482. But there is yet another form for the manifestation of life on terrestrial man's cosmic horizon which also in a way is "matter" for physical sensing. Terrestrial man can "sense" himself and his fellow beings in the form of animals and plants. This form of perception – as shown in the analysis – gives the sharpest view and the best possible observation of "matter". Here the individual can physically observe all the particular basic details of that "substance" and can see that it is expressing in the highest degree manifestations of life – indeed, it is life itself. This form of "matter" or "life' is thus identical with our own appearance and manifestation of life, and therefore it is defined as "mesocosmic matter".
      But the further away "matter" becomes from our own stage of being, the smaller it grows in perspective, and its details grow correspondingly ever more indistinct until finally they completely fade in a nebulous composite mass. And we saw that this mass is the substance or phenomenon which we would usually call "matter". But this is not the limit of terrestrial man's physical sight. He can also observe his own and his fellow beings' appearance, in association with "microcosmic matter", as constituting details within still greater details. He can thus recognize through his physical senses that the gathered mass of "microcosmic matter" and "mesocosmic matter" forms a large detail which has a spherical or global form. We know this globe as the "Earth".
      In the same way he can recognize that this globe is in a certain constellation to other such global "details" (the planets) and that these are ruled by that large centre of power which we call the "sun". This brilliant orb can again be seen to constitute but a single detail in the midst of thousands of other similar details (sun-communities or milky ways). All of these move in definite orbits and follow certain laws. In actual fact all these great heavenly bodies comprise only details or power centres which again collectively release specific reactions to the corresponding gigantic details of the surroundings and thus reveal exactly the same characteristics as those we found existing in matter or substance. Thus, in actuality, these gigantic realities, these heavenly bodies, globes and suns should be recognized as only details in a gigantic form of matter. It is this "matter" we call the "whole world' or the "Universe". But earthly man, although in wonder, does not see any life behind this "matter". This is due once again to the question of perspective. Here he is confronted with realities so huge that physically he is only able to gain insight into one single local area in their sphere, while the totality is so enormous that it stretches out far beyond his field of vision. As his field of vision is thus only a fragment – perhaps a very small fragment at that – of the unknown totality, then earthly man cannot grasp the analysis and the complete structure of that totality with physical day-consciousness. He does not see that it is a living organism in which he himself and his surroundings are micro-beings or "matter", and that the movements of the planets and of the sun as well as the so-called "powers of Nature", are all functions of that organism, like its digestive process and its release of thought, and in this way are manifestations of life from the source of that huge organism; he does not see this and therefore neither does he understand. Such comprehension does not happen before the cosmic adjustment of consciousness. Only then will he see that every organism can only exist within another and greater organism, just as in the same way it can also only exist as a collection of smaller organisms. Moreover, with this enlightenment it becomes a fact for this same individual that no functioning organism of any kind can exist without being a direct or indirect demonstration of the absolute living presence of its source in existence and of its identity with life.
      As heavenly bodies, globes, suns and milky way systems exist as the organs of living beings, we come now to quite a different kind of living being. As living beings do indeed constitute the power-centres or foundation of "matter", we are thus brought once again to quite another kind of "matter" than the two kinds already described. This "matter" will be defined in "Livets Bog" as "macrocosmic matter".