Normally, adults process their waking experiences during sleep. Children cannot yet carry their waking experiences into sleep. Thus, in sleep, they settle into the general cosmic order without taking their physical experience into the cosmic order.

The quote by Rudolf Steiner explores the difference in how adults and children process their experiences during sleep. Steiner suggests that adults, having developed a more complex mental framework, are able to process and integrate their waking experiences during sleep. This process involves reflecting on and making sense of the events and emotions of the day, helping to restore balance and clarity. In contrast, children are not yet able to carry these experiences into their sleep, meaning that their sleep serves more as a time to align with a broader, cosmic order, rather than processing daily experiences.

Steiner’s statement about children suggests that they are still in the early stages of their cognitive and emotional development. Without the capacity to integrate the day’s experiences, children’s sleep is more focused on rejuvenation and connecting with the universal or cosmic forces. This means that while adults use sleep for mental processing, children’s sleep serves as a time for them to settle into a deeper, more spiritual harmony with the world around them. Their sleep is less about sorting through individual experiences and more about grounding their being in the broader rhythms of the universe.

The idea that children do not process their waking experiences during sleep also hints at the idea of innocence or purity in childhood. Children, still free from the complexities and anxieties that come with adulthood, may naturally find rest and balance in the cosmic order without the burden of trying to make sense of their day-to-day lives. Steiner’s view suggests that this unburdened state is part of the beauty and simplicity of childhood, where the soul can find its place within the larger scheme of existence.

Originating from Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian philosopher and social reformer known for his work in education, art, and spirituality, this quote reflects his broader belief in the connection between the spiritual and the physical. Steiner is best known for developing Anthroposophy, a philosophy that seeks to understand the spiritual world through human cognition. His insights into the developmental differences between adults and children reveal his deep interest in the spiritual and cosmic dimensions of human life.