ORGANOGNOSY. 201 



move itself. A root grows, moves itself towards one spot, 

 not because it there seeks for moisture, but because it is 

 affected by the moisture which is there found. Were the 

 moisture not to act upon it, it would wither. 



1011. The animal has independent motion. For it 

 has indeed taken up the centre, the earth- and the light- 

 system which is the principle of motion, into itself. 



1012. Thus the animal moves itself independently of 

 external stimuli. The animal can move itself from want 

 of stimulus. It moves itself to seek for, and thus from 

 want of, nourishment, which consequently does not act 

 upon it ; the plant cannot, however, move itself owing 

 to want of food, but only die. 



1013. This is the essential and only conclusive distinc- 

 tion between animal and plant. All others that have been 

 advanced are not sufficient. 



Processes of the Cosmic Organism. 



AETHER PROCESSES. 



1014. The primary or planetary organism cannot be 

 the last product of nature's development : for it is only 

 indeed the metatype of the three terrestrial elements, and 

 consequently not of the totality of nature. The mucus- 

 organism ascends to a higher stage, since it superadds to 

 its three elements the primary element, or ascends itself 

 to primary elements. It becomes an atherial globe of 

 mucus. 



1015. Hitherto there were merely three processes in 

 the organism ; to these consequently the fourth is added, 

 which is the aether-process. It may be called the fire- 

 process. 



1016. With the fire-process the development of the 

 organic world has been carried to the highest pitch and 

 therewith closed. 



1017. The highest organism is a quadri-elementary 

 individual, or a quadri-elementary mucus. 



1018. The four elements are, however, the universe. 

 The higher organism is consequently not merely a syno- 



