966. And what is the "parable of the prodigal son" other than the same story? In the "prodigal" son's consciousness there also arose a kind of longing, a desire to leave behind the prevailing traditions, to leave his father and his parental home. But what is the "prodigal" son's journey away from his father and his parental home other than his journey towards materialism, towards forgetting about the Godhead and the consequent primitiveness and ignorance in areas of the spirit, which is in principle exactly the same as the "expulsion from the Garden of Eden". Is not his father the Godhead, and the "parental home" the "Garden of Eden"? To journey away from the Godhead is thus the same as to worship materialism instead of the Godhead. But the main object of this worship is to create "satisfaction" for oneself, which is in turn the same as "selfishness". "Selfishness" therefore constitutes the "forbidden" fruit in the "Garden of Eden". It is the "apple" on the "tree of knowledge". "Eating" of the "tree of knowledge" brings experiences at the same time as it creates ignorance. This "eating" thus leads to great experiences in the area of self-worship; it leads to the very heights of raw brutal power, at the same time as it creates forgetfulness, and thereby ignorance, concerning God. Here the individual is in a state of consciousness that is at odds with the consciousness of the Godhead. His entire inclinations and interests are based exclusively on gaining satisfaction of his own particular material wishes and desires. And it is a matter of course that the senses will therefore develop in favour of this satisfaction, while they are weakened with regard to the area of the sublime and the divine. And the individual also eventually loses his ability to see God. On the contrary, everything that opposes the common laws of love on which the entire universe is based creates, in the present situation, a feeling of pleasure in his consciousness. His hunger is focused solely on experiencing this pleasure. This experience is therefore an absolutely vital necessity. But to be animated by a hunger that can be satisfied only through an infringement of the laws on which love, peace and harmony are based will eventually make the individual a genius in promoting this infringement. In fact, this infringement will even become automatic functioning with the creation of its associated organs and organisms, through which abilities, talents and natural aptitudes in the area of this infringement can be brought to a culmination. It is this form of manifestation of consciousness that we call the "instinct of self-preservation". And we will therefore define this instinct or drive as "life substance no. 43".