Everything in Creation is movement. Brought into being strictly according to Law by the pressure of the Light, movement produces heat through which forms are able to unite. Thus without Light there could be no movement, and therefore man can also imagine that in the proximity of the Light the movement must even be far more rapid and strong than at a vast distance from It.
In fact the greater the distance from the Light, the slower and more sluggish becomes the movement. In time it may even lead to the rigidity of all the forms which had already taken shape when at first the movement was still more animated.
The expression Light in this connection does not, of course, refer to the light of some planet, but to the Primordial Light, which is Life itself, therefore God!
Following this picture of a great survey of what takes place in Creation, I wish for once today to direct attention to the earth, which is now revolving at a far greater distance from the Primordial Light than it did many millions of years ago, because it has been increasingly exposed to the weight of the Darkness through men, who in their ridiculous and stubborn conceit, due to a one-sided over-development of the intellect, drew away from God. The intellect is and will always continue to be directed only downwards towards coarse matter, because that is the purpose for which it was provided; on the assumption, however, that it should be able to receive absolutely undimmed all radiations and impressions emanating from above, out of the Luminous Heights.
All the work of the intellect for outward activity in coarsest matter, that is, in material substance, falls to the frontal brain. On the other hand, the back brain has the task of taking in from above impressions which are lighter and more luminous than coarse matter, and passing them on for further use.
This harmonious co-operation of the two brains, given to men for their benefit, was disturbed by man’s one-sided surrender to purely earthly, that is, to gross material activities. In the course of time it was completely stifled and tied off, as it were, because owing to its excessive activity the frontal brain was bound gradually to over-develop in proportion to the neglected back brain, which consequently became still less capable of receiving and also weakened. Thus over thousands of years the hereditary evil came into being through physical reproduction; for even newly-born children brought with them a frontal brain proportionately far more developed than the back brain. This held the danger of the awakening of the hereditary sin, through which man is compelled from the outset to direct his thoughts solely towards earthly things, and thus away from God.
All this will be easily comprehensible to every man of sincere goodwill; moreover, I have given many and detailed explanations of it in my Message.
All the evil on earth came into being because man, owing to his spiritual origin, could exert a pressure with his volition upon everything else existing on earth; whereas just because of this spiritual origin he could and also should have had an uplifting influence; for that was and is his real task in Subsequent Creation, in which all that is spiritual naturally takes the lead. It can lead upwards, which would be the natural thing, but it can also lead downwards if the volition of the spiritual is mainly striving only after earthly things, as is the case with earthmen.
In the knowledge of Creation which I have given in my Message, and in the related explanation of all the Laws automatically working in Creation, which may also be called the Laws of Nature, the whole weaving of Creation is displayed without a gap; it allows every process to be clearly recognised, and therewith the purpose of man’s whole life. With unassailable logic it also unfolds his whence and his whither, thus giving an answer to every question, provided man seriously seeks for it.
Even the most malevolent opponents must halt here, because their cunning is insufficient to be able to invade and destroy the perfect completeness of what has been said, and thus also rob man of this help. – –
I have said that the movement in Creation must become progressively slower the further away anything is from the Primordial Light, the starting-point of the pressure which subsequently brings about movement.
So is it with the earth at the present time. Through the guilt of earthmen its orbits have become increasingly distant. As a result the movements are becoming slower, ever more sluggish, and thereby much has already approached the stage where rigidity sets in.
Rigidity also has very many stages; in its beginnings it is not so easy to recognise. Even while it is progressing, recognition remains impossible unless a flash of light for once stimulates the keenest observation.
This recognition is difficult simply because everything living within the sphere of the steadily slackening movements is also drawn uniformly into the increasing denseness that leads to rigidity. This applies not only to the body of a human being, but to everything, including his thinking. It affects even the most minute things. Imperceptibly every concept also changes and becomes distorted, even those concerning the actual meaning of the language.
Since he himself is drawn along in the same sluggish vibration, man cannot notice this in his neighbour, unless from out of his inner being he seeks once more to fight his way upwards spiritually with the strongest volition and with tenacity, so as again to come a little nearer to the Light. His spirit will then gradually become more mobile, thus lighter and more luminous, and will influence his earthly recognition.
Terrified and aghast with horror, however, he will then see, or at least intuitively perceive, how far the distortions of all concepts have already progressed in rigidity on this earth. The far-seeing view of how things really are is lacking, because everything has been pressed into narrow and obscure limits which can no longer be penetrated, and must in time completely stifle everything they embrace.
I have already often pointed out distorted concepts; but now, through the steady withdrawal from the Light, these are slowly proceeding on the downward path to rigidity.
It is unnecessary to give individual examples, for either no attention whatever would be paid to such explanations, or they would be described as tiresome quibbling, because man is much too rigid or too indolent to want to give them serious reflection.
I have also already spoken sufficiently of the power of the word, of the mystery that even the human word can, for a time, work constructively or destructively on the weaving of Creation within the sphere of the earth. This is because through the sound, tone and composition of a word, creative forces are set in motion which do not work according to the intention of the speaker, but according to the sense of the word in its meaning.
The meaning, however, was originally given through the forces which the word sets in motion, and which are therefore exactly adjusted to the true meaning, or vice versa, but not to the volition of the speaker. Meaning and word arose out of the corresponding movement of forces, therefore they are inseparably one!
Again, man’s thinking sets in motion other currents of force which correspond to the essence of his thinking. Man should therefore endeavour to choose the right words to express his thinking, thus in so doing to perceive intuitively in a more accurate and clear manner.
Suppose a man is asked about something of which he has heard, and part of which he may even have seen. When questioned he would maintain without hesitation that he knows it!
In the opinion of many superficial people this answer would be correct, and yet in truth it is wrong and objectionable; for to know means to be able to give exact information about everything, every detail from beginning to end, without any omission and from one’s own experience. Only then can a man say that he knows
it.
Great responsibility attaches to the expression, and to the concept of knowledge associated with it!
I have also already pointed out the great difference between knowledge and what has been learned. Learnedness is by no means real knowledge, which can only be absolutely personal; whereas what has been learned remains the acceptance of something outside the personal.
To hear something, and perhaps even to see part of it, is far from being the knowledge itself! A man should not assert: I know it, but the most he could say is: I have heard of it or seen something of it. If he wishes to act correctly, however, truth would oblige him to say: I do not know it!
This would be far more correct in every way than to report about something which he himself has nothing to do with, and which cannot therefore be a real knowledge either; whereas through incomplete reports he would only cast suspicion on or incriminate other people, perhaps even plunge them unnecessarily into misfortune, without knowing the actual ins and outs. Therefore carefully weigh with your intuitive perception every word you intend to use.
He who thinks more deeply, who will not be satisfied with already rigid concepts as a personal excuse for loquacious pomposity and malevolence, will easily understand these explanations, and in quiet examination will learn to look further in everything he says.
A multitude of such restricted concepts, with their fatal consequences have already become habitual among earthmen. They are greedily snatched up and promoted by slaves of the intellect, who are the most willing adherents of the Luciferian influences of deepest Darkness.
Learn to observe attentively and to use properly the currents in this Creation, which bear the Will of God, and thus God’s Justice in pure form. Then you will again find the true humanity which has been wrested from you.
How much suffering would thereby be avoided, and how many ill-disposed persons among mankind would also be deprived of the opportunity to commit their deeds.
This evil is also responsible for the description of the earthlife of the Son of God Jesus not corresponding at all points with the facts, as a result of which a totally false picture has gradually arisen in the minds of men up till now. The words given by Him were also distorted, as has happened with every teaching that was made into a religion and which was intended to bring upliftment and perfection of spirit to mankind.
And therein also lies the great confusion among all men, who increasingly fail really to understand one another, thus allowing discord, distrust, slander, envy and hatred to grow and flourish.
All these are unmistakable signs of advancing rigidity on earth!
Arouse your spirit, and begin to think and speak in a far-seeing and comprehensive way! This naturally also demands that you not only work with the intellect, which belongs to coarsest matter, but also make it possible once more for your spirit to guide your intellect, which should serve the spirit as ordained by your Creator, Who from the very beginning has permitted you to come undistorted into existence here on earth.
So much is already in the first stage of rigidity. Soon your entire thinking may already be gripped by it and must flow through rigid, iron channels, bringing you nothing but uneasiness, suffering upon suffering, and finally forcibly degrading you from a human being to the state of an empty machine serving only the Darkness, far away from all Light. –