Intellectual or mind soul
The intellectual or mind soul (Hebrew: רוח Ruach "air, wind"; linguistically related to "smoke", but also to "odour, smell"; German: Verstandes- oder Gemütsseele) is a part of the human soul and lives in the interplay of mind and spirit. In it, the I appears as the centre of the soul and permeates it with the light of thinking. In development, it is preceded by the sentient soul.
„What we call the sentient soul can be there in life without being much penetrated by thinking [...] Man has developed out of this sentient soul, he has risen to heights, he has penetrated this sentient soul with his thinking and with the feeling guided by thinking. And in this intellectual or mind soul, which we have mentioned as the second member, we have not to look for that vague feeling which rises as if from the depths, but the feeling which gradually allows itself to be flowed through by the inner light of thought. At the same time we have to see in this intellect or mind soul that out of which gradually appears what we call the human I; that centre in our soul which can lead to the actual self, which makes it possible for us to cleanse and purify and process the qualities of our soul from within, so that we become master and leader and guide within our impulses of will, within our life of feeling and thought.“ (Lit.:GA 58, p. 119f)
The wisdom-filled etheric body formed the first disposition to the mind soul. This wisdom was imprinted into the human being by the spirits of wisdom towards the end of the old lunar evolution (Lit.:GA 13, p. 212). During the subsequent evolution of the Earth it first came forth when, in the polar period, the earth, which was then still united with the Sun and Moon, condensed to the state of air (Lit.:GA 13, p. 223). Just as warmth had kindled the inner life in man, so the air surrounding him now excited the spiritual tone in him. A part of the life ether condensed into the sound ether. The stimulators of the soul of understanding are the Mercury beings (Lit.: GA 98, p. 198, GA 102, p. 59f).
Literature
- Rudolf Steiner: Theosophie, GA 9 (1904), Kapitel Leib, Seele und Geist English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
- Rudolf Steiner: Die Geheimwissenschaft im Umriß, GA 13 (1910), Kapitel Wesen der Menschheit English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
- Rudolf Steiner: Grundelemente der Esoterik, GA 93a (1987), ISBN 3-7274-0935-5 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
- Rudolf Steiner: Natur- und Geistwesen – ihr Wirken in unserer sichtbaren Welt, GA 98 (1996), ISBN 3-7274-0980-0 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
- Rudolf Steiner: Das Hereinwirken geistiger Wesenheiten in den Menschen, GA 102 (2001), ISBN 3-7274-1020-5 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
- Rudolf Steiner: Die Beantwortung von Welt- und Lebensfragen durch Anthroposophie, GA 108 (1986), ISBN 3-7274-1081-7 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
- Rudolf Steiner: Die Mission der neuen Geistesoffenbarung. Das Christus-Ereignis als Mittelpunktsgeschehen der Erdenevolution., GA 127 (1989), Frankfurt, 8. Januar 1911 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
- Rudolf Steiner: Welche Bedeutung hat die okkulte Entwicklung des Menschen für seine Hüllen (physischer Leib, Ätherleib, Astralleib) und sein Selbst?, GA 145 (2005), ISBN 3-7274-1450-2 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
References to the work of Rudolf Steiner follow Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works (CW or GA), Rudolf Steiner Verlag, Dornach/Switzerland, unless otherwise stated.
Email: verlag@steinerverlag.com URL: www.steinerverlag.com. Index to the Complete Works of Rudolf Steiner - Aelzina Books A complete list by Volume Number and a full list of known English translations you may also find at Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works Rudolf Steiner Archive - The largest online collection of Rudolf Steiner's books, lectures and articles in English. Rudolf Steiner Audio - Recorded and Read by Dale Brunsvold steinerbooks.org - Anthroposophic Press Inc. (USA) Rudolf Steiner Handbook - Christian Karl's proven standard work for orientation in Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works for free download as PDF. |