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Spiritual Science

Deep Dive Article

The Threefold Human Being

Understanding what lies behind the veil of our material view of the human being

Source: FreeManCreator

Introduction

Knowing Man as a threefold being enables a study of the inner workings of the three subsystems in Man, and develop an understanding and appreciation for the wonderful life in Man.

Man breathes, perceives, and eats.

Three processes are studied, corresponding with these three main activities of each living human being, and each has its own flow to be followed:

  • the process of perception: we see, hear .. use five main senses, but in fact this sense perception is an integrated and much more complicated process than generally considered
  • the process of eating: 'taking in food stuffs' is generally linked to metabolism and sustaining our physical body
  • thirdly: balancing these two in the middle, Man's breathing process in the rhythmic subsystem.

Source: https://anthroposophy.eu/Threefold_working_in_Man

Man is a threefold being in that three subsystems arose as part of the previous planetary stages in evolution. Hence three 'subsystems' can be distinguished:

  • the nerve-sense subsystem
  • the rhythmic subsystem (THIS IS THE SYSTEM CURRENTLY CONCERNING ERIN)
  • the metabolic-limb subsystem

These three 'functional' subsystems

  • perform generic functions that can also be found in other kingdoms of nature, such as the plant
  • can be described by the alchemical processes in nature, and
  • map to the substance and work of different spiritual hierarchies (i.e. the different hierarchies of the angelic realms that "keep us going")

Note that:

  • the functional systems 'cut across' Man's bodily principles
  • and although we can relate them to three areas of Man's physical body (upper, middle and lower part), the subsystems are really throughout the whole body.

Illustrations

Schema FMC00.112 illustrates that the aspects of the threefold nature of Man can be named head, chest and limb, but denote subsystems that run throughout the physical and etheric bodies of Man.
Schema FMC00.111 illustrates 'Man as an inverted plant', that is: how the three functional subsystems in Man (left) correspond to the same subsystem functions in a plant (right).

Source for the above: https://anthroposophy.eu/Man_as_a_threefold_being

Nerve-sense subsystem

  • the oldest of the three subsystems
  • polarity with metabolic-limb subsystem - the head, dying off
  • interface between blood and nervous system
  • evolutionary aspect - the forming of senses and nerves
  • link to physiology of the 12 human senses
    • we can speak of twelve cosmic radiations, twelve Archangel-radiations, which then (in the Persian epoch of human evolution) densified in the human head into twelve main cerebral nerves. See the FMC00.135.jpg illustration below
  • astral body and I-organization

Illustrations

Schema FMC00.135 shows (left) the nervous system as the instrument of the human astral body, interfacing with the blood and I-organization (right).

Source for the above: https://anthroposophy.eu/Nerve-sense_subsystem

Rhythmic subsystem

The rhythmic subsystem is one of the three 'functional subsystems' in Man as a threefold being. The rhythmic subsystem consists of the rhythmic life pulses in man: breathing, blood circulation, and circulation of other fluids. It has a balancing nature between the other two subsystems

Most central to the rhythmic subsystem is the process of human breathing.[3]

Circulating fluids include not just blood but also lymphic fluid and chyle[1]

  • the blood for Man's human 'I' - see The heart's two blood circuits and Ganganda Greida[2]
  • the lymph maps to the astral body of Man - in the lymph circulate (angelic/spiritual) beings influencing Man's character
  • the chyle maps to the etheric body of Man - in chyle circulate (angelic/spiritual) beings, impacting in lower spiritual worlds and Man's Human temperament

Source for the above: https://anthroposophy.eu/Rhythmic_subsystem

Illustrations

Source (good alchemical perspective reading): https://taileaters.com/alchemy/the-virgins-milk-and-chyle/

Metabolic-limb subsystem

  • The metabolic-limb system is the basis for Man's faculty of Willing, see Thinking Feeling Willing[4]
  • The metabolic system from the Old Moon stage of Earth's (and human) evolution, the limb system is the most recent and part of the Earth stage of evolution.
  • Mineral science differentiates between the catabolic, amphibolic and anabolic metabolic processes. See eg wiki page for Metabolism, and compare with Schema FMC00.412 below.
  • development of the metabolic-limb system (1924-06-30-GA317)
    • too weakly developed <-> metabolism-and-limbs system which produces albumen that is poor in sulphur
    • too strongly developed <-> metabolism-and-limbs system which produces albumen that is too rich in sulphur
  • Fasting
    • fasting brings harmony into life (etheric body) and form (physical body). Fasting makes for quietness in the astral body so it partially detaches itself from the physical body. Its vibrations are modulated and communicate a regular rhythm to the etheric body. (1906-06-07-GA094)

Source for the above: https://anthroposophy.eu/Metabolic-limb_subsystem

Schema FMC00.412 uses the 1924-09-14-GA318 illustration FMC00.015A (see Note3) to overlay the workings of the metabolic system, that were not on the base FMC00.015A. Hence both schemas can be taken together.
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Notes

  1. ◬ What is Chyle?
    Chyle is a white milky substance that is found in the human body. The small intestine produces it through the collection of fats through tiny blood vessels called lymphatic capillaries. Chyle contains chylomicrons, which is also known as ultra-low-density lipoproteins (ULDL) consisting of cholesterol, triglycerides, and phospholipids. ULDL allows for the transport of these proteins and cholesterol to different areas of the body.

    Source (good alchemical perspective reading): https://taileaters.com/alchemy/the-virgins-milk-and-chyle/

  2. ◬ Ganganda Greida is an aspect of the Holy Grail and means 'food for spiritual travellers', it is also the name of the Grail in an ancient Nordic version of the legend.

    The aspect of the Grail specifically conveyed in the expression “ganganda greida” is 'nourishment or food while journeying along a path' or simpler: 'food for wanderers', for those who go on a spiritual path.

    The Holy Grail contains this miraculous food, prepared from

    • the finest activities of the sense-impressions, and
    • the finest activities of the mineral extract (obtained from all foods)

    These come together and nourish 'the noblest part of Man, they flow to the 'the noblest part of his brain' at night.

  3. ◬ With the process of cosmic breathing is meant 'all Man takes in' and this is not just inhaling and exhaling air into our lungs, but also the higher ethers, and everything we take in through our senses, see Process of perception. Man continuously takes in astral and etheric streams, and the higher ethers are carried by the warmth that Man breathes in. Man breathes in his 'I', see the Human 'I' (see FMC00.015A below).

    The physical process of breathing air through the lungs in therefore a carrier of the life forces and the rhythms in Man's bodily structures. Through the breathing the astral-etheric streams get into the heart's two blood circuits through the lungs (see Ganganda Greida above).

    As a result, a wide range of breathing techniques exist in all cultures as part of mindfullness, meditation, and initiation exercises.

    FMC00.015A shows threefold Man and how the three main intake processes lie at the basis of Thinking, Feeling and Willing (TFW). It shows also how the subsystem processes are linked (green arrows), and how at each stage part of the etheric flows is stopped et the exhalation stage (red line).

  4. ◬ Thinking Feeling Willing

    Thinking, Feeling, and Willing (also denoted by the shorthand acronym TFW) are the three main activities of the threefold human soul or human 'I'.

    The activities of the threefold human soul relate to the different worlds of consciousness: thinking, feeling and willing relate respectively to the astral world, lower spirit world, and higher spirit world. Physiologically in Man they relate to the three subsystems in Man, respectively the head and nervous system, the rhythmic subsystem, and the metabolic-limb subsystem (see FMC00.282 below).

    Importantly, the current state of development of Man's I-consciousness with contemporary waking consciousness implies that Man is 'awake' in his thinking in the head and nervous system (hence the term waking consciousness), but Man is really asleep in his feeling and willing, with a dream-life type awareness of his feelings, and really unconscious dreamless sleep of his will. (see Schema FMC00.245 below)

    Evolutionary, the three faculties developed one after another as a result of the Development of the I, see the link with Walking Speaking Thinking.

    • in the Lemurian epoch, as Man moved to an upright position and Walking as a result of the forces of Willing
    • then in the the Atlantean epoch, Man developed the faculty of the voice and of Speaking and Feeling
    • in the current Postatlantean epoch Man developed the faculty of Thinking.
    • The next, fourth human soul faculty of 'memory' will be arising in the next Sixth epoch.

    Harmony, linkeage and separation

    • in the normally constituted human being of today, thinking, feeling and willing are in harmony, a harmony established unconsciously (1906-11-08-GA055)
    • insanity is a condition in which the three soul members have separated without being ruled by a higher consciousness, eg someone is unable to link thoughts and feelings correctly; this human cannot bring his feelings into harmony with the thoughts behind them. (1906-11-08-GA055)
    • in initiation, the faculties of thinking, feeling and willing are severed from one another. The initiate becomes separated into a person of feeling, a person of will and a thinking person; above these three is the ruler, the newfound individual, bringing them into harmony from a higher consciousness. (1906-11-08-GA055)
    Schema FMC00.213 relate Thinking Feeling Willing (TFW) activities of the human soul to the three worlds and Truth Beauty Good (TBG).
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