ences
something in its inner nature which adds a new element to mere reaction.
Otherwise we should be able to speak of the consciousness of a piece of
iron when it expands under the influence of heat. Consciousness is present
only when, through the effect of heat, the being feels pain or pleasure
inwardly.

The fourth principle of being which occult science attributes to man is
one which he does not share in common with the rest of the manifested
world. It is that which differentiates him from his fellow creatures and
makes him the crown of creation. Occult science helps in forming a
conception of this further principle of human nature by pointing out the
existence of an essential difference between the kinds of experience in
waking life. On the one hand, man is constantly subjected to experiences
which must of necessity come and go; on the other, he has experiences with
which this is not the case. This fact comes out with special force if
human experiences are compared with those of animals. An animal
experiences the influences of the outer world with great regularity; under
the influence of heat and cold it becomes conscious of pain or pleasure,
and during certain regularly recurring bodily processes it feels hunger
and thirst. The sum total of man's life is not exhausted by such
experiences; he is able to develop desires and wishes which go beyond
these things. In the case of an animal it would always be possible, on
going far enough into the matter, to ascertain the cause--either within or
without its body--which impelled it to any given act or feeling. This is by
no means the case with man. He may engender wishes and desires for which
no adequate cause exists either inside or outside of his body. A
particular source must be found for everything in this domain; and
according to occult science this source is to be found in the human "I" or
"ego." Therefore the ego will be spoken of as the fourth principle of the
human being.

Were the astral body left to its own resources, feelings of pleasure and
pain, and sensations of hunger and thirst, would take place within it, but
there would be lacking the consciousness of something lasting in all these
feelings. It is not the permanent as such, which is here designated the
"ego," but rather that which experiences this permanent element. In this
domain, conceptions must be very exactly expressed if misunderstandings
are not to arise. With the becoming aware of something perm