From the contents of an Esoteric Lesson given by Rudolf Steiner in Hamburg on May 31, 1908:
One must
repeatedly let what one had heard in esoteric classes pass before one's soul,
and only then will one gradually get out the forces that are hidden in what's
given. In this way one learns to distinguish between thoughts that work
productively in one's soul and those that are unproductive since they only
reflect on things that are already given. If one looks at a watch, one can make
its whole construction and how it's kept in motion clear in one's thought. But
they are unproductive thoughts. The one who first invented a watch had
productive thoughts. Most of our scientific thinking is unproductive. But when
we occupy ourselves with what's given to our thinking in esoteric classes we
occupy ourselves with productive thoughts, and that's a source of strength for
our soul. Such thoughts must pass through our soul in the right order. Just as
nothing could exist in an organism if a leg was attached where an arm was
supposed to be, so everything in our thinking must be consequent. Let's place
such a thought structure before our soul today.
One says
a lot about wisdom. But wisdom isn't what's often called wisdom today. One gets
smart through experience, but wisdom is the force that streams into us from the
spiritual world and then streams out again. Wisdom also comes from the mouth of
babes. When what streams out comes more from the feeling, it's wisdom, but when
it stimulates a man into action so that productivity predominates, it's love.
But one has to know what love really is. Someone may feel sympathy for a man's
misfortune, but that isn't real love. Sympathy only becomes love if one steps in
and helps him. Wisdom and love make up the I. The I is love and wisdom that have
become will. This is the higher triad. When it's reflected somewhat lower I,
love and wisdom become thinking, willing, and feeling, respectively. Reflected
even further down they become the four temperaments. Men have composite
temperaments, but angels only have one each. The first kind of angels are those
who work the choleric temperament into men. Such people like to do things.
Sanguine angels inject men with a temperament that makes them receptive to all
sublime and beautiful things, although such men aren't very active. They get
enthused easily but don't stick to anything very long.
Phlegmatic
angels influence men so that they're not interested in what others have created.
They do not leave such a creation the way it is, they repeatedly change it, they
make everything flowing and indefinite. This is already expressed in the word
phlegma, which means slime. Phlegmatics can't make decisions and resolutions and
so they're always missing opportunities. Their bodies have soft and indefinite
forms, they walk softly as they weave back and forth. And yet such people can
also be choleric in their insistence on particular foods that they like.
Melancholic angels work on a man so that he sees everything in himself, he's
only occupied with himself, he does nothing for progress. So he doesn't enjoy
creation and becomes dull and dark. One must judge all characters on the basis
of what the individual does for the whole's progress. If one reflects these
qualities even further down then choleric corresponds to fire, air to sanguine,
phlegmatic to water, and melancholic to earth — there everything becomes rigid
and solid.
One
should hold such figures before one repeatedly. They make it possible that our
soul organism is built up in the right way. One must think through such figures
clearly. Our inner life can't be strengthened by thoughts that oscillate back
and forth. The soul gets stronger if one places such forms before one's
spiritual eye.
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