Originally posted in German on 13th October 2024
by Heinz Grill
Based on an esoteric evaluation, all illnesses arise from a disorder in the astral body. What is the astral body? In its simplest form it could be described as the cosmic body, which corresponds with the main planets in the solar system. For this reason, anthroposophical medicine uses metal therapy, which can be applied in an appropriate way for certain processes of harmonisation or building up. Lymph stasis is characterised, for example, by disorders in the flow of movement that can be associated with mercury. The mercurial metal, quicksilver, can be used in homoeopathic doses to counteract these symptoms of congestion. In anthroposophical medicine human beings are thought of in connection with the planets. It is therefore easy to understand that all disorders that occur in the organism, with disharmonies, weaknesses or one-sided influences, correspond with the planetary system.
The human consciousness organises itself though the central nervous system, made up of the brain and spinal cord with all the peripheral distributions in the limbs. Somewhat deeper lies the autonomic nervous system, which innervates autonomous, unconscious regulation in the organs such as the liver or the digestive system, and often determines this regulation via the hormones and their distribution. There are illnesses that are usually caused by an external disorder, such as an acute cold or also an allergic reaction, and there are furthermore serious illnesses that develop slowly and are connected more with the genetic potential. They are very deeply founded and unconscious and come to expression at the time when external conflicts accumulate. Cancerous illnesses, for example, are one of these typical, deeper manifestations. The disorder in the astral body would have already been present for a long time.
A story from India, gives a very clear example of how a disorder in the astral body comes about. It will be told here in brief. A doctor is called to a patient, who had collapsed at home with symptoms of food poisoning. Tests show that there are no detectable toxins. The doctor remains perplexed, calls in colleagues for advice but could not solve the problem. The patient is in danger of dying. A friend of the patient investigates where the patient had last eaten. The day before the patient had fallen ill, he had eaten dinner in a restaurant. The food was clean and free of toxins. Then the friend investigated further and discovered that the owner of the restaurant was a serious fraudster. After the result of the research into the fraud was shared with the patient, he recovered in a few hours. This short story, which is told in India, illustrates how a disorder enters into people’s unconsciousness and produces symptoms of illness. The deceitfulness that lived generalised in the restaurant, had a metaphysical poisoning effect and thus produced a pathology. To describe it in another way, a disorder has entered into the astral body, because the person’s inner sense of honour was awakened in an unconscious way and reacted against this unseen deception. The entire order, that the person experienced, was disturbed. The consciousness together with all the unconscious tendencies form the carrier-forces for the planets and they are therefore the outer part of the human astral body. From the moment the patient was aware that he had been of service to an imposter, he was able to raise himself up again and the healing occurred. The consciousness was then no longer determined by an unconscious reaction.
On closer analysis it can be established that people never become ill from conscious actions, but through all kinds of careless, unconscious tendencies that are made in life through adopted habits. Those who immerse themselves in cold water consciously will therefore not become ill, because of the power of the consciousness. They maintain the order of their astral bodies and therefore do not slip into those quick, disastrous mistakes, that a life characterised by emotion brings with it. People are much more likely to fall ill with a cold when the conditions of their relationships are brought into chaos and swing back and forth between the emotions of societal life. Or people become weaker if they only alternate thoughtlessly between cooling down and warming up according to their pleasure and desire. Drinking a quick, cold drink with avid lust on a hot day weakens people, whereas, consciously exposing oneself to cold for a limited time strengthens thermal regulation with a favourable response pattern. Overheated rooms put more strain on people and lead more quickly to colds and flus than if the human awareness and the skin must consciously confront varying temperatures.
In order to deal with the various illnesses that occur reactively, certainly also with continuous allergies or constantly returning exhaustion, it is therefore favourable to take a closer and more detailed look at the conditions of the relationships people have. Both self-reflection of unconscious desires, tendencies, falsely chosen needs, and aspirations for attachment and unmoral behaviour that is long superfluous, as well as, a healthy objective observation of the relationships that come from outside are important. Where do one’s own tendencies lie and to what extent have all kinds of unpleasant situations encroached from the outside? Do we excuse people out of habit, even though they display unacceptable and unethical behaviour? Every cold and flu infection, every migraine and particularly even acute disturbances in the musculoskeletal system have a cause both externally and in the predisposing tendencies of one’s own inner world. An explanation for an illness can always be understood in terms of a disorder in the astral body and, if those that endeavour to heal on the path of development, practise good observation and development of insight, they will find real grounds underlying a disorder. The astral body encompasses the conscious and the unconscious, and the conditions of relationship and the connections that individuals actually have must become objectified to achieve a first order.
The next article will take a somewhat deeper look at the metaphysical effects causing illness.
Photo: Martin Sinzinger
