LECTURE ELEVEN
KRISTIANIA —
May 20, 1909
IN OUR SURVEY OF THE EVOLUTION OF OUR PLANET
we have
seen that the earth will again be spiritualized, that human beings can
participate in this evolution and that they will again be able to return
to the sun. Evolution leads to a constantly increasing spiritualization,
to a higher condition, to the devachanic state. All those beings who
are too stuck in their materialization will not be able to participate
in this spiritual earth. First, everything must pass over into an astral
condition. But the coarse, material elements of humankind and the base
substances in the lower kingdoms enter with human beings into a kind
of lower astral world. This could be called the sub-physical astral
world. We have, then, devachan, the astral world, the physical world,
and the lower astral world. This lower astral world is also working
in opposition to our evolution today. It is ruled by the spirit Mammon,
[See Note 1]
that is, the spirit of hindrances. He is a power of the lower world.
All the beings who cannot
rise up into the higher world must go down into this lower world. All
the higher beings, after the age of the seven trumpet calls, will enter
into a state of the earth united again with the sun.
Certain beings have passed
through their human state on every incarnation of the earth: the angels
during the moon stage, the archangels on the old sun, the good Asuras,
also known as archai or primal beginnings, on old Saturn. There are
also beings who did not complete their development. Such beings existed,
for example, on the moon; these beings were then transplanted to the
earth. They were higher than the human being but, at that time, had
not yet reached the stage of humanity. These are the luciferic spirits.
They have entangled the human being ever deeper in matter; they became
connected to humankind in the Lemurian age. The human being would have
gone through his evolution in a higher sphere if the luciferic spirits
had not united with that evolution. But human beings can thank them
for something good: their freedom. The luciferic spirits made, so to
speak, a sacrifice for the good of humankind when they united their
evolution with the earth and remained behind.
But Saturn, Sun, and Moon
occurred before the middle of the earth's evolution. Those beings
who remained behind before the midpoint have made an offering, a sacrifice.
However, those who remain behind from now on, after the middle of the
earth's evolution, merely represent a hindrance, not a sacrifice.
The luciferic spirits have also brought humanity something positive.
They have permeated the human astral body and thereby have brought us
to independence.
If we consider that the
human physical body was prepared for the human being during the ancient
Saturn state, the etheric body during the Sun state, the astral body
during ancient Moon, then we see how, in its way, this physical body
is the most perfect member. It is the most evolved. If we could look
into the miraculous structure of the physical heart, or the brain that
is structured and organized with so much wisdom that physical science
has not yet solved the riddles it presents, we would recognize this.
The astral body is, indeed, a higher member but far less perfect; the
etheric body has been perfected more than the astral but less than the
physical. The I is the least perfect of all. For example, how little
does the I understand the structures of the physical body. This is
even precisely described in the Bible where it is said: “... then
the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being ...”
(Genesis 2:7)
This happened during Lemurian times. At that time luciferic
beings worked into the astral body of the human being. However, it was
just by doing this, by slipping into the astral body that they caught
up with what they themselves had neglected in the past. What they should
have accomplished on the Moon they went through vicariously within the
human being.
When the sun will have
again united with the earth, then human beings — through the fact
that they will have purified their instincts, desires, and passions
— will redeem the luciferic beings. The luciferic beings who do
not go on to the Sun remain in their original condition. They then appear
as expelled into the evil, lower astral world. This is the ancient
snake and it emerges as the first dragon. Therefore, when the earth
enters the sun, a dragon appears. But there are yet other beings left
behind: such human beings who could not prevent themselves from dropping
back into animality, who remain slaves to their animal instincts. While
the other human beings go to the sun, these will form an evil power
over and against the higher. These form the second monster, and the
writer of the Apocalypse says in his exact fashion: The luciferic dragon
appears in heaven because he comes from higher worlds; the second
beast arises from the sea — this consists of the souls of animalistic
human beings who have remained behind. (Compare:
(Rev. 12:3–13:10)
We have still a third
vision, that of the black magicians. They do not remain stuck in animality;
they develop spiritual abilities. In full consciousness they have turned
away, and provide a bodily incarnation for Sorat. That will be the
incarnation in flesh of the demon of the sun.
But then we see how the
earth emerges from the sun yet again in the future. If the spiritual
human beings were to remain united with the sun forever, then the other
human beings who, without guilt, had remained behind in animality would
never he saved. So, these spiritualized people come forth once more
and unite with what has fallen out of evolution in an attempt to save
these backward souls. When the earth began its existence as
“earth”
it had to briefly repeat the Saturn, Sun, and Moon conditions once
again. It went through recapitulations of those conditions before it
became the present-day earth. Now, when actual earth conditions prevail,
it must prophetically mirror the future embodiments of Jupiter, Venus,
and Vulcan. In this way the earth goes through seven states during its
actual earth condition. These states are usually called
“rounds.”
During the prophetically mirrored Jupiter state, the earth will actually
unite with the sun. On this Jupiter-Earth all the great cultural ages
will appear again — with the seven intervals between them —
but they will be far less sharply delineated. On this Jupiter-Earth,
many beings still have the possibility of being saved, even the black
magicians.
This will also be the
case on the Venus-Earth, when we have a sixth planetary interval. Here
also the beings that have remained behind will stubbornly struggle against
help; but this Venus-Earth will at last be decisive.
Then, on the Vulcan-Earth,
nothing more can be saved. On the Venus-Earth the last moment for salvation
has come in the last sub-epoch. That is why the ancient cabalists formed
the word “Sorat,” because the number 666 is contained within
it. That is also the number of those human beings who, out of their
own cunning free will, have become black magicians by placing spiritual
forces in the service of their own egotism.
The first dragon is not
a human being. It came out of the spiritual world. The second dragon
is ascribed to animalistic nature but in a fundamental sense the Bible
ascribes this number of the third group to human beings. So the number
666 is not a sign of the beast but a human number.
The Apocalypse is an outline
of the whole of evolution. Venus-Earth is portrayed to clairvoyant sight
in such a way that there is not much hope for those left behind. Human
powers at that time will not be capable of very much. That is why
everything appears so desolate and the worst vices will reign there in
the most depraved ways. They must be expelled during the Venus state of
the earth. On the Jupiter-Earth there are still many, many who will
allow themselves to be saved and who will unite with the sun.
But during the Venus-Earth
evil must be overcome and driven into the abyss; that is the “Fall
of Babylon.”
(runk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. \
18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. \
18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. \
18:6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. \
18:7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. \
18:8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. \
18:9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, \
18:10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. \
18:11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: \
18:12a The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, \
18:12b and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, \
18:13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. \
18:14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. \
18:15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, \
18:16 And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! \
18:17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, \
18:18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! \
18:19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. \
18:20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. \
18:21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. \
18:22a And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; \
18:22b and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; \
18:23a And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: \
18:23b for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. \
18:24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. \
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The people who have been saved
can develop themselves further to a new sun state. What has been cleansed
and purified will arise for the Vulcan-Earth.
Human beings today are
already creative on the earth. They can force the lifeless forces of
nature to serve them. They can build cathedrals, they can sculpt marble.
Today they are masters of lifeless nature. Even though Raphael's
paintings of the Madonna are falling to dust, even though the external
physical world is passing away, what the human being achieves in terms
of art during the evolution of the earth will one day resurrect in a
different form. The crystals we see today were once forms worked out
by human beings during the old Moon embodiment of the earth, in a way
similar to how we create and form artistically today. What the spirits
once achieved in infinite ages of time now grows out of the earth; today
it rises up. So, too, the matter of Raphael's Madonnas will also
rise up. In the distant future, everything that human beings now create
will rise again with the brightness of crystals. The place that humanity
has prepared and will find waiting is called the
“New Jerusalem”
by the writer of the Apocalypse. A new world will arise, inhabitable
by human beings who will have achieved the requisite state of maturity.
In a new state, in the Jupiter existence, they will find the place where,
out of love and out of human work, peace will reign.
Notes:
Note 1.
Through Ahriman.
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