Somnambulism

Somnambulism (from Latin: somnus sleep and ambulare "to wander"), also called lunatism, sleepwalking or nightwalking, is a phenomenon in which the sleeper leaves the bed in deep sleep consciousness without waking up, wanders around and sometimes also performs activities.

„Man also performs other actions in which his consciousness is not present. You only have to think of where the ordinary daytime consciousness is extinguished and the human being performs all kinds of actions as a night-walker. There is not no consciousness at all, but such a consciousness is involved that man cannot experience, because he can only experience the two highest forms of consciousness: the astral consciousness as pleasure and suffering and the like, and the I-consciousness as judgement and as ordinary daytime-consciousness. But this does not mean that man cannot act out of this sleep-consciousness.“ (Lit.:GA 120, p. 128)

In somnambulism, the lunar forces which are active in the etheric body overcome the gravitational forces of the Earth which act on the physical body.

Literatur

• Rudolf Steiner: Das Ewige in der Menschenseele. Unsterblichkeit und Freiheit, GA 67 (1992), ISBN 3-7274-0670-4 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: Die Offenbarungen des Karma, GA 120 (1992), ISBN 3-7274-1200-3 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
• Rudolf Steiner: Drei Perspektiven der Anthroposophie. Kulturphänomene, geisteswissenschaftlich betrachtet., GA 225 (1990), ISBN 3-7274-2252-1 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
• Rudolf Steiner: Anthroposophische Menschenerkenntnis und Medizin, GA 318 (1994), ISBN 3-7274-3181-4 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.