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Rudolf Steiner e.Lib
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An Outline of Occult Science
Rudolf Steiner e.Lib Document
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An Outline of Occult Science
THE EVOLUTION OF THE COSMOS AND MAN
The second of the great evolutionary periods alluded to, the Sun
stage, effects the raising of man to a condition of
consciousness higher than that which he attained on Saturn. Compared
with the present consciousness of man, this Sun stage could, to be
sure, be designated as unconsciousness, for it closely
approximates the state in which the human being now exists during
completely dreamless sleep. It might also be compared with the low
degree of consciousness in which our plant world is at present
slumbering. For supersensible perception there is no such thing as
unconsciousness, but only varying degrees of
consciousness. Everything in the world possesses consciousness. The
human being attains a higher degree of consciousness in the course of
the Sun evolution because at that time his nature is invested with the
etheric or life body. Before this can occur, however, the Saturn
conditions must be recapitulated, as described above. This
recapitulation has a quite definite significance. When the period of
rest, of which we have spoken in the previous description, has come to
an end, what was formerly Saturn issues forth out of cosmic
sleep as a new cosmic being, the Sun. But as a result, the
conditions of evolution are changed. The spiritual beings, whose
activities on Saturn have been described, have now advanced to other
conditions. The germinal human being, however, first appears on the
newly formed Sun just as it was at the end of the Saturn evolution. It
must first transform the various evolutionary stages that it had
reached on Saturn, so that they conform with the conditions on the
Sun. The Sun epoch, therefore, begins with a recapitulation of the
occurrences on Saturn, but adjusted to the changed conditions of the
life of the Sun. When the human being has developed to the point where
the stage of his evolution acquired on Saturn conforms to the
conditions of the Sun, the already mentioned Spirits of Wisdom, the
Kyriotetes, begin to let the ether or life body flow into the human
physical body. The more advanced stage that man attains on the Sun may
be characterized by saying that the physical body, germinally formed
already on Saturn, is raised to a second stage of perfection by
becoming the bearer of an ether or life body. This ether or life body
itself attains the first degree of its perfection during the Sun
evolution. In order, however, that this second degree of perfection of
the physical body and the first degree of perfection of the life body
be attained, it is necessary in the further course of the life of the
Sun that yet other spiritual beings interpose themselves in a way
similar to what was already described for the Saturn stage.
When the Spirits of Wisdom begin to pour the life body into man, the
Sun, previously dark, now begins to radiate. At the same time the
first signs of an inner activity appear in the germinal human being;
life begins. What on Saturn had to be characterized as an appearance
of life, now becomes actual life. This pouring in of the life body
continues for a certain length of time, after which an important
change takes place in the human germ, namely, it divides into two
parts. Whereas previously the physical body and life body formed one
closely-bound whole, the physical body now begins to detach itself as
a separate part. This detached physical body, however, continues also
to be permeated by the life body. We have now before us a twofold
human being. One part is a physical body worked upon by a life body,
the other part is pure life body. This separation takes place during
an interval of rest in the life of the Sun. During this interval, the
radiation that had already begun is again extinguished. The separation
takes place, as it were, during a cosmic night. This
interval of rest is much shorter than the interval of rest between the
Saturn and Sun evolutions, of which we have spoken previously. After
the expiration of this interval, the Spirits of Wisdom continue to
work for a time upon the twofold human being just as they had worked
before on the single-membered human being. The Spirits of Motion then
begin their activity. They let their own astral body surge through the
human life body. As a result, it acquires the capacity to carry on
certain inner movements within the physical body. These movements may
be likened to the movements of sap in our present-day plants.
The Saturn body consisted solely of heat substance. During the Sun
evolution this heat substance condenses to a state that may be
compared with the present state of gas or vapor. It is the state that
may be designated by the word air. The first appearance of
such a state manifests itself after the Spirits of Motion have begun
their activity. The following spectacle presents itself to
supersensible consciousness. Within the heat substance something
appears like delicate structures that are set into regular motion by
means of the forces of the life body. These structures represent the
human physical body at that stage of evolution. They are completely
permeated by heat and enclosed by a mantle of heat. Physically
speaking, this human being may be said to consist of heat structures
into which air forms are articulated that are in regular motion. If we
wish to keep to the above comparison with the plants of the present
day, we must remain conscious of the fact that we are not dealing with
a compact plant formation, but with a gaseous or aeroform structure,
the movements of which may be compared with the movements of the sap
in present-day plants. The gas appears to supersensible consciousness
through the effect of light, which the gas permits to stream forth
from itself. We might thus also speak of light structures that are
perceptible to spiritual vision. This evolution then proceeds further.
After a certain length of time a pause again ensues, after which the
Spirits of Motion continue their activities until these are
supplemented by the activities of the Spirits of Form, the effect of
which produces permanency in the previously continuously changing
gaseous forms. This, too, takes place through the fact that the
Spirits of Form permit their forces to flow in and out of the human
life body. Previously, when only the Spirits of Motion were acting
upon them, these gaseous structures were in ceaseless motion, holding
their form only momentarily. Now, however, they assume temporarily
distinguishable shapes. Again after a certain length of time there
ensues a period of rest, at the end of which the Spirits of Form
continue their activities. Then entirely new conditions arise within
the Sun evolution.
We have reached the point where the Sun evolution has arrived at the
central stage of its development. It is at this time that the Spirits
of Personality who had reached their human stage on Saturn rise to a
still higher stage of perfection. They surpass their human stage and
acquire a consciousness that our present earthly humanity has not yet
attained in the regular course of its evolution. It will reach this
stage of consciousness when the Earth that is to say, the fourth
planetary evolutionary stage shall have reached its goal and passed
over into the subsequent planetary period. Man will then not only be
able to perceive in his environment what at present is transmitted to
him by the physical senses, but he will be able to observe in
pictorial images the inner soul states of the beings in his
environment. He will possess a picture consciousness; but at the same
time retain full self-consciousness. His pictorial perception will not
be dreamy and dull. He will perceive the soul pictorially, yet at the
same time these soul pictures will be the expression of realities just
as now physical colors and tones are expressions of realities. At the
present time, a human being can only develop such perception in
himself through spiritual-scientific training. The nature of this
training will be dealt with in a later part of this book. During the
Sun stage, the Spirits of Personality acquire this perception as a
normal part of their evolution. Because of this they become, during
the Sun evolution, capable of working upon the newly formed human life
body just as they worked upon the physical body on Saturn. Just as at
that time heat reflected back to them their own personality, so now
the gaseous shapes reflect back to them in resplendent light the
pictures of their perceiving consciousness. They behold supersensibly
what takes place upon the Sun, and this perception is by no means mere
observation. It is as though something of the force that on earth is
called love were making itself felt in the images that stream forth
from the Sun. If we observe more closely with our soul powers, the
reason for this phenomenon may be discovered. Exalted beings are now
working actively in the light radiating from the Sun. These beings are
the already designated Spirits of Love Seraphim. They work,
henceforth, on the human ether or life body in co-operation with the
Spirits of Personality. By means of this activity, the life body
itself advances a stage on its evolutionary journey. It acquires the
capacity, not only to transform the gaseous structures within it, but
to fashion them in such a way that the first indications of a
reproduction of the living human being appear. Exudations are driven
out, sweated out of these gaseous structures, which assume shapes
similar to their maternal forms.
In order to characterize the further evolution of the Sun, it is
necessary to draw attention to the important fact of cosmic history,
that in the course of an epoch all the beings involved do not by any
means reach the goal of their evolution. There are some who fall short
of it. Thus during the Saturn evolution not all of the Spirits of
Personality actually reach the human stage for which they were
originally destined in the manner described. Likewise, not all of the
human physical bodies, formed on Saturn, attain the degree of maturity
that would have made them capable of becoming bearers of an
independent life body on the Sun. The result is that upon the Sun
there exist beings and formations that do not fit into its conditions.
These have to retrieve, during the Sun evolution, what they failed to
attain upon Saturn. Hence, during the Sun stage the following can be
observed. When the Spirits of Wisdom begin to pour in the life body,
the body of the Sun, as it were, becomes turbid darkened. Structures
are mingled with it that in reality would belong to Saturn. These are
heat structures that are unable to condense properly to air. These are
the human beings who have remained behind at the Saturn stage. They
are unable to become bearers of a regularly developed life body. The
heat substance of Saturn, which remained behind in this way, divides
itself into two sections on the Sun. One section is absorbed, as it
were, by the human bodies and forms a kind of lower nature within the
human being. This human being at the Sun stage thus takes into his
corporeality something actually corresponding to the Saturn stage.
Just as the human body of Saturn made it possible for the Spirits of
Personality to rise to their human stage, so now this Saturn part of
the human being performs on the Sun the same task for the Spirits of
Fire. These Spirits of Fire rise to the human stage by allowing their
forces to surge in and out of this Saturn part of the human being,
just as this was performed by the Spirits of Personality on Saturn.
This, too, happens at the central stage of the Sun evolution. At that
time the Saturn part of the human being is so far matured that with
its help the Spirits of Fire Archangels are able to pass through their
human stage. Another section of the Saturn heat substance acquires an
independent existence alongside and in the midst of the human beings
on the Sun. This then forms a second kingdom alongside the human
kingdom, a kingdom that develops upon the Sun a fully independent, but
purely physical, body, a body of heat. The result is that the fully
developed Spirits of Personality cannot exert their activity upon an
independent life body In the manner described. There are, however,
certain Spirits of Personality who have remained behind at the Saturn
stage. These had not at that time reached the human stage. Between
them and the second kingdom, which became independent on the Sun,
there exists a bond of attraction. Their behavior toward the retarded
kingdom on the Sun must now be similar to the behavior of their
advanced companions toward the human beings on Saturn. On the latter,
the human physical body was alone developed. Upon the Sun itself,
however, there is no possibility of a similar activity by the retarded
Spirits of Personality. They, therefore, withdraw from the main body
of the Sun and form an independent cosmic body outside of it. From it
the retarded Spirits of Personality work back upon the beings of the
Sun's second kingdom already described. Thus two cosmic bodies are
formed out of the one that was formerly Saturn. The Sun has now in its
environment a second cosmic body, one that represents a kind of
rebirth of Saturn, a new Saturn. From this new Saturn, the character
of personality is bestowed upon the second kingdom of the Sun. Hence
in this second kingdom we are concerned with beings who have no
personality of their own upon the Sun itself, but who reflect back to
the retarded Spirits of Personality on new Saturn these spirits' own
personality. By means of supersensible consciousness it is possible to
observe the play of heat forces among the human beings on the Sun;
these heat forces send their influence into the regular Sun evolution;
in them may be seen the sway of the designated spirits of new Saturn.
During the middle part of the Sun evolution the human being is
organized into a physical body and a life body. Within him there takes
place the activity of the advanced Spirits of Personality and the
Spirits of Love. A part of the retarded Saturn nature is mixed with
the physical body, within which the Spirits of Fire are active. In the
effects of the activity of the Spirits of Fire upon the retarded
Saturn nature the precursors of the sense organs of the present earth
man can be seen. It has been shown how even on Saturn the Spirits of
Fire were at work forming germinal sense organs in the heat substance.
In what is accomplished by the Spirits of Personality in co-operation
with the Spirits of Love we can discern the germinal beginnings of the
present human glandular system. The work of the Spirits of Personality
dwelling upon the new Saturn is not exhausted in what has been
described above. They extend their activity not only to the
above-mentioned second Sun kingdom, but they effect a kind of
connection between this kingdom and the human senses. The heat
substances of this kingdom flow in and out through the germinal human
sense organs. Through this fact the human being on the Sun acquires a
mode of perceiving the lower kingdom existing outside himself. This
perception is, of course, only a dull perception, corresponding wholly
to the dull Saturn consciousness of which we have spoken above, and it
consists essentially of various heat effects.
Everything that has been described as existing in the middle of the
Sun evolution lasts for a certain time. Then another period of rest
begins, following which evolution goes on for a time in the same way
until it reaches a stage when the human ether body is sufficiently
matured to permit the beginning of a united activity of the Sons of
Life, Angels and the Spirits of Harmony Cherubim. To supersensible
consciousness, manifestations appear within the human being that may
be likened to the perceptions of taste, which express themselves
outwardly as tones. Something similar had to be described already for
the Saturn evolution. Only here on the Sun everything, within the
human being is more individual, fuller of independent life. The Sons
of Life acquire, as a result, the dull picture consciousness that the
Spirits of Fire had attained on Saturn. In this the Spirits of Harmony
are their helpers. The Cherubim actually perceive spiritually what is
now taking place within the Sun evolution, but they renounce all the
fruits of this perception; they forego the feelings produced by these
wisdom-filled images that arise there; they allow these to flow into
the dreamy consciousness of the Sons of Life as magnificent, magic
visions. These Sons of Life in turn work the imagery of their visions
into the human ether body, thus enabling it to reach ever higher
stages of evolution. Again a pause sets in; again the whole cosmos
arises out of a universal sleep, and after a time the
human being becomes mature enough to employ his own forces. These are
the forces that streamed into him through the activity of the Thrones
during the last part of the Saturn period. This human being now
develops an inward life that manifests itself to consciousness in a
way comparable to an inner perception of smell. Outwardly, however,
toward cosmic space, this human being presents himself as a
personality, yet as a personality not directed by an inner ego. It
appears more like a plant giving the impression of personality. We
have seen already at the end of the Saturn evolution that personality
manifests itself like a machine. Just as at that time the first germ
of spirit man (atma) was developed, which is still today only
germinally present in man, so similarly here in the Sun period the
primary nucleus of life spirit (buddhi) is formed. At a certain time
after this has occurred, another period of rest ensues; at its end, as
in previous similar instances, human activity proceeds for a time.
Then conditions arise that prove to be a new intervention of the
Spirits of Wisdom, through which the human being becomes capable of
experiencing the first traces of sympathy and antipathy toward his
surroundings. In all this there is no actual sensation present, yet it
is a forerunner of it, for the inner life-activity, which in its
manifestation might be characterized as perceptions of smell,
expresses itself outwardly as a kind of primitive language. If a
pleasant scent, or taste, or glimmer of light is perceived inwardly,
the human being expresses this outwardly by means of a tone, and this
also occurs in regard to an inwardly antipathetic perception. In fact,
the actual meaning of the Sun evolution for the human being is gained
by means of all the processes that have been described. This human
being has now reached a higher stage of consciousness than on Saturn.
This is the dreamless consciousness of sleep.
After a time, the point of evolution is also reached when the higher
beings bound up with the Sun stage must pass on to other spheres in
order to assimilate what they have acquired for themselves through
their activities on the being of man. A major period of rest ensues,
similar to that that took place between the Saturn and Sun evolutions.
Everything that was fashioned on the Sun passes over into a condition
that may be likened to that of the plant when its powers of growth lie
dormant in the seed. But just as these forces of growth come to the
light of day in a new plant, so, after the rest period, all life upon
the Sun comes forth again out of the cosmic womb and a new planetary
existence begins. The significance of such a pause, such a cosmic
sleep, can be well understood if we direct our spiritual gaze toward
one of the orders of beings mentioned, for instance, toward the
Spirits of Wisdom. On Saturn, they were not yet far enough advanced to
be able to let an ether body flow out of themselves. Only through the
experiences they passed through upon Saturn have they been prepared
for this. During the pause, they transform into actual capacities what
previously had only been prepared in their inner being. Thus upon the
Sun they are so far advanced that they can let life flow out of
themselves and endow the human entity with a life body of its own.
Last Modified: 07-Oct-2024
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