2789 Matter.... change - upward development.... serve....
June 27, 1943: Book 37
The perpetual process of change can be observed in all creations and therefore has to take place according to divine will, because no other being can implement its will in the works of creation. It is God's will that the spiritual, which is bound in the works of creation, changes, and this change can only take place when also the outer form undergoes a change, and this outer change is therefore the actual life of the spiritual, it is so to speak the visible sign of an upward development of the spiritual hiding in it, because as long as this remains in its resistance against God, also the outer form remains almost unchanged. From this it can be concluded that all solid matter which remains in its nature and condition for a long time harbours spiritual substances which are opposed to God and that this matter should not be striven for by man if it is not needed for a serving purpose. If matter is used to mould things that are useful to man, then man himself contributes to the transformation of such external forms.... but if an external form remains and is desired by people for the sake of this external form, then the human being is in danger of being dominated by matter and this is a disadvantage for his soul. There are countless things which could be counted as so-called dead matter and which are desired by people without them fulfilling a useful purpose.... These are decorative objects of all kinds that merely trigger the joy of earthly possession without fulfilling a purpose. They are only a lure of the world as long as they serve to fulfil one's own desires and do not fulfil their purpose in serving neighbourly love The spiritual bound in this matter captivates the senses of man, and this means a spiritual regression for the latter, since he demands something that he has long since overcome, and the spiritual in matter finds support through the desire of man, in that he strives for the possession of what he desires, and he gives the spiritual in the form the opportunity to remain in the form for a long time. But what does not change in its outer form does not progress in its upward development....
(27.6.1943) To desire such solid matter as possession is of extreme disadvantage for the soul of man because it makes him a slave of matter, it conquers him instead of man conquering matter. Objects which are created by human hands but which have no serving purpose are likewise suited to arouse human desire and now remain in their form for a long time, and the spiritual in them is bound for just as long. It cannot develop upwards because it is prevented from serving, because it lacks the will to do so, but man also does not help this spiritual by carefully protecting the solid matter from every change and thus prolongs the compulsion around the spiritual through his love for dead matter. In the same way, utilitarian objects whose actual purpose is a serving one, but which are not used for their actual purpose out of love for matter, are also an agonizing fetter for the spiritual substance hidden in them as long as the human being persists in his love for such things.... if the external form is not changed by divine will, i.e. if such objects are destroyed against human will through many different causes. Then the spiritual in the form is willing to serve, and the outer fetter is loosened or destroyed despite human love for it. A change of the outer form, therefore of all works of creation, must take place if these works are to fulfil their purpose; the spiritual in every work of creation must mature through service and then be released again to the next stage of its development. Man's love for matter prolongs the state of compulsion of the spiritual in it, the stubborn spiritual, which does not let up in its resistance against God, now also influences the thinking of men to unite with it, it therefore drives to materialism and causes great spiritual devastation among mankind. Nevertheless, this spirituality feels the compulsion that the external form causes it and unlawfully tries to escape it.... it tries to confuse human thinking, i.e., God-opposing forces use the weakness of man for dead matter in order to incite them to unkindness against each other, to unlawfully appropriate the matter of fellow human beings and, if necessary, to achieve this through violence, which can also have a destructive effect on matter. In its ignorance, the spiritual believes itself to be free when its outer form is destroyed by people's lack of love. Violent destruction is therefore never spiritual progress but an illegally interrupted course of development, for the release from a form only depends on whether this form fulfils a serving purpose. And in the same way the destruction of an outer form must have as its cause the will to produce something new from it which again fulfils a serving purpose. Then the change of the outer form is willed by God and for the spiritual in it an ascent to....
amen
This proclamation is used in the following themebook:
| Themebook | Title | Download |
|---|---|---|
| 92 | The Emergence And Transformation Of The Material Creation | ePub PDF Kindle |
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