THE PHYSICAL BODY

MAN WEARS THE physical garment which he needs for the maturing of his spirit in the World of Gross Matter with an irresponsible indifference and lack of understanding.

As long as he has no pains he neglects the gift he has received and does not even dream of giving to the body what it needs, above all what would benefit it.

He never attends to his body until he has damaged it and consequently feels pain, or until it somehow hampers him in carrying on his daily work, or in following some trifling pursuit or hobby.

It is true that he eats and drinks, but without due consideration and often excessively, just as it appears pleasant to him, quite indifferent to the fact that he injures his body in so doing.

Nobody thinks of tending his body carefully as long as it causes him no pain.

However, it is just the care of the healthy body which is an urgent necessity.

Man shall give to the healthy body what it needs.

He shall observe it with all the care requisite for the proper activity of this most necessary implement in the World of Gross Matter.

For indeed it is the most precious possession which every human being has received for his time here on earth.

But look at adolescent youth, how frivolously and carelessly they neglect their bodies, and how they abuse them with all kinds of overexertion’s.

Observe students who predominantly cultivate their intellects in a one-sided manner through their studies!

How proudly have they sung, and still sing today, the songs glorifying their college days!

But if, for once, you ask yourselves honestly what it is they are so proud of, you must examine the contents of their songs in order to find the reason.

All sound-thinking people will then feel greatly ashamed, for these songs contain nothing but a glorification of drinking and flirtation, of idleness and frittering away the best time of development in man’s existence on earth.

The very time when man must begin to soar upwards in order to become a full-fledged human being in this Creation, in order to attain the spiritual maturity needed to enable him to fill the position which man as such must fill and fulfil in Creation in accordance with the Laws of his Creator, his Lord!

These songs show only too clearly what is considered to be most beautiful and ideal at a time when man, filled with gratitude and joy, should perceive in purity how, through his physical body, his spirit makes contact with his entire surroundings in order to work fully conscious therein, and thus with full responsibility to his Creator!

At a time when every spirit, through the radiations of the generative power, begins to send its volition Formingly far out into the World of Gross Matter with its many gradations!

These songs, however, are a cry of mockery against the Primordial Laws of Creation, which they oppose to the last word!

As against this there are those youths who do not go through the higher educational institutions!

Here you find all the foundations to be more suitable, healthy and natural for the proper treatment of their physical bodies, provided that these young people do not indulge in some sport, for in so doing everything that is reasonable and healthy also ceases even here!

Wherever you turn to investigate you must recognize that man has no knowledge as yet of the Laws of Creation!

He has no idea of the responsibility he must unfailingly bear for the physical body entrusted to him!

Nor does he realize the value of the physical body for his position in Creation, but keeps his eyes fixed only upon this earth.

However, the physical body has only the least significance in its connection with the earth as such.

And this complete ignorance about the Laws of Creation has permitted errors to creep in which continue to cause harm to many people.

They permeate and infect everything!

This is the only reason why it was possible even among all the present-day churches for the nonsensical opinion to develop that sacrificial suffering and sacrificial death are pleasing to God in certain circumstances!

This erroneous view has also become deeply anchored in the arts, for there the thought is frequently glorified that one person through his voluntary sacrificial or love-death can bring “redemption” to another!

This only confused mankind still further!

The Law of God, however, in its inflexible justice, does not permit one person to intervene for the guilt of another.

Such a deed brings nothing but guilt upon the person who sacrifices himself, and who thereby forcibly shortens his life on earth.

In addition the soul suffers from the delusion that it is doing something great and pleasing to God.

The one who sacrifices himself becomes doubly guilty through his presumption that he is able to release another person from his sins.

He would supposedly have done better to implore forgiveness for himself alone as a great sinner before the Lord, for by his action he calls his God an unjust judge, capable of such an arbitrary act and one who can be bargained with!

In addition this is also really a blasphemy!

Thus bringing a third guilt upon him through such a deed, which stands absolutely and diametrically opposed to any intuitive perception of justice!

It is personal conceit, not pure love, which brings forth such deeds.

In the beyond, when they must suffer the consequences of their deeds, these souls are soon set right, while the other person is not helped in any way by such an action and, if he knew about it and hoped for it, must become burdened still further.

It is therefore deplorable that even great artists indulged in this accursed delusion about redemption in their works.

A sensitive artist should take objection to it, because it is unnatural, contrary to all lawfulness and completely unfounded.

The true Magnitude of God is diminished thereby!

Again, nothing but human conceit dares to expect from Divine Justice, which cannot be influenced, that it would be capable of accepting such a sacrifice.

In this man has a higher regard for his earthly judiciary, for such a thought never occurs to him in legal practice.

By such actions man shows disregard for his physical body, not gratitude for the gross material implement lent to him for his development.

He cannot do too much in caring for it, in keeping it clean and pure, because it is indispensable for this particular life on earth.

Therefore, man, learn to understand your physical body properly so that you can treat it accordingly.

Only then will you become able to use it aright, to master it so that it becomes what it is meant to be for you here on earth.

The first consequence of real control over your physical body shows itself in the grace and beauty of your movements, which enables the power of the spirit in the harmony with its implement to become visible.

In order that you may learn to distinguish properly in these matters, observe the people who indulge in some kind of sport!

You will quickly recognize that the steeling of the body of itself does not necessarily bring about beauty of movement because it produces too much one-sidedness unless the spirit also swings in the necessary harmony.

The walk of the athlete is very often anything but beautiful, his carriage seldom graceful.

The sportsman is very far from really controlling his body.

For power is derived from the spirit only, strength from the body!

Thus a heavy step is evidence of ponderousness, not of power.

A body which is maintained and permeated by spiritual power has elastic movements and strides along with a light, springy step, regardless of whether its weight is heavy or light.

A man with a heavy step always gives proof of nothing but a lack of
the proper mastery of his body through his spirit.

It is spiritual control which distinguishes man from the animal.

In this respect the animal is subject to different laws, because its soul comes from the Animistic Realm.

However, the animal fulfils these laws, its body and soul harmonize, and in its movements it always shows a very definite kind of beauty adapted to its body.

In contrast to man it has a light step despite its physical weight, which is often enormous!

Go into the zoological gardens!

Look at the animals there and also at the human beings!

Observe them very closely just for once!

You will very soon be struck by the consequences of the lack of harmony between soul and body in all human beings, while the animals are absolutely “natural” unless handicapped by some ailment.

You will observe for yourself that man’s mode of living is wrong, that he does not control his body, does not live properly in it, and that he is not at all in harmony with it!

The same also applies to the nourishment and maintenance of the body.

The animal will never overfeed its body as so many men do.

It is satisfied when it no longer feels hungry, whereas in many cases man is not satisfied until he can eat no more!

That is a great difference, again only called forth through the over-cultivated intellect by its endeavor to suppress all natural sense in these matters.

The animal also drinks only to quench its thirst.

Man, however, cultivates within himself illusions about enjoyment which, if carried to excess, are bound to harm his body greatly.

Here again I only refer to the custom among students’ associations as regards drinking, and also deprivation of sleep which this false mode of living always entails.

It is not necessary to give further explanations on this subject, for these actions are probably well enough known for their gross foolishness.

Neither the person who is most benevolent nor the person who is most narrow-minded in this matter can assert that such practices could be useful or would do no harm!

Those people who “walk” (wandeln)* This refers to the German language.* through the zoological gardens to see the animals show plainly that they should take a lesson from the animals how to stand aright in Creation with their physical bodies.

“Walking” is hardly the correct word, for only a few of the visitors “walk”.

The expression contains a conception of gracefulness and natural control, but many people hobble or stump along, either thoughtlessly or deep in thought, or they hasten along nervously, distraught and absent-minded.

There is absolutely no beauty in it!

You can see quite clearly that they pay no attention to the movement of their bodies, but hamper the naturalness of their movements through their false and one-sided thinking.

There has been neglect ever since their youth.

Many an omission therein shows itself only later, but then without fail!

The consequences are inevitable!

What beauty alone lies in the words: to stride (schreiten)* This refers to the German language.*, to walk!

You can hardly perceive the high value inherent in them.

Through all this neglect of his earthly body man shows the immaturity of his spirit!

A mature spirit will always respect his body as the necessary implement for the achievement of his earthly maturity, and he will not abuse it senselessly.

He will care for it in such a manner as is wholesome for it, not as is occasionally required by its nerves, which are often whipped up through a perversion of natural conceptions.

Wherever pure spiritual power completely permeates and controls the physical body, there its movements are also bound to show beauty, because in such circumstances it cannot be otherwise.

There the gross material senses also become completely permeated with beauty, so that they will ennoble everything they do, regardless of what it is.

Beauty and grace are the expression of a pure human spirit in all its activity, which also includes the movements of the physical body.

Look about you, everything is being shown to you!

You are bound to recognize it quickly if you stand alive in this Creation!

You will then discover how impossible man’s actions have been up till now, how little he has recognized the Creation which forever remains his home.

He is born into it, yet he always wishes to tear himself away, to place himself above it.

This odd volition never allows him to become secure in it, because he does not thereby learn to know his home.

The earthly body of each human being is in every respect closely linked with that soil upon which he was born.

This is in accordance with the Law of Creation governing all matter.

He has to take this into account at all times.

Yet he has but seldom observed it in the past.

He thinks himself free in this matter, but he is not.

He is just as closely connected with it as is the body of an animal.

Both physical species are formed by the animistic.

In the case of the animal, man has closely observed everything and knows about it, too.

But he does not wish to place his own body under the homogeneous laws!

That is wrong!

The earthly body is connected with that part of the earth where it was born.

It is also closely connected with all the stars of this particular region and with all the radiations that belong thereto.

Quite extensively, far more than you can imagine!

Only that part of this earth gives the body exactly what it needs to blossom forth properly and remain vigorous.

The earth also provides this in its different zones always at the proper time, and in the manner in which the gross material bodies that have been born into each particular zone need it.

Herbs and fruit, therefore, are advantageous and upbuilding for the human body at that time when the earth produces them.

At those times the body needs just such nourishment as is provided by that zone in which it came into existence, and with which it remains continuously connected.

Strawberries at the time of the strawberry harvest, apples at the time of the apple harvest, and so on!

The same applies to all fruits and herbs.

Herbal treatments are therefore beneficial at the time when the herbs are in their full vigor, also for healthy bodies!

The animistic itself offers the physical body a continuous change of foods just as it really needs them, even as the sun, rain and wind remain best for a healthy activity of the skin.

Creation gives man everything he needs for his earthly body, and also gives it in the proper sequence and at the right time.

With all his special arts man can never achieve that which Creation grants him of its own accord!

Just observe this!

On this earth the earthly body is closely connected with that zone in which the place of birth is located.

If it is also to remain healthy in a foreign zone, if it is to retain its full vigor for its activity on earth, then it is necessary that the basis for the feeding of the body must be that provided by the zone where it was born.

With care he will then be able to create a bridge which for a time makes it possible to unfold his full powers, but never permanently.

Now and then he must return in order to obtain new vitality.

But in spite of everything he will also shorten his life on earth.

It is not arbitrary or accidental that earthmen are of different form and color.

The Primordial Laws of Creation place them in the exact region which alone serves for their maturing on earth, and also equip them accordingly.

The animistic fashions your earthly bodies, and at the same time the nourishment for their maintenance.

But the effects are only uniform in a particular zone in a particular part of the earth.

You men are no different in these matters from the plants and the animals, for you, too, are a fruit of Creation; nothing but creatures who are and remain closely connected with the zone and the radiations of that part of the earth where you came into being.

Therefore observe and learn from every activity in Creation!

It is your duty to obey the Primordial Laws of Creation if you wish to achieve that which will benefit you and help in your ascent!

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