This piece works from the knowledge base of Anthroposophy, a modern esoteric path based on the visionary revelations of Dr. Rudolf Steiner, the Austrian seer philosopher.

In looking at man we find ourselves comparing ourselves to the various other things and animals surrounding us, taking note of both what is similar, and also what is absent elsewhere. From these observations of the essential nature of the human being in comparative terms of reference we find a fourfold division in the physical world. These are the mineral, the plant, the animal and the human.

If we look at a rock and ask about its quality we observe it as something physical, yet something without life. In its formation we see no heredity of design as in the case of plants, animals and humans. Something which can be defined as living descends from a reproductive cell or series of cells. This reproduced cell mimics the basic form, or essential nature of the original.

A rock is a reaction between the component substances and the external force placed upon it, and its form is defined by both of these things, yet this form is not hereditary, relying on the physical components and the pressure, but no more. Its nature lies purely in the physical.

If we swiftly move on to the essential nature of the plant we automatically recognise a fundamental difference- there is life. There is this element of heredity which we defined as necessary for life, but it also has a second feature which is in all living things- intelligent design, or at its most simple, a thought.

Looking over at my window on this day I can clearly observe the vase of daffodils standing there, and looking at these magnificently intricate flowers I find myself asking why are they daffodils? In the bulb from which they came are all sorts of wonderful elements, but these same elements are in thousands of other things – in a rock the result is derived from the elements involved and the pressure involved. But what causes the pressure in the case of a daffodil? Nowhere in the bulb is there anything to dictate the shape, colour and physical constitution of the resulting flower. There is potential for a pink flower, or a blue flower or a multitude of other varieties, yet from this bulb there came a daffodil. So from building materials which could form in any number of ways, the daffodil predictably forms. A logical conclusion would be that of logical design, a thought invested in this object which defines its form.

The flower then has two bodies attached to it, the physical material, and the thought that dictates its form. In anthroposophy this thought is called the etheric. The etheric is a vibrant and moving force, whereas the physical is hardened and devoid of this living dynamic. As all living things are afforded an etheric body, this quality could be considered the force that is the true definition of “life” force.

In the animal kingdom we meet yet another new layer. The first sign of this added dynamic is the attribute of mobility. The reaction to stimuli, both inner and outer, is caused by feelings. In the animal kingdom the realm of feelings is primarily concerned with preservation and the physical sensations. This force of feeling is referred to as the incarnation of the astral body.

Finally we come to the realm of the human being as distinct from that of the animal. What does the human being possess which an animal does not? Firstly we will notice our sense of feeling is much more pronounced and refined. For example, a preference for Bach over Mozart.

But the big difference is seen in the expression of this preference. “‘I’ prefer Bach to Mozart”. What is this mysterious I? The I or Ego being as defined by Dr. Rudolf Steiner is the consciousness of self. Complicating this seemingly simple definition is the placing of the self- is this “I” a body consciousness – I am my body, or does the essential I lie beyond the body? Steiner, in his many teachings, postulated the human “I” is an eternal indestructible which lives and manifests through the physical body.

This philosophy works from an understanding that the physical world is a densification of the spiritual. Each kingdom allows a more perfect and full manifestation of the densified spirit, each one a vehicle for a little more of the spiritual until we come to the physical vehicle of the human being, which allows the manifestation of the essential being.