352. But this manifestation of explosion and of killing could never have taken place if, at the same time, there had not been present a third type of energy. For explosions cannot happen if there is not something that can be exploded. This something is life's third basic energy, namely – feeling. This energy is exactly the opposite of the fire or sun energy, for however strange it may sound, feeling is in actual fact, the "cold" of the Universe.
      While fire warms, expands, dissolves or dematerializes, cold has the characteristic of freezing, contracting, crystallising or materialising. And the result of the interaction of these three basic energies is, in short, everything coming under the concept of "physical matter". This matter, again, presents itself in three variations, either as "solid", "fluid" or "gaseous", but, actually, each of those variations should be defined as "solid" or "condensed" matter.
      Thus it is that the whole physical world depends upon the interaction of heat and cold. The body-heat or temperature of living beings is the equilibrium or point of balance in the struggle between these two energies within the organisms of living beings. All solid or physical matter is thus a concentration of "feeling" and "gravity". In reality, they constitute restrained fire. Consequently everything also expresses or represents some degree of either heat or cold. Everything either freezes or burns. When the amount of feeling-energy is lower, then there arises fire and explosion. In such cases everything shatters and perishes, everything disintegrates or dematerializes. When the amount of feeling-energy is higher, then there arises condensation, contraction, solidification and crystallisation, all of which is the same as physical materialization or manifestation.
      Judging from this there must be a great deal of feeling-energy in the world. We witness everywhere many forms of physical manifestation, or one might say many forms of restrained fire. But we are also witness to the exceptional number of situations where that fire is not restrained but is completely dominating life. And it is here that the physical existence of things and their visibility is on the decline and coming to an end. Where the energy of fire begins to be dominant in the Universe and feeling-energy becomes correspondingly weaker, it is there that immense fields of heat come into existence. Such fields cannot yet be seen with physical eyes. They are the beginnings of solar formations. To the same extent as this stream of gravity-energy continues into these areas of heat, they naturally become of a correspondingly more and more powerful nature, until at last gravity-energy is manifesting to such a high degree that it becomes visible to physical sight as fire. And then we see these immeasurable areas of heat as luminous nebulae which become more and more concentrated into sharply defined spherical shining areas or bodies. These shining bodies are known to us as the "stars of heaven" and already in school we learn about them as suns and solar systems. These suns are thus fiery bodies or concentrated masses of gravity-energy compressed into a certain tension by feeling-energy.
      But even if gravity-energy is prevailing, feeling-energy will still be strongly asserting itself and so these solar fields become the very culmination of explosive force. Here are both lightning and thunder combined. Here everything is dominated by sound. Such solar fields constitute an immense cacophony. There is nothing here based upon stillness and peace. Here there is nothing of sleep or rest. These suns are the melting pots of the Universe. And the sound of universal creation reaches its peak.
      In this way creation depends on the interplay of "feeling" and "gravity". The suns and all the other shining heavenly bodies are luminous only on account of the domination of "gravity-energy" over "feeling-energy". But gradually "feeling-energy" gains more and more access to the solar field. At first it is not nearly strong enough to "bind" "gravity-energy" completely, hence the tremendous explosions we term "solar prominences". These mighty explosions are simply expressing that masses of feeling-energy are being overpowered by solar energy. However, as feeling-energy gains more and more access to the solar field, these explosions correspondingly decline in violence. They get smaller and less frequent. There occurs a change in the solar field which we call "cooling". But "cooling" is actually only an increase of cold. This cooling takes place comparatively slowly and so there are quite a number of varying stages in this the solar field's transformation from heat to cold. Gradually all the solar energy becomes "bound" and this bound solar energy is what we call "solid matter". All physical details, all organisms and bodies, everything present on cooled-down globes, is primarily the work of feeling; it is the result of the mutual union of heat and cold. From a cosmic viewpoint all solid matter, even our own flesh and blood, is in reality a kind of congealing. Indeed, any strongly preponderant heat would easily make everything dissolve and dematerialize; in other words, it would transform everything into other life-forms.
      Therefore it is feeling-energy which holds the inflammable, dangerous gravity-energy in check. Wherever feeling-energy dominates there arises peace and stillness. And when feeling-energy is sensed, it is experienced by the consciousness as a calming tendency. In its purest form in the consciousness there is neither sympathy nor antipathy; it constitutes in reality a mental coolness. From this fact there emerge such expressions as an "icy stillness" or "freezing coldness".
      If someone has a feeling of antipathy or hatred then feeling-energy is not dominating. On the contrary, it is expressing that there still exists in that same person's mentality a somewhat too easy access into his consciousness by gravity-energy. In fact, antipathy and hatred are, up to a point, bound explosive energy. As a rule only a very little supply of gravity-energy is required to tip the balance. This small supply is produced by base thought-material; that is to say disparaging, irritable or insulting remarks from other people, aimed at someone who then becomes completely furious. An angry person has too little feeling-energy. When this lack is replaced, peace returns. All that the angry person needs is just to immerse his hands in ice-cold water. This coldness, which is indeed the same as feeling-energy, is then transferred to the being's organism and mentality, the feeling-energy that was lacking is replaced and peace returns again to the consciousness of the one who was angry.
      It is by means of feeling-energy that the I builds up all the perfect tranquillity and order in existence. It is feeling-energy which keeps the globes in position in the Universe. And it is feeling-energy which the individual needs as a defence against bad temper. It is by means of feeling-energy that an individual may attain that stillness and peace of mind which makes him receptive for developing towards being able to use ever higher energies of consciousness. This important energy constitutes the I's third source of power.