LECTURE
SEVEN
KNOWLEDGE
OF THE WORLD OF STARS. DIFFERENTIATION OF THE HISTORICAL EPOCHS
OF MANKIND AND THEIR SPIRITUAL BACKGROUND
Blackboard Drawing 8, August 18, 1924
In the last
lecture we saw how man learns to command his different life-periods
and to review them with spiritual vision. He thus attains to
Inspiration through which he can raise his consciousness step by step
to full communion with the world of stars. This world must be
understood, of course, as an expression, a revelation, of purely
spiritual beings and purely spiritual facts.
In order to
open the doors to the spiritual world and to undertake investigations
into that world, strenuous efforts must be made to develop the
necessary states of consciousness and the necessary psychic
condition. We should not harbour the illusion that we can achieve
spiritual insight through the instrument of normal
consciousness.
A few
specific examples will serve to illustrate my point. Before
indicating the potential sources of error in spiritual
investigations, I should like to make the following
introductory remarks.
When a
person undertakes serious spiritual training which unlocks the doors
to the spiritual world and enables him to perceive — and if I
may use the expression — to hold converse with the spiritual
world, he realizes that the historical evolution of mankind
shows wide differentiations, notable differences of spiritual
background.
Our present
epoch which we may call the Michael epoch for reasons which I shall
indicate later, begins in the last third of the nineteenth century,
in the eighteen-seventies approximately. This epoch was preceded by
an epoch that lasted for three or four centuries. To those with
spiritual knowledge this earlier epoch was totally different in
character. This epoch, in its turn, was preceded by another,
again of an entirely different nature. When, therefore, with
Initiation-knowledge we look back into the past, we find that
particular epochs evoke totally different impressions. I have no wish
to describe these impressions in the abstract; I should like to
illustrate them by concrete examples.
In the
course of these lectures I have spoken of personalities who
played their various rôles in the evolution of humanity. I have
mentioned, for example, Brunetto Latini, the famous teacher of Dante,
the teachers of the School of Chartres, Bernardus Silvestris, Alanus
ab Insulis and Joachim of Fiore. And I could speak of hundreds
of other personalities of the ninth to the twelfth centuries
and even of the thirteenth century. Each of these personalities was
characteristic of his epoch.
When a
person who wishes to investigate the history of mankind from the
standpoint of Spiritual Science studies, for example, the epoch of
Dante or Giotto, i.e. the pre-Renaissance epoch, he feels that
it is imperative to consort in the spiritual world with human beings,
with discarnate human souls; he must meet face to face,
metaphorically speaking, the human souls living between death and
rebirth. In Initiation-knowledge we have a definite feeling that our
spiritual relationship to an individuality such as Brunetto Latini
must be as personal as our relationship to our fellowmen in the
physical world. I have tried to suggest this in the descriptions I
have already given. Therefore in speaking of Joachim of Fiore and
Brunetto Latini I depicted this epoch in such a way that it was
evident that I felt the need to give my characterization as far as
possible a personal touch.
In the
following epoch which extends to the last third of the nineteenth
century, the situation is quite different. In this epoch there is
much less need for the Initiate to enter personally or individually
into relationship with the discarnate souls we wish to contact.
We would prefer to see them in their total environment; we do not
feel the need to approach them directly, but rather to make contact
with them in some way through earthly knowledge, through ordinary
consciousness.
You will
forgive me if, at this point, I introduce something from direct
personal experience. In this case, the personal experience is
entirely objective. The epoch preceding our own was the age of Goethe
and for decades I was engaged in the study of his works. I
particularly wanted to approach Goethe in the first place through his
scientific writings and through natural science in general. Only in
later years did the need arise to have direct contact with him as a
spiritual being in the spiritual world. But it was first necessary to
experience him after his death in his total relationship to the
Cosmos as a stellar being, so to speak, not as an individual
personality. On the other hand, when we wish to make spiritual
contact with a personality such as Brunetto Latini, or with those who
were concerned with the study of nature in that epoch, we feel an
immediate need to exchange ideas and opinions with them personally,
in intimate spiritual communion.
This is a
very important distinction and is connected with the fact that the
inner spiritual character of the two epochs is totally different.
Today we are living in an age when man, indeed the whole of humanity,
has a unique opportunity of apprehending spiritual truths
directly, an age when Initiation Science becomes common property.
This epoch which has only just begun must not be permitted to run its
course without a spiritual recognition on the part of the cultured
classes of the major facts which are accessible to them, not mundane,
physico-sensible facts, but spiritual facts. From now on our epoch
must energetically pursue a spiritual science that is directly
associated with the spiritual world, otherwise mankind will not be
able to fulfil its appointed task. We must enter more and more into a
spiritual epoch.
In the
preceding epoch other forces exercised a predominant influence
in human evolution. And when we speak from the standpoint of genuine
stellar knowledge we are able to say: in the epoch upon which we
entered in the seventies of last century, it is above all the
spiritual forces emanating from the Sun which must exercise a major
influence in everything in the psychic and physical life, in science,
religion and art. In our epoch the influence and activity of
the Sun forces must become progressively more widespread.
For those
with real knowledge the Sun is not the globe of gas described by
modern physics, but an aggregate of spiritual beings. And the
most important spiritual beings, who radiate the spiritual, as the
sunlight radiates physically and etherically, are grouped round a
Being who, in accordance with ancient Christian-Pagan or
Christian-Judaic terminology, may be designated as the Michael
being. Michael works from the Sun. The spiritual influences from the
Sun can also be called the influences of Michael and his
hosts.
In the epoch
preceding our own it was not the Sun forces, but the Moon forces
which were the driving forces behind man's life, activity and search
for knowledge. The Moon forces were the driving forces behind the
epoch which ended in the eighteen-seventies after lasting for three
or four centuries.
In this
epoch the leading beings who influenced the evolution of Earth and
man were grouped round a Being called Gabriel, to adopt the ancient
terminology. We could equally well choose another name — the
terminology is of minor importance — but it would be best to
keep to the name Gabriel, in accordance with the Christian-Judaic
tradition.
Thus, in the
way I have indicated, we are made aware of the spiritual activity in
man that is derived from the world of stars. If, through
Initiation-knowledge, we ascertain what works in man from birth to
the change of teeth, we gain insight into the activities of the Moon
in the Cosmos, in other words, through the inspired retrospective
survey of the first years of childhood, we acquire knowledge of the
Gabriel epoch when the Moon influences are particularly
active.
On the other
hand, in order to perceive the peculiar characteristics of an
epoch such as our own, we must be more mature, have reached the
forties and be able to look back upon the formative forces within us
between our twentieth and fortieth years, or more precisely, between
the ages of twenty-one and forty-two. Consequently, in the epoch
preceding our own it was the very young children who played a
decisive rôle in the cosmic direction of the world. The forces of the
Gabriel epoch were already foreshadowed in the impulses operative in
early childhood. In our epoch it is the men in their twenties or
thirties who are destined to receive the impulses from the Sun
forces; it is the adults who have a vitally important part to play in
the cosmic guidance of the whole world.
These facts
are the practical consequence of direct spiritual perception
which I described to you the day before yesterday. They are not empty
theories, but fruits of actual perception. You will realize,
therefore, that for an understanding of the Gabriel epoch which
preceded the present Michael age there was no particular need to
encounter personally the discarnate souls of that epoch. One
felt like a little child face to face with a grown-up, because one
had to confront these souls with the inspired perception of the
earliest years of childhood.
It is quite
different when we are investigating the preceding epoch, the
epoch of Alanus ab Insulis, Bernardus Silvestris, Joachim of
Fiore, John of Hanville and Brunetto Latini. This age was dominated
by forces which man acquires when he reviews in retrospect what is
working within him in the period between the change of teeth and
puberty. These are the Mercury forces. He experiences something of
extraordinary significance when, starting from this life-period, he
develops the corresponding organs for perception of the spiritual.
Between the time of the change of teeth and puberty man is a child
who is eager to learn, and when he perceives with the organ of this
life-period, he experiences once again the child's enthusiasm. Hence
he wishes to encounter personally those who belong to this epoch. And
he does so with the knowledge born of Initiation. He would like
to confront a personality such as Brunetto Latini just as a
child of ten or twelve confronts his superior, his teacher or
instructor.
When man
possesses true Initiation-knowledge he is not unconscious of things
of the phenomenal world. He is both an adult and a child eager for
knowledge. He confronts Brunetto Latini on a footing of equality, yet
with an intense eagerness to learn from him.
The
Initiation-knowledge of the age back from the fifteenth to the
eleventh century takes its particular colouring from this
relationship. It is an age in which the main impulses for the Earth
and humanity are given by Mercury.
The Being
round whom everything revolved, the Being of special significance in
this age, was known under the ancient name of Raphael. Raphael is
Mercury in the age that preceded the Renaissance, the age of Dante
and Giotto. We feel we would like to know personally precisely those
who are little known to history, those whose names are not
recorded.
When we are
familiar with the teachings of Spiritual Science this epoch evokes in
us a strange response. First, we are annoyed that the text-books have
so little to say about Brunetto Latini or men such as Alanus ab
Insulis; we should like to be given more historical facts. Then, as
we extend our horizon, we are glad and thankful that orthodox history
is silent. For the documentation of external history is only
fragmentary. Imagine how our epoch would appear in the eyes of
posterity if newspaper articles on the subsidiary branches of
historical knowledge were held to be the sole valid testimony. We can
only be thankful that we are not disturbed by the limited information
given in encyclopaedias about these personalities. And with all
the means at the disposal of the Anthroposophical Society today, we
try to make spiritual contact with these men and report all that can
be ascertained about them from the standpoint of Spiritual
Science.
In this
context it is most important to be in touch with those personalities
who were associated with nature knowledge in the Raphael epoch.
A deeper knowledge of nature, a deeper understanding of medicine can
be communicated through many a personality who, to clairvoyant
perception, emerges out of the spiritual twilight of this age (from
the ninth to the fifteenth centuries) and can inform us of the
current conceptions of matter and of the current ideas of man's
relationship to the whole Cosmos. When we look into this age with
spiritual vision, we meet with many personalities who are
unknown because their names have not been handed down to posterity,
yet these personalities exist in reality. Many of these personalities
appear before us and we say: there stands “Paracelsus
major,” but we have no record of his name, whilst
“Paracelsus minor” lived in a later age, in the Gabriel
epoch, and had reminiscences of the nature wisdom of Paracelsus
major, though no longer in the pure, sublime and spiritual form of
Paracelsus major.
Then
“Jacob Boehme minor” appears before us in the later
Gabriel epoch. And again we say: This personality proclaimed sublime
truths which he learned from various traditional teachings and which
gave stimulus to his inspiration. When “Jacob Boehme
major” who is not known to posterity and whose name is only
mentioned occasionally, like those of Alanus ab Insulis and Brunetto
Latini, appears before us, then for the first time we really
understand “Jacob Boehme minor.” The Pre-Renaissance
epoch, at the close of which the famous figures of Dante and Brunetto
Latini, and the School of Chartres, stand out like solitary
luminaries, whilst Scotus Erigena appears like some erratic boulder
in their midst — this epoch contains something that can provide
powerful spiritual stimulus. External, medieval history is shrouded
in darkness, but this darkness conceals the presence of
powerful personalities who can illumine the epoch of which I have
just spoken.
When we
enter into the Raphael epoch, from the ninth to the fifteenth centuries,
[See note, below]
then the figures of a Dante, a Giotto and especially those whose names are
unknown to posterity, as well as the others I have mentioned, appear
to stand out in bold relief. They make an immediate human impression
upon us. Raphael himself, who was never incarnated in a physical
body, remains more in the background, and other spiritual beings who
permanently inhabit the spiritual world are less sharply defined in
this epoch. It is the human beings, the deceased in particular, who
stand out in bold relief.
[In
a note book of Rudolf Steiner, under the date of 18th August, 1924
(“Morning lecture, Torquay”) the following entry was made
in connection with the Archangel epochs:
1879 |
- |
1510 |
|
Gabriel |
Moon |
1510 |
- |
1190 |
|
Samael |
Mars |
1190 |
- |
850 |
|
Raphael |
Mercury |
850 |
- |
500 |
|
Zachariel |
Jupiter |
500 |
- |
150 |
|
Anael |
Venus |
150 |
- |
200 |
|
Oriphiel |
Saturn |
]
In the
following Gabriel epoch we have the impression that even figures such
as Goethe, Spencer, Lord Byron and Voltaire are leading a shadowy
existence in the spiritual world. Through spiritual perception, on
the other hand, we become aware of beings of signal grandeur who
leave an impression of the superhuman, rather than the human. They
exist today and the Moon sphere is their permanent abode, as the
Earth is ours between birth and death. These impressive figures
attract our attention, whilst the human souls recede more into the
background. We learn from these figures that they were once united to
the Earth as we human beings are today. Whilst human beings live in
their physical bodies, these Moon beings formerly lived on Earth in
subtle, ethereal bodies. And we realize that we are in the presence
of beings who, in primordial times, were associated with humanity and
were the spiritual Teachers of mankind on Earth. When their tasks on
Earth were fulfilled, they withdrew to the Moon sphere and are
no longer associated with the Earth today.
You know
from my book
Occult Science,
that the Moon was once a cosmic
body united with the Earth and later split off from the Earth. These
beings accompanied the Moon after its separation and later became
inhabitants of the Moon sphere. At the stage of knowledge, therefore,
which enables us to be in touch with the dead immediately after their
death, we enter a world where, because we still retain the earlier
knowledge of normal consciousness, we are surrounded by the men
whom we recognize today in normal waking consciousness to have been
physical men on Earth; then, when we enter into this other
consciousness, we learn to realize more and more that we are in the
presence of spiritual beings who belong to the Moon sphere even as we
belong to the Earth. They are omnipresent and take an interest in
human affairs, but not from the physical point of view of men
today.
Among these
beings who were once the great Teachers of mankind and who no longer
dwell on Earth, but — if we may use the expression — are
inhabitants of the Moon sphere, are to be found beings of surpassing
grandeur and of the highest spiritual development, filled with inner,
spiritual majesty. Very much can be learnt from them concerning the
mysteries of the Cosmos. Their knowledge far transcends the knowledge
within reach of ordinary consciousness. But they cannot express this
knowledge in abstract thoughts. When we draw near to them, we are met
with the full tide of song; they express everything through poetry
and artistic images. In their own way they delight and enchant us
with sublime harmonies unknown to Homer and the ancient Indian epics.
But deep wisdom lies in all that these beings conjure up before
us.
There are
however less perfect beings amongst them. Just as on Earth there are
pleasant or unpleasant characters, so amongst these other beings can
be found those who have not attained the majesty and perfection of
their companions. None the less, they have reached a certain stage of
perfection because they became their pupils and disciples and
so were able to leave the Earth sphere to live and continue working
in the Moon sphere. When, to use a trivial expression, we
contact these beings, we are immediately aware that they have a
burning interest in earthly affairs, but their interest is of a
wholly different kind.
You must not
imagine these beings to be unsympathetic, rather uninviting figures.
Although, compared with their companions, they are imperfect, they
far transcend the level of distinction, cleverness and insight that
contemporary man can attain with normal consciousness. At all times
they share the habits of their companions; but they have
different habits and tendencies from those of the ordinary man
today.
I should now
like to enter into the details of a matter of some importance. When
we enter into relationship with such beings, we naturally feel the
need to exchange opinions, to confer with them about one thing
or another — these expressions are, of necessity, somewhat
trivial. Let us assume, to take a concrete example, we are conferring
with these beings about writing, the written works of men. One man,
we will suppose, has simply written down his name, the other has
written his signature or monogram.
When we
discuss these questions with these beings, they reply: you men are
interested in what is of least importance — in the
primary meaning of a word, in what “blacksmith” or
“coiffeur,” for example, signify. It is far more
interesting to observe the particular movements of the writer as
these words are written down, how everyone writes differently
— rapidly or laboriously, skilfully or clumsily,
mechanically or artistically. — These beings pay close
attention to man's particular behaviour-pattern when he is writing.
This is what interests them.
And in the
spiritual world of which I am now speaking, these beings also have
their adherents — various kinds of spiritual entities who no
longer live on Earth, and who rank sometimes below, sometimes above
man. They give us no guidance on terminology or nomenclature, but
advise on the pattern and form of writing which mankind has developed
since these beings were on Earth. Writing, in our sense of the term,
did not exist when these beings were on Earth.
In their
intercourse with mankind they observed how writing gradually evolved.
They were interested in the dexterous movements of the fingers
and noted how the dexterity of the fingers was supplemented later on
by the addition of a quill pen and later a fountain pen. They had
little interest in what was committed to paper; they were wholly
engrossed in the movements entailed.
An
additional factor must now be taken into account —
existing emanations still surviving from the Earth have been largely
overlooked by mankind. They assume many forms: first of all, if I
include amongst them what I have just described, the movements
emanating from men. It is the movements emanating from the human
being which can be discussed with these beings.
Now in the
first place, this is something that does not lead to the real sphere
of these beings, for at the time they lived on Earth writing did not
yet exist. These beings are wildly ironical when they comment on the
limited capacity of man today to understand his fluid emanations.
These entities were very much aware of them, whilst modern man
ignores them. Thus, in the epoch when these beings were on Earth the
fluid emanations, the fluid emanations from the skin, were of vital
importance. One learned to recognize one's fellow-man through his
exhalations; this was later ignored.
The third
thing to which these beings are specially receptive, is skin
expiration, the aeriform element that emanates from man. All these
emanations, as we shall learn later, may assume a semi-spiritual
character. These beings are particularly receptive to these
emanations that proceed from man — the solid element in
writing, the watery element in skin evaporation, the aeriform element
in skin expiration. One must remember that man breathes perpetually
through his skin.
Fourthly,
these beings are receptive to warmth emanations. All these
things in so far as they exist on Earth have special significance for
these Moon beings. Man is judged by the configuration of his
movements in writing and by the particular nature of his
emanations.
The next
emanation is the ever-present light emanation. In every individual,
not only the aura, but also the physical and etheric bodies radiate
light. Under ordinary conditions these radiations are so dim as to be
invisible, but their existence has recently been demonstrated
by Moriz Benedikt in a specially constructed dark room. He showed
that the physical body is surrounded by a subtle aura of red,
yellow and blue light emanations which vary at different places round
the body. Moriz Benedikt tells us how he demonstrated the coloured
aura. He showed the left side of the body under normal conditions of
light and the other side under conditions that revealed the aura.
Everything depends upon establishing the proper experimental
conditions.
The sixth
emanation is the emanation of the chemical forces and is found only
in rare and exceptional cases on Earth today. It is of course always
present, but operates only in the rare cases when black magic is
practised. When men become conscious of their chemical emanations and
exploit them; black magic is being practised on Earth.
The seventh
kind of emanation is the direct spiritual life emanation or vital
radiation. The use of chemical emanations today invariably
degenerates into black magic which is odious and evil. Whilst black
magic is a force to be reckoned with, the life emanations are no less
important. These Moon beings of whom I am speaking, can, for their
part, always rely upon and work with the life emanations and use them
for good. They are not black magicians, for black magicians are those
who under certain conditions succumb to evil and perpetrate evil on
Earth. But the Moon beings can only rely upon the life
emanations at Full Moon, when they can dwell in the Sun's reflected
light and are subject to its influences. We must learn to make
creative use of what we receive from the spiritual world. The task of
our age is to find living ideas, to develop living concepts,
perceptions and feelings and not to invoke dead theories. And
these are directly inspired by the beings who are united with the
Being whom we call Michael.
In the
previous Gabriel epoch mankind was more attracted to the material
world. Men were unwilling to seek contact with the beings who, under
certain circumstances, are closely related to man, because these
beings were concerned with something rather alien to that epoch,
namely, the occult emanations that proceed from human
beings.
Adjoining
the physical world that we inhabit between birth and death is a
spiritual world, where we are in touch with the dead in the manner
already described. But this world has many other aspects, amongst
them the virtue of those forces that live in the emanations of man.
In a certain sense this is a highly dangerous region of the Cosmos,
and as I have often mentioned in these lectures, we must have psychic
and spiritual balance and control in order to ensure that all that
proceeds from these Moon beings may become a force for good and not
for evil.
Indeed, all
the forces and impulses of the present epoch must hasten to turn to
account the life emanations on Earth. But it is so fatally easy to
fall victim to that which lies between this life emanation and all
the other emanations we should be only too happy to possess —
to fall victim to black magic. Men would so much like to make visible
what is expressed in movements — I shall speak of this later
— what is present in the fluid emanation, in the light
emanation. All this is related to a certain extent to the forces for
good and can only make for goodness, because the Michael age is
dawning amongst men. Between all this lies black magic that must be
resisted if we are to pursue the right methods of spiritual
investigation.
- Movements emanating from men.
- Skin emanations of the fluid element.
- Skin emanations of the air element.
- Warmth emanation.
- Light emanation.
- Emanation of chemical forces (black magic).
- Life emanation.
Now when
this intercourse takes place in the spiritual world between human
beings on Earth and the Moon beings — and it is continually
taking place in the realm of the subconscious — then the
interest which certain Moon beings develop in the movements of
writing and drawing, and which is revealed clairvoyantly, may also
find an echo in certain elementary beings of the spiritual world.
Elementary beings are of a lower order than Moon beings. They never
incarnate on Earth, but live in the adjacent world as
spiritual-etheric beings. Their interest in the world of man
may have the following consequence. — From observation we are
aware that the thoughts which a human being communicates
through writing react upon his whole being. They first present in his
Ego, are then transmitted to the astral body which executes its
movements exactly as the Ego determines. Next they work into the
etheric body and down into the physical body. Certain elementary
beings observe these effects and long to react in the same way. This
is not possible, because the laws obtaining in their world are
different from those of the world in which writing is
practised. Writing is the prerogative of the physical world of
man on Earth.
But the
following situation can arise. Certain types of people, when they
write or think or even feel, are firmly anchored in their etheric
body; the whole etheric body is involved in the process, which then
impresses itself strongly in the physical body. In the case of these
types of people the Ego is suppressed and their astral, etheric and
physical bodies produce a facsimile of writing and drawing. These
types are mediums.
Because
their Ego is suppressed such mediums take up into themselves these
malleable elementary beings of the spiritual world who have learned
the movements of writing from the Moon beings. Then these mediums
proceed to execute the movements of writing, not in full
Ego-consciousness, but under the influence of the elementary
beings that control them. Mediumistic writing and drawing and the
usual mediumistic phenomena are brought about through the emanations
of the medium in a state of diminished consciousness. These
emanations are utilized by the control.
The second
kind of emanation can be used by certain beings who, under the
influence of the Moon beings, readily assimilate the artistic talents
of man. These beings also enter into those human beings who have
damped down their surface consciousness and who have a certain
artistic impetus in their etheric and astral bodies which can be
canalized into the emanations. Under certain conditions it is highly
interesting to observe how this type of human being can become
possessed by elementary-spiritual beings and how these emanations are
invaded by seemingly phantom forms that are in part a composite of
man's perception of his life experiences which has slipped down
into his etheric and astral bodies and which appears in the
emanations; and in part, communications from the world inhabited
solely by the elementary beings who have entered into
him.
Now similar
results were obtained from the experiments of Schrenk-Notzing. The
subjects of his experiments were certain mediumistic types, negative
psychics, who, in a state of diminished consciousness, when the Ego
had been suppressed, were ideal material for elementary beings
by virtue of their fluid skin emanations. There is an interesting
book on the subject by Schrenk-Notzing. Some condemned it as
fraudulent, others gave it high praise. It is not surprising that the
latter regarded his findings as extraordinary; for it is
extraordinary that, when experiments are made with a medium,
ectoplasm issues from a certain part of the body, a form that
embodies a spiritual element not to be found on Earth. In many cases
there is found associated with the form a picture which the medium
recently saw in an illustrated paper. Something streams out of the
medium. It is the skin emanation. And into this there streams
something wholly spiritual; but associated with this was something
that the medium recently saw in an illustrated paper or comic
journal, for example, a portrait of Poincaré.
It need not
surprise us that people are amazed at such things. But we are indeed
most surprised that fashionable people, people of good taste, and
even ladies, who would be most unwilling to speak about skin
exudations or to discuss psychic materialisations, nevertheless feel
an inordinate desire to watch the medium who materializes these
ectoplasmic forms out of nothing but ordinary sweat.
The
phenomena in Schrenk-Notzing's experiments are simply exudations
which materialize through the skin emanations an ectoplasmic form
that is activated by the elementary beings.
In the same
way the skin emanations, i.e. the air formations issuing from
the medium, can be stimulated by certain elementary beings. But these
skin emanations are so closely associated with the particular human
form and man impresses his own human form so strongly upon them, that
for the most part these beings cannot do much more than create a
phantom of the man himself. We then witness those phenomena where the
phantom issues from the medium.
It is not so
easy to produce warmth and light emanations from the human being so
that the medium manifests something, i.e. the visible phantom, that
can be acted upon by these elementary beings under the influence of
Moon beings. Certain preliminary steps must first be
undertaken.
As I have
already indicated, natural science has recently developed a technique
which can demonstrate in a dark room certain light radiations and
warmth emanations. In this respect the experiments of Moriz Benedikt
are most illuminating. But it has always been the case, and it
is still true today, that only those can utilize effectively warmth
and light emanations who undertake the preliminary steps which not
only involve manipulating the physical world through black magic, but
also include the production of hallucinogenic effects by means
of special incense-burning and aromas, and the preparation of
specific concoctions, and so forth. This is the origin of all those
magical practices which are fully described in the old books of
magic.
The purpose
of these magical ceremonies is to evoke the forces inherent in the
light and warmth emanations of man. In the writings of Eliphas Levi
and also in those of Encausse who wrote under the name of Papus you
can find highly questionable and dangerous instructions on this
subject but we cannot afford to ignore them since we must speak about
the objective aspect, the true nature, of these things.
All these
things lead directly to black magic which makes use of the spiritual
concealed within the earthly element. What is this spiritual element?
You will find in my book
Occult Science — an Outline
that at one time the Moon was united with the Earth. Many forces
belonging to the Moon were left behind on Earth and are now diffused
through minerals, plants and animals. And these Moon forces are still
to be found there. When therefore, we, as terrestrial beings, make
use of Moon forces which do not normally belong to minerals, plants,
animals and man, we trespass into the realm where we meet with
elementary beings who have learned much from the Moon beings, but in
a way that is foreign to our world. The black magician, therefore,
employs Moon forces that still exist on Earth. But because he works
in this way he contacts elementary beings who, as it were, watch
— as one watches a game of halma or chess — the right and
proper relationships between human beings and Moon beings and so
learn to draw very near to the physical world, to peer into the
physical world or even to set foot in it. But the normal human being
in whom all this remains in the subconscious has no contact with
these beings. The black magician, however, who works with the Moon
forces, who has captured them in his retorts and crucibles is caught
in a vortex of those elementary beings.
Even an
honest and upright man can learn from these black magicians. In
Faust, Part I, Goethe portrayed a condition where man is
the centre of whirling forces, a condition that is dangerously
near to black magic. By exploiting these forces man enters into the
region where entities in the service of the Moon beings are ready to
associate with human beings. Thus centres of black magic arise where
Moon forces cooperate with spirits who have entered directly
into their service, a service that makes for evil. And because many
activities of this kind have been practised in recent centuries, a
dangerous atmosphere has been created in the Earth. This dangerous
atmosphere is undeniably there and is transfused with multitudinous
forces that are born of a union of human activities with Moon
elements and of dynamic Moon forces with elementary beings in the
service of illicit Moon forces. It is this region that is actively
opposed to all that is destined to proceed from the Sun region in the
Michael age. And this must be taken into special consideration in
relation to the life emanation in the sphere of the soul and
spirit.
From this
point we will pursue our enquiries further tomorrow.
- Emanations from human beings-mediumistic power
- Skin emanations of the fluid element-materialization
- Skin emanation-manifestation of the phantom
- Warmth emanation
- Light emanation
- Emanation of chemical forces (black magic)
- Life emanation
Michael — Sun
Gabriel — Moon
Raphael — Mercury
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