The philosophy of spirit must develop itself out of the philosophy of nature, as doth the flower out of the stem. For nature is the spirit analyzed and at rest, which we can handle at our pleasure. It does not appear only for an instant; but as stone, air and such like entities, abideth always, as if to solicit and preserve us for its investigation.
A Philosophy or Ethicks apart from Physio-philosophy is a nonentity, a bare contradiction, just as a flower without a stem is a non-existent thing.
3591. As many essential members as Physio-philosophy hath, into so many must Pneumato-philosophy also divide, and this too so exactly that the two shall cover each other.
The reason why one has hitherto rambled about in Pneumato-philosophy without ballast and without compass, depends solely upon the disregard which has been paid to the science or knowledge of Nature. It is in fact not difficult to understand how impossible it must be, from observations made upon the rapidly evanescent phenomena of the spirit, to thence abstract a system of the laws in conformity wherewith this spirit manifests itself or acts. Spirit is nothing different from Nature, but simply her purest outbirth or offspring, and therefore her symbol, her language. With such a basis as this, we shall no longer pursue the ignes fatui of the mind, but first of all endeavour to banish them into the provinces or realms of Nature, and there co-ordinate them in conformity with her laws; then for the first time shall we recognize the flaming lights of the mind and the divine voices, which all matter proclaimeth through the speech of Man.
He, who were once in a condition to reveal or disclose this conformity of Nature's phenomena with those of Spirit, will have learnt the philosophy of the latter.
2. Functions of the Vascular or Sexual Animals.
3592. These animals are no longer merely sentient, 'clairvoyant' Acalephæ, because, in addition to the nervous mass, they are provided with other systems, such as the sexual and vascular, with the special organs of digestion and taste.
These three or four organs must also resolve themselves into three spiritual functions; the vascular system furnishes special organs of feeling and therewith a voluntary sense of feeling; the intestine and chiefly the liver is now the cardinal organ, and will therefore execute the mesmerically percipient functions.
3593. In the liver the faculty of anticipation and foresight, with melancholy, choleric passion, and anger, appear to reside. Encephalic thought is reflected in it.
The liver is the soul in a state of sleep, the brain is the soul active and awakening. In it the spirit broods unconsciously for years, and then breaks forth fearfully, as capriciousness, tyranny and sorrow, but also as earnestness and strength.