Cosmic Memory
GA 11
xvi. Life on the Moon
[ 1 ] In the universal era of the Moon, which follows that of the Sun, man develops the third of his seven states of consciousness. The first had developed during the seven Saturn cycles, the second during the Sun development; the fourth is that which man is at present developing during the course of the earth; three others will come into being on subsequent planets. The condition of consciousness of Saturn man cannot be compared with any state of consciousness of present-day man, for it was duller than that of dreamless sleep. The Sun consciousness, however, can be compared to this condition of dreamless sleep, or to the present consciousness of the sleeping plant world. But in all these instances one is dealing only with similarities. It would be quite erroneous to think that in the great universal eras anything repeats itself in a completely identical manner.
[ 1 ] It is to be understood in this way if the Moon consciousness is now compared with one with which it has some similarity, namely with that of dream-filled sleep. Man attains the so-called image consciousness on the Moon. The similarity consists in that in the Moon consciousness as well as in dream consciousness, images arise within a being which have a certain relation to objects and beings of the outside world. But these images are not likenesses of these objects and beings as in present-day man when he is awake. The dream images are echoes of the experiences of the day, or symbolical expressions for events in the dreamer's environment, or for what is taking place in the interior of the dreaming person. Examples of these three types of dream experiences are easy to give. First, everyone knows those dreams which are nothing but confused images of more or less remote daily experiences. An example of the second type would be if the dreamer thinks he perceives a passing train and then, upon awakening, realizes that it was the ticking of the watch lying beside him which was perceptible in this dream image. An example of the third kind is that it seems to someone that he is in a room where ugly animals are sitting on the ceiling, and upon awaking from this dream he realizes that it was his own headache which expressed itself in this way.
[ 1 ] If one now wants to attain a conception of the Moon consciousness on the basis of such confused dream images, one must realize that while the image-like character is also present there, complete regularity instead of confusion and arbitrariness prevails. It is true that the images of the Moon consciousness have even less similarity than the dream images to the objects to which they are related, but on the other hand there is a complete correspondence of image and object. At present in the earth development, the conception is a likeness of its object; thus for instance the conception “table” is a likeness of the table itself. This is not the case with the Moon consciousness. Assume, for instance, that the Moon man approaches an object which to him is pleasing or advantageous. Then a colored image of a light tone arises in his soul; when something harmful or displeasing comes near him, he beholds an ugly, dark image. The conception is not a likeness. but a symbol of the object which corresponds to it in a quite definite and regular way. Hence the being which has such symbolical conceptions can direct its life in accordance with them.
[ 1 ] The inner life of man's ancestor on the Moon thus took its course in images which have the character of the volatile, the floating and the symbolical in common with dreams of today, but are distinguished from these dreams by their completely regular character.
[ 2 ] The basis for the development of this image consciousness in man's ancestors on the Moon was the formation of a third member in addition to the physical body and the ether body. This third member is called the astral body.
[ 1 ] This formation, however, only occurred in the third smaller Moon cycle—the so-called third Moon round. The first two revolutions of the Moon must be seen merely as a repetition of what took place on Saturn and on the Sun. But this repetition must not be imagined as a re-enactment of all the events which took place on Saturn and on the Sun. That which repeats itself, namely the development of a physical body and of an ether body, at the same time is subject to such a transformation that in the third Moon cycle these two members of the nature of man can be united with the astral body, a union which could not have taken place on the Sun.
[ 1 ] In the third Moon period-actually the process already starts around the middle of the second-the Spirits of Motion pour the astral element out of their own nature into the human body. During the fourth cycle—from the middle of the third onward—the Spirits of Form shape this astral body in such a way that its form, its whole organization can develop inner processes. These processes have the character of what at present in animals and man is called instinct, desire—or the appetitive nature. From the middle of the fourth Moon cycle onward, the Spirits of Personality begin with their principal task in the fifth Moon era: they inoculate the astral body with selfhood, as they have done in the preceding cosmic eras with respect to the physical and the ether body. But in order for the physical and the ether body to be so far advanced that they can harbor an independent astral body, at the time indicated, that is, in the middle of the fourth Moon cycle, they must first be brought to this point by the shaping spirits in the successive stages of development. This takes place in the following manner. The physical body is brought to the necessary maturity in the first course of the Moon (round) by the Spirits of Motion, in the second by those of Form, in the third by those of Personality, in the fourth by the Spirits of Fire, and in the fifth by those of Twilight. To be exact, this labor of the Spirits of Twilight takes place from the middle of the fourth Moon cycle onward, so that at the same time that the Spirits of Personality are engaged on the astral body the same is the case with the Spirits of Twilight with respect to the physical body.
[ 1 ] In regard to the ether body the following is the case. Its necessary qualities are implanted in it in the first course of the Moon by the Spirits of Wisdom, in the second by those of Motion, in the third by those of Form, in the fourth by those of Personality, and in the fifth by those of Fire. To be exact, this activity of the Fire Spirits takes place concurrently with the labor of the Spirits of Personality on the astral body, that is, from the middle of the fourth course of the Moon, onward into the fifth.
[ 3 ] If one considers the entire ancestor of man as he developed on the Moon at that time, there is this to be said: Starting from the middle of the fourth Moon cycle, man consists of a physical body in which the Sons of Twilight perform their labor, of an ether body in which the Spirits of Fire perform theirs, and finally of an astral body in which the Spirits of Personality perform theirs.
[ 1 ] That the Spirits of Twilight work on the physical body of man in this period of development, means that they now rise to the level of humanity, as did the Spirits of Personality in the same cycle on Saturn and the Fire Spirits on the Sun. One must imagine that the “sensory germs” of the physical body, which by that time have become further developed, can be used by the Spirits of Twilight from the middle of the fourth course of the Moon onward in order to perceive external objects and events on the Moon. Only on the earth will man be so far advanced that, from the middle of the fourth cycle onward, he can make use of these senses. On the other hand, around the middle of the fifth course of the Moon, he reaches the point where he can be engaged unconsciously on the physical body. Through this activity in the dullness of his consciousness he creates for himself the first germinal predisposition to what is called “spirit self” (Manas). This “spirit self” attains its full unfolding in the course of the subsequent development of mankind. In its union with Atma, the “spirit-man,” and with Buddhi, the “life-spirit,” it is what later forms the higher, spiritual part of man. As on Saturn the Thrones or Spirits of Will permeated the “spirit-man” (Atma), and as on the Sun the Cherubim permeated the life-spirit (Buddhi) with wisdom, so now the Seraphim accomplish this for the “spirit-self” (Manas). They permeate it, and thereby implant in it a capacity which at later stages of development—on the earth—becomes that conceptualizing faculty of man by means of which, as a thinking being, he can enter into a relation with the world which surrounds him.
[ 1 ] From the middle of the sixth course of the Moon onward, the “life-spirit” (Buddhi), from the middle of the seventh onward, the “spirit-man” (Atma) appear again, and these unite with the “spirit-self,” so that at the end of the whole Moon era the “higher man” has been prepared. Then, together with all else that has developed on the Moon, the latter sleeps through a period of rest (Pralaya), in order to continue the course of his development on the earth planet.
[ 1 ] While from the middle of the fifth Moon cycle onward into the sixth, man is working on his physical body in dullness, the Spirits of Twilight are engaged on his ether body. As has been shown, through their work on the physical body in the preceding epoch (round), they have now prepared themselves for relieving the Fire Spirits in the ether body, who in turn take over from the Spirits of Personality the work on the astral body. At this time, these Spirits of Personality have ascended to higher spheres.
[ 1 ] The work of the Spirits of Twilight on the ether body means that they connect their own states of consciousness with the images of the consciousness of the ether body. They thereby implant in these images the joy and the pain which are caused by things. On the Sun the scene of their corresponding activity had still been the merely physical body. Hence joy and pain were there connected only with the functions of this body and with its conditions. Now this becomes different. Joy and pain now become attached to the symbols which arise in the ether body. In the dim human consciousness the Spirits of Twilight thus experience a world of emotions. This is the same world of emotions which man will experience for himself in his earth consciousness.
[ 1 ] At the same time, the Fire Spirits are active in the astral body. They enable it to carry on an active perception and feeling of the environment. Joy and pain, such as have been produced in the ether body by the Spirits of Twilight in the manner just described, have an inactive (passive) character; they present themselves as inactive mirrorings of the outside world. But what the Fire Spirits produce in the astral body are vivid emotions, love and hate, rage, fear, horror, stormy passions, instincts, impulses and so forth. Because the Spirits of Personality (the Asuras) have previously inoculated this astral body with their nature, these emotions now appear with the character of selfhood, of separateness. One must now represent to oneself how at that time the ancestor of man is constituted on the Moon. He has a physical body through which in dullness he develops a “spirit self” (Manas). He has an ether body, through which the Twilight Spirits feel joy and pain; and finally he possesses an astral body which, through the Fire Spirits, is moved by impulses, emotions, and passions. But these three members of the Moon man still completely lack the object consciousness. In the astral body images flow and ebb, and in these there glow the emotions named above. When the thinking object consciousness will make its appearance on the earth, this astral body will be the subordinate carrier or the instrument of conceptual thinking. Now however, it unfolds in its own entire independence on the Moon. In itself it is more active here, more agitated than later on the earth. If one wishes to characterize it, one can say that it is an animal man. As such, it is on a higher level than the present-day animals of earth. It possesses the qualities of animality in a more complete way. In a certain respect these are more savage and unbridled than present-day animal qualities. Therefore, at this stage of his existence, one can call man a being which in its development stands midway between present-day animals and man. If man had continued to advance in a straight line along this path of development, he would have become a wild, unrestrained being. The development of earth represents a toning down, a taming of the animal character in man. This is caused by the thinking consciousness.
[ 4 ] If, as he had developed on the Sun, man was called plant man, the man of the Moon can be called animal man. That the latter can develop presupposes that the environment also changes. It has been shown that the plant-man of the Sun could only develop because an independent mineral realm was established alongside the realm of this plant man. During the first two Moon eras (rounds) these two earlier realms, plant realm and mineral realm, again emerge from the darkness. They are changed only in that they both have become somewhat coarser and denser. During the third Moon era a part of the plant realm splits off. It does not take part in the transition to coarseness. It thereby provides the substance out of which the animal nature of man can be formed. It is this animal nature which, in its union with the more highly formed ether body and with the newly developed astral body, produces the threefold nature of man which we have described above. The entire plant world which had been formed on the Sun could not develop into animality. For animals require the plant for their existence. A plant world is the basis of an animal world. As the Sun man could only elevate himself into a plant by thrusting a portion of his companions down into a coarser mineral realm, so this is now the case with the animal man of the Moon. A portion of the beings which on the Sun still had the same plant nature as himself, he leaves behind him on the level of coarser plantlike-ness. As the animal man of the Moon is not like the animals of today, but rather stands midway between present animal and present man, so too the mineral of the Moon lies between the mineral of today and the plant of today. The mineral of the Moon is something plantlike. The Moon rocks are not stones in the sense of today; they have an animated, sprouting, growing character. Similarly, the Moon plant has a certain character of animality.
[ 5 ] The animal man of the Moon does not yet have firm bones. His skeleton is still cartilaginous. His whole nature is soft, compared to that of today. Hence his mobility too is different. His locomotion is not a walking, but rather a leaping, even a floating. This could be the case because the Moon of that time did not have a thin, airy atmosphere like that of present-day earth, but its envelope was considerably thicker, even denser than the water of today. He moved forward and backward, up and down in this viscous element. In this element also lived the minerals and animals from which he absorbed his nourishment. In this element was even contained the power which later on the earth was wholly transferred to the beings themselves—the power of fertilization. At that time man was not yet developed in the form of two sexes, but only in one. He was made out of his water air. But as everything in the world exists in transitional stages, in the last Moon periods, two-sexedness was already developing in a few animal man beings as a preparation for the later condition of the earth.
[ 6 ] The sixth and seventh Moon cycles represent a kind of ebbing of all the processes we have described, but also the development of a kind of over-ripe condition, until the whole enters the period of rest (Pralaya) in order to pass in sleep into the existence of earth.
[ 7 ] The development of the human astral body is connected with a certain cosmic process which must also be described here. When, after the period of rest which succeeds the cosmic era of the Sun, the latter again awakes and emerges from the darkness, then everything which lives on the thus developing planet still inhabits it as a whole. But this re-awakening Sun is nevertheless different from what it was before. Its substance is no longer luminous through and through, as it was previously; rather it now has darker portions. These separate out of the homogeneous mass, as it were. From the second cycle (round) onward, these portions appear more and more as an independent member; the Sun body thereby becomes biscuit-like. It consists of two parts, a considerably larger and a smaller one, which however are still attached to one another by a connecting link. In the third cycle these two bodies become completely separated. Sun and Moon are now two bodies, and the latter moves around the former in a circular orbit. Together with the Moon, all of the beings whose development has been described here, leave the Sun. The development of the astral body alone takes place on the split-off Moon. The cosmic process which we have characterized is the precondition of the further development described above. As long as the beings belonging to man absorbed their forces from their own solar habitat, their development could not attain the stage we have described. In the fourth cycle (round) the Moon is an independent planet, and what has been described concerning that period takes place on this Moon planet.
[ 8 ] Here again, we shall present the development of the Moon planet and of its beings in a clearly summarized form.
- The Moon is that planet on which man develops the image consciousness with its symbolical character.
- During the first two cycles (rounds) the Moon development of man is prepared through a kind of repetition of the Saturn and Sun processes.
- In the third cycle the human astral body comes into being through an outpouring of the Spirits of Motion.
- Concurrently with this process the Moon splits off from the re-awakened unified Sun body and revolves around the rest of the Sun. The development of the beings connected with man now takes place on the Moon.
- In the fourth cycle the Spirits of Twilight inhabit the human physical body and thereby elevate themselves to the level of humanity.
- The developing astral body is inoculated with independence by the Spirits of Personality (Asuras).
- In the fifth cycle man begins to work in dullness on his physical body. Thereby the “spirit self” (Manas) joins the already existing monad.
- In the ether body of man a kind of joy and pain develop during the Moon existence, which have a passive character. In the astral body on the other hand develop the emotions of rage, hate, the instincts, passions, and so forth.
- The two former realms, the plant and the mineral realm, which are thrust down to a lower level, are now joined by the animal realm, in which man himself exists at this time.
[ 9 ] Toward the end of the whole universal era the Moon approaches more and more closely to the Sun, and when the time of rest (Pralaya) begins, again the two have become united in a whole, which then passes through the stage of sleep in order to awaken in a new universal era, that of the earth.
XV. Das Leben dem Monde
[ 1 ] Im Weltzeitalter des Mondes, welches auf dasjenige der Sonne folgt, entwickelt der Mensch seinen dritten von den sieben Bewußtseinszuständen. Der erste hat sich während der sieben Saturnkreisläufe herausgebildet, der zweite während der Sonnenentwickelung; der vierte ist derjenige, den der Mensch eben jetzt während des Erdenlaufs allmählich entfaltet; drei weitere werden auf folgenden Planeten zum Dasein kommen. Den Bewußtseinszustand des Saturnmenschen kann man mit keinem solchen des gegenwartigen Menschen vergleichen, denn er war dumpfer als derjenige des traumlosen Schlafes. Das Sonnenbewußtsein aber ist diesem traumlosen Schlafzustand zu vergleichen oder auch dem gegenwärtigen Bewußtsein der €“ schlafenden €“ Pflanzenwelt. Doch hat man es da immer nur mit Ähnlichkeiten zu tun. Es wäre ganz unrichtig, wenn man glauben wollte, daß sich irgend etwas mit völliger Gleichheit in den großen Weltzeitaltern wiederhole. — So hat man es auch aufzufassen, wenn jetzt das Mondenbewußtsein mit demjenigen verglichen wird, mit dem es einige Ähnlichkeit hat, nämlich mit dem des traumerfüllten Schlafes. Es ist das sogenannte Bilderbewußtsein, bis zu dem es der Mensch auf dem Monde bringt. Die Ähnlichkeit besteht darin, daß sowohl beim Monden wie auch beim Traumbewußtsein im Innern des Wesens Bilder aufsteigen, welche ein gewisses Verhältnis haben zu Dingen und Wesen der Außenwelt. Doch sind diese Bilder nicht wie beim gegenwärtigen wachenden Menschen Abbilder dieser Dinge und Wesen. Die Traumbilder sind Nachklänge an die Tageserlebnisse oder sinnbildliche Ausdrücke für Vorgänge in der Umgebung des Träumers oder wohl auch für das, was im Innern der Persönlichkeit vorgeht, welche den Traum hat. Beispiele für die drei Fälle in den Traumerlebnissen sind leicht anzugeben. Zunächst kennt da jeder diejenigen Träume, die nichts weiter sind als verworrene Bilder von mehr oder weniger weit zurückliegenden Tageserlebnissen. Für den zweiten Fall ist ein Beispiel, wenn der Träumer glaubt einen vorübereilenden Eisenbahnzug wahrzunehmen und dann beim Aufwachen merkt, daß das Ticken der neben ihm liegenden Uhr sich in diesem Traumbild versinnlicht hat. Als Beispiel für die dritte Art von Traumbildern kann gelten, wenn jemandem vorkommt, er befinde sich in einem Gemache, das oben an der Decke häßliche Tiere beherbergt, und wenn ihm beim Erwachen aus diesem Traume klar wird, daß sich sein eigener Kopfschmerz in dieser Weise ausgedrückt hat. — Will man nun von solchen verworrenen Traumbildern aus zu einer Vorstellung des Mondenbewußtseins kommen, so muß man sich klarmachen, daß der Charakter der Bildhaftigkeit auch da vorhanden ist, daß aber an Stelle der Verworrenheit und Willkürlichkeit volle Regelmäßigkeit herrscht. Zwar haben die Bilder des Mondenbewußtseins eine noch geringere Ähnlichkeit mit den Gegenständen, auf die sie sich beziehen, als die Traumbilder: aber es findet dafür ein vollkommenes Entsprechen von Bild und Gegenstand statt. Gegenwärtig innerhalb der Erdenentwickelung handelt es sich darum, daß die Vorstellung ein Abbild ihres Gegenstandes ist, so ist zum Beispiel die Vorstellung «Tisch» ein Abbild des Tisches selbst. Dies ist nicht so beim Mondenbewußtsein. Man nehme zum Beispiel an, der Mondmensch nähere sich einem Dinge, das ihm sympathisch oder vorteilhaft ist. Dann steigt im Innern seiner Seele ein Farbenbild mit hellem Charakter auf; kommt etwas ihm Schädliches oder Unsympathisches in seine Nähe, dann hat er ein häßliches, finsteres Bild. Die Vorstellung ist nicht ein Abbild, sondern ein solches Sinnbild des Gegenstandes, das in ganz bestimmter gesetzmäßiger Art dem Gegenstand entspricht. Infolgedessen kann das Wesen, das solche sinnbildliche Vorstellung hat, sein Leben danach regeln. — das Seelenleben des Mondenvorfahren verlief also in Bildern, welche mit den gegenwärtigen Träumen das Flüchtige, Schwebende und Sinnbildliche gemein haben, sich aber von diesen durch den vollkommen gesetzmäßigen Charakter unterscheiden.
[ 2 ] Die Grundlage für die Entwickelung dieses Bilderbewußtseins bei den Menschenvorfahren des Mondes war die Bildung eines dritten Gliedes neben dem physischen Körper und dem Ätherleib. Man nennt dieses dritte Glied den Astralleib. — diese Bildung fand aber erst im dritten kleineren Mondkreislaufe — der sogenannten dritten Mondenrunde — statt. Die beiden ersten Mondenumläufe stellen sich lediglich als Wiederholung dessen dar, was auf Saturn und Sonne durchgemacht worden ist. Doch darf auch diese Wiederholung nicht so vorgestellt werden, als ob alle auf Saturn und Sonne vorgefallenen Tatsachen noch einmal abliefen. Was sich wiederholt: die Herausbildung eines physischen Körpers und eines Ätherleibes erfährt zugleich eine solche Umformung, daß diese beiden Glieder der Menschennatur im dritten Mondenkreislauf mit dem Astralleib verbunden werden können, was auf der Sonne noch nicht hätte stattfinden können. In der dritten Mondenperiode — eigentlich beginnt der Vorgang schon um die Mitte der zweiten — strömen die Geister der Bewegung das Astrale aus ihrer eigenen Natur in den Menschenleib hinein. Während des vierten Kreislaufes — von der Mitte des dritten an — bilden die Geister der Form diesen astralen Leib so aus, daß seine Gestalt, seine ganze Organisation innerliche Vorgänge entwickeln kann. Diese Vorgänge tragen den Charakter dessen, was man gegenwärtig bei Tier und Mensch Trieb, Begierde — oder die Wunschnatur — nennt. Von der Mitte des vierten Mondenkreislaufes an beginnen die Geister der Persönlichkeit mit dem, was dann im fünften Mondenzeitalter ihre Hauptaufgabe ist: sie impfen dem Astralleib die Selbstheit ein, wie sie das in den vorhergehenden Weltaltern bezüglich des physischen und des Ätherleibes getan haben. Damit nun aber in diesem angedeuteten Zeitpunkte, inmitten des vierten Mondenkreislaufes, der physische und der Ätherleib so weit sein können, daß sie einen selbständig gewordenen Astralleib beherbergen können, müssen sie in den aufeinanderfolgenden Entwickelungsstufen durch die bildenden Geister erst dazu gebracht werden. Das geht nun in folgender Art vor sich. Der physische Körper wird im ersten Mondenlauf (Runde) von den Geistern der Bewegung, im zweiten von denen der Form, im dritten von denen der Persönlichkeit, im vierten von den Geistern des Feuers, im fünften von jenen des Zwielichtes zu der notwendigen Reife gebracht. Genau genommen vollzieht sich diese Arbeit der Geister des Zwielichtes von der Mitte des vierten Mondenkreislaufes ab, so daß also zu derselben Zeit, in der die Geister der Persönlichkeit am Astralleib tätig sind, dies bezüglich des physischen Körpers mit den Geistern des Zwielichtes der Fall ist. — mit dem Ätherleib verhält es sich in folgender Art. Im ersten Mondenlauf werden ihm seine nötigen Eigenschaften von den Geistern der Weisheit, im zweiten von denen der Bewegung, im dritten von denen der Form, im vierten von denen der Persönlichkeit und im fünften von denen des Feuers eingepflanzt. Genau genommen verläuft diese Tätigkeit der Feuergeister wieder gleichzeitig mit der Arbeit der Geister der Persönlichkeit am Astralleib, also von der Mitte des vierten Mondenlaufes an in den fünften hinüber.
[ 3 ] Betrachtet man zu dieser Zeit den ganzen Menschenvorfahren, wie er sich auf dem Monde ausgebildet hat, so ist somit zu sagen: der Mensch besteht, von der Mitte des vierten Mondenkreislaufes angefangen, aus einem physischen Körper, in dem die Söhne des Zwielichtes, aus einem Ätherleib, in welchem die Geister des Feuers, und endlich aus einem Astralleib, in dem die Geister der Persönlichkeit ihre Arbeit leisten. — daß die Geister des Zwielichtes in dieser Entwickelungsperiode den physischen Menschenkörper bearbeiten, das bedeutet für sie, daß sie sich jetzt zur Stufe des Menschentums erheben, was auf dem Saturn die Geister der Persönlichkeit, auf der Sonne die Feuergeister in demselben Kreislauf getan haben. Man muß sich vorstellen, daß die «Sinneskeime» des physischen Körpers, die sich nun auch weiter ausgebildet haben, von der Mitte des vierten Mondenlaufes an von den Geistern des Zwielichtes benutzt werden können, um mit ihnen die äußeren Gegenstände und Vorgänge auf dem Monde wahrzunehmen. Der Mensch selbst wird erst auf der Erde so weit sein, daß er sich von der Mitte des vierten Kreislaufes an dieser Sinne bedienen kann. Dagegen kommt er um die Mitte des fünften Mondenlaufes (Runde) so weit, daß er unbewußt an dem physischen Leib tätig sein kann. Durch diese Tätigkeit schafft er sich in der Dumpfheit seines Bewußtseins die erste Keimanlage dessen, was man «Geistselbst» (Manas) nennt (vergleiche meine «Theosophie»). Dieses «Geistselbst» gelangt dann im Laufe der weiteren Menschheitsentwickelung zur vollkommenen Entfaltung. Es ist dasjenige, was später in der Vereinigung mit Atma, dem «Geistesmenschen» und mit Buddhi, dem «Lebensgeist» den höheren, geistigen Teil des Menschen bildet. Wie nun auf dem Saturn die Throne oder die Geister des Willens den «Geistesmenschen» (Atma) durchdrungen haben, und wie das auf der Sonne die Cherubim mit der Weisheit getan haben bezüglich des Lebens-Geistes (Buddhi), so vollbringen es jetzt die Seraphim mit dem «Geistselbst» (Manas). Sie durchdringen dieses und pflanzen ihm dadurch eine Fähigkeit ein, die in späteren Entwickelungsstufen — auf der Erde — zu jenem Vorstellungsvermögen des Menschen wird, durch das dieser als denkendes Wesen in Beziehung treten kann zu seiner ihn umgebenden Welt. — Es soll hier gleich gesagt werden, daß sich von der Mitte des sechsten Mondenlaufes an auch wieder der «Lebensgeist» (Buddhi), von der Mitte des siebenten an der «Geistesmensch» (Atma) zeigen, die sich mit dem «Geistselbst» verbinden, so daß am Ende des ganzen Mondenweltalters der «höhere Mensch» vorbereitet ist. Dieser schläft dann mit dem anderen, was sich auf dem Monde entwickelt hat, durch eine Ruhepause (Pralaya) hindurch, um auf dem Erdenplaneten seinen Entwickelungsweg fortzusetzen. Während nun von der Mitte des fünften Mondenkreislaufes in den sechsten hinein der Mensch in Dumpfheit an seinem physischen Körper arbeitet, betätigen sich an seinem Ätherleib die Geister des Zwielichtes. Sie haben sich, wie gezeigt worden ist, durch ihre in der vorhergehenden Epoche (Runde) erfolgte Arbeit am physischen Körper dazu vorbereitet, jetzt im Ätherleib die Feuergeister abzulösen, die ihrerseits die Arbeit am Astralleib von den Geistern der Persönlichkeit übernehmen. Diese Geister der Persönlichkeit aber sind in dieser Zeit zu höheren Sphären aufgestiegen. — die Arbeit der Zwielichtgeister am Ätherleib bedeutet, daß sie ihre eigenen Bewußtseinszustände mit den Bewußtseinsbildern des Ätherleibes verbinden. Dadurch pflanzen sie diesen die Lust und den Schmerz an den Dingen ein. Auf der Sonne war in dieser Hinsicht der Schauplatz ihres Wirkens noch der bloß physische Leib. Daher waren dort bloß mit den Verrichtungen dieses Leibes, mit seinen Zuständen Lust und Leid verknüpft. Jetzt wird das anders. Lust und Leid knüpfen sich nunmehr an die Sinbilder, die im Äther-Körper entstehen. Es wird somit im menschlichen Dämmerbewußtsein von den Geistern des Zwielichtes eine Gefühlswelt erlebt. Es ist dies dieselbe Gefühlswelt, welche der Mensch in seinem Erdenbewußtsein für sich selbst erleben wird. — im Astralleib wirken zu der gleichen Zeit die Feuergeister. Sie befähigen diesen zu einem regsamen Empfinden und Fühlen mit der Umwelt. Lust und Leid, wie sie in der eben beschriebenen Art durch die Geister des Zwielichtes im Ätherleib bewirkt werden, tragen einen unregsamen (passiven) Charakter; sie stellen sich mehr als untätige Spiegelbilder der Außenwelt dar. Was aber die Feuergeister im Astralleib bewirken, das sind rege Affekte, Liebe und Haß, Zorn, Furcht, Grauen, sturmbewegte Leidenschaften, Instinkte, Triebe und so weiter. Weil nun vorher die Geister der Persönlichkeit (die Asuras) ihre Wesenheit in diesen Leib geimpft haben, so kommen diese Affekte jetzt mit dem Charakter der Selbstheit, der Sonderheit zum Vorschein. Man muß sich nun vergegenwartigen, wie der Menschenvorfahr auf dem Monde zu dieser Zeit beschaffen ist. Er hat einen physischen Körper, durch welchen er in Dumpfheit ein «Geistselbst» (Manas) entwickelt. Er ist mit einem Ätherleib behaftet, durch den die Zwielichtgeister Lust und Leid fühlen, endlich besitzt er einen Astralleib, der durch die Feuergeister in Trieben, Affekten, Leidenschaften bewegt ist. Aber diese drei Glieder des Mondenmenschen entbehren noch völlig des Gegenstandsbewußtseins. Im Astralleib wogen Bilder Auf und Ab, und diese werden eben durchglüht von den genannten Affekten. Auf der Erde, wenn das denkende Gegenstandsbewußtsein eintreten wird, wird dieser Astralleib der untergeordnete Träger oder das Werkzeug des vorstellenden Denkens sein. Jetzt aber, auf dem Monde, entfaltet er sich in seiner eigenen vollen Selbständigkeit. Er ist für sich also hier tätiger, bewegter als später auf der Erde. Man kann, wenn man ihn charakterisieren will, davon sprechen, daß er Tier-Mensch ist. Und als solcher ist er in seiner Art auf einer höheren Stufe als die gegenwärtigen Erdentiere. Er trägt die Eigenschaften der Tierheit vollständiger an sich. Diese sind in einer gewissen Beziehung wilder, ungezügelter als die gegenwärtigen Tiereigenschaften. Deshalb darf man auf dieser Stufe seines Daseins den Menschen ein Wesen nennen, das zwischen dem gegenwärtigen Tiere und dem jetzigen Menschen in seiner Entwickelung mitten darinnensteht. Schritte der Mensch in gerader Linie auf dieser Entwickelungsbahn fort, so würde er ein wildes, zügelloses Wesen. Die Erdenentwickelung bedeutet eine Herabstimmung, eine Bezähmung des Tiercharakters im Menschen. Das Gedankenbewußtsein bewirkt das.
[ 4 ] Wenn nun der Mensch, wie er sich auf der Sonne entwickelt hat, Pflanzenmensch genannt wurde, so kann derjenige des Mondes Tiermensch genannt werden. Daß sich ein solcher entwickeln kann, setzt voraus, daß auch die Umwelt sich ändert. Es ist gezeigt worden, daß sich der Pflanzenmensch der Sonne nur entwickeln konnte dadurch, daß neben dem Reiche dieses Pflanzenmenschen sich ein Mineralreich als selbständig entfaltete. Während der beiden ersten Mondenzeitalter (Runden» treten nun diese beiden früheren Reiche, Pflanzenreich und Mineralreich, wieder aus dem Dunkel hervor. Sie zeigen sich nur darin verändert, daß sowohl das eine wie das andere etwas derber, dichter geworden ist. Während des dritten Mondenzeitalters spaltet sich nun aus dem Pflanzenreich ein Teil ab. Er macht den Übergang in die Derbheit nicht mit. Dadurch liefert er den Stoff, aus dem die tierische Wesenheit des Menschen sich bilden kann. Eben diese tierische Wesenheit gibt in ihrer Verbindung mit dem höher gebildeten Ätherleib und dem neuentstandenen Astralleib die oben geschilderte dreifache Wesenheit des Menschen. Es kann sich nicht die ganze Pflanzenwelt, die sich auf der Sonne herausgebildet hat, zur Tierheit entfalten. Denn tierische Wesen setzen zu ihrem Dasein die Pflanze voraus. Eine Pflanzenwelt ist die Grundlage einer tierischen. Wie der Sonnenmensch sich nur zur Pflanze erheben konnte dadurch, daß er einen Teil seiner Genossen in ein derberes Mineralreich hinunterstieß, so ist es jetzt beim Mond-Tiermenschen der Fall. Er läßt einen Teil der Wesen, die noch auf der Sonne mit ihm gleicher pflanzlicher Natur waren, auf der Stufe der derberen Pflanzlichkeit zurück. So wie nun aber der Mond-Tiermensch nicht ist wie das gegenwärtige Tier, sondern zwischen jetzigem Tier und jetzigem Menschen mittendrinnen steht, so ist das Mondmineral zwischen dem gegenwärtigen Mineral und der gegenwärtigen Pflanze. Es hat etwas Pflanzliches. Die Mondfelsen sind nicht Steine in dem heutigen Sinne, sie tragen einen belebten, sprossenden, wachsenden Charakter. Ebenso ist die Mondpflanze mit einem gewissen Charakter der Tierheit behaftet.
[ 5 ] Der Mond-Tiermensch hat noch nicht feste Knochen. Sein Gerüste ist noch knorpelartig. Seine ganze Natur ist gegenüber der jetzigen weich. Demgemäß ist auch seine Beweglichkeit noch eine andere. Sein Fortbewegen ist nicht ein gehendes, sondern eher ein springendes, beziehungsweise sogar ein schwebendes. Das konnte so sein, denn der damalige Mond hatte ja nicht, wie die gegenwärtige Erde, eine dünne, luftige Atmosphäre, sondern seine Hülle war wesentlich dichter, sogar dichter als das jetzige Wasser. In diesem dickflüssigen Elemente bewegte er sich vor- und rückwärts, Auf und Ab. Und in diesem Elemente lebten auch die Mineralien und Tiere, aus denen er seine Nahrung sog. Ja, in diesem Elemente war auch die Kraft enthalten, welche dann auf der Erde ganz auf die Wesen selbst übertragen worden ist, die Kraft der Befruchtung. Der Mensch war nämlich damals noch nicht in zwei Geschlechtern ausgebildet, sondern nur in einem. Und er wurde aus seiner Wasserluft heraus gebildet. Wie aber in der Welt alles in Übergangsstufen vorhanden ist, so bildete sich auch schon in den letzten Mondzeiträumen bei einzelnen Tiermenschenwesen die Zweigeschlechtlichkeit aus als Vorbereitung für den späteren Zustand auf der Erde.
[ 6 ] Der sechste und siebente Mondenkreislauf stellen eine Art Abfluten der ganzen beschriebenen Vorgänge dar, aber zugleich das Herausbilden einer Art überreifen Zustandes, bis das Ganze dann in die Ruhepause (Pralaya) übergeht, um in das Erdendasein hinüberzuschlafen.
[ 7 ] Nun ist die Entwickelung des menschlichen Astralleibes mit einem gewissen kosmischen Vorgange verbunden, der hier auch beschrieben werden muß. Wenn nach der Ruhepause, die auf das Weltzeitalter der Sonne folgt, diese wieder aufwachend aus dem Dunkel heraustritt, da bewohnt alles, was auf dem so erstehenden Planeten lebt, diesen noch als ein Ganzes. Aber diese wieder erwachende Sonne ist doch anders, als sie vorher war. Ihr Stoff ist nicht mehr so wie vorher durch und durch leuchtend; er hat vielmehr dunklere Partien. Diese sondern sich aus der einheitlichen Masse gleichsam heraus. Und vom zweiten Kreislauf (Runde) an, treten diese Partien immer mehr als ein selbständiges Glied auf; der Sonnenkörper wird dadurch biskuit-ähnlich. Er besteht aus zwei Teilen, einem wesentlich größeren und einem kleineren, die aber noch durch ein Verbindungsglied zusammenhängen. Im dritten Kreislauf spalten sich dann diese beiden Körper vollständig voneinander ab. Sonne und Mond sind jetzt zwei Körper, und der letztere bewegt sich kreisförmig um die erstere. Mit dem Monde treten zugleich alle die Wesen, deren Entwickelung hier beschrieben worden ist, aus der Sonne heraus. Die Entfaltung des Astralleibes geschieht eben erst auf dem abgespaltenen Mondenkörper. Der charakterisierte kosmische Vorgang ist die Bedingung der geschilderten Weiterentwickelung. Solange die in Betracht kommenden zum Menschen gehörigen Wesen ihre Kraft von ihrem eigenen Sonnenwohnplatz sogen, konnte ihre Entwickelung nicht bis zur gekennzeichneten Stufe kommen. Im vierten Kreislauf (Runde) ist der Mond ein selbständiger Planet, und was für diese Zeit beschrieben worden ist, geht auf diesem Mondenplaneten vor sich.
[ 8 ] Es sei nun wieder die Entwickelung des Mondenplaneten und seiner Wesen hier übersichlich zusammengestellt.
- Der Mond ist der Planet, auf welchem der Mensch das Bilderbewußtsein mit seinem sinnbildlichen (symbolischen) Charakter entwickelt.
- Während der beiden ersten Kreisläufe (Runden) wird in einer Art Wiederholung der Saturn- und Sonnen-Vorgänge die Mondenentwickelung des Menschen vorbereitet.
- Im dritten Kreislauf tritt der menschliche Astralleib durch eine Ausströmung der Geister der Bewegung ins Dasein.
- Gleichzeitig mit diesem Vorgang spaltet sich von dem wieder erwachten einheitlichen Sonnenkörper der Mond ab und umkreist den Sonnenrest. Die Entwickelung der mit dem Menschen verbundenen Wesen geht nun auf dem Monde vor sich.
- Im vierten Kreislauf bewohnen die Geister des Zwielichtes den menschlichen physischen Leib und erheben sich dadurch zu der Stufe der Menschheit.
- Dem entstehenden Astralleib wird die Selbständigkeit durch die Geister der Persönlichkeit (Asuras) eingeimpft.
- Im fünften Kreislauf beginnt der Mensch in Dumpfheit an seinem physischen Leib zu arbeiten. Dadurch gesellt sich zu der schon vorher vorhandenen Monade das «Geistselbst» (Manas) hinzu.
- Im Ätherleib des Menschen entwickelt sich während des Monddaseins eine Art Lust und Leid, die einen passiven Charakter tragen. Im Astralleib dagegen entfalten sich die Affekte Zorn, Haß, die Instinkte, Leidenschaften und so weiter.
- Zu den beiden früheren Reichen, dem Pflanzen- und dem Mineralreich, die auf eine niedrigere Stufe hinabgestoßen werden, gesellt sich das Tierreich, in dem sich der Mensch jetzt selbst befindet.
[ 9 ] Gegen das Ende des ganzen Weltalters tritt der Mond der Sonne immer näher, und wenn die Zeit der Ruhe (Pralaya) beginnt, haben sich die beiden wieder zu einem Ganzen vereinigt, das dann den Schlafzustand durchmacht, um in einem neuen Weltenalter — dem der Erde — neuerdings zu erwachen.
XV Life on the Moon
[ 1 ] In the world age of the moon, which follows that of the sun, man develops his third of the seven states of consciousness. The first developed during the seven Saturnian cycles, the second during the solar evolution; the fourth is that which man is now gradually developing during his earthly course; three more will come into existence on subsequent planets. The state of consciousness of Saturn's man cannot be compared with that of present-day man, for it was duller than that of dreamless sleep. The consciousness of the sun, however, can be compared to this dreamless state of sleep or to the present consciousness of the sleeping plant world. But we are only ever dealing with similarities. It would be quite incorrect to believe that anything repeats itself with complete uniformity in the great world ages. - This is also the way to understand it when the moon consciousness is now compared with that with which it has some similarity, namely with that of dream-filled sleep. It is the so-called picture-consciousness to which man on the moon attains. The similarity consists in the fact that in both moon and dream consciousness, images arise within the being which have a certain relationship to things and beings in the outer world. However, these images are not images of these things and beings as in the present waking person. The dream images are echoes of the day's experiences or symbolic expressions for events in the dreamer's surroundings or probably also for what is going on inside the personality having the dream. Examples of the three cases in dream experiences are easy to give. First of all, everyone knows those dreams that are nothing more than confused images of more or less distant daily experiences. An example of the second case is when the dreamer believes to perceive a train rushing past and then realizes on waking that the ticking of the clock lying next to him has become sensualized in this dream image. An example of the third type of dream image is when someone imagines that he is in a room with ugly animals on the ceiling, and when he wakes up from this dream and realizes that his own headache has expressed itself in this way. - If one now wishes to arrive at a conception of the moon consciousness from such confused dream images, one must realize that the character of imagery is also present there, but that instead of confusion and arbitrariness there is complete regularity. It is true that the images of the lunar consciousness have even less resemblance to the objects to which they refer than the dream images: but instead there is a perfect correspondence between image and object. At present, within the earthly development, it is a matter of the imagination being an image of its object, for example, the image "table" is an image of the table itself. This is not the case with lunar consciousness. Suppose, for example, that the moon man approaches something that is pleasant or advantageous to him. Then a color picture with a bright character arises within his soul; if something harmful or unsympathetic comes near him, he has an ugly, dark picture. The imagination is not an image, but a sensory image of the object that corresponds to the object in a very specific, lawful way. Consequently, the being that has such a symbolic image can regulate its life accordingly. - The soul life of the lunar ancestor thus proceeded in images that have the fleeting, floating and symbolic in common with present-day dreams, but differ from them in their completely lawful character.
[ 2 ] The basis for the development of this consciousness of images in the human ancestors of the moon was the formation of a third member alongside the physical body and the etheric body. This third member is called the astral body. - However, this formation only took place in the third smaller lunar cycle - the so-called third lunar round. The first two orbits of the moon are merely a repetition of what was experienced on Saturn and the sun. However, this repetition must not be imagined as if all the events that occurred on Saturn and the Sun were happening again. What is repeated: the formation of a physical body and an etheric body undergoes such a transformation at the same time that these two members of the human nature can be connected with the astral body in the third lunar cycle, which could not yet have taken place on the sun. In the third lunar period - actually the process already begins around the middle of the second - the spirits of movement stream the astral from their own nature into the human body. During the fourth cycle - from the middle of the third - the spirits of form shape this astral body in such a way that its form, its whole organization, can develop inner processes. These processes have the character of what is presently called instinct, desire - or the nature of desire - in animals and man. From the middle of the fourth lunar cycle the spirits of the personality begin with what is then their main task in the fifth lunar age: they inoculate the astral body with selfhood, as they have done in the previous world ages with regard to the physical and etheric bodies. But in order for the physical and etheric bodies to reach the stage where they can accommodate an independent astral body in the middle of the fourth lunar cycle, they must first be brought to this point by the forming spirits in the successive stages of development. This happens in the following way. The physical body is brought to the necessary maturity in the first lunar round by the Spirits of Movement, in the second by those of Form, in the third by those of Personality, in the fourth by the Spirits of Fire, in the fifth by those of Twilight. Exactly speaking, this work of the Spirits of Twilight takes place from the middle of the fourth lunar cycle, so that at the same time that the Spirits of Personality are at work on the astral body, this is the case with the Spirits of Twilight in relation to the physical body. - With the etheric body it is as follows. In the first lunar cycle its necessary qualities are implanted by the Spirits of Wisdom, in the second by those of Movement, in the third by those of Form, in the fourth by those of Personality, and in the fifth by those of Fire. Strictly speaking, this activity of the spirits of fire again proceeds simultaneously with the work of the spirits of personality on the astral body, i.e. from the middle of the fourth lunar cycle into the fifth.
[ 3 ] Considering at this time the whole human ancestor as he has developed on the moon, it can be said that man, beginning from the middle of the fourth lunar cycle, consists of a physical body in which the sons of twilight work, of an etheric body in which the spirits of fire work, and finally of an astral body in which the spirits of the personality do their work. - That the spirits of twilight are working on the physical human body in this period of development means for them that they are now rising to the level of humanity, which the spirits of personality did on Saturn and the spirits of fire on the sun in the same cycle. One must imagine that the "sense germs" of the physical body, which have now also developed further, can be used by the spirits of twilight from the middle of the fourth lunar cycle in order to perceive with them the external objects and processes on the moon. Man himself will only be so far advanced on earth that he will be able to make use of these senses from the middle of the fourth cycle. On the other hand, around the middle of the fifth lunar cycle (round) he comes so far that he can be active unconsciously on the physical body. Through this activity he creates in the dullness of his consciousness the first germ of what is called "spirit-self" (Manas) (compare my "Theosophy"). This "spirit self" then reaches its full development in the course of the further evolution of mankind. It is that which later forms the higher, spiritual part of man in union with Atma, the "spirit man" and with Buddhi, the "life spirit". Just as on Saturn the Thrones or the spirits of will penetrated the "spirit-man" (Atma), and as on the sun the Cherubim did this with wisdom in relation to the life-spirit (Buddhi), so now the Seraphim accomplish it with the "spirit-self" (Manas). They penetrate it and thereby implant in it an ability which in later stages of development - on earth - becomes man's ability to imagine, through which he can relate to the world around him as a thinking being. - It should be said here at once that from the middle of the sixth lunar cycle the "life-spirit" (Buddhi) again appears, and from the middle of the seventh the "spirit-man" (Atma), which unite with the "spirit-self", so that at the end of the whole lunar world-age the "higher man" is prepared. He then sleeps with the other things that have developed on the moon through a period of rest (Pralaya) in order to continue his path of development on the earth planet. While from the middle of the fifth lunar cycle into the sixth, man works in dullness on his physical body, the spirits of twilight work on his etheric body. As has been shown, they have prepared themselves through their work on the physical body in the previous epoch (round) to now replace the fire spirits in the etheric body, who in turn take over the work on the astral body from the spirits of the personality. These spirits of the personality, however, have ascended to higher spheres during this time. - The work of the twilight spirits on the etheric body means that they combine their own states of consciousness with the consciousness images of the etheric body. In this way they implant in them the pleasure and the pain of things. On the sun, the scene of their activity in this respect was still the mere physical body. Therefore, pleasure and suffering were only connected with the activities of this body, with its states. Now it is different. Pleasure and suffering are now linked to the images that arise in the etheric body. Thus a world of feelings is experienced in the human twilight consciousness by the spirits of twilight. This is the same world of feelings that man will experience for himself in his earthly consciousness. - At the same time the spirits of fire are at work in the astral body. They enable the astral body to feel and interact with the environment. Pleasure and suffering, as they are caused by the spirits of twilight in the etheric body in the way just described, have an unexcited (passive) character; they present themselves more as inactive mirror images of the outside world. But what the spirits of fire bring about in the astral body are active affects, love and hatred, anger, fear, horror, stormy passions, instincts, drives and so on. Because the spirits of the personality (the asuras) have previously inoculated their essence into this body, these affects now emerge with the character of selfhood, of specialness. One must now visualize how the human ancestor on the moon is constituted at this time. He has a physical body through which he develops a "spirit-self" (manas) in dullness. He is afflicted with an etheric body, through which the twilight spirits feel pleasure and suffering; finally, he possesses an astral body, which is moved by the fire spirits in impulses, affects and passions. But these three limbs of the moon man are still completely devoid of object consciousness. In the astral body images surge up and down, and these are just glowed through by the affects mentioned. On earth, when the thinking object-consciousness will enter, this astral body will be the subordinate carrier or the tool of imaginative thinking. But now, on the moon, it unfolds in its own full independence. It is therefore more active and more mobile here than later on earth. If one wants to characterize him, one can speak of him as an animal-man. And as such he is in his nature on a higher level than the present earth animals. He bears the characteristics of animality more completely. These are in a certain respect wilder, more unbridled than the present animal qualities. Therefore, at this stage of his existence, man may be called a being that stands midway between the present animal and the present man in his development. If man continued in a straight line on this path of development, he would become a wild, unrestrained being. The development on earth means a down-tuning, a taming of the animal character in man. The consciousness of thought brings this about.
[ 4 ] If man, as he developed on the sun, was called a plant-man, then he of the moon can be called animal-man. That such a man can develop presupposes that the environment also changes. It has been shown that the plant-man of the sun could only develop through the fact that a mineral kingdom developed independently alongside the kingdom of this plant-man. During the first two lunar ages ("rounds") these two earlier kingdoms, the plant kingdom and the mineral kingdom, emerge again from the darkness. The only change is that both have become somewhat coarser and denser. During the third lunar age a part splits off from the plant kingdom. It does not undergo the transition to coarseness. It thus provides the material from which the animal nature of man can form. It is precisely this animal essence, in its connection with the more highly formed etheric body and the newly formed astral body, that gives rise to the threefold essence of the human being described above. The whole plant world, which has developed on the sun, cannot develop into an animal being. For animal beings presuppose the plant for their existence. A plant world is the basis of an animal world. Just as the sun-man could only elevate himself to the plant by pushing a part of his comrades down into a coarser mineral kingdom, so it is now the case with the moon-animal man. He leaves behind a part of the beings who were still of the same vegetable nature with him on the sun, on the level of coarser vegetable nature. But just as the moon animal man is not like the present animal, but stands in the middle between the present animal and the present man, so the moon mineral is between the present mineral and the present plant. It has something plant-like. The moon rocks are not stones in the modern sense, they have an animated, sprouting, growing character. Likewise, the moon plant is afflicted with a certain character of animality.
[ 5 ] The lunar animal man does not yet have solid bones. His skeleton is still cartilaginous. His whole nature is soft compared to the present one. Accordingly, his mobility is still different. His locomotion is not walking, but rather jumping or even hovering. This was possible because the moon at that time did not have a thin, airy atmosphere like the present earth, but its shell was much denser, even denser than the present water. In this viscous element it moved forwards and backwards, up and down. And in this element also lived the minerals and animals from which it drew its nourishment. Yes, this element also contained the power that was then transferred to the beings themselves on earth, the power of fertilization. For at that time man was not yet formed in two sexes, but only in one. And he was formed out of his water air. However, just as everything in the world exists in transitional stages, so also in the last lunar periods the bisexuality was already formed in individual animal-men beings as preparation for the later state on earth.
[ 6 ] The sixth and seventh lunar cycles represent a kind of draining away of all the processes described, but at the same time the development of a kind of overripe state, until the whole thing then passes into the resting period (pralaya) in order to sleep over into earthly existence.
[ 7 ] Now the development of the human astral body is connected with a certain cosmic process, which must also be described here. When, after the period of rest that follows the world age of the sun, it emerges again from the darkness, everything that lives on the planet that has thus arisen still inhabits it as a whole. But this reawakening sun is different from what it was before. Its material is no longer as thoroughly luminous as before; rather, it has darker parts. These stand out, as it were, from the uniform mass. And from the second cycle (round) onwards, these parts appear more and more as an independent element; the solar body thus becomes biscuit-like. It consists of two parts, one considerably larger and one smaller, which are still connected by a link. In the third cycle, these two bodies separate completely from each other. The sun and moon are now two bodies, and the latter moves in a circle around the former. At the same time as the moon, all the beings whose development has been described here emerge from the sun. The unfolding of the astral body only takes place on the split-off lunar body. The characterized cosmic process is the condition of the further development described. As long as the beings belonging to man in question derived their power from their own solar abode, their development could not reach the stage described. In the fourth cycle (round) the moon is an independent planet, and what has been described for this time takes place on this lunar planet.
[ 8 ] The development of the moon planet and its beings is now again clearly summarized here.
- The moon is the planet on which man develops the consciousness of images with its symbolic (symbolic) character.
- During the first two cycles (rounds), the moon development of man is prepared in a kind of repetition of the Saturn and sun processes.
- In the third cycle, the human astral body comes into existence through an emanation of the spirits of movement.
- Simultaneously with this process, the moon splits off from the reawakened unified solar body and orbits the remnant of the sun. The development of the beings connected with man now takes place on the moon.
- In the fourth cycle the spirits of twilight inhabit the human physical body and thereby rise to the level of humanity.
- The emerging astral body is implanted with independence by the spirits of personality (asuras).
- In the fifth cycle, man begins to work on his physical body in dullness. This adds the "spirit self" (manas) to the already existing monad.
- In the etheric body of the human being, a kind of pleasure and suffering develops during the lunar existence, which has a passive character. In the astral body, on the other hand, the affects of anger, hatred, instincts, passions and so on develop.
- The two earlier realms, the plant and mineral kingdoms, which are pushed down to a lower level, are joined by the animal kingdom, in which man now finds himself.
[ 9 ] Towards the end of the whole world age, the moon comes closer and closer to the sun, and when the time of rest (Pralaya) begins, the two have reunited into one whole, which then undergoes the state of sleep in order to awaken anew in a new world age - that of the earth.