Tycho de Brahe Verlag

SUMMARIES 2006

THOMAS GÖBEL – On meditation

WOLFGANG SCHAD – Holism and Evolution

JOACHIM DANIEL – Goethe and Aristotle

WOLFGANG SCHAD – The scientific approach to the etheric

ERNST ZÜRCHER – Cosmic trees and chronobiology. Potentials for innovative scientific research and bio-compatible applications

BERND ROSSLENBROICH – The generation of autonomy in evolution – a survey

ROSELIES GEHLIG – Mineral luminescence as an expression of environment forces

THOMAS GÖBEL

On meditation

Building up the content of a meditation begins with a contemplative work on the ideas contained in a short sentence or verse, for example one of the verses of Rudolf Steiner’s Calendar of the Soul. In this context it is helpful to do this together with other people in a group as something above the personal level. This work leads to wakefully experienced soul moods such as admiration, gratitude, and grace. Then the actual meditation follows and has to be practised by each person alone. The meditation itself consists in concentrating fully on the soul contents developed in the first step and holding them in consciousness as non-objective contents to the exclusion of other thoughts. Such an exercise does not make a person clairvoyant. But they experience the results in their daily life when they become able to introduce peace and balance into the world through their actions. In this way they develop into a person in whom other people trust and whom they ask when tasks or problems have to be solved.

WOLFGANG SCHAD

Holism and Evolution

The frequently controversial issue of whether holism and evolution are different paradigms in the life-sciences is examined through a broad discussion of all ways of thinking. The conclusion is that they are different approaches to the reality of organisms. In addition, mathematical procedures and picture-forming methods for grasping the living world are discussed. This contribution is dedicated to Thomas Göbel who devoted his life to these questions.

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JOACHIM DANIEL

Goethe and Aristotle

Modern science presupposes a particular view of time. This is biased by the form time has in the present. If truth is supposed to be conceived in relation to what appears in time, it therefore ecomes a phenomenon of the unity of time that is understood as a perpetual present. This is why this concept of truth must lack the essence of the temporal. In Aristotle’s philosophy there are several approaches to a different concept of truth, but during the course of history these have hardly been explored further. Is there any truth in time? In the author's opinion, Goethe's researches bordered on such an understanding of time. This is essentially related to art as an achievement of human activity. A theory of science that takes into account this aspect is still lacking today.

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WOLFGANG SCHAD

The scientific approach to the etheric

The concept of the etheric is at the very focus of anthroposophically oriented natural science. Here we describe the methodological problems and ways of approaching this nearest realm of the supersensible. One way is reflecting upon one's own different methods of scientific thinking. The opposite way is to grasp the time-organisation of the human organism by empirical chronobiology. Yet there is also the question of how to experience directly the etheric qualities of life. We suggest experiencing it by studying landscapes, in order to achieve a first step of individual perception and be able to communicate about it.

ERNST ZÜRCHER

Cosmic trees and chronobiology. Potentials for innovative

scientific research and bio-compatible applications

By analogy with mythical world or cosmic trees, which show common elements despite their different origins, for more than two thousand years certain forestry practices and rules egarding tree management and felling have been carried out according to common astronomic factors, regardless of the continent on which they occur or the indigenous culture involved. In addition to a specific season of the year, the management intervention often has to take into account moon cycles.

A general review of the different types of rules followed, shows that the reactions of trees to pruning, such as the formation of coppice shoots or development of special timber qualities and uses, are mentioned in relation to specific pruning or felling dates. These moon-related felling dates supposedly ensure advantageous physiological reactions or special wood properties. The experimental part of this article presents scientific studies specially concerned with the factor ‘moon phases, as a synodic rhythm’ between New Moon and Full Moon. On the one hand they deal with elements of tree biology such as germination; initial growth of tropical trees; chemical composition of palms (where strong and systematic variations and their complicating aspects have been observed); reversible, circadian fluctuations of stem diameters and bio-electric potentials. On the other hand, some work concentrates on wood properties and the relation between wood as a hygroscopic material and the absorbed cell wall water as a function of the felling date. Furthermore, recent research on lignifying (woody) plants deals with the second main rhythm, often mentioned in the management rules, namely the slightly shorter sidereal moon rhythm, linked to the position of our satellite in front of the astronomic zodiacal constellations.

On this basis, a fruitful transdisciplinary exchange is possible between researchers and representatives of old traditional cultures, related to a 'cosmic' dimension of trees and to the scientific, social, philosophic and practical meaning of this level. New perspectives of application can be identified, in conformity with the criteria of biocompatible technologies.

BERND ROSSLENBROICH

The generation of autonomy in evolution – a survey

The hypothesis is advanced that major evolutionary innovations are characterized by an increase of organismal autonomy in the sense of an emancipation from the environment. After a brief overview of some new aspects of the question of macroevolutionary innovations from recent scientific results and the literature on the concept of autonomy, a series of examples of increasing autonomy in animal evolution from different macroevolutionary transitions is discussed. These examples start with prokaryotes, which show several basic characteristics of autonomy, and continue with the generation of the eucaryotic cell, multicellularity and basic features of multicellular animals. Finally some examples from the evolution of vertebrates are given, including examples from ethology.

ROSELIES GEHLIG

Mineral luminescence as an expression of environment forces

By comparing luminescence phenomena of the inorganic and organic world a common motif becomes evident which can be described by the quality of 'environment' :

Bioluminescence of animals, with its species-specific rhythms, especially characterizes evolutionarily less developed animals during mating, fighting, searching for food and when frightened or startled. The bioluminescence is intended for perception by other individuals of the species, mates, prey or predators. It is an expression of an as yet less internalised group soul of animals, a sort of 'external soul' living more or less in the environment and influencing animal physiology. With increasing incarnation towards an 'inner soul' during evolution, animal luminescence diminishes and finally disappears in the fish group.

Bioluminescence of plants is a continuous glowing but showing circadian or seasonal rhythms. It is restricted to algae and fungi whose physiology shows certain animal-like properties (e. g. fungi: lack of chlorophyll, storage of glycogen and fat, chitin-bearing cell walls). Certain bacteria in the ocean also luminesce according to seasonal changes. Integrated into light organs (e.g. squid, fish) the luminescence of animals is under the control of the typical behaviour of the specific animals.

Healthy human tissue shows a homogenous faint fluorescence when excited by ultraviolet light. In the case of cancer, the tumour region hardly fluoresces while the environment of the tumour shows about a tenfold increase of fluorescence compared with healthy tissue. Unrestricted tissue growth points to the fact that controlling forces of the soul and ego have left the diseased region and have become 'environmental'. Also, in iron deficiency anaemia, a partial 'excarnation' of soul and ego take place, with increased formation of fluorescing erythrocytes, decreased iron content and red colour of the blood.

Luminescence of minerals is mostly related to metallic trace elements as activators (manganese, copper, silver, chromium, rare earths, uranium, etc.) in the minerals and is promoted by environmental forces:

- photoluminescence (fluorescence, phosphorescence) by temperature and ultraviolet light,

- thermoluminescence by warmth,

- chemiluminescence by oxygen of the air,

- triboluminescence (caused by rubbing or breaking crystals) by nitrogen of the air,

- electroluminescence (caused by an electrical field) by nitrogen of the air, as well,

- sonoluminescence (caused by ultrasonic waves) by argon of the air,

- lyoluminescence (caused by solving substances) by water,

- crystalloluminescence (caused during crystal growth) often by water, as well.

Mechanical, densifying forces of high pressure, however, lower or quench inorganic luminescence. Even within a crystal an environmental factor strongly influences luminescence: the configuration (symmetry) of the crystal structure represents the 'environment' for an activator ion (e. g. Mn 2+ in tetrahedral co-ordination fluoresces green, in octahedral coordination red, and in a nine-fold co-ordination yellow).

Qualitative changes occur with decreasing metal concentration in the transitions from the pure element via a coloured but not luminescing metal compound to the metal as a trace element within a non-coloured but luminescing host. Similar principal changes have been described by Rudolf Steiner for the process of potentization in which substances open themselves to the environment, to spiritual forces.

The relationship of luminescence to spiritual forces is also expressed by mythological pictures in legends on polar lights (electroluminescence) which have always been experienced as being related to the dead and unborn humans living in the 'environment'.