Four 'Conditions' of the Human Organism
The modern scientific picture of the human being which is based on very
detailed anatomical-physiological descriptions of his systems, organs,
tissues, cells, and 'chemistry of life' – that is, the atoms, molecules and
compounds which compose everything perceptible in the human body – is
actually very materialistic. With its help we cannot arrive at any other
finding than that the human body is a very complex physical organization. In
contrast to this the spiritual science reveals that the
FOURFOLD HUMAN BEING
is composed of the physical body, etheric body,
astral body, and human ego. These four members can be looked at from various
perspectives in regard to their connections to the various realms of
existence. Now we will look at the links of these members of the human
constitution to the four conditions of matter – solid, fluid, gaseous, and
warmth condition – which came into existence during the
COSMIC EVOLUTION OF SUBSTANCES.
What is the common understanding of the constitution of the human being
in regard to these four conditions of matter? "The human being is usually
regarded as if he were simply a physical organism, a body built up of solid
matter. That is just not true. The least part of the human body is solid,
less than ten percent. For the rest it is a water organism, an organism of
liquid, so that in reality we must think of this organism built up in such a
way that one tenth is solid and the rest saturated with water. You only
represent the human organism truly when you see it as a column of liquid in
which the solid is deposited." [1]
Although this fact is more or less known its significance is not yet
properly understood. "Physiology does, of course, also speak of what is in
flow, but the flowing fluids in the human organism are only investigated
from the point of view of the laws of dynamics or mechanics. The truth is
that the moment the fluid man comes into consideration; we must realize
that the so-called etheric body is working in this fluid man. This streaming
of fluids within the organism is not dependent upon earthly forces,
fundamentally speaking. It is dependent upon planetary forces. Therefore,
we must realize that as long as we are concerned with rigidly outlined
organs and systems of organs, earthly forces, pure and simple, come into
consideration. The moment we are concerned with what is in circulation –
whether it be the circulation of the digestive juice or the digestive juice
that has already been transformed in the blood – the ruling forces are not
earthly but planetary."
[2]
However, besides the fluids and solid substances inside the human body
"we must also picture it as an organism of air. The air is outside, we
breathe it in; a part of the outside air is now within us and we breathe it
out again. So we are also an air organism. It is just this air organism
which is taken hold of by the astral body as we wake up. [3] We breathe in
the air, it goes through transformations the effect of which pours through
the whole organism. The oxygen takes up the carbon and transforms it into
carbonic acid. Thus, an air process continually takes place within us.
As we wake up the air process is permeated by the astral body. The
movement of the astral body follows the same path as the air through the
organism. The air process consists solely of air when we sleep; when we are
awake then the movements of the astral body, as it were, swim along within
what lives in us as air processes. But now depict to yourselves the
following: the astral body draws into air organism and carries out its
movements, in fact, carries out its general activity, within the air
organism. This all takes place within the watery organism. When we are
awake, these air processes are in reality processes of the astral body and
they continually push against the watery organism. Man's etheric body is
within the watery organism both night and day. So you have simultaneously a
reciprocal effect between the etheric body and the astral body, as well as
between their physical counterparts – the air processes and the water
processes. Thus, you can visualize these processes running their course
within man between his breathing and the movements of all the bodily fluids.
Yet that is again merely a copy of what takes place between the astral and
etheric bodies." [4]
Thus, "the physical laws of the physical body apply to the solid man;
while the laws of the etheric body rule the fluid man. But the aeriform, the
gaseous, also plays a part in the human organism, a greater part, indeed,
than is conjectured. Insofar as the gaseous works within and enlivens the
human organism, it is entirely dependent upon the astral body. Human
breathing, for instance, in its physical manifestation, is a function of
the astral body." [5]
However, there is more to it. "The whole organism consisting of solid,
fluid and air is also permeated with warmth. The whole organism has its own
warmth – i.e., its own warmth ether. So far as the fourth man, the warmth
man, is concerned, there is not the slightest doubt that differentiated
warmth is present in the space physically occupied by the human being, and
even beyond this. If you put a thermometer behind the ear or under the
armpit you will find evidence of differentiation in the warmth organism; the
degrees of warmth are everywhere different. On the gaseous waves moves
astrality and in the warmth flowing through the body moves the actual I or
ego of man. This warmth organization is subject to the ego
organization." [6]
So we have "the physical body as such, then the fluid body, which is also
physical but differentiated from the solid physical body. The fluid physical
body has an intimate connection with the etheric body. Then we have the
gaseous organism which has an intimate connection with the astral body, and
finally all the warmth processes – that is, the warmth ether in man, which
has an intimate connection with the human I. Thus, one can say that in the
various physical constituents of man we have a picture of the whole man."
[7]
Or we can express this in the following manner:
- Laws of the physical body are valid for the
solid man
(skeleton, teeth, hair, nails, tendons, muscles, skin, etc.).
- Laws of the etheric body are valid for the fluid man (blood, lymph,
intercellular fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, etc.).
- Laws of the astral body are valid for the gaseous man (air in the
lungs, oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood and in other parts of the
body, intestinal gases, etc.).
- Laws of the ego organization are valid for the warmth man (inner warmth
organization).
The above division of the human being on the basis of the four conditions
of matter provides a background for the description of changes which
minerals undergo inside the human being. The important thing is to
understand that inside the human being physical laws apply only to solid
bodies, while fluid, gaseous, and warmth bodies are subject to supersensible
laws. Only in this manner can we comprehend the transformations of minerals
which are evolving inside the human organism. Or in other words, in the
metamorphoses of minerals described below we are dealing with physical
processes permeated by soul and spirit – that is, with the true alchemical
metamorphosis of substance.
Metamorphoses of Minerals in the Interior of Man
If we want to grasp the nature of the changes all mineral substances
undergo inside the human organism we need to clarify first which substances
in our food belongs to this group. Here is the short summary of the facts in
relation to this issue:
- In the description of the
Activities of Refining in
the Digestive Tract we can see that substances we absorb from food are
amino acids, simple sugars,
fatty acids,
glycerol, pure mineral substances (iron, magnesium, calcium, etc.) and
water. Only these inorganic elements and molecules enter our blood and lymph
circulation.
- In
EARTHLY NUTRITIONAL STREAM we can see that our food provides earthly
substances in the form of mineral salts for the functions of our
nervous-sense system. The expression mineral salts refers to all solid
substances in our food which can dissolve in the digestive fluids. This is
also evident from the finding of spiritual science that "all substances, in
so far as they are foodstuffs, are salt" [8] – that is, substance with a
specific form which dissolves in water or other liquids.
- From the description of the
INDIVIDUALIZATION OF HUMAN SUBSTANCES we
can see that everything we absorb into our blood and lymph circulation is
dead mineral substance without any remnants of the foreign etheric body,
astral body and ego-organization.
In accordance with all this we can conclude that all we get from our food
is, in its essence, mineral substance – that is, inorganic compound or
element which has specific form. After all, every food has specific form as
a consequence of the fact that it contains specific substances which belong
to the mineral kingdom. This conclusion is important for the proper
understanding of the further description of transformations of minerals.
If we consume some mineral in solid form – alone, such as sugar or salt,
or as constituent part of our food – this mineral first dissolves in our
bodily fluids. This is the first transformation occurring in our fluid
organism. The second transformation occurs in our air organism when the
fluid mineral changes into the gaseous condition. And finally "everything of a mineral nature which enters into the human organism must
be so far metamorphosed, so far changed that, at least for a certain period
of time, it becomes pure warmth, becomes one with the warmth which man
develops as his own individual temperature independent of the temperature of
his environment. No matter whether it is salt or some other mineral that we
absorb, in one way or another it must assume the form of warmth ether
[9],
and it must do this before it is used to build the living organism. It is
utter nonsense to imagine that some mineral from the outside world would
simply transfer itself into the human body and make up some part of the
skeletal system, the teeth, etc. Before anything can be part of the human
form it must have gone through the completely volatile warmth ether stage
and then have been transformed again into a part of the living form of the
human organism." [10]
This is in accordance with the
COSMIC NUTRITIONAL STREAM which is, in a
healthy human being, the source of all substances our body needs. This is
happening by means of the gradual condensation of the cosmic ethers. But
this influx of cosmic ethers into the human body can happen in a proper
manner only if something else happens before this. "Solid
substance loses its solid form when it is changed in the mouth into fluid
and is then further transformed into the condition of warmth ether. It also
gradually loses weight as it passes over into the fluid form and becomes
more and more estranged from the earthly; but only when it has ascended to
the warmth etheric form is it fully prepared to absorb into itself the
spiritual which comes from above, which comes from cosmic breadths.
Thus, if you want to gain an idea of how a mineral substance is utilized
in man, you must see the following: There is the mineral substance; this
mineral substance enters into man. Within man, passing through the fluid
and gaseous state, it is transformed into warmth ether. Now it is
warmth ether. This warmth ether has a strong disposition to absorb into
itself what radiates inwards, streams inwards, as forces from world spaces,
from the breadths of the cosmos. Thus it takes into itself the forces of the
universe. And these forces of the universe now become the spiritual forces
which here imbue warmth-etherized earthly matter with spirit. And only
then, with the help of this warmth-etherized earthly substance, does there
enter into the body what the body needs to take shape and form.
If in the old sense, we designate heat or warmth as fire we can say: What
man absorbs in the way of mineral substance is taken up to the level where
it becomes of the nature of fire in him. And what is of the nature of fire
has the disposition to take up into itself the forces of cosmic evolution;
and then this fire streams back again into all man's internal regions, and
resolidifies to provide the material basis for the individual organs.
Nothing that human beings take into themselves remains as it is; nothing
remains earthly. Everything, and specifically everything that comes from the
mineral kingdom, is so far transformed that it can take into itself the
spiritual and cosmic; it then resolidifies into the earthly condition with
the help of this.
Take a fragment of calcium phosphate from a bone, for instance. This is
in no way the calcium phosphate which you find outside in nature, or which,
let us say, you produce in the laboratory. It is the calcium phosphate
which, while it arose from what was absorbed from food, could only take
part in creating the human physical form with the help of the forces which
penetrated it during the time when it was changed into the warmth ether
condition.
One only gains insight into the nature of man when one knows that
everything which is taken in from outside must be worked on and thoroughly
transformed. Thus, if you take some external substance and wish to test its
value for human life you simply cannot do this by means of ordinary
chemistry. You must know how much force the human organism has to exert in
order to bring an external mineral substance to the fleeting condition of
warmth ether. If it is unable to do this, the external mineral substance is
deposited and becomes heavy earth matter before it has passed over into
warmth; it remains foreign
inorganic matter and is deposited in the tissues.
In the case of every substance one must therefore consider to what degree
the human organism can transmute lifeless substance into warmth substance,
whether the nature of that substance is already lifeless, as when we eat
common salt, or whether it becomes so, as with sugar.
In warmth substance, the organism, which is rooted in the earth, finds
its connection with the spiritual cosmos. Every deposit in man which remains
untransmuted signifies that the human being does not find the connection
with the spiritual of the cosmos for the substances present within him. This
is only a special application of the general axiom that whatever approaches
man from outside must be entirely worked over and transformed within him.
And if we wish to look after a person's health it is of paramount
importance to see to it that nothing enters into him that will remain as it
was, nothing that cannot be dealt with by the human organism and transformed
even if it is only quite minor in degree. This is not only the case in
regard to substances; it is also the case, for instance, in regard to
forces. Everything in the external world is poison for man, actual poison,
and it only becomes of service to him when, through his individual forces,
he lays hold of it and makes it his own." [11]
Thus we can see how the human organism performs true alchemical
transformations of minerals. The most outstanding among them is the
transubstantiation – that is, the permeation of minerals in the state of
warmth ether with spiritual forces which change the basic nature of
minerals which go through this process. In this phase of
metamorphosis our ego organization is directly involved, because "the warmth
is ruled from the ego organization. What the ego organization does in the
human organism is done by way of the warmth organization." [12]
The final outcome is not only that 'nothing remains earthly', but also that
all mineral substances are transformed in such a way that they can serve the
human being – they are, so to speak, humanised by the spiritual forces which
permeate them. These forces are called 'forces of cosmic evolution' because
they are forces which guide the evolution of cosmos, earth and humanity in
accordance with the wise plan of the cosmic evolution. [13]
Part of this development is in the task "that the human being in the
present age unites with the higher ego. For this men had to have help in
their evolution. When something is to be accomplished, there must be a
preparation. If a child is to develop into something special at fifteen
years of age, something must be done to that end as early as his sixth or
seventh year. Everywhere, evolution must prepare its impulses. What is to
happen to mankind in the next epoch must be slowly and gradually prepared." [14] Among
the most important preparations is the "central impulse of the growing
freedom to be allotted to human beings." [15]
This at any rate would not be possible if there did not exist the
possibility of metamorphosis of mineral substances that we receive from the
outside world and with which we create our inner world – that is, the
microcosm of our individual being. [16]
DIETARY CONCLUSIONS & PRACTICAL INSTRUCTIONS
If we take a look on our food from the perspective of this nutritional
principle, then we can notice that the majority of foods is made from a
mixture of solid and fluid ingredients with a specific amount of warmth,
and sometimes also a little amount of air.
- There are many foods where the
solid ingredients
predominate, such as crackers, bread, biscuits, pasta, etc.
- There are many foods where fluid ingredients predominate, such as
soups, one-pot dishes, sauces, salad dressing, compotes, etc.
- Air is not a very common ingredient in our foods, though some among
them contain specific amount of gaseous substances, such as bread, cakes,
biscuits, whipped cream, etc.
- We are supplied with plenty of warmth when we eat cooked food, while
in the case of eating raw food we still get warmth, though obviously less in
comparison to cooked food.
If we now focus on that mineral content of food which is usually
considered as 'minerals and trace elements', we can imagine that the
presence of artificial mineral substances in conventionally produced food –
such as residues of agrochemicals and artificial food additive – must be a
cause of considerable disruption in the processes of transformation of
minerals described in this nutritional principle because these substances
naturally do not occur in the food and are consequently alien to our
organism.
With the help of this nutritional principle we can get an additional
perspective on the issue of refined foods. The absence or great loss of
naturally occurring (trace) minerals is a cause of serious disorders,
because we need to be aware that the processes of transformation of mineral
substances described above are part of very complex metabolic processes
which maintain the life functions of our organism.
A special case is the refining of natural sea salt, which results in the
removal of potassium, calcium, magnesium, iodine and other trace minerals.
The outcome is pure sodium chloride which is then enriched with iodine and
fluoride. On top of this is added an anti-caking agent (calcium or magnesium
carbonate, or aluminium hydroxide). In this way natural, mineral-rich sea
salt, is transformed into an impoverished, human-made mineral compound. Our
blood is regarded as the 'inner sea' because of the similarity of its
composition to the sea water. It should then be no surprise that the daily
consumption of inferior refined table salt has repeated negative impacts on
the overall state of the human organism, which paves the way to more serious
troubles in the form of a disease.
This nutritional principle also reveals the great danger of a
materialistic focus on providing beneficial nutrients in the form of
nutraceuticals –
that is, the mineral extracts
derived from various food sources – without taking into consideration the
individual capabilities of performing all processes of transformation
described above. Since the regular use of supplements as general preventive
therapy has become fashionable, their regular consumption has most likely
burdened many people with untransformed minerals – for in spite of the best
of intentions these extracts cannot help if people are not capable of
performing transubstantiation which enables proper humanization of these
substances.
WARNING: You always have to put the above
practical dietary instructions inside the framework of
GENERAL NUTRITIONAL
GUIDELINES with the aim to know their limits when looking for a solution
of a specific nutritional problem. You also need to be familiar with
THE ROLE OF NUTRITIONAL GUIDELINES
with the aim to avoid any one-sided conclusions.
