AFTER the statements which we were able to make in the last lecture on
the cooperation of the spirits of the various hierarchies in the
kingdoms of nature, there still remains the mineral kingdom to be
considered. We call to mind that we described the mineral kingdom by
saying that its physical part alone exists in the physical world;
while that which corresponds to the etheric body of the mineral we
have to seek in the so-called astral world; the astral body in the
Lower Devachanic world, and the actual group-ego of the mineral
kingdom on the higher Devachanic plane. Thus the mineral kingdom
presents a remarkable contrast to, man. Whilst we have to say with
regard to man that all four principles of his being are active on the
physical plane the physical as well as the etheric body, the astral
body and the ego we must as it were, distribute all that man has on
the one plane and say: with regard to the mineral we have to seek on
the astral plane that which corresponds to the etheric body of man; on
the Devachanic plane the astral body; and on the higher Devachanic
plane the group-ego of the mineral. Thus, that which in man is
concentrated on the physical plane, is in the case of the mineral
divided in its activity, among the various worlds.
Again, when we trace with occult vision what is really in question, we
arrive at the following result. In the sense of occultism we must, in
the first place, seek only that part of the mineral kingdom on the
physical plane which is perceptible to the external senses. We must be
quite clear as to the fact that only what we call the forms, the
shapes of the mineral kingdom, are perceptible. We know this can only
be touched upon here that the mineral world, at any rate in part,
encounters us formed, organized, in such a manner that we perceive
this formation as suitable to the mineral nature. If we look at a
certain body of cubic form, and at another of a different form, we
know that these forms are not accidental but are connected in a
certain way with the nature of the mineral. Now occult investigation
teaches us that the forms in the mineral which we call crystal-forms,
can be traced back to the action of the Spirits of Form. Now because
occultism always starts from reality and seeks to find the origin of
this or that, names are so bestowed in occultism that the name points
to something characteristic. The name Spirits of Form was
chosen for the reason that in the kingdom which we on earth describe
as the mineral kingdom, the Spirits of Form display their activity;
and further that the offspring of the Spirits of Form in the sense in
which we have spoken of offspring of the higher hierarchies in the
course of these lectures, are above all, active there. To understand
the nature of the minerals we must be quite clear that, to physical
perception, generally speaking, only the forms of the minerals exist.
To be sure, certain forces are evident in the mineral kingdom such as
the forces of electricity, magnetism forces that cause the minerals to
appear in certain colors; but we must be quite clear that in general
only the form of the mineral kingdom is to be observed on the physical
plane. Without taking the other qualities into account, let us
consider the forms which we encounter, at any rate in most of the
mineral kingdom, and let us be quite clear that this pure form
proceeds from the mode of operation of the Spirits of Form or their
offspring.
Now we come to the so-called etheric body, which we must describe as
the second principle of a being of the mineral kingdom. The occult
investigator cannot find what he has to describe as the etheric body
of the mineral in the physical world; but he finds it in the same
realm in which he must seek, if, for instance he wishes to find the
astral body of the plant, or the group-ego of the animal. As we saw
yesterday, he need make no other preparation with regard to his soul
than that necessary for finding the group-ego of the animal. With the
same condition of consciousness with which he perceives the group-ego
of the animal, he also perceives the astral body of the plant, and
that which lies behind the mineral kingdom as its etheric body. Now we
have seen that we must extend our observations into the region of the
planets of a planetary system; in our own planetary system to those
planets which exist outside the earth. And we have shown that the
corresponding forces externalizing themselves in the group-egos of the
animals and the astral bodies of the plants, work directly from the
planetary centers. Thither must we also go if we wish to seek for that
which works etherically in the mineral. How a mineral is laved by
life-powers can first be seen if we penetrate to that universal life
which is common to all, from the earth to the rest of the planets of
our planetary system. Thus the principle by which the mineral is
animated, the life of the mineral, is not to be found in the physical
world, or in the realm of what our earth directly offers us, but in
the life-streams pouring down from the planets; stimulated constantly,
to be sure, by the sun, but still streaming down directly from the
planets, and permeating our earth-planet livingly; in order to
permeate all that is form with their offspring, the etheric
nature-spirits, of which we have spoken.
Thus form has inner-being; in other words, the form of the mineral
which proceeds solely from the physical plane, is not permeable but
offers resistance. Were nothing active in the mineral but what is
active on the physical plane, then the mineral would only make itself
perceptible as form; but this form is filled with inner-being. For the
mineral has also inner-being; it has the inner-being of the various
mineral substances. Not only has it form, it has matter, it has
substance. When we directly perceive this substance in the physical
world, it appears to us as a dead, lifeless substance. To cosmic space
it is not dead, to planetary space at least, it is something which is
part of its own life, which is precipitated from the life of the
planetary system. Just as the human or animal organism separates off
hard products the nails, for instance so is the mineral substance put
forth; but the active forces by means of which it is put forth are not
to be sought upon the earth itself; hence it appears to the earth as
dead. These streams of life, these life-forces, this etheric body must
be sought as streaming down from the several planets. Just as in
considering the group-egos of the animals we could say: In reality
only the general forms are treated by the group-egos of the animals,
and these are then further developed; so must we say: The streams of
life sent down by the individual planets which permeate the earth from
all sides, do not create forms for the minerals, for those are created
by the Spirits of Form; but through these streams the minerals are
permeated with inner-being. But this occurs in such a way that this
inner-being gives certain main types, main substances: and each
substance is thereby connected with a stream proceeding from one of
the planets.
Now because the minerals at once acquired solid forms, mobile types
are not created from the planets by means of these planetary streams,
but types of one kind only. And then through the various positions of
the planets, as I have already described with regard to the
group-souls of the animals besides the main types, and
substances other types, subordinate substances are created, which
again depend on the constellation of the individual planets. But what
the planets create, each through its own original nature, is expressed
in the principal substances of the earth's organism. Thus we have
certain mineral main substances of the earth's organism of which we
can say. Here is a substance which is what it is because it is
permeated by an etheric stream from one of the planets; another is
permeated by a stream from another planet. Thus we have to trace back
the nature of mineral substances to activities in the planetary system
which externalize as etheric streams in the organism of the earth.
Therefore the occult schools which have to investigate such matters
have also so referred the principal substances of our earth-organism
to the planets, that they have designated those substances which have
been produced quite directly not through the constellation but through
the principal activity of the planet by the same or similar names as
the planets; and indeed in such a way that occult observation has been
strictly adhered to. If we observe the planet Saturn in our system we
find that the life stream which permeates the earth directly from him
is connected with the substance we call lead: so that we have a basic
substance which is inwardly animated by Saturn. From Jupiter we get
tin as main substance; from Mars, iron; and in the occult sense, from
Venus, copper. With regard to Mercury we must take into consideration
that he was later confused with Venus. The life-activity (in the sense
of true occult nomenclature) produced creatively by Mercury, on
account of its greater proximity when it penetrated the
earth-organism, bears a still greater resemblance to the planet
itself, for Mercury stands nearer to the earth than the other planets.
Therefore this substance has been given the same name as the cosmic
body itself, namely, Mercury or quicksilver. These are the principal
substances which are connected in their etheric body with the
corresponding planets of our system. If we recollect how we had to
speak of all that works from the planetary system, with regard to the
group-souls of the animals and the astral bodies of the plants, we
find it is always a question of the beings in connection with the
Spirits of Motion, either with themselves or their offspring, who work
in their totality on the earth from the planets of the system. Thus we
must also reckon as belonging to the sphere of the Spirits of Motion,
that which etherically permeates the mineral substances.
Now if we wish to consider what belongs to the mineral kingdom as
astral body, we have to ascend, as it were, to a still higher world.
In the whole sense of our past considerations it will be clear, that
as we had to ascend from the astral body of the plant to the
group-ego, from the planets to the sun to the fixed star; so with
regard to the mineral kingdom, if we pass from the etheric body to the
astral body we must again ascend to the fixed star. That is, we can
understand, and occult vision tells us, that the astral nature of the
mineral works from those beings in the ranks of the hierarchies
through whom comes from the sun that which is directly perceptible;
from the beings we call the Spirits of Wisdom, or from that which is
connected with their sphere. Thus even the offspring of the Spirits of
Wisdom come into consideration. What thus works in the mineral is seen
by occult investigation as quite separate, outside the mineral; but it
is so seen that the life just described as existing in the mineral, as
the etheric body of the mineral, is pressed in from outside. Whereas
the astral body in man or animal holds together the etheric body from
within; the etheric body of the mineral is as it were, pushed towards
it from outside, not concentrated and held together inside as in man
and animal. If we consider the relation of the astral body of man to
his etheric body, we see that what works as etheric body is held
together by the power of attraction. In the mineral the etheric body
is compressed together from outside by forces; thus in the mineral the
content, the inner nature expressed in the etheric stream is, by means
of active astral forces compressed into the form. The mineral is held
together astrally from outside, and indeed for the reason that it is
determined through the different positions of the sun to the earth in
relation to this astral pressure. One might say that the etheric
substance is driven into the mineral from the point from which the sun
shines upon the earth.
Thus while this etheric substance is itself directed by the planet, it
is driven into and held within the mineral or crystal by the sun, by
the forces belonging to the sphere of the Spirits of Wisdom. But now
something very remarkable is seen. If we investigate occultly the
activity exercised by the astral forces from the sun upon the mineral,
we recognize very clearly at this point a very important fact; we
learn that while all the etheric forces proceeding from the planets
work upon the mineral and actually form its basic substances, other
etheric streams also pass down from the sun as such to the earth.
Thus, while in general, for the normal formation of the mineral, the
etheric substance passes down from the planets, and is only compressed
from outside by the forces proceeding from the sun, yet we cannot say
that no etheric streams come down from the sun, for it is a fact that
such an etheric stream does come down. What is the reason of this? Why
does an etheric stream come down from the sun which can, as it were,
inwardly animate the mineral? Why does this take place? It is brought
about by the activity of what I have designated as the Luciferic
principle. The spirits in the ranks of the higher hierarchies which
work astrally upon the mineral are as we have just said the Spirits of
Wisdom: whilst the Spirits of Motion work etherically.
Now there are Spirits of Wisdom active on the sun who have gone
through their complete normal process of evolution; they work, as has
been described, astrally upon the mineral. But certain of the Spirits
of Wisdom have become Luciferic. We have designated this
becoming Luciferic of certain spiritual beings of a
hierarchy, as a sort of rebellion in the cosmos. This rebellion comes
about because certain spirits having reached a given stage in their
hierarchy, resist their brethren and work against them; work in an
opposite direction. This opposition comes about simply because they do
not wish to go through the evolution which the others do; so they
simply remain behind at an earlier stage, just as we know in our own
souls that we wish to progress, yet the ideas and habits we have
acquired Will not allow us to do so because they wish to remain as a
permanence. Our habits are often rebels against what we have acquired
in a new epoch of life. In like manner the spiritual beings who remain
behind at an earlier stage are rebels in the Cosmos. The Luciferic
Spirits, the Spirits of Wisdom of the Second Hierarchy who have not
gone through their development with the rest instead of sending astral
streams from the sun to the mineral, send etheric streams to the
earth. This resulted in a certain basic substance being formed, which
received its inner-being, not from the planets but directly from the
sun; and this mineral is gold. Gold is that Luciferic mineral
which as regards its inner-being is not influenced etherically by the
planets, but by the sun. Hence the occultist has allotted gold to the
sun. In a certain sense this mineral is therefore somewhat different
from other metals.
Now you can easily grasp that because etheric streams come from the
sun and work something into the earth which is actually a rebel
principle, the equilibrium of the earth is thereby disturbed. The
equilibrium of the earth in relation to the mineral kingdom would be
maintained if all the etheric influences came from the planets, and
none but astral influences came to the minerals from the sun; but
there are also direct etheric forces coming from the sun and these
disturb the equilibrium. Now, this equilibrium had to be
re-established by the Wise Leaders of the world; for the earth could
not carry out her evolution under such conditions. The hierarchies had
to work in cooperation so that the equilibrium might be
re-established. The stronger Luciferic forces had to be opposed by
other forces which in a certain sense paralyzed them and arrested
their effects. That could only come about through the etheric stream
which came from the sun being opposed by another, which counteracted,
and in a certain sense, balanced its effects. Thus while certain
Spirits of Wisdom proved themselves Luciferic and sent down etheric
currents from the sun into the mineral kingdom on the earth, other
spirits took care that these were opposed by other currents. These
opposing currents which re-adjusted the equilibrium, were created by a
part of the disturbed equilibrium substance being detached from the
earth and circling round the earth as moon. Thus the etheric streams
coming from the sun came into opposition to the etheric stream which
flowed from the moon to the earth from quite a different quarter, and
in this way the balance was re-established. Thus because Luciferic
Spirits of Wisdom on the sun had attained the possibility of sending
forth etheric streams, other Spirits of Wisdom renounced their claim
to working from the sun, and consented to apply their forces to
restoring the equilibrium. That is, a cosmic colony, a planetary
colony was founded on the moon, from which there now streamed etheric
currents to the earth, so that a substance was created which had to be
in the earth so that the direct power of gold might be weakened. This
came about by the moon being separated from the earth; and from the
Spirits of Wisdom who separated the moon, and who now, in a sense,
became the opposers of the Luciferic Spirits of Wisdom from the sun,
stream down to the earth those etheric forces which have produced the
substance silver. Thus you see that in the universe, in the cosmos,
certain things work in such a way that one might explain it by means
of a certain diagram; but the peculiar thing is that the diagram would
everywhere be broken through. If anyone were to prove by means of a
diagram that all the etheric forces for the minerals come from the
planets, he would be in error; for in reality two etheric streams come
from two different sides, the one from the sun, the other from the
moon; hence two basic substances are formed in a different way.
If we wish to make what I have just described, objective, perceptible
to our senses, and to find an external expression for it, we can
achieve it in the following way; but we must first of all be clear as
to what it really is that we see when we look at the sun. We pointed
out previously that only the spirits of the higher hierarchies down to
the Spirits of Wisdom go through their own evolution on the fixed
star; what we see when we look at the fixed star is the actual
content-substance of the Spirits of Wisdom. That is the true content
of the fixed star. Indeed we human beings can only gain a concept of
that which is the substance of the Spirits of Wisdom, by contemplating
what exists in us, as at any rate an image of this substance. What is
that in us, in humanity, in the human soul, which is a symbol of the
substance of the Spirits of Wisdom? Our thoughts! But we do not see
our thoughts with the physical eyes, that is the point; neither can
the fixed stars, in so far as they are the fields of activity for the
genuine Spirits of Wisdom, be seen with physical eyes. We have now
reached a point where we can point again to the enormous significance
of what we find in the religious documents, which are based on
occultism. You know that the Bible, in Genesis, states that man was
created in a very peculiar way. We are told that Lucifer appeared to
Eve and told her that if she would do as he wished, her eyes would be
opened. Anyone who knows the original text will not readily be put off
with a merely symbolical explanation; for what the Bible means by good
and evil does not refer to moral good and evil; that belongs to quite
a different part of the development of civilisation. What is here
meant as good and evil is that which is seen externally, not as
something spiritually-psychic, but something seen with the physical
eyes: Your eyes shall he opened. Till then they were not
open. This must be taken quite literally. Before Lucifer approached
man, man could perceive; he saw the fixed stars with the primitive
clairvoyance then given to man, but his vision was such that he saw
the substance of the fixed stars as the substance of the Spirits of
Wisdom; he saw them spiritually. He only began to see them physically,
that is, perceptible light first streamed towards him perceptibly to
his physical eyes, when he himself, the human being, had yielded to
the Luciferic temptation. That means that the fixed stars as directed
by the Spirits of Wisdom, are not physically visible, they do not shed
physical light. Physical light can only be shed if there is something
underlying it which serves as a bearer to the light, when light is, as
it were, held captive through a bearer. For a fixed star to become
visible, something more is necessary than the mere presence of
Spiritual Beings of Wisdom at work there. It is necessary that in this
fixed star Luciferic Beings should work, who resist the mere substance
of Wisdom and permeate it with their own principle. Thus within the
fixed star is mingled that which is only visible spiritually and that
which resists this merely spiritual visibility: the Luciferic element
in the fixed star which carries forth the light into physical
phenomena.
The fixed star would not be visible if it had not within it, in
addition to the Spirits of Wisdom who have progressed normally, those
who have not attained their goal, who remained at a lower stage,
either at the stage of the Spirits of Motion or that of the Spirits of
Form. Thus we have to recognize backward Spirits of Wisdom who have
not attained their goal, as light-bearers in the lightless spiritual
substance of the fixed star. Now, if we are clear as to the fact that
from the fixed stars, from our own sun, physical light only reaches us
because the normal Spirits of Wisdom have as companions those who have
remained behind and who have become
light-bearers: Light Lucifer Phosphoros we must also be clear that the
same cause which makes the sun visible, which sends light to us from
the fixed star, is also that which sends the etheric life-stream to
the earth and produces gold. It was necessary therefore that other
forces should work from the moon (which occult vision perceives as
etheric currents), forces which produce silver. Now, as they are
Spirits of Wisdom who oppose the moon to the sun in order to bring
about an adjustment, we must say: These Spirits of Wisdom upon
the moon cannot shine; for the Spirits of Wisdom do not
shine. Hence if occult vision searches for these spirits on the moon,
it does not discover them as luminous; for these Spirits of Wisdom who
founded a colony on the moon, were obliged to exclude the Lucifer
Spirits from the moon, otherwise the balance would not have been
maintained. That is to say, the moon cannot ray out any light of its
own, only that reflected as sunlight. Quite normal Spirits of Wisdom
made a sacrifice and took up their position on the moon in order to
supply the earth with the necessary currents for keeping the
equilibrium, in opposition to the Lucifer currents which stream from
the sun. Hence the moon is excluded from having light of its own; and
it is not difficult in this external fact which we encounter in the
physical world, to see the symbol of a deep occult connection. The sun
has its own light which appears to us, but the moon has not; and the
reflected light which rays to us from the moon, and of which Lucifer is
the bearer. Lucifer Phosphoros tells us that the moon
has no light of its own. Therefore that which is Lucifer can only appear
to us in symbol, in a Maya, shining down from the moon, because the
sunlight is reflected. When for instance, the crescent moon reflects
the sunlight, there are then no Luciferic Spirits of Wisdom on the
moon itself, but what is poured forth from the sun by the Luciferic
Spirits of Wisdom is reflected as light.
Now when we turn our occult vision to the moon, that which the
physical eyes perceive, the shining crescent moon, disappears, for
that exists only for physical vision; but in its place occult vision
sees the real being behind all visible light in the cosmos; sees the
form of Lucifer, though certainly as a reflection. Thus, if we think
of the image of Lucifer as seen by occult vision in the place of the
crescent moon, we must say: The moon owes its origin to the
circumstances that certain normal Spirits of Wisdom renounced their
dwelling-place on the sun and have taken up their abode in this
colony, and thence restrain that which streams forth from the
Luciferic Spirits. Hence to occult vision the Spirit of Wisdom does
not reveal himself here, above the crescent of the moon, but is to be
seen restraining the Luciferic principle. The occult fact is thus
presented symbolically to the imagination, as a normal Spirit of
Wisdom holding the Luciferic principle in subjection. The occultists
therefore represent a form, usually taken to be a Chief Messenger of
the higher Spirits of Wisdom, of one who curbs Lucifer; and in place
of the crescent they represent Lucifer chained, curbed. This is an
occult picture. Among our occult pictures there is also one
representing the chief Messenger curbing Lucifer. This is an allusion
to profound occult mysteries. What is thus shown externally in Maya,
is in reality to be ascribed to the cooperation of the Spirits of the
Hierarchies. When with physical eyes we see the crescent moon shining
silver bright, there is often to be seen a sort of shadow above in the
dark part; then to occult vision the crescent moon is transformed into
a living Being, with the restraining Spirit above it, maintaining the
balance from its place on the moon. Thus you see that even to produce
a phenomenon such as our earth moon, many preparations had to be made
in the COSMOS. The cooperative activities of the various hierarchies
in the cosmos is a very complicated matter and even in a much longer
course of lectures we could still only give suggestions of it; we can
only make clear the principle as to how these spiritual, hierarchies
cooperate.
Please hold fast the thought just mentioned in connection with the
astral body of the minerals. We have, indeed, still to consider the
group-ego of the minerals; that has to be sought in a still higher
super-sensible world in a world not found in the regions where the
group-egos of the animals or plants are to be found. Therefore we
cannot find it upon the sun. Where then does the group-ego of the
minerals reveal itself to occult vision? The peculiar thing about the
group-ego of the minerals is, that, strictly speaking, it does not end
anywhere when we search in cosmic space; it is in the whole widths of
cosmic space and works from there. We are therefore driven to seek
actually for the group-ego of the minerals outside the planetary
system; we must look upon it as something which works into the
planetary system from outside. Thus far this coincides with what we
know from the Akashic Records, that the next higher class of beings
above the Spirits of Wisdom are the Thrones, or Spirits of Will. These
Spirits of Will belong to the First Hierarchy (though their offspring
are not so far advanced that they can be reckoned with it), these
Spirits of Will or their offspring give forth that which becomes the
group-ego of the minerals, and which, in fact, works into the
planetary system. This also coincides with the fact that
simultaneously with the out-pouring of the substance of the Spirits of
Will, begins the formation of the planetary system on ancient Saturn
which was brought about by the Spirits of Will. They still work in the
same way at the present time as when the first embodiment of our earth
was built up out of the Universe by these beings. We can really only
see these Spirits of Will when, having become Luciferic, they reveal
themselves in a sense in certain phenomena which we find as minerals
in the sphere of the earth, and which come, as it were, from cosmic
space. The cosmic origin, the super-earthly origin of what we are now
considering, is revealed by the fact that when these Spirits of Will
thus work in they combine very, very easily with that which works into
the planetary system as the cometary and meteoric beings as cometary
or meteoric life.
We have pointed out what meaning this life has in the planetary
system. I should like at least to indicate that in reality a comet is
something which comes in from outside, but which makes certain
combinations. In as much as the comet travels through the planetary
system it combines with the mineral kingdom which also arises through
the Spirits of Will. And the result may be that as the comet rushes
through the planetary system it attaches mineral substance to itself,
which is then attracted by the earth and falls down upon it. This of
course is not the comet, but rather does it announce its approach to
the earth by a fall of meteors taking place. These things are
absolutely in accord, and if certain things appear to contradict what
was represented earlier, we must always understand that these
contradictions will solve themselves if everything is taken into
consideration and studied. This was only an, example to show that in
the planetary system we really have to do with influences working in
from the cosmos. These group-souls of the minerals work in the form of
rays from without inwards. And since various modes of operation come
from the various aspects of space, for space is not homogeneous, these
group-souls of the minerals, which belong to the sphere of the Spirits
of Will, ray towards us from different sides in the most varied
manner. Now through the cooperation of what comes from the planets for
the minerals, what comes from the sun, and what streams in from the
universe from the various directions arises the possibility that not
only have those basic types already mentioned come into existence in
the mineral kingdom, but all sorts of other forms, all sorts of
differently modified substances of the mineral kingdom have been
formed. The kind of substance a mineral exhibits simply depends on the
way the forces which come from the planets are again influenced by
other forces either streaming astrally to the earth from the sun, or
from various directions of cosmic space. The variety and multiplicity
of the mineral kingdom can be understood in this way.
If we observe our present-day Saturn, it presents itself in the first
place to occult vision as the outermost planet of our System. Why?
Because actually Saturn as planet, as well as ancient Saturn, the
first of the successive incarnations of our earth known to us, was
produced by the furthest currents coming from cosmic space. Had we
been able to observe Saturn at a very early condition of our earth
evolution, we should have seen that in his orbit he had a sort of
nucleus and a sort of comet's tail, which passed out into cosmic
space. In olden times Saturn would have revealed himself definitely
with a nucleus and a comet's tail, extending into cosmic space. That
is, in the primeval periods of our earth, Saturn would have been seen
circling round his orbit with his tail pointing outwards. He was
earlier like this (see below). The facts of the Akasha Chronicle show
him thus:
The tail of ancient Saturn took the most varied directions out into
space, corresponding with the currents which came in from the cosmos,
directed by the Spirits of Will, who are the group-souls of the
minerals. At a later period, when through the spiritual beings of
other hierarchies, the planetary system was enclosed, that which had
formerly gone out into cosmic space was so drawn together that the
tail became an enclosed ring; through the power of attraction of the
planetary system the ring was formed. To occult vision the ring of
Saturn is absolutely the same phenomenon as the comet's tail. If you
were to take the ring of Saturn as it circles round Saturn and open it
out, you would have a comet's tail. (See Diagram.)
In this way it is possible to look back to the streaming in of the
group-souls of the minerals into our planetary system; and again the
Signs of the Zodiac in general give us their individual positions. It
is to be noted that the two outermost planets now reckoned as
belonging to our system by physical astronomy Uranus and Neptune did
not originally belong to our Solar System; they came much later into
the sphere of attraction of our system: they then joined company and
remained within it. They cannot therefore be reckoned in the same
sense as the other planets as belonging to our system from Saturn
onwards, for they, so to speak, belonged to it from the beginning.
Thus, when we consider Saturn, especially in his ancient form, we see
in him a planet which, by sending forth etheric currents from his own
center to our earth, creates we can even say the substance of lead. At
the same time we see how the group-souls of the minerals stream in; we
see how these group-souls are affected when a power of attraction is
exercised on them from the sun, from which the astral body of the
mineral streams out. From the sun the astral body of the mineral
streams out into space; from outside in cosmic Space the ego of the
mineral streams in. When these currents are united something takes
place which, in a modified way, expresses itself, as it were, in a
fructification of the group-ego by the astral body, and by this means
alone does the mineral come to its perfection. Now if we go back to
the comet, here, too, we have something which, in fact, streams in
from cosmic space: a similar stream of beings to the group-souls of
the minerals. The group-souls of the minerals belong to the sphere of
the Spirits of Will; but above them lie the beings who essentially
form the basis of cometary life. But as everywhere there are Luciferic
Beings, so also within the comet there are such as stand at the stage
of the Thrones, not of the Cherubim and Seraphim. That is why the
comet acquires a mineral nature; appears as a mineral intervention in
the planetary system; in other words, we have to look upon the comets
as cosmic bodies which fly in from the cosmos after the planetary
system is already formed and thus do not come as far as the bodies
composing the system itself, but remain behind at a considerably
earlier stage. It would certainly be very fascinating to trace the
stages of cosmic growth; how worlds are formed by the cooperative
activities of the spirits of the hierarchies in a fixed-star system;
how those same spirits themselves appear when we direct our gaze back
to cosmic mists and far-distant fixed stars. Whenever we direct our
occult vision to a fixed star, we first of all encounter the normal
Spirits of Wisdom. The whole heavens would be invisible to physical
sight and only visible to clairvoyant consciousness if none but these
normal Spirits of Wisdom were active; but everywhere Luciferic spirits
are mingled with the normal Spirits of Wisdom, and bring physical
light of its own into the world of the fixed star. When at night the
starry heaven is illuminated, Phosphorus actually works down upon us
from countless points: and everywhere in the universe we find the
possibility of formation only through the cooperation of the opposing
forces; through the combined working of the normal spirits of the
hierarchies with those who are rebels that is, those who have remained
behind. Unillumined to physical eyes but visible to spiritual sight,
is the starry world through the normal Spirits of Wisdom; it became
luminous to physical eyes, it is revealed in Maya through Lucifer or
the Luciferic spirits who are, and must be, active everywhere.
Thus, we have seen something very remarkable in the mineral kingdom
also. To-day we have, so to speak, grasped the moon as a field of
action from which a Spirit of Wisdom works and restrains Lucifer,
because a place had to be created from which through opposition of the
Luciferic activity, the balance would be restored. Now what
signification had this for humanity? We have seen that in man
everything is compressed into the physical plane which as it were, for
the mineral, is distributed over the worlds. We have found group-souls
for the minerals, plants and animals. Is there also a sort of
group-soul for the human being? Oh, yes, there is. The group-souls of
the minerals are to be found in the sphere of the Thrones, those of
the plants in the sphere of the Spirits of Wisdom, and the animals in
the sphere of the Spirits of Motion; but man has so received his
group-soul that with the inflowing of his ego, a group-soul was
originally given him, as an emanation from the Spirits of Form. This
group-soul of man was originally allotted by the Spirits of Form to be
a unitary soul for the whole of humanity. What differentiated this
group-soul into such variety that differences of race, differences of
tribe arose? This was brought about through the action of other
spirits. Man was created to be one all the world over; in this unity
the primeval ego of man was to assert itself as a group-soul dwelling
in all men, a group-soul which had descended to the physical plane.
Just as the external form only of the minerals can be brought into
being by the Spirits of Form, so by these same Spirits of Form was the
group-ego created for humanity, which was then differentiated by the
activity of other beings of the various hierarchies. Now the balance
brought about for the mineral kingdom through the formation of the
moon was also brought about for humanity; and indeed in such a way
that whilst for the mineral realm in the moon there is a physical
readjustment, in exactly the same way a moon-principle exists for
humanity, which works against the Luciferic influence in human nature,
just as in the mineral kingdom the dark moon-principle works against
the Lucifer principle. Just as in the mineral kingdom something is
active in the moon which keeps the balance with regard to the
Luciferic forces streaming down from the sun, so does a spiritual
moon-principle work from the moon against the temptation of Lucifer
which man has encountered in the course of the earth evolution. As we
have seen, all the planets, all the heavenly bodies stand in
connection with beings of the higher hierarchies, and so, too, is it
with the moon. The Spirits of Wisdom founded a colony upon the moon in
order to preserve the equilibrium; and so from the direction of the
moon there also Work in upon humanity compensating spirits against
Lucifer, who approached man as a tempter; and just as he disseminated
light, so, too, did his spiritual principle sink down into the human
soul. So we can also point to the moon as the bearer of the opponent
of Lucifer; as the dwelling-place of dark spirits, who yet must
be there that the balance may be maintained with regard to the
Light-bearers pressing forward, who, at the same time, are the
tempting spirits to humanity. In fact, the secret of the moon and its
spiritual principle was first revealed to humanity in the old Hebrew
Records, and what we have found physically in the moon is, in its
spiritual aspect, what Hebrew antiquity designated as the Jehovah
principle.
According to this the moon, so to speak, is designated as the
starting-point of the forces working upon humanity as the opponents of
Lucifer. Jahveh, or Jehovah, is the opponent of Lucifer. The secret
doctrine of the ancient Hebrews looked up to the Sun, saying: In the
Sun work the invisible Spirits of Wisdom who are only visible to
spiritual, not to physical sight. The latter sees the principle of
Lucifer raying down. What is to be seen externally as the sun
principle is Lucifer; but therein works secretly, invisible to
physical vision, everything attainable through the Spirits of Wisdom,
who form the gateway to it. One of these Spirits of Wisdom separated
and sacrificed himself, and has taken up his abode upon the moon in
order through his activity there to curb the light and also to
counteract the spiritual work of Lucifer. Hebrew antiquity saw in
Jehovah an Ambassador of those true exalted spirits to whom vision is
opened through the Spirits of Wisdom, if the sun is looked upon with
spiritual sight. Hebrew antiquity justly concluded that Jehovah must
continue to work from the moon until humanity has become inwardly
mature enough to perceive and feel at least a little of that which
gradually in the course of evolution will be both seen and
understood that from the same sun proceeds not only the physical part
of Lucifer, but also the dissemination of that of which the Spirits of
Wisdom are the portal. Thus to the ancient Hebrew there appeared in
Jehovah that which is similar to the Spirits of Wisdom in the sun, and
we can say: just as the sunlight is reflected from the moon in space,
so to the ancient Hebrew who really knew, Jehovah was the reflection
of that Spiritual Being Who, when man shall have become sufficiently
mature, will ray down from the sun, and Whose appearance was foretold
by the Holy Rishis, Zarathustra, and the worshippers of Osiris. Just
as in space sunlight is reflected from the moon, so Jehovah is
revealed as a reflection of the principle of the great Sun-Spirit Whom
you may designate by whatever name you will Vishvakarma, as the
ancient Indians called him; Ahura Mazdao, as He was called by
Zarathustra, Osiris by the ancient Egyptians, or as the Christ, as He
is known to the fourth post-Atlantean period of civilisation that is,
the esoteric comprehension of Jehovah. He is Christ reflected by the
moon-principle and because reflected in time, Christ announced
prophetically. Hence in St. John's Gospel we come across a passage
which otherwise can never be understood, in which it is said that
Moses spoke of Christ. Actually, he spoke of Jehovah, but it is
Christ, prophetically announced. This passage, in which Jehovah is
mentioned is referred to because the bearer of the Christ wishes to
point out that in antiquity Jehovah is but Christ foretold.
Thus we see that these things are in accord, and that what we have
heard to-day is connected with what was said in the last lecture; and
that in what we call the external light and its bearer we must
recognize something which is in opposition to the spiritual principle
which is at the normal point of its evolution, and which appears to us
as the spiritual center of our planetary system. It is not a question
of names, but of recognizing the whole significance of this Principle.
We must recognize that in the realm of the spiritual, we speak of
Christ just as in that of the physical we speak of the Sun; that in
the realm of the spiritual we speak of the planetary spirits and of
the planets just as in the development of earthly civilisation we
speak, perhaps, of the principle of Buddha. Here again is a point
concerning which you find one of the important revelations you come
across in H. P. Blavatsky. What great revelations there are in The
Secret Doctrine you can see by the way H. P. Blavatsky treats the
conception of Jehovah. We need not recoil at this, or think things are
not correct because she shows a certain antipathy towards Christ and
Jehovah; the truth nevertheless presses through, and the description
of Jehovah as a Moon divinity, and the presentation of Lucifer as his
opponent as given by H. P. Blavatsky is one might say the broken
expression of a truth. The presentation given from inspiration by
Blavatsky is only given a subjective coloring by her, because she had
a feeling that Lucifer was really a good Divinity she felt him as
such. She preferred him, in a certain sense to the Moon-god, because
to her Lucifer was a Sun-god. That is correct; he is that; but we had
to represent the true connection in order that the expression used in
former times. Christ is the true Lucifer, Christus
verus Luciferus, may be understood. It does not sound quite
right to us today; but at that time when people knew from the old
Secret Doctrine that the Light-Bearer manifests in the external
physical light, and that, if we penetrate through the physical light
to the Spirits of Wisdom, to the spiritual light, then we reach the
Light-Bearer of that Light.
Christus verus Luciferus I think, in spite of the
incompleteness which was inevitable in our rendering of this
comprehensive theme, yet what we always wish to attain in the sphere
of Spiritual Science has come before your souls, that the treatment of
every theme leads us to look up from the physical to the spiritual.
With regard to the heavenly bodies which, as the expression of the
wonders of the universe, shine forth from space, that is in many
respects, very difficult; because in the heavenly bodies there is a
complicated cooperation of the beings of the various hierarchies, and
because everything which takes place in cosmic space can only be
comprehended if, behind all matter, even behind the substance of light
itself, we find the Spirit or Spirits. Behind all this Spiritual Life
lies the Universal, Divine Fatherhood, an Omnipresent and ever-working
All-Divine Life, which before It comes to expression in the physical,
is differentiated into countless worlds of Spiritual Hierarchies. We
look up to these worlds, however, and see within them, That which
works down into our kingdoms of nature, and is the foundation of all
the wonders of the heavens. For even in our kingdoms of nature either
the hierarchies themselves are revealed or their offspring. When we
thus look out into the spaces of heaven, we can, through such
reflections, also gain a moral impression which must, if we allow the
mighty operations of the hierarchies in cosmic space to gain a little
influence over us, result in our being drawn away from the passions,
desires, impulses and concepts which our physical earth-life brings to
maturity. These are, in essence, that which flings down into the
development of the earth that which divides humanity into factions,
which makes men all over the world opponents or partisans, in the most
varied directions. In a higher moral sense we attain a sense of
freedom, if but for a brief time, we free ourselves from the
consideration of earthly things, and contemplate the worlds of spirit
in cosmic space. Then do we become free from that which otherwise
plays in our egotistical impulses, which are the original cause of all
the smallnesses and quarreling upon earth. Hence the most certain
means of attaining the high ideals of our Anthroposophical life is to
direct our gaze from time to time to the starry worlds and their
spiritual guides and leaders, the hierarchies. If we investigate the
different civilizations as we have tried to do and the significance of
the inspiring spirits of the various religions and of the bearers of
Wisdom to humanity, we shall cease to strive on earth as followers of
individual systems. We shall not depend on names, nor on the creeds of
the several groups of men on the earth. When men seek their knowledge
there where the vision of all the humanity of the earth can he
directed, and where the knowledge common to all can be
obtained knowledge which unites and does not separate when men
actually reach that heavenly language which expresses the significance
of the various religious Founders and Inspirers of humanity, then will
the Anthroposophical ideal of a tolerant and unbiased consideration of
all religions and cosmic conceptions be really able to appear. Men
will no longer quarrel when they no longer claim for their own group a
particular bearer of religion or stream of civilisation, but seek for
the origin of these bearers outside in cosmic space. In this sense
such a contemplation may acquire great moral importance if in much
which formerly brought divisions and disharmonies upon earth, peace
and harmony are established. Only we must learn to read the mighty
writing given us in the forms and movements of the heavenly
bodies learn to read how, in reality, not different but the
same spirits, work for each single individual on earth that
they belong to all men. This might be explained by means of a physical
picture. As long as we remain on the earth, a group of people may
dwell in the North or in the South, East or West. But when we look
upon the movement of the earth and observe how it turns its face to
the stars when it changes its position whether in short periods of
time or in millions of years how the southern half turns to the
northern and the stars of our northern heavens become visible, and
then the northern part of our earth turns to the south and perceives
the stars of the southern heavens. Just as the earth in the course of
time turns its countenance, so to speak, to all the stars which shine
to us from cosmic space, so may humanity learn through the ideals of
Anthroposophy to look in an unbiased manner upon all which speaks
spiritually from cosmic space. Through such a positive consideration
of facts this ideal will best be reached not through a sentimental
emphasis of love and peace. In a real way shall we attain love and
peace and harmony, if we direct our vision away from the concerns of
earth which divide humanity into races, nations, religions to the
starry heavens, where spirits speak the same language to us through
all time, even through all eternity; the same language for every human
soul, for every human heart, if only we understand it rightly.
In this sense I should like now, at the end of our course of lectures,
to point to the moral effects of such considerations, if we take the
trouble to learn to know the facts of occultism. If we learn to know
them in the true occult sense, what has been learnt will so stream
into our hearts that it becomes a life-force within us, a living hope;
and, above all, will become moral energy, and really make us what we
may call citizens of the heavenly worlds. Then through his spiritual
life a man carries heaven into the concerns of earth, and thus in the
course of the processes of civilisation, brings about that which, in
the highest sense, we can designate as harmony, as peace. Then will
man become more and more conscious that at the very beginning as well
as at the end of the evolution of civilisation an undivided Spirit
really governs, a Spirit of Form, Who works uniformly throughout
humanity, while He is stimulated by His brothers, the other Spirits of
Form, who do Him service, in order to send a uniform working through
the whole of humanity. Thus through true heavenly science something
uniform is brought to men, and this will promote the intellectual and
moral understanding of humanity on the earth. Thus we do not wish to
consider merely the abstract and theoretical; but every such
consideration ought at the same time to become in us a source of
power, above all, a source of moral power; and then will all our
teachings, even those which appear drawn from afar, serve to forward
the direct aims and ideals of Spiritual Science.
With these words, my dear friends, which should gather up the whole
spirit and character of these lectures into a certain nuance of
feeling, I should like at their close to take farewell of you all.
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