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[Lecture:S5751:7thJune,1924|Koberwitz|GA0327] [ReadMeFirst!]

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TheAgricultureCourse
AgricultureCourse:Lecture1
SchmidtNumber:S5751
Onlinesince:26thJune,2007

LectureOne
KOBERWITZ,
7thJune,1924.

MYDEARFRIENDS,
WithprofoundthanksIlookbackonthewordswhichCountKeyserlingkhasjustspoken.
Forthefeelingofthanksisnotonlyjustifiedonthepartofthosewhoareabletoreceivefrom
Anthroposophical Science. One can also feel deeply what I may call the thanks of
Anthroposophia itself thanks which in these hard times are due to all who share in
anthrosposophicalinterests.
Out of the spirit of Anthroposophia, therefore, I would thank you most heartily for the
words you have just spoken. Indeed, it is deeply gratifying that we are able to hold this
Agriculture Course here in the house of Count and Countess Keyserlingk. I know from my
former visits what a beautiful atmosphere there is in Koberwitz I mean also the spiritual
atmosphere. I know that the atmosphere of soul and spirit which is living here is the best
possiblepremissforwhatmustbesaidduringthisCourse.
Count Keyserlingk has told us that there may be some discomforts for one or another
amongus.Hewasspeakingespeciallyoftheeurhythmiststhoughitmaybethediscomforts
aresharedbysomeofourothervisitorsfromadistance.Yetontheotherhand,consideringthe

purposeofourpresentgathering,itseemstomewecouldscarcelybeaccommodatedbetterfor
thisLectureCoursethanhere,inafarmsoexcellentandsoexemplary.
WhatevercomestolightintherealmsofAnthroposophia,wealsoneedtoliveinitwithour
feelings in the necessary atmosphere. And for our Course on Farming this condition will
mostcertainlybefulfilledatKoberwitz.Allthisimpelsmetoexpressourdeeplyfeltthanksto
CountKeyserlingkandtohishouse.InthisIamsureFrauDoctorSteinerwilljoinme.Weare
thankfulthatwemayspendthesefestivedaysItrusttheywillalsobedaysofrealgoodwork
hereinthishouse.
I cannot but believe: inasmuch as we are gathered here in Koberwitz, there will prevail
throughout these days an agricultural spirit which is already deeply united with the
Anthroposophical Movement. Was it not Count Keyserlingk who helped us from the very
outsetwithhisadviceandhisdevotedwork,inthefarmingactivitiesweundertookatStuttgart
undertheKommendeTagCompany?Hisspirit,trainedbyhisdeepandintimateUnionwith
Agriculture, was prevalent in all that we were able to do in this direction. And I would say,
forceswerethereprevailingwhichcamefromtheinnermostheartofourMovementandwhich
drew us hither, quite as a matter of course, the moment the Count desired us to come to
Koberwitz.
HenceIcanwellbelievethateverysingleoneofushascomeheregladlyforthisAgriculture
Course.Wewhohavecomeherecanexpressourthanksjustasdeeplyandsincerely,thatyour
House has been ready to receive us with our intentions for these days. For my part, these
thanksarefeltmostdeeply,andIbegCountKeyserlingkandhiswholehousetoreceivethem
especially from me. I know what it means to give hospitality to so many visitors and for so
manydays,inthewayinwhichIfeelitwillbedonehere.ThereforeIthinkIcanalsogivethe
rightcolouringtothesewordsofthanks,andIbegyoutoreceivethem,understandingthatI
amwellawareofthemanydifficultieswhichsuchagatheringmayinvolveinahouseremote
from the City. Whatever may be the inconveniences of which the Count has spoken
representing,needlesstosay,nottheHomeOfficebuttheForeignOfficewhateverthey
maybe,Iamquitesurethateverysingleoneofuswillgoawayfullysatisfiedwithyourkind
hospitality.
Whether you will go away equally satisfied with the LectureCourse itself, is doubtless a
more open question, though we will do our utmost, in the discussions during the succeeding
days,tocometoarightunderstandingonallthatisheresaid.Youmustnotforget:thoughthe
desireforithasbeen cherished in many quarters for a long time past, this is the first time I
havebeenabletoundertakesuchaCourseoutoftheheartofouranthroposophicalstriving.It
presupposesmanythings.
TheCourseitselfwillshowushowintimatelytheinterestsofAgricultureareboundup,in
all directions, with the widest spheres of life. Indeed there is scarcely a realm of human life
whichliesoutsideoursubject.Fromoneaspectoranother,allinterestsofhumanlifebelongto
Agriculture.Here,needlesstosay,wecanonlytouchuponthecentral domain of Agriculture
itself,albeitthisofitsownaccordwillleadusalongmanydifferentsidetracksnecessarily
so,fortheveryreasonthatwhatisheresaidwillgrowoutofthesoilofAnthroposophiaitself.
Inparticular,youmustforgivemeifmyintroductorywordstodayappearinevitablya
littlefarremote.Noteveryone,perhaps,willsee at once what the connection is between this
introductionandourspecialsubject.Nevertheless,weshallhavetobuilduponwhatissaidto
day, however remote it may seem at first sight. For Agriculture especially is sadly hit by the
whole trend of modern spiritual life. You see, this modern spiritual life has taken on a very
destructive form especially as regards the economic realm, though its destructiveness is
scarcelyyetdivinedbymany.
Our real underlying intentions, in the economic undertakings which grew out of the
AnthroposophicalMovement,weremeanttocounteractthesethings.Theseundertakingswere
createdbyindustrialists,businessmen,butthey were unable to realise in all directions what

layintheiroriginalintentions,ifonlyforthereasonthattheopposingforcesinourtimeareall
toonumerous,preventingonefromcallingforthaproperunderstandingforsuchefforts.Over
against the powers that be, the individual is often powerless. Hitherto, not even the most
originalandfundamentalaspectsoftheseindustrialandeconomic efforts, which grew out of
the heart of the Anthroposophical Movement, have been realised. Nay, they have not even
reachedtheplaneofdiscussion.Whatwasthereal,practicalpoint?Iwillexplainitinthecase
ofAgriculture,sothatwemaynotbespeakinginvagueandgeneral,butinconcreteterms.
WehaveallmannerofbooksandlecturecoursesonEconomics,containing,amongother
things,chaptersontheeconomicaspectsofAgriculture.Economistsconsider,howAgriculture
should be carried on in the light of socialeconomic principles. There are many books and
pamphlets on this subject: how Agriculture should be shaped, in the light of social and
economicideas.Yetthewholeofthisthegivingofeconomiclecturesanthesubjectandthe
writingofsuchbooksismanifestnonsense.Palpablenonsense,Isay,albeitthatispractised
nowadays in the widest circles. For it should go without saying, and every man should
recognise the fact: One cannot speak of Agriculture, not even of the social forms it should
assume,unlessone first possesses as a foundation a practical acquaintance with the farming
jobitself.Thatistosay,unlessonereallyknowswhatitmeanstogrowmangolds,potatoesand
corn!Withoutthisfoundationonecannotevenspeakofthegeneraleconomicprincipleswhich
are involved. Such things must be determined out of the thing itself, not by all manner of
theoreticconsiderations.
Nowadays,suchastatementseemsabsurdtothosewhohaveheardUniversitylectureson
theeconomicsofAgriculture.Thewholethingseemstothemsowellestablished.Butitisnot
so.NoonecanjudgeofAgriculturewhodoesnotderivehisjudgmentfromfieldandforestand
the breeding of cattle. All talk of Economics which is not derived from the job itself should
really cease. So long as people do not recognise that all talk of Economics hovering airily
over the realities is mere empty talk, we shall not reach a hopeful prospect, neither in
Agriculturenorinanyothersphere.
Whyisitthatpeoplethinktheycantalkofathingfromtheoreticpointsofview,whenthey
donotunderstandit?Thereasonis,thatevenwithintheirseveraldomainstheyarenolonger
abletogobacktotherealfoundations.Theylookatabeetrootasabeetroot.Nodoubtithas
thisorthatappearanceitcanbecutmoreorlesseasily,ithassuch and such a colour,such
andsuchconstituents.Allthesethingscan no doubt be said. Yet therewithal you are still far
fromunderstanding the beetroot. Above all, you do not yet understand the livingtogether of
thebeetrootwiththesoil,withthefield,theseasonoftheyearinwhichitripens,andsoforth.
Youmustbeclearastothefollowing(Ihaveoftenusedthiscomparisonforotherspheres
of life): You see a magnetic needle. You discern that it always points with one end
approximatelytotheNorth,andwiththeothertotheSouth.Youthink,whyisitso?Youlook
forthecause,notinthemagneticneedle,butinthewholeEarth,inasmuchasyouassigntothe
oneendoftheEarththemagneticNorthPole,andtotheotherthemagneticSouth.
Anyonewholookedinthemagnetneedleitselfforthecauseofthepeculiarpositionittakes
up,wouldbetalkingnonsense.Youcanonlyunderstandthedirectionofthemagnetneedleif
you know how it is related to the whole Earth. Yet the same nonsense (as applied to the
magneticneedle)isconsideredgoodsensebythemenoftodaywhenappliedtootherthings.
There,forexample,isthebeetrootgrowingintheearth.Totakeitjustforwhatitiswithin
itsnarrowlimits,isnonsenseifinrealityitsgrowthdependsoncountlessconditions,noteven
only of the Earth as a whole, but of the cosmic environment. The men of today say and do
manythingsinlifeandpracticeasthoughtheyweredealingonlywithnarrow,limitedobjects,
not with effects and influences from the whole Universe. The several spheres of modern life
havesufferedterriblyfromthis,andtheeffectswouldbeevenmoreevidentwereitnotforthe
factthatinspiteofallthemodernscienceacertaininstinctstillremainsoverfromthetimes
whenmenwereusedtoworkbyinstinctandnotbyscientifictheory.

To take another sphere of life: I am always glad to think that those whose doctors have
prescribed how many ounces of meat they are to eat, and how much cabbage (some of them
evenhaveabalancebesidethematthetableandcarefullyweighouteverythingthatcomeson
totheirplate)itisallveryniceneedlesstosay,oneoughttoknowsuchthingsbutIam
alwaysgladtothinkhowgooditisthatthepoorfellowstillfeelshungry,if,afterall,hehasnot
hadenoughtoeat!Atleastthereisstillthisinstincttotellhimso.
Such instincts really underlay all that men had to do before a science of these things
existed.Andtheinstinctsfrequentlyworkedwithgreatcertainty.Eventodayoneisastonished
again and again to read the rules in the old Peasants' Calendars. How infinitely wise and
intelligentisthatwhichtheyexpress!Moreover,themanofpureinstinctsiswellabletoavoid
superstitioninthesematters:andintheseCalendars,besidetheproverbsfullofdeepmeaning
forthesowingandthereaping,wefindallmannerofquips,intendedtosetasidenonsensical
pretentions.Thisforexample:
KrhtderHahnaufdemMist,
Soregnetes,oderesbleibtwieesist.
Ifthecockcrowsonthedunghill,
It'llrainorit'llstaystill.
Sotheneedfuldoseofhumourismingledwiththeinstinctivewisdominordertowardoff
meresuperstition.
We,however,speakingfromthepointofviewofAnthroposophicalScience,donotdesireto
return to the old instincts. We want to find, out of a deeper spiritual insight, what the old
instincts as they are growing insecure are less and less able to provide. To this end we
mustincludeafarwiderhorizoninourstudiesofthelifeofplantandanimal,andoftheEarth
itself.WemustextendourviewtothewholeCosmos.
Fromoneaspect,nodoubt,itisquiterightthatweshouldnotsuperficiallyconnecttherain
with the phases of the Moon. Yet on the other hand there is a true foundation to the story I
have often told in other circles. In Leipzig there were two professors. One of them, Gustav
TheodorFechner,oftenevincedakeenandsureinsightintospiritualmatters.Notaltogether
superstitiously,frompureexternalobservationshecouldseethatcertainperiodsofrainorof
norainwereconnected,afterall,withtheMoonandwithitscoursingroundtheearth.
Hedrewthisasanecessaryconclusionfromthestatisticalresults.Thathoweverwasatime
whenorthodoxsciencealreadywantedtooverlooksuchmatters,andhiscolleague,thefamous
Professor Schleiden, poured scorn on the idea for scientific reasons. Now these two
professorsoftheUniversityofLeipzigalsohadwives.GustavTheodorFechner,whowasaman
notwithouthumour,said:Well,letourwivesdecide.
In Leipzig at that time the water they needed for washing clothes was not easy to obtain,
andacertaincustomstillprevailed.Youhadtofetchyourwaterfromalongdistance.Hence
theywerewonttoputoutpailsandbarrelstocatchtherainwater.
This was Frau Prof. Schleiden's custom as well as Frau Prof. Fechner's. But they had not
roomenoughtoputouttheirbarrelsintheyardatthesametime.SoProf.Fechnersaid:Ifmy
honouredcolleagueisright,ifitmakesnodifference,thenletFrauProf.Schleidenputouther
barrelwhenbymyindications,accordingtothephasesoftheMoon,therewillbelessrain.Ifit
isallnonsense,FrauProf.Schleidenwillsurelybegladtodoso.
But, lo and behold, Frau Prof. Schleiden rebelled. She preferred the indications of Prof.
Fechner to those of her own husband. And so indeed it is. Science may be perfectly correct.
Reallife,however,oftencannotaffordtotakeitscuefromthecorrectnessofscience!
Butwedonotwishtospeakonlyinthisway.Weareinrealearnestaboutit.Ionlywanted
topointouttheneedtolookalittlefartherafieldthaniscustomarynowadays.Wemustdoso

instudyingthatwhichalonemakespossiblethephysicallifeofmanonEarthandthat,after
all, is Agriculture. I do not know whether the things which can be said at this stage out of
AnthroposophicalSciencewillsatisfyyouinalldirections,butIwilldomybesttoexplainwhat
AnthroposophicalSciencecangiveforAgriculture.
***
Today,bywayofintroduction,IwillindicatewhatismostimportantforAgricultureinthe
lifeoftheEarth.Nowadayswearewonttoattachthegreatestimportancetothephysicaland
chemicalconstituents.Today,however,wewillnottakeourStartfromthesewewilltakeour
start from something which lies behind the physical and chemical constituents and is
neverthelessofgreatimportanceforthelifeofplantandanimal.
Studyingthelifeofman(andtoacertainextentitappliestoanimallifealso),weobservea
highdegreeofemancipationofhumanandanimallifefromtheouterUniverse.Thenearerwe
come to man, the greater this emancipation grows. In human and animal life we find
phenomena appearing to begin with quite independent not only of the influences from
beyond the Earth, but also of the atmospheric and other influences of the Earth's immediate
environment.Moreover,thisnotonlyappearssoitistoahighdegreecorrectformanythings
inhumanlife.
True, it is wellknown that the pains of certain illnesses are intensified by atmospheric
influences.Thereis,however,anotherfactofwhichthepeopleoftodayarenotsowellaware.
Certain illnesses and other phenomena of human life take their course in such a way that in
theirtimerelationshipstheycopytheexternalprocessesofNature.Yetintheirbeginningand
end they do not coincide with these Natureprocesses. We need only call to mind one of the
mostimportantphenomenaofall,thatoffemalemenstruation.Theperiods,intheirtemporal
course,imitatethecourseofthelunarphases,buttheydonotcoincidewiththelatterintheir
beginning and ending. And there are many other, less evident phenomena, both in the male
andinthefemaleorganism,representingimitationsofrhythmsinouterNature.
If these things were studied more intimately, we should for example have a better
understandingofmanythingsthathappeninthesociallifebyobservingtheperiodicityofthe
Sunspots. People only fail to observe these things because that in human life which
corresponds to the periodicity of the Sunspots does not begin when they begin, nor does it
cease when they cease. It has emancipated itself. It shows the same periodicity, the identical
rhythm, but its phases do not coincide in time. While inwardly maintaining the rhythm and
periodicity,itmakesthemindependentitemancipatesitself.
Anyone, of course, to whom we say that human life is a microcosm and imitates the
macrocosm,isatlibertytoreply.Thatisallnonsense!Ifwedeclarethatcertainillnessesshow
asevenday'sfeverperiod,onemayobject:Whythen,whencertainouterphenomenaappear,
does not the fever too make its appearance and run parallel, and cease with the external
phenomena?Itistruethatthefeverdoesnotbut,thoughitstemporalbeginningandending
do not coincide with the outer phenomena, it still maintains their inner rhythm. This
emancipation in the Cosmos is almost complete for human life for animal life it is less so
plant life, an the other hand, is still to a high degree immersed in the general life of Nature,
includingtheouterearthlyworld.
Henceweshallneverunderstand plant life unless we bear in mind that everything which
happensontheEarthisbutareflectionofwhatistakingplaceintheCosmos.Formanthisfact
is only masked because he has emancipated himself he only bears the inner rhythms in
himself.Totheplantworld,however,itappliesinthehighestdegree.ThatiswhatIshouldlike
topointoutinthisintroductorylecture.
The Earth is surrounded in the heavenly spaces, first by the Moon and then by the other
planets of our planetary system. In an old instinctive science wherein the Sun was reckoned
amongtheplanets,theyhadthissequence:Moon,Mercury,Venus,Sun,Mars,Jupiter,Saturn.

Without astronomical explanations I will now speak of this planetary life, and of that in the
planetarylifewhichisconnectedwiththeearthlyworld.
Turning our attention to the earthly life on a large scale, the first fact for us to take into
accountisthis.Thegreatestimaginablepartisplayedinthisearthlylife(consideredoncemore
onaLargescale,andasawhole)byallthatwhichwemaycallthelifeofthesilicioussubstance
in the world. You will find silicious substance for example, in the beautiful mineral quartz,
enclosedintheformofaprismandpyramidyouwillfindthesilicioussubstance,combined
withoxygen,inthecrystalsofquartz.
Imaginetheoxygenremoved(whichinthequartziscombinedwithsilicioussubstance)and
you have socalled silicon. This substance is included by modern chemistry among the
elements,oxygen,nitrogen,hydrogen,sulphur,etc.Silicontherefore,whichisherecombined
withoxygen,isachemicalelement.
Now we must not forget that the silicon which lives thus in the mineral quartz is spread
overtheEarthsoastoconstitute2728%ofourEarth'scrust.Allothersubstancesarepresent
in lesser quantities, save oxygen, which constitutes 4748%. Thus an enormous quantity of
siliconispresent.Now,itistruethissilicon,occurringasitdoesinrockslikequartz,appearsin
suchaformthatitdoesnotseemveryimportantwhenweareconsideringtheouter,material
aspectoftheEarthwithitsplantgrowth.(Theplantgrowthisfrequentlyforgotten).
Quartz is insoluble in water the water trickles through it. It therefore seems at first
sighttohaveverylittletodowiththeordinary,obviousconditionsoflife.Butonceagain,
you need only remember the horsetail equisetum which contains 90% of silica the
samesubstancethatisinquartzveryfinelydistributed.
Fromallthisyoucanseewhatanimmensesignificancesiliconmusthave.Wellnighhalfof
whatwemeetontheEarthconsistsofsilica.Butthepeculiarthingishowverylittlenoticeis
takenofit.Itispracticallyexcludedtodayevenfromthosedomainsoflifewhereitcouldwork
mostbeneficially.
IntheMedicinethatproceedsfromAnthroposophicalScience,silicioussubstancesarean
essential constituent of numerous medicaments. A large class of illnesses are treated with
silicicacidtakeninternally,oroutwardlyasbaths.Ineffect,practicallyeverythingthatshows
itselfinabnormalconditionsofthesensesisinfluencedinapeculiarwaybysilicon.(Idonot
saywhatliesinthesensesthemselves,butthatwhichshowsitselfinthesenses,includingthe
innersensescallingforthpainshereorthereintheorgansofthebody).
NotonlysothroughoutthehouseholdofNature,aswehavegrownaccustomedtocallit,
siliconplaysthegreatestimaginablepart,foritnotonlyexistswherewediscoveritinquartzor
other rocks, but in an extremely fine state of distribution it is present in the atmosphere.
Indeed,itiseverywhere.HalfoftheEarththatisatourdisposalisofsilica.
Now what does this silicon do? In a hypothetical form, let us ask ourselves this question.
Letusassumethatweonlyhadhalfasmuchsiliconinourearthlyenvironment.Inthatcase
our plants would all have more or less pyramidal forms. The flowers would all be stunted.
Practically all plants would have the form of the cactus, which strikes us as abnormal. The
cerealswouldlookveryqueerindeed.Theirstemswouldgrowthick,evenfleshy,asyouwent
downwardtheearswouldbequitestuntedtheywouldhavenofullearsatall.
Thatontheone hand. On the other hand we find another kind of substance, which must
occureverywherethroughouttheEarth,albeititisnotsowidespreadasthesiliciouselement.I
mean the chalk or limestone substances and all that is akin to these limestone, potash,
sodiumsubstances. Once more, if these were present to a less extent, we should have plants
withverythinstemsplants,toalargeextent,withtwiningstemstheywouldallbecomelike
creepers.Theflowerswouldexpand,itistrue,buttheywouldbeuseless:theywould provide
practicallynonourishment.Plantlifeintheforminwhichweseeittodaycanonlythrivein

theequilibriumandcooperationofthetwoforcesor,tochoosetwotypicalsubstances, in
thecooperationofthelimestoneandsilicioussubstancesrespectively.
Now we can go still farther. Everything that lives in the silicious nature contains forces
whichcomesnotfromtheEarthbutfromthesocalleddistantplanets,theplanetsbeyondthe
SunMars,JupiterandSaturn.Thatwhichproceedsfromthesedistantplantsinfluencesthe
lifeofplantsviathesiliciousandkindredsubstancesintotheplantandalsointotheanimallife
oftheEarth.Ontheotherhand,fromallthatisrepresentedbytheplanetsneartheEarth
Moon,MercuryandVenusforcesworkviathelimestoneandkindredsubstances.Thuswe
maysay,foreverytilledfield:Thereinareworkingthesiliciousandthelimestonenaturesin
theformer,Saturn,JupiterandMarsandinthelatter,Moon,VenusandMercury.
Inthisconnectionletusnowlookattheplantsthemselves.Twothingswemustobservein
theplantlife.Thefirstthingisthattheentireplantworld,andeverysinglespecies,isableto
maintainitselfthatistosay,itevolvesthepowerofreproduction.Theplantisabletobring
forth its kind, and so on. That is the one thing. The other is, that as a creature of a
comparatively lower kingdom of Nature, the plant can serve as nourishment for those of the
higherkingdoms.
Atfirstsight,thesetwocurrentsinthelifeandevolutionoftheplanthavelittletodowith
oneanother.Fortheprocessofdevelopmentfromthemotherplanttothedaughterplant,the
granddaughter plant and so on, it may well seem a matter of complete indifference to the
formativeforcesofNature,whetherornoweeattheplantandnourishourselvesthereby.Two
verydifferentsetsofinterestsaremanifestedhere.YetinthewholenexusofNature'sforces,it
worksinthisway:
Everything connected with the inner forte of reproduction and growth everything that
contributestothesequenceofgenerationaftergenerationintheplantsworksthroughthose
forceswhichcomedownfromtheCosmostotheEarth:fromMoon,VenusandMercury,via
thelimestonenature.Supposeweweremerelyconsideringwhatemergesinplantssuchaswe
donoteatplantsthatsimplyrenewthemselvesagainandagain.Welookatthemasthough
the cosmic influences from the forces of Venus, Mercury and Moon did not interest us. For
thesearetheforcesinvolvedinallthatreproducesitselfintheplantnatureoftheEarth.
Ontheotherhand,whenplantsbecomefoodstuffstoalargeextentwhentheyevolvein
such a way that the substances in them become foodstuffs for animal and man, then Mars,
JupiterandSaturn,workingviathesiliciousnature,areconcernedintheprocess.Thesilicious
natureopenstheplantbeingtothewidespacesoftheUniverseandawakensthesensesofthe
plantbeinginsuchawayastoreceivefromallquartersoftheUniversetheforceswhichare
mouldedbythesedistantplanets.Wheneverthisoccurs,Mars,JupiterandSaturnareplaying
theirpart.FromthesphereoftheMoon,VenusandMercury,ontheotherhand,isreceivedall
thatwhichmakestheplantcapableofreproduction.
Tobeginwith,nodoubtthisappearsasasimplepieceofinformation.Buttruthslikethis,
derived from a somewhat wider horizon, lead of their own accord from knowledge into
practice. For we must ask ourselves: If forces come into the Earth from Moon, Venus and
Mercuryandbecomeeffectiveinthelifeofplants,bywhatmeanscantheprocessbemoreor
lesequickenedorrestrained?BywhatmeanscantheinfluencesofMoonorSaturnonthelife
ofplantsbehindered,andbywhatmeansassisted?
Observethecourseoftheyear.Ittakesitscourseinsuchawaythattherearedaysofrain
and days without rain. As to the rain, the modern physicist investigates practically no more
thanthemerefactthatwhenitrains,morewaterfallsupontheEarththanwhenitdoesnot
rain.For him, the water is an abstract substance composed of hydrogen and oxygen.True,if
youdecomposewaterbyelectrolysis,itwillfallintotwosubstances,ofwhichtheonebehaves
in such and such a way, and the other in another way. But that does not yet tell us anything
complete about water itself. Water contains far, far more than what emerges from it
chemically,inthisprocess,asoxygenandhydrogen.

Water,ineffect,iseminentlysuitedtopreparethewayswithintheearthlydomainforthose
forces which come, for instance, from the Moon. Water brings about the distribution of the
lunar forces in the earthly realm. There is a definite connection between the Moon and the
waterintheEarth.Letusthereforeassumethattherehavejustbeenrainydaysandthatthese
arefollowedbyafullMoon.Indeedandintruth,withtheforcesthatcomefromtheMoonon
daysofthefullMoon,somethingcolossalistakingplaceonEarth.Theseforcesspringupand
shootinto all the growth of plants, but they are unable to do so unless rainy days have gone
before.
Weshallthereforehavetoconsiderthequestion:Isitnotofsomesignificance,whetherwe
sowtheseedinacertainrelationtotherainfallandthesubsequentlightofthefullMoon,or
whetherwesowitthoughtlesslyatanytime?Something,nodoubt,willcomeofiteventhen.
Nevertheless,wehavetoraisethisquestion:Howshouldwebestconsidertherainfallandthe
fullMooninchoosingthetimetosowtheseed?Forincertainplants,whatthefullMoonhasto
dowillthriveintenselyafterrainydaysandwilltakeplacebutfeeblyandsparinglyafterdays
of sunshine. Such things lay hidden in the old farmers' rules they quoted a certain verse or
proverb and knew what they must do. The proverbs today are outworn superstitions, and a
scienceofthesethingsdoesnotyetexistpeoplearenotyetwillingenoughtosettoworkand
findit.
Furthermore,aroundourEarthistheatmosphere.Nowtheatmosphereaboveallbeside
the obvious fact that it is airy has the peculiarity that it is sometimes warmer, sometimes
cooler. At certain times it shows a considerable accumulation of warmth, which, when the
tension grows too strong, may even find relief in thunderstorms. How is it then with the
warmth? Spiritual observation shows that whereas the water has no relation to silica, this
warmthhasanexceedinglystrongrelationtoit.
Thewarmthbringsoutandmakeseffectivepreciselythoseforceswhichcanworkthrough
the silicious nature, namely, the forces that proceed from Saturn, Jupiter and Mars. These
forcesmustberegardedinquiteadifferentwaythantheforcesfromtheMoon.Forwemust
notforgetthatSaturntakesthirtyyearstorevolveroundtheSun,whereastheMoonwithits
phases takes only thirty or twentyeight days. Saturn is only visible for fifteen years. It must
thereforebeconnectedwiththegrowthofplantsinquiteadifferentway,albeit,Ineedhardly
say,itisnotonlyworkingwhenitshinesdownupontheEarthitisalsoeffectivewhenitsrays
havetopassupwardthroughtheEarth.
Saturn goes slowly round, in thirty years. Let us draw it thus (Diagram 1): here is the
courseofSaturn.SometimesitshinesdirectlyontoagivenspotoftheEarth.Butitcanalso
workthrough the Earth upon this portion of the Earth's surface. In either case the intensity
withwhichtheSaturnforcesareabletoapproachtheplantlifeoftheEarthisdependenton
thewarmthconditionsoftheair.Whentheairiscold,theycannotapproachwhentheairis
warm,theycan.
Andwheredoweseetheworkingoftheseforcesintheplant'slife?Weseeit,notsomuch
whereannualplantsarise,comingandgoinginaseasonandonlyleavingseedsbehind.Wesee
what Saturn does with the help of the warmthforces of our Earth, whenever the perennial
plantsarise.Theeffectsoftheseforces,whichpassintotheplantnatureviathewarmth, are
visibletousintherindandbarkoftrees,andinallthatmakestheplants,perennial.Thisis
duetothesimplefactthattheannuallifeoftheplantitslimitationtoashortlengthoflife
isconnectedwiththoseplanetswhoseperiodofrevolutionisshort.That,ontheotherhand,
whichfreesitselffromthe transitory nature that which surrounds the trees with bark and
rind,andmakesthempermanentisconnectedwiththeplanetaryforceswhichworkviathe
forcesofwarmthandcoldandhavealongperiodofrevolution,asinthecaseofSaturn:thirty
yearsorJupiter:twelveyears.
Ifsomeonewishestoplantanoak,itisofnolittleimportancewhetherornohehasagood
knowledgeoftheperiodsofMarsforanoak,rightlyplantedinthe proper Marsperiod, will

thrivedifferentlyfromonethatisplantedintheEarththoughtlessly,justwhenithappensto
suit.
Or,ifyouwishtoplantconiferousforests,wheretheSaturnforcesplaysogreatapart,the
result will be different if you plant the forest in a socalled ascending period of Saturn, or in
some other Saturn period. One who understands can tell precisely, from the things that will
grow or will not grow, whether or no they have been planted with an understanding of the
connectionsoftheseforces.Thatwhichdoesnotappear obvious to the external eye, appears
veryclearly,nonetheless,inthemoreintimaterelationshipsoflife.
Assumeforinstancethatwetake,asfirewood,woodthatisderivedfromtreeswhichwere
plantedintheEarthwithoutunderstandingofthecosmicrhythms.Itwillnotprovidethesame
healthgivingwarmthasfirewoodfromtreesthatwereplantedintelligently.Thesethingsenter
especially into the more intimate relationships of daily life, and here they show their great
significance. Alas! the life of people has become almost entirely thoughtless nowadays. They
areonlytoogladiftheydonotneedtothinkofsuchthings.Theythinkitmustallgoonjust
likeanymachine.Youhaveallthenecessarycontrivancesturnontheswitch,anditgoes.So
dotheyconceive,materialistically,theworkingofallNature.
Alongtheselinesweareeventuallyledtothemostalarmingresultsinpracticallife.Then
thegreatriddlesarise.Why,forexample,isitimpossibletodaytoeatsuchpotatoesasIatein
myyouth?ItissoIhavetriediteverywhere.NoteveninthecountrydistrictswhereIatethem
then,canonenoweatsuchpotatoes.Manythingshavedeclinedintheirinherentfoodvalues,
notablyduringthelastdecades.
The more intimate influences which are at work in the whole Universe are no longer
understood.ThesemustbelookedforagainalongsuchlinesasIhavehintedattoday.Ihave
onlyintroducedthesubjectIhaveonlytried to show where the questions arise questions
whichgofarbeyondthecustomarypointsofview.Weshallcontinueandgodeeperinthisway,
andthenapply,whatwehavefound,inpractice.

Figure1
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TextSize:A+A

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