Georg Unger, former head of the Mathematical-Astronomical Section, was a mathematician with a choleric temperament. This combination made him quite good with concise formulae, including questions of life. Georg said that we can learn in three ways. The etheric body learns through repetition. You could keep practicing eurythmy’s threefold stepping, lift-carry-place, for a lifetime. The astral body, on the other hand, learns by realizing something once. For example, to gain a holistic view of the world, it’s good to know that the oceans flow at the same pace as the human gait: between one and two metres per second. Anyone who walks resonates with the water body of the Earth! The ‘I’ enhances both forms of learning by allowing itself to be inspired by what’s new, like the astral body, and then dealing with this new independently and individualizing it, which requires repetition, like the etheric body. In the past, anthroposophical training focused on introductory courses, or in Unger’s language, “astral learning,” and on reinforcing already acquired knowledge, or “etheric learning.” Now, personal approaches and individualization have become central. Now, the ‘I’ is learning, Georg Unger would say.
Translation Laura Liska
Image Hannes Weigert, February 18, 2025, acrylic on cotton, 40 × 50 cm
