the
 reader2 they stand for those           

transmutations of our grosser  bodies   
which are the results of conscious      
effort and pure aspirations2  they form1
 in other words1 the ,higher ,trinity1  
called in ,eastern  terminology3 ,manas1
 ,buddhi and ,atma1 respectively4       
7,trans47    #f ,were these affirmations
 to be wrongly interpreted1 the         
objection  might be raised that a child 
before cutting his second teeth is not  
deprived of memory1 and that before     
reaching the age of puberty1 he         
possesses the inherent faculties of the 
astral body4 ,it must not be  forgotten 
that the etheric and astral bodies are  
in existence from the  moment of        
physical birth1 although surrounded by  
the protecting shell  described4 ,it is 
precisely this envelope1 protecting the 
etheric body1  which permits of a       
remarkably good memory before the       
cutting of the  second teeth4 ,the      
existence of physical eyes in the       
embryonic being1  concealed in the womb 
of the mother1 is analogous4 ,and in the

 same way  that the physical eyes       
sheltered from all external influence do
 not  owe their development to the      
physical sunlight1 so also education    
from  without should not intervene      
before the cutting of the second teeth  
in  the training of the memory4 ,very   
much to the contrary1 the spontaneous   
growth of the memory will be noticeable1
 provided there is food for it  within  
reach1 and no attempt be made to train  
it by means of exterior  methods4       
,this observation applies equally to the
 qualities belonging to the  astral body
 before puberty4 ,provision should be   
made for their  training1 but bearing in
 mind that this body is still           
encompassed by a  protecting shell4 ,it 
is something wholly different to take   
care of the  germs which are in process 
of development within the astral body   
before  puberty and to expose the freed 
astral body after puberty to what  it   
can assimilate in the outer world1      
without the protecting shell4  ,this    

distinction is certainly very subtle1   
but without its careful  consideration  
the whole significance of education     
cannot be understood4           99      
99       99       99       99           
,transcriber's ,notes    ,obvious       
typographical errors have been silently 
corrected4 ,all other  spelling and     
punctuation remains unchanged4    ,the  
half title immediately before the title 
page has been removed4    ,italics are  
represented thus italic4