A Journey through the Twelve World Views – as a theme for 2020

​by Rev. Reingard Knausenberger
The Twelve World Views that weave human life and the world together.

There is not one world view, which needs to be defended or is valid above all, but rather there are twelve world views. The world does not allow us to observe or think it from a one-sided point of view, but rather reveals itself when one can gather different viewpoints. As the zodiac offers the sun the opportunity to shine its light to the earth from twelve principally different places, so we human beings can practice taking on a stance that can ‘go around’ something and observe and cognise it from twelve different viewpoints. Only then will understanding be an act of revelation in which the reality of human and earthly life as one can be experienced.

The world views are paired as opposites. Three of the world views come from our senses, three from pure thinking and six from the complicated area of the soul. The whole – body, soul and spirit – is a reality.

Each month one of these world views will be expanded staring this month with Monadism.

Monadism

The ‘monas’ is the unity with, and at the same time also the separation from, other monads (entities which are in relation to each other). It is a qualitative experience of the other, as all parts of the universe are in manifold relationships with each other. A monadist observes the world from the aspect of individualism and pluralism. Interest - ‘Inter-est’- means ‘what is between’, meaning creating a relationship. Only the thinking monad can experience the highest form of this by realising how all human beings carry the same inexpressible name, with which their individuality and uniqueness is grasped inwardly.  At the same time this name is universal to all humans. We say ‘I’, and we can experience what separates us and unites us, what is individual and universal at the same time.