The Rudolf Steiner Archive

The Development of the Earth

[ 1 ] The Earth is the fourth of the seven planets on which human beings successively develop their seven states of consciousness. It has been shown that the moon is the scene for the development of image consciousness. An “image” is only similar to its object, not identical to it. But the consciousness that is developed on Earth produces mental images that are, in a certain sense, “identical” to the object to which they belong. That is why Earth consciousness is also called “object consciousness.” However, this object consciousness only develops during the fourth minor Earth cycle (round). During the first three, the states previously experienced on Saturn, the Sun, and the Moon are briefly repeated. But here, too, it must be said that this is not a mere repetition, but that during this repetition the physical body, the etheric body, and the astral body are transformed in such a way that they can become carriers of the “I,” on whose development in the fourth round the object consciousness depends. So when, after the third round of repetition, the Earth has again undergone a kind of sleep state — between the so-called archetypal and the arupic globe — then, at the beginning of the fourth round, everything that can be regarded as the result of Saturn, Sun, and Moon development emerges, initially in arupic form. We are thus dealing with the descendants of the three lunar kingdoms: the mineral kingdom, which is still plant-like in a certain sense, the plant kingdom, which has something of animal life, and an animal kingdom that is higher than the present animal kingdom. Together, these three kingdoms form the planet emerging anew from the twilight state: the Earth. However, it should be noted that this Earth still contains the former Sun and the former Moon. As the lunar manvantara came to an end, the Sun and Moon reunited and passed into pralaya as one body. They then reappear here as one body, although the tendency toward division was already clearly evident in the third Earth cycle. Now, during the fourth round, the Earth is going through the rupa and astral states, and is then preparing to become physical again.

[ 2 ] The development of this physical state in the three realms mentioned is the responsibility of the “spirits of form.” In the highest realm, the animal-human realm, they transform the earlier “sensory germs” into truly formed sensory organs. In all earlier physical states that humans have gone through, the sensory organs did not yet have a fixed form.

[ 3 ] Now, by acquiring a fixed form, these organs cease to be active; they lose their productivity and become purely passive, suited only to perceiving what is presented to them from outside as objects. The productive power thus withdraws from the sense organs; it turns more inward and forms the organ of understanding. - However, this organ cannot be formed without a certain part of human beings being pushed down to a lower level again. Now, however, human beings push down a part of their own being into a subordinate region. They separate off a part of their being as their own lower nature. And this lower nature retains the productive power that the sense organs have had to relinquish. This productive power, pushed down into a lower sphere, becomes the sexual reproductive power as it appears on earth. The “spirits of form” would cause all reproductive power and thus all life to solidify, to harden into mere form, if they did not concentrate this power on a part of the human being. Therefore, the spirits of form bring about sexual formation. Without this, statues would arise instead of living human beings.

[ 4 ] Now the whole process is linked to a complete transformation of the earth. Conditions arise in which the beings described can live. This becomes possible because the earth — still united with the moon — splits off from what remains as the sun. As a result, the sun appears as an independent body opposite the earth. This is the external physical condition for the emergence of external perception, of object consciousness, and for the development of sexual faculties. However, at this time, we are still dealing with dual sexuality. This is because the forces of the moon are still entirely contained within the earth. Only during this time, the organ of understanding, although present, is still completely inactive. It will only be able to develop its activity when the sexual productive power has been reduced by half, so that each being possesses only half of its former productive power. This then gives rise to dual sexuality. Outwardly, this is brought about by the emergence of those forces from the earth which then orbit it as the present moon. If this separation had not taken place, the whole earth would have had to become a rigid mass, a mere form. But as it is, only that which absolutely had to become solid has separated from it, and this has become the moon, on which human life could not develop. Thus, from the common planetary matter, the earth has saved that which could be productive, even if only in the lower realm of sexual life. The representative of the “spirits of form” is Jehovah. He thus brings about the formation of the sense organs; but if he were now to act alone, he would also bring about complete solidification in mere form.

[ 5 ] Now two events become significant for the further course of events. One is the emergence of the two sexes for the reason stated above. The form of sexuality originates from the spirits of form. But this does not yet explain the attraction of the two sexes to each other, their inclination toward each other. This comes from the fact that special beings incarnate in the lives of the two sexes, descending from a foreign scene: from Venus. Through them, love in its most subordinate form, as the inclination of the sexes [toward each other], is now incorporated into the earth. This love is destined to become increasingly refined and later to take on the highest forms.

[ 6 ] Just as the Venus beings now impart the element [of inclination] of the separate sexes [towards each other], they also cause the intellect to become fertile. It receives half of the productive capacity saved from the sexual power. For this reason, the monads — initially their manas part — which, as shown, were formed during the Saturn, Sun, and Moon cycles, can now descend into the organ of the intellect. However, the activity of the monads would have remained cold and dry if the astral body had not received such an impact that human beings would carry out the activity of their intellect with a certain higher passion. This impact came to man from Mars. And those who mediated it are the Luciferic beings who, although they had advanced beyond the stage of later earthly human existence on the moon, had not yet progressed so far that they could have completed their lunar development with the lunar manvantara, as the Lunar Pitris did. As initiates, they now bring the astral forces of Mars into the astral body of human beings, thereby kindling in them a passion for intellectual activity. In this way they enliven human knowledge; they inspire human beings to independence. This is the help in the further development of human beings that is provided by the Luciferic principle. However, they also linked knowledge with self-interest. For they kindle thinking through passion, and this leads to self-interest. But only in this way has it become possible for human beings to make the earth serve their purposes, to use it for their own benefit. Jehovah would have merely given the form of the organ of understanding, and the spirits of Venus would have merely awakened it in this one dispassionate sense; for what could be given by them in this direction has been delivered to the power of procreation.