LECTURE FIVE:
Manifestation of the
Hierarchies in the Elements of Nature.
The Mission of the Planetary Epochs of Old Saturn,
Old Sun, Old Moon and Earth.
[ Study Guide: Souls of the Nations — Fifth Lecture ]
It will be seen from
the last lecture that if we wish to make an impartial study of the
facts underlying our present investigation we must transcend those
prejudices which might easily arise on matters which I must now
describe objectively. So long as one has the slightest tendency to
take personally an objective description of a particular race or
people, it will be difficult to reach an unprejudiced understanding
of the facts presented in this lecture course. For this reason these
matters can only be discussed in the light of Spiritual Science. For
however deeply one may be involved emotionally in a particular people
or race, as Anthroposophists we have an adequate counterpoise in the
teaching of karma and reincarnation, when rightly understood. This
teaching opens a vista into the future and reveals that our integral
Self is incarnated in successive ages in different races and peoples.
When we contemplate the destiny of our integral Self we may be sure
that we shall share not only the positive or perhaps also the
negative aspects of all races and peoples; but we may be sure that in
our inmost being we shall also receive the countless blessings of all
races and all peoples since we are incarnated in different races at
different times.
Our
consciousness, our horizon, is enlarged through these ideas of karma
and reincarnation. Only through these teachings therefore do we learn
to accept what is revealed to us at the present time concerning the
mysterious relations of race and nation. If we rightly understand the
theme of these lectures we shall harbour no regrets at having
incarnated in a particular people or race. But an objective survey of
national and racial characteristics may, nonetheless, provoke
dissension and disharmony unless it is accepted in the spirit I have
already suggested. The aspirant for spiritual knowledge will learn
through the teachings of karma and reincarnation how every nation,
even the smallest nation, has to contribute its share towards the
total evolution of humanity. In the second part of this
lecture-course I propose to show — and herein lies its real
importance — how the particular influences of the missions of
the several peoples are merged in the whole of humanity and how even
isolated ethnic groups which are scattered here and there amongst
larger national groups have their part to play in the great harmony
of human evolution. This, however, will only become apparent to us
step by step.
In
order to acquire a full understanding of the characteristics of the
individual Folk Souls we shall have to select examples which are
clearer to us in certain respects than the folk characteristics of
our own times. On the other hand, we shall perhaps have to deal with
folk characteristics which belong to a more distant epoch, in order
to have a yardstick for determining the characteristics and tasks of
the different nations. But this will be nothing more than a general
outline of the racial or folk characteristics.
In
the course of the last lectures we have learned that a race is the
product of the cooperative activity of a normal and abnormal Spirit
of Form, and a people the product of a normal and abnormal Archangel;
and we now understand how the Beings of the spiritual Hierarchies
intervene in evolution.
The
question now arises; how do the Beings of a higher order work into
the external world? It would be as well to begin by acquiring today
an understanding of the Hierarchies of which man is the lowest
member. You will recall that we placed man on the lowest rung of the
Hierarchical ladder. Below him are the three kingdoms of nature, the
animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms. Above him are the Angels, the
Archangels and the Archai or First Beginnings. This is the Hierarchy
immediately above man — the third Hierarchy. The second
Hierarchy is as follows:
Spirits of Form — Powers (Exusiai)
Spirits of Movement — Mights (Dynamis)
Spirits of Wisdom — Dominions (Kyriotetes)
Then
we have the highest of the three Hierarchies — the first
Hierarchy:
Spirits of Will — Thrones
Cherubim
Seraphim
Since
all spiritual Beings manifest in some form or other and are to be
found therefore in the phenomenal world, the realm of Maya or
illusion, we must ask ourselves where we must look for them at the
lowest stage of manifestation, at the stage of illusion. In his
normal perception of Nature and the Spirit man knows only the realm
of Maya, the most external manifestation of these spiritual Beings. I
propose to illustrate this by means of an example.
Let
us suppose a person is traveling on foot over the bare, rugged
landscape of Norway. His first impression will be of a rocky expanse
spread out before him. He will describe this solid rock formation in
terms of his first impression, namely as hard “rocky
substance”. But he who penetrates into the being of natural
phenomena has a totally different conception of this “rocky
substance”. What is the real nature of that upon which we stand
and which offers resistance? The external surface of the Earth which
man believes to have a real existence does not exist at all, it is an
illusion. In reality spiritual forces are at work radiating from
below, from within the Earth; they emanate from certain Beings. Thus
in a particular locality we see a manifestation of forces emanating
from the Earth and raying outward in all directions. But if these
forces alone were present, clearly man would not have solid ground
under his feet, for of themselves they would project him with maximum
velocity into space. He owes his ability to stand on solid ground to
the circumstance that other forces stream in from all sides from
universal space. Where the forces streaming in from the Universe
encounter the forces raying outward from within the Earth there
arises, so to speak, a frontier or boundary which is the apparent
surface of the Earth. The surface one sees, therefore, is only an
illusion; it is a result of the activity of the in-streaming and
outward streaming forces which neutralize each other at the apparent
surface in question.
The
forces raying outward in all directions are the forces of the
Thrones, the Spirits of Will. The forces streaming in from the
Universe are essentially the forces that proceed from the Spirits of
Movement. Thus these two forces meet at this frontier and this
interplay of the Thrones with the Spirits of Movement — since
the activity of the Thrones is neutralized by the Spirits of Movement
— produces the diversified contours of the Earth's
surface. What is seen externally as the Earth's surface is
wholly unreal; it is simply illusion. In reality it is the product of
a balance of forces; an agreement, as it were, is concluded between
the Spirits of Will and the Spirits of Movement as a consequence of
which the Earth assumes its highly diversified configurations.
Nevertheless
through this interplay alone our Earth could not arrive at its
present planetary form. The forces of the Spirits of Will and the
Spirits of Movement acting and reacting upon each other would not be
sufficient for this; the resultant effect would be something totally
different. If, for example, only the Spirits of Will were to ray
outwards from within the Earth and were opposed by the Spirits of
Movement alone, then the Earth would be in a continual state of flux,
the ever moving forms could not be brought to rest. In that event, it
is true, it would not be as fluid as the ocean in its present state;
it would not be of a liquid consistency like water that is ruffled at
the slightest breath of wind, but of a viscous, semi-fluid
consistency.
If
you wish to form an idea of how
the Spirits of Will and the Spirits of Movement originally worked in
concert, I would like to give you an example and would ask you to
follow me on the sketch. In the first place let me draw your
attention to the Alps, which today form a solid mountain chain so
that the solid barrier of the Alpine Massif divides the Italian
peninsula in the South from the rest of Europe. How is one to account
for this alpine chain? There was a time in the far distant past when
the Alpine Massif did not as yet exist, but to the North and West
there were already older eminencies which at that time had already
become solidified. Waves of semi-fluid consistency were then thrown
up from the South. We may picture the situation somewhat as follows:
| Diagram 4 Click image for large view | |
Here
at A we have the Bohemian Plateau. Now imagine a huge wave thrown up
from the South which divided and spilled over the Bohemian Plateau on
the right (to the East) and over the central plateau of France on the
left (to the West). In primeval times this mighty wave formed the
Alpine Massif. It is possible to arrive at this conclusion without
specialist knowledge. Anyone who has once stood on the summit of one
of the Alpine peaks and surveyed the unique configuration of the
Alpine chain has observed — even if he were unaware of it —
what Spiritual Science has long established and which even the
present-day geologists have confirmed — that peculiar wave-like
formation which dates from the time when the primeval mass of the
Earth was still in a semi-fluid condition.
Such
would be the configuration of the Earth today through the cooperation
of the Spirits of Will and the Spirits of Movement but for the
intervention of another activity which is remarkably persistent and
which is manifested on the surface of our Earth by the interweaving
of the activity of the Spirits of Form with the Spirits of Will (the
Thrones) who work in conjunction with the Spirits of Movement. You
may picture therefore that these Spirits of Form, dancing as it were
upon the waves, brought the ever moving forms to rest and moulded
them into form. We can therefore point to the cooperative activity on
the part of three different forces which proceed from three kinds of
Beings. On the one hand we see the activity of the Spirits of Form
who work inward from the cosmic sphere and unfold their activity in
the realms of the Spirits of Will below them as well as in that of
the Spirits of Movement above them. That which on our Earth appears
externally for the most part as a fluid element — not the
liquid water we see around us today, but the primal semi-fluid
element which was brought to rest by the Spirits of Form — this
we must look upon as the most external manifestation of the Spirits
of Will. But another element is always associated with this activity.
The Spirits of Will (or Thrones) are assisted by the Cherubim or
Seraphim. The Cherubim work in the air element, in everything
aeriform which permeates the apparent solid substance of the Earth.
Air is an illusion behind which stand the mighty Beings we call
Cherubim. The Seraphim work in fire, they operate in whatsoever
manifests as heat.
Thus
we see how the radiations from the centre influence our Earth planet.
Our planet therefore is so constituted that the Spirits of Will (or
Thrones), the Seraphim and the Cherubim work from the centre. We must
look upon our planet in this way: at the meeting-place of the
boundaries of air and heat or warmth — for the atmosphere is
just as much part of our planet as the water or dry land — a
surface is formed. Upon this surface the Spirits of Form literally
dance upon the waves and bring them to rest and mould them into form.
It was for this reason that they were given their name. Behind them
are the Spirits of Movement and in their element again is mingled
what we called the Spirits of Wisdom. When therefore we look inward
towards the centre of our planet we are aware of the presence of
Divine Beings, Thrones, Cherubim and Seraphim. When we look outward
we perceive first of all beyond the realm of the Spirits of Form who
permeate the air and heat with their element, the Spirits of Movement
and the Spirits of Wisdom. When we gaze out into the periphery of the
Earth, when we lift our eyes to the Cosmic Spheres, all the
nature-forces and natural phenomena we encounter there are
fundamentally the work of the second Hierarchy. Everything we see
when we look into the depths of the Earth we ascribe to the Beings of
the first (highest) Hierarchy. It is to the unique cooperative
activity of these two Hierarchies that we owe the configuration of
our environment.
We
have stated that the three elements, water, air and fire are related
to the Spirits of Will, the Cherubim and Seraphim. In which of these
elements do the Spirits of Form manifest themselves? They are the
Beings nearest to us and they “dance upon” the surface of
the Earth where we live and have our being. They work inward from
universal space, but now unfold their forces in the emanations
issuing from the Earth. To us they are concentrated in the rays of
the Sun. Light, therefore, is the element in which the Spirits of
Form first weave and work. Since, however, the activities of light
and everything related thereunto manifest themselves at the frontier
where the Spirits of Movement and Spirits of Will work in concert, it
is at this meeting-place that solid forms are created. Man has, at
first, no organs that would enable him to see what lies beyond these
forces of light, which we call the Spirits of Form, no organs with
which to perceive that which is woven into the light. Everything
which on our Earth determines creation and destruction, all the
chemical forces active in the Earth, is still interwoven with light
and this is principally the domain in which the Spirits of Movement
operate. When man learns to perceive something of that which he
otherwise looks upon simply as Maya, in the action of chemical
synthesis and analysis, then he hears these Spirits of Movement, he
perceives the Music of the Spheres of which the Pythagorean and other
occult schools speak. That too is what Goethe describes when he
speaks of the Sun, not as the giver of light, but when he says:
The Sun, in ancient guise, competing
With brother spheres in rival song,
With thunder-march, his orb completing
Moves his predestin'd course along.
(Faust.
Prologue in Heaven. Tr. Anna Swanwick)
|
This
Music of the Spheres is still there, but it is inaudible to ordinary
consciousness. It is a reality; it approaches all men from without as
an astral effect. Man, however, does not hear it. If in relation to
this he were to experience an alternation similar to that of light
and dark at certain times, then there would also be times when he
could hear the Music of the Spheres. It sounds forth both day and
night and therefore he can only hear it if he undergoes a certain
occult training and development. Whereas the light streams towards us
during the day as light and during the night continues to operate as
a reservoir of assimilated light, the Music of the Spheres sounds
forth continually both day and night. In this situation man is in the
same position as the miller who is aware of the sound of his mill
wheel only when it is no longer working.
The
last of the Beings of the Second Hierarchy are the Spirits of Wisdom,
who work from the surrounding Cosmos into the weaving light and into
the Music of the Spheres operating throughout the Universe. That is
the Life of the universal Ether, raying in on to the Earth. For Life
is pouring in on to the Earth from cosmic spaces and is received by
living creatures here on Earth. It comes from the Spirits of Wisdom.
Thus
we gaze out into cosmic spaces and perceive first of all the Sun in
which these threefold forces are concentrated for our spiritual
vision. We perceive how instreaming Life, weaving Sound,
formative Light, the trinity of the second Hierarchy, are working
in from universal space. The highest of the Hierarchies, the Seraphim, the
Cherubim and the Thrones, work upwards from below, from the centre of
the Earth. The third Hierarchy (the Hierarchy immediately above man)
is interwoven with all terrestrial activity and works chiefly in the
inner being of organic life. To this Hierarchy belongs, in the first
place, the Archai acting as the Time Spirits. These Time Spirits work
in the material prepared for them by the higher Hierarchies; they lay
the foundation of what we call the history of mankind, the evolution
of civilization on Earth. Then in our immediate environment we find
the Archangels, the tribal Folk Spirits, and finally the Angels who
mediate between the individual human’ beings and the
Archangels.
To
sum up, therefore: In the forces of Nature upon our planet, in earth,
water, air and fire are the Beings of the first or highest Hierarchy
who stream forth to meet the activity of the Spirits of Form working
in from the cosmic sphere. From outside, the Beings of the second
Hierarchy stream in, and in the environment of the Earth are the
Beings of the third Hierarchy who, for the moment, are the weakest of
the forces. Just imagine for a moment how powerful are the forces of
those exalted Beings whom we call the Spirits of Will, who fashion
the very ground under our feet. Then we have those forces which
stream in from outside, the Spirits of Form who are nearest to us,
and who mould the contours of the Earth in their plastic state. And
finally we have Angels, Archangels and Archai who work more
intimately into human souls. And so in the first (highest) Hierarchy
we have those forces of Nature which we recognize as the strongest —
the Nature-forces emanating from the centre of the Earth, the forces
of the solid Earth beneath us. In the second Hierarchy we have the
cosmic forces which live and weave around us in the ether and in the
third Hierarchy we have that which lives and weaves in the inner
recesses of our soul.
If
we observe the cooperative activity of these three Hierarchies and
see how they operate in our Earth planet, how they form it out of the
totality of the Universe, then we have some indication of what was
necessary in order to create our Earth. The Earth had to pass through
the planetary epochs of Old Saturn, Old Sun, and Old Moon before it
could become our present Earth. If you refer to my books
Cosmic Memory
and
Occult Science,
you will find that, even during
the earlier incarnations of our Earth, these various spiritual Beings
worked together, but that the nature of this cooperative activity was
different from that of today. With each new incarnation in the
Saturn, Sun, Moon and Earth states the cooperative activity of those
Hierarchical Beings assumed a different form because in each of these
planetary epochs of the Earth the Hierarchical Beings had their
specific task to fulfil. We may confidently affirm that each of the
conditions through which our Earth has passed and those which still
lie before it, represent, and have represented, a particular stage in
the process of cosmic evolution.
Since
all conceptions change from one planetary condition to another it is
extremely difficult to define what were the tasks of the Old Saturn,
Old Sun and Old Moon epochs. This is not easy because we must first
characterize the mission of our Earth in a very general way. The
simplest way to conceive of it is to call to mind the nature of the
various forces which manifest themselves in space. Man's inner
life consists of thinking, feeling and willing; his outer vehicles
consist of the physical body, etheric body and astral body. So that
if we take a man of the present day and ignore for the moment his
ego, we can envisage him as a tapestry consisting of the physical,
etheric and astral bodies into which are woven — as into an
outer envelope — thinking, feeling and willing.
Now
these forces in man, both in the outer and the inner man, are always
related to some earlier mission which was connected with a former
incarnation of the Earth. If, for example, we wish to form an
approximate idea of the Saturn mission, we may think of it as being
related, on the one hand, to the human physical body and, on the
other, to the human will. Now if there had been no Saturn incarnation
of our Earth, neither the life of will in man, no r his physical body
could have attained their present form. A man owes his physical body
and life of will to Old Saturn. He is indebted to the Akashic Records
for this knowledge. The after-effects of each Earth incarnation,
however, are reflected in the forms of the succeeding incarnations.
Hence the life of will as we know it today can be traced back to the
after-effects of the Saturn element. Consequently the Saturn element
is reflected in the inner life of man as will. You will have an idea
of the mission of the Old Sun epoch if you study the etheric body and
also the later development of the sentient life. You already know
that the etheric body can be traced back to the Old Sun. The
after-effects however are such that man was able to develop later the
inner life of feeling. Finally, we find that the Old Moon condition
was related to the astral body of man and the inner life of thought.
Thus three successive incarnations of the Earth were necessary in
order that these forces of the inner and outer man — physical
body, etheric body and astral body; thinking, feeling and willing —
could so develop that they are now an integral part of his physical
and spiritual life. In order that the task of the three successive
incarnations or planetary epochs of our Earth could be fulfilled and
that man could be endowed with his present constitutional make-up,
those Beings whom we have described as belonging to the Hierarchies
were obliged to work together in each of these planetary epochs in a
way appropriate to each Earth incarnation.
The
mission of Old Saturn therefore had to be fulfilled otherwise man's
physical body and the life of will could not have been bestowed upon
him. To the Old Sun he owed his etheric body and sentient life, and
finally to the Old Moon he owed the astral body and the power of
thought. Thus, each of the three preceding incarnations of our Earth
were especially devoted to one of the salient aspects of our
individual being, our ‘I’. In effect the external
physical body which stems from the activity of the Spiritual Beings
of Old Saturn, from the Spirits of Will, is simply Will that is
externalized. Today the will is an expression of the inner life.
These words are carefully chosen; they are no flight of fancy, but
fit the facts completely. You can learn much from them. The Earth
passed through the Old Sun epoch in order, on the one hand, to lay
the foundation of the etheric body through the influence of the
Spirits of Wisdom, and, on the other hand, through the continued
operation of the element of wisdom, to endow us inwardly with
Feeling, the inner element of Wisdom. The mission of Old Moon is
associated with the astral body and the inner life of Thought.
The
problem, which now confronts us, is this: what particular mission has
been chosen by the Spirits of Form who work chiefly on the Earth and
fashion it?
Now
the task before the Spirits of Will or Thrones who worked chiefly on
Old Saturn was to endow man with that element which later, during
Earth-evolution, manifests itself as Will. The great task of Old
Saturn, then, is to implant the will, the forces of will. When we
contemplate this gift to man, we are filled with admiration and
reverence for the ruling cosmic Powers. They command our deep respect
when we realize that for the skilful interweaving of outer Will,
which resides in our physical body, and of inner Will, a special
planetary mission was necessary. The whole world of the Hierarchies
had to suffer the birth and death of a planet in order to bring about
the condition which we experience as the outer and inner element of
Will. In the same way, the Old Sun universe was necessary in order to
endow us with the etheric body and the element of Feeling, the inner
element of Wisdom. And the Old Moon mission was necessary in order to
endow us with the astral body and the inner life of Thought. What,
then, is the mission of the Spirits of Form? What is the real Mission
of the Earth? If one associates the Old Saturn mission with the
endowment of the element of Will, the Old Sun mission principally
with the endowment of the element of Feeling, and the Moon mission
chiefly with that of the element of Thought — with the astral
body of man — then the mission of the Earth is to bring about a
perfect harmony between these three elements, each of which had been
predominant in an earlier incarnation of our Earth. The mission of
our Earth is to resolve the conflict between these elements and
restore a proper harmony between them. Man is involved in this
mission of the Earth in order that he may establish this harmony
between thinking, feeling and willing, first of all in his own inner
being. At the beginning of the Earth period man was in this respect a
patchwork of thought, feeling and will. Everyone who possesses a
little self-knowledge can feel that the man of today has not yet
achieved inner harmony; he is frequently a victim of conflict and
discord. Man is called upon first of all to strike a balance between
thought, feeling and will within himself by means of which he himself
as an Ego-being can demonstrate and communicate to his fellow men
what this harmony signifies.
In
occult symbolism this Earth-mission has always been expressed in a
special way by means of a geometrical figure. Amongst geometrical
figures you will find none which corresponds so exactly to the
balance or harmony of these three activities as the equilateral
triangle. If you draw an equilateral triangle you will find the three
sides are equal, the three angles equal, the vertices are equidistant
from each other and all are equidistant from the centre. The centre
of an equilateral triangle is a complete symbol of a balance of
forces, so that when the occultist looks at an equilateral triangle
he perceives in it a symbol of the perfectly balanced cooperation of
those elements, each of which held for a time the upper hand in the
three earlier incarnations of our Earth. The deeds of the ‘I’
in man signify simply the creation of an active centre in his nature
whereby this state of harmony can be prepared from within. Man
therefore is called to high destiny on Earth to bring about from
within, first of all through his whole being, a balance between what
was predominant for a time in earlier planetary epochs in various
ways and at various times.
Now
that is a very general definition of our Earth mission, but this
mission is exactly as I have described it. The secret of this mission
is that through this cooperation, through this balance or harmony of
the three forces, the inner being really creates something new. A
fourth element, which is the element of Love, is thus added to the
three preceding elements. Love can only develop in the busy
work-a-day world when an absolute harmony exists between the three
forces, which in earlier epochs were each in turn, the dominating
influence. We shall have more to say about this in the next few days.
For the moment you must accept it as a general description.
Thus
our planet is the planet of Love and therefore the result of this
balance or harmony which is reflected in the cooperation of the three
forces is the active spirit of Love, and this spirit of Love is to be
woven into the whole of evolution throughout all the successive
incarnations of the Earth by the fulfillment of the Earth's
mission. In this way the Trinity becomes a Quaternary: the latter
begins with its fourth element at the lowest stage, with the most
elementary or primitive form of love which is so purged and purified
that at the close of the Earth-evolution Love will appear as an
element enjoying to the full equal status with the others. To fulfil
the mission of balance or harmony ordained for our Earth planet
implies, in reality, transforming the Trinity into a Quaternary. To
make the Trinity into a Quaternary is therefore an occult formula for
the Earth's secret. Inevitably the fourth element is today
still very imperfect. But when the Earth shall have fulfilled its
mission, it will appear as luminous as the Sacred Triangle which,
with its state of perfect balance, shines forth as the highest symbol
we possess for our Earth — ideal in so far as we can remember
the past of the Earth.
This
correspondence between the elements of thinking, feeling and willing
is such that the inmost being of man becomes the substance of Love
and this is what one may call the really creative, the inwardly
creative element in earthly existence. We must therefore describe the
Spirits of Form in their totality (because their particular mission
is to harmonize the three former conditions) as the Spirits of Love.
In
considering Earth-existence in this way we first described thinking,
feeling and willing and the working of Love outside our Earth planet
and we described as the special task of the Spirits of Form the
implanting of Love which results from balance or harmony. This is the
whole mission of the Earth. In order to realize this power of Love
that shall permeate the Earth, the interplay and interaction of the
lowest Hierarchies was necessary. As we began to indicate in our
previous study, the network of Love must be woven by these
Hierarchies and Love must be woven in such a way that the principal
threads are woven by the normal Spirits of Form, for that is their
fundamental mission. Then the abnormal Spirits of Form, who are in
reality Spirits of Movement, weave into the tapestry that which
creates the different races. Then the normal and abnormal Time
Spirits weave into it the historical evolution, and the normal and
abnormal Archangels the evolution of the individual peoples and
languages; and finally the Angels who determine man's rightful
place on Earth participate in this activity. In this way the mighty
tapestry of Love is being woven. Yet of this tapestry of Love which
is being woven as the real mission of Earth only the Maya, the outer
reflection, is visible on Earth.
The
nearest realm above the physical world in which it is possible to
perceive this tapestry is the astral world. In order to see the
working of the Hierarchies more and more clearly in the truths
underlying our external Maya we must raise our consciousness from the
astral plane to the planes of lower and higher Devachan. We then
perceive how this tapestry is woven. If we raise our consciousness to
the astral plane, the Beings normally working from the depths,
namely, the Spirits of Will (Thrones), Cherubim and Seraphim are not
yet visible. If we wish to perceive these Spirits at work we must
raise our spiritual vision to still higher realms. But already in the
astral world we find the abnormal Spirits of Form who, if they had
fulfilled their normal evolution, would be working from without. The
Spirits of the second Hierarchy, as we already know, ought to work
from without, from the celestial spheres, but here they are working
from within, from the centre of the Earth. Thus into this tapestry of
Love in which the Spirits of Movement, the Spirits of Form and the
Spirits of Wisdom are working from without, and the Spirits of Will,
the Seraphim and Cherubim from within, there are also other Beings
working from within who should really be working from without. They
work secretly, however, after the manner in which the silkworm spins
its cocoon. What is seen first of all in the astral world are Beings
working from the depths. These singular Spirits of Movement who have
transposed their sphere and are fallen Spirits, are the first Beings
to become visible amongst those spiritual Beings weaving and surging
in the spiritual atmosphere of the Earth. These Beings who are the
first to become visible on the astral plane, even before the normal
Angels, are the Spirits who in a sense falsify clairvoyant perception
— despite the fact that they are vitally necessary for the
propagation of the races. These Spirits, each of whom has many
attendant spirits, because each one begets many spiritually
subordinate beings, are surrounded in the spiritual world by a number
of spiritual beings who are always subordinate to their respective
Hierarchies. The higher Spirits also have their attendant
Nature-spirits — the Spirits of Will: the Undines; the
Cherubim: the Sylphs; the Seraphim: the Salamanders. The abnormal
Spirits of Form who are really Spirits of Movement and who appear as
hideous spiritual Beings on the astral plane also have their
subordinate spirits. They are the spirits who are actively engaged in
whatsoever is associated with the genesis of the human races, in that
which in man is associated with the earth-bound, with the propagation
of race and the like. These beings, indeed this whole domain is one
of the most variegated and dangerous of the astral world and —
this is the appropriate moment to call attention to it — it is
the one most easily contacted by those who attain to clairvoyant
vision by erroneous methods. The hosts of these spirits who are
associated with the propagation of the race, who serve that purpose,
are those most easily perceived. Many a one who has entered into the
occult realm prematurely or in the wrong way has had to pay dearly
for it because he encountered this host of spiritual beings without
the harmonizing influence of the other spiritual Beings.
Thus
we have been able to throw light upon that which weaves on the loom
of Reality in order to produce this tapestry from which the pattern
of man's psychic life emerges. Tomorrow we will discuss in
further detail how this cosmic pattern which we have touched upon
today is reflected in the origin and development of races and
peoples.
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