Lecture 5 - GA 104. The Apocalypse of St. John

The Apocalypse of St. John
GA 104

22 June 1908, Nuremberg

Lecture V

Yesterday we saw how the human race will develop when our present epoch has run its course, how it will divide, so to speak, into two streams, into the good and the evil races, and how the secrets of this future are unsealed through the “seven seals” which are symbolically unloosed in the Apocalypse of John. After this general analysis concerning the manifestation in the outer physiognomy of what is being prepared in our epoch in the souls of men, one might well ask: How is it that the Apocalyptist describes the seals in such frightful pictures? We shall best answer this question if we now introduce an intermediate consideration into our whole study of the Apocalypse.

So far we have tried to confirm the statement that the Apocalypse of John represents an initiation, the Christian initiation, through which the future of humanity is revealed. We shall best understand what follows if we now look back and consider once more the past epochs of human evolution. We will do this to the extent which is necessary for the explanation of the Apocalypse. We know already the general outlines. We know that our earth, which forms the present dwelling-place of man, took its rise in the far-distant past, but that as earth it was the reincarnation of another planetary being usually called the old Moon or the Cosmos or Planet of Wisdom, in contradistinction from our present earth, which we designate as the Cosmos or Planet of Love. The Cosmos of Wisdom or the ancient Moon is again only the re-embodiment of a still earlier condition which we call the Sun-planet; that is not the present Sun, which is a fixed star, but the Sun-planet. And the Sun-planet is the reembodiment of ancient Saturn. We have therefore to distinguish four consecutive conditions of our planetary existence which we call Saturn, Sun, Moon and Earth.

We will now describe these four conditions so far as we need this for the explanation of the Apocalypse of John. When with spiritual vision we go back to the ancient Saturn existence, we come to a remarkable planet. This ancient Saturn is a heavenly body upon which is to be found nothing of our present minerals or solid earthly substances, no animals or plants, no water or fluid substances, no current of air or gas. If you were to imagine that with the present eyes—which did not then exist—you were somewhere in space and approached this Saturn, you would be able to see nothing of its first condition, for it did not yet shine. With your eyes you would have been unable to see anything of Saturn from outside in the first half of its existence. Had you approached it and penetrated into the space it filled, you would have felt somewhat as if you had crept into a heated oven, if you had then been able to use the present senses. You would only have been able to distinguish this globular space from the rest by its being warmer than its surroundings. Of all the conditions we now know, warmth is the only one we meet with on ancient Saturn; but it is a remarkable kind of warmth. You would not find it equally warm in all parts. In some parts it is warmer and in others colder, so that if you were to trace and connect the parts of equal warmth by lines, there would appear figures perceptible only through the difference in warmth. Every-thing is warmth, but organized, differentiated warmth. Were you to fly through the whole of Saturn in this way you would say, “There is indeed something present, but something which I can only perceive through the various degrees of warmth.” These differentiated conditions of warmth were all that existed of the present characteristics of our earth, and the first beginnings of the physical human body were expressed at that time in this warmth. That which then existed you still have within you to-day, only it has withdrawn from outer space and is within your being it is the warmth of your blood. If you were to construct figures from your blood-warmth you would have the echoes of that part of your physical body which existed on ancient Saturn. The warmth you now have in your blood is the first foundation of the physical body, the oldest part of it, so that you may also say: The whole of Saturn consisted of blood-warmth. You would be able to find something like the figures which could be drawn to-day, if you were to trace the various channels of your blood according to the different degrees of warmth. That is the physical existence of ancient Saturn. Of all the present physical substances it only possessed warmth, and of all the beings now peopling the earth there was only man, and of him there existed only the foundation of the physical body. Saturn consisted only of such foundations of physical human bodies formed out of warmth. Just as a blackberry is made up of separate little balls, so was Saturn composed at that time, but of human beings such as we have just described.

On the other hand it was surrounded by spiritual beings. Just as the earth is now enveloped in air, Saturn was enveloped in a spiritual atmosphere. Beings lived there who were at various stages of development, but they all needed this dwelling-place of Saturn at their stage of development at that time. It was necessary to them; they could not have done without this dwelling-place. There were those, for example, who also had seven principles, but not like the present man. The latter has his seven principles, which we call the Seven Spirits of God, in such a way that one begins with the physical body. With these beings it was not so. For example, there were beings who had an etheric body as their lowest principle. They had a physical body only by anchoring their etheric body, as it were, to the physical bodies of Saturn and so using these.

Thus as compared with our present earth this Saturn is in substance a very rarefied cosmic body; it did not possess any-thing like our air or gas; these would have been too gross for it. It possessed only warmth, and surrounding the warmth were spiritual beings. Now through the beings in its environment developing further, Saturn passed through various changes. One of these changes may easily be described by saying that in the middle of its development Saturn actually begins externally to light up; so that if one follows it, it appears at the beginning as a dark warmth-body, then it begins to glimmer, and towards the end sends forth a dim light into the world. This spiritual atmosphere around Saturn which contains various beings, contains amongst others a certain definite kind of beings in whom we are particularly interested. About the middle of the Saturn evolution these beings passed through the stage man is now passing through upon the earth. They are the Spirits of Personality. About the middle of the ancient Saturn period they have approximately reached the stage of development of man. You will, of course, not fall into the mistake of asking, “Did they then have bodies such as the present human beings? “It would be a great mistake to suppose that these men had human fleshly bodies. It is possible to pass through the human stage in the most varied forms, and these Spirits of Personality passed through their human stage on Saturn in such a way that to begin with they used as physical body that which was present in the atmosphere as warmth; that as ether body (which they did not yet possess) they used what was contained in the atmosphere; and lastly they also used what existed as astral substance; as yet they possessed nothing of this themselves. Essentially they had at that time an “I”-vehicle, an “I,” and this “I,” which was at the human stage, which lived exactly as the present human “I” upon the earth, passed at that time through these various stages of humanity upon Saturn in another form and un another way. Thus about the middle of the Saturn period we have the Spirits of Personality in this human stage. If one reckons in this way, that which I have just related is the middle stage of the Saturn evolution. There are three others which precede it and three others following it. These are called “Rounds” or “Epochs” of Saturn. If you imagine the whole evolution of Saturn you may picture it thus:

In the middle (X) are the Spirits of Personality. At each of the three preceding and the three following stages certain beings become man just as our earth can be divided into seven epochs, so too can the Saturn evolution—at every stage some beings or other, and it was always just when the time had come for them to be able to use what was on Saturn in order to pass through the human stage. Thus we have seven kinds of beings upon Saturn, who there passed through their human stage, who rose to the human stage, who therefore in the ensuing stages no longer need to develop this. The present man was not yet man upon Saturn. The beings who have become man upon Saturn—whose representatives are the Spirits of Personality—progress further and are to-day exalted above man, they have man within themselves, so to speak. They carry him within them as, for them, a past stage of evolution.

Now after Saturn had proceeded with its evolution for a certain length of time, the whole passed over into a spiritual sphere, into a condition not externally perceptible to senses like those of the present day. Then came the second embodiment of our earth, the Sun-planet. This was distinguished by the fact that comparatively early in its development it had progressed so far that it radiated light. This was because it consisted not only of warmth but because the warmth material had already condensed into gaseous, airy material. There was neither water nor solid substance; it consisted of an airy or gaseous mass. But it was already able to be a luminous body; it could have been seen by the present eye as a planet shining in space. When this planet had so far developed, it was possible for the etheric body to be membered into the first rudiments of the physical human body. Thus man now consisted of physical and ether body, while on Saturn he possessed only the first rudiments of the physical body. But he had not progressed far enough to have his own astral body. Human forms looked quite different from those of to-day. Man had the form of plant existence, for like a plant he possessed a physical body and an etheric body, but upon the Sun he looked quite different from our present plants. With this progress of development was connected the fact that a second kind of being appeared on the Sun. Upon Saturn there were only men, no other beings. It consisted only of men, as a blackberry consists of little berries. Now some of these human germs remained at the Saturn stage, they had not all reached as far as was possible. These backward beings coming from Saturn cannot therefore acquire an etheric body and must remain on the Sun merely with a physical body, thus they have only progressed as far as man upon Saturn. These beings who upon the Sun have merely the physical body are the first germs of our present animals, so that upon the Sun we have human germs with physical body and etheric body, and animal germs with physical body only.

Again it is the case that in the middle of the Sun period certain beings pass through the human stage. This the present man could not yet do. The spiritual beings around the Sun who then pass through the human stage are called the Fire Spirits, Archangels. To-day they are two stages above man. They bear man within themselves; they experienced in another form what man experiences now in his earthly existence. But the Sun also passes through seven stages, and at each stage there are beings who reach the human stage, so that again during the Sun period we have seven phases of development. If they go back into their own past, they see, as it were, a peculiar stage in their life, of which they may say, “At that time when beneath me there was no solid earth and no watery globe, I experienced what man experiences to-day. I can therefore feel and experience what man experiences upon the earth.” These beings can say this to-day. They understand it because they too have experienced what man now experiences during, his earthly life.

Then once again came a kind of intermediate condition in which to outer observation (if this had indeed been possible) the luminous planet gradually ceases to glow, then it disappears from a certain stage of clairvoyant observation and is only apparent to the highest spiritual vision. Then it again emerges in a new form of existence, to a third condition which we call the Moon condition. This is the third embodiment of our planet, the ancient Moon. This has now developed so far in the evolution of its substance that what formerly upon the Sun was merely gas has now condensed to water. Through the entry of the watery element, man—who gradually develops again like the plant from the seed—can receive the astral body; so that man now consists of three parts, the physical body, etheric and astral bodies. He is not yet really man, for he does not yet possess an “I” in these three bodies.

Certain beings always remain behind at every stage, there-fore the beings who remained behind upon the Sun, who were unable to attain to the Moon stage and who only passed through their Sun stage on the Moon, are now unable to incorporate the astral body; upon the Moon they consist only of physical and etheric body. These are especially those who already remained behind upon the Sun, but who in the meantime had developed so far that they could take up an etheric body. These are again the ancestors of our present animals. Those, however, which were not yet so far advanced upon the Moon that they could take up an etheric body, are the ancestors of still lower beings, the present plants. Thus upon the Moon we have three kingdoms, the human kingdom, consisting of physical body, ether body and astral body; the animal kingdom, consisting of physical body and etheric body; and the vegetable kingdom consisting only of physical body.

Again there are certain beings who about the middle of the Moon period pass through their human stage. They are the spirits who in the literature of spiritual science are usually called the Spirits of Twilight or Angels. They also carry man within them as memory. And again the Moon passes through seven such stages. At each stage there are beings who can pass through human existence. It is always the case that some beings hurry forward and others remain behind. Thus upon the Moon too we have seven grades of beings who had passed through their human stage when the Moon had finished its evolution.

Now in order to understand the ancient Moon fully, we must mention something of importance which took place in the course of the old Moon evolution. When it began, or at least shortly after the beginning, it was a fluid globe. Had it developed further in this way throughout its seven stages it would not have been able to give man the right foundation for his further development. It was only fitted to be a preparatory stage for earthly humanity by dividing first into two planetary bodies. One of these was the forerunner of the present sun, and the other which separated was the forerunner of the present earth, but in such a way that you must imagine the earth mingled with the present moon, so that the present earth and moon were then one. Now imagine these two bodies, earth plus moon on the one hand and the sun on the other, separated from each other; the ancient Moon as a watery body and the ancient Sun on the way to becoming a fixed star. Something very essential was connected with this division. It was primarily the sun which brought about the separation and took with it the finest parts, the most etheric substances, while the grosser substances remained behind in the Moon, that is, the present earth plus the present moon. Hence the sun is composed of extremely fine substances, while the Moon becomes a much denser body, a watery mass. Through the sun taking with it the finest and most spiritual forces, it could now be the arena for much more highly developed beings. In fact, many of those high beings who were still able to bear the Saturn existence would have been hindered in their development if they had been bound to the Moon any longer. They needed a field of activity with the finest materials; only there could they develop. So they drew their field of action forth and developed further upon the sun. On the other hand, with the Moon, which had suffered a densification through the exit of the finer substances, there were connected those human germs which consisted of physical body, etheric body and astral body, and there were also the germs of the animals and plants. Now this ancient Moon had an extraordinary appearance. You would not yet ford anything like rocks or arable soil, although it already circled round its sun. Mineral substances did not yet exist. The principal part of this Moon, upon which these beings hopped about, so to speak, was a kind of mush, a kind of pulp or puree. The basic substance of the ancient Moon consisted of this puree, just as the basic substance of our earth consists of soil. In it were embedded masses, like, shall we say, wood and the bark of trees. If you were to climb a mountain to-day you would walk upon rocks. At that time you would have passed over a basis which, if it was solid, was something like a surface of wood substance. Instead of granite you would have found blocks which might be compared to wood. Of course this is speaking comparatively. Such was the basic substance and out of it came continually luxuriant growths. This was the lowest kingdom, the present mineral kingdom, which at that time lay between the present mineral and vegetable kingdoms. In a certain way it was alive. It continually produced luxuriant growths. It was not like it is now. If to-day there should be a deposit of soil which one wishes to be rid of, it must be carried away by external means. This substance of the ancient Moon died away—but not like separate plants—it died away and formed itself afresh. It was continually in inward living motion. The fundamental substance of the Moon was in a continuous state of decay and growth. And out of this foundation grew another kingdom. Through the exit of the Moon from the Sun the earlier kingdoms had changed. Upon the Sun they corresponded approximately to our kingdoms. Through the exit of the Moon the ancient plant kingdom was forced down about half a stage, and so were the other kingdoms, so that the next kingdom was a kind of animal-plant kingdom, but it grew out of the ground. The animal-plants grew out of the ground; they were in the form of plants, but when one took hold of them they had sensations, they squeaked, etc. They were actually half animal and half plant; plants inasmuch as they grew on the ground, most of them firmly rooted to the ground, and animals inasmuch as they had a certain capacity for sensation. And the kingdom which preceded the present human beings were human-animals, beings standing between the present man and the present animals; higher than the present apes, but not as high as the present human beings. That was approximately the form of our human ancestors upon the Moon.

Legends and myths have preserved these truths in a wonderful way. Think how a German legend has preserved the secret hidden behind all this. Certain beings always remain behind. Beings between the present plants and the present animals, which could only take root in a vegetable basis such as was the substance of the ancient Moon—these beings also remained behind, and on this account are incapable of thriving on the mineral ground of our present earth. Our present plants can grow in this, but those which stood between the plants and animals and which needed a living basis, cannot, if they have remained behind, grow in mineral soil. Mistletoe is such a plant. Hence it has to “sponge” upon the present plants because it is a backward being. It no longer has sensation, although the astral body enveloping mistletoe is quite different from that of other plants. The German legend perceived that mistletoe does not belong to our earth, that it is a stranger. In the god Baldur the legend recognizes the god of the earth-sun, the earth force. No being of the earth can approach him with hostile feelings. Hence also the god whom the German legend knew to be a straggler, namely, Loki, cannot kill Baldur with anything belonging to the earth; he has to kill him with a branch of mistletoe, because this is a stranger among the creations of the earth, and for this reason can serve the straggler, Loki, who is not related to the earth gods. Deep wisdom is hidden behind these legends, and in this legend of Baldur-Loki, this can be clearly traced. It can also be seen in the customs connected with the mistletoe. If you were to study these you would find that what is said about them proceeds from an ancient wisdom.

Then in the second half of the Moon-evolution came the time when the Sun-beings, as well as the beings who had remained behind upon the Moon., had attained what had to be attained during the old Moon period. And then the Sun and Moon united again; they came together and for a time continued their evolution as one body.

Then the evolutionary condition gradually darkened and passed through the purely spiritual condition usually called Pralaya, and then came the dawning of our Earth evolution. At first this dawning cosmic body contained not only our present earth substance; it consisted of what you would obtain if you were to mix together in a gigantic cauldron the substance of the present sun, earth and moon. That was approximately the condition at the beginning of the earth's evolution. This was first a kind of repetition of the Saturn condition and then of the Sun condition and then of the Moon condition.

Now the most important thing for us to realize is that man really only becomes man in the present sense in the middle of the Earth evolution. In the Earth period also we have to distinguish seven conditions. We are now in the fourth. Three have gone before and three will follow. It was in the fourth principal cycle that our present human race was to become man. Now, just as in all the Rounds upon Saturn, Sun and Moon, certain beings reached the human stage (upon Saturn the Asuras or Original Forces, upon the Sun the Archangels, and upon the Moon the Angels), there were always beings who remained behind. Upon the Moon there were also beings who could no longer reach the human stage, backward Angels, shall we say, who could only catch up their human stage upon the Earth planet during the first three Rounds. Man reached this stage at the fourth. We therefore say: Before man three other kinds of beings passed through the human stage upon the earth, and the fourth to pass through the human stage upon the earth is man himself. At that moment in cosmic evolution when man is about to become man, all the beings who have been able to pass through the human stage, throughout Saturn, Sun, Moon and the first three Rounds of the Earth, are beings who have more or less progressed beyond man. But they are all able to look back, as it were, and remember the stage at which they themselves passed through the human stage. They could look down upon the evolving human being and say, “He is now becoming something which we have already been, something which we can understand; although we passed through the stage under different circumstances.” For this reason they could guide and regulate his evolution from the spiritual world.

Let us enumerate how many of these beings there are who are able to look back at the human stage, who are able to under-stand evolving man. Seven from the Saturn evolution, plus seven from the Sun, plus seven from the Moon stage, plus three from the Earth; twenty-four beings in all. Twenty-four “Men” look down upon the present man. These are the beings whom for good reasons we have called the guides of evolution, the directors of time. Time is connected with evolution. They are the twenty-four Elders who meet us in the Apocalypse of John. They are the same beings who are described in the part relating to the secret of the seven seals. They are described as the real directors of history, the true Alpha and Omega. Thus we have also found the twenty-four Elders again here and you see how the Apocalyptist who wrote this important document has secreted in his pictures in a wonderful way what we ourselves are able to find from the study of the spiritual evolution of the world.

Now certain beings had remained behind at every stage; so that the backward Saturn beings came out upon the Sun as the first foundations of the present animal kingdom, and the backward Sun beings came out at the Moon stage as the first foundations of the present plant kingdom. Only upon the Earth did a stage of evolution appear as the mineral kingdom. We have stressed the fact that upon the Moon there was as yet no mineral kingdom, man had as yet no rocks to walk upon. At the time when present man began to pass through the human stage, the first mineral masses, the first crystals appeared in the planet which then stood at a stage between the substances of the ancient Moon and the present earthly substance. This was the moment when the mineral kingdom burst forth, and you find this bursting forth described in a very unique manner in the Apocalypse of John where he says: “Around the throne it was crystallized like a glassy sea.” This “glassy sea” is to indicate the bursting forth, the budding forth of the mineral kingdom in its primary form. Thus we see that this secret of cosmic evolution is also indicated in the Apocalypse of John. And from it we have also learnt to perceive that to this degree the writer wishes to present to us in his mighty pictures exactly what we are able to recognize in the development of the earth from the spirit life itself. But in this way the Apocalyptist has led us, at the beginning of his book, to the heights where man can see the pictures of the future stages of evolution.

We have now laid a good foundation to link up again with what we have already learnt about the first ages of the future evolution of humanity. In this digression we have now cast a glance into the past, to where man is ready to become man, where the mineral kingdom shoots forth. And now we shall see how human evolution proceeds further as far as to our own age and thence into the future. We shall find the connection with the secret of the seven seals and their unsealing, up to the outpouring of the vials of wrath.

Fünfter Vortrag

[ 1 ] Gestern haben wir gesehen, wie das Menschengeschlecht sich entwickeln wird, wenn unser gegenwärtiger Zeitenzyklus einst abgelaufen sein wird; wie es sich sozusagen spalten wird in zwei Strömungen, in die gute und die böse Rasse, und wie uns die Geheimnisse dieser Zukunft entsiegelt werden durch die sieben Siegel, die bildlich gelöst werden in der Apokalypse des Johannes. Nach dieser allgemeinen Auseinandersetzung über das Heraustreten dessen in der äußeren Physiognomie, was sich in unserem Zeitenzyklus in den Seelen der Menschen vorbereitet, könnte nun leicht jemand fragen: Wie kommt es, daß der Apokalyptiker in so furchtbaren Bildern gerade die ersten der Siegel bespricht? — Diese Frage werden wir uns am besten dadurch beantworten, daß wir heute in unsere ganze apokalyptische Auseinandersetzung eine Zwischenbetrachtung einschieben.

[ 2 ] Bis jetzt haben wir den Satz zu erhärten versucht, daß die Apokalypse des Johannes darstellt eine Einweihung, die christliche Einweihung, und daß durch diese christliche Einweihung die Zukunft der Menschheit zur Enthüllung kommt. Wir werden nun alles Weitere am besten dadurch vor unsere Seele führen, daß wir heute einmal zurückblicken und uns noch einmal die Zeiten vergangener Menschheitsentwickelung vor die Seele rücken. Und gerade so weit wollen wir das tun, als wir es zur Erklärung der Apokalypse brauchen. Die Grundzüge, um die es sich dabei handelt, kennen Sie schon. Sie wissen, daß unsere Erde, so wie sie heute den Wohnplatz der Menschen bildet, einmal in urferner Vergangenheit ihren Anfang genommen hat, daß sie aber als Erde die Wiederverkörperung einer anderen planetarischen Wesenheit war, die man gewöhnlich den alten Mond nennt, oder auch den Kosmos oder den Planeten der Weisheit, im Gegensatz zu unserer heutigen Erde, die wir bezeichnen als den Kosmos oder den Planeten der Liebe. Aber auch dieser Kosmos der Weisheit oder der alte Mond ist nur die Wiederverkörperung eines noch früheren Zustandes, den wir den Sonnenplaneten nennen, also nicht den Fixstern Sonne, sondern den Sonnenplaneten. Und dieser Sonnenplanet ist die Wiederverkörperung des alten Saturn. So daß wir vier aufeinanderfolgende Zustände unseres planetarischen Daseins zu unterscheiden haben, die wir nennen Saturn, Sonne, Mond und Erde.

[ 3 ] Nunmehr wollen wir, soweit wir das brauchen für die Erklärung der Apokalypse des Johannes, diese vier Zustände unseres planetarischen Daseins beschreiben. Wenn Sie hellseherisch zurückgehen bis zum alten Saturndasein, dann kommen Sie an einen merkwürdigen Planeten. Dieser alte Saturn ist ein Weltkörper, auf dem noch nichts zu finden ist von dem, was wir heute Mineralien, feste, erdige Stoffe nennen. Nichts ist vorhanden von unserer heutigen Tierwelt und Pflanzenwelt, nichts von dem, was wir heute Wasser oder flüssige Stoffe nennen, nichts von dem, was wir als Luftstrom oder Gase kennen. Wenn Sie sich vorstellen würden, daß Sie mit den heutigen Augen — die es ja damals noch nicht gegeben hat — irgendwo im Weltenraum wären und sich diesem Saturn näherten, Sie würden in seinem Anfangszustand nichts sehen können, denn er leuchtet noch nicht. Also mit Ihren Augen könnten Sie von außen diesen Saturn in der ersten Hälfte seines Daseins noch nicht sehen. Wenn Sie sich ihm nähern würden und in den Raum eindrängen, den er ausfüllte, würden Sie etwas, wenn Sie die heutigen Sinne da schon gebrauchen könnten, wahrnehmen, wie wenn Sie in einen geheizten Backofen hineinkriechen würden. Sie würden diesen Raum nur dadurch vom anderen unterscheiden können, daß dieser kugelförmige Raum wärmer ist als seine Umgebung. Wärme ist von unseren jetzigen Zuständen der einzige, den wir im alten Saturn antreffen. Aber es ist eine merkwürdige Art von Wärme. Diese Wärme würde Ihnen nicht so vorkommen, als ob sie an allen Stellen gleichmäßig wäre. Sie könnten finden, daß sie an einzelnen Stellen wärmer, an anderen kälter ist, so daß, wenn Sie die gleichen Wärmestellen verbinden würden durch Linien, dann Figuren herauskämen, die nur durch die Verschiedenheit der Wärmezustände wahrnehmbar sind. Alles ist Wärme, aber organisierte, differenzierte Wärme. Sie würden, wenn Sie auf diese Weise den ganzen Saturn durchfliegen würden, sich sagen: Da ist schon etwas, aber etwas, was ich nur durch die verschiedenen Wärmezustände wahrnehmen kann.

[ 4 ] Diese differenzierten Wärmezustände sind das einzige, was von den gegenwärtigen Merkmalen unserer Erde schon vorhanden war, und in solcher Wärme war dazumal ausgedrückt die erste Anlage des physischen Menschenleibes. Das, was da vorhanden war, das haben Sie heute noch in sich, nur hat es sich aus dem äußeren räumlichen Dasein in Ihr Inneres zurückgezogen. Es ist Ihre Blutwärme. Wenn Sie aus Ihrer Blutwärme Figuren bilden würden, so hätten Sie die Nachklänge dessen, was von Ihrem physischen Leib vorhanden war auf dem alten Saturn. Die Wärme, die Sie heute im Blute tragen, ist die erste Anlage des physischen Leibes, der älteste Teil desselben, so daß Sie auch sagen können: Der ganze Saturn bestand aus Blutwärme. — Aber Sie würden auch so etwas Ähnliches finden können wie Figuren, die sich heute zeichnen ließen, wenn Sie die verschiedenen Bahnen Ihres Blutes verfolgten nach den verschiedenen Wärmezuständen. Das ist das physische Dasein dieses alten Saturn. Er hat von unseren heutigen Stoffverhältnissen lediglich die Wärme. Von all den Wesen, die heute die Erde bevölkern, war nur der Mensch und von ihm nur diese Anlage des physischen Leibes vorhanden. Der Saturn bestand nur aus solchen Anlagen physischer Menschenleiber, die aus Wärme gebildet waren. Wie heute eine Brombeere zusammengesetzt ist aus einzelnen Kügelchen, so war der Saturn damals zusammengesetzt, aber aus solchen Menschen, wie sie nun geschildert worden sind. Dagegen war er zunächst umgeben von geistigen Wesenheiten. Wie heute die Erde von Luft, so war der Saturn umhüllt von geistiger Atmosphäre. Da lebten Wesenheiten, die verschiedene Grade der Ausbildung hatten, aber die alle zu ihrer damaligen Daseinsstufe diesen Wohnsitz des Saturns brauchten. Der war ihnen notwendig. Ohne diesen Wohnsitz wären diese Wesenheiten nicht ausgekommen. Da waren zum Beispiel solche, welche auch sieben Prinzipien hatten, aber nicht so wie der heutige Mensch. Dieser hat seine sieben Prinzipien, die wir die sieben Geister Gottes nennen, so, daß man beim physischen Leib anfängt. So waren jene Wesen nicht. Es gab zum Beispiel Wesenheiten, die zu ihrem untersten Prinzip einen Ätherleib hatten. Den physischen Leib hatten sie dadurch, daß sie mit ihrem Ätherleib hineinankerten in die physischen Leiber des Saturns und so diese benützten. Also dieser Saturn ist im Verhältnis zur heutigen Erde ein substantiell sehr feiner Weltenkörper. Er hatte von unseren Stoffen noch nicht einmal die feine Luft, die Gase. Die waren schon für ihn zu grob. Er hatte nur Wärme, und in der Umgebung der Wärme geistige Wesenheiten.

[ 5 ] Nun machte dieser Saturn dadurch, daß sich die Wesen in seiner Umgebung weiterentwickelten, verschiedene Wandlungen durch. Eine dieser Verwandlungen ist leicht dadurch anzugeben, daß in der Mitte seiner Entwickelung er tatsächlich anfängt, außen aufzuleuchten. So daß, wenn man ihn verfolgt, er sich anfangs als dunkler Wärmekörper zeigt, dann aber anfängt aufzuglimmen und gegen das Ende zu einen schwachen Lichtglanz aussendet in die Welt. Diese geistige Atmosphäre um den Saturn herum, die verschiedene Wesenheiten enthält, sie enthält unter anderen auch eine ganz bestimmte Art von Wesen, die für uns vor allen Dingen in Betracht kommen. Diese Wesenheiten machen ungefähr um die Mitte der Saturnentwickelung die Stufe durch, die der Mensch jetzt auf der Erde durchmacht. Das sind die Geister der Persönlichkeit. Sie sind auf diesem alten Saturn in dessen Mitte ungefähr so weit, daß sie da Mensch sind. Sie werden natürlich nicht in den Fehler verfallen, zu fragen: Ja, haben sie denn solche Leiber gehabt wie die heutigen Menschen? — Das wäre ein ganz gewaltiger Fehler, wenn Sie sich vorstellen würden, daß diese Menschen menschlichfleischliche Leiber gehabt hätten. Man kann die Menschheitsstufe in den verschiedensten Formen durchmachen. Und diese Geister der Persönlichkeit machten auf dem Saturn ihre Menschheitsstufe in der Weise durch, daß sie zuerst als physischen Leib dasjenige benutzten, was da unten auf dem Saturn als Wärme vorhanden war, daß sie als Ätherleib — denn auch den hatten sie noch nicht — dasjenige benutzten, was in der Atmosphäre war, und endlich auch das benutzten, was als astrale Substanz vorhanden war. Das hatten sie alles noch nicht selber. Sie hatten im wesentlichen dazumal einen Ich-Träger, ein Ich, und dieses Ich, das auf der Menschheitsstufe stand, das geradeso lebte wie das heutige Menschen-Ich auf der Erde, das machte dazumal diese verschiedenen Stufen der Menschheit auf dem Saturn durch in anderer Form, in anderer Art und Weise. Also wir haben ungefähr in der Mitte der Saturnentwickelung die Geister der Persönlichkeit, die Urkräfte als Menschen. Wenn man so zählt, so ist das, was ich eben aufgezählt habe, die mittlere Stufe der Saturnentwickelung. Der gehen drei andere voraus und drei andere folgen ihr. Man nennt sie Saturnkreisläufe oder Saturnepochen. Wenn Sie sich den ganzen Saturn in seiner Entwickelung vorstellen, so können Sie sich ihn so denken:

[ 6 ] In der Mitte (X) stehen die Geister der Persönlichkeit. Auf jeder der drei vorhergehenden und der drei nachfolgenden Stufen — gerade wie unsere Erde nach der Siebenzahl in Epochen geteilt werden kann, so auch diese Saturnentwickelung —, in jeder dieser Epochen werden entsprechende Wesenheiten Menschen, auf jeder Stufe irgendwelche Wesenheiten, und zwar immer dann, wenn gerade für sie der Zeitpunkt gekommen ist, wo sie das, was sich findet auf dem Saturn, brauchen können, um die Erfahrungen des Menschen durchzumachen. So haben wir siebenerlei Geschöpfe auf dem Saturn, die dort ihre Menschenstufe durchgemacht haben, die bis zur Menschenstufe aufgerückt sind, die also in den folgenden Stufen nicht mehr notwendig haben, bis zum Menschen erst heraufzukommen. Der heutige Mensch ist noch nicht Mensch auf dem Saturn. Diejenigen Wesenheiten, die hier auf dem Saturn Menschen geworden sind, deren Repräsentanten die Geister der Persönlichkeit sind, diese Wesen rücken weiter auf und sind heute erhaben über den Menschen, sie haben sozusagen den Menschen in sich. Den tragen sie als eine für sie vergangene Entwickelungsstufe in sich.

[ 7 ] Nachdem der Saturn nun seine Entwickelung eine Zeitlang durchgemacht hatte, ging die ganze Evolution in eine geistige Sphäre über, in einen Zustand, der äußerlich nicht wahrnehmbar war für Sinne wie die heutigen menschlichen, und dann trat hervor die zweite Verkörperung unseres Erdplaneten, der Sonnenplanet. Er zeichnete sich dadurch aus, daß er verhältnismäßig früh in seiner Entwickelung schon so weit war, daß er Licht ausstrahlte. Das kam davon her, weil er nicht nur aus Wärme bestand, sondern daß die Wärmematerie bereits verdichtet war zur gas-, zur luftförmigen Materie. Er hatte noch kein Wasser, noch nichts Festes, er bestand aus luft- und gasförmiger Masse. Aber dadurch war er auch schon imstande, ein leuchtender Körper zu sein. Dadurch war er, für ein heutiges Auge gesehen, bereits ein in den Weltenraum hinausstrahlender Planet. Jetzt, da dieser Planet so weit sich entwickelt hatte, war es möglich, daß der ersten Anlage des menschlich-physischen Leibes eingegliedert wurde der Ätherleib. Nun bestand also der Mensch aus dem physischen und dem Ätherleib, während er auf dem Saturn nur erst die erste Anlage des physischen Leibes hatte. Der Mensch war aber noch nicht so weit, einen eigenen Astralleib zu haben. Die Formen der Menschen sahen daher ganz anders aus als heute. Der Mensch hatte die Form des Pflanzendaseins. Er besaß physischen und Ätherleib wie die Pflanze, hat aber auf der Sonne ganz anders ausgesehen als die Pflanze heute.

[ 8 ] Dieses Fortschreiten der Entwickelung war damit verbunden, daß eine zweite Art von Wesenheiten auftrat auf der Sonne. Auf dem Saturn gab es nur Menschen, keine anderen Wesenheiten. Er bestand nur aus Menschen, wie die Brombeere aus kleinen Beeren besteht. Jetzt waren aber von diesen Menschenanlagen einige zurückgeblieben auf der Saturnstufe; die hatten nicht alles erreicht, was zu erreichen war. Diese zurückgebliebenen Wesenheiten, die vom Saturn kommen, können sich deshalb keinen Ätherleib aneignen und müssen noch immer auf der Sonne bloß mit physischem Leib begabt sein. Sie sind also erst so weit wie die Menschen auf dem Saturn. Diese Wesenheiten nun, die bloß den physischen Leib auf der Sonne haben, sind die ersten Anlagen zu unseren heutigen Tieren. So daß wir auf der Sonne Menschenanlagen mit physischem und Ätherleib haben, und Tieranlagen mit bloß physischem Leibe.

[ 9 ] Wiederum ist es so, daß in der Mitte des Sonnendaseins gewisse Wesenheiten die Menschheitsstufe durchmachen. Der heutige Mensch konnte das noch nicht. Die geistigen Wesenheiten aus dem Umkreis der Sonne, die jetzt die Menschheitsstufe durchmachen, nennen wir Feuergeister, Erzengel. Sie sind heute zwei Stufen über dem Menschen. Den Menschen tragen sie in sich. Sie haben in anderer Form dasselbe erfahren, was der Mensch heute in dem irdischen Dasein erfährt. Aber auch die Sonne macht sieben Epochen durch, und auf jeder Stufe gibt es Wesenheiten, die den Grad erreicht haben zur Menschheitsstufe, so daß wir wiederum während des Sonnendaseins sieben Entwickelungsphasen haben. Wenn sie in ihrer eigenen Vergangenheit zurückgehen, sehen sie gleichsam auf ein kosmisches Lebensalter, von dem sie sagen können: Wenn auch unter mir kein fester Erdboden war und keine flüssige Erdkugel, ich habe damals doch erfahren, was der Mensch heute erfährt. Ich kann also mitfühlen und miterleben, was der Mensch erlebt auf der Erde. — Das können diese Wesen heute sagen. Sie haben Verständnis dafür, weil sie auch in sich erfahren haben, was der Mensch heute in seinem Erdendasein erfährt.

[ 10 ] Nun kommt wiederum eine Art von Zwischenzustand, in dem der leuchtende Planet nach und nach abglimmt für die äußere Beobachtung — wenn diese schon da sein könnte —, auch für gewisse hellseherische Beobachtung verschwindet und nur noch für die höchsten Formen des hellseherischen Beobachtens vorhanden ist. Dann tritt er wiederum heraus zu einer neuen Form des Daseins, zu einem dritten Zustand, den wir den Mondenzustand nennen. Das ist die dritte Verkörperung unseres Planeten, der alte Mond. Der ist jetzt so weit in seiner Substanzentwickelung, daß er das, was früher auf der Sonne bloß Gas war, verdichtet hat zu Wasser. Dadurch, daß das wässerige Element sich eingelagert hat, kann dem Menschen, der allmählich sich wieder herausentwickelt wie die Pflanze aus dem Samen, der astralische Leib eingegliedert werden, so daß der Mensch jetzt aus drei Teilen besteht, aus dem physischen, dem Äther- und dem astralischen Leib. Er ist noch nicht eigentlich Mensch, denn er hat in diesen drei Leibern noch kein Ich eingegliedert.

[ 11 ] Immer bleiben auf allen Stufen gewisse Wesenheiten zurück. Die Wesenheiten, welche auf der Sonne zurückgeblieben sind, die nicht die Mondstufe erreichen konnten ind auf dem Mond erst ihre Sonnenstufe durchmachen, die haben daher keine Möglichkeit, sich jetzt den astralischen Leib einzugliedern, sie bestehen auch auf dem Monde nur aus physischem und Ätherleib. Es sind das namentlich solche, die schon auf der Sonne zurückgeblieben waren, die aber sich inzwischen so weit entwickelt hatten, daß sie sich einen Ätherleib eingliedern konnten. Das sind wiederum die Vorfahren von heutigen Tieren. Die Wesen, die aber noch nicht so weit waren auf dem Monde, daß sie sich einen Ätherleib eingliedern konnten, das sind die Vorfahren von noch tieferstehenden Wesenheiten: von der heutigen Pflanzenwelt. Wir haben also drei Reiche auf dem Monde: das Menschenreich, bestehend aus physischem Leib, Ätherleib und astralischem Leib, das Tierreich, bestehend aus physischem und Ätherleib, und das Pflanzenreich, nur aus physischem Leib bestehend.

[ 12 ] Wiederum sind es gewisse Wesenheiten, welche ungefähr in der Mitte des Mondendaseins ihre Menschenstufe durchmachen. Es sind die Geister, die man gewöhnlich in der geisteswissenschaftlichen Literatur die Geister der Dämmerung nennt, die Engel. Auch sie tragen als Erinnerung den Menschen in sich. Und wiederum hat der Mond sieben solcher Stufen. Auf jeder Stufe sind Wesenheiten, die gerade das Menschendasein durchmachen können. Es ist immer so, daß einige Wesenheiten vorauseilen und andere zurückbleiben. Wir haben also auch auf dem Monde sieben Wesenheitsstufen, die ihre Menschheit durchgemacht hatten, als der Mond mit seiner Entwickelung zu Ende war.

[ 13 ] Nun müssen wir allerdings, um den Mond ganz zu verstehen, etwas Wichtiges erwähnen, was sich in der Entwickelung des alten Mondes abspielte. Als dieser alte Mond seine Entwickelung begann, war er, wenigstens bald nach dem Beginn, eine flüssige Kugel. Würde er sich so weiterentwickelt haben durch seine sieben Stadien, dann wäre er nicht dazu gekommen, dem Menschen die richtige Grundlage für seine Weiterentfaltung zu geben. Er wurde nur dadurch geeignet, eine Vorstufe der Erdenmenschheit zu sein, daß er sich zunächst in zwei Weltenkörper spaltete. Der eine von diesen war der Vorläufer der heutigen Sonne und der andere, der sich abtrennende, war der Vorläufer der heutigen Erde, aber so, daß Sie sich dieser Erde den heutigen Mond dazugemischt denken, so daß Erde und Mond von heute damals eins waren. Sie denken sich also diese zwei Körper, Erde plus Mond einerseits und die Sonne andererseits, jetzt voneinander getrennt, den alten Mond als wässerigen Körper und die alte Sonne auf dem Wege, ein Fixstern zu werden. Mit dieser Spaltung war etwas sehr Wesentliches verknüpft. Vor allen Dingen war es die Sonne, welche die Abspaltung vollzog und die feinsten Teile, die ätherischste Materie mit sich nahm, während im Monde, das heißt in der heutigen Erde plus dem heutigen Monde, die gröbste Materie zurückblieb. Daher ist die Sonne mit ungeheuer feiner Materie ausgestattet, während der Mond ein viel dichterer Körper, eine wässerige Masse wird. Dadurch, daß die Sonne die feinsten und geistigsten Kräfte mit sich nahm, konnte sie nun auch der Schauplatz sein für viel höher entwickelte Wesenheiten. In der Tat wären viele von jenen hohen Wesenheiten, die noch das Saturndasein ertragen konnten, gehemmt gewesen in ihrer Entwickelung, wenn sie länger an den Mond gefesselt geblieben wären. Sie brauchten einen Schauplatz mit feinsten Stoffen; nur da konnten sie sich entwickeln. So hatten sie sich den geeigneten Schauplatz herausgezogen und entwickelten sich auf der Sonne weiter. Dagegen waren verknüpft geblieben mit dem Monde, der durch das Herausgehen der feineren Materie eine Verdickung erlitten hatte, jene Menschenanlagen, die aus physischem Leibe, Ätherleib und astralischem Leib bestanden, und auch Tier- und Pflanzenanlagen.

[ 14 ] Dieser alte Mond sieht nun ganz sonderbar aus. Da würden Sie noch nicht so etwas finden — wenn er auch seine Sonne schon umkreiste — wie Felsen, wie Ackererde. Mineralisches gab es da noch nicht. Die Hauptmasse dieses Mondes, auf der diese Wesenheiten herumhüpften sozusagen, war eine Art Brei, eine richtige Art Brei, so etwa wie Kochsalat oder wie gekochter Spinat. Solch ein Brei war die Grundmasse dieses Mondes, so wie die Grundmasse unserer Erde Ackererde ist. Es waren darin eingelagert ähnliche Massen wie, sagen wir, Holz und Borke der Bäume. Wenn Sie heute auf einen Berg steigen, gehen Sie auf Felsen. Damals wären Sie auf einem Grund gegangen, der, wenn er fest war, wie Holzmaterial, wie ein Holzplateau war. Statt Granit hätten Sie Stumpfen gefunden, die etwa mit Holz vergleichbar wären. Das ist natürlich nur vergleichsweise gesprochen. So war die Grundmasse, und aus ihr heraus wuchsen fortwährend Wucherungen. Das war also das unterste Reich, das heutige Mineralreich, das damals mitten drinnenstand zwischen dem heutigen Mineral- und Pflanzenreich. Das lebte in einer gewissen Weise. Es war so, daß es da fortwährend Wucherungen gab. Es war nicht wie heute. Wenn Ackererde daliegt, so muß man sie, wenn man sie weghaben will, auf äußerliche Weise wegtragen. Diese Masse des alten Mondes starb ab — aber nicht wie einzelne Pflanzen — und bildete sich wieder neu. Fortwährend war sie in innerer lebendiger Regung und Bewegung. In stetem Absterben und fortwährendem Wuchern war die Grundmasse des alten Mondes. Und aus diesem Grundboden wuchs ein anderes Reich heraus. Durch das Heraustreten des Mondes aus der Sonne hatten sich nämlich die früheren Reiche verändert. Auf der Sonne entsprachen sie ungefähr unseren Reichen. Durch das Herausrücken des Mondes war das alte Pflanzenreich heruntergedrückt worden um eine halbe Stufe und ebenso die anderen Reiche, so daß also das nächste Reich eine Art von Tier-Pflanzenreich war. Es wuchs allerdings aus dem Boden heraus, es wuchsen heraus solche Tier-Pflanzen. Sie waren pflanzenförmig, aber wenn man sie angriff, hatten sie Empfindungen, sie quietschten und dergleichen. Sie waren eigentlich halb Tier und halb Pflanze, Pflanze insofern, als sie eben auf dem Boden wuchsen, zum großen Teil in dem Boden festwurzelten, und Tiere insofern, als sie etwas von Empfindungsfähigkeit hatten. Und das Reich, das dem unsrigen voranging, waren Menschen-Tiere, Wesenheiten, die zwischen dem heutigen Menschen und dem heutigen Tiere mitten drinnenstehen, höher als der heutige Affe, aber noch nicht so hoch wie der heutige Mensch. Das war ungefähr die Gestalt der Menschenvorfahren auf dem Monde.

[ 15 ] Gerade Sagen und Mythen haben wunderbar diese Dinge erhalten. Denken Sie nur einmal, wie eine deutsche Sage dieses Geheimnis, das sich hinter alldem verbirgt, erhalten hat. Immer bleiben gewisse Wesenheiten zurück. Auch diese Wesenheiten, die zwischen den heutigen Pflanzen und den heutigen Tieren mitten drinnenstanden, die nur auf einem pflanzlichen Boden wurzeln konnten, wie der Mondboden einer war, die sind zurückgeblieben und in unserer heutigen Erdenbildung deshalb auch nicht fähig, auf mineralischem Boden zu gedeihen. Da können unsere heutigen Pflanzen wachsen, aber jene, die zwischen Pflanzen und Tieren mittendrinnen waren, die einen lebendigen Boden brauchten, die können nicht, wenn sie zurückgeblieben sind, im -Mineralischen wachsen. Die Mistel ist eine solche Pflanze. Sie muß deshalb in der heutigen Pflanzenwelt schmarotzen, weil sie ein zurückgebliebenes Wesen ist. Sie hat keine Empfindung mehr, obwohl der umhüllende Astralleib der Mistel ganz anders ist wie der der übrigen Pflanzen. Und das fühlte die deutsche Sage, daß die Mistel eigentlich nicht in unser Erdenwesen hineingehört, daß sie ihm fremd ist. Die Sage feiert im Gott Baldur den Gott der Erdensonne, der Erdenkraft. Kein Wesen der Erde wird ihm etwa feindlich nahen können. Daher kann auch der Gott, von dem die deutsche Sage das Bewußtsein hatte, daß er so ein Nachzügler sei, daher kann Loki den Baldur mit keinem Geschöpf der Erde töten. Er muß ihn mit dem Mistelzweig töten lassen, weil der fremd ist unter den Erdengeschöpfen und deshalb dem Nachzügler Loki dienen kann, der nicht verwandt ist mit den Erdengöttern. Tiefe Weisheit verbirgt sich hinter solchen Sagen. In dieser Baldur-Loki-Sage spüren wir überall diese alte Weisheit, auch in den Gebräuchen, die sich an die Mistel knüpfen. Wenn Sie sie studierten, so würden Sie finden, daß dasjenige, was man über sie sagt, aus uralter Weisheit herrührt.

[ 16 ] Dann kam in der zweiten Hälfte der Mondenentwickelung die Zeit, wo sowohl die auf der Sonne wie auch die auf dem Monde sich entwickelnden Wesenheiten das erreicht hatten, was sie während der alten Mondenzeit hatten erreichen sollen. Und dann vereinigten sie sich wiederum. Sonne und Mond gingen wieder als ein Leib in ihrer Entwickelung eine Strecke zusammen.

[ 17 ] Dann verdunkelte sich der Entwickelungszustand, ging durch den rein geistigen Zustand hindurch, den manche gewohnt sind Pralaya zu nennen, und nun dämmerte unsere Erdenentwickelung auf. Im Anfang enthält der aufdämmernde Weltenkörper nicht nur unsere heutige Erdensubstanz, sondern das, was Sie bekommen würden, wenn Sie die Substanz von der heutigen Sonne, der heutigen Erde und dem heutigen Mond zusammennehmen und in einem riesigen Topf durcheinanderrühren würden. So ungefähr können Sie sich den Entwickelungszustand unserer Erde bei ihrem Beginn vorstellen. Dieser Entwickelungszustand ist zunächst eine Art Wiederholung des Saturnzustandes, dann des Sonnen- und des Mondenzustandes. Was für uns nun vor allen Dingen wichtig ist, das ist, daß der Mensch eigentlich erst im heutigen Sinne Mensch wird in der Mitte der Erdenentwickelung. Auch in unserer Erdenentwickelung müssen wir sieben Zustände unterscheiden. Wir stehen im vierten. Drei sind vorangegangen, drei werden folgen. Der vierte Hauptkreislauf war derjenige, in welchem unser heutiges Menschengeschlecht Mensch werden sollte. So wie nun in allen diesen Kreisläufen auf dem Saturn, auf der Sonne und auf dem Mond gewisse Wesenheiten die Menschheitsstufe erreichten — auf dem Saturn die Asuras oder Urkräfte, auf der Sonne die Erzengel, auf dem Monde die Engel —, so waren auch immer Wesenheiten zurückgeblieben. Und so gab es auch Wesenheiten, die nicht mehr auf dem Mond die Menschenstufe erreichen konnten, zurückgebliebene Engel etwa, die erst jetzt auf dem Erdenplaneten in den ersten drei Erdenzeiträumen ihre Menschheitsstufe nachholen konnten. Der Mensch kam in der vierten Stufe daran. Vor dem Menschen haben noch drei andere Wesenheiten auf der Erde die Menschheitsstufe durchgemacht. Und die vierte der Wesenheiten, die auf der Erde die Menschheitsstufe durchmachen, ist der Mensch selber. In dem Augenblick der kosmischen Entwickelung, als der Mensch sich eben anschickt, Mensch zu werden, da haben Sie also alle die Wesenheiten, die durch Saturn, Sonne, Mond und Erde bis zum Menschen hin die Menschheitsstufe haben durchmachen können, als mehr oder weniger über den Menschen hinausgeschrittene Wesenheiten. Aber alle sind so, daß sie zurückblicken können, sich erinnern können an die Stufe, auf der sie selbst die Menschheitsstufe durchgemacht haben. Sie konnten hinunterschauen auf den werdenden Menschen und sich sagen: Der wird jetzt etwas, was wir schon gewesen sind, wofür wir Verständnis haben, wenn wir es auch unter anderen Umständen gewesen sind. — Sie konnten deshalb seine Entwickelung leiten und regeln vom geistigen Weltenraum aus.

[ 18 ] Zählen wir zusammen, wie viele solcher Wesenheiten es sind, die auf die Menschenstufe zurückblicken können, die Verständnis haben können für den werdenden Menschen: sieben von der Saturnentwickelung plus sieben von der Sonnen- plus sieben von der Mondenstufe plus drei von der Erdenentwickelung, das sind vierundzwanzig Wesenheiten. Vierundzwanzig «Menschen» blicken herunter auf den heutigen Menschen. Es sind die Wesenheiten, welche wir aus guten Gründen die Regulatoren der Entwickelung genannt haben, die Regulatoren der Zeit. Zeit hängt mit Entwickelung zusammen. Es sind die vierundzwanzig Ältesten, die uns in der Apokalypse des Johannes begegnen. Das sind dieselben Wesenheiten, die uns beschrieben werden da, wo wir herantreten an das Geheimnis der sieben Siegel. Sie werden uns als die eigentlichen Lenker der Geschicke beschrieben, das eigentliche Alpha und Omega. So haben wir die vierundzwanzig Ältesten auch hier wiederum gefunden, und Sie sehen, wie der Apokalyptiker, der diese wichtige Urkunde geschrieben hat, in seine Bilder wunderbar hineingeheimnißt hat, was wir aus der Betrachtung der geistigen Weltenentwickelung selber finden können.

[ 19 ] Nun waren aber gewisse Wesenheiten zurückgeblieben auf jeder Stufe, so daß die auf der Sonne zurückgebliebenen Saturnwesen als die ersten Anlagen des jetzigen Tierreiches herauskamen und die auf der Mondstufe zurückgebliebenen Sonnenwesen als erste Anlagen des heutigen Pflanzenreiches. Auf der Erde erst kam eine Entwickelungsstufe heraus als das Mineralreich. Wir haben hervorgehoben, daß es auf dem Monde noch kein Mineralreich gegeben hat. Auf Felsen hätte man auf dem Monde noch nicht herumgehen können. In derjenigen Zeit, wo die heutigen Menschen anfingen, ihre Menschheitsstufe durchzumachen, drangen aus dem Weltenkörper, der jetzt zwischen der Substanz des Mondes und der heutigen Substanz stand, die mineralischen Massen, die ersten Kristalle heraus. Das war der Augenblick, wo das Mineralreich hervorschoß. Und Sie finden dieses Hervorschießen in ganz einziger Weise in der Apokalypse des Johannes geschildert, wo er sagt: Da war es kristallisiert um den Stuhl herum wie ein gläsernes Meer. — Dieses «gläserne Meer» soll uns andeuten das Hervorschießen, das Hervorkeimen des Mineralreiches in seiner ersten Gestalt. So sehen wir auch dieses Geheimnis der kosmischen Entwickelung in der Apokalypse des Johannes angedeutet. Und wir haben damit auch einsehen gelernt, daß bis zu diesem Grade der Apokalyptiker uns in seinen gewaltigen Bildern nichts anderes darstellen will als das, was wir aus dem geistigen Leben heraus in der Entwickelung der Erde selbst erkennen können. Damit hat uns aber der Apokalyptiker gleich im Anfang seines Buches bis zu den Höhen hinaufgeführt, wo der Mensch die Bilder der zukünftigen Entwickelungsstufen schauen kann.

[ 20 ] Und nun haben wir eine gute Grundlage, um wieder an das anzuknüpfen, was wir schon als die ersten Epochen zukünftiger Menschheitsentwickelung kennengelernt haben. Jetzt haben wir als Zwischenbetrachtung einen Blick geworfen in die Vergangenheit bis dahin, wo der Mensch bereit ist, Mensch zu werden, wo das Mineralreich herausschießt. Und nun werden wir sehen, wie es bis zu unserer Zeit weitergeht, und von da bis in die Zukunft hinein. Wir werden den Anschluß finden zum Geheimnis der sieben Siegel und ihrer Entsiegelung bis zur Ausgießung der Zornesschalen.

Fifth Lecture

[ 1 ] Yesterday we saw how the human race will develop once our present cycle of time has come to an end; how it will, so to speak, split into two streams, the good and the evil races, and how the secrets of this future will be revealed to us through the seven seals that are figuratively broken in the Apocalypse of John. After this general discussion of the emergence in the outer physiognomy of what is being prepared in the souls of men during our cycle of time, one might easily ask: How is it that the apocalyptic writer discusses the first of the seals in such terrible images? We can best answer this question by inserting an interim consideration into our apocalyptic discussion today.

[ 2 ] So far, we have tried to substantiate the statement that the Apocalypse of John represents an initiation, the Christian initiation, and that through this Christian initiation the future of humanity is revealed. We will now best bring everything else before our souls by looking back today and once again bringing the times of past human evolution before our souls. And we will do this to the extent that we need it to explain the Apocalypse. You already know the basic features involved. You know that our Earth, as it is today the dwelling place of human beings, once began in the distant past, but that as Earth it was the reincarnation of another planetary entity, which is usually called the old Moon, or also the Cosmos or the Planet of Wisdom, in contrast to our present Earth, which we call the Cosmos or the Planet of Love. But even this cosmos of wisdom, or the old moon, is only the reincarnation of an even earlier state, which we call the sun planet, not the fixed star sun, but the sun planet. And this sun planet is the reincarnation of the old Saturn. Thus, we have to distinguish between four successive states of our planetary existence, which we call Saturn, Sun, Moon, and Earth.

[ 3 ] Now, insofar as we need it for the explanation of the Apocalypse of John, we will describe these four states of our planetary existence. If you go back clairvoyantly to the old Saturn existence, you come to a strange planet. This old Saturn is a world body on which nothing can be found of what we today call minerals, solid, earthy substances. Nothing exists of our present animal and plant world, nothing of what we today call water or liquid substances, nothing of what we know as air currents or gases. If you imagine that you were somewhere in space with your present eyes—which did not yet exist at that time—and you approached this Saturn, you would not be able to see anything in its initial state, because it does not yet shine. So with your eyes, you would not yet be able to see this Saturn from the outside in the first half of its existence. If you approached it and entered the space it filled, you would perceive something, if you could already use your present senses, as if you were crawling into a heated oven. You would only be able to distinguish this space from the rest by the fact that this spherical space is warmer than its surroundings. Heat is the only thing we encounter in ancient Saturn that we are familiar with in our present state. But it is a strange kind of heat. This heat would not seem to you to be uniform in all places. You might find that it is warmer in some places and colder in others, so that if you connected the same warm spots with lines, figures would emerge that are only perceptible through the difference in heat states. Everything is heat, but organized, differentiated heat. If you were to fly through the whole Saturn in this way, you would say to yourself: There is something there, but something that I can only perceive through the different states of heat.

[ 4 ] These differentiated states of heat are the only thing that already existed from the present characteristics of our Earth, and in such heat the first formation of the physical human body was expressed at that time. What was present there is still within you today, only it has withdrawn from external spatial existence into your inner being. It is your blood warmth. If you were to form figures out of your blood warmth, you would have the echoes of what was present in your physical body on ancient Saturn. The warmth you carry in your blood today is the first element of the physical body, the oldest part of it, so that you can also say: The whole Saturn consisted of blood warmth. — But you would also be able to find something similar to figures that could be drawn today if you followed the different paths of your blood according to the different states of warmth. That is the physical existence of this old Saturn. It has only the warmth of our present material conditions. Of all the beings that populate the earth today, only the human being existed, and of him only this beginning of the physical body. Saturn consisted only of such beginnings of physical human bodies that were formed from warmth. Just as a blackberry today is composed of individual berries, so Saturn was composed at that time, but of such human beings as have now been described. On the other hand, it was initially surrounded by spiritual beings. Just as the Earth is surrounded by air today, Saturn was enveloped by a spiritual atmosphere. Beings lived there who had different degrees of development, but who all needed Saturn's dwelling place for their stage of existence at that time. It was necessary for them. Without this dwelling place, these beings could not have survived. There were, for example, those who also had seven principles, but not like the human beings of today. Human beings have their seven principles, which we call the seven spirits of God, starting with the physical body. These beings were not like that. For example, there were beings whose lowest principle was an etheric body. They had a physical body because they anchored themselves with their etheric body in the physical bodies of Saturn and thus used them. So Saturn, in relation to today's Earth, is a substantially very fine world body. It did not even have the fine air, the gases, of our substances. These were already too coarse for it. It had only warmth, and spiritual beings in the environment of the warmth.

[ 5 ] Now, as the beings in its environment continued to develop, this Saturn underwent various transformations. One of these transformations is easy to describe in that, in the middle of its development, it actually begins to glow on the outside. So that, if one follows him, he appears at first as a dark body of heat, but then begins to glow and, towards the end, emits a faint light into the world. This spiritual atmosphere around Saturn, which contains various beings, also contains, among others, a very specific type of being that is of particular interest to us. Around the middle of Saturn's development, these beings go through the stage that humans are now going through on Earth. These are the spirits of personality. On this old Saturn, they are about halfway to becoming human beings. Of course, you will not make the mistake of asking: Did they have bodies like those of human beings today? It would be a tremendous mistake to imagine that these human beings had human flesh and bodies. The human stage can be passed through in many different forms. And these spirits of personality went through their human stage on Saturn in such a way that they first used as their physical body what was available down there on Saturn as heat, that they used as their etheric body — for they did not yet have that either — what was in the atmosphere, and finally they also used what was available as astral substance. They did not yet have any of this themselves. At that time, they essentially had an ego carrier, an ego, and this ego, which stood on the human stage and lived just as the human ego does today on Earth, went through these various stages of humanity on Saturn in a different form, in a different way. So, roughly in the middle of Saturn's development, we have the spirits of personality, the primal forces as human beings. If you count like this, what I have just listed is the middle stage of Saturn's development. Three others precede it and three others follow it. They are called Saturn cycles or Saturn epochs. If you imagine the whole of Saturn in its development, you can think of it like this:

[ 6 ] In the middle (X) stand the spirits of personality. On each of the three preceding and three following stages — just as our Earth can be divided into epochs according to the number seven, so too can this Saturnian development — in each of these epochs, corresponding beings become human beings, on each stage certain beings, and always when the time has come for them when they can use what is found on Saturn to go through the experiences of human beings. Thus, we have seven kinds of creatures on Saturn who have gone through their human stage there, who have advanced to the human stage, who therefore no longer need to come up to the human stage in the following stages. Today's human beings are not yet human beings on Saturn. Those beings who became human beings here on Saturn, whose representatives are the spirits of personality, these beings move on and are now exalted above human beings; they have, so to speak, human beings within themselves. They carry them within themselves as a stage of development that is past for them.

[ 7 ] After Saturn had undergone its development for a time, the whole evolution passed into a spiritual sphere, into a state that was not perceptible to senses such as those of human beings today, and then the second embodiment of our Earth planet, the Sun planet, emerged. It was distinguished by the fact that relatively early in its development it had already progressed to the point where it radiated light. This was because it did not consist solely of heat, but because the heat matter had already condensed into gaseous, air-like matter. It had no water yet, nothing solid; it consisted of air and gas. But this also enabled it to be a luminous body. Seen from today's perspective, it was already a planet radiating out into space. Now that this planet had developed to this stage, it was possible for the etheric body to be incorporated into the first rudiment of the human physical body. So now the human being consisted of the physical and etheric bodies, whereas on Saturn it had only the first beginnings of the physical body. However, the human being was not yet ready to have its own astral body. The forms of human beings therefore looked very different from today. The human being had the form of a plant. They possessed a physical and etheric body like plants, but looked very different on the Sun than plants do today.

[ 8 ] This progression of development was connected with the appearance of a second type of being on the Sun. On Saturn there were only human beings, no other beings. It consisted only of humans, just as the blackberry consists of small berries. However, some of these human beings remained behind on the Saturn stage; they had not achieved everything that could be achieved. These beings who remained behind, who come from Saturn, cannot therefore acquire an etheric body and must still be endowed with only a physical body on the Sun. They are therefore only as far along as the humans on Saturn. These beings, who have only a physical body on the Sun, are the first seeds of our present-day animals. Thus, on the Sun, we have human seeds with physical and etheric bodies, and animal seeds with only physical bodies.

[ 9 ] Again, in the middle of the Sun's existence, certain beings go through the human stage. Today's human beings have not yet been able to do this. We call the spiritual beings from the Sun's surroundings who are now going through the human stage fire spirits, archangels. Today they are two stages above human beings. They carry human beings within themselves. They have experienced in a different form what human beings experience today in their earthly existence. But the sun also goes through seven epochs, and at each stage there are beings that have reached the level of humanity, so that we again have seven phases of development during the sun's existence. When they look back into their own past, they see, as it were, a cosmic age of life, of which they can say: Even though there was no solid ground beneath me and no liquid earth, I nevertheless experienced what human beings experience today. So I can empathize and experience what human beings experience on Earth. — That is what these beings can say today. They understand this because they have also experienced within themselves what human beings experience today in their earthly existence.

[ 10 ] Now comes another kind of intermediate state in which the luminous planet gradually fades away from external observation — if this could already be there — and also disappears from certain clairvoyant observation, remaining only for the highest forms of clairvoyant observation. Then it emerges again into a new form of existence, into a third state, which we call the lunar state. This is the third embodiment of our planet, the old moon. It has now progressed so far in its substance development that it has condensed what was formerly merely gas on the sun into water. Because the watery element has been incorporated, the astral body can be integrated into the human being, who gradually develops again like a plant from a seed, so that the human being now consists of three parts: the physical, the etheric, and the astral bodies. He is not yet actually human, because he has not yet integrated an I into these three bodies.

[ 11 ] Certain beings always remain behind at all stages. The beings that remained behind on the sun, that could not reach the moon stage and only passed through their sun stage on the moon, therefore have no possibility of integrating the astral body into themselves at this point; they consist only of a physical and etheric body on the moon. These are namely those who had already remained behind on the sun, but who had meanwhile developed so far that they were able to integrate an etheric body. These are in turn the ancestors of today's animals. However, the beings who were not yet far enough along on the moon to integrate an etheric body are the ancestors of even lower beings: of today's plant world. So we have three kingdoms on the moon: the human kingdom, consisting of the physical body, the etheric body, and the astral body; the animal kingdom, consisting of the physical body and the etheric body; and the plant kingdom, consisting only of the physical body.

[ 12 ] Again, there are certain beings who pass through their human stage approximately in the middle of the Moon's existence. These are the spirits who are usually called the spirits of twilight, the angels, in spiritual scientific literature. They too carry the memory of human beings within themselves. And again, the Moon has seven such stages. At each stage there are beings who are just passing through human existence. It is always the case that some beings rush ahead and others lag behind. So we also have seven stages of being on the moon who had passed through humanity when the moon's development came to an end.

[ 13 ] Now, however, in order to understand the moon completely, we must mention something important that took place in the development of the old moon. When this old moon began its development, it was, at least soon after its beginning, a liquid sphere. If it had continued to develop in this way through its seven stages, it would not have been able to provide humans with the right foundation for their further development. It only became suitable as a precursor to Earth humanity because it first split into two world bodies. One of these was the precursor of the present sun, and the other, which separated, was the precursor of the present earth, but in such a way that you must imagine the present moon mixed with this earth, so that the earth and moon of today were then one. So imagine these two bodies, Earth plus Moon on the one hand and the Sun on the other, now separated from each other, the old Moon as a watery body and the old Sun on its way to becoming a fixed star. Something very essential was connected with this division. Above all, it was the sun that carried out the separation and took with it the finest parts, the most ethereal matter, while the coarsest matter remained in the moon, that is, in today's Earth plus today's moon. Therefore, the sun is endowed with immensely fine matter, while the moon becomes a much denser body, a watery mass. Because the sun took the finest and most spiritual forces with it, it could now also be the scene for much more highly developed beings. In fact, many of those high beings who could still endure the Saturn existence would have been hindered in their development if they had remained bound to the moon any longer. They needed a scene with the finest substances; only there could they develop. Thus they had chosen the suitable scene and continued their development on the sun. On the other hand, those human elements consisting of the physical body, etheric body, and astral body, as well as animal and plant elements, remained connected to the moon, which had undergone a thickening due to the departure of the finer matter.

[ 14 ] This old moon now looks very strange. Even though it was already orbiting its sun, you would not find anything like rocks or farmland there. There were no minerals yet. The main mass of this moon, on which these beings were hopping around, so to speak, was a kind of porridge, a real kind of porridge, something like cooked lettuce or cooked spinach. Such a porridge was the basic substance of this moon, just as the basic substance of our earth is soil. It contained masses similar to, say, wood and tree bark. When you climb a mountain today, you walk on rocks. Back then, you would have walked on a ground that, when solid, was like wood, like a wooden plateau. Instead of granite, you would have found stumps that were comparable to wood. This is, of course, only a comparison. That was the basic mass, and out of it, growths continually sprouted. This was the lowest kingdom, today's mineral kingdom, which at that time stood in the middle between today's mineral and plant kingdoms. It lived in a certain way. There were constant growths. It was not like today. When farmland lies there, you have to carry it away externally if you want to get rid of it. This mass of the old moon died off—but not like individual plants—and formed itself anew. It was constantly in inner living motion and movement. The basic substance of the old moon was in constant dying and constant growth. And out of this basic ground grew another kingdom. For the emergence of the moon from the sun had changed the earlier kingdoms. On the sun, they corresponded roughly to our realms. When the moon emerged, the old plant realm was pushed down half a step, and so were the other realms, so that the next realm was a kind of animal-plant realm. However, it grew out of the ground; such animal-plants grew out of it. They were plant-shaped, but when attacked, they had sensations, they squeaked and the like. They were actually half animal and half plant, plant insofar as they grew on the ground, largely rooted in the soil, and animals insofar as they had some capacity for sensation. And the realm that preceded ours was populated by human-animals, beings that stood midway between today's humans and today's animals, higher than today's apes but not yet as high as today's humans. That was roughly the form of the human ancestors on the moon.

[ 15 ] Legends and myths in particular have preserved these things wonderfully. Just think how a German legend has preserved the secret that lies behind all this. Certain beings always remain behind. These beings, which stood in the middle between today's plants and animals, which could only take root in a plant-like soil, such as the soil of the moon, have remained behind and are therefore unable to thrive on mineral soil in our present-day Earth. Our present-day plants can grow there, but those that stood in the middle between plants and animals, which needed a living soil, cannot grow in the mineral realm if they have remained behind. Mistletoe is such a plant. It must therefore parasitize in the present-day plant world because it is a being that has remained behind. It no longer has any feelings, although the astral body surrounding mistletoe is completely different from that of other plants. And German legend sensed that mistletoe does not really belong in our earthly existence, that it is foreign to it. The legend celebrates Baldur, the god of the earth sun, the earth's power. No creature on earth can approach him with hostility. Therefore, the god whom the German legend perceived as such a straggler, Loki, cannot kill Baldur with any creature of the earth. He must let him be killed with the mistletoe branch, because it is foreign among the creatures of the earth and can therefore serve the straggler Loki, who is not related to the earth gods. Deep wisdom is hidden behind such legends. In this Baldur-Loki legend, we sense this ancient wisdom everywhere, even in the customs associated with mistletoe. If you studied them, you would find that what is said about them comes from ancient wisdom.

[ 16 ] Then, in the second half of the moon's development, the time came when the beings developing on both the sun and the moon had achieved what they were supposed to achieve during the old moon period. And then they united again. The sun and moon once again traveled together as one body in their development.

[ 17 ] Then the state of development darkened, passed through the purely spiritual state that some are accustomed to calling Pralaya, and now our Earth's development dawned. In the beginning, the dawning world body contained not only our present-day earthly substance, but also what you would obtain if you took the substance of the present-day sun, the present-day earth, and the present-day moon, put them together in a huge pot, and stirred them all together. This is roughly how you can imagine the state of development of our earth at its beginning. This state of development is initially a kind of repetition of the Saturn state, then of the Sun and Moon states. What is now most important for us is that human beings only become human in the present sense in the middle of Earth's development. We must also distinguish between seven states in our Earth's development. We are in the fourth. Three have preceded it, three will follow. The fourth main cycle was the one in which our present human race was to become human. Just as certain beings reached the human stage in all these cycles on Saturn, on the Sun, and on the Moon—on Saturn the Asuras or primordial forces, on the Sun the archangels, on the Moon the angels—so too were there always beings who remained behind. And so there were also beings who could no longer reach the human stage on the moon, such as angels who had been left behind, who were only now able to catch up with the human stage on the Earth planet during the first three Earth periods. Man arrived at this stage in the fourth period. Before man, three other beings had already passed through the human stage on Earth. And the fourth of the beings that are going through the human stage on Earth is man himself. At the moment of cosmic development when man is just about to become human, you have all the beings that have been able to go through the human stage through Saturn, the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth, as beings that have more or less advanced beyond man. But all of them are such that they can look back and remember the stage at which they themselves went through the human stage. They could look down upon the human being in the making and say to themselves: He is now becoming something that we already have been, something we understand, even though we were it under different circumstances. They were therefore able to guide and regulate his development from the spiritual world.

[ 18 ] Let us count how many such beings there are who can look back on the human stage, who can understand the human being in the making: seven from the Saturn evolution, plus seven from the Sun stage, plus seven from the Moon stage, plus three from the Earth evolution, that makes twenty-four beings. Twenty-four “human beings” look down upon human beings today. These are the beings whom we have called, with good reason, the regulators of evolution, the regulators of time. Time is connected with evolution. They are the twenty-four elders whom we encounter in the Apocalypse of John. These are the same beings that are described to us when we approach the mystery of the seven seals. They are described to us as the actual guides of destiny, the actual Alpha and Omega. So we have found the twenty-four elders here again, and you see how the apocalyptic writer who wrote this important document has wonderfully hidden in his images what we can find ourselves by contemplating the spiritual evolution of the world.

[ 19 ] Now, however, certain beings had remained behind at each stage, so that the Saturn beings who remained behind on the sun emerged as the first rudiments of the present animal kingdom, and the sun beings who remained behind on the moon stage emerged as the first rudiments of the present plant kingdom. It was not until the earth that a stage of development emerged as the mineral kingdom. We have emphasized that there was no mineral kingdom on the moon. It would not have been possible to walk around on rocks on the moon. At the time when today's human beings began to go through their human stage, the mineral masses, the first crystals, emerged from the world body that now stood between the substance of the moon and the substance of today. That was the moment when the mineral kingdom sprang forth. And you find this springing forth described in a very unique way in the Apocalypse of John, where he says: “And around the throne was something like a sea of glass.” This “sea of glass” is meant to indicate to us the springing forth, the germination of the mineral kingdom in its first form. Thus we also see this secret of cosmic development hinted at in the Apocalypse of John. And we have also learned to understand that, up to this point, the apocalyptic writer wants to show us nothing else in his powerful images than what we can recognize from spiritual life in the development of the earth itself. Thus, right at the beginning of his book, the apocalyptic writer has led us up to the heights where human beings can see the images of future stages of development.

[ 20 ] And now we have a good foundation on which to build what we have already learned about the first epochs of future human development. As an interim observation, we have now looked back into the past to the point where human beings are ready to become human beings, where the mineral kingdom bursts forth. And now we will see how things continue up to our time, and from there into the future. We will find the connection to the mystery of the seven seals and their unsealing until the pouring out of the bowls of wrath.

The Rudolf Steiner Archive

The Apocalypse of St. JohnGA 104

Lecture V

Fünfter Vortrag

Fifth Lecture

The Apocalypse of St. John
GA 104