TEMPERAMENT

THERE ARE PEOPLE who excuse many of their faults, even to themselves, as being due to their temperament!

That is wrong!

He who acts in this manner shows that he has become nothing but a slave to himself.

Man is of the spirit, which remains as the highest form of all that is self-conscious in this Subsequent Creation, thereby influencing, forming and leading all else, no matter whether he acts in full awareness of it or whether he knows nothing at all about it.

This ruling or influencing in Subsequent Creation is anchored in the nature of the spirit in accordance with the Laws of Creation.

Through its very existence, therefore, the human spirit works in Subsequent Creation in this manner, because it issues from the Spiritual Realm.

The temperament, however, cannot be attributed to the spirit, for it is only produced by the radiations of a certain species of matter when the latter is animated and completely permeated by the animistic, which moves, warms and forms all that is of matter.

This radiation emanates from the blood.

Thus it is not wrong to use the popular expression concerning certain qualities which people possess: “It runs in the blood!”

In most cases they mean that it has been “inherited”.

And often this is the case because gross material heredity does occur, while spiritual heredity is impossible.

With that which is spiritual it is the Law of Attraction of Homogeneous Species which counts, the effects of which do outwardly resemble heredity in our life on earth, and can therefore easily be confused with it.

Temperament, however, comes from the World of Matter and may therefore be partly inherited, and it also remains closely connected with all that is matter.

Its cause lies in animistic activity.

Here again some idea of this is contained in another popular saying.

The wisdom of such expressions has always originated in the natural intuitive perception of those people of sound mind whose manner of living in Creation has remained simple and undistorted.

This popular saying speaks of light blood, hot blood, heavy blood, and blood which can be easily excited.

All these terms are applied to the temperament with the correct perception that the blood plays the major role in these matters.

In reality it is a definite radiation which develops through the type of blood composition in each case.

It first of all produces an equivalent effect in the brain, which subsequently becomes strongly perceptible in the feeling of the entire body.

In accordance with the blood composition there will therefore always be a type of temperament predominating in different people which is decisive for them.

In the healthy blood of a human being are anchored all the radiations which the blood is capable of producing and consequently all the temperaments.

I am always and only referring to the healthy physical body, for sickness brings confusion into the radiations.

As the physical body ages the blood composition also changes.

Thus when healthy blood changes through increasing age a corresponding change of temperament occurs at the same time.

Besides advancing age in the body, however, there are still other things which have an influence on the change in blood composition, such as the characteristics of the different regions and everything pertaining to them, i.e., the climate, the radiations of the stars, different kinds of nourishment, and many other things as well.

They all affect the temperaments directly because they are part of the World of Matter and therefore linked very closely with it.

In general one can distinguish between four basic temperaments in mankind – the sanguine, the melancholic, the choleric and the phlegmatic – and men themselves are described accordingly.

In reality, however, there are seven temperaments and, with all the gradations, even twelve.

But the principal temperaments are four in number.

In a person with an absolutely healthy blood condition they can be classified into four age periods, in each of which the composition of the blood changes.

First of all there is the period of childhood, resembling the sanguine temperament, the carefree life of the moment.

Then comes early manhood or womanhood, which is like the melancholic temperament of dreaming and longing.

Thereafter follow the years of man’s and woman’s full estate which is the choleric temperament urging them to action.

And finally comes old age, or the phlegmatic temperament of quiet reflection.

This is the normal and healthy condition in the temperate zone as distinct from the abnormal zone.

How closely all this is connected with and works in a similar way in the World of Matter you can even witness on the gross material earth in the seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter.

In spring an impetuous awakening, in summer a dreamy development with an urge towards ripening, in autumn the full activity of the fruits, and in winter a quiet transition with all the gathered experiences to a new awakening!

Even nations and races bear very definite characteristics of common temperaments.

This may be traced back to the part of the earth where they came into existence and where they live, to the consequent form of nutrition there, to their exposure to similar gross material radiations by the stars, and last but not least to the spiritual maturity of the entire nation.

A people of sanguine temperament are still, figuratively speaking, in their childhood, or have through some circumstances retrogressed to this stage.

The latter category not only comprises the sunny South Sea islanders but to a greater extent the Latin peoples.

People of melancholic temperament stand before their actual deeds.

The Germans and all Germanic people belong to this group.

They stand at their awakening, prepared for action!

That is why the period of early manhood and womanhood is also the age of the melancholic temperament, because only as the spirit breaks through in the generative power does it find a direct connection with the species of Creation.

Thus man becomes responsible for his deeds in Creation, fully responsible for every individual thought, for every word, and for every one of his actions, because all the vibrations thereof are pressing in full power, thereby penetrating the spheres of animistic species and producing forms.

Thus forms arise in Subsequent Creation in accordance with the vibrations sent forth by man.

Consequently if a person is unrestrained in his temperament he thereby creates new and unhealthy forms in Creation which can never produce harmony, but which are bound to have a disturbing influence upon all that exists.

Since by virtue of his origin the human spirit stands at the highest point in Subsequent Creation, he has not only the power but also the duty to control every species different to him in Creation.

In fact he cannot do otherwise, he must dominate owing to his nature!

He must now think of this every moment!

With each individual thought, with each stirring of his soul, he creates ever new forms in this Subsequent Creation!

Try to grasp this clearly, as you are indeed responsible for it, and everything you form in the course of your existence clings to you.

What is good uplifts you, what is low must pull you down in accordance with the Law of Gravity, which takes effect irrevocably, regardless of whether you yourselves are aware of it or completely indifferent to it.

It operates and works around you in a constant weaving.

It is true that you are the starting point of all that must be formed or produced in this loom, yet you are unable to stop it even for one moment!

Just try to envisage this one picture clearly!

It must suffice to rouse you from the trifling things for which you are often willing to sacrifice so much time and strength.

You must be horrified at the frivolous manner in which you have hitherto spent your life, and stand ashamed before your Creator, Who thereby bestowed such a great gift upon you.

But you have paid no attention to it, you only dabbled with this enormous power to the detriment of the Subsequent Creation entrusted to you, which you can transform into a Paradise for yourselves if at last you wish to do so.

Consider!

The entire disorder which you have brought about through your ignorance of the Divine Laws is now bound to confuse and overwhelm you!

It is your fault that you do not yet know these laws.

Since you stand in Creation it is your most sacred duty personally to concern yourselves with them.

But instead men have mocked and sneered at the messengers who were able to indicate the way which is bound to bring recognition.

Without effort, however, no prize can be won, for that is against the Law of unceasing Movement in Creation, which is a necessary factor for the maintenance and further development of everything.

Movement in the spirit and of the body!

Everything which does not move, or which does not move in the right way, will be ejected, because it does nothing but disturb the swinging harmony of Creation.

It is ejected as being a diseased part which does not want to move along in rhythm.

I have already spoken to you about the necessity of continual movement as a law.

The spirit must dominate, no matter whether it wants to or not.

It cannot do otherwise!

And thus it must now also exert itself at last to dominate spiritually in full consciousness, unless it wishes to bring nothing but harm.

However, it can only dominate consciously if it is familiar with and adjusts itself to all the laws resting in Creation.

There is no alternative!

Only then does it fill the post to which it has been appointed, and which it can never alter or rearrange.

Thus the human spirit must also stand above the temperaments, it must restrain and rule them, so that harmony will be achieved first of all in its own body and then extend beneficially to the immediate surroundings; they will radiate and manifest in forms in the entire Subsequent Creation.

Only that man who makes good use of all the four temperaments in proper sequence and at the appropriate times stands truly firm in this Creation.

For he needs these temperaments so as to climb the steps of his earth-life with security and certainty and to neglect nothing which is necessary for his spiritual maturing.

Temperaments which are well controlled and properly employed are like wearing good boots on the road through material substance on earth!

Pay greater attention to them than you have done so far!

You cannot do without them, but neither must you yield to them, as then they become tyrants which torment you and your surroundings also, instead of serving you.

But make use of them, for they are your best companions during your life on earth!

They are your friends if you control them.

The child develops best when it is sanguine, therefore the composition of its blood is such as to produce the sanguine temperament.

The blood composition changes at the time of increasing physical maturity and then brings with it the melancholic temperament.

This in turn is the best aid for the time of maturing!

It can direct the spirit towards the Light, towards purity and loyalty, during the years when the spirit’s connection with Creation is being completed, at which time it takes the active lead and gears into the entire weaving and working which is in constant movements therein.

In this way it may become the greatest helper to the human spirit in its essential being, more decisive than he is now able to imagine.

Therefore the child must be allowed the undimmed joy of the moment which is derived from the sanguine temperament and, on the other hand, the youth and maiden must be left to the healthy daydreams in which they so often indulge.

He who destroys such reveries in order to make these young people conform to the sobriety of their surroundings becomes a brigand of the spirit on its way to the Light!

Beware of this, for all the consequences will also fall upon you!

The choleric temperament in a clarified form is needed by every man of action!

I purposely say in a clarified form, for the spirit must dominate in the years of manhood and womanhood, it must ennoble and transfigure everything, it must send forth and spread light radiations throughout the entire Creation!

In old age, however, the phlegmatic temperament gradually helps to loosen the spirit more and more from its body, to re-examine past experiences of earth-life in order to retain the lessons learned as something personal, and to prepare itself little by little in this way for the necessary step into the Ethereal World of Creation.

It is thereby made easy for such a person, becoming quite a natural event which means nothing but progress, and involves no suffering in obeying the Law of this Creation.

Pay attention to the temperaments, therefore, and further them whenever you can, but always and only at their proper time and so long as they do not become tyrants through lack of restraint!

He who wishes to change or suppress them destroys the best help there is for the development of earthman as willed by God.

In so doing he also disturbs all healthiness, causing confusion as well as undreamt-of eccentricities, which will bring discord, envy, hatred and anger, not to mention robbery and murder.

All this because the temperaments were disregarded at the essential time by the coldly-calculating intellect, and broken when they should have been developed and observed!

The temperaments are given to you by the Will of God in the Laws of Nature, which are always tended and kept fresh for you by the elemental beings in order to facilitate the course of your life on earth if you live as God wills that you should.

Thank the Lord for this and joyously take up the gifts which lie ready for you everywhere in Creation!

Exert yourselves in order to recognize them aright at last!

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