The Foundations of Esotericism
GA 93a
25 October 1905, Berlin
Lecture XXIII
Let us call to mind the point of time when, in the middle of the Lemurian Race, man raised himself up to spirituality. Now for the first time fructification with the Spirit, with the Monad became possible. Gradually, out of the chaotic Earth, through what had been separated off from man, the other beings had been formed which lived on the Earth as his companions. Man had developed a physical body, an etheric body and an astral body. The astral body had become purified and was just at that time adapted to receive Manas, Buddhi, Atma.
On the Earth everything developed quite gradually, so that mankind, still without intellect or possibility of speech, arose out of the uncoordinated Earth mass. Now we ask: How did this come about? A plant too does not grow out of nothing. A seed must be planted into the Earth. This was also the case with the people who were there at that time. The human being too had grown up out of the Earth and for this a seed had to be there on the Earth. Once a similar being had already existed. This seed-man had arisen on the Old Moon. From there he passed over in the seed condition, went through a Pralaya and then appeared once more on the Earth.
The development of the Earth had three preliminary stages: (Old Saturn, Sun and Moon). In the first three Earth Rounds these stages had a short recapitulation. In the First Earth Epoch the Saturn existence was repeated, in the Second Epoch the Sun existence and in the Third Epoch the Moon existence. It was only in the Fourth Round that the actual Earth existence emerged and then man had reached a somewhat higher stage than on the Old Moon. There he had not yet reached separate development, he had not yet become sufficiently purified to receive the Monad. On the Moon the astral body was still wild and passionate. On the Earth he had still to purify himself in order to be able to receive the higher principles. This purification was completed in the middle of the Lemurian Age.
The last human beings during the Old Moon existence are our physical forefathers. On the Earth they now developed somewhat further. The Earth-men of the pre-Lemurian Age are the actual descendants of the inhabitants of the Moon. This is why we call the inhabitants of the Moon the Fathers or Pitris of Earth-Men. These Earth-Men were as yet unable to use their front limbs for work. They were of animal-like form having a certain great beauty. Their substance was much softer than the physical matter of today: it was very much softer than what we now find with the lower animals. They were irradiated and an inner fire shone through them. When human beings were going through an earlier stage of evolution, they were still more beautiful and nobler in their form.
During the Age which preceded the Lemurian Age, we have the Hyperborean Age on the Earth, that of the Sun Men, of the Apollo-Men. They were formed out of a still nobler and even more delicate substance. Then we go still further back to the very first Race, to the Polarian men. At that time they lived in the tropical polar climate, a Race which was able to attain to special heights through the fact that a remarkable and great help had been granted them. The most beautiful of the Moon Pitris descended to the Earth. The Polarian human beings were very similar to four-footed animals, but they were formed out of a soft, pliant substance similar to a jellyfish, but much warmer. The human beings with the best forms, consisting of the noblest components, received at that time help of a special nature, for beings were still connected with the Earth who had earlier reached a higher stage.
All esotericism recognises that the Sun was first a planet; it only later became a fixed star. The sequence of stages that the Earth has passed through is: Old Saturn, Old Sun, Old Moon, Earth. When the Sun was itself a planet, then everything which is now on the Moon and Earth was still in the Sun. Later Sun and Moon separated themselves from the Earth.
Let us think back to the time of the Old Sun. Then everything which now lives on the Earth, dwelt on the Sun. The beings were then quite differently formed, having only a physical body, much less dense than it is now, and an etheric body. Man's whole way of life was plant-like. The beings lived in the light of the Sun. Light came to them from the centre of their own planet. They were totally different from present-day man. In comparison with present-day man the Sun-man stood upside down and the Sun shone upon his head. Everything connected with reproduction developed freely on the other side. Man at that time stretched his legs, so to say, into the air. The plant has remained at this stage, its roots are in the earth and it stretches its organs of reproduction, stamens and pistil, into the air (plant). This Sun-man developed in seven different stages. His direction on the planet is the same as the growth of the plant on the Earth. Then, with the third incarnation of the Earth he became a Moon-man. He bent over, the vertical becoming the horizontal (animal). The tendency towards a spine developed. The symbol for this is the Tau = T. On the Earth he turns completely round. For this the symbol is the Cross. The symbolism of the Cross depicts the development from the Sun, through the Moon to the Earth. On the Earth the symbol of the Cross was attained by the addition of the upper vertical member above the T. This developed further in the bearing of the Cross on the shoulders.
The Sun-men too had attained a certain high development. There were also Sun Adepts, who had progressed further than the other Sun-men. They passed over to the Moon. There also they had the possibility of being on a higher level than the Moon-men, and they developed to quite special heights. They were the forefathers of the Earth-men, but had hastened much further ahead. When now in the second Epoch of the Fourth Round the Hyperboreans lived in their soft forms, these Sons of the Sun were in position to incarnate and they formed a particularly beautiful Race. They were the Solar Pitris. Already in the Hyperborean Epoch they created for themselves an upright form, completely transforming the Hyperborean bodies. This the other human beings were unable to do. In the Hyperborean Epoch the Solar Pitris became the beautiful Apollo-men, who in the Second Race had already attained the upright posture.
In the Old Sun everything was contained which was later extrapolated as Moon and Earth. All life and all warmth streamed up from the centre of the Sun. Then, in the next Manvantara (the Old Moon) the following took place: Out of the darkness of Pralaya the Sun emerged. A part of the Sun substance had the urge to detach itself. At first a kind of biscuit formation developed.
Then the one part severed itself completely and the two bodies continued side by side as Sun and Old Moon. The Sun retained the possibility of emitting light and warmth. The Old Moon retained the power of reproduction. It was able to bring forth again the beings who had been on the Sun, but they had to be dependent on the Sun for light and warmth. Because the Old Moon itself possessed no light, the beings had to orientate themselves towards the Sun. All plants therefore completely reversed their position on the Old Moon. The animals turned half round and human beings also only turned halfway; but to compensate for this they received on the Moon the astral body, Kama, and thereby, developed warmth from within outwards.
The Kama was at that time still an essentially warming force. This is why the human beings did not already then turn themselves completely towards the Sun. Life was in the darkness. The Old Moon also circled round the Sun, but not as our Earth does today. The Moon rotated around the Sun, in such a way that only one side was turned towards it. A Moon-day therefore lasted as long as a half year does today. Thus on the one side there was an intense heat and on the other side an intense cold.
On the Old Moon the predecessors of man again went through a certain normal development. But there were also Moon Adepts who hastened on in advance of the rest of mankind. At the end of the Old Moon evolution these Pitri beings were much more advanced than the rest of humanity, just as the Adepts are today.
Now for the first time we reach the actual Earth evolution. In the next Pralaya which followed the Moon evolution, the Moon fell back into the Sun. As one body they went through Pralaya. When the Earth eventually emerged out of the darkness the whole Sun-mass was united with it. In that epoch the first or Polarian Race began. Then the previous Sun-Men, in accordance with conditions at that time, were able to form this specially favoured species, the Sons of the Sun, because the Sun was still united with the Earth.
During the Hyperborean Period the whole again divided. One part severed itself and the Earth emerged out of the Sun. It is at this point that the Kant-Laplace theory is relevant. The earth was in a nebulous condition coinciding with the Kant-Laplace theory. The outer appearance seemed like the rings around Saturn. Now the second or Hyperborean Race evolved. Gradually the seeds of the Moon-Men appeared on the Earth, the Pitris in various degrees of perfection. They all still had the possibility of reproducing themselves through self-fertilisation.
A second severance followed. With the Moon everything connected with self-reproduction departed from the Earth, so that there were now three bodies: Sun, Earth, Moon. Then the possibility of self-fertilisation ceased; the Moon had drawn out what made this possible. Then the Moon was outside and there were beings who were no longer able to reproduce themselves; thus in the Lemurian Age the two sexes originated.
Such forms of evolution take their course only under the special guidance of higher beings, the Devas, in order to further evolution in a certain way. The leader of this whole progression is the God who in the Hebraic tradition is called Jahve; Jehovah. He was a Moon-God. He possessed in the highest sense of the word, the power that had developed on the Moon and accordingly he endeavoured to develop mankind further in this direction. In the earthly world Jahve represents that God who endows beings with the possibility of physical reproduction. Everything else (intellect) did not lie in the Jahve-Intention. If Jahve's intention alone had continued to develop, the human being would eventually have ceased to be able to reproduce himself, for the power of reproduction would have become exhausted. He would then only have been concerned with the creation of beautiful forms, for he was indifferent to what is inward, intellectual. Jehovah wished to produce beautifully formed human beings, like beautiful statues. His intention was that the power of reproduction should be continued until it had expended itself. He wanted to have a planet that only bore upon it beautiful but completely motionless forms. If the Earth had continued its evolution with the Moon within it, it would have developed into a completely rigid, frozen form. Jehovah would have immortalised his planet as a monument to his intention. This would doubtless have come about had not those Adepts, who had hastened beyond the Moon evolution now come forward. It was just at this time that they made their appearance. They had already developed on the Moon intelligence and the Spirit which we first developed on the Earth. They now took the rest of humanity into their charge and rescued them from the fate which otherwise would have befallen them. A new spark was kindled in the human astral body. Just at that time they gave to the human astral body the impetus to develop beyond this critical point. Jahve could now save the situation only by altering his manner of working. He created man and woman. What could no longer be contained in one sex was divided between the two sexes.
Two streams now existed, that of Jahve and that of the Moon Adepts. The interest of the Moon Adepts lay in spiritualising mankind. Jahve, however, wished to make of them beautiful statues. At that time these two powers contested with one another.
Thus on the Earth we have to do with a force having the power of self-reproduction; Kriya-shakti. This power is only present on the Earth today in the very highest Mysteries. At that time everyone possessed it. Through this power man could reproduce himself; he then became divided into two halves with the result that two sexes came into being on the Earth.
Jehovah withdrew the entire power of self-reproduction from the Earth and placed it in the Moon side by side with the Earth. Through this arose the connection between the power of reproduction and the Moon beings. Now we have human beings with a weakened power of reproduction, but not yet having the possibility of spiritualising themselves. These were the predecessors of present-day man. The Moon Adepts came to them and said: You must not follow Jehovah. He will not allow you to attain to knowledge but you should. That is the Snake. The Snake approached the woman, because she had the power to produce offspring out of herself. Now Jehovah said: Man has become like unto ourselves, and brings death into the world and everything connected with it.
‘Lucifer’ is the name given to the Moon Adepts; they are the bestowers of human intellectuality. This they gave to the astral and physical bodies; had it been otherwise the Monads would not have been able to enter into them and the Earth would have become a planetary monument to Jehovah's greatness. By the intervention of the Luciferic principle human independence and spirituality were saved. Then Jehovah, so that man should not be completely spiritualised, divided the self-reproduction process into two parts. What would have been lost however if Jehovah had continued his work alone will reappear in the Sixth Root-Race, when man will have become so spiritualised that he will regain Kriya-shakti, the creative power of reproduction. He will be in the position to bring forth his own kind. In this way mankind was rescued from downfall.
Through Jehovah's power man carries within himself the possibility of rigidifying. When one observes the three lower bodies we find that these bear within them the possibility of returning to the physical condition of the Earth. The upper parts: Atma, Buddhi, Manas, were only able to enter into human beings because the influence of the Snake was added. This gave man new life and the power to remain with the earthly planet. Reproduction however became bisexual and thereby birth and death entered into the world. Previously this had not happened.
When man, by working out of the spirit, transmutes the physical body, he conquers death. The separate forces exhaust themselves when they take on special forms. The force enters into the form with ever increasing density and hence life in the Lemurian Age had to receive a new impulse, which was brought about by the turning around of the Earth Globe. The axis of the Earth was gradually turned. Previously there was a tropical climate at the North Pole; later through the turning around of the Earth axis the tropical climate came into the middle region. This change proceeded with comparative rapidity but lasted nevertheless for perhaps four million years. [Rudolf Steiner later revised his time scale of earthly evolution to much shorter periods. Ed.] Four million years were needed by the Moon Pitris in order to turn the axis of the Earth. At that time the Moon Pitris development was already much further on than that of present day man.
Thus at that time the two sexes developed from the unisexual human being. In the beginning among the unisexual human beings there were very retarded individuals, but also those who were very far advanced. Only a small part of the Earth was a fitting dwelling place for the descending Monads. Then it was that human beings divided into two sexes. This had taken place earlier with the animals. Side by side with human beings there existed male and female animals. Very grotesque forms were able to live on the quite differently constituted Earth. They were also able to fly. They bore within them the future promise of what human beings possess today. Esoteric religions call human beings able to bring forth their own kind Bulls. (Certain animal symbols are related to this.) The Bull is a symbol of fertility; previously came the Lion, the symbol of courage, and before this the Eagle. In the vision of Ezekiel,61See Note 51. referring to those earlier times, the animals have wings because they could raise themselves above the earth. Man only appeared later.
Thus we have the human being as he evolved from the unisexual into the bisexual state, and together with him bisexual animals, male and female. It was only through the Lunar Pitris that man became mature enough to have a body capable of receiving the Monads. The latter however selected only the most highly developed examples and evolved a noble human form; only these had to be withdrawn completely from intercourse with anything around them, otherwise the beautiful bodies would have been lost. It was only then that the body formed itself in accordance with the Monad. The other forms which were less advanced failed to satisfy the descending Monad; hence they poured only a part of their spiritual force into the imperfect human bodies and the third stream utterly refused to incarnate. Because of this there existed very poorly endowed human bodies and also others quite devoid of spirit.
In the middle of the Lemurian Age we find the first Sons of the Fire Mist; these incarnate in the fiery element, which at that time surrounded the Earth. The Sons of the Fire Mist were the first Arhats.62... given as explanation of the 7th Stanza of Dyzan in Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine. Then there arose the other two kinds. In the first Lemurian human race those who had received only a small spark were little adapted to forming a civilisation and soon went under. On the other hand those who had received absolutely nothing found full expression for their lower nature. They mingled with the animals. From them proceeded the last Lemurian races. The wild, animal instincts lived in wild animal-like human forms. This brought about a degeneration of the entire human substance.
Had all human beings been fructified with Monads, the whole human race would have greatly improved. The first evil arose through the fact that certain Monads refused to incarnate. From this, through intermingling, deterioration set in. In this way the human being suffered an essentially physical degradation. Only in the Atlantean Age did the Monads regret their previous refusal; they came down and populated all mankind. In this way arose the various Atlantean races.
We have now reached a time when something happened to bring about the deterioration of the Earth. The wholesale deterioration of the races brought this about. It was then that the seed of Karma was planted. Everything that came later is the result of this original Karma; for had the Monads all entered into human forms at the right time, human beings would have possessed the certainty of animals, they could not have been subject to error, but they would not have been able to develop freedom. The original Arhats could not go astray; they are angels in human form. The Moon Adepts however had so brought things about that certain Monads waited before incarnating. Through this the principle of asceticism entered into the world—reluctance to inhabit the Earth. This discrepancy between higher and lower Nature arose at this time. Because of it man became uncertain; he must now try things out, oscillating from one experience to another, in an attempt to find his way in the world. Because he had original Karma, his own further Karma came about. Now he could fall into error.
The intention was that man should attain knowledge. This could only be brought about through the original Karma. The Luciferic Principle, the Moon Adepts, wanted to develop freedom and independence to an ever-greater degree. This is very beautifully expressed in the saga of Prometheus:63See lecture 7.10.1904 in Greek and Germanic Mythology (Typescript). Zeus will not allow human beings to get fire. Prometheus however gives them fire, the faculty of developing ever higher and higher. By so doing he condemns man to suffering. Man must now wait for the coming of a Sun Hero, until the Principle of the Sun Hero in the Sixth Race will make him able to develop further without Luciferic knowledge. Those endowed with this higher degree of advancement are like Prometheus, they are Sun Heroes.
We have thus learned to know a two-fold order of human beings: those who succumbed to the Jehovah Principle, the bringing of perfection to the physical Earth, and also spiritual human beings who were becoming more highly developed. Jehovah and Lucifer are engaged in an unceasing battle. It is the intention of Lucifer to develop everything upwards, towards knowledge, towards the light. In Devachan the human being can bring a certain degree of advancement to the Luciferic Principle. The longer he remains in Devachan the more of this can he develop. He must pass through as many incarnations as are necessary in order to bring this Principle fully to perfection.
Thus there exists in the world a Jehovah Principle and a Lucifer Principle. If the Jehovah Principle alone were to be taught, man would succumb to the Earth. If the teaching of reincarnation and karma were allowed to disappear entirely from the Earth we should win back for Jehovah all the Monads and physical man would be given over to the Earth, to a petrified planet. If however one teaches reincarnation and karma, man is led upwards to spiritualisation. Christianity therefore made the absolutely right compromise, and for a period of time did not teach reincarnation and karma, but the importance of the single human existence, in order that man should learn to love the Earth, waiting until he is mature enough for a new Christianity, with the teaching of reincarnation and karma, which is the saving of the Earth and brings the whole of what has been sown into Devachan. As a result, in Christianity itself there is conflict between the two Principles: the one without reincarnation and karma, the other with this teaching. In the former case, everything which Lucifer could bring about would be taken from human beings. They would actually drop out of reincarnation and turn their backs on the Earth, becoming degenerate angels. In that case the Earth would be going towards its downfall. Were the hosts of Jehovah to be victorious on the Earth, the Earth would remain behind as a kind of Moon, as a rigidified body. The possibility of spiritualisation would then be a missed opportunity. The battle in the Bhagavad Gita64In 1912 – 13 Rudolf Steiner gave two lecture cycles on this subject: ‘The Bhagavad Gita and the Epistles of St. Paul’ and ‘The Occult Significance of the Bhagavad Gita’ describes the conflict between Jehovah and Lucifer and their hosts.
It might still be possible today for the teaching of Christianity without reincarnation and karma to prevail. Then the Earth would be lost for the Principle of Lucifer. The whole earth is still a battlefield of these two principles. The principle that leads the earth towards spirituality is Lucifer. In order to live in accordance with this Principle one must first love the Earth, one must descend on to the Earth. Lucifer is the Prince who reigns in the kingdom of science and art, but he cannot descend altogether on to the Earth: for this, his power does not suffice. Quite alone, it would be impossible for Lucifer to lead upwards what is on the Earth. For this, not only is the power of a Moon Adept necessary, but of a Sun Adept, who embraces the universality of human life, not manifesting only in science and art. Lucifer is represented as the Winged Form of the Dragon; Ezekiel describes him as the Winged Bull.
Now there came a Sun Hero, similar to those who appeared in the Hyperborean Epoch, represented by Ezekiel as the Winged Lion. This Hero, Who gave the second impulse, is the Christ, the Lion out of the tribe of Judah. The representative of the Eagle will come only later; he represents the Father Principle. Christ is a Solar Hero, a Lion-Nature, a Sun Pitri.
The third impulse will be represented by an Adept who was already an Adept on Saturn. Such a one cannot as yet incarnate on the Earth. When man is not only able to develop his higher nature upwards, but working creatively is able to renounce completely his lower nature, then will this highest Adept, the Saturn Adept, the Father Principle, the Hidden God, be able to incarnate.
XXIII
Vergegenwärtigen wir uns den Zeitpunkt, wo der Mensch in der Mitte der lemurischen Rasse sich zur Geistigkeit erhoben hat. Da war erst die Befruchtung mit dem Geiste, mit der Monade möglich. Allmählich hatten sich aus der chaotischen Erde durch Absonderung vom Menschen die anderen Wesenheiten herausgebildet, die als Genossen des Menschen auf der Erde wohnten. Der Mensch hatte ausgebildet einen physischen Körper, einen Ätherkörper und einen Astralkörper. Der Astralkörper war gereinigt worden und war damals gerade geeignet, Manas, Buddhi, Atma aufzunehmen.
Auf der Erde entstand alles ganz allmählich, so daß die Menschheit, die noch keinen Verstand, keine Möglichkeit zu sprechen hatte, entstanden war aus der unbestimmten Erdenmasse. Wir fragen nun: Wie kam das? — Eine Pflanze wächst auch nicht aus dem Nichts. Da ist ein Same in die Erde versenkt worden. Dasselbe war der Fall bei den Menschen, die damals da waren. Der Mensch war auch aus der Erde herausgesprossen, und dazu mußte auch ein Same auf der Erde sein. Es hatte schon einmal eine ähnliche Wesenheit gegeben. Dieser Samenmensch war entstanden auf dem alten Monde. Dort ging er in den Samenzustand über, ging durch ein Pralaya hindurch und erschien dann wieder auf der Erde.
Die Entwickelungsstufe der Erde hatte drei Vorstufen: (Saturn, Sonne und Mond). In den ersten drei Erdenrunden wurden diese drei Vorstufen kurz wiederholt. In der ersten Erdenepoche wurde das Saturndasein wiederholt, in der zweiten Epoche das Sonnendasein und in der dritten Epoche das Mondendasein. In der vierten Runde kam erst das eigentliche Erdendasein heraus und da war der Mensch auf einer etwas höheren Stufe angekommen als auf dem Monde. Auf dem Monde war seine Entwickelung noch nicht abgeschlossen, noch nicht rein genug, um die Monade aufzunehmen. Der Astralkörper war auf dem Monde noch ein wilder, leidenschaftlicher. Er mußte sich auf der Erde zunächst reinigen, um die höheren Prinzipien aufnehmen zu können. Diese Läuterung war abgeschlossen in der Mitte der lemurischen Zeit.
Die letzten Menschen während des Mondendaseins sind unsere physischen Vorfahren. Die haben sich auf der Erde zunächst etwas weiterentwickelt. Die Erdenmenschen der vorlemurischen Zeit sind die richtigen Nachkommen der Mondenbewohner. Daher nennen wir auch die Mondenbewohner die Väter oder Pitris der Erdenmenschen. Diese Erdenmenschen konnten zunächst ihre vorderen Gliedmaßen nicht zur Arbeit verwenden. Es waren tierähnliche Gestalten von einer gewissen großen Schönheit. Sie bestanden aus viel weicherem Material, als heute die physische Materie ist; ihre Materie war noch viel weicher als die, die wir jetzt bei den niederen Tieren finden. Sie war durchscheinend und das innere Feuer leuchtete durch sie hindurch. In der Zeit, in der die Menschen eine frühere Entwickelungsstufe durchgemacht hatten, waren sie noch schöner und noch edler gestaltet.
In der Zeit, welche der lemurischen voranging, haben wir die hyperboräische Zeit auf der Erde, die Zeit der Sonnenmenschen, der Apollomenschen. Die waren aus einer noch edleren und noch weicheren Materie. Dann kommen wir noch weiter zurück, zu der allerersten Rasse, zu den polarischen Menschen. Die haben damals in dem tropischen Polarklima gelebt, eine Rasse, die dadurch zu einer besonderen Höhe kommen konnte, daß ihr eine merkwürdige große Hilfe geleistet worden ist. Die schönsten Gestalten der Mondpitris kamen auf die Erde herunter. Die polarischen Menschen waren sehr ähnlich vierfüßigen Tieren, aber sie waren aus einer weichen, biegsamen Materie gestaltet, ähnlich wie eine Qualle, aber viel wärmer. Den Menschen mit den besten Gestalten, den edelsten Bestandteilen kam damals etwas Besonderes zu Hilfe, nämlich daß mit der Erde noch Wesenheiten verbunden waren, die früher eine höhere Stufe erreicht hatten.
Die Sonne ist in aller Esoterik zunächst als ein Planet erkannt; sie ist erst später Fixstern geworden. Die Reihenfolge der Stadien, welche die Erde durchlaufen hat, ist: Saturn, Sonne, Mond, Erde. Als die Sonne selbst Planet war, da war alles, was jetzt auf dem Monde und auf der Erde ist, noch in der Sonne. Später haben sich Sonne und Mond herausgelöst aus der Erde.
Wir denken uns nun in die Zeit der alten Sonne zurück. Da hat alles, was jetzt auf der Erde lebt, auf der Sonne gewohnt. Diese Wesen waren damals ganz anders gestaltet. Damals hatte der Mensch nur den physischen Körper, der weit weniger dicht war als jetzt, und den Ätherkörper. Die ganze Lebensart des Menschen war damals pflanzenartig. Die Wesen lebten im Licht der Sonne. Dieses Licht kam ihnen damals von dem Mittelpunkt ihres eigenen Planeten. Sie waren damals ganz verschieden von dem heutigen Menschen. Im Vergleich zu dem heutigen Menschen stand der Sonnenmensch auf dem Kopfe und das Licht schien ihm auf den Kopf. Alles was mit der Fortpflanzung zusammenhängt, das entwickelte sich frei nach der anderen Seite. Der Mensch streckte damals sozusagen die Beine in die Luft. Die Pflanze ist auf dieser Stufe stehengeblieben, sie wurzelt heute noch im Boden und streckt die Organe der Fortpflanzung, Staubgefäße und Stempel, in die Luft: (Pflanze). Dieser Sonnenmensch entwickelte sich in sieben verschiedenen Stufen. Er steht so auf dem Planeten, wie die heutige Pflanze in der Erde wurzelt. Dann, bei der dritten Verkörpezung der Erde, wurde er zum Mondenmenschen. Da bückte er sich: das Vertikale wurde zum Horizontalen (Tier). Es entstand in ihm die Anlage zum Rückgrat. Das Symbol dafür ist das Tau = T. Auf der Erde drehte er sich vollkommen um. Dafür ist das Symbol das Kreuz. Das Kreuz ist die Symbolisierung der Entwickelung von der Sonne durch den Mond zur Erde hin. Auf der Erde hat sie das Kreuz erreicht in seinem obersten Balken. Sie schreitet weiter, indem sie das Kreuz auf dem Rücken trägt.
Die Sonnenmenschen waren auch zu einer gewissen hohen Entwickelung gelangt. Es gab auch Adepten der Sonne, die weitergekommen waren als die übrigen Sonnenmenschen. Sie gingen nach dem Monde hinüber. Auch dort hatten sie die Möglichkeit, höher als die Mondenmenschen zu sein, und sie entwickelten sich dort zu ganz besonderer Höhe. Sie waren die Vorfahren der Erdenmenschen, aber den anderen weit vorausgeeilt. Als nun in der zweiten Epoche des vierten Globus die Hyperboräer in ihren weichen Formen lebten, da waren diese Sonnensöhne in der Lage, sich zu inkarnieren und bildeten eine besonders schöne Rasse. Sie waren die Solarpitris. Die bildeten sich schon in der Hyperboräerzeit eine aufrechte Form. Sie wandten den Hyperboräerkörper ganz um; dazu wären damals die anderen Menschen nicht imstande gewesen. Die Solarpitris wurden in der Hyperboräerzeit die schönen Apollomenschen, die schon in der zweiten Rasse aufrechtgerichtet waren.
In der Sonne war alles das mit drinnen, was später als Mond und Erde herausgeworfen ist. Alles Leben und alle Wärme strömten auf der Sonne vom Mittelpunkt aus. Dann, in dem nächsten Manvantara (dem alten Mond), geht folgendes vor sich: Aus dem Dunkel des Pralaya dringt die Sonne heraus. Ein Teil der Sonnenmaterie will sich ablösen. Es entsteht zunächst eine Art Biskuitform.
Dann löst sich der eine Teil ganz ab, und die beiden Körper gehen nebeneinanderher als Sonne und Mond. Der Sonne ist die Möglichkeit geblieben, zu leuchten und zu wärmen. Dem Monde blieb die Möglichkeit zur Kraft der Hervorbringung. Er konnte die Wesen wieder hervorbringen, die auf der Sonne gewesen waren; aber sie mußten erleuchtet und erwärmt werden von der Sonne. Auf dem nichtbeschienenen Mond mußte die Umkehrung der Wesenheiten zur Sonne hin entstehen. Alle Pflanzen drehten sich deshalb auf dem Monde um. Die Tiere drehten sich halb um, auch die Menschen taten es nur halb. Aber sie bekamen auf dem Monde als Ersatz den Astralkörper dazu, das Kama, und entwickeln dadurch von innen heraus die Wärme. Das Kama war dazumal eine noch wesentlich wärmende Kraft. Daher wenden sie sich nicht vollständig der Sonne damals schon zu. Es war auch Leben in der Finsternis. Der Mond kreiste dazumal auch um die Sonne herum, aber nicht wie jetzt unsere Erde. Der Mond drehte sich damals so um die Sonne herum, daß er immer nur die eine Seite ihr zuwendete. Ein Mondentag dauerte also so lang wie heute ein halbes Jahr. Es entstand dadurch eine ungeheure Glut auf der einen Seite und auf der anderen Seite eine ungeheure Kälte.
Auf dem alten Monde machten nun wieder die Vorgänger des Menschen eine gewisse Normalentwickelung durch. Aber es gibt auch Mondadepten, die eilen der übrigen Menschheit voraus. Diese Pitriwesenheiten am Ende der Mondenentwickelung sind viel weiter als die übrigen, ähnlich wie heute die Adepten den übrigen Menschen vorausgeeilt sind.
Jetzt kommen wir erst zur eigentlichen Erdenentwickelung. Im nächsten Pralaya, nach der Mondenentwickelung, fiel der Mond wieder in die Sonne zurück. Gemeinsam machten sie das Pralaya durch. Als die Erde nun aus dem Dunkel hervortrat, da war die ganze Sonnenmasse eins mit ihr. In der Zeit beginnt die erste oder polarische Rasse. Da sind die früheren Sonnenmenschen vermöge der damaligen Verhältnisse imstande, dieses bevorzugte Geschlecht der Sonnensöhne zu bilden, weil die Sonne noch mit der Erde verbunden ist.
Während der Hyperboräerzeit teilt sich das Ganze wiederum. Ein Teil schnürt sich wieder ab und die Erde tritt aus der Sonne heraus. An diesem Punkt beginnt die Kant-Laplacesche Theorie einzusetzen. Der damalige Zustand ist der Kant-Laplacesche Urnebel. Außen hat dies so ausgesehen wie die Ringe um den Saturn. Jetzt bildet sich die zweite oder Hyperboräerrasse heraus. Es kommen da auf der Erde allmählich die Mondenmenschensamen heraus, die Pitris in verschiedener Vollendung. Die haben damals alle noch die Möglichkeit, sich aus sich selbst heraus fortzupflanzen durch Selbstbefruchtung.
Darauf geschah eine zweite Abschnürung. Mit dem Mond geht auf der Erde alles dasjenige weg, was Selbsthervorbringungskraft ist, so daß man also jetzt drei Körper hat: Sonne, Erde, Mond. Da hört die Möglichkeit der Selbstbefruchtung auf, der Mond hat herausgezogen, was die Möglichkeit der Selbstbefruchtung gab. Jetzt steht der Mond draußen und wir haben Wesen, die nicht mehr imstande sind, sich fortzupflanzen durch sich selbst, und jetzt entstehen in der lemurischen Epoche zwei Geschlechter.
Solche Entwickelungen gehen nur vor sich unter der Leitung von höheren Wesenheiten, der Devas. Das hat den Sinn, daß die Entwickelung in einer gewissen Weise vorwärtsschreitet. Der Leiter der ganzen Bewegung ist dieselbe Gottheit, die die hebräische Tradition Jahve, Jehova, nennt. Er war eine Mondengottheit. Er hatte im höchsten Sinne die Kraft, die auf dem Monde entwickelt war, und strebte darnach, die Menschheit in diesem Sinne weiterzuentwickeln. Jahve stellt innerhalb der irdischen Welt die Gottheit dar, welche den Wesen die Möglichkeit der physischen Fortpflanzung gibt. Alles übrige (Verstand) lag nicht in der Jahve-Intention. Wenn Jahves Intention sich allein fortentwickelt hätte, würde der Mensch aber doch eines Tages aufgehört haben, sich fortzupflanzen, weil die Kraft der Fortpflanzung sich erschöpft hätte. Er hätte sich dann nur damit befaßt, schöne Formen zu erzeugen, denn das Innere, das Intellektuelle, war ihm gleichgültig. Schön geformte Menschen wollte Jehova erzeugen, eine Art schöner Statuen. Nach seiner Intention sollte die FortPflanzungskraft so lange fortgesetzt werden, bis sie erlischt. Er wollte einen Planeten haben, der nur schöne, aber vollständig starre Formen auf sich trug. Wenn die Erde, mit dem Mond in sich, sich fortentwickelt hätte, so hätte sie sich entwickelt zu einer starren, vereisten Form. Jehova hätte seinen Planeten verewigt als Denkmal der Intention seiner Entwickelung. Dies wäre zweifellos eingetreten, wenn nicht jene Adepten, die über die Mondenentwickelung hinausgeeilt waren, jetzt hervorgetreten wären. In derselben Zeit traten sie hervor. Diese hatten dasjenige, was wir erst auf der Erde entwickelt haben, Verstand und Geist, schon auf dem Monde entwickelt. Sie nahmen sich jetzt der übrigen Menschheit an und entrissen sie dem Schicksal, dem sie sonst verfallen wären. Es wurde ein neuer Funke angefacht in dem menschlichen Astralkörper. Sie gaben gerade dem damaligen Astralkörper den Anstoß, sich über den springenden Punkt hinaus zu entwickeln. Jahve konnte sich dann auf keine andere Weise retten, als daß er seine Wirkensart änderte. Er schuf den Mann neben dem Weibe. Was sich nicht in einem Geschlecht erhalten konnte, das wurde auf zwei Geschlechter verteilt.
Es waren jetzt zwei Strömungen da, diejenige Jahves und die der Mondadepten. Das Interesse der Mondadepten lag darin, die Menschheit zu vergeistigen. Aber Jahve wollte aus ihnen schöne Statuen machen. Diese beiden Kräfte kämpften dazumal miteinander.
Wir haben es also zu tun mit einer Kraft auf der Erde, die die Macht der Selbsthervorbringung hat: Kriyashakti. Diese ist heute auf der Erde nur noch in den allerhöchsten Mysterien vorhanden. Damals hatte sie jeder in sich. Durch diese Kraft konnte der Mensch sich selber fortpflanzen; sie wurde damals in zwei Hälften gespalten. Dadurch entstanden die zwei Geschlechter auf der Erde.
Die ganze Kraft der Selbsthervorbringung zog Jehova aus der Erde heraus und setzte sie im Monde neben die Erde hin. Dadurch besteht der Zusammenhang zwischen der Reproduktionksraft und den Mondenwesen. Nun haben wir den Menschen mit der geschwächten Reproduktionskraft, aber noch nicht mit der Möglichkeit, sich zu vergeistigen. Dieses waren die Vorgänger der jetzigen Menschheit. Zu ihnen kamen nun die Mondadepten. Sie sagten ihnen: Ihr müßt nicht Jehova folgen, er wird euch nicht zur Erkenntnis kommen lassen; aber ihr sollt Erkenntnis erlangen. — Das ist die Schlange. Die Schlange steht dem Weibe gegenüber, denn das Weib hatte die Kraft, sich aus sich selbst heraus fortzupflanzen. Jetzt sagt Jehova: Der Mensch ist geworden wie unsereiner - und bringt nun den Tod in die Welt und alles, was damit zusammenhängt.
«Luzifer» nennt man die Mondadepten; sie sind die Geber dessen, was menschliche Intellektualität ist. Das gaben sie dem Astral- und dem physischen Körper, sonst hätte die Monade in diese nicht einziehen können und die Erde wäre dann ein planetarisches Denkmal von Jehovas Größe geworden. Durch das Eingreifen des luziferischen Prinzips wurde die menschliche Selbständigkeit, die Geistigkeit gerettet. Jehova hat dann, damit der Mensch sich nicht ganz vergeistige, die Selbsthervorbringungskraft halbiert. Was aber auch verlorengegangen wäre, wenn Jehova allein gearbeitet hätte, das tritt nun in der sechsten Wurzelrasse wieder ein; da wird der Mensch so vergeistigt sein, daß er Kriyashakti, die schöpferische Reproduktionskraft wieder erlangen wird. Er wird imstande sein, seinesgleichen wieder hervorzubringen. So wurde die Menschheit über eine Klippe hinübergerettet.
Der Mensch trägt also durch Jehovas Macht die Möglichkeit in sich, zu erstarren. Wenn man die drei unteren Körper beobachtet, so haben diese den Keim in sich, zum physischen Zustand der Erde zurückzukehren. Die oberen Teile: Atma, Buddhi, Manas haben erst in den Menschen einziehen können dadurch, daß die Schlange hinzukam. Der Mensch bekam dadurch neues Leben und die Kraft, bei dem irdischen Planeten zu verbleiben. Aber die Fortpflanzungskraft wurde zweigeschlechtlich und dadurch ist Geburt und Tod in die Welt gekommen; vorher gab es noch nicht Geburt und Tod.
Wenn der Mensch vom Geiste aus den physischen Körper durcharbeitet, überwindet er den Tod. Die Einzelkräfte erschöpfen sich, wenn sie spezielle Formen annehmen. Die Kraft geht in die Form hinein, in immer stärkere Dichtigkeit, und darum mußte das Leben in der lemurischen Rasse einen neuen Einschlag erhalten, was durch eine Umdrehung der Erdkugel bewirkt wurde. Die Erdachse wurde allmählich umgedreht. Früher war am Nordpol Tropenklima, später kam durch die Umdrehung der Erdachse das Tropenklima in die Mitte. Diese Umkehr ging mit verhältnismäßiger Raschheit vor sich, dauerte aber doch vielleicht vier Millionen Jahre. Die lemurische Zeit war vor zweiundzwanzig Millionen Jahren. Vier Millionen Jahre brauchten die Mondpitris, um die Achse umzudrehen. Die Intelligenz der Mondpitris war damals schon viel weiter entwickelt als diejenige der heutigen Menschen.
Es entwickelte sich also damals aus dem eingeschlechtlichen Menschen der zweigeschlechtliche. In der ersten Zeit waren unter den eingeschlechtlichen Menschen sehr zurückgebliebene Individuen, aber auch sehr weit vorgeschrittene. Nur ein kleiner Teil war ein geeigneter Wohnplatz für die herabsteigenden Monaden. Damals haben sich dann die Menschen in zwei Geschlechter geteilt. Die Tiere waren schon früher in die Zweigeschlechtlichkeit übergegangen. Neben dem Menschen lebten damals auf der Erde männliche und weibliche Tiere. Es waren sehr groteske Gestalten, die damals auf der ganz andersgearteten Erde leben konnten. Sie hatten auch die Möglichkeit zu fliegen. Sie trugen die Vorboten von dem in sich, was heute die Menschen haben. Die esoterischen Religionen nennen - darauf beziehen sich gewisse Tiersymbole — die Menschen, die sich selbst hervorbringen konnten: Stiere. Der Stier ist ein Symbol der Fruchtbarkeit; voran ging der Löwe, das Symbol des Mutes, und vorher der Adler. In der Vision des Hesekiel haben, im Hinblick auf die früheren Zeiten, die Tiere Flügel, weil sie sich etwas über die Erde erheben konnten. Später entsteht erst der Mensch.
Wir haben also den Menschen, wie er sich aus der Eingeschlechtlichkeit in die Zweigeschlechtlichkeit entwickelt und daneben schon zweigeschlechtliche Tiere, männliche und weibliche. Die Menschen sind eben erst durch die Lunarpitris reif geworden, einen Körper zu haben, der fähig ist, die Monade aufzunehmen. Diese nehmen aber nur die höchstentwickelten Exemplare und entwickeln eine edelmenschliche Form; nur müssen sie sich ganz zurückhalten vom Umgang mit allem übrigen, sonst würden sie ihre edle Form verlieren. Der Körper gestaltete sich erst damals nach der Monade. Die anderen Formen, die weniger weit waren, die gefielen den herunterkommenden Monaden nicht; daher gaben sie nur einen Teil ihrer geistigen Kraft in die unvollkommenen Menschenkörper hinein, und die dritte Welle weigerte sich ganz, sich zu inkarnieren. So gab es dadurch zum Teil geistig nur sehr schwach befruchtete Menschenkörper und solche ohne allen Geist.
In der Mitte der lemurischen Zeit haben wir somit die ersten Söhne des Feuernebels; diese inkarnieren sich in dem feurigen Element, das damals die Erde umgab. Die Söhne des Feuernebels waren die ersten Arhats. Dann entstanden die beiden anderen Sorten. Diejenigen, die nur einen kleinen Funken erhalten hatten, waren in der ersten lemutischen Menschenrasse wenig geeignet, eine Kultur zu bilden und gingen bald unter. Dagegen haben diejenigen, die gar nichts bekommen haben, ihre niedere Natur besonders zum Ausdruck gebracht. Sie vermischten sich mit den Tieren. Daraus gingen die letzten Rassen der Lemurier hervor. Die wilden, tierischen Instinkte lebten in wilden, tierähnlichen Menschengestalten. Dies bewirkte eine Verschlechterung der ganzen menschlichen Substanz.
Wären damals alle Menschen befruchtet worden mit Monaden, dann wäre das ganze Menschengeschlecht viel besser geworden. Das erste Böse entstand dadurch, daß sich einige Monaden weigerten, sich zu inkarnieren. Daraus - durch die Vermischung - ging die Verschlimmerung hervor. So war der Mensch physisch wesentlich verschlechtert worden. Es war damals eine Zeit, in der das Menschengeschlecht heruntergedrückt wurde. Erst in der atlantischen Zeit bereuen die Monaden ihre frühere Weigerung, kommen herunter und bevölkern alle Menschen. Dadurch entstehen die verschiedenen atlantischen Rassen.
Wir sind bis zur Erkenntnis einer Zeit gekommen, wo etwas zur Verschlechterung der Erde geschehen ist. Die ganze Verschlechterung der Rassen bewirkte auch eine Verschlechterung der Erde. Das ist die Entstehung des Urkarmas. Damals wurde der erste Keim zu Karma gelegt. Alles Spätere ist eine Folge des Urkarmas; denn, wären die Monaden alle zur rechten Zeit in die Menschenformen geschlüpft, so hätten die Menschen die Sicherheit des Tieres, sie hätten nicht irren können, aber sie hätten nicht Freiheit entwickeln können. Die ursprünglichen Arhats können nicht irren, sie sind Engel in Menschengestalt. Die Mondadepten haben nun gerade gewisse Monaden veranlaßt, mit der Inkarnation zu warten. Dadurch kam das Prinzip des Asketentums in die Welt, das Nichtbewohnenwollen der Erde. Dieses Unpassende zwischen höherer und niederer Natur ist damals entstanden. Der Mensch wurde dadurch unsicher; er muß jetzt probieren, durch verschiedene Erfahrungen hindurchzupendeln, wie er sich in der Welt zurechtfinden soll. Weil er Urkarma hat, kommt auch sein weiteres Karma. Er kann dadurch irren.
Beabsichtigt war, daß von den Menschen Erkenntnis erlangt wird. Das konnte nur veranlaßt werden durch das Urkarma. Das luziferische Prinzip, die Mondadepten, wollten den Menschen immer mehr zur Freiheit und Selbständigkeit entwickeln. Das ist sehr schön ausgedrückt in der Sage von Prometheus: Zeus will nicht, daß die Menschen das Feuer bekommen, Prometheus aber gibt ihnen das Feuer, die Fähigkeit, sich höher und höher zu entwickeln. Dadurch verurteilt er den Menschen zum Leiden. Er muß nun warten, bis ein Sonnenheld kommt, bis das Prinzip des Sonnenhelden in der sechsten Rasse den Menschen fähig machen wird, ohne die luziferische Erkenntnis sich weiterzuentwickeln. Die so weit vorgeschritten sind wie Prometheus, sind Sonnenhelden.
So haben wir einen zweifachen Menschen erhalten: Einen, der verfallen ist dem Prinzip des Jehova, die physische Erde zu vervollkommnen, und dann den geistigen Menschen, der sich höher entwickelt. Jehova und Luzifer sind in einem fortwährenden Kampfe begriffen. Luzifer will alles zur Erkenntnis, zum Lichte heraufentwickeln. Im Devachan kann der Mensch das eine Prinzip, das des Luzifer, ein Stückchen weiter ausreifen. Er kann um so mehr davon entwickeln, je länger er im Devachan bleibt. So viele Inkarnationen muß er durchmachen, bis er dieses Prinzip ganz entwickelt hat.
Es gibt also in der Welt ein Jehovaprinzip und ein Luziferprinzip. Wenn das Jehovaprinzip allein gelehrt würde, so würde der Mensch der Erde verfallen. Wenn man die Lehren von Reinkarnation und Karma ganz von der Erde verschwinden läßt, erobert man für Jehova alle Monaden zurück und der physische Mensch würde der Erde, einem versteinerten Planeten, übergeben. Lehrt man aber Reinkarnation und Karma, so führt man den Menschen zur Vergeistigung hinauf. Daher bildete das Christentum den richtigsten Kompromiß und lehrte eine Zeitlang nicht Reinkarnation und Karma, sondern die Wichtigkeit des einen Erdendaseins, damit der Mensch die Erde lieb gewinnt, bis er reif ist für ein neues Christentum mit der Lehre von Reinkarnation und Karma, das die Erde rettet und die ganze Saat ins Devachan hineinbringt. Im Christentum selbst kämpfen so heute die zwei Prinzipien: das eine ohne Reinkarnation und Karma, das andere mit dieser Lehre. Bei der ersten Lehre würde alles, was Luzifer bewirken konnte, den Menschen genommen werden. Sie würden tatsächlich aus der Reinkarnation herausfallen und der Erde den Rücken kehren; verschlechterte Engel werden. Die Erde ginge dann dem Untergang entgegen. Würden auf der Erde die Heerscharen Jehovas siegen, so würde die Erde als eine Art Mond zurückbleiben, als ein erstarrter Körper. Die Pflicht zur Vergeistigung wäre dann versäumt worden. Der Kampf in der Bhagavad Gita schildert den Kampf zwischen Jehova und Luzifer und ihren Heerscharen.
Es könnte heute noch möglich sein, daß das Christentum ohne die Lehre von Reinkarnation und Karma siegte. Dann würde die Erde für das Prinzip des Luzifer verlorengehen. Die ganze Erde ist noch ein Kampfplatz zwischen diesen beiden Prinzipien. Das Prinzip, welches die Erde zur Geistigkeit hinaufführt, ist Luzifer. Dazu, um diesem Prinzip gemäß zu leben, muß man erst die Erde liebgewinnen, man muß auf die Erde heruntersteigen. Luzifer ist der Fürst, der seine Regierung ausführt auf dem Felde der Wissenschaft und Kunst. Aber ganz auf die Erde heruntersteigen kann er nicht, dazu reicht seine Kraft nicht aus. Ganz allein würde Luzifer unmöglich hinaufführen können, was auf der Erde ist. Dazu gehört nicht nur die Kraft eines Mondadepten, sondern eines Sonnenadepten, der auch das Leben, das in der Zusammengehörigkeit der Menschen, nicht in Kunst und Wissenschaft sich ausspricht, aufnimmt. Luzifer wird dargestellt als die geflügelte Drachengestalt; bei Hesekiel als der geflügelte Stier.
Es kam nun ein Sonnenheld, ähnlich denen, die in der Hyperboräerzeit aufgetreten sind, der repräsentiert wurde bei Hesekiel durch den geflügelten Löwen. Dieser Held, der den zweiten Anstoß gibt, ist Christus, der Löwe aus dem Stamme Juda. Der Repräsentant des Adlers wird erst später kommen, er vertritt das VaterPrinzip. Christus ist ein Solarheros, eine Löwennatur, ein Sonnenpitri.
Das dritte ist das, was einen Adepten darstellen wird, der schon auf dem Saturn Adept war. Ein solcher kann sich jetzt noch nicht auf der Erde inkarnieren. Erst wenn der Mensch nicht nur seine höhere Natur wird hinaufentwickeln können, sondern seiner niederen Natur völlig entsagen kann und schöpferisch auftreten wird, kann sich inkarnieren dieser höchste Adept, der Saturnadept, das Vaterprinzip - der verborgene Gott.
XXIII
Let us recall the moment when human beings in the middle of the Lemurian race rose to spirituality. Only then was fertilization with the spirit, with the monad, possible. Gradually, through separation from human beings, other beings had emerged from the chaotic earth and lived on earth as companions to human beings. Human beings had developed a physical body, an etheric body, and an astral body. The astral body had been purified and was then ready to receive Manas, Buddhi, and Atma.
Everything on Earth came into being very gradually, so that humanity, which had no intellect and no ability to speak, arose from the indeterminate mass of the Earth. We now ask: How did this come about? A plant does not grow out of nothing. A seed has been sunk into the earth. The same was true of the human beings who were there at that time. Human beings also sprouted from the earth, and for this to happen, there had to be a seed on the earth. A similar entity had already existed once before. This seed human being had come into being on the old moon. There it passed into the seed state, went through a pralaya, and then reappeared on earth.
The stage of development of the earth had three preliminary stages: (Saturn, Sun, and Moon). In the first three earth cycles, these three preliminary stages were briefly repeated. In the first earth epoch, the Saturn existence was repeated, in the second epoch the Sun existence, and in the third epoch the Moon existence. In the fourth cycle, the actual Earth existence emerged, and man had reached a slightly higher stage than on the Moon. On the Moon, his development was not yet complete, not yet pure enough to receive the monad. On the Moon, the astral body was still wild and passionate. It first had to purify itself on Earth in order to be able to receive the higher principles. This purification was completed in the middle of the Lemurian period.
The last humans during the lunar existence are our physical ancestors. They initially developed a little further on Earth. The Earth humans of the pre-Lemurian period are the true descendants of the lunar inhabitants. That is why we also call the lunar inhabitants the fathers or Pitris of the Earth humans. These Earth humans were initially unable to use their front limbs for work. They were animal-like creatures of a certain great beauty. They were made of much softer material than today's physical matter; their matter was even softer than that which we now find in lower animals. It was translucent, and the inner fire shone through it. At the time when humans had gone through an earlier stage of development, they were even more beautiful and nobler in form.
In the time that preceded the Lemurian era, we have the Hyperborean era on Earth, the era of the Sun people, the Apollo people. They were made of an even more noble and softer matter. Then we go back even further, to the very first race, the Polar people. They lived in the tropical polar climate at that time, a race that was able to reach a special height because they received remarkable help. The most beautiful forms of the Moon Pitris came down to Earth. The polar people were very similar to four-legged animals, but they were made of a soft, flexible material, similar to a jellyfish, but much warmer. The people with the best forms, the noblest components, were helped by something special at that time, namely that beings who had previously reached a higher level were still connected to the earth.
In all esotericism, the sun is first recognized as a planet; it only later became a fixed star. The sequence of stages that the Earth has gone through is: Saturn, Sun, Moon, Earth. When the sun itself was a planet, everything that is now on the moon and on Earth was still in the sun. Later, the sun and moon separated from the Earth.
Let us now think back to the time of the ancient Sun. At that time, everything that now lives on Earth lived on the Sun. These beings were very different in form at that time. Back then, human beings had only a physical body, which was far less dense than it is now, and an etheric body. The whole way of life of human beings at that time was plant-like. The beings lived in the light of the sun. At that time, this light came to them from the center of their own planet. They were very different from today's humans. Compared to today's humans, the sun humans stood on their heads and the light shone on their heads. Everything related to reproduction developed freely on the other side. Humans at that time stretched their legs into the air, so to speak. Plants have remained at this stage; they are still rooted in the ground today and stretch their reproductive organs, stamens and pistils, into the air (plants). These sun humans developed in seven different stages. They stand on the planet in the same way that today's plants are rooted in the earth. Then, during the third incarnation of the Earth, he became a moon human. He bent down: the vertical became horizontal (animal). The predisposition for a spine developed within him. The symbol for this is the tau = T. On Earth, he turned completely around. The symbol for this is the cross. The cross symbolizes the development from the sun through the moon to the Earth. On Earth, it has reached the cross in its uppermost beam. It continues to progress by carrying the cross on its back.
The sun people had also reached a certain high level of development. There were also adepts of the sun who had progressed further than the other sun people. They went over to the moon. There, too, they had the opportunity to be higher than the moon people, and they developed to a very special height there. They were the ancestors of the earth people, but far ahead of the others. When, in the second epoch of the fourth globe, the Hyperboreans lived in their soft forms, these sons of the sun were able to incarnate and formed a particularly beautiful race. They were the Solar Pitris. They had already formed an upright form in the Hyperborean period. They completely transformed the Hyperborean body; the other humans would not have been capable of this at that time. In the Hyperborean period, the Solar Pitris became the beautiful Apollo humans, who were already upright in the second race.
The sun contained everything that was later ejected as the moon and the earth. All life and all warmth flowed from the center of the sun. Then, in the next manvantara (the old moon), the following takes place: The sun emerges from the darkness of Pralaya. Part of the sun's matter wants to detach itself. First, a kind of biscuit shape is formed.
Then one part detaches completely, and the two bodies travel side by side as the sun and moon. The sun retains the ability to shine and give warmth. The moon retained the ability to bring forth life. It could bring forth again the beings that had been on the sun, but they had to be illuminated and warmed by the sun. On the unilluminated moon, the beings had to turn toward the sun. All plants therefore turned around on the moon. The animals turned halfway around, and humans did so only halfway as well. But on the moon they received the astral body, the kama, as a substitute, and through this they developed warmth from within. At that time, the kama was still an essentially warming force. Therefore, they did not turn completely toward the sun even then. There was also life in the darkness. At that time, the moon also revolved around the sun, but not like our earth does now. The moon revolved around the sun in such a way that it always faced only one side of it. A lunar day therefore lasted as long as half a year does today. This created tremendous heat on one side and tremendous cold on the other.
On the old moon, the predecessors of humans underwent a certain normal development. But there are also lunar adepts who are ahead of the rest of humanity. These Pitri beings at the end of the moon's development are much further ahead than the rest, similar to how adepts today are ahead of other humans.
Now we come to the actual development of the Earth. In the next Pralaya, after the development of the Moon, the Moon fell back into the Sun. Together they went through the Pralaya. When the Earth emerged from the darkness, the entire mass of the Sun was one with it. At that time, the first or polar race began. Due to the conditions at that time, the former sun people are able to form this privileged race of sun sons, because the sun is still connected to the earth.
During the Hyperborean period, the whole divides again. One part separates again and the earth emerges from the sun. At this point, the Kant-Laplace theory begins to apply. The state at that time is the Kant-Laplace primordial nebula. On the outside, this looked like the rings around Saturn. Now the second or Hyperborean race emerges. Gradually, the seeds of the moon people, the Pitris in various stages of perfection, emerge on Earth. At that time, they all still have the ability to reproduce from within themselves through self-fertilization.
Then a second separation took place. With the moon, everything on Earth that is self-generating power disappears, so that now there are three bodies: sun, Earth, moon. The possibility of self-fertilization ceases; the moon has withdrawn what gave the possibility of self-fertilization. Now the moon stands outside, and we have beings that are no longer capable of reproducing through themselves, and now, in the Lemurian epoch, two sexes arise.
Such developments only take place under the guidance of higher beings, the devas. The purpose of this is to ensure that development progresses in a certain way. The leader of the entire movement is the same deity that Hebrew tradition calls Yahweh, Jehovah. He was a moon deity. He had, in the highest sense, the power that had developed on the moon, and he strove to further develop humanity in this sense. Within the earthly world, Yahweh represents the deity who gives beings the possibility of physical reproduction. Everything else (intellect) was not part of Yahweh's intention. If Yahweh's intention had developed on its own, however, humans would one day have ceased to reproduce because the power of reproduction would have been exhausted. They would then have concerned themselves only with creating beautiful forms, because they were indifferent to the inner, intellectual aspect. Jehovah wanted to create beautifully formed humans, a kind of beautiful statues. According to his intention, the power of reproduction was to continue until it died out. He wanted to have a planet that carried only beautiful but completely rigid forms. If the Earth, with the Moon within it, had continued to develop, it would have developed into a rigid, icy form. Jehovah would have immortalized his planet as a monument to the intention of his development. This would undoubtedly have happened if those adepts who had rushed beyond the moon's development had not now come forward. They came forward at the same time. They had already developed on the moon what we have only developed on Earth: mind and spirit. They now took charge of the rest of humanity and rescued them from the fate that would otherwise have befallen them. A new spark was kindled in the human astral body. They gave the astral body of that time the impetus to develop beyond the critical point. Yahweh could then save himself in no other way than by changing his mode of action. He created man alongside woman. What could not be preserved in one gender was distributed between two genders.
There were now two currents, that of Yahweh and that of the moon adepts. The moon adepts were interested in spiritualizing humanity. But Yahweh wanted to turn them into beautiful statues. These two forces fought each other at that time.
So we are dealing with a force on Earth that has the power of self-creation: Kriyashakti. Today, this force is only present on Earth in the highest mysteries. At that time, everyone had it within themselves. Through this force, humans were able to reproduce themselves; at that time, it was split into two halves. This gave rise to the two genders on Earth.
Jehovah drew all the power of self-generation out of the earth and placed it in the moon next to the earth. This is the connection between the power of reproduction and the moon beings. Now we have humans with weakened reproductive power, but not yet with the possibility of spiritualization. These were the predecessors of the current human race. The moon adepts came to them and said: You must not follow Jehovah, he will not let you come to knowledge; but you shall attain knowledge. — That is the serpent. The serpent stands opposite the woman, for the woman had the power to reproduce from herself. Now Jehovah says: Man has become like us — and now brings death into the world and everything associated with it.
The lunar adepts are called “Lucifer”; they are the givers of what is human intellectuality. They gave this to the astral and physical bodies, otherwise the monad would not have been able to enter them and the earth would then have become a planetary monument to Jehovah's greatness. Through the intervention of the Luciferic principle, human independence and spirituality were saved. Jehovah then halved the power of self-creation so that man would not become completely spiritual. But what would also have been lost if Jehovah had worked alone is now reappearing in the sixth root race; there, man will be so spiritualized that he will regain Kriyashakti, the creative power of reproduction. He will be able to produce his own kind again. Thus, humanity was saved from the precipice.
Through Jehovah's power, man therefore carries within himself the possibility of becoming rigid. If one observes the three lower bodies, they have within them the seed to return to the physical state of the earth. The upper parts: Atma, Buddhi, Manas were only able to enter into man through the addition of the serpent. This gave humans new life and the power to remain on the earthly planet. But the power of procreation became bisexual, and thus birth and death came into the world; before that, there was no birth and death.
When humans work through the physical body from the spirit, they overcome death. The individual forces exhaust themselves when they take on specific forms. The power enters the form, becoming increasingly dense, and therefore life in the Lemurian race had to take on a new direction, which was brought about by a rotation of the globe. The Earth's axis was gradually turned around. Previously, the North Pole had a tropical climate, but later, due to the rotation of the Earth's axis, the tropical climate moved to the center. This reversal took place with relative rapidity, but still lasted perhaps four million years. The Lemurian period was twenty-two million years ago. It took the Moon Pitris four million years to turn the axis. The intelligence of the Moon Pitris was already much more developed than that of today's humans at that time.
Thus, the single-sex human being developed into a two-sex human being. In the early days, there were very backward individuals among the single-sex humans, but also very advanced ones. Only a small part was a suitable place for the descending monads to dwell. At that time, humans divided into two sexes. Animals had already transitioned to two sexes earlier. Male and female animals lived on Earth alongside humans at that time. They were very grotesque creatures that were able to live on the very different Earth of that time. They also had the ability to fly. They carried within them the precursors of what humans have today. Esoteric religions refer to humans who were able to reproduce themselves as bulls, which is reflected in certain animal symbols. The bull is a symbol of fertility; it was preceded by the lion, the symbol of courage, and before that by the eagle. In Ezekiel's vision, with regard to earlier times, the animals have wings because they were able to rise above the earth. Later, humans first appear.
So we have humans, as they develop from single-sex to dual-sex, and alongside them already dual-sex animals, male and female. Humans have only just become mature enough through the Lunar Pitris to have a body capable of receiving the monad. However, only the most highly developed specimens take them and develop a noble human form; they must refrain completely from contact with everything else, otherwise they would lose their noble form. Only then did the body take shape according to the monad. The other forms, which were less advanced, did not please the descending monads; therefore, they gave only part of their spiritual power to the imperfect human bodies, and the third wave refused to incarnate at all. As a result, there were some human bodies that were only very weakly fertilized spiritually and others that were completely devoid of spirit.
In the middle of the Lemurian period, we thus have the first sons of the fire nebula; they incarnate in the fiery element that surrounded the Earth at that time. The sons of the fire nebula were the first arhats. Then the other two types arose. Those who had received only a small spark were ill-suited to forming a culture in the first Lemurian human race and soon perished. On the other hand, those who received nothing at all expressed their lower nature particularly strongly. They mingled with the animals. From this arose the last races of the Lemurians. Wild, animal instincts lived in wild, animal-like human forms. This caused a deterioration of the entire human substance.
If all humans had been fertilized with monads at that time, the entire human race would have become much better. The first evil arose when some monads refused to incarnate. This resulted in deterioration through intermingling. Thus, humans had been significantly degraded physically. It was a time when the human race was oppressed. It was not until the Atlantean period that the monads repented of their earlier refusal, came down, and populated all human beings. This gave rise to the various Atlantean races.
We have come to the realization of a time when something happened that caused the deterioration of the Earth. The entire deterioration of the races also caused a deterioration of the Earth. This is the origin of primordial karma. At that time, the first seed of karma was sown. Everything that followed is a consequence of primordial karma; for if the monads had all slipped into human forms at the right time, humans would have had the security of animals, they would not have been able to err, but they would not have been able to develop freedom. The original arhats cannot err; they are angels in human form. The moon adepts have now caused certain monads to wait with incarnation. This brought the principle of asceticism into the world, the desire not to inhabit the earth. This incompatibility between higher and lower nature arose at that time. It made humans uncertain; they now have to try to find their way in the world through various experiences. Because they have primordial karma, their further karma also comes. This can cause them to err.
The intention was for humans to attain knowledge. This could only be brought about by primordial karma. The Luciferic principle, the lunar adepts, wanted humans to develop more and more toward freedom and independence. This is beautifully expressed in the legend of Prometheus: Zeus does not want humans to have fire, but Prometheus gives them fire, the ability to develop higher and higher. In doing so, he condemns humans to suffering. They must now wait until a sun hero comes, until the principle of the sun hero in the sixth race enables humans to develop further without Luciferic knowledge. Those who are as advanced as Prometheus are sun heroes.
Thus we have a twofold human being: one who has fallen prey to the principle of Jehovah, to perfect the physical earth, and then the spiritual human being who develops higher. Jehovah and Lucifer are engaged in a constant struggle. Lucifer wants to develop everything toward knowledge, toward light. In Devachan, man can mature the one principle, that of Lucifer, a little further. The longer he remains in Devachan, the more he can develop it. He must go through as many incarnations as necessary until he has fully developed this principle.
So there is a Jehovah principle and a Lucifer principle in the world. If only the Jehovah principle were taught, humans would fall into decay on Earth. If the teachings of reincarnation and karma were to disappear completely from the Earth, all monads would be reclaimed for Jehovah and physical humans would be handed over to the Earth, a petrified planet. But if reincarnation and karma are taught, humans are led toward spiritualization. Therefore, Christianity formed the most correct compromise and for a time taught not reincarnation and karma, but the importance of the one earthly existence, so that man would grow to love the earth until he was ripe for a new Christianity with the teaching of reincarnation and karma, which saves the earth and brings the whole seed into Devachan. In Christianity itself, the two principles are fighting today: one without reincarnation and karma, the other with this teaching. In the first teaching, everything that Lucifer could bring about would be taken away from people. They would actually fall out of reincarnation and turn their backs on the earth, becoming fallen angels. The earth would then face destruction. If Jehovah's hosts were to prevail on earth, the earth would remain as a kind of moon, a solidified body. The duty of spiritualization would then have been neglected. The battle in the Bhagavad Gita describes the battle between Jehovah and Lucifer and their hosts.
It might still be possible today for Christianity to prevail without the teachings of reincarnation and karma. Then the earth would be lost to the principle of Lucifer. The whole Earth is still a battlefield between these two principles. The principle that leads the Earth to spirituality is Lucifer. In order to live according to this principle, one must first learn to love the Earth; one must descend to the Earth. Lucifer is the prince who rules in the fields of science and art. But he cannot descend completely to the Earth; his power is not sufficient for that. Lucifer alone would be unable to lift up what is on earth. This requires not only the power of a moon adept, but also that of a sun adept, who also takes in the life that is expressed in the togetherness of human beings, not in art and science. Lucifer is depicted as a winged dragon; in Ezekiel as a winged bull.
Now came a solar hero, similar to those who appeared in the Hyperborean era, represented in Ezekiel by the winged lion. This hero, who gives the second impetus, is Christ, the lion from the tribe of Judah. The representative of the eagle will come later; he represents the Father principle. Christ is a solar hero, a lion nature, a sun pitri.
The third is what will represent an adept who was already an adept on Saturn. Such a one cannot yet incarnate on Earth. Only when human beings are able not only to develop their higher nature, but also to renounce their lower nature completely and act creatively, can this highest adept, the Saturn adept, the Father principle—the hidden God—incarnate.