"The soul of man functions through its instrument or vessel, which is the body. Through it and with it, the soul thinks, perceives, feels, and acts; through it and by it, the soul has to fulfill its double function in reality First, it has to perform a certain task in the process of perfecting the outer world, or at least that part of the world to which it is destined. And second, its task is to raise itself. But these tasks are not necessarily separate; they are accomplished simultaneously. For the physical world contains in itself a higher essence, higher forces, in which, even though hidden and distorted, there exist elements of the original formlessness."