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Acknowledgements

Attheoccasionofthefirstpublicationin1983,muchgratitudewasexpressedtothethreemasterteacherswhomIwasfortunateenoughtomeetearlyinmyteachingcareer:AlexBaum,HansvanderStok,andMaxStibbe.

IalsoextendmythankstoWernerGlasandRosemaryGebertof the Waldorf Institute of Mercy College, Southfield, MI, for muchneeded advice and encouragement while these pages were written; toPhyllisMorrisandOlgaWierbickifortheirinvaluablehelpinediting;andlastbutnotleast,tomyformerandpresentstudentswhotaughtmemostofall.

At the occasion of the new edition, much gratitude needs tobeexpressedtoallthosewhosecommentsencouragedmetoundertakethetaskofpreparingasecondedition.MuchthanksisduetoAWSNAPublicationsandDavidMitchellforhisprofessionalisminmakingthiseditionintoafarmorevisuallypleasingandreadablebookthanitwasbefore.Themanycolleagues,teacherdevelopmentstudents,andothersactiveintheWaldorfmovementaretoonumeroustomentionbyname.Maythesemodestpagesbeofhelpintheirprofessionalstriving. –MagdaLissau

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The Temperamentsand the Arts

Their Relation and Function in Waldorf Pedagogy

by

Magda Lissau

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Printed with the support of the Waldorf Curriculum Fund

Publishedby:TheAssociationofWaldorfSchoolsofNorthAmerica38MainStreetChatham,NewYork12037

Title:The Temperaments and the ArtsTheir Relation and Function in Waldorf Pedagogy

Author:MagdaLissau©2003,2012byAWSNAISBN#1-888365-43-9Editor:DavidMitchellProofreader:AnnErwinCover:HallieWootanandSusanSpauldingOriginallyaprivateprinting,Chicago:1983;fullyrevisedandre-edited2003OriginallydistributedbySt.GeorgeBookService.Inc.,SpringValley,NY

CurriculumSeriesThePublicationsCommitteeofAWSNAispleasedtobringforwardthispub-licationaspartoftheCurriculumSeries.Thethoughtsandideasrepresentedhereinaresolelythoseoftheauthoranddonotnecessarilyrepresentanyim-pliedcriteriasetbyAWSNA.Itisourintentiontostimulateasmuchwritingandthinkingaspossibleaboutourcurriculum,includingdiverseviews.Pleasecontactuswithfeedbackonthispublicationaswellasrequestsforfuturework.

DavidS.Mitchell ForthePublicationsCommittee AWSNA

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Table of Contents

Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Part One: The Language of The TemperamenTs in Cosmos and humaniTy

1.TheFourElementsinCosmosandHumanity. . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Earth;Fire;Water;Air;TheHumanPicture;TheMelancholic;TheCholeric;ThePhlegmatic;TheSanguine;UnderstandingCosmosandIndividual

2.TemperamentLanguageastheKeyforCommunication..... 27WhatIsTemperamentLanguage?RudolfSteiner’sExamplesofTemperamentTeaching;TheKeyPictureoftheLearningProcess;TheRecreationoftheSubjectMatter–AnExample:IntroductiontoGeography

Part Two:The new aesTheTiCs: TemperamenT CharaCTerisTiCs in The reaLm of arTisTiC expression

3.TheArtsandtheSenses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47ArtasanExpressionofanIndividual’sEssentialInnerForces;ContractionandExpansionintheRealmofArt;IndividualsandTheirSenses;Senses,ElementsandTemperaments;EastandWest–UpperandLowerHumanBeing–TheSenses;Arts,SensesandElements

4.MovementandthePlasticArts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65MovementArts–Pre-SculpturalArts;SpatialMovementArts;ChoreographedDramatizationofSubjectMatter;Example:TheFourMathematicalProcesses;Drawing–AMovementArt;TemperamentWriting;Sculpture;TemperamentsintheDynamicsoftheArtistic-CreativeProcess

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5.ColorandtheVisualArts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83TheInteractionofLightandDarknessinRelationtotheTemperaments;PaintingasaLivingProcess;TwoExamples;CharacteristicDynamicsofPainting;TypicalTemperamentPainting;DrawingandtheTemperaments;TheInfluenceofthePolarizingPowersonPainting

6.MusicandtheTwofoldEgoExperience. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103TheTwofoldSelfandtheFormofMusicalInstruments;TheElementsofMusicandTheirRelationtotheHumanBeing;TemperamentsandtheThreeElementsofMusic;ThePolarizingPowersandMusic;Music-PermeatedTeaching–theArtofRelevantPresentation;TheMorphologyofEurope–IntroducedMusically

7.Language,ArtandTemperament. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123TheStructureofLanguage;Conclusion–Judgment–Concept;TemperamentandtheTeachingofLanguageArts;Examples:SubjectandPredicate;TheThree-DayProcess;Style,TemperamentandRhythm;SpeechSoundsandTemperaments;SpeakingTemperamentLanguage–ATaskforTeachers

Part Three:Bridges of undersTanding

8.TemperamentsandtheFourfoldOrganizationoftheHumanBeing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

TheElementsandHumanPhysiology;TheShiftofTemperamentfromChildhoodtoAdulthood;TheHumanFourfoldOrganismandtheLifeofSoul;TheTemperamentsasFiltersbetweenCosmosandIndividual

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9.TemperamentCharacteristicsinRelationtoFormativeandMovementForcesintheHumanBeing . . . . . . 161

ThePolarizingPowers;TheWorkingofthePolarizingPowerswithinHumanPhysiology;AspectsofUpperandLowerHumanBeing;TheBridgebetweenthePolarities;Unity,DiversityandTheirEquilibrium;Space,Time,Consciousness:TheirSignatureinTemperamentModality

10.BridgesofUnderstanding:TheRealHomeoftheTemperaments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

TheQuestforEquilibrium;TheMovementOrganismandtheImpairedEthericBody;AFableforTeachers;TheWorkoftheTeacher;TheRedemptionoftheArts

Bibliography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

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PrefaceThisbookaddressesitselftoclassteachersinWaldorfschools.It

presumesthereforesomeacquaintancewithRudolfSteiner’sfundamentalconceptsineducationaswellasinanthroposophyatlarge.Itisnotanintroductiontotemperamentpsychology,norisitwrittentoconstructand provide a systematic survey of the topic. It is written to furnisha background for working with the subject matter in terms of thetemperamentsandthearts.

Thewriterhasaimedatestablishingaconversationalstylewiththereader,drawingonherownexperienceasaclassteacher,aswellasincludingnumerousquotationsfromSteiner’sworkinordertodrawthereader’sattention towider implicationsandunderlyingproblems.Thewriterhasattemptedfurthertousepoeticlanguageasmuchaspossible,asshedeemsthiskindoflanguagemostappropriatetocharacterizethesubject athand. It shouldbenoted, thatwhenever ‘we’ isused in thetext,thewriterinvitesthereadertojoinintheconsiderationsactively;whenever‘I’isused,herownviewisstated.

The organization of the chapters may appear confusing tothoseusedtoalinearandordereddepositionofasubject.Thisapparentchaosisdeliberate.Ibegthereadertoviewthechaptersashewouldalandscape from the topof ahill, spreadingaroundhim incontiguousanddifferentiatedarray.Inordertogetanimpressionofitstotality,weneedtofocusindifferentdirectionsinturn.Ourownmindseestogetherallthatisseparatedinspacebeforeus.Withourintellectwearecapableonly to take in the different facets one by one. Artistically, though,these facetsmaymeet us simultaneously, like a resounding symphonyof colorful strandsof interweavingmelodies. Ihave attempted to facedifferent aspects, different regions of this landscape in turn, and haveleftmuchofthetaskofthesoundingtogethertothereader.Ihavethusaimedatprovidingthereaderwithsteppingstonestowardstheendofexperiencingawholesymphony,ratherthanacomfortablypacedpath.Thereaderisthusinvitedtoreadwithactiveparticipationandfillinanygapssheorheperceives.

Thewriteriswellawareoftheinadequacyofmuchthatisputforthhere.Itishopedthatnottoomanyseriouserrorsormisrepresen-

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tationshavecreptintothetext.Needlesstosay,theresponsibilityforanysucherrorsrestswithme.

Itwillunquestionablybecomeapparenthowmuchmoreresearchisneededintothemanyaspectsofthetemperaments,thesensesandthearts,whichIhaveattemptedtoweavetogetherlightlyinthesepages.

Additional Remarks for the New EditionThesituationofWaldorfeducationinNorthAmericaisdifferent

todaythanitwasin1982.Today,thereexistmanymoreWaldorfteacherdevelopmentopportunities thanexisted then.Today, in thebeginningyearsofanewmillenniumredolentwithurgentchallengesforhumanity,thegiftofWaldorfeducationisanimportantaspectforthecontinuinghonoringofhumanessence.Today,too,greaterdepthsintakingholdofSteiner’s ideas and intentionsneedbeconnected topenetrating to theessenceof artistic elements, as thesemay reveal the essenceofwhat ishuman.Maythisbeasmallcontributiontowardsthesegoals.

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part one

the Language of the temperaments in Cosmos and humanity

Chapter One

The Four Elements in Cosmos and Humanity

But there is nothing in this world that is not permeated by the etheric world.1

–RudolfSteiner

Theethericworldisthemediatorbetweenthehigherspiritualworldsandallthatismanifestinphysicalform.Theethericforcesworkbothinnatureandhumanbeings.Inthehumanbeingtheyarethenexusoflifeforcessustainingourlife.Letusattempttotracetheiractivityinthedifferentstatesofmatter,whichinearlierageswereknownasthefourelements.

Individual and world—microcosm and macrocosm—are inti-mately related to each other. One is the reflection, the inversion, thereciprocal image of the other. Any understanding of humanity eludesusuntilwelearnanewtolookintotheworldofnature.Lookingatthephenomenaofnature,ourperceptionandunderstandingmaygrowtobecomeasensingofthespiritualforcesandbeingsatworkbehindtheseveryphenomena.Onlythenareweinapositiontobegintodevelopanunderstanding for thehumanbeing.So letusfindfirst thearchetypalpictureunderlyingboththehumantemperamentsinindividualsandtheelementsinnature.

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EarthStillness, coolness, passivity—thus does the solidity of matter

confineitsformandlimitseachobjectwithcrystallineclarity.Measureandweight,density andgravity, impermeability and inertiadeterminethesolidbodiesoftheearth.

In the stillness of the crystal world of geometric space theprincess waits, pale, beautiful, yet asleep, because still untouched andunmovedbyfuturedestiny.Sheawaitsdisenchantment,hiddenbyadryandbrittlecrust,whichpreservesthesolitudeoftheselfwithin.Greatclarityofthoughtmayabideinthesedepths.Possiblyanastuteobserverofmathematicalbent inhabits thequietcaves formedofearthy, stony,rocky,impenetrablyfirmandhardsubstance.

Betheyminuteormassive,theearthyshapesareconcentrated,contracted.Darkanddull fromafar, theyoftenglimmer in surprisingcolorsatacloserlook.Within,thelightmayfindaway,maybereflected,andmayshinethroughasconcentratedbeam.Greateffortisneededtoimpressandshapethissolidearthyelement.Yet,onceanimpactismade,oncechangehasbeeneffected,itlasts.

Theearthyelementisthesolidbasisofourphysicalexistence.Thecrustoftheearthcarries its life,carriesplants,humanbeingsandanimals. The ground supporting our every step—this encompassingstonymantleoftheearth—consists,amazinglyenough,ofinnumerableseparateshapesandbodies,fromtectonicplatetopegmatitetograinofsand.Allareseparateentities.Anoverwhelmingdiversificationofshapeandformaboundsintheearthyrealm.

FireFireistheall-pervadinggiftofthegods,wrestedfromtheheavens

aswastoldinoldenmyths.Itisscourge,inspirationandhealerfromthehomelyfireofthehearthtothestrongblazeofthesmith,thedevastatingconflagrationofaforestfireandthegentleflameofthecandle—allarefireinendlessvariation.

Thefierybirdof legendshowersmulticolored sparksofflameuponus—afascinatingplayofmotilityandcolor,eachmomentuniqueandtotallyunpredictable.Itisthisspectacleofflames,whichgladdensandwarmsourheartswithdeepestjoy.

Ourwholebeingexpandswhenwewatchfire.Fire,too,expandsallforms,asitconsumestheminablaze.Itexpandsthembeyondthebordersof thematerialworld,destroyingtheearthyelement’sholdon

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their form. Thus fire becomes the essence of mutability, the furnacefor the transformationof theold into thenew.Weareenvelopedandcomfortedbyitsstrength.Itisourallyinsubduingnatureandforginghersubstanceanewaccordingtoourwillandingenuity.

Earth and fire are diametrically opposed: Heat and cold,expansionintospace,contractionintothecenter,flightfromtheearth,chained by weight. Our heart leaps with joy as we see the flame leapupwards,reachandburstforthintotheheights,backintotheworldofthegodsonhigh.Ourheartcontractswhenweighteddowninthegripoficycold.Itispresseddownwhenwearesunktoourverydepthsinponderingthought.

WaterThe all-suffusing, ever-moving sphere of water encloses the

globewithrollingwavesfromhorizontohorizon.Itlevelsasitcalms,orbareslongforgottensecretsinangrywaves.Surfacetensionisgreat—itclosesofftheinnerdeepsfromthepryingeye,thecuriousprobe.Foreveritstrivestofinditslowestlevel,andpressesdownuponthemineralearthwith increasing force.The surface is impressionable—at least it seemsthiswayastheslightestbreezecausesripplestoflitoveritssurface.

Therunningbrook,gentlyfollowingtheslopetoriver,stream,andseadelightsuswithitschatteringandmurmuring,asitgiveslifetoallnaturealongitsbanks.Thewaters,whichflowandmerge,ripple,andreflectaswellasnourish,arethebasisofallthelifeofnature.ThebeingofwaterisaveritableProteusofrainbow-hueddisguise.

Water’scloserelationwithairisapparentinthethickmistsofmorning, in the rising clouds, and the falling rains—in the constantchangebetweenrisingandfalling.Waterleapsthesurfacetensionintotheair and joins the streaming,blowing,flowingcurrentsof air in itsminutestdroplets.Oritcondensesintoheavydrops,rushingtoearth,tojointhehugestdropofall—thewaterysphere.Thesphericalshapeisitssignatureform.Thesurfacetensionofeachdrop,bothgreatandsmall,guardsandpreservesitsinnerworldofstillnessandself-containment.

Water is probably the most mysterious and least fathomableof the elements—so many-faceted, yet so potentially still and passive;so formless and adaptable—yet following laws of its own. It exhibitspeculiar and apparently contradictory manifestations, to take but thesimplephenomenonofitsvolumeincreaseaswaterfreezes.Still waters run deep—andthemysteriousdepthsdrawmanycuriousprobers.

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AirThis is the element we all take for granted. Mostly we are

notawareofair’srefreshingbreathoroppressingvaporsunlesswepayparticularattentiontoitslightness,fleetingdispersion,permeabilityandinconstancyofdirectioninbreezeorstorm:Thisisair.

Itstrivesawayfromthesurfaceoftheearth,expanding, ladenwithmoistureordry,asitvacillatesbetweenfireandwater—nosurfacebutallextensionandexpansion:Thisisair.

Ifthewatercontentwillpermit,airoffersusperfectpenetrationbyeyeas farasthehorizon,withutmostclarity,colorlessexpanseandminimalresistancetomotionaswellastoourgaze,topressure,andtoform:Thisisair.

So patently open and invisible in its very permeability, soapparentlypredictable,andyetsoconstantlysurprisinginitsmodificationsandendlessvariationsofmotion:Thisisair.

Air is an unpredictable ballerina—flitting from extreme toextremeliketheweatheritself,whichresistsallourattemptstocastitintostereotypepatterns.Nay,itfreesitselfeverfromtheburdenofformandshape.Itescapesconfinementinlittleamusingquirksandquavers,trillsand sighs and breezes, or angrily roaring tempests sounding a mightysymphonyofform-destroyingpower,until—intime—theairisclearedandagainthetranquilblueskyhelpsusforgetherveryexistence.

The Human PictureTheworkingof theelementsgivesusa startingpoint forour

attempts to penetrate into the quintessence of meaning, which unitestheworldofhumanitywiththeworldofnature.Ourobservationsofthedynamicworkingoftheelementschallengeustoformtheconceptsandimages,whichmayleadusfromtheworldofnatureintotheinnerworldofanindividual.

AsSteinerpointsoutinThe Archangel Michael, His Mission and Ours (AnthroposophicPress,Hudson,NY,1994),humanbeingsneedagaintolearntograspholdofsomething,whichbelongssimultaneouslyto nature as well as to the inner being of each individual. Throughourheadorganizationwehave, since the15thcentury,an incompleteunderstandingofnature;throughourinnerbodilyorganizationwehavean incomplete view of ourselves; ordinarily we fail thus to observe aprocesswhichworkssimultaneouslywithinhumanityandnature.

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In speaking about temperament characteristics, Steiner pointstoonewayofrebuildingabridge—throughourunderstanding—oftheworldsofhumanityandnature.Itis,therefore,vitaltograspholdoftheelementsofnatureandthehumantemperamentsastwosidesofthesamenexusofdynamicforces.

Each elementofnatureworks in individuals and reveals itselfinacharacteristicformofexpression.Thischaracteristicformorpicturecontainsbothpsychologicalandphysiologicaltraits.Thustheelement-temperamentpatternsofexpressiveformpointtobothouter—physicaland physiological—as well as inner—psychological—facets. Humanbeingsarethusrevealedaspartiallyseparatedfromnatureandpartiallyunitedwithher.Theyareunitedinasfarasthephysicalnaturalforcesworkalsoupon thebody; theyare separated fromher inas far as thephysical natural forces are transmuted to serve as expressions of thesoul while the individual impresses his or her essence upon the body.The relation of the human being with the created world has been afundamentaltopicofphilosophy.

Atacrisispointofchilddevelopment—approximatelyaroundthe ninth year—this relation may be observed directly. Most childrenthen undergo a change of their handwriting, often to the concern ofteachersandparents.Acaricatureofthetemperamentcharacteristicsofformanddesignseemstoexpressitselfthenforweeks,orevenmonths.An underlying profound psychological change is indicated by theshattering of the learned form elements of handwriting. As indicatedbelow,workingwith the typical temperament forms in lettering styleshelpsexertaharmonizinginfluenceonthechildaswellasgivinghimorherthetoolstodevelopanindividualstyleofwriting.

The MelancholicOneday,wemayobserveaslenderperson,remainingshylyin

thebackgroundofhergroup.Shemovesontheoutsideof thegroup,neverinthecenter,asifanxiousnottogettooclosetoanyoneelse,thuspreservingherindependence.Wemayobserveherthin,pale,slightbody,hesitantgestures,delicateskinandsilkyhair.Thispersoniswithdrawn,tendingtomergewiththebackground,andcringingwhencircumstancesfocusattentiononher.Notforheraresportsandtheirexcessivebodilyinvolvement,northeleadingroleamidherpeers.It isthestillnessshelovesbest,thequietofadarkcorner.

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Oneday,shemaysurpriseuswithasmile,sharinganobservationorathought,whichmovesher,thusappealingtoourunderstandingandcompassion.Thenwemayalsobecomeaware thatunderherguiseofpassivity, her seeming listlessness, her apparent lack of interest, therelies sensitive perceptivity and great capacity for concern, power ofobservation,andcompassion.Yettherealsoisexcessiveawarenessofherownself,bodyandsoul,whichcausesthemelancholictobesocautiousinplayandwork.

Her awareness is centered upon herself. She relates all herexperiences directly to herself and is therefore hypersensitive in thisrespect,buthasalsothecapacityofanexcellent,detailed,andsystematicpowerofmemory.

Ifwewere suchaperson—methodical, awareof form,hyper-consciousofourselves—wewould takegreat care toprotectourselves.Wewouldrarelyrevealourinnerselves,forwearesuspiciousofeveryonearoundus.Beingoverlyawareofourselves,welackself-confidence.Smallhandwriting,smalldrawingsinacornerofthepaper,darkcolors—allwedotendstolookasifwewouldliketosolidifyit,freezeit,mineralizeit,compressit.

Ofcourse,wemaybehypochondriacs,too!Everylittlescratchandbruiseisagreatworryandconcern.

Structureandorderappealtousandprovideuswithamuch-needed framework for self-confidence. If our order is upset, or ourexpectationschanged,wetakealongtimetoadjust.Inordertoadapttoanewstructure,anewsubject,aneworder,weneedtobewellwarnedandaheadoftime.Ifnot,theheavyburdenofnotbeingunderstoodmaycauseustoweepsilentlyintoapillow,tosulkinsomedarkcornerhopingthecauseofourhurtandpainwillrightitselfwithoutactionfromourside.

Slownessisnaturaltothemelancholic,forinaworldwhereallconsequencesareweighedupponderously,rash,evenfast,action,cannotbeendured.Thistendencytowardsimmobilityandinactionmakesherpacetooslow,toolatecomparedtothatofmostindividuals.

Confinementinattitude,coolnessinmanner,inactivityofthebody—allthisisonthesurfaceoftheearthyelementinhumanbeings.Butletusnotforgetthatwithinherthereisthepotentialofcrystalclearthinking,ofasharpmemory,ofdispassionateobjectivity,and—lastbutnotleast—ofabysmalloneliness.

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The CholericSuch an individual will be the first one to be noticed in any

group.Probablya sturdyandcompact fellow,he shouts,ordersothersaround,instigatesplayandinvolveshimselftotallywithaction,makinggrandstatementsandgranddemands.Noshynesshere,heisverywellawareofhisworthandinkinglyfashiontakesforgrantedanyroyaltributeofferedhim.Decisiveasheis,determinedtohavehisway,practicalandofteningeniousinaction,nothingwilldeterhimandthwarthiscleverand instinctive strategy unless an opposing will of equal power anddeterminationcomesintoplay.

Oftenbull-necked,broad-shoulderedandbig-cheated,possiblyofruddyfaceandhair,hesportsadirectgazeandastronghandshake.The choleric is a person of action, of involvement, of power, of hardwork that really gets things moving. He knows just how to motivateothers,too.Or,ifmentalpowersarenotequaltohisinnateenergy,hemaybefrustratedandshowmuchtemper,oftenflaringandblazingintoviolence, for he would demand what he considers his right.There isgreatpromiseandpotential insomecholerics,whenthemostpositivetraits show themselves in originally conceived and superbly executedwork.Conversely,thereisalsothecapacityfordestructionwhenhefeelsthwarted.Self-disciplinebecomeshisgreatchallenge.

The restless, impatient, expansive, dramatic, colorful modeoffirebetrays itself ineverymove.Movementcapacity isgreat.Sportsthatarechallenging,thatpitoneagainstcompetition,arefavored.Theextremecholericwouldliketotakeontherestoftheworld,secureinthesupremeself-confidenceofhiscapabilities.Tolearntocontrolhisextremedesiresandthustempertheswordofthemindinthefiresofthesoulmayindeedservetoforgethematerialofleadershipandinspiration:Thisisthechallengefacingthecholeric.Itisthechallengeoftransformingthedestructivesideoffireintotheconstructiveone.

Guidanceisalsohardtoacceptforthecholericforheseesitaslimitation,whichheabhors inanyform.Heneedstolearntocontrolhimself,andtounderstandthesocialneedsofothers,lestoverweeningself-importanceweretofanthefiresofselfishnessandlooseforthablazeofdestruction.

Generousindeedandthought,tothinkbigisnaturaltohim.Everyroomistoosmall;eveneverysheetofpaperistoosmalltocontainthelargeworksheintendstoproduce.Largegestures,bigwriting,anddramaticcoloring—thesetendtomakehimthecenterofattention.

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Hiswarm-heartednature,hissenseofhumor,andhisreadinessforadventure—thesemakethecholericthepivotofanygroup.Ifthereareotherstoomuchlikehim,fireworksareboundtobetheresult.Butthat expansive fiery nature will also allow him to see the necessity toovercomeviolenceandusehisfirerightlyandthusdeveloptrueleadershipqualities.Itissadtoobservethattoomanycholericsfallbythewayside,theirtalentsundeveloped,becausenoearlytemperingofthesteeloftheirsoulhasgiventhemaclearviewofcauseandideals,andhasthusleftawildswordintheirhands.

If tempering,moderation,andself-control takeroot, thenthecholericbecomesthemotivatorofhisgroup,thedoerandthethinker,too.Eventheinnovatorandtheinspirer:Hebecomesthemanofrightfulaction.

Such is the transmuted fire element. Without it, the worldwouldbeaboringplace,forcholericsbringaswellascraveexcitementinordertofeedtheirinnerflames.Enthusiasmisdispensedbythemandthegreatcreativespiritsofanyagehavegivenandpartakeninthisbestofinnerfires.

The PhlegmaticMostofushavewonderedabouttheseeminglyordinarychild.

Maybehe is a littlemore roundlybuilt and lavishlyupholstered thanothers.Maybehisremarksaremoreoftendirectedtothecommonplaceeventsofthedailyroutine.Gossipabouttheordinarythings,aboutthelittleeventsofeverydaylifeisimportanttohim.Askhim,though,aboutthebigevents,andlikelyasnothewillnotknow,ornotremember.Doesheordoeshenotknowwhatyouwishtofindout?Thesurfaceripplesofordinaryeventsmayjustcoverupwhatgoesoninthedepthsofhissoul.

Thesurface,thesuperficialitiesappeartobehisbreadoflife.Acomfortableexterior,acomfortableandeasy-goingmanneraswellasarealappreciationforallthecomfortsoflifeareevidentinallhesaysanddoes.Thisisthephlegmatic.Likethewatersoftheworld,hisexpressionisfluctuatinganddiverse.Hemaybethechattymountainstreamtalkinghiswaydownthemountainside,orthedeeppond,temporarilystagnanttothedespairofallotherswhowouldattempttogetthroughtohim;or,sometimeseventhewildocean,wheninsomeraremomentoffrustrationormisunderstandingthedeepsarestirredandthestormyoutbreakrevealsaglimpseofhowdeepstillwatersmayrun.Mostly,though,thepictureof

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thestreamistheappropriateone.Thephlegmaticlikestoconform,tobeaboutaverage,togowiththecrowd.Theremaybelittlebrilliantinsight,dramaticdisplayofgenius,ordeepphilosophical thought inhim,butinsteadwefindadependablereliabilitydistinguishingthephlegmatictomakehimthebackboneofsociety.

Thereisgreatneedforroutineandforthedependabilityofthephysicalsideoflife.Ifwewishtogetsomethingdonereliably,aroutinejob, then the phlegmatic is the right person. His attitude to life, hisimperturbability, shows itself in his tendency towards rounded forms,largeandcomfortableshapes;inbringingeverythingtoonelevel,thuslevelingoffandfillingoutallavailablespace,likewaterinacontainer.It is passive growth, in contrast to the activity of the choleric. Thephlegmatic is down-to-earth, making realistic comments when we areexpectingidealisticones.Wemightmakethemistaketothinkthathehasonlyshallowemotionsandsuperficialthoughts.Wecouldverywellbewrong, for—toreiterate—stillwaters rundeep,andheprotectshisinnerselfwellenoughfromourprobing.Whenallothershaveexhaustedtheirresourcesandhavegivenup,hecontinueswithcompellingenergyandresilientstrengthtoturnthewheelsoflifeonandonandon.Thus,routineishisstrength.

Watersrundownhill.Sothephlegmaticwilltaketheeasywaywhenever he can. Buthewill keepon going oncehehas begun.Thefabricofsocietyiskepttogetherbyallthosewhokeepongoing,doingtheirjobs.

The SanguineWeallknowthelivelyperson.Sheisfullofexcitement,flitting

fromonesensationtothenextlikeabutterfly,hardlypausingtotakeinonethingbeforegoingontothenext.Shewillcraveconstantexcitementandwilldemandtobeconstantlyamused.Wearefondofher,however,as she is generally very likable. At times, though, her demands maybecometooirritating.

Thesanguineisgracefulandvivacious,maybedelicate,certainlyprettyorwellfavoredandoftenwittyandlight-hearted.Shehasagreatneedofchangingimpressions,asherquickmindandtonguedelightinthetitillationsofeyeandear.Shehas—literally—allherwitsabouther.

Shemay alsobe the restlessone, seemingly insatiablebecauseeverdissatisfied, as shemoves rapidly fromone sensation to thenext.

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Thereisalwayssomethingbigger,better,grander,morefashionable,moreexcitingoverthehorizon.Shecollectsanddiscardswithease,changingher views at the drop of a hat, defending today what she attackedyesterday.Constancyofexpressionbeitinmotion,ofconviction,orofcharacter,isnotnaturalforher,thoughoveraperiodoftimethistendstoevenoutandbalance.

Shewilldo justas shepleases, for ifherattention is takenbysomeremark,enticedbysomesight,captivatedbysomesound,shewillimmediatelyactonit.Shewillthusplungeheadlongintosomecourseofactionandfindouthalfwaythatshehasnotconsideredtheconsequencessufficientlyandsowindsupchanginghorsesinmidstream.Herdetailedcoursewill alwaysbean irregularone.Shewill follow the spurof themoment;her lifewill run in little spurts and stops, irregular indetailbutpredictableandrhythmicallyrepetitiveinthelongrun.Therageofthemoment,themanofthehour,theidoloftheyear,thefashionoftheday—thiswillfascinateherandruleherlife.Andherinnatecharmandsunnynature,socandidandwell-meaning,willensurethatoneforgivesherfoibles,littleinconsistencies,intriguesandmanipulations,forisshenot,whenallissaidanddone,aninnocentwhocannotbeheldtotallyresponsible forall thathappensaroundher?Sherunsaheadofusonemomentandbehindusthenext.Possiblysheisinconsistent,uncaring,and enervatingly irritating, but all the same, gracious and charmingaboutit;notentirelydependable,nottotallyirresponsible,butcertainlyfullofdislikeofbeingchainedtoanyroutineandregularwork.Iftherearenotenoughdramasandintriguesinherlife,shewillprobablyinventthem.Boredomishergreatestenemy,andalotofheringenuityisspentonhowtokeeptheboredomatbay.

Sheshapesformsfleetingly—somewouldsaysuperficially.Herskillsareeasilyacquiredbutalsoeasilyforgotten,andpayingattentiontodetailisjusttooboring.Aslongassheisstillintheprocessoflearningherskills,somecarefulworkwillbedoneandwilloftenbeharmoniousandevenbeautiful,butasustainedeffortinordertoperfectfurtherwhatshethinksshehasmasteredalreadyisoftentoodifficult.

Constant reassurance that she is wanted and loved is verynecessaryforthesanguine,orshewillloseheartandneverfinishaproject.

Obviously, she will be a good and amusing conversationalist.Shehasnohesitationstoinformusofher innermostwishes,passions,desiresandthoughts.Indeed,wordsareverymuchhermedium,forwithwords shemayglossover any inadequacies inherperformance, excite

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anylisteners,andmakethingshappenaroundher.Lightglitter,brilliantcolor,abreathtakingview,thepromiseoftomorrow—thisisherlife.Alleyes,allears,shewillnoticethesmallestdetail,butforgetitaseasily.

Much of the dancing, smiling, innocent, light filled airy butoftenirresponsibleandinconsistentwayofthesanguinelivesinanychildinthisgoldenageofchildhood.

Understanding Cosmos and Individual

Temperament is primarily a given thing. It is the form, which the life of the soul has taken on, the basis of the bodily life. The body of the phlegmatic appears rounded and unformed, just as his soul’s life is unformed. The forehead of the melancholic, his slender, often stooping form, his dragging steps are outward signs of the weight of his inner life; just as the light, well-made form and winged gait of the sanguine belong to his cheerful nature.2

The characteristic expressions of a temperament do not onlyseparate individuals from one another, they may also unite them.Moreover,theabovedescriptionnotwithstanding,bothmenandwomenmayshowanyoftheabovetemperamentcharacteristics.

An outgoing nature is shared by both the sanguine and thecholeric,althoughthelatterwillbringmorepowerandsubstancetohisactions,andmakemoresustainedefforts.Botharewarmhearted,openanddirect.

The phlegmatic and the sanguine share a social disposition.Frequentencountersandzestfor lifebringpeopletogether,andweavethethreadsoflifewhichlinkonepersontoanother.

Thoughtfulness and coping with the weightier problems inlife,asonepenetratesthedepthsofexistence,onepassivelyinthought,and theother actively indeed—this links the attitudeof choleric andmelancholicasprobersofthedepths.

Thepossiblearousalofgreatangeriscommontocholericandphlegmatic.Excellentobservationispossibletosanguineandmelancholicalike.

Frequently, evenusually, there ismore thanone temperamentexpressed within one person. Most human beings have a good shareof all four. A very one-sided expression is comparatively rare. For the

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sake, though, of learning to distinguish between the four differenttemperamentmodalities, theirworking in thehumanpsyche, and thepictureformsofnature,itisconvenientandnecessarytodescribethemas if one predominates.This is an important point to keep in mindthroughoutthesepages.

Ifweareoffierydisposition,werespondtothefieryelementintheworldmorereadilythantotheotherelements.Ifweareairytheairinessof theworlddrawsus, and likewise the earthiness and thewateriness.Thuslikerespondstolike,andnaturalsympathy—empathy—betweenprocesses,events,andfacetsofthesurroundingworldandourinnerlifebecomeapparenttous.

Inhis lectures entitledMystery Knowledge and Mystery Centres(RudolfSteinerPress,London,GA232),Steinerreferstothisknowledgeof thefourelementsasqualitiesofcosmicandhumanworlds,as theywereknown inGreek times.He states that theGreekshaddevelopedasensitivefacultyofdiscernmentforthesequalitiesinnature:Warmthgives rise to air and fire, cold to dryness and moisture. Steiner evendescribestheurgetoexperiencethecompletenessofthefourelementalqualities as a prime moving force in inspiring Alexander the Great tolaunchhiscampaignsofconquest.

In olden times, the working of that world which harborsthe original forces manifesting these four qualities was known andexperiencedinverydefiniteways.Itwasgenerallyclear—uptotheendofthe18thcentury—thatthereisanintermediate,invisibleworldbetweentheheavenlybodiesandtheearth,betweenthestarsandhumanity.Theworkingofspiritualbeings,Godandthehierarchies,wasexperiencedinthecosmosandfromthereitcouldworkontotheearth.Theelementshadtheirhome“subLuna”—inthespherewithintheorbitofthemoon.InTrue and False Paths in Spiritual Investigation (RudolfSteinerPress,London,1969,GA243,LectureofJune14,1924),Steinerdescribesthisintermediateworldthus:

At all times this second world has been called the world of the elements. … In the second world it is only meaningful to speak of the elements earth, water, air, fire and light and so on. …Our senses therefore are rooted in the world of the elements where it is still meaningful to speak of earth, water, fire and air.

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Neoplatonic and hermetic writings up to the 17th centurycontainmuchmentionoftheelementsandwereknowntoeveryscholarworthhissalt.Onesuchsamplewillsuffice:

But if all the four elements are combined together in fit proportions, then the creature is so made as to be ardent in action, light of movement,…and solid in structure. For the earthy element is that which makes the body solid; the watery element is that in it which makes it diffuse itself so as to unite with things; the airy element is that in us which causes movement; and all these are roused to action by the fire in us.3

Thesameforcesworkinhumanbeingsandnatureintheformofthefourqualitiesoftheelementalworld.Itdoesnotbehoveustoreturntotheoldconceptions,butrathertolearntounderstandtheworkingoftheseforcesintermsofmodernhumanityandappropriatetothemodernworldofthe20thand21stcenturies.

According to Steiner, the transformational action of theformative-elemental forces is intimately involved with our digestiveprocesses.Withinthesedigestiveprocessesourrelationtotheworldofnatureintherealmofsubstancetakesplace.InMan as Symphony of the Creative Word(RudolfSteinerPress,London,1970,GA230)hestatesthateverythingofamineralnaturemustbe transformed intowarmthether,allplantnatureneedstogothroughthetransitionalstateoftheairy,allanimalsubstancemustgothroughthetransitionalstateofthewater, andonly thatwhich ishumanmaykeep the earthy-solid state.Thisisoneofthesecretsofthehumanorganism.

Thisseemstoindicatethatinourdigestiveprocesseswedevolveall substances thatwetake in to theiroriginalevolutionarystage—thestagewhencetheycameintobeing—thus:ThemineralsubstancebacktothewarmthofancientSaturn,theplantsubstancebacktotheair-lightofancientSun,theanimalsubstancebacktothewaterofancientMoon;onlythehumansubstancewouldbeassimilateddirectly.4

This transformation in the realmof substance isourdigestiveprocess.Intakingthisparticularprocessasanexample,webecomeawareofthespecifictransformationalactivityoftheelements,theetheric,orlife,forces.Thuswefollowtheworkingoftheseethericforcesasagents

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oftransformation,asagentsoflife-givingprocessesactiveinthemediumoftime.

A particular temperament modality is, on the one hand, oneof thepeculiarpatternsusedbyan individualwhentransforming intophysical realitywhat lives in the soul as a formof thought, feelingorintentionality.Ontheotherhand,oneparticulartemperamentmodalityshowsthespecificpatternbywhichtheindividualreceivesimpressionsofherorhisenvironmentandtransformsthemintothefacetsofthesoullife.Thusthetransformationalactionworksintwodirections—fromthesoullifeoutwardsandfromthesenseworldinwards.

Accordingly,wemaycallthefourqualities—thefiery,thewatery,theearthy,andtheairy—thefourmajortransformationalagents.Theircharacteristicsshowustheirparticularpatternsoftransformation.

Theethericworld,thearenaoflifeforces,isthehomeofbothelementsandtemperaments.Orrather,onemightsay,itisthewellspringfromwhichbothcomeforth.Itistheworldofformativetimeprocesses.All is change and movement, firming and dissolving, evolving anddevolving,indifferenttempo,modeandmanner.

Theteacherworkswithtime.Therighttimingisoftheessence.Temperament—tempera mentis—is the timing of the mind.We couldalso call it the seasons of the mind, maybe even the seasoning of themind.Aswedelvedeeperintothesecretsofcosmosandhumanitywebecomeabletorecognizethefouressentialqualitativemodesoftiming.Wethenlearntoworkcreativelywithinthelivingweboftime—asweshould—whenteaching.

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The reality of the temperaments cannot be understood without their relation to time. They are basically rooted in the flow and the rhythm of time. That which is timing in music is temperament in man. A melody may sound quite different if its rhythm is changed from quick to slow. Its impression will vary with its tempo. The same sequence of tones when played at different speeds of rhythms will produce quite diverse reactions.5

Endnotes1 RudolfSteiner,The Human Soul in Relations to World Evaluation,

AnthroposophicPress,SpringValley,NY,1984,GA112,LectureofMay26,1922.

2 CarolinevonHeydebrand,Childhood,AStudyoftheGrowingSoul,AnthroposophicalPublishingCo.,London,1942.

3 WalterScott,Editor,Corpus Hermeticum,theancientGreekandLatinwritingswhichcontainreligiousandphilosophicteachingsascribedtoHermesTrismegistus,editedwithEnglishtranslationandnotes,Oxford,ClarendonPress,1924.

4 SeeRudolfSteiner,An Outline of Esoteric Science,AnthroposophicPress,Hudson,NY,1997,GA13,fordescriptionsofthesepaststagesofearthevolutioninChapter4.

5 RudolfSteiner,Mysterienwahrheiten und Weihnachtsimpulse,RudolfSteinerVerlag,Dornach,Switzerland,1980, GA180,LectureofDecember30,1917(translatedbyauthor).

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Chapter Two

Temperament Language as the Key for Communication

The etheric body, as I have said, grasps by a tip what one calls the physical outer world. But what is ultimately the etheric body? The etheric body is ultimately what a human being receives from the cosmos, the macrocosm. So that since he detaches his etheric body from the macrocosmic condition the macrocosm lays hold of itself through his senses. We can feel ourselves as sons and daughters of the macrocosm—inasmuch as we are an etheric body and grasp the earthly sense-world with our macrocosmic part.1

–RudolfSteiner

Ifwegiveourselvesuptomeetingthemarvelsofthelandscapearounduswemayhavewonderfully vibrant encounterswithmajesticmountainranges,statelyrivers, lushforests,sweepingfarmlands,lakes,clouds,beaches,anddeserts.Beingreceptive to thephenomenaof thelandscapeenablesthemtospeaktooursoul.Welistentothislanguageofformsandshapesandcolors;theirmeaningisrevealedtousdirectly,without the intermediate step of abstract and formulated thought.We know the nature of the landscape in its immediate impact as oursentientbodystreamsout,andgraspsformsandcolorsandtextureswithitsvariegatedsenses.Steinerdescribesthesentientbodyasthatpartofoursoul,whichis incontinuousinteractionwiththeworldaroundusperceptibletooursenses

Theformlanguageofthemountains,thefoothills,thelakeandtheoceanisarchetypal.Itrequiresnoexplanation—seeingisknowing.Wordsareunnecessary—fortheformativeforcesinthelandscapespeaktousdirectly.Thisisthegestalt—thegesture—ofthelandscape.Equallyso each tree, each shrub and flower, each animal, each human beinghashisorhertypicalgesture,whichwereadandfromwhichwederiveinstantanddirectknowledge,thoughmostofthetimebelowthelevelofourconsciousmind.

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What Is Temperament Language?Inearliercenturies,thisformofdirectandinstantknowingwas

calledreadinginthebookofnature,anditwasawaytothemysteries.Then,suddeninsightsintheopenmysteryofthebookofnaturecouldlead an individual to thedeepermysteries of the essenceofhumanityandthecosmos.ThegoddessNaturawouldrevealherselftothosewhostudiedherwithlovingattentionanddevotion.

During sleep, however, human beings experience their union with the cosmos, with the super-earthly cosmos, just as during waking hours they experience the common life with the earthly cosmos by means of their senses. When what they experience in sleep becomes visible to an individual, in that moment he stands before what was until about the 13th century called Nature. The sleep experiences of human beings were called Nature, and what the Middle Ages called Nature was called by the Greeks Persephone, or Proserpine.2

Today, our very sense perception has dulled, and we haveacquired thebadhabitof theageofmaterialismto ignorematterandattemptto look behind the scenes forthephysicalforces,moleculesandatoms,thusdegradingnatureandbyimplicationdeclaringhertobeashamandillusion.

Howdifferentwastherelationshipofahumanbeingwithnatureindistantages.Regardingthelanguagethathumanbeingsspokeinthoseprimevaltimes,SteinerexpressesinalectureonThe Recovery of the Living Source of Speech:

So that in those older times we find words that express how human souls react, what they find themselves impelled to do under the influence of the world around them. The most ancient language of all consisted almost entirely of expressions of will.3

Onemaygaintheimpressionthattheancientwilllanguage,giventohumanitythroughthearchangels’intuitiveperceptionoftheworkingsof the second hierarchy of angelic beings, was predominantly one ofgesture.ThroughoutallSteiner’sworkswemayfindandabundanceof

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indicationslinkingthehumanexperienceofworldandsocietywiththeexistence,strivingandactivitiesofangelicbeings.Heusedthehierarchicorderofangels,asfirstmentionedintheChristiantraditionsoftheearlyMedievalcenturies,indescribingthem.Healsoindicatedrepeatedlyhowthesehierarchicorderscorrespondto spiritualbeings innon-Christianreligiousandmythologicaldepictions.

In a wonderful description of a Lemurian scene—a group ofmengatheredaroundapriestess—Steinerspeaksof therelationof theancienthumanbeingstonature:

Those around her move in rhythmic dances. For this was the other way in which soul entered into humankind. The mysterious rhythms, which one had heard from Nature, were imitated by the movements of the limbs. One thereby felt at one with nature and with the powers acting in her.4

Humanity and nature spoke the same language of gesture, ofrhythmandofsong.Itisthelanguageoftheelements,whichwasheardandspokenbyhumanbeings.

In the lecture on The Recovery of the Living Source of Speech,mentionedonthepreviouspage,Steinercharacterizedthedevelopmentof language further into Post-Atlantean times. The archangels in thecourse of their own evolution now enter into a relationship of beinginspiredbythebeingsofthefirsthierarchy.Thisenablesthemtobestowonhumanityalanguageoffeeling.

Language itself is metamorphosed. Words become an expression before all else of sympathy and antipathy, of every shade of human feeling. Instead of a language of will, as in former times, we have now a language of feeling.5

Latertheethnicelementinlanguagebecamethepredominantone.Thepuresttemperamentexpressionistobefoundinthemodulationofthetimingofanyprocess.Languageflowsdifferentlywhenwordsarespokeninafiery,anearthy,awatery,oranairymanner.Thestressonthemusicalityandtimemodulationofrhythminlanguageinspiredthecreationoflongepics.Indeed,archetypalriversoflanguagewereflowingfromparadiseinallthecardinaldirectionsoftheearth.

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Concurrentlywiththedevelopmentof languagewemusttakethedevelopmentofmemoryasdescribedbySteiner,forinstanceinhislectures on World History in the Light of Anthroposophy.6 Rhythmicalmemoryandlanguageoffeelingareconnected.Temperamentqualitiesnowenter intothepuretimingprocess.Theybecomemoreinwardinhumanbeings.

Thethirdstepinthedevelopmentoflanguageoccurswiththearchangelsturning—againduetotheirownevolution—tothepastoftheearthtoformimaginations,throughwhichtheyendowhumanitywithalanguageofthought.Theword-thought-picturememoryalsodevelopsconcurrentlyfromtheendofGreektimeson.7Certainimplicationsforourownageariseoutofthisdevelopmentoflanguage.

And inasmuch as speech now took its source from an earlier stage, into it crept an Ahrimanic element. This is a fact of incalculable significance. And what the Archangels felt above them came to expression in the world of human souls in a deadening of speech and language. Language became polished and at the same time paralyzed, it no longer retained the living-ness it had in earlier days.8

Inourcenturywewitnessanever-growingmechanizationinthehandlingoflanguage.Wemayobserveinthepreschoolerthechildwhostillspeaksalanguageofwillandgesture.Thusourownbodymotions,our actions, even our intentions—as yet unmanifest—speak to her orhim louder than words.The child knows us, and the world, directlythroughourbodylanguage.

The elementary school child speaks the language of feelinguntil around the twelfth year. It is particularly important for her thatweaddressherinthelanguageofthetemperaments,becausethemostdirectcorrespondenceoflanguageandtemperamentliesintherhythmic-feelingareaoflanguage.

It shouldbeobvious that thedead language of abstraction is anecessary field to conquer and master for the high school student.Temperamentimageryandqualityisnolongerfound,andrightlyso,inabstractlanguage.

What, then, is the language of the temperaments? Whenspeaking,weintendtocommunicateabodyofmeaning.Thismeaningmay be expressed in gesture, shape, or event: It may be expressed in

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actualwords;itmaybeputintoapicture;oritmaybeputintodramaticsequence of an event—either a naturalistically accurate or symbolicalimage,anallegory,orametaphor.Abodyofmeaningcanbeexpressedasgestalt;itcanbeexpressedinafiery,anearthy,awatery,oranairymodeofform.Wheneveritisclothedinwords,thesewordsmaybeutteredinafiery,anearthy,anairy,awaterytempoandmanner.Themusicalityinherentinlanguagemaythusalsotakeontemperamentmodulations,andchangeitstempoandintonationaccordingly.Eventheverysoundsmaycontainconsonantsrelatedtothefiery,thewatery,theearthyortheairyelement.9

Theformativeforcesoftheelementsmaybeofhelptofindtheappropriateformofpicturesandimages.Asteachers,wehavetofindtherelationshipbetweencontentsandelement-temperamentcharacteristicsifweintendtofindtheappropriatepicture.Afterall,imagesandpicturescontaincomponentsof sensoryperception,but in thisparticular case,freed fromdirectperceptionby thepowerof themind.Whentracingtheoriginsofameaningtobeexpressed,wemayfindthecorrespondingelementofnature,andthusarriveatimagesandpictures,whicharenotcontrived,butinherentlylogicalandthusappropriate.

Imustmakearemarkhereaboutthedifferencebetweencontrivedandinherentlylogicalworkinthefieldofartistic-creativeexpression,forweworkartisticallywhenformingpictures.Asanartist,onemighthavetoday—and did have in earlier ages—an instinctive knowledge of theetheric form principles through one’s relationship to nature. Much ofmodernartshowsthelossofthisinstinctiveknowledgeoftheformativeprinciples,andsomaybecomeacaricatureanddistortionofwhatthenatural principles of form actually are. Today, this knowledge has toberegainedbyconsciouslydirectedanddeliberatework.AsaWaldorfteacher,onehastofindmethodsbywhichtoawakentheforcesofthesoul—slumberingineveryperson—whichareconnectedtothecreativeformprinciplesinthenaturalworld.Asthefourelementsshowdistinctandcharacteristicformprinciples,whicharereflectedinthetemperamentmodulationonthehumanlevel,workingwiththeseprinciples—inotherwords applying temperament language—will engender creative-artisticpotentialsinourstudents.Thenweareinapositiontoteachcreativity.Thesepagesareintendedtoshowawayfortheteachertoawakencreativeimpulsesinchildoradultwiththehelpofhisorheranthroposophicalinsight.

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Theessenceoftemperamentlanguageinitsthreemodificationsemerges now clearly: form/gestalt, tempo/rhythm/sound, image/color/picture. We restore depth and fullness to language by using gesture,sound,picture,timing,rhythm,andimageinmeaningfulconcordancewitheachother.Bydoingthis,werebuildthefoundationsofexperience;wegorighttowillandfeelingbyusingthefourelementalqualitiesinmodifyingandenrichingourthreefoldformsofexpression.

One ExampleIntellingastorydescribingthecow,wemayuseslow,flowing

gestures;aneven,probablyslightlymonotonevoice;unexciting,factualwords;weourselvesmight sway slightly in rhythmicmotion, as ifwewereintheprocessofbecomingwatery—foracowisamostphlegmaticanimal.Ifwedothis,weclothetheabstractmeaningofthewordswiththecorresponding living sensoryqualities,whichenter thechild’s souldirectlyinsteadofdetouringviatheintellect.Thuswebuildabridgeofknowingandunderstandingwithimmediateimpact.

The watery element—the phlegmatic temperament—willfeel strongly addressedby the abovedescription. Itwill recognize andsympathizewiththefacetsinthedescriptionthataresimilartoitself—samerecognizessame—and,viathebridgeofassimilatingthesimilar,willalsobeabletotakeinthedissimilarpartsofthedescriptionofthecow.Moreover, the listenerwill have the experienceof trulyunderstandingonotherlevelsthanonlytheintellectual,andthespeakerwillhavetheexperienceofbeingtrulyunderstood.Thusbyusingthetemperamentimagery of corresponding sensory qualities, we build bridges ofunderstanding.

LANGUAGEOFTHOUGHT

LANGUAGEOFFEELING

LANGUAGEOFWILL

IMAGECOLORPICTURE

TEMPORHYTHMSOUND

FORMGESTALTGESTURE

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Another ExampleWe describe the flight of a bee. It flies an obviously erratic

course,dashes aroundus,hovers, and settlesmaybe.Over aperiodoftime,apatternwillbeseentoemerge:thebeeworksherwaytowardsaparticulardirectioninawindingandcirclingpath.Ourveryspeechwillbecomebee-like.Soweshallexpresstheairiness,thesanguinityoftheinsectagainonalllevelsoflanguageingesture/motion,intempo/sound/image,providedwesteepourselvesinthecharacterofabee.Byusingourownfacultyforacting,forchoosingdescriptivewords,modulatingourpitchandtempoofspeech,weendowourlanguageagainwiththelifewhich,duetomodernintellectualtendencies,isindangerofbeinglosttothehumanbeing.Moreover,byusingthelanguagesofwillandfeelingin their variousmodalities,whichprecede the intellectual language ofthoughtinourtime,wespeakappropriatelytothechild’sownstateofdevelopment.

Let us stress again the following: Each person has all fourtemperaments active within her or him, just as each person’s bodilynature is subject to the working of all four elements of nature. Avery slight preponderance suffices for one or the other temperamentto predominate and endow us with a characteristically individualmodulationofexpression.Indeed,weareabletoapplytheimageryofthefourqualitativeelementalforceseffectively,preciselybecausetheyareatworkineachperson.

Afterall, theknowledgeof the four temperaments shouldnottemptustoadopttheattitudethatthispersonissuchandsuchbecausehehassuchandsuchatemperament!Thatwouldbeasubtle formoffatalism.Nor shouldwebe tempted touse thatknowledge to indulgein a subtle formofbehavior modification.Noonehas themoral righttomodifyanotherperson’sbehavior.Ifchangeofbehaviorisnecessary,thisneedstoberecognizedanddonebythepersonher-orhimself.Wemay,however,providetheopportunityandsettingwhichenablesothers,particularlychildren,tochangethemselves.Butifapersonexhibitsone-sided temperament traits, then our own knowledge of the particularqualitywillenableustoestablishchannelsofcommunicationwiththispersonmoreeasily.

Ifwehavecharacterizedtheelementsandthetemperamentsinstrongrelief, it isonlyforthepurposeofcharacterization,notbecauseweoughttoremainwitharigidlyconceiveddifferentiationinthereality

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oftheweavingoflife.Bothinnatureandineachindividualthereisaworkingtogetherofallthefourqualities—ofthiswemustbeaware—sothatweareabletousetheminfullnessinourteachingapproach,andingeneralincommunicationwithourfellowhumanbeings.

Rudolf Steiner’s Examples of Temperament TeachingSteinerusedthreemainsubjectareasinordertodemonstrateto

thefirstteachersofthefirstWaldorfSchoolinStuttgart,aswellastohislistenersinotherpartsofEurope,howknowledgeofthetemperamentsmay be applied concretely in teaching. He worked with the teachersontheartof storytelling, incorporating the temperamentmodulation.He gave detailed examples of drawing exercises in connection withtemperament characteristics, showing how transformational processestypicalofparticular temperaments arise inprogressivemetamorphosesofforms.Hedemonstratedthepracticaluseoftemperamentworkintheintroductionofthefourbasicoperationsinmathematicstofirstgraders.

Intheartofstorytelling,wearealmostpurelyconcernedwithenliveningthemusicalityoflanguageitself—tempo,soundcharacteristics,and suitable word pictures. Drawing exercises take place in the areaof gestalt metamorphosis. In mathematics we deal with four possiblerelationship patterns as expressed in the typical temperament picture.Insteadofemphasizingtheendresultof thearithmeticalcomputationas the essential factor, the process is stressed.There are four differentprocesses—four different modes of time.The arithmetical problem ismadefluidandsoexpandedintoaprocessintime.

Is it coincidence that Steiner chose his three main examplesof temperament teaching in these areas—gesture, process, language—thus correlating it with the unfolding of the three stages of languagedevelopment in humanity? Or was his intention that, by giving theseexamples,hewaspointingoutthattemperamentworkshouldpervadeallthreeareas,theacting/gesturing/moving,thefeeling/timing/procedural,aswellastheimaginative/conceptualizationareaofthechild’s learningexperience?

Needless to say, Steiner gave examples, as he did in all otherareas of art and science, in order to show paths of research, paths ofdevelopingandapplying thegiftsof anthroposophicalknowledge thathetransmitted.Atnotimedidheintendthatweshouldremainrigidlywith his examples, because in time the totality of teaching practice is

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capable of being permeated by anthroposophical ideas. This thoughtshouldencourageall teacherstofindtheirownwaysofenliveningthesubjectmatterbypermeatingitwithtemperamentlanguage.Beforewegointomoreexamplesofhowthismaybedone,weneedtofocusyetmoreextensivelyonthekeyprocessinvolved.

The Key Picture of the Learning ProcessSteinerappealedtotheteachersofthefirstWaldorfSchoolto

permeatethemselvessostronglywiththepowerofimaginationthattheywouldbeabletorecreatethesubjectmatteraneweverytime.Thispowerofimaginationenlivensandstirsuptheinterestofthechild,andalsoourowninterestinthesubjectstobetaught.

Weneedtoawakenwithinourselvesthesourcesofinspiration;thisenablesustorecreatethesubjectmatter.Letusbeclearaboutourtask.Asteachers,weshouldtreatthesubjectmatterinsuchawaythatwemakeitpalatableforlisteners—childoradult—seasonandspiceitjustrightaccording to theagegroup, so that itbecomesnourishmentandisdigestible for the listener’s soul.Weare really alchemists—orcooks,ifyouprefer—whotreadthepathwaysofthefourelementsofnature,whenrecreatingthesubjectmatter.

Thekeyfactor isthatwemustdothehardworkofanalyzingeachcomponentofthesubjectmattersothatwetrackdowntheworkingofthefourtemperamentqualities.Thenwecanportraythemingesture,speech,andimage.

Analysisisnoteasy.Itmeanstofindthefundamentalphenom-enon, tohunt for the fundamental sensoryperceptionand immediacyof soul experience, and cast out the garbage of preconceived ideas, ofprejudiced conclusions, of half-baked popular scientific concepts. Wemusthavethecouragetostandapartfromthetideoftechnologizationofknowledge,ofdefinitionandrigidity,andturnwitheachcomponent ofknowledge,witheachstepintheacquisitionofaskill,againtotheoriginalandarchetypalphenomenon.Wemusthavethecouragetogoinsearchoftheoriginsofeachareaandbodyofmeaning.

Further,wemusthavethecouragetofind,see,andworkwiththe triune aspect of cosmos and humanity. Then we may find that,interwovenwiththethreefoldness,isthefourfoldqualityoftheelementsof nature. But at the back of the fourfoldness is a threefoldness.Thebasicpolarityoftheelementsisthepolaritybetweenthecontractingand

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expanding forces.This ismodified into the four.Therewasa timeonearthwhenwaterandairwereintermingled—threeelementalqualitieswerethenactiveinnature.

Wemayrealize,moreover,thathereisanaturalprogressionofthelearningprocessbeginningwiththewillaspectofasubjectmatter,progressingtoitsfeelingaspect,whichfinallyculminatesintheformingofitsconceptualcontents.

In Foundations of Human Experience Steiner describes howto wake up a child’s thinking by letting him or her walk and speaksimultaneously.10 By activating a child’s body movements, that child’sthinking is eventually stimulated. This simple indication, if applieddiligently, is in truth amagic formula for education.Steinerdescribesfurtherthatourego—bywhichheunderstandsoureternalself—enterstheworldofpicturesandimagesoftheexternalworld,andisawakeinthem.(Steiner’sviewoftheselfisdecidedlynotFreudian;thereforetheegoinSteiner’susageisnotanexpressionofourlowerdrivesandinstincts,butthespiritualentity,whichisaneternal,spiritualbeing).Thusistheegoabletotakeholdofcognitivethinking.Eachstepaccompaniedbyaspokenwordisaspurtotheegotowakeup.

Above, we mentioned that the human soul experiences insleep the world of nature. From this world of nature she awakens toherdaywakefulnessandconsciousness.Ifwestrengthentheexperienceof the world of nature rightly, naturally, and emphatically, by usingtemperamentlanguage,welayanappropriatefoundationforthepictureformingactivityofthewakingconsciousness.

Through the correlation of direct observation and anthropo-sophicalinsight,wemayknowthatthechildshouldfirstexperienceandactouttheinherentelementalgesturecontainedinnewmaterialtobelearned. Then he should transform the bodily-spatial-gesture-motionexperience into the timing-procedure-rhythm experience, and finallycontract the latter intoan innerpicture in the realmof thought.Thissequenceisthekeyforinternalizationinrelationtothelearningprocess.Temperamentlanguageisanessentialfactorateachstage.

Therefore it is of paramount importance to permeate all thatisdoneandexperiencedintheclassroomwiththefourqualities.Justastheworkingoftheformativeforcesinnatureiscontinuousanddoesnotstop,butfollowsitsowninherentlogicofevolutionanddevolution,soweneedtocreatethefourtemperamentqualitiesconstantlythroughoutourwholeteachingactivity,allowingthelifestreamofthetemperaments

37

topermeateallteaching.Attimes,changesintempowillsufficetoinfuseadifferentqualityintotheclassroom.Atothertimes,weneedtobecomeactors,impersonatingthefiery,watery,airy,earthyelements.Thesubtlecombinationsof gesture, timing, and imaging are thekey to speakingtemperament language. This approach requires a phenomenologicalmanner of approaching our environment. How can the teacher learnthis? Steiner referred to this problem in connection with his lecturesentitledThe Boundaries of Natural Science:

We are now in the right frame of mind to guide our souls in the direction briefly indicated yesterday—along the first steps of the way leading to Imagination. It is possible to pursue this path in a form consonant with Western life if we simply try to surrender ourselves completely to the world of outer phenomena, so that we absorb them without thinking about them.

If we thus bring our activity of perception into a state of flux, as it were, and infuse it with life and movement, not in the way we follow when forming concepts, but by working on our perception in an artistic or symbolizing manner, we shall develop much sooner the power of allowing the percepts to permeate us in their pure essence. Simply to train ourselves rigorously in what I have called phenomenalism—that is, in elaborating the phenomena—is an excellent preparation for this kind of cognition.11

Thusifwe,asteachers,cultivatethehabittoallowthesensoryphenomena to impress themselvesuponusundilutedbypreconceivedthought,weshallallowourfacultyofperceptiontoflow,muchinthesamewaythatthishappensinperceptionrelatedtosymbolizingorartisticactivityandsoengenderafeelingforthephenomenon.Incultivatingthepurityofthesensoryperception,wedevelopatthesametimesensitivityforthefourdistinctivequalitiesoftheelementspermeatingallnaturalphenomena. We then sense the hidden fire, water, air, and earth innature,andbecomeable,gradually,torecreatesubjectmatterartistically,feelingly,imaginatively,andlivinglyintheclassroom.Onlythenwillourteachinganswerthedemandsofourtime.

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StageOne:Weandthechildmoveandgestureinfiery,earthy,watery,andairymodes,expressingacontextofmeaning.

Stage Two: The child and we modulate speech, livein the sound/rhythm/tempo expressive of that samecontextofmeaning.

StageThree:Weandthechildclotheconceptsarisingfromthesamecontextofmeaningwithsensoryqualitiescorrespondingtothefourelements.

Thepathwayofacontextofmeaningfromthelanguageofwillthroughthelanguageoffeelingtothelanguageofthoughtindicatesthetransformation of experience into knowledge in a manner innate andappropriatetohumanbeings,andthustothechild.

The Recreation of the Subject MatterAn Example: Introduction to Geography

InhisworkwiththefirstteachersofthefirstWaldorfSchool,Steinergaveexamplesofapplyingtemperamentteachinginthreeareas(asdescribedabove).Ishallgiveanexampleoftemperamentteaching,butnotintheareaofstorytelling,formdrawingorarithmetic,asSteinerhaddone. It shouldbenoted that the following example describes incondensedformactualworkthatIdidwithoneofmyclasses.Thiscould

IMAGECOLORPICTURE

TEMPORHYTHMSOUND

FORMGESTALTGESTURE

STAGE THREE

LANGUAGEOFTHOUGHT

LANGUAGEOFFEELING

STAGE ONE

STAGE TWO

LANGUAGEOFTHEWILL

KEYPICTURE

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be an example of the teacher’s preparation of the experiential activityofherclass,andisnotintendedtosetarigidmethod.Theaimofthissubjectistheintroductiontothehometownsurroundingasapreparatorysteptogeographyproper.Thestartingpointiswiththespatialexperienceofthechild.12

Inordertoknowwhereoneshouldbeginintheintroductionofasubject,oneshouldbeclear,whatthespecificpsychologicalsituationofchildreninthatparticularagegroupis,inrespecttothissubject.Thetimeoftheninth-tenthyearoflifeisofparticularimportanceinregardtogeography.

As a brief preamble I shall describe one way to depict childdevelopmentasunderstoodinSteiner’sphilosophyofthespiritualhumanbeing.Childrenhavelivedduringinfancyandearlychildhoodwiththeirintentionality,theirexperience,andtheirsensoryperceptionmoreacutelyandsensitivelywithintheirsurroundingthanwithinthemselves.Theirnexusofformativeforcesisstillintheprocessofcontractingtheresidueofpastincarnationsegoexperiencesintotheshapingandformingofthephysicalbody.Onemightpicturetheego(theself )penetratingchildrenfromtheheaddownwards sincebirth,and,also,penetrating fromthesurroundinginwards.Letusrememberthatinthespiritualworld,beforebirth,thehumansoulhasbeenpouredout,asitwere,overthewidthsofcosmicspace,andinpreparationforincarnation,theindividualhasbeencontracting,contracting,untilfinallyarrivingatthephysicalbody.Oncebornasanearthbeing,thehumansoulthenhasthereverserelationtothesurroundingtothatwhichsheorhehadinthespiritualworld—nowexperiencingtheselfasthecenter,andlookingoutintothesurrounding.Thechangeover fromcosmic toearthlyorientation,begunatbirth, iscompletedaround theninthyear.Children thenbecomeconsciousofthemselves as separate entities. Any psychological crises, described atvariousoccasionsbySteinerwhendiscussingthedevelopmentalstagesofchildhoodandyouth,areareflectionofthefactthatachild’sselfwakesupatthispoint,thislonelycenter.Itisnowconfrontedwithhavingtolookoutintothesurroundingworld,whichnowappearsalientothehumansoul,havinglivedinitinstinctivelywhenyounger.However,fromthistimeon,thehumansoulbeginstoextendawarenessoftheworldfromwithinoutwards.Thisprocessofgrowingoutwards,thisconqueringofthedimensionsof space fromthecenterout, isvery important foranindividual’ssubsequentcapacityoffindingtheappropriateplaceintheworldandtherelationtohumanityasawhole.

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Inintroducinggeographywehavethirdandfourthgradechil-drenbeforeuswhoareatthiscrucialturningpointofspatialexperience.Theyarereadytowakeupinthegeographical space—notbodilyofcourse,butmentally,withtheirimagingcapacity.

I have attempted here to put down the steps I took in thisintroductiontogeography.Thisexamplecouldshowonewaytomakealivetostudentsanentityofmeaningbyusingintensivetemperamentmodulations.

Step OneThechildhasarrivedwithhisorherawarenessofbeinginthe

center,sowemustbeginwherethechildis—inthecenterwiththechild’sphysicalbody.

Welethimorherlookabout,notewhatmaybeseenindifferentdirections,makeherorhimawarethatlandmarksarealwaysinthesamelocation.Wediscussthelocationofthesunrise,ofthesunset,andbegintodifferentiatethespatialspherearound.

Takethefourcardinalpointsofspace.LetstudentsattempttofindforthemselvesNorth,East,West,andSouth.Characterizedifferencesbydiscussion—cold,warm,sunrise,sunset,andanyother,likeseawardandlandward,forexample.

Thenwebeginastructuredactivity:Thechildrenstandinthecenteroftheroom,closetheireyesandattempttoexecutecommandslike: “Take three steps South, one step North, hop four times to theWest,”etc.Thiswouldhavetoberepeateddailyoverseveraldays,afterwhich time a natural feeling for the different compass points usuallyawakensinmostchildren.

Byvaryingsubtlythisactivityinseveralways,changingoftempo,tone of voice, when giving instructions, we bring the temperamentdynamicstobearonthisexperienceofthechildren.

We may differentiate further. We may speed up the changesanguinely when stepping East or slow down melancholically whensteppingtotheNorth.WemayglidealongphlegmaticallytowardstheWestorstridecholericallytowardstheSouth.

Step TwoNowwediscusswhatwewouldbeable toobserve ifwewere

tohoverhighabovetheschoolbuildingandseeintotheclassroom.We

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locateother landmarks, roads, rivers, and soon.We test the students’feelingfordirectionbyaskingthemtopointinthedirectionofthevariouslandmarks.Insteadofgettingthemtomovetowardthecompasspoints,wemight say: “Take three steps towardsX road, four steps towardsYmountain,onegiantleaptowardsZriver,butdon’tfallin!TiptoetowardMcity.”Inthiswaywedifferentiatefurtherthechild’sconscioussenseforspace.Weshallobviouslyengagetheclassinthistypeofactivityforseveraldays,untilwenoticeagrowingawarenessoforientations.Ourjourneysbecome,ofcourse,evermorecomplexandexciting.

It is important for the teacher to realize that this activity ofcombiningbodilymovements inaccordancewithan imaginedmentalpictureisvitalforthenextstep,puttingdownonpaperwhatwehaveenactedinperson.Wemaymakeadrawingofthefourcompasspoints,oreventhemoredifferentiatedoneofthewindrose.

Guess which colors we are going to use for the four cardinalpoints.Thatisatestforustoestablishaninherentlylogicalpicturerightdowntothedetailsofchoosingtheappropriatecolors.Anindividual’srelation to the four cardinal directions is neither incidental noraccidental—colorshavebeenassignedtothecardinaldirectionsinmanycultures,suchasNativeAmerican,Maya,Chinese,etc.

Wethendelightthechildrenbyworkingoutthenamesofthein-betweendirections,foratthisagefactualdetailisrelished.Thenwecanremindtheclassofthebird’seyeviewoftheimmediatesurrounding,andaskeachchild,asbestsheorhecan,todrawthesurroundingfromabove.Thusthefirstsimplemapcomesabout.

Step ThreeNow we need to go beyond the horizon. We need to go on

imaginary journeys.WhatdowemeetwhengoingSouth,East,West,North?Indiscussionandbyreportingingraphicdetailwhatliesbeyondthehorizon,webuildupapictureofwhatwewouldmeet.Onlythenarewereadyforactivity—structuredandvariedaccordingtotemperamentcharacteristics.

Theactivitycouldbelikethis:Wegroupthewholeclassinthecenteroftheroom.Weorientourselves.LetusbeginbyfacingSouth.Webegintospeak,walk,andmimeaswebeginourjourney:

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“WegoSouth.”(threeforcefulsteps)

“WecrosstheZRiver.”(Onthenameoftheriver,wewalkinawavylinewithourfeet,andmakewavemove-mentswithourarms—wearenowdepictingwater.)

“Weseefarms,cornfields,barns,silos,arailroadtrack.”(Wepointtoeachinrapidsuccession,sanguinelyandinlivelymanner;wealsotriplightly.)

“WecometotheYMountain.”(Armsarehelduphigh,stiffly,wearenowearthy,contracted,melancholic.)

“We arrive at M city.” (We walk strongly, assertingourselves in the city, indicating the massive buildingswithourhands—cholerically.)

The whole group chants, mimes, steps together. We exploretheworld.We repeat this for a fewdays everydayuntil the class hasassimilated it. Bodily actions are now fused firmly with imaginativedescriptions.

Asitisvitalthatchildrenknowwhattheyaredoing,theyshouldaccompany each action by speaking appropriate sentences; or, afterhavingpracticedtheseimaginativejourneysforsomedays,repeatthemsilentlyforthemselves,andthusraisethewholeexperienceyetanothernotchtowardstheconceptual,whichmustbeouraimafterall.

Areminder:It isourtaskasWaldorfteacherstoleadchildrento form concepts in such a manner that as adults the further step—imaginativeknowledge—becomespossibleiftheindividual,outoffreechoice,decidestoworkatdevelopinghisorherspiritualpotential.

Step FourWearenowreadytodrawwhatwehaveactedoutbefore.We

drawasexactarepresentationofourchoreographedjourneyasispossible.Wethusraiseupourexperiencefromthewillexperienceofthebodyviathelanguage-feelingareaintotheimagearea.Ourdrawingcouldlooklikethis:

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Itgoeswithout saying thatcolorsand formsmustcorrespondtothenatureoftheobjectweportrayifwewishtoachieveourpurposein integratingthedifferent levelsofexperience.Color-coding isof theessence.Thusmountainswouldprobablybevioletorblue,lookhardandtall,contracted—ourverywritingbecomeslikeamountainrange,withthesinglelettersasthepeaks.Sowefollowtheinherentlogicofnature,andarriveatformsandcolorsconsistentwiththeworkingsofthenatureforces:Weare thusactivelycontinuingtheworkofnature.Theaboveexample—showing letters like mountain ranges in their appropriatecolor—alsoshowsushowtoavoidfantasticallycontrivedshapes,whichlackinherentlogic.

Step FiveAfter a fewweeks, there arenow several journeysgoingonat

thesametime—oneisbeingactedout;anotherbeingdrawnonpaper;maybeathirdisactedoutsilentlyandinvisiblyinthemind.Theinternalpicturingcapacityshouldnowbestimulatedsufficiently ineachchild,sothatheorshecanrepeatmentallythedetailsofajourney.Itisvitalthatwetakecaretocompletethethreefoldprocessandallowthechildtoworkonthementallevelasathirdstepandnotcutofftheprocessbeforethelastlevelisreached.Afterall,oneaimwepursueasWaldorfteachersistolaythefoundationforqualitativethinking.Withthiswehaveraisedabodyofmeaning—suchasthejourneySouthoriginatingin our own locality—from the physical movement activity, to theartistic-visual-formative activity of drawing or painting, to the mentallevel.Outerexperiencehasbecomeinnerpicturethroughthesestagesoftransformation.

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Step Six: ConclusionWe have now extended the child’s awareness in all cardinal

directions.Thestudentsarenowfirmlyanchoredinacrossformedofallfourspatialdirections.

Each lesson contains now the choreographed motion ofmakinga journey, adrawing-feeling-picturingactivity, and thementalrecapitulation,whichstimulatesthechild’sinnerpicturingskills.

Itshouldbecomeclearinthisexamplehowtheuseofthefourtemperament/elementqualities is subtly interwoven at every step, andhashelpedinformingthetransitionfromtheoneareaofactivitytotheother,fromengagingonepartofthehumanorganismtoanother.

We could expand further the children’s spatial awarenessby discussing relative positions of important places in the furthersurrounding, thusgraduallybuildingup their skills for the judgingofrelativedistances,andpreparingfuturemapreadingskills.

It isobviousthatwemaydrawonanumberofartisticmediainordertoenliventheprocesswhichleadstogeographicalknowledge:Acting,movingandmiming, formingplastically—wemayalsomodelthelandscape—drawing,painting,reciting,andevensinging.Inshort,awiderangeofartisticexpressionmaybeused.

Theteachersneedstopreparebyanalyzingthesubjectmatter,gettingasfarasthefundamentalphenomena,butnotbreakingthroughthem into the abstract, fantastic or contrived.Then they may expressthesubjectmatterinallthreeformsoflanguage,andmeetthestudentswheretheyreallyare.

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Endnotes1 RudolfSteiner,Mysterienwahrheiten und Weihnachtsimpulse,op.cit.

2 Ibid.

3 RudolfSteiner,The Recovery of the Living Source of Speech,TheGoldenBlade,ed.AdamBittleston,RudolfSteinerPress,London,1973,GA224,LectureofApril13,1923

4 RudolfSteiner,Cosmic Memory. Atlantis and Lemuria,RudolfSteinerPublications,Blauvelt,NY,1971,GA11

5 RudolfSteiner,The Recovery of the Living Source of Speech,op.cit.

6 RudolfSteiner,World History in the Light of Anthroposophy,RudolfSteinerPress,London,1977,GA233,LectureofDecember24,1923

7 SteinerpinpointsthemomentinhistorywhenthischangeoccurredasthespanoftimebetweenPlatoandAristotle.SeealsoThe Recovery of the Living Source of Speech,op.cit.

8 Ibid.

9 RudolfSteiner,Speech and Drama,AnthroposophicPress,SpringValley,NY,1986,GA282,LectureofSeptember21,1924

10 RudolfSteiner, Foundations of Human Experience,AnthroposophicPress,Hudson,NY,1996,GA293,LectureofAugust27,1919

11 RudolfSteiner,The Boundaries of Natural Science,AnthroposophicPress,SpringValley,NY,1983,GA322,LectureofOctober3,1920

12 RudolfSteiner, Education for Adolescence,AnthroposophicPress,Hudson,NY,1996,GA302,LectureofJune14,1921

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part two

temperament CharaCteristiCs in the reaLm of artistiC expression

Chapter Three

The Arts and the SensesA path to art must be found that will link once again the sphere of the spiritual with the sphere of natural science.1

–RudolfSteiner

Eachartformuseselementsofsensoryperception.Ifwearetounderstandtheessenceofart,weneedtounderstandalsothatwhichlivesinnature.Steinercontinues,

I must now add that it appears to inhere in the conditions of modern civilization that we shall only find the right path to art when we have first explored the right path in relation to the investigation of natural phenomena, the path of spiritual science. For in the sphere of art today mankind is so far removed from building the bridge of which I have spoken that it can only be persuaded of the active permeation of art by the spirit when it can be finally convinced of the activity of the spiritual that can be seen especially in the genesis of the pathological; when there is clear evidence of how the spirit operates and reveals itself in matter. When mankind becomes aware of the activity of the spiritual in the kingdom of nature, then it may perhaps be possible to arouse sufficient whole-hearted enthusiasm for the idea that the spiritual can be presented directly to the world in the form of works of art.2

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Onemajorchallengetomodernhumanitycanbedescribedastheneedtoreconcilethedemandsofalucidconsciousnessforthinking,withtheusuallysubmergedareaoftheinstinctsandthesemi-submergedareaofdreamswithinanindividual’spsyche.Wemaydetecttwoaberrationsofartinourcentury,whicharisefromthischallenge:One,wildabandontotheinstinctiveandtheemotionalexpression,becausetheguidinglightofthinkingisdeniedanypartintheartisticprocess.Two,premeditatedandcontrivedexpressions,whichuseartisticmediatoexpressaconstructofthoughtcoldly,anddevoidoffeeling.Inneitherapproachcanwefindatrulyhumanspiritasexpressedbygreatart.

At this point something needs to be stated here, which maycause surprise when mentioned in an educational context. Educationhas the task to help young souls develop the potential to accomplishtheiraimsin life.It isapparentthatmanyinternalandexternal forcesand influences in today’s world pose grave obstacles to the balanceddevelopmentofanindividual.Itisfurtherapparentthatthereisagreatlonginginmanypeopletofindaspiritualsourceofstrength.Humanityhas crossed the threshold intoanewageof light, as isoften stated inEasternbeliefs.Thisageof lightwastocomeafterfivethousandyearsofadarkage,specificallyintheyear1899.Theinertiaof19thcenturymaterialism,however,continuesthisageofdarknessandstillbuildsevermoremonstrousjuggernautsoftechnologyinordertoensnarehumanminds.Steiner, too,spokeoftenoftheendoftheageofdarknessandthebeginningofanageof light.Individualsexperienceasplit intheirsoulsbetweentheresiduesofthedarkageandthepromisesofthenewlightageevenmoreacutelynow,thanwasthecaseatthebeginningofthe20thcentury.Fromaculturalviewpoint,artisuniquelysuitedtobeahealerofthissplit—intheindividualaswellasinsocietyatlarge.

The question of how to develop artistic impulses in childrenwhich lead neither to the mystically-voluptuous nor the trivially-contrived, but instead towards thehumanlybalanced—whichmaybeseenastheuniversallyChristian—oughttobeattheheartofeveryonewhohopestohelpdevelopeducationasahealing impulseforhumanity.The term universally Christian is used here to characterize the moral-ethical foundation of Christianity devoid of any attachment to aparticularchurch,creed,ordenomination.InthissenseSteinerindicatedrepeatedlytheimportanceofChristforthetotalityofhumanevolution,and His significance for individuals, quite apart from their specificreligiousbeliefs.

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Art as an Expression of an Individual’s Essential Inner ForcesSteinerelucidatestherelationbetweenthedifferentartsandthe

innerhumanbeingmostprofoundlyinhislecturesonArt in the Light of Mystery Wisdom.3Hestatestherethattheformsofartisticexpressionarisefromthefactthattheforcesofonememberofahumanbeing’s innerorganization—such as the etheric or the astral body—are, as it were,pushedintotherealmofthenextlowermemberandnowbecomeactiveonthislowerlevel.Hegivesthefollowingdiagram:

Members of the Human Being’s Inner Organization

Regarding the members of the human essence, an in-depthoverview is given by Steiner, for instance, in his book Theosophy, an Introduction to the Spiritual Processes in Human Life and in the Cosmos(AnthroposophicPress,Hudson,NY, 1994,GA9).

In the caseof architecture the forces of thephysical body areseparatedentirely fromaperson.Thus, architecture standsby itself asa monument of human creativity in the mineral realm of the earth.Sculpturecomesaboutthroughtheworkoftheetheric—orlife—forcesin the realm of the physical body; painting through astral—or star—forcesworkingintotherealmoftheetheric;musicthroughegoforcespushingintotheastralrealm;poetrythroughtheinspirationofthespiritself—whichisstilloutsideustoalargeextent,andhasnotbeenbroughtas yet to individualized expression except in a few and remarkableindividuals,andthusenters fromthefuture—workingintherealmoftheego;andeurythmy—whichisstillinitsveryinfancyasaparticularformofdance—asintuitionoftheforcesofthelifespiritworkingintothespiritself.

LifeSpirit

SpiritSelf

EternalSelf–Ego

Astral(orstar)Body

Etheric(orlife)Body

PhysicalBody

Arts

Eurythmy(Dance)

Poetry

Music

Painting

Sculpture

Architecture

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It isbeyondthescopeof thisbooktoexaminehere these far-reachingindicationsofRudolfSteiner’sasdeeplyastheydeserve.Butweshouldfindawaytounderstandtheimplicationsoftheabovediagramfromtheviewpointofthedevelopingyoungperson.

Architecture appears to be the oldest art of mankind, itsbeginning lost in the shrouds of history. It would be fascinating toexamine the stylesof architecture from theviewpointof thepolaritiesasdescribedinthefirstpartofthesepages.Althoughthearchitecturalforms,whichsurroundus,influenceusprofoundlyweshallrefrainfromconcerningourselvesherewiththeireffects.

Sculpture—apparentlythesecondoldestartofhumanity—willhavetobedealtwithheredifferentlythaninaworkonartingeneral.Thegrowingchild—throughherorhisethericbody—stillexpendslife-formative forces on the growth of the physical body.These forces arethereforeverymuchinastateofflux.Itismypersonalconviction,gainedby observation of children, that a delicate approach to all sculptingactivityinthegrowingchildisvital.Ifweencourageplasticexpressiontoostrongly,inmyview,weharmtheproperhealthofthegrowingchild.The formative forces should really only be called upon strongly afterpuberty.Themediumwhichweusebeforethatageisthussignificant,forcoldclay,whichisrichincalcium,shouldbeavoided: itsuckstheethericforcestoostronglyoutofthechildandintotheclay.Warmth-endowedbeeswaxisreallyabettermediumuptothetenthyear.Theavoidanceofclayuntil the tenthyear isparticularly important for theWesternHemisphere,where the formative forcescreate solid structureveryeasily.

Thechild—whoseownphysicalformisnotyetfixed—livesinflowingmovements,whichareonthewaytobecomefirmlyestablished.Insteadofsculptureandthefulluseoftheplasticartswiththeelementaryschoolchild,wecouldspeakofplasticandmovementartstogetherasonearea of artistic expression. Further, painting, music, and language artswillshowthatintheyoungpersonadifferentrelationshipexistsbetweenthemembersofhisbeingthanintheadult.

Ishallnotconsidereurythmyinthesepagesotherthaninbriefmention,formuchhasbeendoneandestablishedinthisfield.Fromtheviewpointoftheabovediagram,though,itshouldbeclearthatIdonotmeaneurythmywhenspeakingofmovementartinthesepages.

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Contraction and Expansion in the Realm of ArtThechallenge,whichthegreatcosmicpowersofcontractionand

expansionhurlatanindividual’sabilitytoholdabalance,alsoextendstotherealmofartisticactivityandexpression.TheveryspectrumoftheartsreflectsthesepolaritiesasstatedbySteinerintheabove-mentionedbookontheTrue and False Paths in Spiritual Investigation.

By and large, the arts are under the domain of the lucifericbeings. However, architecture and sculpture are more influenced bythe ahrimanic formative andcontractivebeings.Music andpoetry areparticularlyinfluencedbythelucifericbeings.Itisoftheessence,though,tobeclearthatgeographiccultural-ethnicinfluencesmodifythisgeneralscheme.Moreover,Steinerwarns,itisentirelypossiblethatalsolucifericinfluences work into architectural and sculptural styles and ahrimanicimpulsescanpenetrateveryeasilytherealmofmusic—astheydoforciblyinmuchofcontemporarymusic.

Paintingrepresentsabalancebetweenthesetwopolarities.Notastaticbalance,however,butadynamicone,becauseheretheattacksofthetwocontendingpowersareparticularlyvicious,sothatsuccumbingto either influence is easy. Great energy and determination has to befoundbyanindividualwhowouldwithstandtheone-sidednessofthesepolaroppositepowersinordertocreatethebalanceinpainting.

Beforegoingtodiscuss,insomedetail,thefieldsofexperienceofseveraloftheartsinrelationtoteaching,weneedtoconcernourselveswithsensoryperceptioninrelationtothearts,tothetemperaments,totheinner,humanbeing,andthusalsotothetwocosmicpowersofLuciferandAhriman.Steinerspeaksrepeatedlyandwithgreatearnestnessoftwogreatspiritpowerswhoseintentitistotearapartindividualsintotheirphysical-physiologicalandpsychological-spiritualhalves.Socialgroups,inallforms,rangingfromaclass,toapoliticalparty,toanation,arealsoaffectedby their activities. It is too simplistic to refer to thesepowersas theembodimentsof impractical idealism in thecaseofLuciferandself-promotingmaterialism in the caseofAhriman,but this simplisticdescription might give us a handle on beginning to understand theireffectsonhumanbeings.

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Individuals and Their Senses

The real aesthetic conduct of man consists of the fact that the sense organs become enlivened, as it were, and the life processes become ensouled.4

This statement gives us a more definite indication of how todirectourworksuchthatthebeingsofthemajorartsmayberesuscitatedfromtheirsleep, intowhichthecold intellectoftheevil fairyhascastthem.The necessary paths for the awakening of the senses as hintedat above require us to turn to the phenomena of nature. The abovequotationleadsusfurther,forweshouldunderstandthattheenliveningof the sphereof the senses and the ensoulingof the sphereof the lifeprocessesinindividualsresultsinaestheticappreciationandactivity.

Whatdoes thismean?Steiner states further thatouraestheticactivitybasedonafeelingforbeautycomesaboutbecausetheastralbodyoftheheadcomesintointerplaywiththeastralbodyoftherestofourbodilyorganization.5 (Astral forcesactivateourconsciousness,andourphysicalmovement.Theirconfigurationineachindividualistheastralbody).

An actual realignment takes place in our inner organizationwheneverweareengagedinmakingaestheticjudgments.Wearedealingherewithacorrespondenceandrelationshipbetweenphysiologicalandpsychologicalaspectsofourinnerbeing.Theastralbodyoftheheadandoftherestofthebodyholdadialogue—thecontractiveforcesoftheheadconversewiththeexpansiveforcesoftherestofthebody.Moreover,wemayconsidertheenliveningofthesensesandtheensoulmentofthelifeprocessesalsoinconnectionwiththetransformationoftheconsciousnesssoul into the spirit self.That means that in the same measure, as theconsciousnesssoulreceivessenseperceptionsofthephysicalworld,thetransformed consciousness soul—that is the spirit self—receives senseperceptions from the world above the world of thoughts. (Steiner’sdescriptionoftheconsciousnesssoulaspartofourinnerconfigurationmaybefound,asmentionedabove,inhisfundamentalbook,Theosophy).

Insuchawayartpreparesthepathforsupersensibleperception.Thesensesarelikegulfsofthephysicalworldreachingintoeachhumanbeing,andengagethereallmembersinturn.Aperson’ssentientbody,theoldestyetleastconsciouspartoftheastralbody,reachesoutintothesurroundingsandactuallytouches,asitwere,theastralcounterpartof

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theobjectsinthephysicalworld.Thefactofthiscontactisbroughttoour attention in senseperception.Theoutward astralmovement runsinthecounterdirectiontothephysicalmotion,andinthecaseofsenseperception, sets up complex waves of reflexes in our astral body—ineithertheheadpartorthebodypart.Physicallytheobjectsoftheouterworldseemtoimpingeuponus,astrallyourawarenesssendsoutastralfeelerstocontacttheseveryobjects.ProbablyforthisreasonSteinerstatesthateachconscioussenseperceptionisaccompaniedbyother—minor—perceptions,towhichwenormallydonotpaysufficientattention.

But the senses also differ from one another in a further respect: some of them afford a relation to the outer world that is experienced more as external nexus; the others more one that is bound up very intimately with our own being. Senses that are most intimately bound up with our own being are (for example) the sense of equilibrium, the sense of motion, the sense of life—and also, of course, the sense of touch. When there is perception by these senses of the outer world, it is always obscurely accompanied by experience of the percipient’s own being. You can even say that in their case a certain obtuseness of conscious percipience obtains, precisely because the element in it of external relationship is shouted down by the experience of our own being. For instance: a physical object is seen, and at the same time the sense of equilibrium furnishes an impression. What is seen is sharply perceived. This ‘seen’ leads to representation of a physical object. The experience through the sense of equilibrium remains, qua perception, dull and obtuse; but it comes to life in the judgment: ‘That which is seen exists,’ or ‘There is a thing seen’…Hence, in the whole gamut of the ‘senses’ there are some that mediate relation to the outer world rather less and the experience of one’s own being rather more.6

Witheachimpressionthatentersthroughthegatesofoursensescomplexvibrationsoccurandsoundthroughthe totalityofourbeingmuchliketheovertonesaccompanyingeachmusicaltone.Asthetypicalquality of sound, which differentiates one musical instrument fromanother,isdeterminedthroughtheparticularcombinationofovertones,

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so—Iwouldpropose—iseachmajorsensoryperceptionaccompaniedbytheharmonicsofminorones.

I would suggest that in artistically activated sense perceptiontheconsequenceoftheenliveningofthesensesisthattheminorsenseperceptionsbegintoresonateandvibratemorestronglythaninordinaryperception.Maybeonecouldalsosaythattheybecomeslightlyconscious,inadreamlikeway.

Thusonemajorsenseisemphasized,but,ifitisabodysense,itneedstheharmonicsinthespiritandsoulsenses;ifitisaspiritsenseitneedstheresonanceinthebodysensesandviceversa.Wehavethusastrongerandmusicallyactivatedinterplaybetweenthethreegroupsofsenses.

It is necessary to point out here that Steiner speaks of twelvesenses,sevenmorethanthetraditionalfive.Inrecentyearsseveralsenseshavebeenaddedbyresearch,notablythebodysensesofequilibriumandmovement.Thespiritsenseshavesofarbeenneglectedbypsychology.Ifoneassumestheirexistenceasahypothesis,pedagogicalpracticeseemsto prove their independent existence. The small child, for instance,appearstohaveasensefortheunitofsoundscomposingaword,beforeunderstandingitsconceptualcontent,thusshowingadivisionofsoundbodyandcontentofword.Thesensesofwordandthoughtreflectthisdifferentiation.For instance, important research in thisfieldwasdoneby Noam Chomsky, which he describes in his Language and Mind(Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., NewYork, Chicago, San Francisco,Atlanta,1972).

Body Sense Soul Sense Spirit Sense Equilibrium Warmth Ego Movement Sight Thought Life Taste Word Touch Smell Hearing

Hereweneedtoremindourselvesthatadifferentiationprocesstakesplaceinthehead—Ahrimanisactivethere.Theunifyingprocesstakesplacemorestronglyinthebody—Luciferisactivethere.Thuswiththeheadsenses—thespiritualsenses—wereachoutmoretowardsspiritualperception.Asouregoandastralbodyaremorelooselyconnectedtoourphysicalheadorganization,thepossibilityforgreaterobjectivity,aswellasfragmentation,anddifferentiation,isenhancedthere.

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With the body senses, the unifying processes take place,becauseinourbodyego,astralbodyandethericforcesaremoredirectlyand inwardly engaged in organic processes. With the middle senses,equilibriummaybenoticed.Inthesesoulsenseswemixobjectiveandsubjective experiences. Steiner describes the role played by Lucifer inregard to the body senses and Ahriman in regard to the spirit sensesthus:A constantdialogue goes on in the realmof the senses betweenthe unifying body senses—touch, life, motion, equilibrium—and thedifferentiatingspiritsenses—hearing,word,thought,ego—mediatedbythesoulsenses—smell,taste,sightandwarmth.7

Ifweunderstandwhichsensesparticipatewithineachartformwehavethepossibilitytoenliventhatartbytakingcaretoworkalsowiththeminor senses, andnotonlywith themain senseperceptionwhichformsthevehiclefortherespectiveart.Temperamentsserveasagentstohelpbringabouttheenliveningofthesensesandtheensoulmentofthelifeprocesses.

Senses, Elements and TemperamentsSteiner speaks in various ways about the twelve senses of

humanbeings.Asthesensesarenotourmaintopic,Ishallrefrainfromattempting to reconcile some of the apparent contradictions in manyof his statements, but will approach them from the viewpoint of thetemperament-elementmodalities.

We only have to become accustomed to the idea that the treatment of the senses must not be limited to describing them according to their more obvious organs, but that we must analyze them according to their field of experience.8

Letusthenconcernourselveswiththequalityofearthiness:Thisrelatestotheearthinessinourselvesandinoursurroundinginathreefoldway:Atthefirstinstance,weknockagainstsolidobjectsoccasionallyandattimesrudely,andthenbecomessharplyawareofourselvesaswellasofthetextureoftheforeignobjectagainstwhichweknock.Atthesecondinstance,wemayreceiveintoourselvesminuteparticlesofasolidnaturefromtheoutside,whichconveytoustheessenceofotherobjects.Theseexperiencesofessenceoftentouchusemotionally.Atthethirdinstance,wemaybecomeawareof the inner structure and stateofbeingof anobjectthroughthesounditmakeswhenstruck.Inallthreeinstanceswe

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areconcernedwithanexperienceconnectedwiththeearthyelementanditsformativeprinciples.

Our first experience is a totally subjective one—we becomeaware of our own body by having tactile sensations. The second ispart subjective/part objective as we smell the essence of other objectsand recognize them by their typical aroma. In the third instance wehearwhetheranobjecthasaperfectoranimperfect formbytheverysounditmakeswhensettoresound.Itsform,shapeandstructurerevealthemselvesthroughsound.

The sense of touch, the sense of smell and also the sense ofhearingarethusrelatedtotheearthyelementanditsformativeprinciples.

Earthy Quality: Touch Smell Hearing

Letusconsidertheessenceoffluidity/liquidity.Wecanimaginethatwecouldfollowthedissolvingandcoagulatingactivityofourowninner,bodily,lifeprocessesastheysurround,orstreaminandoutof,ourinnerorganslikeastreamaroundanisland.Thisflowingdifferentiationconfirms us in our sense of well being if all is well and alarms usif obstructions arise in the inner order. This is the most subjectiveexperience.Mostlywedonotpaymuchattentiontoitexceptwhenweexperiencesharppainanddiscomfort.Wecanequallydirectthisqualityofinquisitiveflowingnesstowardssubstancesenteringourorganismfromtheoutside.Thenwe tastewhether theyarefitorunfit,whether theyagreewithusornot.Wearebothsubjectiveandobjectiveinthisfield.The formative forces behind thefluid,mercurial statehelpusdiscernthedifferent taste sensationsandwith italsodivinetheireffectonus.Thirdly,wemaydetectthemodulation,thewhorls,quaversandvorticesas they formanddissolve as liquidorgans inyet another stream—thestream of speech. This enables us to experience directly—and this isobjectifiable—thesingle soundunits that formaword.Eachwordwehearandunderstandisoneofthesevorticesinthestreamoflanguage.

Here we have three levels of experiencing liquidity: Entirelywithinourselves as the senseof life;within the foreign substanceas itenters us—the sense of taste, and objectively, as we hear the flowingstreamofspeechwhenlisteningtoothers, thecapacitytodifferentiatebetweensinglewords.

Watery Quality: Life Taste Word

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Letusturntotheairyquality:Wemaydirectourinnermobility—theword‘direct’doesnotnecessarilyimplyaconsciousprocess—towardsadjusting,balancingandjuxtaposingthemovementsandposturesofourownbody,itslimbstoeachotherandtomotionsdeterminedfromtheoutside.Secondlywecandetectaninherentmovementinthecolorsofobjectsaroundusastheyapproachorrecedefromtheplaneofvision,andconsequentlytakeondifferenthues.Thirdly,wemayholdontoapurely spiritual movement and grasp the fleeting thought as it flashesinourconsciousness,as itmeetsus fromtheoutside, fromour fellowhumanbeings.

Thesenseofmovementlinksussubjectivelytoourownbodyandsotoourphysicalsurrounding;thesenseofsightconveystheemotionalmovementofcolorsastheyapproachandrecedewithinthespacecreatedbytheformativeforceofairandlight;thesenseofthoughtenablesustodirectourconsciousness,toaccompanyandunderstandthethoughtsofothersintheirswiftflight.

Airy Quality: Movement Sight Thought

Let us consider the fiery quality: Firstly, we establish anindependence from our surroundings by overcoming the three spatialdirections:Weproclaimour independent existence in establishingourown equilibrium within space. Secondly, we continuously equalizeour inner blood heat with the temperature of our environment. Wethusestablishourownwarmthbody,whichis influencedbyandis ininteractionwith,but independentof, thewarmthofour surrounding,undernormalclimaticconditions.Withinthiswarmthbodywearefreetotransmutephysicalwarmthintosoulwarmth,physicalcoldintosoulcoldness,asthecasemaybe.Heretheborderbetweenphysicalandsoulsubstanceisthinindeed.Thirdly,wecanbeawareofourheadasthequietandstillcenterofourbody,andexperienceourwholenessthuswithin.Thisfeelingofourselvesasawholeness offormservesustorecognizethepresenceofotherselvesinhumansociety.

On all three levels of the warmth-fire experience we have todealwith a transmutation and conquestof thegiven so thatourownessencemaybecomeestablished.Spaceisconqueredthroughtheactivityofthesenseofequilibrium;emotionthroughoursenseofwarmth;werecognizethespiritualessenceofhumanselfhoodinothersthroughoursenseofself.

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Thesenseofequilibriumassertsourownbodilyselfoveragainstourphysicalsurroundingsothatwecanstridefreelyovertheearthandimprintinitourownselvesthroughouractions.Thesenseofwarmthmakesusindependentfromoursurroundingsothatwemaysendsoul-filledwarmthorcoldintoitandbecomeactiveandcreativeinthefieldoftheemotions.Throughoursenseofself,oursenseofegoattributes,wehaveanobjectiveexperienceoftheformofhumanbeingswhichhousesahumanindividual.Thesearethethreelevelsofwarmthexperience.

Fiery Quality: Equilibrium Warmth Self

In thiswaywemay relateour twelve senses from level of thebodily subjective to thatof the spirituallyobjective.Steinercalls thesethreelevelsofsensoryexperiencethegroupofthebodysenses,thesoulsensesandthespiritsenses.Itisessentialtorealizethatineachgroupafourfoldaspectofelementalformativeforcescomestoexpression.

East and West—Upper and Lower Human Being—The SensesSteinerstatesalsothatthesixlowersensesarethebasisofmodern

Westerncultureandthehighersixthebasisoforientalculture.9Asthisseems tobe incontradiction toourdescription,we shall examine thisstatementmoreclosely.

Earth Water Air Fire Touch Life Movement Equilibrium Smell Taste

Here we find that the contractive elements predominate: Earth andwater.Thecontractiveelementswithinthisgroupofsixsensesare,asitwere,squeezedout,filledwithsubjectivity,externalized,andfilledwithmatterbyWesternhumanityintheprocessoftechnologization,whichbeganseveralcenturiesago.WemayberemindedhereofSteiner’sremarkregardingtheoriginsoftheideaofatomsinmodernscience:Amodernscientistspeaksonlyofatoms,becauseheprojectshisownnervoussystemintotheworld.10

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Letuslookattheothersixsenses:

Earth Water Air Fire Hearing Word Sight Warmth Thought Selfhood

Heretheexpansiveelementspredominate.Thesesixsensesarethebasisoftheorientalcultures,notablytheancientcultures.Religiousmysticismdwellsmuchintheexperienceofthesesenses,clamoringforunification,fortheovercomingofegotism.Thedenialofindividualismwhichisimpliedbythisemphasisonunificationwithothersandworldisanillusionofsacrificethatcanbeengenderedbyreligionsandideologies.

Letusclarifythesestatements.Whenthecontractiveforcesworkattheperiphery,fromtheoutsidein,andtheexpansiveforcesfromthewithinoutwards,wegetahighdegreeofinterpenetration.Onecouldsaythat then—or there—a person is incarnated, and integrated, strongly.Suchapersonactsindividualistically,andismuchconcernedwithhim-orherself.When—andwhere—theexpansive forceswork towards theoutside,andthecontractiveforcestowardsthecenter,thenthedegreeofinterpenetrationisminimalandthustheincarnationislooseandslight.Suchapersonisnottooconcernedwiththeworldofnature,indeedisoftenindifferenttoit.

In the region of the body senses we tend to be too stronglyincarnated;intheregionofthespiritsenseswearetoolooselyincarnated.OurindividualEastisintheheadregion;ourindividualWestisinthemetabolicandlimbregionofourphysiology.Themiddlesensesarethemediators.TheytendtobeusedtoolittleintheEast.TheytendtobeundertoogreatanattackintheWest.

ThebalancebetweentheEasternandWesternhemispheresoftheearth,theheadandlimbsoftheindividualhuman,dependsuponthehealthystateofthemiddlesenses—thesensesthatlinkuswiththeworldspreadoutaroundusinthecircumference.

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Correlation of Senses and Elements in an Individual

For, take the scientific spirit that emerged, the scientific spirit that tries to apply mathematics to everything. Mathematics, as I explained to you yesterday, comes from the senses of movement and balance. Thus even the most spiritual things discovered by modern science come from the lower man. But modern scientists work above all with the sense of touch.11

Further, apresent-daydanger is that thehealthof themiddlesenses—smell, taste, sight and warmth—is undermined by the use ofandaddictiontofakeandillusorysenseperceptions.Artificiallyderivedscentsandflavors,ontheonehand;television,cinemaandfakewarmthintheformofelectricalheatingontheotherhandsubvertthecapacityfor a sound judgment of sensory values.This upsets a person’s abilityto hold the balance with the surrounding world. These effects showthemselves in widespread incarnation disorders, consequently also inlearningdisorders. It is obviousnowwhy these disorderswould showthemselvesmorestronglyanddisastrouslyinWesternhumanity.

SteineroncemadeasurprisingstatementthatthefollowingwasforeseenbyChristianRosenkreutzandotherhighlydevelopedindividuals:Inthefuturemankindcoulddevelopintotwocompletelydifferenttypes,whowouldhavelittleunderstandingforeachother.Therewouldbemenonlyconcernedwiththematerialaspectsoflife,withallthattechnology

SPIRITSENSES

SOULSENSES

BODYSENSES

EARTH

Touch

Smell

Hearing

WATER FIREAIR

Word

Life

Thought Ego

Sight WarmthTaste

Motion Equilibrium

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bringsabout.Thentherewouldbeothersonlyconcernedwithspiritualaspects,shunninginvolvementwiththematerialsideoflife.Therewasnowayinwhichthissplitofhumanitycouldbeprevented.Helpcouldonlybebroughtaboutifhumansoulsweretobeeducatedinspiritualworldsbeforebirth.12

Wemayalsostatethathelpcanbebroughtaboutifindividualslearn to participate in the life of the cosmos again, in the life of theplanetaryspheresofoursolarsystem.Thentheindividualmaybeabletobalance—throughthegatesofthemiddlesenses—theone-sidednessofheadorlimbs,EastorWestinhim-orherself,andthroughtheownstateofbalanceinfluencebeneficiallytheworldaround.

Arts, Senses and ElementsEach art needs the foundations of several types of sense

perceptions,asalreadyindicatedabove.Artisticexperienceandexpressionbridgethegulfbetweenthetwohemispheres,betweenupperandlowerhumanbeing,andsobetweenthepolaritiesofLuciferandAhriman.

Painting works with the airy triad—the senses of movement,sight and thought—but is anchoreddown, as itwere,by the senseoftaste.Thepigment isputonto the surface through themotionof thebrushstroke.Oursenseofsighthelpsusdecidewhichhuestochooseandwheretoplacethem—toweighthemupintoneandcomposition.Oursenseofthoughtmaydetectmeaningexpressedasimage.Oursenseoftasteagreesordisagreeswithadjoiningcolorhues,aswellaswiththewholepainting.Thisisaresultoftheenliveningofthesenses.Paintingworks from the astral into the etheric nature of man—from the airyinto thewatery:Thus theair sensespredominateandthewater sensesresonate.

Sculptureworkswiththewaterytriadofthesensesoflife,tasteandword,andisanchoreddownbytheearthsenses.Itworksfromtheetheric into the physical, from water into the earth. Our hands formthe medium through flowing motion—isolating, damming up orthinningrespectivesectionsofthework.Tastebalancesthepartsofthecomposition.Wordbringsanentityoffeeling-emotionaliveintotangibleform,andgesture,andsoanchorsitdown.

Architecture isworkingwith the earthly triad of touch, smellandhearing,and isanchoreddown—astrangeexpression inthiscase,maybecenteredwouldbebetter—bythesenseofego.Itworksfromtheinner,thephysical,intotheouterego.Whenarchitectsmakeamodelof

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theirbuildinginclay,forinstance,theyengagetheirtactilesense.Smelldifferentiatesandbalances.Hearingallowsspacesandstructuretobeinharmony.Ifadesignisartisticallybalanced,theacousticsinabuildingarealsosound.Thesenseofegotellsonewhetherthereisawholenessofdesignandpurpose.Earthispredominantherebutissoundedthroughbyfire.Wheneverweleavebehindusintheworldtangibletracesofouregoactivityintheearth,webindourego-firenatureintotheearthly.

Music works from the fiery triad—equilibrium, warmth, andego—into the earthy triad: touch, smell, and hearing.The fire sensespredominateandtheearthsensesresonate.Itisareversalofarchitecture.

The first Goetheanum at Dornach was conceived musically and for this reason its architecture, sculpture and painting met with so little understanding. And for the same reason, the second Goetheanum will also meet with little understanding because the element of music must be introduced into painting, sculpture and architecture, in accordance with man’s future evolution.13

Poetry works through the airy triad—motion, sight andthought—into the watery triad—life, taste and word. The sense ofequilibrium also plays a role in anchoring it down, as Steiner pointsout.Thesensitiveandficklemobilityofairisreflected,harmonizedandrhythmicallyboundbywater.

Eurythmywouldbeworkingfromthefierytriadintotheairyone.Fleetingforms,firedthroughwithenthusiasm,areinscribedintoafleetingmediumofair.

Theabovesuggestionsare,ofcourse,onlysomeofmanypossibleinterpretations. We have here a working together of different sensoryfacetsandprocessesinordertoenliventhefieldsofexperienceineachofthemajorrealmsofart.Inthiswaycontractiveandexpansiveforces,physicalheadandlimbbeing,Eastern and Westernsenses,conversewitheachotherwheneverthehumansoulisengagedinartisticexperienceoractivity.

Ineachartformmostofthefourelementsareactive,howeverdifferently proportioned. Some senses predominate, others harmonizeandresonate.Eachtemperamentmayfindawaytoeachart,throughtheelement-sensoryexperience.

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Themajorsenseoflife,forinstanceintheartofsculpture,willspeaktothephlegmatic.However,theminorechoingsensesoftouch,hearing, and smell,will speak to themelancholic inakindofgroundswell. Thus by being involved in each art—through the interplay oftwoormoreelement-sensoryqualities—wepromotethebalancingandharmonizingofthetemperamentsinthehumanbeings.

Withthischapterwehavegivensomebeginningsofpotentiallymajor research into the relationships between senses, temperamentsanddifferentformsofart.Readersarechallengedtodeveloptheirownexamplesfurther

Endnotes1 RudolfSteiner,True and False Paths in Spiritual Investigation,Rudolf

SteinerPress,London,1969,GA243,LectureofAugust20,1924.

2 Ibid.

3 RudolfSteiner,Art as Seen in the Light of Mystery Wisdom,RudolfSteinerPress,London,1996,GA275,LectureofDecember29,1914.

4 RudolfSteiner,The Riddle of Humanity,RudolfSteinerPress,London,1990,GA170,LectureofAugust15,1916.

5 Ibid.

6 Ibid.

7 Ibid.,LectureofSeptember2,1916.

8 RudolfSteiner,Man as a Being of Sense and Perception,AnthroposophicalPublishingCompany,London,1958,GA206,LectureofJuly22,1921.

9 Ibid.,LectureofJuly23,1921.

10 RudolfSteiner,Toward Imagination, Culture and the Individual,AnthroposophicPress,Hudson,NY,1990,GA169,LectureofJune13,1916.

11 Op.cit.,Steiner,Man as a Being of Sense and Perception.LectureofJuly23,1921.

12 RudolfSteiner,Esoteric Christianity and the Mission of Christian Rosenkreutz,AnthroposophicPress,Hudson,NY,2001,GA130,LectureofDecember18,1912.

13 Op.cit.,Steiner,True and False Paths in Spiritual Investigation,LectureofAugust22,1924.

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Chapter Four

Movement and the Plastic Arts

Just as in architecture we push the laws of the physical body into the space outside us, so in sculpture we push the laws of the etheric body one step downwards. We do not separate these laws from ourselves; we push them directly into our own form. Just as we find in architecture the expression of the laws of our own physical body, so we find in sculpture the natural Laws of our etheric body; we simply transfer this inner order into our works of sculpture…

So if we seek the laws of sculpture we must realize that they are in fact the laws of our etheric body, just as the laws of architecture are to be seen in the laws of our physical body.1

–RudolfSteiner

Thereisachildren’sgamecalledStatues,whichiswellknowninmanycountriesandonmanycontinents.Itgoeslikethis:

A group of children run around an open space, haphazardly and as they please. One child—by prearrangement—calls a sudden halt. The most interesting or exciting posture—termed statue—which comes about by freezing the position of one’s body as the halt is called, is judged to be the winner. This game, in its instinctive wisdom, shows the exact relationship of the child under ten years of age to the plastic forces.

Movement Arts – Pre-Sculptural ArtsTheetheric/life forcesarecontinually inmercurially rhythmic

motionofexpandingandcontracting,firminganddissolving.Theytakeholdofthefabricofmattertogiveitfirmormobileshapeasneeded.Theformsoftheworldofnaturearetheresultoftheiractivity.

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The etheric/plastic/life forces in the small child work almostexclusively in order to establish the physical body, crowning theirforemostformativeworkbycausingtheeruptionofthepermanentteeth.Thuswemayconcludethatthoughtheseforcesestablishthepermanentandstable formsof life inthekingdomsofnature, theiractivity showsperpetualanddiversemotion.Formmaybesaidtobeaconsequenceofmotion.

You can either stare at something beautiful or you can experience the beauty in it. Today it is a fact that most people only stare. When this is the case it is not likely that the etheric body will be roused. By staring at something beautiful we do not experience it. But the moment there is an experience of beauty there will be a stirring in the etheric body.2

We may perceive actively or passively. Perceiving passively—staring—leavesoursoulbeingcool—itdoesnotinvolveus.Perceivingactivelymeansthatweallowourownsoultobestirred.Wemayalsosaythatinperceivingactivelywebegintofocusonthatwhichisinpermanentmobile activity behind the stable forms of our surrounding. In otherwords,whenperceivingactivelythephenomenaofourenvironment,welookbeyondthestableformupontheprioractivity,whichhadcreatedthisform.Wethusenlivenourownperception.

As the growing child applies her or his plastic forces mainlyto the formingof thephysicalbody itself, itwouldbe contrary to aneducationbasedonknowledgeofthehumanbeingtodiverttoomanyoftheseforcesintoplasticactivityapartfromthephysicalbodyattooearly anage.But—turningagaintotheprocessofthegamestatues—wemaystrengthenthechild’splasticforcesbystrengtheningthestagebeforethemorestaticandstableformarises,namelythemobileanddynamicstageofmovement.

OneisremindedhereofastoryabouttheJesuschildinoneoftheApocryphalGospels.Itistold,that,whenJesuswasfouryearsold,hebadethefloodwatersofasummerstormtogatherandbeclearofmud,then scooped up the mud and formed two sparrows of it in life size.Being scolded, for thishappenedon theSabbath,he commanded thesparrowstoflyupintotheair,whichtheydid.

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Afterthetenthyear,however,andincreasinglysoafterpuberty,weneed to engage theplastic forces as they express themselves in theformationofaninnerarchitectureofthought,oflogicallyconstructed,aswellasplasticallysculptedforms.Inbothareastheyoungpersonreachesbeyondtheboundsofthephysicalbody.Thecapacityforreachingbeyondthebodyandshapingtheworldoutsidethusneedstobesupportedandstrengthenedinadolescence.

Forthisreason,I regardmovementactivityasapriorstagetoplasticactivity.Obviouslynoteverykindofmovementisapre-sculpturalmovementactivity.BoththeartofEurythmyandthepracticeofSpatialDynamics,asnewformsofmovement,inspiredbyRudolfSteiner,havedevelopedintodisciplineswhosepractitionershaveworkedforyearsatmasteringtheirartsandarediplomaedfromtheirparticularschools. Idonotdiscussthesetwospecialformsofprofessionaldisciplineswhenspeakingofmovementactivityatlarge.Inthesepages,Ihopetoestablishthat movement activity outside of these disciplines may be developedasadramatizationofthesubjectmatter,requiringcarefullyworkedoutchoreography that demonstrates the content and essence of a subject.There are especially two areas of directed and constructive movementactivity,whichIshallattempttodescribe.

Spatial Movement ArtsWhatweneedtoconsiderherearethemovementartsavailable

and necessary to the Waldorf teacher who is not trained in eitherdiscipline.Thefollowingremarksareprobablyparticularlyusefultotheclassteacher,asheorshecarriesthegreatestresponsibilityforthelong-rangeeducationofthechild.

Thetwomovementartsnotgenerallyrecognizedassucharethefollowing:one iscommonlyregardedasabranchofanotherart form,thoughSteinerindicatesstronglythatthisisnotso.Theotherismoreeasilyrecognizedasamovementartproper.Thefirstislineardrawingona two-dimensionalplane.Thesecondmaybecalled thedramatizationofsubjectmatterinachoreographed,andspatiallyenacted,sequenceofevents.

Choreographed Dramatization of Subject MatterIn the exampleof the introduction to geography inChapter2,

wehavegivenone instanceofhowtochoreographanddirectsuchan

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experiential learning experience, as the concepts of spatial location,relative position and landscape characteristics become enacted andportrayedbyagroupofstudents.

Weshallconsiderhereanotherexample,namelyanintroductiontothefourmathematicalprocesses:addition,subtraction,multiplication,and division. Before doing so, some general remarks regarding suchdramatizationsareneeded.

In standing still and upright all three dimensions of spacesurroundus.Inwalking,wemoveoverthehorizontalplaneoftheearth.The left-rightdimension isalsoexercised,becauseweshiftourweightfromlefttorightandbackaswewalk.Wearestillupright,andsorelateactivelytoallthreedimensionswhenwalking.

Steinerpointsoutthatitisnotimmaterialwhichspatialplaneweuseinthecourseofanaction.Herelatesthefollowing,whendescribingthespaceexperienceofanindividualinoldentimes.

In experiencing the above and below he felt weaving in the universe all that today we call the intelligence, the reasoning of the universe. All that rules in the universe as intelligence was interwoven in space with his idea of the above and below, and since he could share in this intelligence of the world through his growth from below upwards, man felt himself to be intelligent. The participation in the above and below was at the same time a participation in cosmic intelligence. And participation in the right and left, in the interweaving of sense and shape, of wisdom and form, was for him the feeling that weaves through the world. And his restful remaining still, surveying the world, was to him a uniting of his own feeling with the universal feeling. His striding through apace in the direction of forwards or back was the unfolding of his will, the placing of himself, with his own will, into the universe, the universal will. He felt his own life to be interwoven with the above and below, the right and left, the before and behind.3

All those familiar with eurythmy and Spatial Dynamics willknowhowmuchthelivingexperienceofspaceisfosteredbythesetwoarts.Fortheclassteacheralso, it isofcrucial importancetocreatethepossibilityforthestudentstoinscribe—throughtheirownactions—the

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essenceofthesubjectmatterintothree-dimensionalspace.Thisactivityof inscribing translates the subject to be learnt into the language ofgesture/gestalt, the primordial language of will as characterized above.Itmightbepointedoutatthispointthattheyoungchildexperiencesspaceinadifferentwaythananadolescentoranadult,becauseitisstillinprocessofbeingformedbythecosmicprocesseswhichimpingeuponitfromalldirectionsofspace.Youngchildrenlivenaturallyinanoceanofmovementandlearneventuallytoconquerthisspaceandmakeittheirown.Byusingmovementintheinitialstageofalearningexperiencethisexperienceisdeepenedimmeasurablyandbecomeseventuallypartofanindividual’sconceptualcapacities.

Ifwemoveinaleft-rightdirection,thatislaterally,wemoveovertowardstheformelementtotherightandthewisdomelementtotheleft(Thisisnottheplacetodiscussthephenomenonoftheenormousincrease of left-handed people in recent decades, though the reader isencouragedtoreflectuponthisfactinrelationtotheabovestatement).

If we move in the forward-backward, that is in the sagittaldirection, we move in the direction of firming or dissolving matter.Whatisbeforeusisphysicallyperceptible;whatisbehindusishiddenfromoureyes.Tostepbackwardsintothematterdissolving—butspirit-revealing—streamwithout lookingtakescourage!Buttostepforwardsallthetime,andexclusively,meansmovinginthedirectionofconstantconsolidation of material existence. This is one reason for Steiner’srepeatedadmonitionstoteachers,toencouragechildrentodothingsinreverse sequence, suchas reciting themultiplication tables,orwalkingand speaking sentences forwards and reversed.Todo things in reverseorderstrengthenstheself—theselfisafterallaspiritual,notamaterialentity.

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Finally: the vertical direction relates a human being to thepolarity of the earthly-cosmic, to the forces of consciousness and theunconsciouswithinhim.Theheadistheseatofconsciousness;thebodytheseatofinstinctiveandunconsciousevents.

Thebasic form for the startingpoint of any group activity isveryoftenthecircle.Thecircle—anarchetypalform—containsmanyasocialsecret,notalonebecauseitgivestheopportunitytodevelopsocialharmonywithoutthedangerofanyoneindividualbeingdominant.Thecircle,however,onlycomesintotangibleexistencewhenallwhoareinthecirclemovealongitscircumference.Themomentallstandstill,weare left with an abstraction of the circle, for then the living ring fallsapartinasmanyfragmentsasthenumberofparticipatingindividuals.Thereforethestartingmomentisacirclecreatedbymovement.

Aclassstandingquietlyinacircleisahair’sbreadthawayfromthemomentofcreation.Thecircumferenceofthecircleisanequilibrium,outofwhichwemoveandintowhichwearetobegatheredagain,aftercompletingthemovementathand.Thisisnotabookrelatingspecificallytopreschoolchildren,thoughitmightbepointedoutthatthewayinwhichpreschoolers are able—ornot—tomovewith others in a circlewhenplayingcirclegames isa fairlyaccuratemeasureof their levelofsocialinteractionandmaturity.

Example: The Four Mathematical ProcessesItmustbeunderstoodthatthefollowingpresentsbutoneway

howtheseprocessescanbemadealivingexperiencetofirstgraders.Beforedescribingsuchapossibleactivity,letussayonewordaboutorientationintheclassroom.Thechildshouldmoveintheclassroominsuchaway,thatthefloorbecomes,asitwere,thepaper,ortheboard.Movementsshouldbeorientedandcorrespondtothesamedirectionsofup/down,andleft/right,astheywouldbewereheorshetoworkonpaperatthedesk,orviewtheboard.Weconfusethechild’ssenseofdirection,insteadofdevelopingit,ifwedonottakecaretoaligncarefullytheorientationoftherequiredactivity.

Moreover,whenworkingwith intensivechoreographedmove-mentactivitiesastheexperientialpartofthelearningprocess,thefirstelementisanimaginativecontent,astory,whichthestudentsmaypictureinwardly,andlivethemselvesintothesituation,whichthestorydescribes.Suchstoriesfortheintroductiontothefourprocessesingradeoneareanessentialcomponent,andfurnishthematerialfortheexperienceofthe

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process.Thetypicalcontentofsuchastory,ofcourse,dependsonthetypicalexperienceofchildreninthearea–storiesdealingwithfarmingorgardening,areeasilyadaptedtonumberstories.Ipersonallyfeelthatstories dealing with imaginary elementals and their jewels (as is oneWaldorftradition)arebestleftintherealmoftheimaginative,butwhendealing with math we after all wish to also introduce students to thequantitativeaspectofactualobjects.Throughmathematicalprocesseswedevelopcognitivecapacitiesandhonethemtoafactorofprecision,andlearntodevelopfocusforourmentalprocesses.

One more comment: I feel that the four processes belongtogetherasagroup,astheydepictfourdifferenttypesofsocialinteractionsbetweenhumanbeingsandobjects,whicheasilymaybetranslatedintotemperamentmodalities.Consequently,Ipersonallyhavealwaysworkedwithallfouroperationsinthesamelesson.

AdditionThe Story:Assumingthatwetellthestoryofamarketgardener

preparing produce to take to the farmers market, we could begin bydescribingtheharvestingof,say,headsofcabbage.Thesearecollectedinbaskets,thenloadedontothetruck,anddriventomarket,wheretheyaredisplayed.Duringthecollectionprocesswehavetheopportunitytosay,“thereare15cabbagesinthebasket;Johnbrought6,Marybrought5,andCesarbrought4.”

The Enactment: John selects 6 children, Mary selects 5, andCesarselects4,whogo(runmore likely)toacorneroftheclassroomdesignatedasthebasket.Eventuallytheyarelaidoutonthefarmer’sstallinthemarketplace.Whilethistakesplace,thewholeclassaccompaniestheactionbyspeaking:“Wearenowfifteen;thereweresix,thencamefive,andthencameanotherfour.”Anillustrationofthiseventismade,and eventually, out of the drawing, the right notation of a numbersentenceisdeveloped.Wechooseourverbalphrasingverycarefully,so

ADDITION SUBTRACTION

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thatit issuitabletobetranslatedintotherightsequencefornotation.Theactionofliningupdifferentquantitiesisaphlegmaticone.

SubtractionThe Story:Nowthattheproduceissetoutatthemarket,there

arebuyers.Melaniebuys3cabbages,Victorbuys7cabbages,andGeorgebuys4.

The Enactment:“1cabbageisleft;first3werebought,then7,andfinallyanother4.”Thisisthetextoftheverbalaccompanimenttothegoing awayofthe14cabbages.Asabove,anillustrationshowingtheprocesseasilydepictstheexperience.Aswepreparetowritethenumbersentenceascaptionfortheillustration,wealwaysnotefirsttheendresultoftheprocess,thatis,inthiscase,theanswerofthecomputation.Theactivityoftaking awaycandefinitelybeexperiencedasamelancholicone.

Steiner remarks that the teacher should notate problems bywriting the answer first—that is the factual result of the process.Theendresultismentionedfirst,andthereforewehavetoshowontheothersideof the equation theprocess,whichhasbrought about this result.When introducing equations in grade seven we can again dramatizethem.Ihavedonethiswithgoodresults.Ofcourse,wehavehereagainademonstrationofthequalitativedifferencesbetween therightandleftsideofanequation:Ontheonesideisthefixedformoftheresult—theanswer. On the other side the wisdom-filled process. Both result andprocess complement each other to become a totality. Steiner remarksthatifmathematicshadbeentaughtfromaspiritualviewpoint—thatis from the view point of the totality—then it would not have beenpossibleforcommunismtocomeabout.4 Whatisatotality?Inregardtomathematics,Ifeel,onecantakethepresentactualityforthetotality.Weneedtotakenoteoftheactualityatfirst,andproceedfromtheretoitsparts.Thestagesoftheprocessinanycomputationwhichhavebroughtaboutthepresentactualityarethenaspartstothewhole.

MultiplicationThe Story: Thestoryofthesellingofthecabbagescouldalsotake

another form—we coulddescribe the cabbages being linedupon thesalestablein5rowsof3cabbageseach.

The Enactment:5rowsof3cabbageseachshowustheactualityof 15, but now ordered into equal groups.The accompanying words

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mightbe,“Weare15:Weare5rowsof3cabbageseach.”Again, theactualamountisnamedfirst,andthentheprocessisdescribed.Wecandelightthestudentsinaverysanguineactivitybyhavingthe15cabbagestumbleoutofthebasketandsortthemselvesintothe5rowsof3eachrapidly,andseveraltimes.Withanactivitylikethiswehaveawonderfuldemonstration of the delight shown by sanguines when sensationallyswiftchangesofsizeanddirectiontakeplace.

DivisionThe Story:Divisionisamorecomplexprocess.Whenintroduced

in first grade for the first time, it might be good to consider sharinginstead of dividing. The sales process could be as follows.The fifteencabbagesarelaidoutonthesalestable.4individualscometoaskfortheequalnumberofcabbages.

The Enactment: The farmer now becomes the divider—he orshe,onebyone,givesoutonecabbageinturntoeachofthe4buyers.Thisispossible3times,andthenonly3areleftover.Divisionistrulyconnectedwiththeegobecausethereisalwaysoneactorneededwhoisselfless—thedivisor—todotheactualsharing.(Thisindividualdoesnotclaimanything forhim-orherself,but fulfillsa social task impartiallyand kindly, a moral role). Because of this the farmer—the leader anddivider—embodiesacholericaction.

Naturally,themotionsaccompaniedbytheappropriatewordsarerepeatedoverandoveragain,forseveralweeks,withdifferentnumbers.Finally, the actual process of each type of arithmetical relationshipbecomeswellknowntoeachchild.Needlesstosay,notationfollowsthechoreographyofthemovementaction.Thesearebutscantindicationsofhow it ispossible to experience the spatialdimensions livingly andcreatethemobileprocesses,whichprecedethefixedform.Thecreativeillustrationsbythestudentscompletetheprocess,andhelpestablishthefinalconceptualizationofthefourprocesses.

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Hereisasideremarkaboutusingthefingersforcounting.Theformativeforcessculptthefive-nessofthehumanhand.Thisisafixedfactor. Moreover, the hand does not represent a whole, but a part ofthehumanbody. Ihave found that Ihaveheldup, insteadofhelpedalong,thelearningofnumbermanipulationswhenencouragingtheuseofthefingersbeforeworkingwitheachchilditselfrepresentingawholeunit,withinthesocialgroup.Countingwithfingersisalreadythesecondstepinnumbermanipulation.Thefirstisthespatialre-enactmentofamathematicalprocessbyagroup,inwhicheachindividualchildstandsfor awholeunit—forone—because the fourprocesses represent trulyfourdifferentformsofsocialinteractions.

Some readers may find it presumptuous that I use the termmovement arts for the above description of teaching arithmetic.Theteacher,though,inadramatizationofnumberprocesses,isaconductorcoordinatingthevariouselementsoftheprocesswiththelivingfabricofagroupofpeople;heorsheisanartistworkingwiththefluidmediumofagroup,expressingfourpossiblewaysofinteractioninthefourprocesses.

Steinerdescribes indetailhoweachtemperament isrelatedtoeacharithmeticalprocess,andhowthereversecalculationisrelatedthento the opposite temperament.5 Generally speaking, the temperamentscoloreachprocessinthefollowingmanner:Additionismainlyforthephlegmatics,whenstartingwiththesumtotal;subtractionismainlyforthemelancholics,whenstartingwiththeremainder;multiplicationisforthesanguines,whenstartingwiththewholealso;anddivisionismainlyforthecholerics,whenworkingfromthequotienttothedividend.Needlessto say, all children, regardless of their temperamental tendency, needtobeable toworkwithallarithmeticalprocesses.These temperamentindicationsarethusveryimportantintheinitialintroductiontothefourprocesses.Inasmuchaseachindividualneedstolearntodevelopallfourtemperamentresponses,sheorhealsoneedstolearntomanipulateallfourprocesses.

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Drawing – A Movement ArtIf we continue the trend of thought which began by stating

thatfacts—havingbecome—needtobedissolvedintotheprocessesbywhichtheybecame,wemightarriveatthefollowingrealization:Patternsemergeastheresidualtracesofmotions.ForthisreasonIstateherethatsomeformsofdrawingactuallybelongtothemovementartsandnottothevisualarts.

Steiner states repeatedly that a representational drawing withoutlinesisactuallyalie,fortheshapeofanobjectappearstousvisuallythroughthedifferenceofcolorandlight,onitssidesandplanes,notbyvirtueofanyactuallines.Thelinehasnosubstantivevalueandshouldnotbeusedinavisualrepresentation.

Asatrackofmovement,though,thelinehasrealityandobjectiveexistence,evenifitonlyportrayswhatisalreadypast,fortherespectivemovementhastakenplacebefore.Thelineisbuttheresidueofamotion,justasmuchasmy footprints in the sandor snowremainasavisibleresidueofmywalk.

Of course, there exists a type of drawing that does belong tothevisualarts.Iofferthefollowingremarksbecause,inthepracticeofWaldorfeducation,Ihaveseeninstanceswherethetwotypesofdrawingwere mixed up with each other, thus corrupting both arts. Linearpatterns,geometricalpatternsandfigures,aswellaswriting,areresiduesofpriormovementactivity.Hatched(shaded)picturesandetchingscovervariouslycoloredandlightedplanes,andthusbelongtothevisualartsproper.Sketchesoffiguresandlandscapesactuallytracethepathoftheeyeasitmovesovertheobject.

Inlineardrawingtheflowofthemovementisoftheessence.Inhatcheddrawingitistheplane,whichiscovered.Thus,alinearpatternthat is covered—or, worse, filled in—with hatched strokes, creates amongrelbeast,whichmixesupthepurposeofthetwotypesofdrawingas well as the spatial dimensions.When illustrating a landscape, be itimaginaryorrealistic,holes in spaceshouldnotappear—thewholesheetofpaperneeds tobecovered.When trackingamovement in space inlinearform,wefollowthemotionsandactuallyputdownonpapertheideabehind themovement. In this case a cleanbackground,which isnotfilled inisappropriate,asitwoulddetractfromthepurposeofsuchalineardrawing.Naturallyweneedtomakeanexceptionfortechnicaldrawings,suchasobjectdrawingorgeometricalfigures.Muchhasbeen

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writtenaboutpatterndrawing,oftencalledformdrawing,ordynamicdrawing,thereforeweshallnotenterintoitmoredeeplyhere.

Aswriting isalsoa tracingof themovement, itbecomesnowapparentwhySteiner set suchvalueon the introductionof the lettersthroughstory,dramaticeventsandaction.

Temperament WritingClass teachersmighthaveobserved the following in their stu-

dents:Aroundtheninthyear,children’shandwriting—reflectingatimeof crisis—changes often dramatically. Deterioration of form, sloppywriting, and diminutive letters may prevail for months, until, witha certain amount of prodding from the teacher, amore beautiful andharmonious style may be regained.The cause of the chaos is the re-orientationoftheworkingoftheformativeforces.Anincisivemomentintheprocessofincarnationisreached.Beforethattime,childrenimitatedtheformprinciplescreatedbyadultsandteachers.Nowtheimitatedandlearnedformsfallapart,sothatafterthetenthyearcrisisisover,children’sownindividualitiesworkcreativelyintotheveryformprinciplesoftheirhandwriting.Inshort,childrennowsearchfortheirindividualstyleofwriting,whilebreakingdownanddiscardingtheimitated,andpreviouslyacquired,andlearnedstyle.

Intheircapacityofformingthebridgebetweenindividualandworld,thetemperamentsmaybeemployedsuccessfullytoaidchildreninthisdifficulttransition.Theveryelementsofwritingmaybeshapedbyearthy,airy,wateryandfierycharacteristicsofform.Nowwemay,inthefourthgrade,employthisdifferentiationofformcharacteristics, infourclearlyrecognizablestylesasatransitionalformelementtowardstheindividualizationofhandwriting.

Weletchildrenwritelikecraggymountains

orlikesolidlystrongandhardcitybuildings,another,

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likethewavyoceanswell,

Wemayemploythisdifferentiationofstylefurtherinsubjectssuchasgrammar,forinstance.Verbscouldbewritteninacholerically/fierystyle,inredpencilofcourse;nounsmelancholically/earthy,writtenindarkviolet-blue;adjectivessanguinely/airy,writteninbrightyellow;andadverbsphlegmatically/watery,ingreen-bluecolor.

The above remarks must suffice to stimulate the reader todeveloptheworkwiththecontractiveandexpansiveprinciplesrightintotheveryform.Withtheaboveexamplesweremainstillinthelanguageofwill.Needlesstosay,thereaderhastoelaboratefromthereintothelanguageoffeelingandrhythm,andthelanguageofimagery,inordertocompletethewholeprocess.

SculptureWebeginmovementactivityinthearchetypalformofthecircle,

representing the unstable equilibrium before creative action can takeplace.Similarlywemayshapeourmaterial—bee’swaxorclay—inthearchetypalsphere—theleastdifferentiatedandmostuniversalshape.

Informing,bypressingintothecenterandpullingouttowardthe periphery, we sculpt in dynamic action and let the form becomedifferentiated. The spherical forces of the head, the radial forces ofthe limbs, and the lemniscatory and curved forces, which form theequilibriumintransitionandmetamorphosis,dominatetheveryshapingofthehumanform.6

Incontraction,whenthesphericalpressesintowardsthecenter,concaveformsarise.Inexpansion,whentheradialstreamsouttowardstheperiphery,convexformsarise.Intheequilibrium,whenthereisinterplaybetween the forces from the outside and from the inside, curved andharmoniousformsarise.Whenpressingintowardsthecenter,wetendtowardstheearthyelement;whenburstingouttowardstheperiphery,wetendtowardsthefieryelement.Bothairandwaterarein-betweenstages.

orlikeflirtatiouswispsofcloud.

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After the tenth yearwemightworkwith a groupof childrenon a sequence of forms and shapes. In this way we may bring aboutasequenceofexperiences,whichtogetherstimulatetheartisticprocessinourstudents.Althoughwehaveexaggeratedthetwotendenciesone-sidedlyandthushavebroughtaboutadistortion,whichisnotbeautiful,wewouldexpect thatat thehandof theone-sidedlyuglyanaestheticsenseofdiscriminationwouldawakeninthestudents.

Theseshapesarebutoneindicationofasequencetostimulatethesculpturalsensitivityinthefingertips.Thestartingpointshouldbethecenterform.Thenwewouldworktowardsoneextreme,andfinallytowardstheother.Inthiswaywewouldschoolastudent’ssensitivitytoconcaveandconvex,expansiveandcontractiveforms.

Butwhathavethetemperamentstodowithallthis,thereadermightask.Thetemperamentscouldbeseenastheagentsthathelpbringtheprocessofcreationintoflow.

Temperaments in the Dynamics of the Artistic-Creative ProcessThe temperament activity in the artistic process is most

closely related to thedynamicsof thecreativeflow, to thecorrelation,transformationandmetamorphosisofonestageoftheprocessintothenext. We bring to bear, as it were, each characteristic temperament/element essence in sequence upon the medium. As the process itselfbecomes dynamically alive, the various form elements of an art mayconversewitheachotherintheirimponderablelanguage.

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Wehavethegreatestclarityofcharacterizationofthefourfolddynamicsofaprocessinthemusicalarts.Indeed,Iamconvincedthatonlyanimbuingwithmusicalitywillenabletheteachertoinfuselifeintotheartisticprocess.ThusIshallhavetomakeuseofmusicalconceptshereinordertodescribethedynamicsoftheartisticprocess.

1. Theme2. VariationsontheTheme3. Conflict:PolarizationandDissonance4. Balancing/Harmonizing5. Resolution/Finale

There is adramatic sequence in theparts of a symphony, forinstance,which indicates thedynamicflowofartisticcreation.Forwehave,firstofall—consideringsculpture—thebasicsubstance:Thelumpofclayorthepieceofstone.Thenwehavetobringsomekindofforcetobearonit,changeitandtransformit.Asweworktowardssomekindofclimax,thetensionmounts.Atlastwefindtheharmoniousresolution:Anewformhasarisen.

1. Substanceatrest:thatwhichisgiven.2. Directedtension:applicationofenergy.3. Playfulactivity:pendulumswingbetweenpolaropposites.4. Balancingthedetails,smoothingover,correlatingdetails

withthewhole.5. Adynamicequilibrium:anewformhasarisen.

Whenworkingwiththesestagesofaprocessweworkwithtime.The exact point at which the leverage of the temperament is necessaryinordertobringtheprocessintoflux,totransformthestaticintothedynamic,isatthebeginningofstagetwo—withourveryfirstimpressionofourfingersupontheclay.Withourfingerswecanworkinanearthy,watery,airy,andinafierymanner.

Claymakesiteasiertoemployanearthyorawaterymanneroftreatment.Bee’swaxmakesitpossibletoalsoworkinanairyorafierymanner.Woodagainhasitsveryowncharacteristics,andinvitesagreatdealofnaturallywatery,flowingforms.Stoneandmetal followearthyandwateryformsrespectively.

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Aswe reflectupon the twopolarities active in individual andcosmos,wemaydescribeoncemoretheartisticprocessthus:

StepOne:Thereisastaticandfixedobject,medium,orsubstance.Itmayhaveadefiniteshape,ormaybeamorphous.

StepTwo:Thisstaticmaterialneedstobebroughtintomotion.Inordertoenthuseherstudents,agreateffortneedstobeexerteduponthembytheteacher.Shehastoinspireandchallengethemwiththought,story,question,description,andsoforth,sothatthroughthestirringoftheimaginationafierysparkmaykindleactionandthecreativeprocessbeenjoined.

StepThree:Nowwepushandpullandshapetheclayinallsixdirectionsofspace.Constantlypolarizing/balancing/intensifying/playingasthemusicoftheprocessunfolds.

StepFour:Webegintohaveaninklingofthefinaloutcome.Amidoften-traumaticbirthpangs,thebalancingandharmonizingtakesplace.

StepFive:Anewwholenessofformhascomeintobeing.

Ofcoursethiswholeprocessassumesthatfreecreation,outoftheinterplaybetweenartistandsubstance,willtakeplace,andthattheartist is not constrained by a premeditated idea of what the outcomeshouldbe.

The first step—the stasis before creative action begins—isfundamentally of an earthy-contractive-melancholic nature. We havesomethingthatistangibleandmaterialasaseedpoint,beitapieceofclay,wax,woodorstone.

Thesecondstep—inhighcontrast—isthepointatwhichthegreatesteffortneedstobemade,atwhichthegreatestenergyneedstoexpended, it is thecholericactivity, theaggressiveness thatattacks thispassivematerialandaimstochangeitineveryway.Acholeric’sabilityto

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envisionthefuturearousesinnerfire,sothatthetransmutingprocesscanbegin.Theteacherwillfindthatafierymoodwillhelpreleasedynamicpotentialities,whichslumber inthesoulsofchildren,sothattheycanindeedbegintoworkonthematerial.Sheneedstostimulatethefieryenthusiasmineachchild.

Then, inthethirdstep, the joysofplayfulnessaboundasoneteststhepolarities,tastesoneortheotherposeandform,andgivesfullrange to theSpieltrieb, the instinctanddrive toplay.Nowallavenuesare open, are tried out, all possibilities are considered, everything isattemptedinthecourseoftheairilysanguinethirdstage.

Inthefourthstepwebalanceoutandharmonize.Thisrequiresamercuriallyfluidandphlegmaticrhythmtohelpusfinishoffandroundout all corners, as it were, satisfying the senses and putting the finaltouchestotheworkofbalancingdetailedfacetswithourconceptofthewhole.

Inthefifthstepweassurethatthefinishedresultisalivingimageoftheconcept,whichhasworkeditswaythroughtotangibleform.Thatwhich has lived in our soul as the thought of the new form has nowreceived—through the application of all four temperament/elementstages—itsnewbeingandbody.Thecreator—thatismyself—standsfacetofacewiththecreature—mywork.

Melancholics tend to remain longer with the first step—thatiswhere they aremost comfortable.Cholerics tend tobring their egoforcetobearsopowerfullythattheyshatterthematerialandtransmuteitonlytoowellindramaticaction.Sanguinestendtoremainwiththeplayfulness, therefore they have difficulties in finishing. Instead theydelight in the polarization without being able to finally resolve theirwork.Phlegmaticsliketoavoidthemiddlestagesandgofromthefirsttothelastinastraightline—roundingoffthegiveninsteadofeffectingany actual transformation. A balanced person will go through all fivestages, employing theirdynamics in theactofcreation.Thusanyonetemperamentprefersitsrespectivestageofthecreativeprocess.

The pathway of the creative process may thus lead from amelancholicbeginningoveracholerictransformation,sanguineplayfulexperimentation, and phlegmatic harmonization, to the new balancedwhole.Agivenwholeispulledapartcholerically,mixedupsanguinely,fitted together againphlegmatically.For this reasonall artistic-creativeactivitywillhelpbalanceoutone-sidedtemperamenttendencies.

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Inasfarasweaimatworkingwiththeuniversallyhumaninallindividuals,theactivityofresolutionandintensification,byovercomingpolarization,representstheworkingoftheChristprincipleinrelationtothepolarizedcosmicpowersofLuciferandAhriman.Letusnotforgetthat in order to be able to balance and resolve any manifestation ofpolarization,weoughttohavethecourageto let theopposingpowersmanifest,andshowthemselves,inthefirstplace.Thus:Letusnotshrinkfrom forming ahrimanic-demonic and luciferic-voluptuous shapes,butletusthenresolvethem,byleadingthemoverintoabalancedandharmoniousform.Despitethedangerofsoundingpompous,IfeelthatitisessentialtobringtheChristprincipleofbalancetobearevenuponthemostmodestartisticprocess.RudolfSteinerpointstomodernhumanity’sneedtodevelopthefeeling,thatanindividualshouldbecomeaseekerforthebalancingpositionbetweenthepolarities.

Endnotes1 RudolfSteiner,Art as Seen in the Light of Mystery Wisdom,Lectureof

December29,1914.

2 RudolfSteiner,Fall and Redemption,MercuryPress,SpringValley,NY,1995,GA220,LectureofJanuary19,1923,entitledTruth,BeautyandGoodness.

3 RudolfSteiner,Cosmic Prehistoric Ages of Mankind,ManuscriptfromRudolfSteinerLibrary,fromDas Geschichtsleben der Menschheit,RudolfSteinerVerlag,Dornach,Switzerland,GA184,LectureofSeptember20,1918.

4 RudolfSteiner,The Spiritual Ground of Education,AnthroposophicalPublishingCo.,London,1947,GA305,LectureofAugust21,1922.

5 RudolfSteiner,Discussion with Teachers,RudolfSteinerPress,London,1983,GA295,LectureofAugust25,1919.

6 RudolfSteiner,The Relationship of Various Natural Sciences to Astronomy,typescriptonly,availablefromRudolfSteinerLibrary,Ghent,NY,GA323,LectureofJanuary15,1921.

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Chapter Five

Color and the Visual ArtsThere is a world of spirit, the world through which we pass between going to steep and waking up. It is this world, which we bring with us out of sleep, which really inspires us when we paint, so that we are able at all to depict on canvas or wall the spiritual world which bounds us in space. For this reason we must take great care to allow color to govern our painting, and not line. In painting, the line is a lie; the line is always part of the memory of life before birth. If we are to paint with a consciousness that extends across into the world of spirit, we must paint what comes out of the color. And we know that color is experienced in the astral world.1

–RudolfSteiner

Intheartofpaintingweworkwiththefluidpigment.Indrawingofanykindtheresultingformiswhatisessential.Buttheformisalreadytheresultofpriormovementoremotion.Weneedtorecognizethattheweavingofcolorcomesbeforethefixednessofform.

There are, of course, many other visual arts techniques asidefrompainting. Ineachof themthe interplayof lightanddarkcreateslife, whereas the fixed form arises through the rigidity of line. Thefluid medium of the painter’s pigment enhances the possibility of aninteraction between light and dark. For this reason we shall concernourselvesprincipallywithpaintinginthischapter,andonlymakeafewcommentsonsomeofthedrawingtechniques.

Insculptureaswellas inthepre-sculpturalmovementarts,aswehaveoutlinedabove inChapter4,aperson’s formative forceshavebeenenticedtoworkintotheforcesofthephysicalbody.Inpaintingtheastralprinciplesoflightanddarkness,thestarforcesofconsciousness,ofsympathyandantipathy,areactivewithintheflowoftime,ofrhythm,ofprocess.Hereformisbornoftheinteractionoflightanddarkness,ofcolor,ofthejoysandsufferingsofthelight,asGoetheputit.

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If we do the same in connection with the astral body, as it were pushing what is in us of an astral nature a step lower down into the etheric body, we are pushing down what lives inwardly in man. Now nothing arises that could truly have a spatial nature, for the astral body, when it moves down into the etheric body, is not entering a spatial element: the etheric body is rhythmic and harmonious, not spatial. Therefore what arises can only be a picture, indeed a real picture, in fact the art of painting.2

Painting is the temperament art par excellence, for the homeof painting is within the very same realm of the inner human beingwherethetemperamentsalsoworkandweave—intheinterplaybetweenthe astral/consciousness/movement and etheric/life/formative nexus ofhumanforces.

The Interaction of Light and Darkness in Relation to the Temperaments

Inconsideringthedispositionforcontractionandexpansionasafundamentalprincipleoftheethericforces,wemayassignthecolorsredandyellowtotheexpansivesideofthespectrum,andblueandviolettothecontractiveside.Greenholdsamiddleposition.ItiselucidatingheretorefertothefollowingthreestatesofhumanincarnationaccordingtoSankhyaphilosophyasdescribedbyRudolfSteiner.

It is sattwa, for example, when the spiritual predominates over the natural … it would be correct to say that red and reddish-yellow represent the sattwa condition of light. Aristotle no longer used this terminology, but he still retained the principle of the old Sankhya philosophy where green represents the rajas condition as regards light and darkness and blue and violet, in which darkness predominates, represent the tamas condition.3

The rajas condition is the condition of balance between thespiritualandthenaturalwithinaperson,andthetamasconditionisthepredominanceofthenaturaloverthespiritual.Thecolorspectrumthusshows threepossible formsof relationshipbetween aperson’s spiritualand natural being. With this we have one key for the translating of

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soulelementsintophysicalmanifestation.Aboveallwehavehereakeyfor the deliberate use of artistic elements in a meaningful as opposedtoanhaphazardmanner.Yetweneedtomakefurtherstepstowardsanunderstandingofthenatureofcolorbeforeconcerningourselveswithitsapplicationintheartofpainting.Inhislecturesoncolor,Steinerpresentsa basic sevenfoldness in the realm of color:The three luster colors—yellow,blue, red; and the four imagecolors—white,green,peachandblack.

As a young man Steiner had edited Goethe’s scientific works,making a particular study of and writing a detailed introduction toGoethe’s Theory of Color. While acknowledging Goethe’s incisiveimportance in developing a phenomenological approach to science,Steinerfelttheneedtotakefurtherstepsinthisdirection.Heclosedhislecturesoncolorwiththefollowingwords:

In Goetheanism we find a way of knowledge, which embraces the realm of soul and spirit but which needs to be developed further. Goethe, for example, was not able to reach the distinction between image and lustre colors. We must follow Goethe’s approach in a living way in our thinking so that we can continually go further. This can only be done through spiritual science.4

Luster colors: Yellow Red Blue

Image colors: White Peach Green Black

WhydidSteinermakethisdistinctionbetweenlusterandimagecolors? The primary colors—yellow, red, blue—are astral colors: Thesoulprinciplepreponderates.White,peach,greenandblackare imagecolors—theetheric-formprinciplepreponderates.

Inpaintingwemayeitherpaintmorestronglyfromtheluciferic/astralside,ormorefromtheahrimanic/ethericsideofthecolorrange.Dependingonthethemeandsubjectmatter,wemaychoosetousethegroupofcolorsmorerelatedtotheoneortheotherside.Steineralsogavesomecomplexindicationsofhowimageandlustercolorsshouldbeusedwhenpaintingnature—mineral,plant,animalandman.

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The artist knows that when he handles yellow, blue and red, he must induce in his picture something that expresses an inwardly dynamic quality which itself gives character. If he is working with peach blossom and green on black and white then he knows that an image quality is already present in the color. Such a science of color is so inwardly living that it can pass immediately from the soul’s experience into art.5

Itfollowsthatinapaintingwitharepresentationaltheme,theimage colors by their very nature support the formative contents. If,however,moodandemotionshouldbeimportant,thenthelustercolorsneedtobeused.Itisgoodtoremindourselvesherethatfew20thcenturypaintersusepurelustercolors.Themixingofblackandwhitewithallpigmentshasbecomefashionable,andistypicalofourtime.Thisresultsinlustercolorsbeingpaintedasiftheywereimagecolors.Onecouldsaythatthenthesoulelementiseliminatedtoalargeextent.

Further,onemayconsiderthatitistraditionalinWaldorfschoolstousethelustercolorspredominantlyforyoungchildren,andonintotheearlygrades;whereastheimagecolorsareintroducedaroundthirdgrade.Thistraditionreflectstheviewpointthatyoungchildrenlivemorestronglyintheworldofemotionsandempathy,andgrowintopreciselyobservingtheexternalformsofobjectsatalaterage.

Thebeingofcolorhasitssoulinthelustercolorsanditsbodyintheimagecolors.Topaintpredominantlyinimagecolorsmeanstopaymoreheedtothebodythantothesoul.

Theinteractionoflightanddarknesscomestoitsmosthardenedanddefinedexpressioninthejuxtapositionofblackandwhite;itcomesto soul-filled expression in the juxtapositionbetweenblue andyellow.Redmediatesandintensifiesboththesoulexperienceofthecontrastinginteractionoflightanddark.Steinercalledgreen,asred’scomplementarycolor,thedeadimageoftheliving.Itmediatesalso,butoutwardly.Bothcolorsholdamediatingpositionwithinthecontractiveandexpansive,theahrimanicandluciferic,theethericandastralforces.

Thereisasimilaritybetweentheinnerdynamicinherentinthesevenfold range of colors and the threefoldness with the fourfoldness,which express the seasons of the year.6 A dynamic threefoldness is, asitwere, at thebackof themoreoutwardlyperceptible fourfoldnessof

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the four seasonsof theyear.Weunderstandthecyclicalchangeof theseasons best by realizing that a season of differentiation—in winter—passesoverintoaseasonofunificationinsummer.Springandautumnare the transitional seasons linking the two.Similarlywemaydevelopa feelingforthedynamicsofcolorbyunderstandingblueas thecolorleading tomoredifferentiated forms and thus as itwere endowinguswithawinterfeeling;yellowleadingustowardsunification,engenderinga summer feeling; and red—which can stand to be painted as a solidsurfaceincontrasttotheothertwocolors—inapositionofequilibrium.

The image of complete differentiation—orwinter—wouldbeblack; the imageof summer—totalunification—wouldbewhite; thusgoingfromwintertosummerwouldbepeachblossom—thisismarkedby Easter; the going from summer to winter would be green—this ismarkedbytheMichaelmasfestival.Steinermakesthefollowingremarksinhisnotebooksaboutpeachandgreen:

Peach blossom: where the soul holds away in life and everything dead is neutralized…In green: death has spread itself out—life is dried up.7

Itisnotwithoutsignificance,thatinpaintingsofMichaelandthedragon,thedragonisusuallypaintedgreen.Thedragonforcesareanexpressionofthenatureforces,whichtendtowarddeclineandintoouterdeathatMichaelmas.Equally,thepeach-magentacoloristheveryimageofthepromiseoflifeinspring,ofthepromiseoftheresurrectionofthelifeforcesinnatureatEaster.

Wemaynowunderstandthatpaintingisnotafilling inofanimagedesignedby themind,but a livingprocess inwhichwe let thecolorsspeaktoeachother.Theselastremarkshintatthepossibilitytodevelopafeelingforadeepermeaningbehindtheindividualcolors.

Here we need to remember Steiner’s statement that the trueaestheticexperiencecomesaboutthroughtheenliveningofthesensoryprocessesandtheensoulmentofthelifeprocesses.Onepainter,drawingonherexperience,said:

One’s sense of smell comes into play—and Rudolf Steiner describes how one smells the intervals. This is a process belonging mainly to the air, but one can sense the fragrance

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of the color intervals. The intervals are in the air that we smell. One says: he smells of holiness; or something smells fishy; or it stinks. It is our air-body that smells intervals of color. One can in time become conscious of this and of tasting the colors, especially with plant colors more than with other colors. … the interval between color and color—whatever it is, it represents the penetration of the spiritual. The interval allows the penetration of the spiritual into the soul element.8

Painting as a Living ProcessPainting becomes an enlivening activity if we follow the

principle of enacting a process rather than dispensing information invisualforminourpedagogicalendeavors.Suchadynamicprocessisinitselfameansofbalancingaimlessandundisciplinedself-expression,thatisanexperimentofplayingwithcolor,withtherigidfillinginofapre-determined form.The former, playful self-expression, may deteriorateinto senseless playfulness; the latter, may harden into following apremeditatedillustration.Neitherpolaritiesareeasilytransformedintoatrueworkofart.

Aswepointedoutinthepreviouschapter,aprocesshasaninnermusicaldynamic,notunlikeadiscoursebetweenindividuals.Individualsparticipatinginaconversationdeterminethedirectiontheconversationwill take through their own character. In this way the inner dynamicunfolds. Different color individualities, if I may call them thus, willinteractaccordingtotheirinherentqualitiesandinclinations,revealingtheirowncharacter. If I startonawhite sheetofpaperbypaintingabluespot,Ihavefirstofallthelivelyrelationshipofblueandwhite:bluewilltend—ifweliveourselvesfeelinglyintoitsessence—tosurroundthewhiteand,apparently,swallowitup.Itwilltendtoboreaholeintothepaperandremovewhatitenclosesintothedistance.Ifweaddanothercolor—sayyellow—thesetwowillinteract,unfoldingastoryinthefluidmediumofpainting.Ifthecolorsareinliquidform,thenthisinteractionwillbecomeallthemoredynamic.Forpedagogicalconsiderations,itisimportanttopointoutthatSteinermadespecificrecommendationstoletchildrenpaintoutofthepurecolorexperienceofthelustercolorsinthefirstyearsoftheelementaryschool.Therepresentational-conceptualelement, the element demanding more work with the image colors,shouldbeintroducedlater,aroundtheninthyearofage.

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Several years after the founding of the first Waldorf School,Steinerspokeoftheparasiticnatureofourpresent-daycivilization.Evenspiritualimpulsescannotbetakenupeasilybyhumanbeings,asthereisatendencyforthemtoturnintopoisonifnotunderstood.(Man as Symphony of the Creative Word,op.cit.,LectureofNovember11,1923).Hecontinuedthere:

During his years of education a great deal is brought to the child of this parasitic nature. We must, therefore, develop an art of education, which works creatively from his soul. We must let the child bring color into form; and the color-forms, which have arisen out of joy, out of enthusiasm, out of sadness, out of every possible feeling, these he can paint on to the paper. When a child puts on to the paper what arises out of his soul, this develops his humanity. This produces nothing parasitic. This is something, which grows out of man like his fingers or his nose! —Whereas, when the child has forced on him the conventional forms of the letters, which are the results of a high degree of civilization, this does engender what is parasitic. Immediately the art of education lies close to the human heart, the human soul, the spiritual approaches man without becoming poison. First you have the diagnosis, which finds that our age is infested with carcinomas, and then you have the therapy—yes, it is Waldorf school education.

In a conference with the teachers of the Waldorf School inStuttgart—November15,1920—Steineransweredateacher’squestionaboutpaintinginthefollowingway:

You will get your forms, if you allow their (the children’s) fantasy to work. You must let these forms grow out of the colors. You can talk to the children directly in a color language. Just think how stimulating it would be to enable them to understand you when you say: Here is this coquettish mauve, and on his neck a cheeky little red fellow is sitting. In the background there is a meek and humble blue. If colors become as concrete as objects, they will help to develop the soul. Let colors activate the soul.

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Everything, which arises out of color itself can be applied in fifty different ways. You must let the children live in the experience of color by saying, for instance, ‘here the red is peeping through the blue,’ and then really get the children to bring this about on paper. You should try to bring a great deal of life into this. By stimulating them in this way, you free them from a kind of lumpishness, sluggishness. Speaking generally, it is important for our time that living in the experience of color is cultivated and deepened. This in turn will stimulate the musical element.9

The above indications demand essentially that we develop aclassroomtechnique,whichwillallowustoletchildrenexperiencethisdynamicinteractionofcolorsasaprocess,whichmayleadtotheformingofshapesoutofthecolor.Letusbeclear,though,thatwhatthismeansis,thatwhenformsarisefromcolor,astralforcesworkintotheethericforces. In the following are two scenarios, which describe a possibleapproachtoenactsuchcolorconversations.

Two ExamplesScenario One

This is a possible scenario suitable for younger children.Thepainting lesson isprepared.Allhave liquidpaints, twowater jars (oneinwhichtowashbrushes,anotherwithcleanwatertoallowforoptionaltoningdownofstrongcolor).Thepaperisontheboard.Brushesandsponges(notforwipingoffpaintfromthepaper,butforthedryingofthebrushes)areat theready.Theteacheralsohasherorhismaterialsready.Theteacher’sdemonstrationpaperiseitherontheblackboard,oronaseparatetablearoundwhichallthechildrenaregathered.

Teacher: ‘’Once upon a time there was a very, very sad blue.Look!—Itsitshereallbyitself.Howwouldyousitifyouwereverysad?’’Somechildrenreply,thereissomediscussion,thentheteacherpaintsabluesadshapeonthepaper.Shepointsoutthatthiswouldbeherownsadshape,andthateachchildwouldalsohavetofindherorhisveryownbluesadshape.Withwordssuchastheaboveweencouragechildrentoenterintothecolorwithempathyandfeeling,andfindtheform,whicharisesnaturallyoutofthisfeeling—inthiscasedefinitelyamelancholicshapeinthecontractivecolorblue.

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After completing the blue form we mightcontinue, “And now—suddenly—a very impudentyellowjumpsrightintothepaper.See!—Itlooksatthesadblue,anddecidestoteaseit—here,andhere,andhere.Itreallyisnotmalicious,onlyplayfulandintends cheering up the sad blue. At first the bluemisunderstandstheyellow—itisfrightened,butsoon

itbeginstoanswer,andbeforelongtheyellowandthebluespeakwitheachother.Lookwhathappensthen.“(Weallowafullgreentoarise—ofcoursewemusthavetherightshadesofblueandyellow:PrussianblueandLemonyellowmixwell,asdoCobaltblueandCadmiumyellow).Weletthechildrenpaintthesanguineyellow,makingsurethatyellowdoesnot get too fixed and solid. Thenatureofyellowreallydemandsaverysanguinetreatment.

You will see that a yellow surface with definite boundaries is a repulsive thing; it is quite unbearable to artistic feeling. The soul cannot bear a yellow surface which is limited. We must make yellow paler at the edges, then paler still; in short the yellow must be full in the center, shining out into a still paler yellow. If we are to experience its inner nature we cannot imagine yellow in any other way. YELLOW MUST SHINE OUTWARDS.10

In the course of the above painting event, children mayexperience a process of dynamic interaction between the inherentlysanguinenatureoftheyellowandtheinherentlymelancholicnatureoftheblue.Ofcourse,evenourverybrushstrokewillgoalongwiththeinherenttendencyofeachcolor.Wewillapplytheblueinsmoothandgentlestrokes,andfollowtheshapewehaveinmindlovingly.Theyellowwillbeputoninshorterstrokes,wecouldcallthemdancingstrokes,astheyflashoutfromthecenter,outfromthebrilliantspotofyellowtobrighteninflashestherestofthepaperandinteractwiththeblue.Thusourveryhandmovementswillcarrymeaningrightintothebrushandontothepaper.Ourlovingawarenesswillthuspermeatefromhearttohand.

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In young children or in children not familiar with aWaldorfapproach,thistypeofscenario,ifrepeatedoveraperiodoftime,helpstodevelopafeelingforthelivingsoulmoodcarriedbytheprimarycolorsand later by the secondary colors.With older children this approach,whichreliessostronglyonthecapacityforimitationintheyoungerchild,wouldbetoorestrictive,andwouldthusprovetobecounterproductive.Weneedtofiretheirimaginationadifferentway.

Scenario TwoAgain, we assume that the students have made all necessary

preparations under the guidance of the teacher. (The teacher needstodecideonthecolors, foronly sheorhecandeterminewhichcolorexperiences areneeded.Over a yearone shouldbuildupanddevelopthecolorexperiencessystematically,andnothaphazardly.)Thistime,theteacherwillnotpaintinorderforthestudentstoobserveorimitateher,butshemightwellpaintforherself,oncetheclasshasstartedandallareabsorbedintheirtask.

Teacher:“Rememberwhatwediscussedinmainlessonyester-day?Whowouldliketotellus?”—“Yes,Hannibal’scrossingoftheAlps.Now imagine that you are standing on the North side of one of theAlpinepasses,watchinghisarmy,elephantsandall,maketheirwayandwindinggraduallyupandup,dangerouslyclose to fearfulchasmsandsteep slopes.They are retreating from you, vanishing between the iceandsnowcoveredpeaks.Nowimaginesomethingelse!ImaginethatyouwereontheSouthsideoftheAlps,inthefertilefoothills,watchingthearmydescend,winddownthesteeppaths,comingcloserandclosertoyou.Tellme,whichcolorswouldyouuseforpaintingthefirstscene,andwhichcolorswouldbemoresuitableforthesecondscene?”

Hopefullyalivelydiscussionwillfollow.Byguidingitcarefullywemayelicit fromthechildren theanswer that thefirst scene shouldbepaintedprincipallyinblue/violet/whiteshadesofcolor,whereasthesecondscenemostlyinyellow/redandorange.“Now,youmaychooseon which side of the Alps you would like to be. Choose your colorsaccordingly!Remember, ifyouareontheSouthslopes, theoncomingarmiesthreatenyou!IfyouareontheNorthslopes,thenyouwillfeelreliefastheydisappearbeyondthehorizon.”

Andthus,arisingfromadiscussionwiththeclass,afeelingforcolor perspective in a sixth grade may be engendered. Note also thatinthesecondscenariotheparticipationofeachchild isnecessary,and

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also stimulated, so that inner activity and involvement comeabout astheverypaintingproceeds.Itisvitalforteacherstorealizethatonlybystimulating the inner picturing capacities, will students become reallycreativeintheirartisticwork.Wecannotstimulateindividualcreativitybyaskingstudentstocopywhatwehavedone.Wecan,however,teachtechniquebyaskingforimitationofbrushstroke,etc.TheseindicationsareforaWaldorfgradeschoolteacher.Wemustrealizethatinthehighschoolthereareotherdemandsandperspectives.

Obviously,thistypeofintroductionwillonlybesuccessfulifthestudentshavehadexperienceinthiscolorapproach,aswellasgoodskillsinbrushwork,andknowaltogetherhowtohandlethematerials.Thustheteachingoftheappropriatetechniqueisalsoessential.Someclassesmaybeorientedtowardthelearningandpracticingoftechnique,otherstoindividualexpressionofwhatlivesinthestudents’soulsasaninnerpictureofthetopic.

Asideremark:Painting,asanyoftheotherarts,isnotusedtoillustrate realistically an intellectual content,nor is it developed asart for art’s sakeinWaldorfeducation,butservesasamediumforlearning.Throughalltheartsthestudent’swholebeingisunitedwiththecontentsofthelesson—inthiscaseRomanhistory—notonlyhisintellect.Thusheart and head and hand are brought into active relationship witheachother ineachstudent,as the living symphonyofcontractiveandexpansivecolorscomestolifeinthepaintingofeachchild.Temperamentcharacteristics,qualitiesandpeculiaritiesareanintegralpartofthiswholelearningexperience—thustheworkofeachchildwillrevealdirectlythetemperamentalinclinationsthroughthechoiceofcolor,toneandshapein image form. Those teachers who have developed a feeling for thetemperaments will thus be able to interpret the work of each studentaccordingtotemperamentmodulations.

Characteristic Dynamics of PaintingAs remarked above, painting is the temperament art par

excellence—formethodandcontent,essenceandformcombineheretorevealtheelementalfourfoldnessinitscontractive-expansivenature.Theverystrokesofthebrushshouldemulatethetemperamentofthecoloronepaints—dancingstrokesforyellow,smoothlongeronesforblue,andso forth.VanGogh’sbrushstrokes showclearly a choleric forcefulness;Turner’s an airy light-filled sanguinity, which has tinges of the wateryphlegmatic in its smoothness; with Seurat and Sisley, for instance,

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sanguinity to theextreme; inChagall themelancholic tingedwith thecholeric.Iamsuggestingthatthegestaltformationofthebrushstrokerevealsthebasictemperamenttendencyofthepainter.It is interestingtonote thatmostpainters treat all colorswith the samebrush stroke.Doesthismeanthatonlythereallygreatpaintersareabletoinfusetheirtemperamentrightintothebrushstroke?

Inthefirstscenariothe imitativeapproachis indicated:Colorastheguiseofatypicaltemperamentcreatesastoryonpaperorcanvas,whichwedevelopstepbysteptogetherwiththestudents.

Inscenariotwowefirethechild’simagination.Heorshethenchooses to identifywithoneor theother suggestion,withoneor theotherside—contractiveorexpansive—ofthetemperamentspectrum.Ihaveoftenfounditvitaltogivechildrenoftenyearsorolderachoiceoftwo,oreventhreeapproachestoonetopic.Thestudentidentifiesthenwiththeteacher’svividverbaldescription,andisthusabletocallupaninnerfeelingandpicture,beforepaintingwhatisinwardlyperceived.Ifwewouldmakeolderchildrenimitate,wewouldhamper,notfurther,theircreativework.Itisimportanttonoticethedevelopmentalstateatwhichwecanproceedtostimulatethechild’sfantasybywayofthisinnerparticipationinwhatwepresent.

Colorexercisesbeginintheearlyyears,atfirstwiththeprimarycolors,thenthesecondarycolors.Thesecolordialoguespreparethechild’sability to proceed to the representational/image character of paintingfromtheninthyearon.Itgoeswithoutsayingthatthereisnoneedtorefrainrigidlyfromusingthesecondapproachonceinawhileevenwithyoungerchildren.Fromtimetotimestudentsneedtobechallengedtoreachtheirlimits.Oneofthegreatestdifficultiesinthemediumofwet-on-wetwatercolorpainting,istolearnthetransitionsfromonecolortotheadjoiningone—carefulbrushwork,aswellascontrolofliquidityisessential,andneedstobepracticedfromtheearlygradesonward.

Butbyandlargeweworkfirstwiththesoulqualitiesofcolor,andtheninlateryearsweaddtheimagequalities.Thisapproachaccompaniestheincarnationprocessharmoniously.Thedevelopmentofthinkingalsocorrespondstothisdevelopment,fromthesoul-filledtothemoreimage-filled,inthecourseoftheelementaryschoolyears.

Itisnecessarytonoteherehowallthreetemperamentlanguagesareemployedinpainting:Thecolorexercisesdealwithlustercolorsandconveymeaningasform/gestalt/gesturearisesfromcolor;thedynamicsofrhythmicmotioncomestoexpressioninthebrushstroke;wefeelwith

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thecolorasthestoryoftheinteractiondevelops,colorsleapingforward,orretreatingoutofthewhitepaper,andgraduallytheimagecoalesces.The sequence of having an inner picture before we begin, then theactivityofputtingcolortopaper,thenadjusting,changing,harmonizing,allowingcolorstointeract,andfinallyfine-tuningtoexpressthemeaningclearly—allarestepsalreadydiscussedasthekeypictureofthelearningprocessinChapter2.

Theflowing,mercurialmediumoftheliquidpaintsisessentialforapedagogicalapproachtopainting.Steinercomments:

We should try to paint increasingly from pots of liquid paint with color that is liquid and has a flowing, shining quality. Generally speaking, the introduction of the palette has brought an inartistic element into painting. The palette has brought a materialistic form of painting, a failure to understand the true nature of color—for color is never really absorbed by any material body but lives within it and emanates from it. Therefore, when I put my colors on to a surface I must make them shine inwardly.11

Moreover,intheintensificationordilutionwehaveyetanotheraspectofthecontractive-expansivepolarity.Thefluidelementisthebodyof color, the airy element is the soul of color, and this relationship isaccurately reflected in the smallestdetail of thepaintingprocess.Thispointsus to the interactionbetween etheric forces—the formative lifeforces—and astral forces—the emotional-movement-consciousnessforces.(SeeChapter9).Theairyelementdissolvesthecolor intolightandair;thewateryelementmakesthecolorstrong,rich,andtangible.Anearthyelementmaycreepinwhichcausesthepigmenttodryupandtosolidify.

Asmentionedabove,becauseofthisintimaterelationofpaintingandtemperament,wemayobserveaparticulartendencyinthemodeinwhichapersoncreatesforms,usescolors,handlesthebrushandappliesliquid. In short, we may read a person’s temperament very accuratelyfromthewayheorshepaints.

Typical Temperament PaintingIflefttothemselves,one-sidedmelancholicswilltendtopaint

inthedarkcolors—blue,violet,brownandblack.Theirpaperwilllikely

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becomedryveryquicklyandtheirformswillbesmall,sharp,andwithdefinededges.Theirbrushstrokeswillprobablybeunrhythmical,unevenandshowdiffidence.Cholericswillpaintgenerouslywithbright,deepcolors, rich reds andoranges,wide forceful brush strokes, large, oftenwell-definedandaggressive forms.Sanguineswillpaintoften incolorsthatappearfaded,andlight.Theytendtouseyellow,green,orange,andareoftencheerfullypatchy.Thecompositionasawholewillbepleasingtotheeye,butthedetailswilltendtolookalittleunfinished.Phlegmaticswilltendtochoosethecoolcolors,theblues,greensandviolets.Formswillbesofterandbulkierthaninthetypicalmelancholicpainting.Theirstrokeswillbelarge,evenoverflowingthepage.Somephlegmaticscanfill up a piece of paper with regular undifferentiated strokes, or withundifferentiatedblobsofcolor.Moreover,theliquiditywillbestrong,sothatcolorswillrunintoeachothereasily,andthedefinitionofformwilltendtobecomediluted.

Astheteacherwalksfromstudenttostudentandwatches,helpsandsuggests,sheorhewill,ofcourse,beabletomodifyandleadovermany extremes into a harmonious composition. One reason for theteacherto,apparently,interferewiththeworkofstudents,istopresentanexampleofbrushstroke,detailwork,lovingattentiontotheprocess,aswellastosuggestdetailsregardingcolortoneandintensity,andsoon.Paintingthusbecomesanartmostcentrallyrelatedtoworkingwiththetemperaments—thatis, leadingthefundamentaltendencyintoamorebalancedexpression,ifnecessary.Letitbenoted,thatwedonotcorrectthetemperament,butitisinthesocialinterestthateachindividualbeabletomodifyanyextremetendencies.Letitbenoted,again,thatitisveryrare foronechildtoexhibitonetemperamentmodulationtotheextreme.Inmostindividuals,allfourtendenciesarepresent,butoneortheother(eventwo)maypredominate.

Thischapterisaboutthevisualarts.Sofarwehavespokenonlyabout painting, andnot about any other visual technique.The three-dimensionality of space in a picture needs to arise through the colorinteractionintheworkoftheyoungerchildren.Butwithstudentsovertwelve years of age, due to this particular developmental stage, otherapproaches maybemadetoexpandtheirexperiencewiththeexpansive-contractivepolarity.ForthisreasonseveraldrawingtechniqueshavebeensuggestedbyRudolfSteiner.

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Bearinginmindthatwenowdealwithrepresentationaldrawing,andnotthepatterndrawingarisingfrommovement,weshalldescribethesevarioustechniquesandtheirpurposebriefly.

Drawing and the TemperamentsIt is important to realize that the medium of drawing with

crayonsorpencilsallowstheprinciplesofformtocometotheforegroundfarmorestronglythanthefluidityofpaints.Thusthereisnowaythatthelivingelementofcolorcanbeexperiencedquitesofullyindrawingasinpainting.

Geometricalpatternsbelongtothefamilyofpatterndrawingsthat arise from motion.They are really a form of technical drawing,directlyrelatedtomathematics,thoughthepatternscreatedthroughtheintricatewebofnumberrelationshipsasexpressed ingeometrycanbeprofoundlystimulatingandrevealingtothegrowingmind,andenthusestudentsformathematics.

Steiner indicates that it is important for children around thetenthyeartolearntodrawobjectsbydirectobservation.Atthisagethechildhas,asdescribedmorefullyinChapter8,cometohim-orherself.Thechildnowlooksoutintotheworldfromadifferentviewpointthanbefore,andisabletoacquiregreaterself-confidence,andisabletoobservemoreaccuratelyandingreaterdetailtheworldthroughthevehicleofthesenses.Thesenseofmotionisinvolvedwhenwetracetheformsoftheobjectsarounduswithoureyes.

It is important that the child’s awakening faculties should beused.Anaccurateobservationoftheobjectssituatedinthespacearoundus obliges us to develop a sensitivity for relative position, degree ofshadow,andafeelingfortexture.Theseareallqualitiesonlymarginallyrelatedtotheareaofexperiencedescribedinpainting.Theyarequalitiesrelatedmoretothephysicalpropertiesoftheobjectsaroundus,andthus,ina sense,wecould justasmuchusephotography.Objectdrawing isimportantforchildrennotbecauseitemploysthesoulforces,butbecausetheeyeistrainedtotakenoteofthephysicalphenomenaaccuratelyandinlovingdetail.

There is,however,onedrawing technique,whichengendersacertainflow,andthusprovidesapossibilityoflivelyinterweavingoflightanddarkintherealmofcolor.Thistechnique,oftencalled shading inWaldorfschools,employsahatchingstroke(inoneparticulardirection,usuallyfromtherighttopofthepapertotheleftbottomcorner,because

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thisisthenaturaldirectionforrighthandedindividuals).Bylearningtocoverpaperfairlyrapidlywithshorthatchingstrokes,aninteractionofcolorsmaybeachievedwhichallowsacertainelementalinterweavingoflightanddarktotakeplace,sothattheessenceofcolorshinesthroughthestrokes.Formsalsoariseoutofthemovementandthecolor.

The very same hatchingstrokemayalsobeusedintheuppergrades of the elementary school andin the high school for work withcharcoal.This isan importantaspectof the work in the visual arts, forwhen working with black on whitethecontrastofthecontractive-expansiveforcesispolarizedfurther,andthusmademore tangible.Thismedium isparticularly appropriate forthe pre-puberty years of the student; we place darkness into the lightdeliberately.Inlearningtodealwithblackandwhite,darknessandlight,andthe innumerablegradationsandvaluesarising in the intermediatestages,adolescentsaregivenhelptopreparethemtodealwiththeblackandwhite,thedarknessandthelightwithintheirownsouls,withinthethoughts, emotions and instincts,whichwill surely assail them in thecourseofthenextfewyears.

Altogether, the hatching stroke, whether used with color orwithblack,providesaharmoniousinterplayofallthreesoulforceswith

thehumanself.Forthisreasonthetenth year is a good time to insiston the correct application of thistechnique. Another aspect of the

hatchingstrokeisthat itrepresentsapolaritytoprecisely linearobjectdrawing.Inobjectdrawing,wefocuswithgreatintensityonanobject.When using the hatching stroke, our eyes do not focus, per se, withintensityonanexternalobject,butwemayuseperipheralvision,whereourinnerpicturemaymeldwiththefluidityofcolororlightanddark,asthecasemaybe.

The feeling element is addressed by the interweaving of thestrokes.Theintentionalityofthesoul,thecapacityfordirectedaction,isengagedbytheeffortandchallengetokeepthestrokes in thesamedirection,tokeepthemeven,parallelandseparatefromeachother.Theforms that arise, or that one intends putting onto paper, address thecognitiveandreflectiveelement.

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And what of the ego,theindividualself?Theforcesoftheselfareengaged inkeepingthe balance between all three,sothatapicturemayarise.Theself shows itself, as it were, inthe interstices, in the intervals.The self works through theintangible,throughtherelatednessofallthreeelementsbutinthatveryintangibility itmakes itself felt, for its absenceas themainorganizingfactorwouldbenotedimmediately.

Here,too,thedifferenttemperamentsrevealthemselvesthroughtheirlanguageofform,color,andintensity.Cholericswilltendtopressdown toohardon thepaper andmake large strokes:Bold colors andshapeswillarise.Melancholicswilltendtomakesmallstrokes,usedarkcolors, work slowly and have difficulties in covering the whole paperevenly. Sanguines will work too haphazardly. Phlegmatics will workbeautifully but have difficulties in letting forms actually consolidate.Consequently, this is a technique eminently suitable for the healthybalancingofextremetemperamenttendencies.

Also here, as with painting, all three temperament languagescome intoplay: the languageofgestureandmovementexpresses itselfin the quality of the very hatching stroke; the language of rhythm intheflowandrepetitivenessofthestrokesandoftheirinterweaving;thelanguage of image crystallizes into form—either with color or in thestarknessoftheblackonwhite.Thusallthreeareaddressed.

Thestrokesmaybefiery,earthy,wateryorairy;therhythmicalitymayshowthesamefourfolddifferentiation;theimagesthemselvesmaybebornoutofthefiery,theairy,thewateryortheearthyelement.Sowelearntodistinguishthetypicaltemperamentmodesinallthreelanguagesinthevisualartsmedia.

The Influence of the Polarizing Powers on PaintingSteinermentionsthattheartofpaintingisparticularlyexposed

totheinfluencesofthetwocosmicpowers.Inspiteofoccupyingamiddlepositionamongstthearts,paintingisafertilefieldoftemptationtoleavebalanceandharmony,anderrintooneortheotherextreme.

Lucifer tempts the painter to indulge in effusive haziness, amysticglowofredsandyellows,orvoluptuousandinsinuatingforms.

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Colorishereapparentlymoreimportantthanform.Thesensuousbeautyof Gauguin’s paintings, in all their magnificence, is surely inspired byLucifer.Eventhemusicality,whichGauguinevokesinhiscolorintervals(hedevelopedmethodicallyaconcordanceofmusicandcolor),pointstotheluciferic-expansiveinfluence.

Turner, also, though in a more refined manner, gives himselfuptotheethereallyairy:Heraisesupthelandscapetoglowingbeauty.WithoutLucifertherewouldbenobeauty.

Ahrimanicinfluenceshardenandsolidifyformanddarkencolorintostridentanddarktones.SalvadorDali—asurrealist—wouldpressallintooneformprinciple.Notealsohispredilectionforgreen,greyandblack!Also,thedistortion,fragmentationanddissectionofthehuman,which glare from many of his paintings, show the influence of thecontractiveprinciple.Nay, wecouldcryout, he presses through the form principle into its dissolution—the caricature.Thisinfluenceisasplinteringinfluence.OthernaturalformsarealsosplinteredupinDali’spaintings,notonly thehuman form.Surelyalso the recent tendency toproducegiganticobjectsandpresentthemasartmustbelaidatthedooroftheahrimanicinfluencetotipthescalesinfavorofthematerialatthecostofthespiritual.

The Pre-Raphaelites on the other hand—altogether all thecloying illustratorsof sentimentallymysticand fantasticpersuasions—areunderLucifer’ssway.Itisnoteasytodaytodealwithanaberration,thatwouldpresentthefantasticandillusionaryassomethingofatrulyspiritualorigin.This influence ismuchmoredifficult torefuteas it ismoreinsidious.

Inour centurywehave seen the comingof thephotographicpiecemealandthephantasmagoricillusionaryastheScyllaandCharybdisofthepainterlyvoyage:Temptationinthismodernodysseybeckonsfrombothsides.LikeOdysseus,whohadtolistenwithhisinnerear,wecouldsaythatthepaintertodayneedstoseewiththeinnereye,sothatheorshelearnstoextendthenaturallygivenformprinciplesarisingfromcolor.Thestartingpointmustbethepurephenomenaofnature;herorhisaimthelovingcontinuationoftheworkofnature.ThenalsointhisartmaywepermeateartisticstrivingwiththeChristprincipleofharmonizingtheextremesinanever-presentbattleforthefindingofbalance.

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Endnotes1 RudolfSteiner,Art as Seen in the Light of Mystery Wisdom,op.cit.,Lecture

ofSeptember12,1920.

2 Ibid.,LectureofDecember29,1914.

3 RudolfSteiner,The Bhagavad Gita and the Epistles of St. Paul,AnthroposophicPress,SpringValley,NY,1971,GA142,LectureofDecember29,1912.

4 RudolfSteiner,Colour,RudolfSteinerPress,London,1992,GA291,LectureofMay8,1921.

5 Ibid.,LectureofMay7,1921.

6 RudolfSteiner,The Cycle of the Year,AnthroposophicPress,SpringValley,NY,1984,GA223,LectureofApril2,1923.

7 ContainedinRudolfSteiner,Colour,RudolfSteinerPress,editionof1971,Appendix:ExtractsfromRudolfSteiner’sNotebooks.

8 LilianeCollotD’Herbois,Colour, Stichting Magenta,Driebergen,TheNetherlands,1979.

9 E.A.KarlStockmeyer,Rudolf Steiner’s Curriculum for Waldorf Schools,SteinerSchoolsFellowship,1969,DistributedbyRudolfSteinerPress,London,p.199.

10 Op.cit.,Steiner,Colour,LectureofMay7,1921.

11 Op.cit.,Steiner,Art as Seen in the Light of Mystery Wisdom,LectureofSeptember12,1920.

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Chapter Six

Music and the Twofold Ego Experience

Music takes up no space, but is solely present in time. In the same way, what matters with regard to the human etheric body in reality (not in the imaginative picture we draw) is mobility, movement, formative activity in rhythmic or musical sequence, in fact the quality of time. Of course, this is a difficult thing for the human mind to conceive, accustomed as it is to relating everything to space; but in order to gain a clear concept of the etheric body we must try much harder to allow musical ideas rather than spatial ideas to come to our aid.1

–RudolfSteiner

Haveyouever listened to IndianorAfricanmusic?Haveyouallowedittovibrateinyourbody,asitstreamsintoyourverymusclesandbeatsapathfromtheearthupwards insensuous insistence?Haveyoucontrasted itwiththemusicofBach, for instance,whosecerebralharmoniesmaketransparentthecrystallinespheresofthecosmos?ThenyouwillhavefeltinyouthedeepchasmbetweentheDionysianandtheApollonianelementsinmusic.

Earth-born is the one—beating upwards through our bodyon thewavesofbloodandsettingour feet indancingmotionas theycatchtherhythm.Cosmos-bornistheother—ofthecosmicwidthsandmajesticrhythmsoftheplanetaryorbsresoundinginsubtleharmonies.Theiroriginsareapparentlydisparate,yeteachtypeofmusicisduetotheorganizingworkofouressentialselfwithinourastralbodies,thatis,ourconfigurationofconsciousnessandmind.

Weneedtoreferheretothetwofoldego,thetwofoldessenceofourspirit,ourself.Theegosendsitsactivityintooursoulforcesfromtwodirections,asitwere,fromthepastthroughourheadandthenervous/sensorysystem,andfromthefuturethroughourbodyanditsbloodandmuscles.

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Apollo’slyreconstitutesthehumannervoussystemuponwhichhe—Apollo, representative of the upper ego—plays his divine music.Steiner makes use of this image repeatedly when characterizing thenervoussystem.Ontheotherhand,ourmusclesinconjunctionwiththesenseofmovementconstitutetheinstrumentofDionysus,ashestirsourlimbsfrombelow.Steinermakesthispoint,withsomeothersofequallyeminentimportancetoteachers,inhislecturesonBalance in Teaching,(MercuryPress,SpringValley,1982,GA302a,LectureofSeptember21,1920):

That which in the ear comprises the sense organization is inwardly linked in a very delicate way with all those nerves known to present-day physiology as ‘motor nerves,’ but which in reality are identical with the sensory nerves; so that everything we experience as resonant sound is perceived through the nerve-strands embedded in our limb organization. Everything musical, if it is to be perceived in the right way, must first penetrate deep into our whole organization—and for this the nerves of the ear are appropriately organized—and must affect that region of the nerves otherwise reached only by the will. For those regions in the human organism that in the case of pictorial experiences make memory possible are the very ones that in the case of the musical, the audible element, give rise to perception.

Wemay conclude that tremendous secrets of existence andofhumanincarnationareinvolvedinthecomplex,delicateandvital interplayoftheforcesoftheheadwiththerestofthebody.

The Twofold Self and the Form of Musical InstrumentsLet us take a further step in attempting to understand the

workingoftheegointohumanastralityintherealmofmusic.Ifwetaketheelementofairastheonethroughwhichtheastralforceswork,weneedtofocusonthemannerinwhichairis brought to vibrate in generatingmusicalsound.Wemayseeaparallelbetweenstringinstrumentsandthe

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humannervoussystem.Inboth,theagentofvibrationisontheinsideofthebodyofair,whichissettovibrate.Theyarebothstirred,asitwere,bytheinneregoforces,byApollo.

Ontheotherhand,considerthe flute, or any other instrument,which encloses the vibrating airbody.(Letusdistinguishclearlythatin the string instruments the soundis amplified by the sound box, butnotcreatedby it.)Here themovingpower is brought to bear from the

outsideontotheenclosedair.Thisisparalleltotheouteregoasitmovesourlimbsfromtheoutside.

Dionysus stirs our limbs from without. Looking at a humanbeingasaninstrumentofmusic,wemaydistinguishhightones—thatis,headtones—andlowtones—thatis,chesttones.Ourlarynxislikeaninvertedflute,ourwholelungthesoundboxofaDionysianinstrumentandourdiaphragmaresonatingdrumskin.Laterweshallmentionmoreaboutthehumanbodyinrelationtopitch.Letissufficetopointoutthatthehighertonesarenervetones,thelowerbloodtones.

Although,superficiallyspeaking,onedescribesthevibrationsoftheairascarryingatone,onlookingcloserwefindthatreallythefluidelementisthebasisofsound.Itistheelement,whichcarriestheworkingofthetoneether.Steineralsocallsthisetheralsothenumberorchemicalether,foritcarrieswithinittheelementofrelationshipexpressedasratioornumber.Hespeaksofthelifeofthecosmos,whichispureether,oftheorbitingoftheplanetsintheirspheresineverchangingmobilerhythms,whichresistbecomingperfectnumericalratios,forthenthesolarsystemwouldbecomearigidmechanism.ThusSteinerdescribestheirrationalelementofnumberasbeingproofofcosmiclife.Theirregularitiesintheplanetaryorbitsandstellarmotionsareproofoftheirverylife:Countlesscyclicalrepetitionsoccur,whichareyetneverexactlythesame,andthusavoidafateofrigidfixation.Thehistoricalage,whichattemptedtofixtheseratios,themodernage,madebyimplicationmechanicalclockworkoutofthecosmos.Thisdevelopmentwasaccompaniedbythedeadeningofthinking.

The human ego element is the organizing principle, whichintroducesthesevariationsuponatheme.Onealsocoulddescribetheego,thehumaninnermostspiritualessence,asthecarrieroftheirrational.

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OneofthedeepestsecretsoftheGreekMysterieswas,accordingtoSteiner,thatApolloandDionysusareoneandthesame.Thesameegoworksfromthepastandfromthefutureinanindividual.Itworksintothe astralbody inboth theApollonianand theDionysianmode suchthatabalancecanbepreparedwhichiscapableofhousingtheChrist.InhisprofoundlectureonBlood and Nerves (Toward Imagination, Culture and the Individual, Anthroposophic Press, Hudson, NY, 1990, GA169,Lecture of June13, 1916), Steiner describes thenerve substanceinourbodyasbeingcosmicallyaliveanddeadonlyonearth,whereasthesubstanceofourbloodcarriesdeathforceswithinit,andreceivesitslifefromtheoutside,fromthecosmos.Reallifeisaltogethernotfoundonearth,onlyoutsidetheearth,inthecosmos.Thenervesubstance,asitwere,gives its lifetotheblood.Thusitreceivesdeathonitswaytobecomeearthly,butbloodmustbecomealive, sothateachhuman, inasfarasheorsheconsistsofearthlysubstance,mayturntothecosmos.

Christbroughttheverylifeofournervesfromthecosmosontotheearth—that self-same lifewhichmankindhashad to leavebehindinthecosmos—sothatnowitcouldunitewiththeblood,whichstemsfromtheearth.Apollo—thesungod—residesintheupperregions.Hemoveshisinstrumentsfromtheoutside,fromtheheavensasitwere,andimpartsthemwithlife.Cosmiclifestirsthedeadform.

Dionysusisachildoftheearth.Earthlylifehastodie.Involcanicupheaval, inoutburstsofpassion,whichaimatdeath—andwhich, inmythology,oftenendedindeath—hebeatsthedrumsoflife;hestirsthechaoticunconsciouswillofthebody.

Christunitedthesepolaritiessothatineachhumanbeingthechasm between head and body, nerve and blood should be bridged.SteinerrelatedtheChristmysterydirectlytomusic.Hecharacterizedtheintervals,astheywereperceivedbyhumanityinthecourseofevolution.TheintervalofthethirdbecameonlydiscernibleintheChristianera.

Therefore what I described as an interval of the third can correspond either to the astral body or to the sentient soul: in the one case we have the major third and in the other the minor third.2

Intheexperienceoftheintervalofthethirdwehavethebridgebetweentheouterandtheinnerworld.Musicalexperienceitselfmayfurnishus

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withanapproachtowardsanunderstandingoftheessenceofChrist,asSteinerindicateshere:

The coming of the figure of Christ, the spiritually-living figure, which I referred to as the culminating point in human evolution, has been magnificently portrayed in Renaissance and pre-Renaissance painting, but in future will have to be expressed through music.3

Steiner then describes in detail the necessary sequence of intervals toevokethismusicalexperience,endingthus:

… We find here a means of passing in an intensely minor mood from the dissonances of the seventh, from the near consonance of these diminishing dissonances to the sphere of the fifth in a minor mood, and from that point blend the sphere of the fifth with that of the minor third, then we shall have evoked in this way the musical experience of the Incarnation, and what is more, of the Incarnation of the Christ.4

Wehaveapproachedtherealmofmusicinsuchsweepingstrokes,withsuchwideimplications,becausemusichasagreatbearinguponthefutureofhumanity,aswellaseachindividual.Itislinkedintimatelywithourinnerandeternalbeing.Itisconnectedwithourlifeofvolition,andthusmusicalexperienceandactivityduringchildhoodisessentialfortheengenderingofasoundfoundationofvolitionalcapacitiesforadultlife.

Moreover,theconcernwiththemusicalessenceofanindividualand of the cosmos in itself is helpful to the teacher in coming to anunderstandingofwhatlivesinaperson.

If now, for example, you form for yourselves vivid meditation-images of the whole existence of what is musical in yourselves, in the will-zones of the visible, and then again of what has to do with memory in music, the existence of music memories in the image-zones of the visible—and vice versa: If you bring what ties in the memory zones of the audible into connection with what lies in the memory

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zones of the visible—if you assemble all these phenomena and form meditation-images out of them you can be sure that one force in you will be stimulated: A profound power of ingenuity that you need when facing the child you are to educate.5

The Elements of Music and Their Relation to the Human Being

The foundation for the removal of all obstacles for the development of a courageous and appropriate development of our life of will in adulthood depends upon the right introduction to music. The particular manner in which the musical element works into the organism of man is thus, that it eases the fluctuations of nerve activity into the stream of the breath. These reverberate upon the nerve functions. Further, the breathing rhythm interacts with the rhythms of the circulatory system, which in turn work into the rhythm of sleeping and waking. It is truly wondrous to behold and understand, through anthroposophical research the inwardly active man-creating power of music! 6

Steiner indicates here that it is vital for the development ofsound volitional capacities, how a child is introduced to theworldofmusic.ForthisreasonmusicisintroducedrightfromthefirstgradeintheWaldorfschooland,mostimportantly,notonlythetalentedchildrenreceivemusicalinstruction.Eachoneofthevariousmusicalelementsisworkedwithandbroughttothechild.

The elementsofmusic again showa threefoldness inmelody,harmony and rhythm. Melody is inwardly related to the power andcapacitiesofthinkinginthehumansoul,harmonyisrelatedtofeeling,andrhythmtothewill.Ifwerememberthatmusicisessentiallysomethingthatunfoldsintime,thenwerealize,asSteineralsopointedoutrepeatedly,thatwehaveinmelodythepurestexpressionofmusic.Inharmony,withthesimultaneoussoundingofvariousnotes,aspatialelemententersinthe overlapping of several times. In rhythm we touch, intermittently,as itwere, thehardmineral earth—aphysical-material factorbecomesmanifest.Inthemeasure,orbeat,wearesolidlyconnectedtothishardmineralearth,uponwhichweonlytouchintermittentlyinrhythm.Thusbeat imprisons music, chains it to the earth, and can actually not be

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regardedasoneofthetruemusicalelements.Itisonlyintheelementofthemelodythatwefloatandflowalong,inpureexpressionoftime.

Practically speaking, we need therefore to permit children toexperience all three elements anchored down by measure. So we shallworkwithpitchandmelody,andallowchildrentosingandfollowthestory lineofamelody(Thisisnottheplacetoelaboratethereasonsforpentatonic music in the first grade). One of the best ways to achieveimmersion into this musical story line is in the form of a dialoguebetweenteacherandstudents.Theteachersingsandthestudentslisten,andthenviceversa.Inthiswayeachstudentcanconcentrateonlisteningandisnotdistractedfromhisorherownsingingbyattemptingtolistenatthesametime.Also,asSteinerpointsoutintheabovestatement,itisessentialthatlisteninganddoingintheareaofmusictakeplaceinturn,andnotsimultaneously.

Thehumanfigureasawholerepresentsthetonesofamusicalscale.Wemayusethemotionofthehandsinanupordowndirection,eventouchingdifferentpartsofourbody,toindicatepitch.Tone-deafchildrenwholearntotouchtherespectivepartsofthebodybyfollowingthe teacher to indicate pitch learn eventually to pitch their voices, ifeffortsaremadeoverseveralyearsonaregularbasis.

The lowest tones of the octave, any octave, involve in the first place all that ties in the limb system of the human being. Then, from about E and on to F, F sharp, G, the vibrations of the etheric body join in. Then we come to the point where the vibrations of the astral body also live in the music. And then the matter comes to a head. Having started with C, C sharp, we now come to the interval of the seventh, a region where we are brought to a standstill. The experience falters and we have need of an entirely new element. …We must find ourselves for the second time when we reach the octave. …The feeling for the octave leads us to find our own selves on a higher plane. The third interval leads us to our inner being; the octave enables us to possess ourselves, to feel ourselves once again.7

Thusbygoingupanoctave,ordownit,wedevelopalivingfeelingandimagefortheincarnationprocess.

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In experiencing the consonance of certain intervals, or thedissonanceofothers,weexperiencetherelationofourbodytoourhead.Butwealsopullsomethingintothepresentthatshouldhavedissolved,force somethingof the future intoa tooearlyaudible existence—thuscreatingdisorderinthesequentialflowoftime.

Acontinuousbattleseemstobegoingonintherealmofmusicbetween the forcesofdivineandflowingchangeability, and the forcesthat aim to lock all existence into permanency. In harmony, in themultiplicityofsound,theseforcesofpermanencygainasmallfoothold.Increatingharmoniesweresist,asitwere,theflowingofthemoment,itsbecominganddying.Wecryout,likeFaust,forthefleetingmomenttoremain!

For this reason,childrenunder theageofnine shouldengagepredominantly to make music in unison; otherwise a spatial elementwould enter their musical experience too soon. But after they havereachedthisage,itisveryessentialthatwedevelopchildren’smusicalityby giving them the opportunity to assert themselves in one tone ormelodyoveragainstanotherperson.Nowthattheyexperiencethemselvesmoreconsciouslyintherealmofspace,theywilldevelopagoodfeelingfor relationships with others through the cultivation of rounds, andmakingmusicinparts.Inotherwords,nowchildrenneedtoexperiencethemselvesparticipatinginamultiplicityanddiversityofsound.

Inrhythm,wefaceadifferentchallenge.Herewefindacyclicalchange between the perceptible and the non-perceptible, the pause.Hereweknockagainstthephysicalrealitywitheverybeat;wedissolveitwitheverypause.Whataclearindicationthisisthatherewehavetodealwiththewillelementinindividuals!Itisthewill—inasensethismostspiritualofhumansoulforcesandakintotheeternalself—whichtakes hold of the most earthly and material objects, and forms them.Ourlimbsareintimatelyconcernedwiththebringingforthofrhythms.Westamp,weclap,weknockonvarioussound-producinginstruments.Werepeatedlyandcyclicallyconfrontmaterialexistence.Withinustherhythm of heartbeat and breath is the most easily observed, althoughmanyotherbodyrhythmsworkintimatelyintoourexistence.Rhythm,though,isflexibleandvaried;beat—measure—ismonotonerepetition.Whenrhythmbecomestooinflexible,itreallyismadetooearthy,andturnsintobeat.

To remind ourselves again of the twofold ego experience inmusic,andofthefactthatmusicistheworkingoftheegoforcesinto

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the forces of man’s astral body, we must understand that the naturalprogressionintherealmofmusicentersinfromtwosides:fromtheheadwiththemelody,andfromthelimbswithrhythm.Byandbywethenapproachalsotheconsciousworkwithharmonyandtheintervals.

Temperaments and the Three Elements of MusicSuperficiallyspeaking,onecoulddescribethemelodiouselement

itselfastendingmoretowardsthemelancholic,theharmoniouselementtowardsthesanguineandphlegmaticmodes,andthecholericelementworkingthroughtherhythms.

This isanappropriateplace to refer toSteiner’scorrelationofthe musical instruments with the temperaments, as suggested in hisDiscussions with Teachers (Anthroposophic Press, Hudson, NY, 1997,GA295,LectureofAugust21,1919).He indicates that thepiano—otherwise not a real instrument—could be used for phlegmatics; thewindinstrumentsforsanguinechildren;thepercussioninstrumentsforthecholerics,andvoice,especiallysolo,forthemelancholic.Ofcourseitisalsonotedthatallchildrenarepredominantlysanguine.Fromthisfollowsthatallshouldlearntherecorderfirst,asisdoneinpracticeinWaldorfschools.Anyonewhohastaughtmusicwithknowledgeofthetemperamentswillknowhowimportantitisforthecholericstohavetheopportunitytousepercussioninstruments.

The melancholics tend to respond very well also to stringedinstruments, such as the violin, for in being able to play such aninstrument,thedeepmelancholyofthesoulcanpouritselfintomusic,andjubilantsongmayfreethesoulofitswoes.Indeed,formelancholicstoplayaninstrumentthatlendsitselftobringforthpuremelody,suchasviolin,orflute,isimportant.Windinstruments,ontheotherhand,alreadytendtowardstheDionysian,andthusaregenerallymoresuitableforsanguines.

Of course we must realize that any indications are onlyindications, and that there aremany individual differences.Moreover,withinmelody itself there is a threefoldness,withinharmony and theintervalsofascaleanotherthreefoldness,andwithinthefieldofrhythmyet another threefold distinction which must be made. Melodies mayflowmonotonouslyalongthesamepitch,theycanriseupwardsinpitch,or theycan sink.Thus themelodymay tend towards thehead,downtowardsthelimbs,orremainlevelwithinthemiddleregion.

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Harmoniesdothesamethingintermsofintervals:Fourthsandfifthsholdthemiddleposition,tonicthroughthirdholdsthelower,thelimbposition,andsixths,sevenths,andoctavestendtowardsthehead.

Rhythmscouchthiswholethreefoldaspectofthehumanbeinginto adifferent form:The stress on thefirst footof the rhythm, as itwere,putsalittleheadthere,makingittopheavy;thestressonthelastfoot,towardstheend,andevenmoresoifthereisasyncopatedrhythm,introducesalimbquality;andthemonotone,aswellasthestressinthemiddleofarhythm,holdsabalance.

In his Eurythmy as Visible Music,8 Steiner relates very clearlyhowthreefoldspace—thevertical,horizontalandsagittaldirections—isrelated topitch, beat and rhythm.Thewholehuman form representsall elements of music. Thus when an individual moves, all elementsof music may be made manifest spatially, and, as it were, coaxed outofhimintospace.Ifwenowrememberwhatwehaveindicatedaboveabouttheworkingofthepolarityofthecontractiveandexpansiveforces,regardingthethreedimensionsofspace,wecangetaclearerpictureofthedifferentiationon eachplane.Thisdiagramalso shows a little theinnerrelationshipbetweensculpture,movementandmusic:

Letusnowsummarizetheactivityofthetemperamentsinthethreeareasofmusic:Intherealmofmelody,thescalefromhightolowtonesexpressestherangefromthemelancholictothecholericasitgoesfromthecontractivehighvoicetotheexpansivelowone.

Inharmonywefindthesamerangeofthescalenowintermsofintervals.Butnowwehavetheinterrelationshipofthecontractiveandtheexpansiveelements:Headandlimbsbothplayapartsimultaneously.

In the field of rhythm we are concerned with the following:Lookingatthehumanformanatomically,wemayperceiveaprogressionfrom the unit of the head—as one rounded form of closely knit andintegratedskullbones—tothemoredispersedanddifferentiatedbonesofarm,leg,handandfoot.Thisisaprogressionfromunitytodiversity.Intheheadregionrhythmisfetteredintosolidrest;themelancholicis

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unrhythmicalforthisreason—consolidationispredominant.Inthelimbregion rhythm is dissolved too strongly, it iswhiskedout of existencebeforeitisborn—thecholericisoftentooerraticforarhythmtodevelop.Cholericsarerhythmicalwhentheyarechallengedtobeso,notsomuchbynatural inclination. In themiddle regionrhythmmay live—a littlemore monotonously, a little closer to the head—in the phlegmatic, alittlemoredancinglyandclosertothelimbsinthesanguine.Thestressofeachrhythmwilltellusjusttowhichregionitbelongs.Astressonthefirstfootemphasizesthehead,astressonthelastthelimbnature.

At this point something else needs to be considered: Actualawarenessof the temperaments, and theirworking, in thefieldof themusiclessonsisnotnecessarilythemostimportant.Themusicalelementis in itself sopermeatedby livingweavingcosmicmusicality, that anygood musician will instinctively work in the different temperamentmodes:Theyareinherentinmusic.Butwhatisreallyimportantisthatmusicalityshouldpermeateallareasofteaching.Inthiswaylife-givingmusicality aids the teacher to develop a relationship with his or herclassandwiththesinglechild—arelationshipthat isenlivenedbythedynamicsofthetemperamentsinaction.Steinermakesitquiteclearthatallartsneedtobeinspiredbymusicinordertoremainsourcesofartisticcreativity.

Now in the course of the history of art there existed a general movement which tended more to the plastic or graphic arts. Today we must again inject new life into the plastic arts, for the immediacy of the original impulse was lost years ago. For centuries the impulse towards music has been growing and expanding. Therefore the plastic arts have assumed a musical character to a greater or lesser extent. Music, which includes also the musical element in the arts of speech, is destined to be the art of the future.

The first Goetheanum at Dornach was conceived musically and for this reason its architecture, sculpture and painting met with so little understanding. And for the same reason, the second Goetheanum will also meet with little understanding because the element of music must be introduced into painting, sculpture and architecture, in accordance with man’s future evolution.9

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IfwetakeSteiner’sremarkseriously,weneedtoseekwaysandmeans of permeating all arts, and therefore all teaching, with musicalelements, insteadofhavingonlyactualmusicandsinging itself.Let itbeunderstoodthatactualmusicinstructionandagooddealofsingingisessential.But let itbeunderstoodalso, thatwhentalkingabout thetemperamentsinrelationtomusic,wehavethepossibilitytocometoanunderstandingoftheactualmusicalelement.Conversely,musicalityitselfisakeytoanunderstandingoftheessenceoftemperamentcharacterandactivity.

Beforewelookagainatthehumanbeingintermsoftheelementsofmusic,weneedtomakeafewmoreremarksaboutdifferenttypesofmusicinrelationtothepolarityofforces.

The Polarizing Powers and MusicOne of Steiner’s characterizations of the luciferic and the

ahrimanicprofilesisthattheformerisinclinedtoprolongandproliferateearlierstagesofdevelopment,earlierhistoricalperiodsintothepresenttime, and also to allow the influences of youth to linger longer in anindividual, than would normally be the case.The latter, on the otherhand, is inclined tohurry individualson into the future, intocomingperiodsofdevelopment;tointroduceintothepresenttimewhatwouldreallyonlybe appropriate at a laterdate.Thus the ahrimanic impulseis one to speed up what lives in the present and usher in the futureprematurely,whereasthelucifericimpulseistodelaydevelopmentandprolongtheinfluencesofthepast.Moreover,thelucifericimpulsetendstobringspiritualsubstancedownintothephysical,andtheahrimanicimpulseattemptstobringmaterialsubstanceintothespiritualrealm.

From this viewpoint we may begin to understand severaltendencies in contemporary music. An increasing polarization of thelucifericandahrimanictookplacetowardstheendofthelastcentury.Wenotethattheromanticcomposers—romanticismexhibitsatendencytowardstheluciferic—wereontheincrease.Ontheotherhand,wefindthetendencytomechanizemusic,tofragmentitbytheuseoftechnology,anahrimanicinspiration.Musicalcompositionsthatimitatenaturehavealso suchan impulse.Computermusic isa furtheratomizationof thebeingofmusic.

Amorehiddenaspectoftheahrimanicintentionsforourtime,asSteinerpointsoutinseveralofhislectures,isthis.OneofAhriman’s

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impulses is to lead individuals into instinctive spiritual vision andclairvoyance.Humanbeingswillagainbeabletoseeintothespiritualworlds—this isaprospectforhumanity,whichappearssporadically inourtime,andwillincreaseinthefuture.Ahrimanattemptstopushthistendency into our present time, so that individuals, instinctively and,possibly,toosoon,maybecomeclairvoyant.Steinerhintsthatahrimanicmethodswillbeused—anddowenot see evidence enoughalready—toteachmenquickwaystolookintothespiritualworlds.10Thereisacertaintypeofmusic,purportingtobespiritual,andoftenusingallthegimmicks of electronic gadgetry, which could be perceived as leadingindividualsintoapseudo-spiritualexperience.

Thehumanbeinghimself, though, is formedoutofheavenlymusic.Wemayseetherelationtothemusicalelementsinthisway:

Music-Permeated Teaching – the Art of Relevant PresentationToaddyetanothercontroversialstatementtothesepages,one

could say that teachingbecomes an art in as far as it ispermeatedbymusicality.Beforedescribinganexampleofhowmusicalitycanpermeateteaching,letmemakeafewintroductoryremarks.

As stated above, permeating one’s teaching with musicality isnotthesameaspermeatingitwithmusic.Idonotmeantosuggestthattoseekoutsongsandpiecesofmusicwhichoneregardsassuitableandbringthemtostudentsisanirrelevantinterludebeforegettingonwiththesubjectmatter.However,yetanotherlevelofpermeationismeant.What is meant here is this:To infuse the subject matter with artisticexperiencesandactivities,whicharerelevanttotheconceptualcontents,

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andwhichareinterspersedmusically,thatis inthemannerofathemeanditsvariations,intothewholecourseofthelessons.Inthiswaywemaymakealldetails,allfacets,relevanttothewhole.Elementsofmusicmaybepartofsuchanactivityornot,buttherelationshipofthevariousfacetscomprisingalearningexperienceneedtosoundtogetherlikethepartsofapieceofmusic.

Thismeansalsothatasateacher—asIhaveattemptedtoindi-cateabove—onestrivestosodeepenone’sunderstandingoftheessenceofeachmajorconceptualcontent,sothatoneisabletotranslateitintothevisual,thesculptural,themusicalelement,orintodramaticmovementandgesture.Wecanonlyperform thisdifficult transformationby themeansofwhatSteinercallsactivethinking,asopposedtotheordinarypassivethinkingconcernedwithanintellectualviewoftheworld.

Hence you find in my Philosophyof SpiritualActivity[Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path, AnthroposophicPress, Hudson, NY, 1995] an exposition on the art of forming concepts, a description of what takes place in the soul when one does not keep with one’s concepts to the impressions from the outside, but lives within the free flow of thoughts. That, my dear friends, is an activity which aims at knowledge in a far deeper sense than the external knowledge of Nature, but it is at the same time artistic, wholly identical with artistic activity. So that the moment pure thinking is experienced as will, man’s attitude becomes that of an artist.11

Ifwestriveintheindicatedway,wecanpresentarelevantandcohesivelearningexperiencetothechild,inwhichconceptualandartistic-sensoryaswellasfeelingaspectsofanysubjectareintegratedbecausetheyprovethemselvestobevariationsononetheme.Whenattemptingtowork in thisway, temperament language—aspointedout above inChapter2—istheagentoftransformationofconcepts,derivedthroughactivethinking,intoanartisticform.

The relationship of the temperaments to music thus actuallyrevealsitselfintwoways:Oneistheconcreterelationshipofthedifferentcomponentsofmusic—rhythm,harmonyandmelody;alsothequalityofthedifferentinstrumentstothefourtemperamentsbelongstothisdirect

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relationtomusic.Theotheristhatanyunfoldingprocessdemonstratesthedynamicsoftheinterplayofthetemperamentsaspure,orintangiblemusic—forittakesplaceinthemediumoftime.

As I hinted above (See Chapter 4), the creative process is aprocessdemonstrating temperamentdynamics—that is theweavingofthefourseasonsofcreation.Inasfarasanylessonisawhole,thiswholecomes about through the dynamics of a course of events, musicalitypermeatinganddifferentiatingtheveryflowoftime.Afundamentallymusicalcurrentenlivenstheunfoldingofanyevent.

Itisthusvitaltorealizethatinamusicalsequencewhateverislaterintime,influencestheformer.Intheflowofthelesson,specifically,themainconceptthatistoariseclearlyattheend,alreadyinfluencesthesteps,whicharetobetakentowardsthatend—thefuturealreadyintonestheclosingchordinthepresent—musicallyspeaking.

Asideremark:Thestepstowardsanendarerelevanttothisend,notirrelevant.Steiner’srepeatedwarning,thatAhrimanisbehindeverymeans,whichisnotinherentlyrelevant—andthereforetrue—totheend,whichitismeanttoserve,shouldberememberedhere.Educationtoday,whichisinfluencedstronglybybehavioristphilosophy,showsirrelevant,andthusinherentlyuntrueuseofmeanstoachieveaneducationalend.One might call this the hidden immorality of much of present dayeducationalindoctrination.

The Morphology of Europe – Introduced MusicallyWhenwe introduce thegeographyofwhatmightbe thefirst

distantcontinent(forNorthAmericanstudents),thestartingpointhastobeamorphologicalone.AsthemorphologicalfeaturesofEuropearemorecomplexthanthoseofanyothercontinent,a frameworkforthemorphologyneedstobeestablished.Europewithitsmanypeninsulas,itsveryintimateinterpenetrationoflandandsea,hasacomplexcoastline.Themountainsaretheskeletons,theseasandriversthesurging,moving,rhythmicbloodandvascularsystemofthisbeingcalledEurope.Weshallattempttodescribehowthemajorfeaturesofthemorphologyintermsofmountainsandwaterscanbetranslatedintomusical/dramaticaction.

Scene ITheclassisdividedintotwogroups:Onewillactasthemoun-

tains, the other at first the seas, later the rivers.The mountain group

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standsinthecenteroftheroomandchants/singswordssomewhatlikethefollowing:“Wearethemountainstallandstrong.”Themusiccouldbesomewhatlikethis:

Asthechildrensing,theygesture,raisingtheirarmsovertheirheadstoindicatepitch,heightofmountains,andmaybealsostampintimewiththewords.

Atthesametimethesecondgrouphasformedintoacirclearoundthemountaingroupandchants/sings:“Windandwaterontheshores,evermovingwavesarewe.”

Thesetwogroupsmove,respectively,moreorlessinthecenterand the circumference of a circle. The mountain group stands andgestures on the spot, the water group moves along the circumferencecirclingtheother.Gradually,theteacherwillleadthewatergroupintoawave line,becomingmoreandmorepronounced,drawingnearertothemountains,orrecedingtotheperipheryinrhythmicmotion.Akindofdialogueofmovementensuesbetweenthesetwogroups,allthetimeaccompaniedby the singing/chanting,aswellas suitablegestureswiththearms.Harmoniousinteractionbetweenthesetwogroupsisessential.

Scene IIThemountaingroupwillnowdiversify,splittingupintosmaller

groups.EachgroupwillbecomeoneofthemajormountainousrangesandcomplexesofEurope,andplacethemselvesintheirrelativepositions,asifthefloorwereamapofEurope.Onebyonetheytellandsingwhotheyare,until in theendtheseveralvoices jointogether:“Weare themountainstallandstrong.WearetheAlpsfromEasttoWest.WearetheApenninestotheSouth.WearethePyreneestotheSouthwest.WearetheCarpathianstotheEast…”andsoforth.Thesplittingupoccursduringthesinging,andeachgroupkeepsmoving,gesturing,singingonthespotrepresentingthemapofEurope.

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Here the seas accompany the mountains by gently swellingmotions.Now it is time again for them tomove.Thewalkingof thewaves becomes more and more dramatic, as gradually they walk theshapeofEurope’scoastline.Now,ontheoutsideofthecircle,theseasmightseparateandformtheirownbodiesofwater:“Windandwaterontheshore,evermovingwavesarewe:TheNorthSea,theGulfofBiscay,theEnglishChannel, theMediterraneanSea, theBalticSea, theBlackSea,”andsoforth.

Again,weshallseektoletthemusicunderlinetheverypictureofthemanywaterbodiessurroundingthemountains.Theaimistogettheclasstoexperiencetheformativeforcesofthemorphology,fromthewhole to the differentiated parts, out of the interplay of polarities—earthymountainsandwateryoceans,thefixedandthemobile.

Scene IIIOnefurtherpossiblestepistoletthecourseofEurope’sprincipal

rivers arise out of the implicit tension of the polarity of mountainsand seas as a third, mercurially uniting element. Single students maywind their way landwards portraying the course of the Rivers Rhine,Rhone,Danube,Volga, and so on. Implicit in this dramatic action isalsothenatureof theculturalroleof thebigwaterways—theirroleoffacilitatingcommunicationandcommercebetweenhumanbeings.Seasandmountainsmayseparateindividualsandnations,butthemercurialrivershelpthemcommunicate.

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Theriver childrenmightsing:“Iamthe(nameofriver).Irollupstreamtomysource,fromcoastalplainstomightytoweringcrags.”

Thechoreographyofsuchageography operaforthethreesceneswouldbesomewhatlikethis:

Oncewehaveperformeditdailyforaboutaweek,thestudentsarethenreadytotranslatetheirspatialexperience intoamap.Agoodsequenceistopaintfirst,thendraw,andfinallymodelitinclayorwax.

As we move further into geography, we may characterize thedifferentpartsofEuropeanditsmanypeoplesdirectlyintermsofmusic.Now, insteadofbeingmountain rangesand rivers,groupsof studentscouldrepresentthedifferentpartsofEurope:NorthernEurope,EasternEurope,SouthernEuropeandsoforth.Thisgivesampleopportunityfortheenterprisingclassteachertocomposemusicexpressingthecharacterof the people in these different parts of Europe:The Southern Latintemperament—vivaciously sanguine, and even tinged a little by thefiery choleric; themelancholicNorthern, inminormode; thewatery/phlegmatic Western, and the bouncy-folksy central European, mostbalancedofall.NottoforgettheRussian,combiningthecholericwiththemelancholicasisapparentinsomanyRussianfolksongs.

InsuchawaywewouldarouseinourstudentsarealfeelingforthenatureofthepeoplesofEurope,fortheirconnectiontotheirveryearthand landscape—and this iswhatgeography is all about. Indeed,Steineremphasizedtheimportanceofgeographyteachingbyindicatingthatitisvitalforthedevelopmentofhealthysocialimpulsesforlaterlife.

ThedramatizationofthemorphologyofEuropeasenactedbystudents already carries within it an inner visualization of the map of

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Europe.By juxtaposingevents,whichdramatizethismap—ingesture,gestalt,intonality,invisualimage,webringitsvariousfacetsclosertothestudent.Thisexampleshowsbothdirectandindirectworkingwiththe musical elements. Direct, because actual musical themes are sungandperformed; indirect,because thedramaticbuildupof these scenesunfoldsmusically.

The musical flow is the mother lode out of which—in theend—conceptual knowledge crystallizes. A sequence of experiencesandactivities,whichareinherentlyrelevanttothefinalconcept,comesabout if we permeate teaching with musicality. Then we teach thus,that each step contains the whole, however hidden, as each part of aplantcontainspotentiallythewholeplant.Sowebuildthefoundationfor livingconcepts.Relevancyisrelatednessonadeeper level thanthetemperament/element level. A new dimension appears to have beenadded.Withoutthefoundationofthetemperamentcorrespondenceincosmicandhumanexistence,however,weshallalsonotfindthekeytopresentrelevantfactors.

Thestartingpointtotheaboveexamplewastheinherentcontrastbetweenearthandwater.Ourknowledgeoftheirincisivecharacteristicsenabled us to develop them dramatically.This musical dramatizationrevealedaninherentdynamics.Themodeofexperiencewasrelevanttothesubject

Endnotes1 RudolfSteiner,Art as Seen in the Light of Mystery Wisdom,op.cit.,Lecture

ofSeptember12,1920.

2 Ibid.,LectureofDecember29,1914.

3 RudolfSteiner,True and False Paths,op.cit.,LectureofAugust22,1924.

4 Ibid.

5 RudolfSteiner,Balance in Teaching,MercuryPress,SpringValley,NY,1982,GA302a,LectureofSeptember21,1920.

6 RudolfSteiner,The Child’s Changing Consciousness and Waldorf Education,AnthroposophicPress,Hudson,NY,1988,GA306,LectureofApril22,1923.

7 Op.cit.,Steiner,Art as Seen in the Light of Mystery Wisdom,LectureofMarch7,1923.

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8 RudolfSteiner,Eurythmy as Visible Music,RudolfSteinerPress,London,1977,GA278,LectureofFebruary21,1924.

9 Op.cit.,Steiner,True and False Paths.

10 RudolfSteiner,The Influences of Lucifer and Ahriman, Man’s Responsibility for the Earth,SteinerBookCentre,Inc.,NorthVancouver,Canada,1976,GA191,LectureofNovember15,1919.

11 RudolfSteiner,The Younger Generation,AnthroposophicPress,SpringValley,NY,1976,GA217,LectureofOctober12,1922.

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Chapter Seven

Language, Art and TemperamentImagine that we have here the expired air, on which are impressed certain words that the human being speaks. Whilst this breath, formed into words, streams outwards from the breast, the rhythmic vibration goes downward and passes over into the whole watery element that permeates the human organism. Thus at the level of his throat, his speech organs, man has the air-rhythms when he speaks. But along with his speaking goes a wavelike surging and seething of the whole fluid-body in the human being. The fluid in man that is below the region of speech comes into vibration and vibrates in harmony. This is what it really means when we say that our speech is accompanied by feelings. If the watery element in the human being did not vibrate in harmony in this way, man’s speech would go forth from him neutrally, indifferently; he would not be able to permeate what he says with feeling. And upwards in the direction of the head, goes the element of warmth, and accompanying the words that we impress upon the air are upward-streaming waves of warmth, which permeate the head and there make it possible for our words to be accompanied by thought.1

–RudolfSteiner

In languagean individuals recreate themselves.They sendoutwords on a stream of air, having fashioned each word by uniting theformative consonant stream with the feeling vowel stream. Thus, inlanguagewehaveauniqueformofunificationofthetwopolaritiesastheyactineachindividual.Moreover,itisapparentthatineveryword,sentenceandspeech,whichanindividualsendsoutintotheworld,heorshelivesinthestreamoftime,asisalsothecasewhenoneisengagedwithmusic.Speechhasasitslowestphysicalbasisthewaves(vibrations)ofair.Withinapersonthefluidorganizationvibrateswithit,resonates,whenspeaking.Wesculpttheelementofair,oflight,whilespeakingand

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endowitwiththoughtinasfarasweletourwarmthflowintoit.Theastralnatureonthewavesof theair formsthevowels,andtheethericformsresonatingwithinapersonformtheconsonants.

Wehaveintheveryphysiologyandmorphologyofspeechanindication of how language comes into being in the intangible zonebetween astral and etheric, streamed through by human ego warmthandthoughtcontents.Thusitmaybeobviousthatintheverysoundsof language we would find the working of the temperament/elementmodes.Weshallreturntothisingreaterdetail,butletitbenotednowthatvowelsoundsarecarriersoftheexpansivepolarity,andconsonantsof the contractive.This is,of course, ageneralization, forwithineachoftherangesofthevowels,aswellastheconsonants,thereisalsothespectrumfromtheexpansivetothecontractive.

I have been able to give language here only the sketchiest oftreatments, and fromonlyonepointof view, though it ishoped thatthereaderwill feelchallengedtofolloweachhintwithherorhisownelaborations.

The Structure of LanguageOneofthesecretsinherentinlanguageis,thatineachfacetof

the spokenword, thewholehumanbeing is contained. In eachworditselfthereisthethreefoldnessofbody—theactualairbodyoftheword;ofsoul—thatismusicality,pitch,tonalityandcoloration,whichcarriesall the emotional and feeling overtones, as it were; and of spirit—theconceptual contents, the thought lightly incarnated into it throughwarmth.

Consideringeachsentence,wefindasimilarwholenessreflectingtheessenceofwhat ishuman.Eachsentencehasahead—thesubject,whichisexpressedbyanounoranounphrase;ithasalimb-metabolicsystem—thepredicatethatisexpressedbythemainverbwithitsobject.And further, the body may be extended in various directions with avariety of subsidiary clauses.The simplest sentence already shows thebasicpolarityofheadandbody.

Iwouldsuggestfurther—andthisisfarmoredifficultbothtoillustrateortoprove—thateachpieceofwriting,eachstory,drama,essayandsoforth,canbeseenasawhole,showingthebasichumantriadofincarnationifwewerebutsufficientlysubtleinourobservation.Possibly,onecouldcallthistriadstructure(ofthebody),character(ofthesoul),andcontents(ofthespirit).

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Eachsentencemaybecomparedtoaminiaturehumanbeing.Thepartsofspeechinasentencearerelatedtoeachotherinthesamewayasthedifferentpartsofthebodyarerelatedtothewholeperson.Withevery sentenceweutter,we send anair person into our surroundings.Thenounofasimplesentenceisitshead,theverbitslimbs,theadjectiveitsheart,andtheadverbisitsdigestivesystem.Or,toincludeotherpartsofspeech,onemayseetheadjectiveintherightarm,theadverbintheleftarm,theverbintherightleg,theprepositionintheleftleg.Smallwonderthatevenyoungchildrenintheprocessoflearningtospeakknowinstinctivelyhowtoroundoutthewholenessofthesentence.Asinfantstheyhavebeenlearningtoexploretheirownmovementsystem,too.Alsosmallwonder,thattheinstinctforthisdeep structureoflanguage,touseNoamChomsky’s term, seems inborn:Childrenknowas instinctively,notintellectually,ofcourse,whatconstitutesawholenessofmeaning,astheyknowthecompletenessoftheirownbody.

Anotherextraordinaryfacetoflanguageisthefactthatoneaimsat the completionof a sentencewhile still speaking it—thus languageactually runs ahead of thought. Just think of what we express ofteninadvertentlywithourreparteewithouthavinggivencarefulconsiderationto what we thus express.To phrase this another way: Conscious anddeliberate thinking seems slower and more cumbersome compared tothe lightning swift instinctive thought expressed in the immediacy oflanguage.Somethingrelatedtoourlanguagecapacityrunsaheadofus,asitwere,andworksinfromthefuturesothatweaimthesentencetowardsitsconclusion.Thisisavitalfacetofourlanguage.

Speech, like music, flows with time, flows in from the futurethrough our inherent, and instinctively wise, capacity to resolve andcompleteatrendofthought,asentence.Butunlikethesoundsofmusic,thespeechsoundscarrywithitfurtherdifferentiation.

When we hear an ‘a’ or an ‘i’ or other sounds, a subconscious activity momentarily transforms a melody into a harmony. That is the secret of sound; it is melody transformed into harmony. This marvellous subconscious activity proceeds in approximately the same way as the various refractions in the eye are carried out according to physical laws, which is another process we can call to consciousness after it has taken place.2

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Afurtherquestionarises:Whatistheorganinus,whichenablesustounderstandthemeaningofanotherperson’swords?

We would not be able to understand words, did we not possess a physical movement organism. Truly, within the nerves leading from the central nervous system to our total movement organism is contained the sensory organ for the perception of words spoken to us. Thus are the sense organs specialized: The whole man—sense organ for the perception of the ego, the self of another man; the life organization underlying the physical organization—sense organ for the perception of thought; the independently mobile man—sense organ for the perception of words.3

The above statement is of immense importance for teachers.Steinerconfirmsherethatthesenseorganforthecomprehensionofthespokenwordofanotherpersonisourentiremovementorganization—ourwholebodyinasfarasweareabletomove.Asteacherswecometo realize thatunless thebodilymovementof children is fostered anddeveloped in a healthyway, theywill not be able tounderstand theirfellow human beings. One element of human communication is thusintrinsicallydependentonthechild’sabilitytomove.Oneisremindedhere of the efforts of child psychologists, who developed movementexercisesforthetherapeutictreatmentofavarietyofdyslexicconditions,thentermedaphasias,severaldecadesago.

Conclusion – Judgment – ConceptHereweneedtomakeafurtherexplorationintothedepthsof

thehumanbeinginordertobetterunderstandthedeeperstructureoflanguage,asitservestheexpressionofthought.Threefacultiesascribedtologicalthinkingarevitalforintelligentcommunicationbetweenhumanbeings:Thefacultiestoarriveatconclusions,makejudgments,andform concepts(Notethegeniusoflanguagechoosingthesethreeverbstofitthesethreefaculties).

Howchildrenlearntodevelopthesethreefaculties, leadingtological thinking, is a vital question for the elementary school teacher,foritisduringtheelementaryschoolagethatchildrenneedtodevelopthemgradually.SteinerreferstoitindepthinhisFoundations of Human

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Experience (op. cit.,LectureofAugust29,1919).Herehe states that,contrarytoprevailingassumptions,

[T]he first thing you form is a conclusion; the second is a judgment; the last thing you come to in life is a concept. Of course you are not aware that you are continuously carrying out this activity; but it is only by means of this activity that you can lead a conscious life which enables you to communicate with other human beings through speech. It is commonly thought that one comes to concepts first of all. That is not true.

Steinerpointsout,too,thateachsentenceisalreadyajudgment.Conceptsaremostdeeplyinsertedintothehumanbeing.Thesleepingsoulitselfinsertsconceptsintothebeingofthechild.Teachers,heexhorts,shouldrefrainfrombringingfinishedconceptstothechild.Suchfinishedconceptsactasdead,inertbodies,whichareindigestibletothesoul.Healsoindicatesawaytoawakenachild’sthoughtpotential.

You must treat a child of this kind (a dullard) by building as little as possible on his powers of knowing, on his understanding, but by ‘hammering’ in some things which will work strongly on the will, by letting him walk while he speaks.4

Thereisafurtherindicationoftheintimaterelationshipoflanguagewiththemovementofthewholebody.

Only representation as such is really a matter of the head activity. In making a judgment, you need to sense, via the mediation of the etheric body, the way in which you stand with your legs, for you do not judge with your head at all, but with your legs, respectively with your etheric legs. Whoever makes judgments when lying down simply stretches forth his etheric legs. Making judgments is a matter for the legs, not of the head! Of course no one believes this, though it is true. The arriving at conclusions also rests upon the arms and the legs; actually upon all that

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man has which raises him beyond the animal. An animal also uses its legs; the animal itself is a judgment, but it does not arrive at conclusions. Man makes conclusions, for this reason he has arms, not for walking. Man has arms which can move freely, so that he is able to arrive at conclusions. That which happens when man stretches forth his ether legs and his astral arms in judgment, in conclusion, that is reflected only in the head as representation and thus becomes concept. Thus one makes use of complete man, not only nerve-sensory man, to make judgments and arrive at conclusions.5

We have gone this circuitous route in order to get a feelingfor a person’s complete involvement in all aspects of the being andstructureoflanguage.Thehumanessenceofphysicalmovementisthusfundamentallyconcernedwithendowinganindividualwiththefacultyto express himself or herself intelligently and communicate with hisfellowman,aslikewisethemovementinanindividual’sownastralandethericbodiesprovidesthefoundationforunderstandingandthinking.

Letusremindourselvesthattheartofpaintingworksfromtheastralforcesintotheethericnexusofforces,andtheartofmusicfromthe ego into the astral realm.With thiswehaveonecluewhyartisticactivityaspartofteachingfostersthelearningprocess,forwecometoaconclusionmusically;wearriveatajudgmentpictorially.

Comparison between Rudolf Steiner’s presentation of the stages of logical thinking in two of his works:

Foundations of Human Experience1919SleepingSoul

WakingSoul:doesnotworkonthebody

DreamingSoul:Feeling

Therapeutic Insights1921Reflectioninhead:representationandconcept

Conclusion:astralarmsandlegs

Judgment:ethericlegsandfeet

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Rememberingtheconceptoftheessentialselfofeachindividual,oftheouterandinnerego,bothofwhichareinsuchheavenlybalanceinmusic,wecanarriveattheconclusionthatinspeechtheouteregoispredominant.Indeed,

[I]f we go on to speak about the higher members of the human beings, starting with the spirit-self, we can refer to them only as something which is still outside the human being. For, in this fifth Post-Atlantean epoch, we are only just beginning to make this spirit-self one of our inner members. But if we accept it as a gift from a higher sphere and sink it into our ego, taking with us what as yet can only be dimly felt of the spirit-self, then poetry is born.6

TheMuseofPoetryengagestheselfinthedivinedanceofthegods,sothatinspiredwordswouldreachnotonlyearthlyconclusions,butalsoheavenlyonesmoistenedbythedewofrevelation.Thusadeepmusicalityisactiveinthetimeelementoflanguage,initsstructure,initsverysoundsasthestreamofwordsismodifiedanddifferentiatedintosentences,intorhymesandrhythms.

One more remark about language, before going on to itsrelationtothetemperaments.Tothedegreethatourmovementcapacity,throughtheinterferenceoftechnology,becomesrigidifiedandlimited,an individual’s language ability is alsodamagedandwith itherorhisabilitytothinklogically.Theseeffectsarealreadyapparentinpresent-daychildren.Wehave,therefore,avitaltaskinthefieldofthelanguagearts,which can contribute toheal someof thedamageswhichpresent-daycivilizationhasinflictedupontheyoung.

When concerning ourselves thus with the connection oflanguagestructuretothehumanbeing,itisobviousthatwemusttreadthe following path: We begin with addressing the conscious soul life,within which lives the faculty for drawing conclusions in the middlerealmofthehumanbeing;thenweleadthisoverintotherealmofthedreamingsoul,thuseffectingjudgmentwiththehelpofourfeet;finallyweshallallowthesleepingsoultoworkduringactualsleep,orduringaperiodofforgettingtoformtheconceptswhicharereflectedinthehead.Comparethiswiththeabovediagram,andalsowiththekeypictureofthelearningprocessasdescribedinChapter2.

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Theabovesequencemayformabasisforarrivingataprocessofteachinginconcordancewithanindividual’sspiritualbeing:Fromthemusicalityof themiddlepartof thehumanphysiologywe then enterthespatial-formativeelementbymovingourfeetovertheground.Thismovementactivity thenbecomes transformed into theconceptualandimage quality, which is typical of the head region.The whole humanbeingisthusactiveinthetransformationofconclusionintojudgmentandonintoconcept.

Temperament and the Teaching of Language Arts.Let us remind ourselves of the three stages of language

developmentascharacterizedinChapter2.Inallthreestages,inallthreeareas of expression—gesture and movement, rhythm and musicality,imageandconcept—wehavethepossibilityofdifferentiationaccordingto temperament, for we may bring the fiery, airy, watery and earthyelement right into all these forms of language expression. If we nowcorrelate what has been suggested in the preceding chapters with thedevelopmentoflanguage,wemayarriveatthefollowingpossibilityforbothgraspinganddevelopingtheteachingoflanguagearts,asitteachesexpressionofouressentialbeing,inthreesteps.

Firstly,wewouldengagechildrenintheareaofconclusion,theareaofmusicalityandrhythmoflanguageintherhythmicregionofthebody,whichisalsothesecondstageofthedevelopmentoflanguageinhumanevolution.Wewouldthenfosterspeechanddramaticactionatthispoint.Itwouldalsobeimperativetoletstudentsmovetheirarmsinflowingmotiontogetherwiththespokenword.Intonationandgesturewould be colored by the different temperament modalities accordingto the four elements. In the art of speech formation we nurture theconfluenceofvoiceandgesture.AlltherecitationanddramaworkdoneinWaldorfclassroomsfromfirstgradeonservestoestablishthisnaturalandartisticimmersionintotheelementofthespokenword.Italsoservestocounteractthemundaneelementofeverydaylanguage.

Asasecondstepwewouldleadthisoverintospatialmovementsandpatterns,whichweexpressthroughthechoreographyofourstepson the ground, thus involving feet and legs to accompany words andsentencesmeaningfully.

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We should not miss the opportunity of giving the child what one could call a spatial picture of a main and a relative clause. Naturally this can be done in the most varied ways. Without wanting to theorize one could represent the main clause as a large circle and the relative clause as a small one, perhaps an eccentric circle. The conditional clause, the ‘if-sentence,’ could now be shown by lines drawn towards the circle like rays indicating the conditioning factors. … It is really necessary, after appropriate preparation of one’s material, to come back to these matters again and again, and even with ten-, eleven-, twelve-year-olds to go into the moral-characterological aspect of style made visible by pictures. This does not imply teaching syntax, for the pupil should grasp these matters in a more intuitive way. One can really go a long way here. For instance one can introduce a short story from the point of view of the temperaments, having thoroughly prepared it beforehand.7

Themostsignificantpointhereisthespatialrepresentationoflanguagethroughwhichaninnersenseforstructureisawakenedinthechild.Thedifferentformprinciplesinherentinthetemperamentmodesshowthemselveshereinthecontractive-circularortheexpansive-radialgestureoftheform,aswellasinourorientationanddirection.

Thirdly,weadvancetoanimage,whichisredolentwithmeaning,withcontents,withconcept.Intheimage,inthepictorial,wehaveyetanotherpossibilitytoinfusemeaningbytemperamentmode:Byevokingvisualandaudiblecontour,color,andshapeinanearthy,fiery,airy,andwaterymodulation.

Example: Subject and PredicateThe introduction to subjectandpredicate is indicated for the

fifth grade. We take, for example, the following sentence through allthreestages:PallasAthenasprangforthfromZeus’sforehead.

Thefirstday:Wewould speak the sentencewithadistinctivecaesurabetweenthesubject—PallasAthena—andthepredicatewiththeobject—sprang forth from Zeus’s forehead. Accompanying the words,wewouldmake a roundedgesturewithourhands, a littlehead, as itwere,whenspeakingthesubject,andthenletalong,horizontalgesture

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accompany the rest of the sentence.We use here spherical and radialforms.Ourintonationwouldadaptitselftothegesture.

Thesecondday:Wewouldchallengetheclasstoshowushowwecouldwalkthissentenceonthefloorsuchthatthedifferencebetweenthesetwopartswouldbemadeapparent.Thismaybedonewithclasses,which have been used to the spatial representation of sentences sincesecondgrade.Otherwise,alengthierintroductionmaybeneeded.Withalittlecoaching,theclasscouldarriveatsomethinglikethis:Tostandstill, inthecenter,whilespeakingthesubject,andmovingaroundthecenteralongtheperipheryswiftlywhilespeakingthepredicate.Itshouldbenotedthatinthisarrangement,whiletheverbisspoken,thepersoninthemiddlejumpsoutfromthecenterintotheperiphery—themostactivemotionofthewholesentence.

Thethirdday:Wewoulddrawandwritewhathasbeenenactedbefore.Thesentencenowbecomesentirelyvisual,andwithit,throughrepeatedpractice, conceptual.The childrenknownow thedivisionofa sentence into subject and predicate—and will eventually be able tocharacterizethisdifferenceverbally.

Wehavefollowedapathfromthemiddlerealmofthehumanbody—wheretheorganofspeechissituated,andlinkeditwithgesture,as the fourfold temperament mode shows itself in both. In the aboveexamplethesubjectwillbemainlymelancholicandthepredicatecholericand sanguine.The contractive element in gesture and motion here isquite tangible, as is the expansive,whenwe let it sinkdown into thepatternswalkedbyourfeet.Withthelatterwehaveletitsinkdowninto

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thesecondarea,theareaofjudgment.Finally,welettheimagecrystallizeandbe reflectedconceptually in thehead.This three-dayprocedure isoneoftheprinciplesoftransformationassuggestedbySteineratvarioustimes,sothatthesubjecttobelearnedmaybeexperiencedinalivingwaybyeachstudent.

Itisimportanttopointoutoncemorethatwehavebegunthisprocesswiththesecondstageoflanguagedevelopment,becauseweneedtobeginwiththatwhichispresent,withthatwhichisfactual,withthatwhichiswhole,beforemovingintoanalysis.

The Three-Day ProcessWhen discussing the teaching of physics, Steiner describes in

detail the learning process as it takes place over three days.8 He alsoapplies thisprocess to the teachingofhistory. Iwould suggest that inothersubjectsasimilarprocessmaybeadoptedandbefoundhelpful,althoughonewouldnotseparatethevariousstagesrigidly,butletthemevolveorganically.Letmeemphasizeherethatbyfollowingthisthree-day procedure, we begin with the musical/rhythmical/vocal facets ofthesubjectmatter.Thenweletthembetransformedintoactualspatialmotion,overthegroundinchoreographedmovement.Finallyweallowthem to crystallize into an image/concept. As Steiner indicates in theabovenamedlecturethat,byspreadingoutthisprocessoverthreedays,we work from the ego/astral/day-consciousness pole into the astral/etheric/dreamnatureofourbeing,andfinallyintotheetheric/physical/formstructure.Thereweare leastconscious,butnowitbecomespartof memory, and so becomes our mental property. In this way we areconstantlyengagedinbuildingupourinnerworld,andthisprocess—spreadoutover threedays—aids the assimilationofknowledgewhichismostappropriatetoahumanbeing’sinner,spiritualandsoulnature.

Style, Temperament and RhythmNow we need to relate the temperaments to the three great

sections of language as an art: Epic, dramatic and lyrical poetry.Thequestionofcreativewritingandstyleshouldalsoconcernushere.

Each of the three great sections of poetic language can, forinstance,becorrelatedtooneofthekingsinGoethe’sfairytaleoftheGreen Snake and the Beautiful Lily:Eposisthegoldenking;lyricalpoetrythesilverking;dramaistheironking.Allotherwritingmayberelatedtothemixedking—asallpossibleformsofstylearemixed.

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The head nature of an epic style should be apparent. Well-rounded, formed sentences roll inmajesticarray—whether inverseorprose—tounfoldapanoramaofthepast.Thelandscapeofhistoricandmythologicalimageryunfoldshere.Eposismythological.Itisapparentthat the contractive rather than the expansive polarity dominates inepos,innarrative,andtheunfoldingofhistoricaldescription.Thegreatepics engender thoughtfulness.Thus the melancholic and phlegmatictemperamentscontributeespeciallytotheepicstyle.

Itisadifferentmatterwheredramaticstyleisconcerned.Dialogueis polarization, juxtaposition and interaction, give and take.Languageitself becomes the carrier of action here. Dramatic confrontation ofcharacterspulls theobserver into the time span enacted in thedramaand thus into the immediacyof thepresent action.The impact of itsimmediacyinstantlyinvolvesthespectatorsothatheorshe—asignofgooddrama—becomesaparticipantandwitnessofaction.IndramawehaveprobablytheMarsqualityoflanguageexpressedtoitsfullest.

Thecholerictemperamentiscloselyrelatedtothespiritofdramaitself.Itneedstobepointedoutclearly,though,thatdespiteanoverlyingcholeric mood each of the temperaments must be represented as theactor’s characterization of his part demands. Steiner gives very preciseindicationsinSpeech and Dramahowactorsshouldpreparethemselvestoactthedifferenttemperamentsonthestage.9

Lyrical poetryholds an intermediate position:Airy orwatery,asthecasemaybe.Rhythmicequilibriumbetweenthetwootherstylesreveals itselfhere.Here,also, is themostnaturalapplicationofrhymeandmeter,thoughthepoeticrhythmsplayoftenavitalpartintheotherstyles.Theairyandwateryreflecttheworldofsemblanceruledbythesilver king. Indeed, the truly poetical element hovers on the edge ofreality,throwingitsmany-coloredmantleovereverythingconceptual.Ittouchesouterrealitybutlightly,yetpromisesthegreatestofrevelations,whichseemtoreachoutfromthefutureintothepresenttowringourvery heartstrings.Thus, true poetry emerges as conversation with thefuture,withtherealmofpossibility.

Allfourelementsaretraceableinthepoeticform,rhythmandusage of speech sounds. In the very usage of poetic rhythms we maydiscoverwhetheraworkofpoetrytendstowardstheepic,inthebroadhexameters, for instance, which swell and roll in panorama; or thedramatic/cholerically forceful and tersely apt characterization of many

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apoemwhichcarriesgreatpower ofthoughtoractionwithinit.Inthelivelyandripplingrhythmsofthelyricalwefindthetrueheartofpoetryinall shades fromthewhimsical to theprofound—here the sanguine/phlegmatic temperaments show their formative action in mercurialsequenceofcoagulationanddissolution.It isnotmytaskheretogiveexamples;Ileavethistothereader.

Thefourgreatmeters—Iambus,Anapest,DactylandTrochee—may be thought of corresponding to the four temperament modes.IambusandAnapest,havingtheaccentattheend,wouldtendtowardtheexpansivepolarity,andthusberelatedtothecholericandthesanguinerespectively; Dactyl and Trochee, beginning with the accent—whichholdsthemback—wouldcorrespondtothecontractivephlegmaticandmelancholicmodes.

As a class teacherwe shall acquaint all studentswith all threestyles of poetic language through our own presentation and theirparticipation by the telling and retelling of stories; by pantomime ordramatic presentation and performance; by reciting, in chorus andindividually,poetry.Insuchawayalsothegreatestofartistswillbecomefamiliartothestudents.Further,andthisisofextremeimportance,weshallhavetohelpchildrentodotheirowncreativewritinginallthreestyles.

Thewritingofstories,usuallyintheformofretellingwhathasbeen heard in class, is the first of the areas into which children grownaturally in the Waldorf approach. The stories told in the first fourgrades offerabundantmaterialforretellingandthusforintroducinganepicelementoflanguage.Whileintroducingstudentstothistask,itisessentialtospendsomeminutesdiscussingthecontentsofwhatneedstobewritteninordertoestablishamoodeverytimeweaskaclasstowrite.Further,itisveryhelpfulifcertainelementssuchassequenceofevents, spellingofnames, etc., arediscussedfirst andclarified, so thatstudents enter into this activitywith a certain amount of reassurance.Thisapproachfollows,onceweunderstandwhyweneedtobeginwiththepresent,therealmoffeeling,themiddlerealmofhumanexperience,asindicatedabove—thatisthemodelofthekeystagesofthelearningprocessasdescribedinChapter2.

Thewritingofpoetrycaneasilybeencouragedfromaroundtheninthyearon.Itsimplyreflectsagrowthofawarenessofthemusicalityoflanguage,andbuildsuponthenaturalmusicalityofthechild.After

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severalyearsofspeakingpoetryinsuchawaythattherhythmical/musicalcharacterisstressed,simplepoeticformsappeartocomenaturallytomanychildren, with a little encouragement. By attempting to write poetry,childrenhonetheirfeelingforrhymeandrhythm,forthemusicalityoflanguagealtogether.Naturallytheintricaciesofpoeticmetersandformsneednotbeenteredintomoreseriouslyforseveralyears.ThisisactuallystudymaterialintheWaldorfhighschool.

The language arts block, usually referred to as Wish-Wonder-Surpriseintheseventhgrade,offersthepossibilitytodiscussdifferencesinstyleinfargreaterdepththanwaspossiblebefore.Oneoftheimportantdistinctions, which we shall have to make with the students, will be,through developing the sensitivity for the subtle shades of meaningconveyedbythedifferentmoodsoftheverb,betweentheactual/factualandthepotential/possible.

Thesefinergradationsofmeaningandlanguageare,whenwellstudied and practiced with seventh graders, an essential experience inpreparationfortheemotionalstormsofpuberty.It isofvalueforpre-puberty students to learn to distinguish between the actual and thewishful,theimaginaryandthefactual,forthisisoneofthetreacherouscliffstheywillhavetolearntocircumnavigateinthecourseofthenextfewyears.Thedramaticelement,too,beginstocomeintoitsownfromtheninth,tenthyearon.Thisisanagethatheraldsindividualawakening,andthusisparticularlysuitablefordramaticexpression.

Asideremark:Who,asateacher,hasnotencounteredthechildwhousesimpudentandinsolentintonationattimeswhenaddressinganadult,butwhoisapparentlycompletelyunawareof thateffect?Activedramatic work brings this into awareness and thus eventually undercontrol.

Itisalsogoodtofosterimpromptudramaticscenesinthelastyearsoftheelementaryschool.Inthiswaythestudentsarechallengedtoemployawarenessofthemselvesandlearntotunevoice,language,tone,expression,andgestureasan instrumentofexpression.Thewritingofdramaticscenes,too,shouldbeattemptedandencouraged.Historyandmythologygivesplendidexamplesandprovideexcellentopportunities.Itmustbeapparentthatthedepictionofcertaincharacterswillemploythetypicaltemperamentmodes.Indeedthefourtemperamentsfurnishuswithfourstylesofgesture,bearing,andvoice.Thisofferstheteacheran organic and natural way to introduce her class to acting. Needless

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to say, one does not speak about the temperaments themselves to thechildren,butusesthetypicalimageryinone’sdiscussionofoneortheothercharacterpriortodramaticaction.Onecouldspeaksomewhatlikethis,forinstance,whenspeakingtoyoungerstudents:“Walklikeaking;like awarrior; like a very sadman;walk like a good-for-nothing!”Ofcourseonecanspeakaboutthefiery,thewatery,airyorearthymannerofposture,gestureorgait,aslongasonerefrainsfromusingterminologylikesanguine.

In a poem everything depends on the way the poet uses the musical element, rhythm, melody, the theme, the imaginative element, the evocation of sound. Single words give the prose content. The crux is how we treat that prose content.10

Speech Sounds and Temperaments

He who is not engaged with speech, hearing inwardly—to him come no pictures and no thoughts. He remains clumsy in this thinking, and abstract, if not pedantic, in his speaking. It is just by experiencing the nature of the sounds, the pictorial element in the forming of speech itself, that something lies which conjures out of our souls even the very thoughts we require to present to our audience. In the experiencing of the word lies something creative in relation to our inner being which should never be overlooked. This is extraordinarily important. We ought actually to be ruled by the feeling for how the word, the sequence of words, the formation of words and the formation of sentences are connected with our whole organization. Just as we can solve, in a certain way, the riddle of man from his physiognomy, so can we feel even more what the whole person is like from the way in which he speaks—not what he says, but how he says it.11

InhisSpeech and Drama,Steinergivesadiagramoftheconsonantsoundsastheycorrespondtotheelements:12

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Earth Water Air Fire D H T CH B Y P L R SH G S K TH M F N W,V

He indicates further that the earth sounds are related to thevisual,thefiresoundstotonalqualities.Whythemajorityofconsonantsshould be relegated to the earthy and the fiery elements could be aninterestingquestiontoponder.

Language is intimately interwoven with the self—indeed it istheworkingofthespirit-selfintotheeternalegosubstance.Wemayseethepastselfworkingintheearthsounds,andthefutureselfinthefiresounds,wemayseethemelancholicegoinchildhoodandthecholericegointheadultmanifestedhere.Theairandwatersounds—R andL—arethemediatorsandprovidetheconnectionbetweenthesetwo,asbefitstheirmercurialmission.

Andwhatistheplaceofthevowelsounds?Thevowelsoundsare,atitwere,thebridgefromwithinanindividualtothewithout,fromthewithout to thewithin; theyare thebridgebetween individualandworld.

Thebreath streamdifferentiates fromwithinoutwards—fromthefeelingofunitytotheconfrontationwithdiversity.Thevowelsariseatdifferentpointsalongthisout-streamingbreath.SteineralsoreferstotheAasthefeelingelementmostconnectedtotheinwardexperience,totheself;theUastheonesoundgoingmosttowardsaconsonantalexperienceoftheworldandtheIasstandingin-betweeninneremotionandouter

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form.ThustheA soundalsocarrieswithitthestrongestfeelingofunity,theU sound the greatest feelingof separation, spoken subjectively, ordifferentiation,spokenobjectively.

ThevowelsoundsassucharerelatedtothesoulrealmandthusarepresentinthemiddlebetweentheR andtheL.Wehavehereactuallyakindofcrossofconsonantsandvowels.Itwouldbeanabsorbingobjectof research to study, whether the first sounds pronounced by infantsalreadyheraldtheirfuturetemperamenttype.Inamostwonderfulwaythis sequence is related to the incarnatingego, for from themercurialmiddlerealm,fromthewidthsofthecircumferencemanyachildbabblesthe relationship sounds, then follows the incarnation stream furtherdownwardstowardstheearthwiththecrystalline/saltyearthconsonants,whichmakevisiblethenaturalworld,andfinallyletsspeechriseuptoheavenasafieryflame.

Steiner gave numerous speech exercises for teachers, both fortheirownuseaswellasfortheirstudents.Throughhisknowledgeofthepowerbehindeachsound,healsogaveexerciseswhichacttherapeutically.However, theirdiscussion isbeyond the scopeof thisbookand is theconcernoftrainedprofessionalspracticinghisartofspeechformation.Itiscrucial,though,torefertoSteiner’sremarksaboutchoralrecitationbychildren.

I would say it will be a question of general didactic economy how far you go with choral speaking. If too little were to be cultivated, the social feeling developed through it would suffer. If one does too much, the power of comprehension would suffer because of the suggestive power of choral speaking. When they speak together, children can do things which they otherwise cannot do, just as a crowd in the

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street is carried away. The younger the children are, the more deceptive it can become. It is good to pick children out at random to do the same thing on their own. The others then have to be attentive while the chosen one is saying his piece.13

Speaking Temperament Language – A Task for TeachersMoreover, it is highly important that teachers also work at

developingtheirownspeech—musicality,rhythm,clarity,enunciation,plasticforce,andsoon.Ifwepaytoolittleattentiontoourownspeech,we cannot create the right medium for communication, we cannotestablish the soul mood, which is the basis for our words. (We mustrememberherethefactthatinWaldorfschoolsthesubjectmatterisatfirstcommunicatedverballyby the teacher,andthat textbookswillbeusedinthehighergrades,andthennotnecessarilytointroducesubjects,butrathertopracticecapacities.)Throughtheverywayweformsounds,words,andsentences,inducetoneandcoloration,andwithitmusicality,wepermeateourspeechandlanguageandthustransmitmorethantheactualmeaningofthewords.Weclothethewords,forusedonlyabstractlythey would remain naked. It is in this very realm that temperamentqualitylivesinlanguageandspeech,andthatteachersmaylearntospeaktemperament language.

There is one huge area of interest which we cannot includein these pages: the typical and characteristic coloration of differentlanguagesthroughtheusageofsoundthatrelatestothetemperamentoftherespectivepeople.Alsothisareawouldbeafertilegroundforfutureresearch.

Ifweinfuseourselveswiththequalitiesofair,ourveryspeechwillreflectthisairiness;ifweuniteourselveswithwater,ourveryspeechwillbecomewatery.Ifweallowearthandfiretoplayintoo,thenourspeechwillreflectthesemodesalso.Thisisthewaytointroducetemperamentqualitiesintoourownspeech.

Akindofreverseprocessholdsgoodforteacherthanforstudent:Wehavefirst tomakealivewithinus the image, and thenourbodilyexpressioningestureandspeechsoundswillfollow.Evenourfeeling—intangiblyinterwovenwithourverywords—willringdeeplyandstreamouttowardsourstudents.Ofcourse,tobeginwith,itisessentialalsotopracticethedeliberateuseofcertainsoundsandsoundsequences,until

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wedevelopinstinctivelytherightfeelingforthem.Thispracticeenablesusalsotoachievegreaterclarityofdiction.

Indeed,aspointedoutabove,wecannotbegintodoourworkasteacherswithoutinfusingourfeelingforthequalitiesofsoundsintothewaywespeak.Ifwefeelourselvesempatheticallyintotheverysoundsofwords,ifwedevelopasound imageofeachword,thenwemaydeepenourunderstanding,andeventuallyourconceptsandimageswilltakeona livingquality.Thusweawakeninourselvessensitivityforqualitativesoundvalues.

Truly, in working with the musicality of language, with itsstructureanditssounds,weareatworkinawonderfullyheavenlyinterval:Adivinepause,aspiritualhiatusbetweenourfutureandthestudent’spast.Weenticethestudentfromhisorhergivens,fromthepast,whichhasshapedthegifts,intothisdivinehiatus.Theimmediatepresentmayenterintheguiseoflanguage,theformoftheword,andworkcreativelyatshapingthestudent’sfuture.Hereanintangibleequilibriumiscreatedwhichbearswithinitthepotentialofcommunicationfromsoultosoul,fromindividualtoindividual,fromonegenerationtoanother.

That which we have as the art of pedagogy, will have its physical form only in our next incarnation. Every trait in us which is worthy to be imitated, or which is the foundation for our authority, is present in us germinally and will form our next incarnation. Our own future incarnation—when we are active as educators—holds a dialogue with the past incarnations of our students.14

So we have with the melancholic earth sounds that which ismostclearlycreatedbythepast.Thefiresoundsstreamcholericallyintheimpulsesandbeingslookinginfromthefuture.Thesoulsoundsproper,thevowelsflankedbyL andR,providethepossibilitiesthatthesetwosoundfamilies—pastandfuture—maymeet,andcommunewitheachother,andthusflowandstreamandbringwordintobeing.

Read a fairy tale, pointing and delicately chiseling the consonants, and you will have the impression, not indeed of something natural, but of something that is gently suggestive of the eerie, the ghostly. And this is how it should

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be with a fairy tale. The vowel intonation being allowed to subside, the vowels slip away into consonants, and as a result the whole thing is lifted a little out of reality. We are no longer in immediate reality. We receive the impression of something a little uncanny. The fairy tale, you see, treats what belongs to the sense world as if it were supersensible, and only when it is told or read in the way I have described can our human feeling be reconciled to it.15

Consonantsdescribethetangibleexistenceoftheworldaroundus—thefinishedcreationintheearthsounds,thepotentialcreationinthefiresounds.Vowelscarrythesoulmood.Bylearningtousesoundsappropriatelywemaypaintalivingsoulmoodforourlisteners.

Toreturntostyle:Wemayrelatethecontemplative/descriptiveepicstyletotheampleuseoftheearthsounds.Furtherwemayrelatedramaticwritingtotheuseofthefiresounds.Andwemayusethevowelsincombinationwithair andwater soundsbest indevelopinga lyricalstyleandmood.

Fromfourthgradeonwemaydiscussthesuitabilityofcertainwordsforspecificpurposeswiththestudents.Learningaboutappropriatewordusage,nowfromanartisticviewpoint, isan importantaspectoflanguagearts.Inmakingacomparisonbetweenthesoundpictureofawordanditsmeaning,wedomuchtodevelopinchildrenasensitivitytowardsthemusicalityoflanguage.

Thetemperamentmodalitiesactouttheirbeingineachword,ineachsentence,andalsoineachpieceofwriting.Throughthemwemaycatchaglimpseofthelivingweavingoftheessentialcharacterofdifferentlanguages,astheysoundthroughthecenturies,astheyinspireus,andthus alsomakeour students awareof thewondrousprocessbywhichhumanbeingsrecreatethemselvesinlanguage.

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Endnotes1 RudolfSteiner,World History in the Light of Anthroposophy,op.cit.,

LectureofDecember27,1923.

2 RudolfSteiner,A Psychology of Body, Soul and Spirit,AnthroposophicPress,Hudson,NY,1999,GA115,LectureofOctober26,1909.

3 RudolfSteiner,The Riddle of Humanity,op.cit.,LectureofSeptember2,1916.

4 RudolfSteiner,Foundations of Human Experience,AnthroposophicPress,Hudson,NY,1996,GA293,LectureofAugust27,1919.

5 RudolfSteiner,Therapeutic Insights. Earthly and Cosmic Laws,MercuryPress,SpringValley,NY,1984,GA205,LectureofJuly3,1921.

6 RudolfSteiner,Art as Seen in the Light of Mystery Wisdom,op.cit.,LectureofDecember29,1914.

7 RudolfSteiner,Adolescence. Ripe for What?,SteinerSchoolsFellowship,ForestRow,England,UK,1996,GA302,LectureofJune22,1922.

8 RudolfSteiner,Education for Adolescence,AnthroposophicPress,Hudson,NY,1996,GA302,LectureofJune14,1921.

9 RudolfSteiner,Speech and Drama,op.cit.,LectureofSeptember12,1924.

10 RudolfSteiner, The Arts and Their Mission,AnthroposophicPress,SpringValley,NY,1967,GA276,LectureofMay20,1923.

11 RudolfSteiner,MarieSteiner-vonSievers,Creative Speech. The Nature of Speech Formation,RudolfSteinerPress,London,1978,GA280,p.209.

12 Op.cit.,Steiner,Speech and Drama,LectureofSeptember21,1924.

13 RudolfSteiner,Creative Speech,op.cit.,p.159.

14 Op.cit.,Steiner,Art as Seen in the Light of Mystery Wisdom,GA275,LectureofJanuary2,1915:WorkingwithSculpturalArchitecture

15 Op.cit.,Steiner,Speech and Drama,LectureofSeptember7,1924.

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part three

Bridges of understanding

Chapter Eight

Temperaments and the Fourfold Organization of the

Human BeingAs long as we cannot pursue the activities of the different states of matter, water, air and fire in particular organs, the soul nature will also not reveal itself to us. At first we must condense the soul nature, then we arrive at man’s physical nature. But in penetrating through the latter we arrive at the soul-spiritual foundations of our physical organization.1

–RudolfSteiner

The above quotation imparts to us the key which our owncognition must use if we hope to come to an understanding of thehumansoul:Weneedtolearntofollowthedifferentstatesofmatter—earth,water,airandfire—astheyworkwithinthehumanbeing.Thenweshallbeabletopenetratetothespiritualfoundationofourphysicalorganization.Thesedifferentstatesofmatterarethetoolsbywhichwemayrecognizethepathwaysofthehumansoul,andspiritessence,astheyworkintothebodilyorganization.For,asSteinerpointsoutrepeatedly,it is very essential to remember in this our time, which has lost theinstinctiveknowledgeof thesematters, that the spiritual forcesneedafootholdinthephysicalworldbeforetheyareabletomanifestandworktherein.Wehaveattemptedto indicate that this footholdexists intheworkingoftheelemental/ethericforces,whichformaladder,asitwere,between the heavenly forces (or energies) and beings, which descendintotheworldofphysicalforcesandmaterialsubstance,andthusworkactivelyintoit.

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The Elements and Human PhysiologyBeholdtheearthyhuman—themineralskeleton—solid,dense,

heavyandcontracted.Weseethephysicalbodycarriedbythemineralizedskeleton.Itisthehardestpartofthebodyandsubjecttothephysicallawsofgravity,thecarrierofweight,ofmeasure,mathematicallyproportionedregardingthesizeofbones.Theskeletonisactually,thoughapparentlythelowestofmembers,thecreationofhighspiritualbeings,theSpiritsofForm.Steinerdescribesitthus:The bony system is the Man ofImagination filled out with matter.2

Thewateryhumanisallfluidmotion,isconstantlywaxingandwaning, secreting,dissolving and coagulating.This is the alchemistofthebody,whomanifests throughthevorticesof theglands,whichareretortsandalembics.Waterhumanisthephysicalbasisfortheactivityoftheethericbody:Therepresentrhythmicallyflowinginterchanges,thesensitivemodulationsofthetimebody,asourinnerwaterorganizationswellsanddiminishes,followingoftenmoonandtides.

Seeing the water human and the earth human together, wemaybeholdthecaduceusofthemajorbloodvessels,asitwere,winding

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around the fluid contained in the spinal column and the brain—thisindicatesthehealerinus,ourownethericbody.Musicalrhythmrevealstheethericinhumanbeings.SteinerdescribesinhislecturesonEurythmy as Visible Music (RudolfSteinerPress,London,1977,GA278,LectureofFebruary22,1924):It is the etheric in man which is revealed in rhythm.

The glands secrete in cyclical rhythms.The sap of our bodyrises and sinks, andourown inner seasonsof theyear are carriedoutsimultaneously and contracted as it were, instead of being spread outovertime.

The spiritual insight into human nature will show us that in the first moments of sleep spring-life sprouts and blossoms in us, and when we awaken autumn sinks into us like the setting sun.3

Theformativeforces intheirelementalpolarities—expanding,contracting, sinking, rising, giving way to gravity, resurrecting intolevity(astheoppositeofgravity),astheyflowandfloat—theyperformamusicalsymphonyofintricatetiminginthatliquidmotherlodeoftheethericbody, in themercurialfluidorganizationofeachhumanbody,whichcarriesthisnexusoflifeforces.

Theairyhumanhasaverycurious shape.Itiscenteredinorgansaround the larynx.The cavities of the skull—sinuses and Eustachiantubes, pharynx, larynx, and esophagus—reach down into the lungswhichbranchoutindelicateandminusculealveoli,theseareallpartoftheformofairhuman.Theoutgoingbreath,also,belongstothehumanair organization. Especially in speaking, this breath is modulated andformedincurrents,eddies,andvibrationsandistherebypartoftheairorganization.

Thehumanastralbodyhasitsbasisinthephysicalelementofair—averyvolatilebasis,astheactualairchangesthroughthecarbon-oxygenmetabolism.Thestableelementintheairisthenitrogen,whichhasbeencalledthecarrieroftheastralprinciplebySteiner.

Everywhere—in the animal kingdom and in the plant and even in the Earth—the bridge between carbon and oxygen is built by nitrogen. And the spirituality which—once again with the help of sulphur—is working thus

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in nitrogen, is that which we are wont to describe as the astral. It is the astral spirituality in the human astral body. It is the astral spirituality in the Earth’s environment. For as you know, there too the astral is working—in the life of plants and animals, and so on.4

And finally fire—the warmth human within us.The internalorganslikeheart,liver,spleenandstomacharethegreatestconcentrationofinnerheat—theyareourinnerfurnaces.Alongthethinthreadsofthearteriesheattravelstotheextremities,butaroundourlimbs—particularlyhandsandfeet—therearepotentiallylargeareasofheat,whichmanifestassoonasweareengagedinphysicalactivityandwork.Wehaveactuallyatwofoldfirenature—aninternalandanexternalwarmthorganization.For evenaswewalkover theground,we leavenotonly themarksofourfootsteps,butwealso leaveaslighttemperaturetrace,weleaveitin theair asweworkorplay, so that there is actually a cloudofheatcontinuouslytrailingus.

Fire is the physical foothold of the ego.The ego follows thewarmthofthebloodinitscirculation.Theegoofmanistwofold.Thereisanouteregoandalsoaninneregoactiveinman.

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In Education for Special Needs,5 Steiner developed the pictureof the twofoldworkingof the egobyusing adiagram in the formofa lemniscate, thereby showing, in this abbreviated notation, how thefourprinciplesofthehumanbeingworkintoeachother.Thetwofoldsignature of the ego, as expressed diagrammatically in a lemniscate,is thus mirrored by the human warmthorganization, revealing an outer and aninner region of human activity. The four-fold human organization is integratedand united because the four elements,as they work within each individual—which is not identical to their working innature,but correlative—anchordowneachconstitutionalpartwithinthephysical.

Itisthustheactivityoftheelementsthatintegratesthehumanspiritwithinthebody.Thetemperaments,whicharethetimesignaturesof the elements, as they express themselves in the peculiarities of theformative processes, may be seen therefore as the integrating agentslinkingtheeternalhumanentitytoitstemporalpartinthecourseoftheincarnationprocess.Fortheteacher,Steiner’selaborationsoftheworkingsoftheelementsinhumanbeingsarethereforeofimmensesignificance.

But if the bodily substance is traced back to warmth, a bridge can be built from what exists in the body as warmth to what works from out of the soul into the warmth in the human organism. There is warmth both without and within the human organism. As we have heard, in man’s constitution warmth is an organism; the soul, the soul-and-spirit, takes hold of this warmth-organism and by way of the warmth all that becomes active which we inwardly experience as the moral.6

Theelementofwarmthisthereforethedrivingforceoftheincarnationprocess.

Atthispointinourdeliberationsitshouldbecomeincreasinglyapparentthatweaidtheincarnationprocessofachildconsiderably,whenusingthetimeandformlanguageofthetemperamentsinourclassroompractice.

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The Shift of Temperament from Childhood to AdulthoodInthefifthlectureofDiscussions with Teachers (RudolfSteiner

Press, London, 1983), Steiner points out the following relationshipbetween the four constituent principles of the human being and thetemperaments:

Ego MelancholicAstral CholericEtheric SanguinePhysical Phlegmatic

Ifthereisaslightpredominanceofoneprincipleovertheothers,it results in a characteristic temperament picture. As the being of thechildincarnates,andfavors,asitwere,aslightlystrongerbondwithoneofitsconstituentprinciples,thetemperamentpicturecomesabout.

Butasthechildgrowsup,itstemperamentwillchange.SteinerindicatesthischangeintheabovelectureofDiscussions with Teachersinthefollowingway:

The melancholic willtendtobecomea choleric.The choleric willtendtobecomea sanguine.The sanguine willtendtobecomea phlegmatic.The phlegmatic willtendtobecomea melancholic.

Intheadult,thepredominanceoftheegoovertheothermembersis expressed through a choleric tendency; the predominance of theastralitythroughasanguinetendency;thepredominanceoftheethericthroughaphlegmatic,andthepredominanceofthephysicalthroughamelancholic inclination.Itneedstobementionedyetagain,thatwithmostindividualsthetemperamenttendenciesandinclinationsaresubtle.It isanunusualpersonwhoshowsstronglyandobvious temperamentpictureinhisorherbehavior.

How are we to understand this shift between childhood andadult temperament? It canonlybeunderstoodby following the innerdynamicsof the incarnationprocess. Iofferhereoneapproachto thisproblem.

Takingseveralsuccessiveincarnationsofanindividual,wemayformapictureoftransformationfromthebodyoftheoneincarnationintotheheadofthefollowingone.Hereweshouldvisualize,asliterallyandconcretelyasourimaginationallows,Steiner’srepeateddescriptions.

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ThenwemaycombinetheabovepicturewithSteiner’sdescrip-tions andourownobservationsof the formativeprocesses in thefirstnine years of life.Thus we might come to the conclusion that theseformativeprocessesbegininthepreviousincarnation,arethencontinuedbythehumansoulwiththehelpoftheangelic,hierarchicalbeingsofthecosmos,andcometoacertainconclusionaroundtheninthyearoflife.

A further dimension of this formative process is added byconsidering the activity of the soul forces:The cognitive capacities ofperception and thinking, the emotional capacities of the feeling life,and the volitional capacities, particularlydirected intentionality.Theiractivitycanberegardedasbeinginstrumentalintransformingtheseedsof the one incarnation into the fruits of the next.Thinking links theindividualwith the residueof thepast, volitionprepares seeds for thefuture,whereasfeeling/emotionbalancesbothinthepresent.7

Steineralsousesthediagramofaninvolutingandanexvolutingspiralwhendescribingtheincarnationprocess:

The past comes over, penetrates into and is enveloped by our present spirit, out of whom radiates our life of soul—our thinking, feeling and willing. Thinking as it were secretes to one side the physical body, to the other the etheric body; feeling secretes to one side the etheric body, to the other the astral body; willing to one side the astral body, to the other the ego. Thus we may say: All this develops germinally into the future, in order to form new realms.8

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Herewehavethecauseunderlyingthetwofoldworkingoftheego:Wehave inone incarnation the formative and contracting forcesoftheegoworkingintoourphysicalorganizationasexemplifiedbythehumanheadorganizationandthecapacityandpowerofthinking;wealsohavetheactivityofthebody—asdirectedbyhumanintentionality—astheseedforourfutureincarnation.Indeed,onemaysaythatinanyoneincarnationwedonothaveacompleteego.

Yet it is really no more than the semblance of the I [ego] that falls within the field of Earth consciousness; the true I can be seen only by looking back into an earlier incarnation. The I that we have now is in process of becoming; not until our next incarnation will it be a reality.9

The contracting process thus continues on long after birth.Theformativeforces,asweknowfromSteiner’snumerousindications,concludetheirmainworkonthephysicalbodywiththeformationanderuptionofthesecondteeth,andfromthenonbecomeavailableintherealmofthesoulforthedevelopmentandconsolidationofthecognitivecapacitiesofmemoryandthinking.

Thus ourhead ego comes to a certain completion around theninthyear.Itsbeginningwasinthepreviousincarnation.Atwhichagedidabeginningtakeplace?

Aroundpubertysomethingfundamentallynewbegins ineachindividual. Our actions—the result of the working of our limb ego—begintobeinscribedintoourastralheart,sothattheybecomepartoftheburden of karma.Theybecomeseedsforthefuture.AsSteinerexpressesinhislecture,“TheHumanHeart”(The Human Soul in Relation to World Evolution, op.cit.), into this undifferentiated entity [theastralheart] all that we do now is inscribed—the movements of our arms and legs, and not only these, but all that we accomplish through our arms and legs. Ourpresenthead-egohaditsbeginningaroundpubertyinourlastincarnation.

To return to the temperaments: If we have a particularlystrongaffinityfortheego-body,ifwehave,asitwere,enteredthroughitsgateintothis life,thenweshallbestronglyrelatedinchildhoodtotheformativeforcesofthehead,whichareactiveoutofourownpastegoactivityinaformerlife,andsowebecomeamelancholicchild.Inadulthoodweshallthenswitchovertothestrongwillforcespreparingforourfutureegoandsobecomeacholericadult.

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Ifourastral forces arepredominant inchildhood,we shallbeall movement, all activity, sensitivity and awareness, and rush aroundwithcholericliveliness.Asanadultweshallhavecalmedsomewhatthisdramaticdisplayofactivityintothemoredelicateflutteringaboutofourfeelingsandemotions.Theynowdo themovingabout insteadofourphysical limbs.Thus we shall be toneddown and become a sanguineadultafterhavingbeenacholericchild.Asachildourconsciousness—theastralconfiguration isalso thenexusofconsciousness—is inoutermovementandtheexternalworld;intheadultitratherentersviasensoryperception.

If our etheric/formative/life forces are predominant, we feelourselvesrelatedstronglytothewholewidthoftheuniverse.

This is of great significance. On our descent into the earthly world, when we draw to ourselves the forces of the universal ether, we actually take with us in our etheric body a kind of image of the cosmos. If we could extract the etheric body of a man at the moment when he is uniting with the physical, we should have a sphere—far more beautiful than has ever been wrought by mechanical means—a sphere complete with Stars and Zodiac and Sun and Moon.10

This being of tender beauty and rhythmically musical timingexpressesitselfinthejoyfulsanguinityofchildhood.Butasanadult,weshallhavearrivedonearth,attherealwaterlevelofourwaterhuman,having leftbehind—one levelhigher—the freedomof theairynature,andthuswillhavebecomeaphlegmatic.

If we have a strongly developed physical body, we shall notyethavetouchedthegroundwithourfeetasachildbutremainmoreconnected to the lessdensewater elementof thewater sphere, just aswewereinthewomb.Evenourverybonesarenotyetashardastheybecomelateron—cartilagesubstanceis lessmineralizedandsolid,andisstillplasticallysuffusedwithliquid.Wearelessofamineralhumanatbirth,andthroughinfancy,thanafterpuberty.Butthephysicalhardens

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andcontractseventually—fluidsmaysolidify—andthephlegmaticchildbecomesamelancholicadult.

The Human Fourfold Organism and the Life of SoulTorecapitulate:Thinkingasacosmicforceextrudesthephysical

bodyontheoneside,theethericontheother;feelingasacosmicforcetheethericbodyononeside,theastralontheother;willingasacosmicforcetheastralononeside,andtheegoontheother.Itisapparentthattheactualinnermostlifeofanindividualtakesplacebetweentheethericandtheastralorganization,or,toputitdifferently,intherealmofpureandcosmicempathyandfeeling.

Itisessentialtorecognizethatahumanbeing’sessenceisaffectedbyandworksintoexternaleventsonbothsides.

The body as a whole, not merely the nervous activity impounded in it, is the physical basis of psychic life. And, just as, for ordinary consciousness, psychic life is naturally classifiable in terms of ideation, feeling and willing, so is physical life classifiable in terms of neural function, rhythmic occurrence and metabolic process.

The question at once arises: In what way do the following enter and inhabit the organism: on the one hand, sense perception proper, in which neural function merely terminates, and on the other the faculty of motion, which is the effusion of the will? 11

Thisstatementisoftheutmostimportanceifwehopetocometosomeunderstandingofanindividual’srelationshiptoherorhisinnersoullife,theobjectiveexternalworldandtheobjectivespiritualworld.Further, this statement helps us to understand just how the twofoldactivityoftheegomanifestsitself.

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Steiner uses yet another description of the interrelationshipoftheforcesofthesoulandthefourfoldhumanorganization.It isanimportantdescriptionbecauseitgivesusanotherkeytorelateboth—thethreefoldnessofcognitive,emotionalandvolitionalcapacities,withtheiradjunctsofsense-perceptionononesideandtheabilityformotionontheother—and the fourfoldnessof thephysical, theetheric, theastraland the egoorganization as expressed in thedifferentpartsofhumanphysiology.

Head: Theego,astralbodyandethericarefreefromorganicactivitytosomeextent,thereforetheyareabletoworktogetherintothethinkingprocess.

Chest and Trunk:Theethericbodyslipsintotheglands.Theydonotlikeitandsecreteimmediately.Theethericbodyalsoslipsintothemuscles,which,however,donotprotest.Feelingtakesplaceinthefreeremainingpartoftheastralandegobody.

Limbs and Metabolism:The etheric body enters deeply into organicprocesses.Duringtheday—thetimeofwakingconsciousness—the astral organization accompanies the etheric into a deepinvolvementwithorganicprocesses.Theindividualonlyexperi-encestheego,theessenceoftheself,withhisorherawareness,andintentionalitycomesabout.

Thinking,as itwere,requires leastthesupportofthephysicalandofitsorganicprocesses;feelingalittlemoreso,andourintentionalityinthewillstillmoreso.12Thethreestatesofhumanconsciousnessareboundupwiththeinterrelationshipandinteractionbetweenthepartsofthefourfoldorganization.Wearefullyawakeintheregionofourhead,wearea-dreamintheregionofourrhythmicalprocesses,andasleepintheareaofourwillandmetabolicprocesses.

Letusrealizethatwearemostawakeinthatareaofourphysicalbodywherethephysicalforcesarebeinglefttothemselvesmostbyourhighermembers;wearea-dreamwheretheethericsuffusesthephysicalbodyorganically;weareasleepwherealsotheastralbodyisimmersedinthephysicalorganicprocesses.

Thetransitionpointofthefreeandthepartiallyboundethericactivity is at the larynx, situated at the crossing point between head

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and body. It is there that concept is bound to the word, through theinteractionbetweentheethericandtheastralforcesofahumanbeing.Let us remember here again Steiner’s diagram of the lemniscate inhis Education for Special Needs, as mentioned above, which shows theinteractionofthefourmembers.

The Temperaments as Filters between Cosmos and IndividualTemperaments are agents of transformation. As such they are

activeattheborderregionsbetweenbodyandsoullife.Theyare,asitwere,filtersbetweencosmosandindividual.Insense-perception,

The external world reaches out into the sense, as though they were bays or inlets leading into the organism’s own existence. Compassing the processes that take place in the senses, the psyche does not participate in inner organic events; it participates in the extension of outer events into the organism.13

Itisherethatoneofthefilteringactivitiesofthetemperamentprocesses occurs. On the borderline, where the external facts impingeupontheethericbodythroughoursenseperception,thetemperamentmodeputsitsparticularcoloringinbetween,andweexperiencetheworldfilteredandcoloredbyourowntemperamentbecausewelookthroughitintotheworld,likethroughapairofcoloredglasses.Thuseverythingaroundusthat is similar toourowntemperamentmodewillbemorenoticeabletousthananythingthat isdifferentintemperamentmode.Thefieryintheworldwillbeparticularlyimpressivetothecholeric,theairytothesanguine,andsoforth.

Conversely, whenever we act out of our own soul activity inorder to impress ourselvesupon this outerworld,wehave likewise tocrossaborderline.

In the same way, when physical motion is brought about, what we have to do with is not something that is actually situated within the organism, but an outward working of the organism into the physical equilibrium (or other dynamic relation) between the organism itself and its environment. Within the organism it is only a metabolic

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process that can be assigned to willing; but the event that is liberated through this process is at the same time an actual happening within the equilibrium, or the dynamics, of the external world. Exerting volition the life of the psyche overreaches the domain of the organism and combines its action with a happening in the outer world.14

Onthisborder,ontheportalfromwhichwelaunchtheimpulsesof our inner soul life into external reality by originating activity andmotion,theintentionsofoursoullifepassthezoneofthetemperamentsandthusouraction,ourmotion,isfilteredandformedinatypicalway,correspondingtoourparticulartemperamentmode.

Ithasnowbecomeapparentjustwherewemustsearchfortherealmoftheactivityofthetemperamentsinrelationtooursoullife—itistheregionwheresoulandbody,selfandcosmosmeeteachother.Temperamentsthusappearasthemodifiersoftheinternalizationprocessofoursenseperceptionaswellasoftheexternalizationprocessbywhichdirectedvolitionandintentionalityexpressthemselvesinmovement,andpotentiallycreativeactivity.Languagemayshowoneofthemostintimateexpressionsofsoullifeintheareaoflanguage,whichisnotconnectedwith abstract meaning—the emotional and musical sound formation,whichcolorsthepictorialqualityofwords.

Temperaments express the time body of an individual—theymodifyherorhisimpressions,expressions,andthereforealsolanguage,in the typical imagery derived from the elements of nature.They aretheelementsofnaturedrawnintotherealmoftheindividual,andthusindividualized to a certain extent, in such a way, that we have in thetemperaments a zone in each human being, which belongs to outernature and to inner soul configuration at one and the same time. Inthetemperamentzone,individualhumanandcosmosoverlap.Yetagain,weneedtopointtothefactthatnoonepersonrepresentstheexclusiveworkingofanyonetemperament.

Temperament stands in the middle between what we bring with us as individuals and what originates from the line of heredity. When the two streams unite, the one stream colors the other. They color each other reciprocally. Just as blue and yellow, let us say, unite in green, so do the two streams

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in man unite in what we call temperament. What mediates between all inner characteristics that he brings with him from his earlier incarnation on the one side, and on the other what the line of heredity brings tip him, comes under the concept temperament. It now takes its place between the inherited characteristics and what he has absorbed into his inner essential being.15

Thetemperamentsthusemergeasmediators,whichlinkpersonwith person, individual withworld, and each person’s owneternal and temporal being.In order to teach, in order tocommunicate, we must learnto speak the language of thetemperaments.

Endnotes1 RudolfSteiner,The Tension Between East and West,AnthroposophicPress,

SpringValley,NY,1983,GA83,Chapter5.

2 RudolfSteiner,The World of the Senses and the World of the Spirit,SteinerBookCentre,Inc.NorthVancouver,Canada,1979,GA134,LectureofDecember30,1911.

3 RudolfSteiner,The Roots of Education,AnthroposophicPress,Hudson,NY,1997,GA309,LectureofApril14,1924.

4 RudolfSteiner,Agriculture,BiodynamicAgriculturalAssociation,RudolfSteinerHouse,London,1974,GA327,LectureofJune11,1924.

5 RudolfSteiner,Education for Special Needs,TheCurativeEducationCourse,RudolfSteinerPress,London,1998,GA317,LectureofJuly7,1924.

6 RudolfSteiner,The Bridge between Universal Spirituality and the Physical Constitution of Man,TheAnthroposophicPress,SpringValley,NY,1979,LectureofDecember18,1920.

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7 RudolfSteiner,Foundations of Human Experience,op.cit.,LectureofAugust22,1919.

8 RudolfSteiner,Cosmosophy. Cosmic Influences on the Human Being,Volume1,AnthroposophicPress,Hudson,NY,1985,GA207,LectureofOctober9,1921.

9 Op.cit.,Steiner,Education for Special Needs.

10 RudolfSteiner,The Human Soul in Relation to World Evolution,op.cit.

11 RudolfSteiner,The Case for Anthroposophy, Selections from Von Seelenraetseln,translatedbyOwenBarfield,RudolfSteinerPress,London,1970,Chapter7.

12 RudolfSteiner,Cosmosophy,Volume2,CompletionPress,Gympie,Australia,1997,GA208,LectureofOctober30,1921.

13 Op.cit.,Steiner,The Case for Anthroposophy.

14 Ibid.

15 RudolfSteiner,Anthroposophy in Everyday Life, The Four Temperaments,AnthroposophicPress,Hudson,NY,1995,GA57.

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Chapter Nine

Temperament Characteristics in Relation to Formative and Movement

Forces in the Human BeingThemovementforcesaretheforcesunderlyingallpossibilities

offreemovement—inhumanbeingandanimal—andoriginatenotintheearthlyrealmbutinthecosmos,particularlyintheplanetaryspheres.Theconceptofmovementshouldbetakeninitswidestsense—namelytoincludeallmovementsurgingthroughourbeing,inbodyaswellasin soul and spirit.Thus bodily motion, soulful emotion and varyingdegreesandstatesofconsciousnessarelinkedupwiththeworkingoftheplanetaryforcesuponhumanbeings.Becauseoftheirplanetaryorigin,Steineralsoreferstothemasastralforces.

The formative forcesof theethericworldare theagentsofallthe lifeprocesses inhumanbeings.Theyalsoare thearchetypal forcesworkinginthetemperamentcharacteristicsofeachindividual.Weknowthatwehavenodirectcontroloverthelifeprocessesinus,thoughwemaybeabletoinfluencethemvialivinghabits,foodandmedicine.Butdirectcontrol,byandlarge,eludesusatthisstageofourdevelopment.

The movement-consciousness forces, on the other hand, aretoacertainextentunderourconsciouscontrol.Weareawareofbeinginvolved in specific movements. We may have quite specific feelings,thoughts,reactions,aswellasintentionsregardingourmovements,evenif we do not understand quite how they come about.We are at leastable,withourconsciousness,toobserveourbodilymovementswhileweexecute them.Weare alsopartially aware—thoughwe cannot controlthemaswell—oftheemotionsactingonthestageofoursoul.Thusthereisaverydefinitelinkbetweenmovementandconsciousness.

Formcomesaboutastheresultofmovement.Itistheresidue,thememoryofaprocess,of somethingthathasbeen inmotionatanearlier time.Movement implies a change in size, location,dimension,form,organization,colorandsound,inparticulardirection,inevolvinganddevolvingsequence,repeatedlyoruniquely.Thesetwoprinciples—

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formandmovement—areinconstantinteractionthroughouthumanlifeandpermeateeveryaspectandexperience.

The etheric forces as the agents of the formative processes oflifeare themselves inconstantmovementandchange.Wemust try tounderstand the duality of the formative and the movement forces inattemptingtounderstandthehumantemperaments.

The Polarizing PowersInThe World of the Senses and the World of the Spirit(op.cit.),

Steinerdescribesoneaspectofthedisarraybroughtaboutintheinnerorganizationofhumanbeingsbythelucifericinfluence.Thisparticulardescriptionisvitaltoourpresentconsiderations:

It is obvious that the first disarrangement to come about was what we have called the preponderance of the I over the astral body. All the Luciferic power was given to the I and the I got impurely mixed up with thinking, feeling and willing, and then maintained the Luciferic preponderance over the astral body. The astral body in consequence was able to gain ascendancy on its part over the etheric body. And thus the whole balance in man was upset. It is just as though by the Luciferic influence a blow had been dealt at the astral body, and the astral body had passed it on and so gained an ascendancy over the etheric. But it can go no further that way. The etheric body does not hand on the blow. It is like hitting a rubber ball. You can push into the ball for a certain distance but then it comes back again. So we can speak of a preponderance of astral over etheric body that rebounds and asserts predominance over the astral, giving us a reverse predominance of what we had before. And then follows the predominance of physical body over the etheric body. These latter two strike in the opposite direction. Why do they strike back? It comes about because while Lucifer is striking in, Ahriman, in the physical and etheric body, is striking back from the other side. In the middle, where you have on the one hand the ascendancy of etheric body over astral body and physical body over the etheric body, and on the other hand the ascendancy of astral body over etheric body and I over astral body—here in the

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middle you have Lucifer and Ahriman in collision. Here they come up against one another. Thus, there is in man a center point where Lucifer and Ahriman meet in their own true nature. And man can either swing in the direction of Lucifer and bore his astral body deeper than is right into his etheric body, or he can take hold of the impetus in the power of Ahriman and strike the etheric body too deep into the astral body. Such are the dynamic effects with which we have to deal.1

The implications of the above passage are far-reaching. Notonlydowehavetoconsidertheinteractionsofforceswithinourinnerorganization, but also the workings of spiritual beings—Lucifer andAhriman—whoeverattempttousetheseforcestotheirownends.Toignoretheworkingofthesebeingswouldresultinasuperficialtreatmentofourtopic.

Steinerdescribesatlengththeworkingoftwospiritualbeings,which,thoughvastlymorepowerfulthanhumanbeings,haveremainedbehind in their own evolution. Lucifer and Ahriman thus belong toa group of cosmic beings not in step with the forward evolution ofhumanityandcosmosasdirectedbyhierarchicalbeingsofmanyranks.Because they are out of step in many respects, they act as spirits ofhindrance,andareallowedtofunctionsothatindividualhumanbeingsmay wake up when facing and overcoming the obstacles they create.Lucifer’s influenceisfeltmorewithinthehumansoul.Heattemptstoholdindividualsbackbypromisingthemparadisiacalstatesofinnocenceanddelight.Ahrimandrivesanindividualmoredeeplyintomaterialism.Heattemptstoconvinceindividualsthatsheorhe—ahumanbeing—hasno spiritual,nor evenan independent, soulnature; that the innerlifeconsistsonlyofanimalinstincts.Heaimstorobindividualstotallyof their divinity and enslave them through their bodies. Lucifer andAhriman, though opponents, cooperate with each other so that theirgoal,totearhumanbeingsapart,maycomeabouteventually.Unknowntoourordinaryconsciousness,thereisabitterstrugglegoingoninourinnerbeingbetweentheformativeandthetransformativeforces,asthemovementforcesmayalsobecalled.

IfwepictureagainthefourqualitiesofthefourelementsaswehavedoneitinChapterOne,wemaystatethattheearthyandthewateryelementshowmoreafixingofform,whereastheairyandfierystateof

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matterdisplayatendencytodissolveform.Thustheformertendtowardsaformative,thelattertowardsamoretransformativeactivity.

Itisgoodtopictureasvividlyaspossiblethetendencytowardsdensification and fixation of the one pole, and the tendency towardsdissolution and transformation of the other. We could also use thetermscontractionandexpansiontodescribethesepolarities.Theearthyelementistheonesufferingthegreatestcontraction,whereasthewateryelementisalreadyfarlesssubjectedtothis.Airistakenholdofbytheexpandingforces,andfireisitselfanactiveagentofexpansion.

The two spiritual beings mentioned here—Lucifer andAhriman—who are actively engaged in a struggle for preponderanceintheinnerbeingofindividuals,arerelatedtothesepolarities.Luciferworksintheexpansiveprinciple,thustheelementsoffireandairarehiselements.Therefore,thecholericandthesanguinetemperamentsare,asitwere,histemperamentsalso.Ahrimanworksprimarilywithcontraction,thustheearthyelementisparticularlypermeatedbyhisactivity.2

Thewateryelement—theelementmostpurelyrepresentingtheever flowing, weaving, undulating, fluctuating, etheric forces, may betaken as manifesting a dynamic equilibrium between the polarities ofcontractionandexpansion.

So one can say that the soul-life opens out and then draws itself together, expands and contracts—only as we say this, we must not let any space conceptions mix in with it. During this expansion and contraction one thing is unquestionably present, and that is inner spiritual move-ment. MOVEMENT! Soul-life is movement. Only we must think of movement not as movement in space but as we have described it. And this expansion and contraction gives forms. So you have movement, and the outer expression of movement in certain forms. The forms here meant are not spatial forms, but forms of expanding and contracting soul-life. And what lives in this expansion and contraction? You will get near the reality if you consider a little what must live therein. Therein live your feelings, thoughts impulses of will, in so far as that is all spiritual.3

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It is obvious from the above two quotations that the termsexpansiveandcontractivearetobetakeninaqualitative,notaquantitative/spatialcontext.

Here we are groping still at the simplest possible picture inourattempttoleadintothecomplexitiesofthehumanbeing.Inorderto proceed, we also must take into consideration the relationship ofpsychological and physiological processes, as hinted at already severaltimes,forahumanbeingisawhole,albeitaverycomplexwhole.

The Working of the Polarizing Powers within Human PhysiologyIf we examine the consequences of expansive and contractive

activitiesintermsofphysiologicalprocesses,wefindthattheglandularsecretionsholdamiddleposition,thoughwemightassumethatactualsecretionwouldberelatedtoaformofcontraction.

Sensoryperception,ontheotherhand, isdefinitelya formofcontraction.Infocusingonafacetofoursurroundingworldwecontractour consciousness, as it were, to a point, and direct it outwards tothe object of our perception.We individualize and separate our senseperceptionsfromeachotherwhenweconcentrateonone.Nowonderthatmelancholicsnotonlyusuallyhaveanexcellentgiftofobservation,butthatsenseperceptionsmakeaparticularlystrongandlastingimprintonthem.

The phlegmatic delights more, possibly, at the stimulation ofhis glandular processes, including the flow of his digestive juices. Onthe other hand, when the expanding processes are active, we have apreponderanceof the astral over the etheric forces. Steiner links themalsowiththedigestiveprocesses.Thepurposeofthesedigestiveprocessesis the integrationofexternal forcesand the transformationofexternalsubstance.Assimilationandunificationcomeabout.

Thebreathingprocesspresentsamoretentativeunificationwiththeexternalworldthanthedigestiveprocess.Witheveryexhalationweseparate ourselves from the surrounding air, with every inhalation weuniteourselveswithit.Withinourbody,weuniteoxygenwiththebloodandseparateoutcarbondioxide.Thisrhythmicalexchangeintherealmof the air—also a metabolic process—is probably most related to thesanguinetemperamentintermsofman’sphysiologicalconfiguration.

Theprocessesofnutritionrequirestillgreaterenergythanthebreathingprocesses.Ourdigestiveorgansdevelopmuch internalheat.

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There is, indeed,averitable internal furnaceatwork inourdigestion,through which we unite certain forces with our organization. Thisunification, though, occurs only after a complex, detailed and intensedestructionprocessoftheactualnutrients.

Choleric and sanguine people find it easier to identify withothers, thus expanding their awareness to include others as part oftheirenvironment.Expansionalsofostersunification.Ourbloodisthephysiologicalagentofunification,asitcoursesthroughthebodybindingitsorganstogether,justasthenervoussystemisthephysiologicalagentofdiversification.Thecholerichas a strongaffinitywith theworkingsof thebloodcirculation,asheor sheworkswith theconstructiveanddestructiveforcesofthedigestionthatpermeate,transform,assimilateandhumanizeexternalsubstancesandforces.Themelancholicisorientatedtowardsthesensory-nerveprocess,focusing,contractingandseparatingfromtheworld.Thesanguineandtoastillgreaterdegreethephlegmatic,oscillatemoreorlessharmoniouslybetweencontractionandexpansion,diversificationandunification,bloodprocessesandnerveprocesses.

Wehavesuggestedseveralconnectinglinksbetweenaperson’spsychological and physiological essence. Let us not forget that theinteractionoftheahrimanicandthelucifericentities,workingintoeachperson, involvedirectlytheactivityofthetemperaments,theelementsandtheethericforces.Thefourfoldqualitiesofthetemperamentsprovidetheconnectingbridgebetweenthepolarities,whichwehaveattemptedtocharacterizeinsimpleform.

Aspects of Upper and Lower Human Physiology

The Earth’s surface is a real organ, which—if you will—you may compare to the human diaphragm … in the individuality with which we are here concerned, the head is beneath the surface of the Earth, while we, with all the animals, are living in the creature’s belly! Consider, once more, that entire element in the neighborhood of the Earth in which we ourselves are living and breathing and from which the plants, along with us, receive their outer warmth and air, and even water. All this actually corresponds to that which would represent, in man, the abdominal organs. On the other hand, that which takes place in the

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interior of the Earth—beneath the Earth’s surface—works upon the plant-growth in the some way in which our head works upon the rest of our organism, notable in childhood, but also throughout our life. There is a constant and living mutual interplay of the above-the-earth and the below-the-earth.4

Theabovepassageaddsyetanotherpolarity tobeconsidered.Thesecosmicforcesmaybedescribedfurther.Steinerrefersheretotheforces in the surroundingatmosphere,above theground,as the forcesworking into the earth sphere from the planetary spheres of Moon,Mercury andVenus as theymodify theSun influence.And the forcesworkingmoredeeplyintotheearth,underthesurface,stemfromMars,JupiterandSaturn,andarethenreflectedbackabovetheground.HowdelicateistheinterplaybetweenthetelluricandthecosmicpolaritiesisindicatedbySteiner’sfollowingstatement:

The air too is permeated by a delicate vitality the moment it is absorbed and drawn into the Earth. So it is both with the warmth and with the air; they take on a slightly living quality when they are received into the Earth. The opposite is true of the water and of the solid earthy element itself. They become still more dead inside the Earth than they are outside it. They lose something of their external life. Yet in this very process they become open to receive the most distant cosmic forces.5

The forces of warmth and light in cosmos and human beingcorrespondtoexpandingforces;thewaterandearthforcestocontractingforces.Weare imbedded into a continuous interactionof these forcesinthenaturalworldaroundus.Theyenterintousinvariousways,aremoldedbyourownethericorganism,andworkindiversewaysinthedifferentpartsofourbody.Theymediatecontinuously,asitwere,betweenthetangibleandthe intangible, theweightyandthe imponderable.Ineachindividualpersontheyaredifferentiatedinvariousways.However,wearenottornapartbythepolarityoftheseforces.

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Accordingly if we accept light as the representative of all other imponderable forces, we must conceive the whole of external nature as involved in the struggle between light and gravity, between the force that strives towards the extraterrestrial and the force that makes earth’s substances tend towards the center. We have here the polarity between light and gravity; and in between that which perpetually seeks the mercurial element is simply something that continually seeks to maintain a state of equilibrium between light and gravity.6

Steiner gives still more detailed descriptions of how the fourelementsareactive in thehumanbody. In the samecourseof lectures(Spiritual Science and Medicine) he speaks of the four meteorologicalorgansandtheirrelationtotheelements.Hecorrelatesthelungswiththecenteroftheearthprocessesinthehumanbeing,theliverwiththewaterprocesses,thekidneyswithairprocessesandtheheartwithwarmthprocesses,thusestablishingeachoftheseinnerorgansasacenterofthefourelementalforces.

Of course, all these four organs work into the totality of thehumanorganization.Theheartactsastheorganwithwhichanindividual’supperbodyisabletosensetheactivitiesofthelowerbody.Itissituatedquitenearthediaphragm,andplaysthecentralroleinkeepingbothpartsofman’sorganicactivityapart,butatthesametimealsolinkedtogether.Thereisarelationshipofinversion,aswellascorrelationbetweenthesetwopolarpartsofeachperson.Innatureitistheelementoffire,whichconstitutes the bridge between the physical elements and the ethericforces,workingimponderablyintothesephysicalelements.7

Thecholerictemperamentissimplytheonethatbringstheheartfunction in an individual to the foreground; the phlegmatic elementbringstheliverfunction,themelancholicelementthelungfunctionandthesanguineelementthekidneyfunctiontoaslightlymorepronouncedexpression.But,asweallneedallfourinnerorganstofunctionforthesakeofourwell-being,itmustbeapparentyetagainthatineachpersonallfourtemperamentsareactive,evenifoneincarnatingsouluses,asitwere,oneoftheseorgansasitsprincipalgateofentry.

Turning again to another polarity, which we touched uponearlier,thepolarityoftheworkingofahrimanicandlucifericbeingsinto

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the human psyche, we may consider the following connections. Thelucifericbeings,workingwithinthehumanhead,wouldactuallypreventhumanbeingsfromestablishingarelationshipwiththemineralworld.Theywouldpreferhumanbeingstobeconcernedonlywiththerealmofplantsandanimals.Thesebeingsendowuswithartisticinclinationsandcapacities.Theybelongtotheexpandingpolarity,drawingindividuals,iftheywillallowit,awayfromtheearth.

Theotherbeings,theahrimanicones,wouldliketoinstillusahatredofallpastevolution;theywouldliketoexterminatethenaturalworld,eventhehumanworld,andcreateanewevolutionofmachines.8We may recognize in 20th century science and fantasy fiction manyelementsoftheaspirationsofthesetwogroupsofentities,astheywouldenticehumanitytoforgettheirhumanmissioninearthevolution.

Wemustrealize,thatthroughbeingpermeatedbytheformativeforces and the elements,humanityparticipates in theprocesses of thegreat world, the cosmos, or as it has been called in earlier ages, themacrocosm.Thusweshareinuniversallifeanddestiny.

The Bridge between the PolaritiesIntheongoinginteractionbetweenthesepolaroppositeuniver-

salpowers,betweenterrestrialandcosmicforces,expandingandcontract-ingforces,lucifericandahrimanicforces,eachhumanbeinghasbecomethestageforanequilibrationprocess.Oneofthemostwonderfulgiftsofangelicbeingstohumanity,agiftthatbearswithinitaninstrumentofthisequilibrationprocess,islanguage.Languagehasitsrealmintheinterplaybetweentheethericandtheastralbody.Movementforcesandformativeforcescreateintheirinteractionalanguageperson.

The artist must have felt—I do not say he must have seen, but he must have experienced in feeling what it means when we say that through the working together of astral body and ether body a second man has been begotten within us, has been set free within us, and lives in speech.9

Smallwonderthatintherealmoflanguagewetakeholdoftheworkingofthefourelements,thefourqualities,thefourtemperamentmodalities,mosteasilyandnaturally.

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Ahumanbeingstandsuprightonthesurfaceoftheearth.Fromthedistancesofthecosmosstreamforces,someremainingintheupperbody,someenteringtheearthandworkingupwardsfrombelow.Theyare caught up, reflected, and echo in each individual repeatedly, thuscreatingawholesymphonyofdelicateformandmovement.Theethericworldfluctuatesaroundhim,incolor,lightandsound,separatedfrombutactivewithinphysicalmatter.Anoceanofbeings,atworkinvariousways,surroundshim.Eachindividualhumanbeingisthebridge,andthedoor,throughwhichtheseforcesandbeingsworkuponhumannature.Within each person’s essential self and organization we may find theheavenlyladder,uponwhichcosmicforcesascendanddescend.Itistheladderof theelementsandetheric forces.Eachperson’segoandastralorganizationhavea foothold in thehumanbody through thewarmthandairconfiguration.Thephysicalandethericforcesworkparticularlythroughtheearthandwaterconfiguration.Thisisthebridge,theladder,whichenablesthehumanbeingtobeanintegratedbeingofbody,soul,andspirit.

Wemayperceivetheelementsandtheetheric/formativeforcesastherungsontheheavenlyladder.Ifwetransformthisimagealittle,wemight arrive at the tonesof a scale—andperceive the sequenceofformative/elementalforcesasaheavenlyscale,resoundingandechoingthroughanindividual.Olderworldconceptionshadstillthisverypictureofahumanbeing’sdirectrelationwiththiscosmicscale:theharmoniesofthespheres.Eachplanetaryorbitwasregardedassoundingononetone,sothatthewholesolarsystemsoundedtogetherinuniversalharmony.

Steiner describes that the human etheric body consists ofmusical tone: theheadpart ismelody, the chestpart isharmony, andthelimbpartisrhythm.Intheheadpartthereisthesequenceoftones,in thechestpart thesimultaneoussoundingof tones,and inthe limbpartofthehumanethericbodylieshiddentherhythmicalconfigurationunitingtheothertwoparts.Thusthehumanethericbodyisatimebody,forrhythmariseswithintheflowoftime.Aswementionedabove,theformativeforcesworkintime.10

We shall find many times over that musical imagery andmusicalconceptsarenecessaryfordevelopinganunderstandingofthetemperaments.

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Unity, Diversity and Their EquilibriumThepolarityofdiversifyingandunifyingforces,asmentioned

already,windslikearedthreadthroughallrealmsofnature,aswellasthroughhumanphysiologicalandpsychologicalprocesses.Toreiterate:Wemay correlate thefiery and airy elements as forming thebasis forthe unifying principle. The earthy element forms, in its contractiveand separating action, the basis for individuation and differentiationprocesses.Thewateryelementholds thebalance. Itsmercurialpatternmediatesbetweenthesetwoaspectsofthepolarity.

The ahrimanic beings strive to differentiate and individualizeto a destructive extreme, the luciferic beings to unify everything theyinfluence.Themercurialbeingsintherealmoftheethericforcesandthetemperaments swing invariable rhythmic sequencebetween these twoextremes.

Intherealmofthehumanbody,theunifyingandconvergingforces are concentrated in the head, the diverging and individualizingforcesinthemetabolism,andthelimbsystem.Themercurialprinciplehasitsseatintherhythmic/breathingsystem.

Intherealmofthesoul,theunifyingforcesworkinthinking,theindividualizingforcesinthewill.However,aswillpowerisalsoexertedin the activityof thinking, andwish, intention and forethought entertheareaofthewill,thesetwoareasinterpenetrateeachotherandworktogetherinmakingupthecomplexityofoursoullife.

We saw that thinking, as it expresses itself in the superficial soul-life, has behind it a synthesizing activity which operates in the construction and organization of the brain; and then we saw how behind expressions of will is an analytical activity which underlies the organs—underlies indeed our whole metabolism-and-limbs man, keeping the organs separate and distinct one from another.11

In theworldofnaturewefind rarely that one single elementworksinisolation.Thisisalsosoinrespectofhumanbeings:Rarelydowefindjustonetemperamentinexcess,withouttheaccompanimentsoftheothers.Weneedtokeepthisinmind.

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Thus there is a kind of weaving of life in-between destruction and solidification of earth existence; Luciferic, ahrimanic. The luciferic element actually tends continuously to make part of man non-material, to lift man away from earth existence; Lucifer desires, if he but could, to spiritualize, to de-materialize us entirely. But Ahriman is his opponent; he acts such, that all that which Lucifer gouges out is continually filled in again. Ahriman is the eternal ‘concretor.’ If you could form Lucifer and Ahriman plastically then you could easily—if matter were interpenetrable—always push Ahriman into the cavities made by Lucifer, or cover Lucifer with Ahriman. But, as there are also inner cavities, one has also to cover them on the inside. Ahriman and Lucifer, they are the two diametrically opposed powers active within man. Man himself is the equilibrium. Lucifer’s activity of de-materialization continuously results in Ahriman’s compensating with matter. When we are engaged in sense perception: that is Lucifer. When we think about our perceptions: Ahriman. When we decide to form the ideas of our intentions: Lucifer. When we really direct our will actively on the earth: Ahriman. Thus man stands between the two.12

Intheabovepassage,Steinerexemplifiestheworkingtogetherofthepolarities.Letusrealizefurthertheextenttowhichtheanalyticalandthesynthetictendenciesarebroughtintohumanbeingsthroughtheactivitiesof these twocosmic entities.Wemust realize thatwehave asynthesizingactivityinourperception,andananalyticaloneinthinking.Wehaveunification,a synthesizingactivity in formulatingwishesandmotivesforfutureactions,yetananalyticaloneinouractualintentionalactivity.

If we now extend this characteristic picture into the realm ofphysiology, we have progressive disintegration—the analysis—of thefoodsubstanceinthedigestiveprocess,asitgoesfrommouthintothedigestive tract.Wealsohaveaunifyinggestureof thenerves fromtheperipheryofthebodytothespinalchord,andonintothebrain.

In our sensoryperception we unitewithus, via theprocessesin the sense organs, something gathered from the external world and

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integrate it into our memory. In our digestive/metabolic processes weanalyze,dissectandseparatematterfromitsform.ButwealsocreateourownphysicalsubstancethroughoursensoryperceptiveprocessesinwhatSteinercallsthecosmic nutrition stream.13Atthesametimeweseparatethephysicalsubstanceofthefoodweeatfromtheforcesinherentinit,thusdiscarding the substanceandretainingonly the forces.This isananalyticalprocess.

Ourheadsynthesizessubstanceandanalyzesforces.Onecouldalso speak of world thoughts instead of forces. Conversely, our limb/metabolic configuration synthesizes forces—world thoughts—andanalyzesmatter.Synthesisandanalysis,unityanddiversity,contractionand expansion—they all belong to manifestations of the polarities ofbeingsandforcesrelatedtotheearthyontheonesideandtheairy-fieryontheother.

Space, Time, Consciousness:Their Signature in Temperament Modality

Themelancholic,beingthepersonmostgivenuptothecon-tractingpolarity,asitworksintothemineralrealm,willtendtooccupytheleastextensioninspace.Hewilltendtoshrinkintoapoint,thisbeingthegreatestpossiblecontrastbetweenhimandhisenvironment.Hewillalsobeveryawareofhimselfasa separateandeven isolatedperson—therefore,thesocialawkwardnessofmanymelancholics,theirfeelingofbeingexposed,theirwantingtocrawlintothenearestprotectivespace,curlupandgivethemselvesuptothinking,pondering,andreflecting,ratherthanactingandparticipating.

Hewillalsotrytoremainimmobilewheretimeisconcerned.Thus he will be late, and slow.Time is coming to a rest with him—disruptingandparalyzingthemovementoftheflowoftime—thisisthemelancholic’s natural inclination.To be as immobile as circumstancesallow—thatishisinclination.

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His awareness, too, tends to contract to the smallest possiblepoint—that is, himself. He is, moreover, wide-awake, more so than amorebalancedperson.But it isanawareness,andawakeness,which isself-centered.Hisconcentrationisgood,butoverlyattunedtoeverythingthatcentersonhimself—thusmakinghimhypersensitive,attimestothepointofhypochondria.

Thecholerichasamoreexpansivenature,andwilltendtotakeupasmuchspaceasshepossiblycan.Shewillattempttounitewithhersurrounding as fully as possible, thus extending her sphere of activitytoburstingpoint.Shetreatsthewholeworldasbelongingtoherself—anotherfacetofanexaggeratedunificationtendency.

As regards time, she will attempt to overreach herself, andthereforetendtobetooearly,toosoon,ortoofast.Moreover,shewilltendtodomorethanonethingatatime.Speedingup,andacceleratingeverythingshedoes—thisistypical.

Herconsciousnessisnotinhercenter,butinthecircumference.Sheisnotawakeandawarethroughwhatshesensesandthinks,asmuchas through what she does, through her field of action. The choleric,therefore,hasheregoexperienceinherwillregionmoredefinitivelythanhave theother temperaments.She affirmsherself throughher actions,thusmakingitessentialforhertobeconstantlyactiveandonthemove.Totalinvolvementatthelargestpossiblescale,grandactions,grandideas,andgrandgestures—thisischaracteristicofthecholeric.

The phlegmatic will also tend to fill out as much space as isavailable.Incontrast,hewillnothavethesameinnerurgetogobeyondthisspaceasthecholerichas,but,rather,likeavesselfillingwithwater,hewill—simply—fillitout.Hetakesallthespaceheisgivennotoutofanactiveinnerurgebutoutofinertia.Intakingupthespace,hewilltendtoadapttothegivenform.Probablythefairestdescriptionregardinghisfeelingfortimeisthis:resting,justslowlymovingfromactiontoaction,routinely,regularly,andalsoreliably.Onceamovementoractivityhasbegun, inertiawillensurearoutinelyongoingcontinuation.Stopping,however,mayagainbeasdifficultasstartinghadbeen.

Theconsciousnessof thephlegmaticseemstospreadout intothehorizontalwithoutafirmandcentralpointofreference.Thusbothawareness and awakeness of himself, as well as of events around him,areprobably at the lowest level compared to theother temperaments,thereforehistendencytosleepthroughagreatdealthatjoltsotherseasily

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awake. The phlegmatic often develops a highly sophisticated defensemechanism—hewill appear tobebusy, inorder to avoidbeinggivenmorework.Hewillchatterinordertopretendtobeinvolvedwithhisenvironment.

The sanguine, on the other hand, will be expansive, thoughselectivelyso,inherusageofavailablespace.Shewillnotburstoutofthelimits,shewillwanderhereandthere,willbeabletoorganizespacewellandstaywithinthelimitssheisgiven.Shewilldiversify,andmaybe occasionally inconsistent in her usage of space.The quality of hertime experience shows itself in her genuine delight in everything thatisrhythmical.Aneventempo,ofcourse,wouldbejusttooboring.Butrhythmical change gives great joy to a sanguine’s heart. A change oftempoinarecurringrhythmgivesherjusttherightamountofsecurityandchallengeatthesametime.

Her awareness, too, is definitely directed outward to herenvironment.Notinthetotallyinvolvedmannerofacholeric,butinthegentlermannerofintensecuriosityandexpectantobservation.Also,herintensivecravingforsensationandstimulationwillcauseherdifficultiesinconcentratingonanyoneobjectforlengthyperiodsoftime.Indeed,thesanguinehasthegreatestconcentrationdifficulties,andobstaclesindevelopingstayingpower,ofallthetemperaments.

Yet again, we need to point to the fact that no one personrepresentstheexclusiveworkingofanyonetemperament.

A melancholic is only a melancholic because the melancholic temperament predominates in him; for fundamentally everyone is endowed with all four temperaments. Under certain circumstances a melancholic is also phlegmatic, under others he is sanguine and again under others, choleric; the melancholic temperament simply predominates over the other temperaments. And a phlegmatic person is not one who possesses only the phlegmatic temperament, but in whom the phlegmatic temperament is more pronounced, the other temperaments remain in the background.14

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Endnotes1 RudolfSteiner,The World of the Senses and the World of the Spirit,op.cit.,

LectureofDecember29,1911.

2 Ibid.,LectureofDecember30,1911.

3 Ibid.

4 RudolfSteiner,Agriculture,op.cit.,LectureofJune10,1924.

5 Ibid.

6 RudolfSteiner,Spiritual Science and Medicine,RudolfSteinerPress,London,1975,GA312,LectureofMarch26,1920.

7 RudolfSteiner,The Bridge between Universal Spirituality and the Physical Constitution of Man,op.cit.,LectureofDecember17,1920.

8 RudolfSteiner,Die Verantwortung des Menschen für die Weltentwicklung,op.cit.,LectureofMarch11,1921.

9 RudolfSteiner,Speech and Drama,op.cit.,LectureofSeptember21,1924.

10 RudolfSteiner,Art in the Light of Mystery Wisdom,op.cit.,LectureofMarch7,1923.

11 RudolfSteiner,Curative Education,op.cit.,LectureofJune26,1924.

12 RudolfSteiner,Der Mensch als Gedankenwesen. Kosmische Gestaltungskrafte,GA205,LectureofJuly15,1921.

13 RudolfSteiner,The Effects of Esoteric Development,AnthroposophicPress,Hudson,NY,DATE,GA145,LectureofMarch25,1913.

14 Ibid.,LectureofMarch22,1913.

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Chapter Ten

Bridges of Understanding:The Real Home of the Temperaments

Thus we are truly, in a certain connection, redeemers of Lucifer. When we begin to be able to love our duty, then the moment has come when we can help towards the redemption and release of the Luciferic powers; we set free the Lucifer forces which are held in us as by a charm, and lead them forth to fight with Ahriman. …

Love is the inner fire; its opposite is calmness—the quiet acceptance of what happens in the world. As soon as we approach our right with this quiet and calm interest we call in Ahriman. It is not easy to recognize him here, for we set him free from his merely external existence, we summon him into ourselves and warm him with the love that is already united with right. Calm and peace of mind have the coldness of Ahriman; in the quiet understanding of what is in the world, we unite our warmth and our understanding love with the coldness that is in the outside world. And then we release Ahriman, when we meet what has come about with understanding, when we do not merely demand our rights out of self-love but understand what has come about in the world. This is the eternal battle that is waged between Lucifer and Ahriman.1

–RudolfSteiner

Itisonlytoopainfullyapparentthatwearefacedwithproblemsofbalance—inourtime,aswellasinourindividuallives.Intheever-increasingeccentricityoftheswingofthependulum,whichappearstotemptandcoercehumanitytodaytowardspolarizingeveryareaofhumanexistence,theneedtoworktowardsthepotentialofbalancebecomesevergreater.WeknowonlytoowellfromSteiner’snumerousexpositionsthatthisbalanceisnotastaticandfirmpointuponwhichtorest,butanever-

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prevailingstruggleforequilibrium.Anongoingefforttocreatebalancebetweenthetwoopposingcosmicpowersisdemandedfromhumanity—withinphysiologicalandlife,psychological,andspiritualprocesses.

The Quest for EquilibriumItappearstomethatthepartofthehumanorganization,which

ismostexposed to this struggle forbalanceat thepresent time, is theethericbody.

A different form of experience will come to the man of modern times. In his own opinion he knows everything so well; he observes the material world, uses his intellect to establish the interconnections between its phenomena and believes that all its riddles are solved in this way, never realizing that he is simply groping in a phantasmagoria. But this way of working coarsens and dries up his ether body, with the ultimate result that the Mephistophelean powers, like a second nature, will attach themselves to him now and in times to come … nevertheless he will chain a second being to his heels. Accompanied by this second being, he will feel the urge to think materialistic thoughts, to think, not through his own being, but through the second being who is his companion. In an ether body that has been parched by materialism, Mephistopheles will be able to dwell.

Understanding what this implies, we shall realize that it is our duty to educate children in the future—be it by way of eurythmy or the development of a spiritual-scientific outlook—in such a way that they will be competent to understand the spiritual world. The ether body must be quickened in order that the human being may be able to take his rightful stand, fully cognizant of the nature of the being who stands at his side. If he does not understand the nature of this second being, he will be spellbound by him, fettered to him. Just as the Greek was obliged to get the better of the sphinx, so will modern man have to outdo Mephistopheles—with his faun-like, satyr-like form, and his goat’s or horse’s feet…

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The prelude to these happenings is that a people or a poet have premonitions of the existence of the being who accompanies man; but finally, every single human being will have this companion who must not remain unintelligible to him and who will operate most powerfully of all during childhood. If adults whose tasks it is to educate children today do not know how to deal rightly with what comes to expression in the child, human nature itself wilt be impaired owing to a lack of understanding of the wiles of Mephistopheles. …I have said already that when etheric forces are impoverished, the feet cannot develop normally, but will wither.2

Steiner indicates here in no uncertain terms the actual, yethiddenbattle,goingonbeneaththeveilsofsenseperceptibleexistenceforeachhumanbeing’shealthyethericbody.Letus try tounderstandsomeoftheimplicationsofAhriman’sattempttoenterhumanethericbodies.Humanetherbodies tend tocontract, toonlyfillpartially thephysicalbody.Ahriman,asitwere,theninsinuateshimselfintotheareasoftheethericbodywhicharedriedup.

Itisafundamentalpedagogicallawthatonememberofhumaninnerorganizationinfluencesthenextlowermember—bothwithineachpersonaswellasinhumaninteraction,suchasintheinteractionbetweenteacherandstudent.

If you find that the etheric body of a child is in some way weakened or deficient, you must form, you must modify, your own astral body in such a way that it can work upon the etheric body of the child, correcting and amending it.3

Itisvitaltorealizethatwiththiswehaveanintrinsiclinkbetweenachild’sphysicaldevelopmentandateacher’smoral-ethicaldevelopment.Steiner points this out in many of his educational lecture courses insublimesimplicity.Thelastlecturesinthefollowingeducationalcoursesareparticularlyrelevant:Foundations of Human Experience(op.cit.),The Roots of Education(op.cit.),The Essentials of Education(AnthroposophicPress,Hudson,NY,GA308),Education for Adolescence(op.cit.),Balance in Teaching(op.cit.,LectureofSeptember21,1920),ofwhichthelast

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isofparamountimportance.Intheselectures—andinmanyothers—wemayfindawealthofindicationswhichenabletheteachertoimbuehersoulandspiritbeingwiththenecessaryideasandinspirationtodevelopin herself the members of her own organization—etheric, astral, ego,the spirit self on its path towards manifestation—insuchaway that shemay exert abeneficent influenceuponher fellowhumanbeings.Thisteachermay thenwork alsobeneficially upon thedevelopment of thecorrespondinglowermembersofherstudents.

We shall not dwell any further on these vital indications, astheyarepartofeachteacher’sindividualandintimatestriving.Weshall,however,pointtoanotherimplicationoftheabovequotation.

The Movement Organization and the Impaired Etheric BodyThe above quoted lecture makes it abundantly clear that due

to the insinuation—ever increasing in our time—of ahrimanic beingsintotheethericbodiesofhumanbeings,thehumansoulisdammedup,congested,asitwere,withoutreachingintotheveryextremities.Handsandfeetbecomeclumsy,thesoulisstoppedup,asitwere,atkneesandelbows.Outermotion—whichindicatestheflowofastralcurrents—ishinderedbythesebeingsinourethericbodies.

Every teacher who has eyes to see must be appalled by thegrowing clumsiness, by the halting, stumbling gait of many studentstoday, as compared to adecadeor two,maybe evenagenerationago!Lovingobservationmakesitobviousthatmanychildren,manyadultsforthatmatter,donotfullypermeatetheirphysicalbodies.Furtherlovingobservationwillbringhometousthecrassdisparitybetweensoul-filledandsoul-void—mechanical—bodilymotion.

Letusnot forget that theability tomovewithone’sphysical,etheric,andastralconfigurations,isdirectlyrelatedtotheabilitytoarriveatconclusionsandmakejudgments,asdescribedinChapter7.Oneoftheconsequencesoftheinfluenceofthetwopolarizingpowers,whoaimtoparalyzehumanbeings’movementcapacities, isanattackupontheintrinsicallyhumanabilitytolearninalivingway,namelybymeansoftheentirebody,incontrasttothemerereflectionofabstractconceptsinthehead.Thusthehumancapacityforexperiencingintelligence,whichisaliveandmaybetakenholdofintuitively,isdirectlyattackedbythisassault upon the forces of movement. Only coldly, mirrored abstractconceptsarenotimpaired!

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Letusenteralittlemoredeeplyintothisproblem.Theahrimanicbeings,astheypenetrateintoournature,takeholdofourintelligence,andbegintothinkforus,despisingus,whilealsopermeatingourlimbs.Thushumanbeingsbecomeservantsoftheahrimanicintentions.

The plight of children is tremendous today. Behaviorist edu-cationalphilosophyregardsahumanbeingashollow—souland spiritarenon-perceptibletoadherentsofthisphilosophy,andsothereappearstobeakindofvacuuminsideahumanbeing.Steinermentionsinmanyofhislecturesapriorhistoricalattackuponthespiritualessenceofeachhumanbeing:NamelythedeclarationbytheEighthEcumenicalCouncilin869AD,thathumanbeingsconsistofbodyandsoul,whichhassomespiritualqualities,butnotanindependentspirit.Thestimulus-responseapproachputsgarbage into a person,fillshimorherupwilly-nilly,andthenassumesthattheseabstractdataarestoredandabletoberecalled.Let us note, at least, the quantitative terminology which is employedbyBehavioristmethods, remembering that thepictureof the learningprocess as described in these pages takes fully into account that eachhumanbeinghasbody,soulandspirit—theeternalessenceofhisorherinnerbeing.

B.F. Skinner, the most visible proponent of the behavioristschool, statesveryclearly thatall concepts,whichdescribe thehumanbeingashavinganinnerself,oughttobedeclaredredundant.Autonomous manistobedisregardedforautonomousmancannotberecordedandmeasured,andthusdoesnotexist.4Heconcludesthatinnermanmustbe abolished, for the inner man has been created as the image of theouter.This statement shows clearly with what dangerous illusions wearebombardedtoday.Formodernscienceseesnothingwhendirectingitsattentiontothesoul.Itsees,quiterightly,avacuum.Thisisduetothe lackof the appropriate instruments for researching into the forcesofthesoul.Instrumentsforthesoulneedtoconsistofthesamenatureas thehuman soul itself—theyneed tobe soul instruments.Steiner, inmanyofhisworks, showsushowtodevelop these subtle instrumentsofour soul forces (For instance in the above-mentionedThe Effects of Esoteric Development,op.cit.).Becausemodernmaterialisticscienceseesonlyavacuum,itdeclaresthatthereis, infact,avacuum.Thisfallacyridesrampantinvariousdisguisesin19thand20thcenturymaterialisticideology.Itistantamounttosayingthat,becauseapersonisblindandthuslacksthetoolsthatshowavisualworld,thisworlddoesnotexist.

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Inthecaseoftheblindperson,weknowhowothersensesreplacethemissing sense perception. Most modern individuals do not yet knowthatothertoolsarenecessary,whendirectingattentiontomattersofthesoulandspirit,and thus theycreate the fableofamaterialisticworld.Consequently,thedemons,whichhavebeenconjuredupinmodernlifethroughtheadvanceoftechnology,revengethemselvesuponhumanity.Itmustbestatedherethatwhatfollowsshouldinnowaybetakenasacondemnationoftechnology—onlyasacharacterizationoftheneedtounderstanditsoriginandforces.Ifwedonotunderstandtechnologyinall itsmarvelous aspects thoroughly,weare indangerofbecoming itsslaves.

Inbehavioristpsychology,ahumanbeingisregardedasamoreorlesswell-workingcomputer—anotherconsequenceofatechnologicalviewofindividualandcosmos.Oneforgetsonlytooeasilythattheworldoftechnologyhasbeencreatedbyhumanityitself.Itisactuallyremarkabletorealizethatelementsofthehuman,butalsoanimalandplantphysicalbodiesandproperties,havebeenusedtodevelopthemarvelsofthemodernworldthroughthedismembermentandexternalizationofthebodyintoitsparts and functions,making eachpart function independently andendowingitwithenergytocreatemechanicalextensionsofman.

Anyonewhostudiestheoriginoftools,machinesandengineswill, upon some pondering, find the precise part and function of thehuman,animal, andplantphysiologyandanatomywhich is imitated,externalizedandserialized,sothatlaborgetsdone.Steineroncepointedoutthat,inactuality,ifweweretotranslatetheamountoflabordonebymachinesintothecorrespondingnumberofpersonswhowouldbeneededtodothiswork, it seemsthatmanymorehumanbeingsmustbeboundtotheearthsphere thanareactually incarnated.Inorder tobeabletodeveloptechnology,humanityhadtocallupontheahrimanicforces andbeingsofdisintegration—for theyoffered thepossibilityofdismemberingtheidealanduniversalimageofahumanbeing,andsocreatetheworldofmachinesinitsimage.Steinerreferstotheworldofmachinesasageologicallayerwhichhumanityhasaddedtothenaturalminerallayersoftheearth.5

Nowdemonsholdagrimacinganddistortingmirrortoaperson,and sheorhepicture themselves in the formof a computer.Demonsavengethemselvesfornothavingbeenrecognizedintheirspiritualrealitybyhumanbeings.Thesebeingshavepoweroverusonly ifwedonot

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recognize them. Steiner points out repeatedly, that if one makes theworkingofAhrimanvisible,he loseshispower.Forexample,Steiner’sdesignofthefurnacehouseatthefirstGoetheanum,theHeizhaus, showsarchitecturallyandsculpturally thevery forceswhichwereactive in it.Italsohadtostandbyitself.SteinerremarksfrequentlythathumanitywillbeonthewaytounderstandAhrimanandworkconsciouslywiththeseforcesonlyiftrainstations,airportsandfactoriesaredesignedtorevealtheworkingoftheseahrimanicbeingsintheworldoftechnologythroughtheirveryformprinciples.External formneedstocorrespondto inner essence, in structures serving technology aswell as structuresservingspiritualscience.

In education we now face children who are already damagedin their etheric organism. There are various stages of this damage,which shows itself at first in nervousness and hyperactivity, and turnsprogressively into apathy.One can literally see thedesperate soulof achildwishingtotakefullandproperpossessionofitsbody,butisunabletodoso,foritsethericbodyisalreadyparalyzedtosuchadegreethatthesoulcannotflowfreelyfromlimbtolimbandstreamthrough,butisdammedupeverywhere.Thisthenshowsitselfintheproliferationofpresent-daylearningandsocialdifficulties.

From our acquaintance with Steiner’s Spiritual Science wemight be aware that the sphere of movement—our ability to set thebody intomotion—occursat theborderof soulandbody, intheareaofthesenses.WereferredtothisattheendofChapter8.(SeeThe Case for Anthroposophy,op.cit.)Thesphereofactivity,orvolitionasOwenBarfieldtranslates it,adjoinsthesoulsphereproper.Togetherwiththesphere of the senses, it forms a transition between an individual andtheexternalworld.Itisforthisreason,forinstance,thatwhenSteinerdescribesthenatureofan infantortoddler,herefers tohimorherasa being of both all will and also completely senses, for both outer willandsensoryperceptionaresituatedinanintermediarypositionbetweenhumanityandcosmos.

Further, it should be obvious that any overstimulation of thesenses would result in a paralysis of movement. Any substitution offake sensory experiences falsifies perception, introduces obstacles, rocksandlumps,asitwere,intothisdelicatehumansheathwhereworldandsoul interpenetrate. Foreign bodies are introduced into it with everyfakesensoryexperience,suchastheeffectsofeveryradioandtelevision

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set,everyartificialscentandflavor,everyartificialfabric(inasfarasitattempts to foolone’s senseof texture,not if itprofesses tobeopenlyartificial),whichfreezethedelicatelymobileandnaturallyimpressionablesensitivehumansheath.Inchildren,whoarenotasyetinthepositiontodefendthemselves,becausetheyarestillintheprocessofdevelopinga qualitative response to their sensory perceptions and their motions,this results inadisastrous interferenceof their incarnationprocess.Asittakesplaceinthesameregionofbodyandsoul,weseealsovolitionandmotiondirectlyhamperedbythisinterferenceofthedevelopmentof healthy sensory perception. Children’s souls—thus poisoned—nolongerhaveareliablebridgetolinkthemselvestotherestofhumanity,nor a reliable measure of comparison to distinguish between real andfakesensoryvalues.Aseducators—knowingall this—wemaystrivetofindthehelperswhichwillenableustoguidechildrensotheywillbestrengthenedandsufficientlyalertandstrongtocontinuethisbattleinlaterlife.

Both the ahrimanic and the luciferic beings interfere in thesensory processes—the former concerned with the higher senses, thelatterwiththebody,orlower,senses.Theformerwillmakeofapersonanautomaton,thelatteramystic.Eitherbringsaboutanimbalanceinthesensory-movementrealm.Theteachertodayhasatremendoustaskfromtheviewpointofspiritualscience:tounderstand,transform,andtobattlelucifericandahrimanicdemonsandtocreateaspiritualspacethroughherorhisconsciousnessandinnerwork,herorhiseffortstounderstandthespiritualconfigurationofhumanbeings,sothatsheorheaidschildrentodevelopqualitativevaluesofthinking,offeeling,ofvolition,ofsensationandofmotion.SteinermakesthispointemphaticallyinhisFoundations of Human Experience(op.cit.,LectureofSeptember4,1919):

To be active with a purpose—these words must sink into our minds if we would be teachers. Now when is a man active without purpose? He is active without purpose, senselessly active, when he acts only in accordance with the demands of his body. He acts with purpose when he acts in accordance with the demands of his environment and not merely in accordance with those of his own body. We must pay heed to this where the child is concerned.

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In the meaningful execution of movement we have a key fortheunitingofqualitativevalueswiththesoul-spiritbeingofthechild.Itmustthereforebeoneofourforemostconcernsforchildrentofilltheiractivities,ineverysmallestdetailofmotion,withmeaning,thusallowinginteresttodevelop.Weshallhealtheinroadswhichtoday’sconditionsofcivilizationhavemadeuponsensesandhealthybodilydevelopmentwhenweworkwithsuchaninfusionofmeaningintomovementactivity.

Wemayalsoreceivehelpinthisbattleforhumanethericbodies.Ratherthandescribethishelptheoretically,Ishallputitinstoryform.

A Fable for TeachersTheairwasflushwiththepromiseofsummer.Birdschirpedand

sang,insectshummedandthesunlightglitteredthroughthegreentopsofthemightytreessurroundingthehouseinwhichayoungschoolhaditshome.Inthedistancewastheroarofthetraffic,forthiswasinoneofthelargercitiesinAmerica.

Alessonwasinprogress—recorderplaying.Muchastheteachertried,theclassseemedmorerestlessthanusual.Allchildrenwhocouldbereliedupontoberestlessweresowithavengeance,andtheothersweregivenovertotheirapatheticdreams.

Neitherkindnessnorcajoling,neitherhumornorsternnesshadanyeffect.Hardlyhadonechildcalmedsufficientlytobereadyforwork,whenanothertookovertoperform.Animpseemedtojumpfromchildtochild—fanningtheirrebelliousactionsonebyone.

An Imp?Asad-faced,longandthin,greenish-blackbeing,withpaleface

andglittering eyes,made the rounds.Heattempted tomelthisbody,suchasitwas,intothebodiesofeachchildinturn.Theapatheticonesofferedhimnoresistance—hecameandwentasifheownedtheirbodiestohousehimathispleasure.

The others, though, they struggled. Restlessly they jerked,agitatedly they pranced about, shouted, giggled, and seemed utterlyincapable of heeding the teacher’s plea to keep still and quiet. Howcouldtheywhentheywereplaguedbythegreenbeingseekingtotakepossessionofthehousesoftheirsouls?Howcouldtheywhentheywerebeingthreatenedwithevictionfromtheirrightfulhome?

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Thesightofthegreen/blackbeingstirredtheteachertoangerandpity:“Soitisyouwhounderminesmywork,whostealsthebodiesofthechildrenawayfromtheirsouls,whoseekstoinsinuatehimselfintoaforeignnest!Whoareyou?Youarelost!Youhavelostyourrightfulplaceincreation.Whohasdrivenyoufromyourownhome?”

Atfirstthegreen/blackbeingmadeasiftoattacktheteacher—distortingbothfaceandbodyinfearfulgrimace.

Theteacherremainedcalm.“I’llnotpermityoutocontaminatemychargesanylonger.Ihavehelpersofyourownkindwhowilldriveyouwhereyoubelong.Yourplaceistokeepanenginegoing,orapump,oranyothermotor.Buthere,wherelivingbeingsare,youareanintruder.”

Withearnestdeterminationandironwilltheteacherdirectedapleatohisrightfulhelpers—thebeingsofthenaturalelements.“Come,spiritsofflameandfire!Bringyourfireofenthusiasm,theglowofinterest,thelivelyandactiveyearningfortransmutationandmetamorphosis.

“Come,spiritsoftheair.Soundyourmelodiousrhymes,glanceyourbrightbeamsof lightandfanthesympatheticearofmycharges,arousetheircuriosity;lettheirthoughtsdanceinpatternsofbrightnessoverthedarkspacesoftheworld;giveusofyourgentlespeechandlovingrhyme.

“Come,spiritsofwater.Stirourfeelingforthegoodnessofthisworld;letriseandfallthewatersoftransformationandlife;soundoutthecyclesofbirthanddeath; let themengenderaweand love for theworld.

“Come,spiritsofearth,youspiritsofcrystallinecertainty—youwhogivestructureandfirmformtoallthatis.Giveformandstructuretousalso,sothatunderstandingmayprevail.”

Loandbehold—theycame.Astheycame,thegreenbeingfledaway,butnotwithoutanaccusingglanceattheteacher.“Why,”itseemedtoask,“whydoyoubanishme?Haveyounotboundmetoyourselfinthefirstplace?”Buttheteacherrelegatedthatquestiontoalatertimeofcontemplation.

Thefieryspiritsstirredtheheartsinenthusiasticresponse.Theearthy beings scattered thoughts like glittering jewels all around.Theairybeingsscintillatedinmelodioussongandharmonioussenseofwell-being.The watery beings rolled their soothing waves over the restlessemotionsandcooledtheforbiddenfires.

Soulswerecalmed.Peacereigned.Nowordswereneededtocalltheclasstoorder.Nowordswereneededtoaddresseachunrulychild.

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Allworkedtogether.Aninnerawarenessofthebattle,whichspiritswagewithspiritsonthestageof thehumansoul,wasneededtorestorethebalance,which human souls need to grow to their fulfillment, just asthe plant to light.The lesson, now restored, was brought to fruition.Meaningfulworkwasdone.

Thequestionofthegreen-blackbeing,however,remained.Whytheaccusingglance,ashedeparted?Ishumanityguiltyinbindinghim,unredeemed,tothelowerrungsofexistence?

The Work of the TeacherMuch has been said by Steiner about the inner work of the

teacher,aboutthe innerworkofeachpersonaspiringtodohisorhershareinthebuildingofanewworldoutoftheoldworldofmaterialism.ThoughahundredyearsintotheMichaelage,andsoonahundredyearsintotheageoflight,wehaveasyetlittleouterindicationthatanupwardtiltinthedevelopmentofhumanityhasoccurred.

The inertiaofmaterialism is strong. Insidiousare theways inwhich spiritually striving men and women are opposed and foiled inhonestattemptstodotheirshare.And,letusnotforgetit,atleasthalfoftheobstacles,hindrances,nay,theattacksoftheopposingpowerscomefrom within, from within our very own souls and beings—thus self-knowledgeistheswordwhichhardensthesteelofourwillandintention.

Howmaywereadyourselvestoinvokethebeingswhoarethehelpersofhumanityinitsbattle?

To return to the concepts stated by Steiner so succinctly inThe Case for Anthroposophy:Thebattle foran individual’s independentexistence today is fought in the intermediate zone between inneressence—soulandspirit—andexternalworld.Inotherwords,thebattleisfoughtintherealmofsenseandmovementactivity.Asweattemptedto demonstrate in the previous chapter, the actual zone in which thetemperaments areactive inhumanbeings is thisvery samezone—thetransitionbetweenbodyandsoul,betweeneachindividualandtheworld.

Sensoryandmotionactivitiesalso takeplaceprimarily in thisintermediate zone—thus temperament characteristics express them-selves, as has already been stated several times above, in filtering oursensoryperceptionsandcoloringourmovementsandgestures.Weworkcreativelyandartisticallyintothisintermediatezoneofhumanexistencewheneverwespeakthelanguageofthetemperaments.

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In the elementary grades of any school, and particularly in aWaldorfschool,weworkprimarilywiththechild’ssensesandmovementcapacities.Thelevelofthisworkisthreefold:

Intheform,gesture,andgestaltaspectofnatureandindividual;In the musicality, rhythm, and tempo aspect of nature and

individual;Inthecolor,andimagequalityofnatureandindividual.

Ineachofthesethreeareaswemayfindandusetheappropriateandcharacteristicexpressionsforeachofthefourtemperaments.Thus,therearetwelvepossibilities—fourmodalitiesonthreelevelsofexpressionandexperience.Thistwelvefoldmodeofexpressionprovidesuswithawiderangeofpossibilitiesfordevelopingourapproachestothesubjectmatterineachgrade.Weneedtotransformeachelementofknowledge,eachskill,eachartisticexperience, so that theelementalbeings in thisintermediatezonebetweenworldandindividualmayhelpus infuse itwithlifeandmeaning.

We have given some examples of how a teacher might workat learning to transform the subjectmatter so that the four elementalqualitiesofthetemperamentmodescometoexpression.Theseexamplesareintendedtostimulateteacherstodotheirownwork.Afterall,eachindividual teacher might learn to use her or his own self as a tool ofeducation,sharpenthequalitativesensibilitiesineachoftheartsinearnestwork, inorder that life-givingpowersmaywork through the teacher’sethericbodysculpturallyintothephysicalwell-beingofstudents;sothatlife-givingpowersmayworkthroughtheteacher’sastralbodypainterlyintotheethericbodiesofstudents;sothatlife-givingpowersmayworkmusicallythroughtheteacher’segointotheastralbodiesofthestudents;so that life-giving powers may work poetically through the teacher’s(potential) spirit self into theegoof the students. Ifwe strive towardsthis,weareatworktoredeemtheartsinourtime.

The Redemption of the ArtsTheartsare intrinsically involved inthis intermediatezoneof

sensesandvolition,ofmotion.Thefourfoldqualityoftheelementsfindsitsexpression ineachart.Througheachartadifferentmemberof thehuman constitution may be permeated with spiritual life and thus be

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strengthenedtowithstandthedivisiveanddeath-dealingforceswhichareabroadinourtechnologicalculture.

Throughart—artisticexperienceenlivenedbythefourtempera-mentelementmodes—weredeemalsotheimageoftheuniversalhuman.WhatelsecouldSteinerhavemeantwhendescribingtheNewIsislegend?Horus—theimageofman—istornapartbyTyphonandrestoredtoIsisbytheelementalbeingsofnature.

Thus the new Isis had carried her offspring into the world and the world had dismembered it in fourteen pieces. When the spirit-visitor, the new Typhon, had come to know of this he gathered together the fourteen pieces, and with all the knowledge of natural, scientific profundity he again made a being, a single whole, out of the fourteen pieces. But in this being there were only mechanical laws, the law of the machine… Thus a being had arisen with the appearance of life, but with the laws of the machine. And since this being had arisen out of fourteen pieces, it could reproduce itself again, fourteenfold. And Typhon could give a reflection of his own being to each piece, so that each of the fourteen offspring of the new Isis had a countenance that resembled the new Typhon.

And Isis had to follow all this strange affair, half divining it; half divining she could see the whole miraculous change that had come to her offspring. She knew that she had herself dragged it about, that she had herself brought all this to pass. But there came a day when in its true, its genuine form she could accept it again from a group of spirits who were elemental spirits of nature, could receive it from nature elementals.

As she received her true offspring which only through an illusion had been stamped into the offspring of Typhon, there dawned upon her a remarkable clairvoyant vision: she suddenly noticed that she still had the cow-horns of ancient Egypt, in spite of having become a new Isis.

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Through the strength of her clairvoyance, there one day arose in her the deep meaning, as far as the age could reach, of that which is described in St. John’s Gospel as the Logos. There arose in her the Johannine significance of the Mystery of Golgotha. Through this strength the power of the cow-horns grasped the paper crown and changed it into an actual golden crown of genuine substance.6

When engaged in teaching as intended by Steiner, we aredirectlyconcernedwiththeredemptionofHorus—theuniversalimageofthehumanbeing—fromdismembermentbyTyphon.OurstrivingtocreatedynamicequilibriumbetweenthetwoadversariesofLuciferandAhrimanenablestheelementalbeingsofnaturetocometoouraid.Thenwemaycontributetotheeventualrisingofanewspiritualcultureoutoftheashesofmaterialism.

Endnotes1 RudolfSteiner,Balance in World and Man,op.cit.,LectureofNovember

22,1914.

2 Ibid.,LectureofNovember20,1914.

3 RudolfSteiner,Education for Special Needs,op.cit.,LectureofJune26,1924.

4 B.F.Skinner,Beyond Freedom and Dignity,ABantam/VintageBook,VintageBooks,NY,1972,particularlychapters1and9.

5 RudolfSteiner,Die Verantwortung des Menschen fur die Weltentwicklung,op.cit.,LectureofJanuary30,1921.

6 RudolfSteiner,Ancient Myths. Their Meaning and Connection to Evolution,SteinerBookCentre,NorthVancouver,Canada,1978,GA180,LectureofJanuary6,1918.

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Magda Lissau was born in Vienna, Austria, to parents who knew Rudolf Steiner. She had intended to study chemistry at the University of Vienna, but instead trained as a teacher at the Camphill Schools in Scotland. She emigrated to South Africa in 1961, where she taught at a Camphill institution in Johannesburg, and then, in 1964, she joined Michael Mount Waldorf School as a class teacher. While on sabbatical in 1975, she visited Waldorf teacher development institutes in Germany, Austria, Sweden, Norway, and England, and on to North America, where she remained for three months at the Waldorf Institute in Detroit—now Sunbridge College. She decided at this point to immigrate to the United States. She first taught and consulted with teachers in Washington, DC, and Baltimore and then moved to Chicago in 1981. She has been active there ever since, eventually both teaching in and administrating the Arcturus Rudolf Steiner Education Program, a Waldorf teacher development institution.

The Assoc iat ion of Waldor f S choo l s o f Nor t h Amer i c a

38 Main StreetChatham, NY 12037