The Spiritual Hierarchies
GA 110
Düsseldorf, April 18, 1909, Evening
Lecture X
[ 1 ] Apart from the question put at the end of yesterday's lecture, it would be within the scope of this course of lectures to explain much more; but it is impossible to exhaust in ten lectures all there is to be said about our worlds. Therefore, I beg you to allow me to make yet a few observations before I touch on our question, especially as these observations are connected with it.
The first observation I have to make is difficult, perhaps even almost impossible of comprehension by the consciousness of the present day; but it is good to know that something of the sort exists. It is the question: in what way do these planetary formations really disappear again? It is clear to you how development spiritually proceeds: Beings arise to higher stages, and whilst they are rising they have to forsake the old place of habitation which afforded them for a time the possibility for developing certain capacities which they otherwise could not have achieved. When, in the course of evolution, that time approached which we call the Lemurian, man had reached so far in his general development that he had already repeated all that there was to be gained out of the Saturn, Sun and Moon evolutions. He now appeared on the dwelling-place destined for our earth-evolution, which had only just been formed. He developed through the Lemurian and Atlantean times on into our times, and he will continue to develop on into the future as we know — from one incarnation to the other. But after a certain time that human being will have to leave the earth, to forsake it, because it will not have anything more to give him, and will afford him no more possibilities of development. Now you might perhaps imagine that our earth would become a sort of deserted rubbish-heap when man had left it; you might compare it to a town which had been deserted by its entire population. You know what such a town looks like after a short time; it gradually turns into a mound of earth. We get an adequate idea of this in seeing towns which have been given over to nature. But it will not be so in the future of the earth. The following consideration will give you an idea of what that future will be like: what does such a genius, for instance, as Leonardo da Vinci or Raphael, signify for the earthly development of men? What importance for the earth's development, have those wonderful works of Michelangelo or Raphael which are still to-day enjoyed by thousands and thousands of people? Perhaps some of you have felt a certain sadness looking at the ‘Last Supper’ by Leonardo da Vinci, when you have asked yourselves, standing in front of that wonderful work in Milan, how long it would still last? For one must not forget that Goethe, in his first journey to Italy, still saw that work of art in all its beauty and freshness as we cannot see it any more. But, from the time of Goethe's youth to our time, this work of art has so far perished as regards the external, material world, that it calls forth in us feelings of sadness.* For people who will live as late after us as we are now after Goethe, that picture will not exist any more. So it is with everything men create upon earth, with everything which is incarnated into physical matter upon earth. In reality it is so also with the earth itself, and with the creations of human thought. Put yourselves now in thought into that time when the spiritualised men will have risen into higher spheres. Thoughts in the sense of to-day — I do not mean scientific thoughts, for these will entirely lose their importance in three or four hundred years — but thoughts of men in general, as they come forth from a human mind, have naturally no importance for the higher worlds, but have it only for the earth. But when man shall have left the earth, what will have happened to all his past creations on earth, through all the hundreds and thousands of years that are past?
[ 2 ] The evolution of the individual is naturally the thing to be first spiritually considered. Leonardo da Vinci has risen higher through what he has achieved; that is his ascent. But we ask ourselves whether the great thoughts, the great impulses, which great men have imprinted on the substance of the earth, do not have any importance for the future of the Earth? Will the future break and grind the Earth into dust, and will all that man has made out of the earth disappear together with its existence? You admire the Cathedral of Cologne! † In a comparatively short time there will certainly not be one stone of it lying on the other; but the fact that man once expressed his thoughts in stone in this cathedral, will that have no significance for the whole earth? We are now disregarding that which man takes with him away from the earth, we are considering the earth itself. We see that, in fact, a planet grows always smaller in the course of its development. It contracts. That is the destiny of the substance of planets; but it is not all, that is only something which the physical eye and physical instruments can observe in the planets. There is a further development of the material substance — beyond that point.
[ 3 ] Let us now consider this further development of matter, and with this I am touching on what I said will perhaps be impossible for you to understand with the comprehension of the present day. It is a fact that the earth is continually contracting, hence matter tends towards the centre from all sides. And now I say — be it understood consciously, not only fully conscious of the law of the conservation of force, but also fully conscious of facts known to every occultist — I say: Matter draws together more and more towards a centre, and the strange thing is that in that centre matter disappears.
[ 4 ] Imagine that you have a piece of something which contracts more and more towards its centre. In its centre it disappears. It does not get pushed over to its other side, it absolutely disappears into nothing in its own central point! So that you can imagine to yourselves that, as the material parts contract towards the centre, the whole of the earth will some day disappear in that central point. But this is not all: in the same measure in which it disappears in the central point, it reappears again in the circumference. Out there in space it is coming back again. At one point in space matter disappears and emerges again at another. Out there it is coming forth anew. The substance disappears in one place and from outside it returns again. But it returns in such a way that it brings back with it all that the beings who have worked on the planets have imprinted on its substance; naturally not in its present form, but in a form which this transformation has given to it. In this way you see the Cathedral of Cologne returning from the other side, its material particles having disappeared in the centre. Nothing, absolutely nothing, of that which has been accomplished on a planet is ever lost, it all comes back again from the other side.
[ 5 ] That which happened in the beginnings of our evolution, before the Saturn development, we must place outside, beyond the Zodiac. Primeval wisdom called it the Crystal Heaven, and in that crystal heaven were deposed all the deeds of the Beings of a former evolution. They formed, so to speak, the foundation on which the new Beings began to create.
[ 6 ] As we said before, all this is extremely difficult for the modern mind to understand, because it is in the habit of considering matter only, and because it is not in the habit of conceiving that outside of three dimensional space matter can disappear and re-appear at another place after it has passed through other dimensions. You cannot grasp this so long as your ideas remain in the space of three dimensions; for this goes beyond the three dimensions. Therefore, it cannot be seen until it returns again from the other side into the space of three dimensions. In the meantime, it is in other dimensions.
It is a thing which we have to grasp; for the conditions of our world's origin have manifold connections, and something which is to be found in some one place may often have a complicated connection with something else which is in quite a different place outside three dimensional space.
[ 7 ] We have said that our planetary formation began with the ancient Saturn, and it really did begin then. It then advanced to Jupiter. When the whole creation of Jupiter began, all the Beings in the surrounding space also took part in it as you know. But just as all the Beings who are active within the whole expanse of our planetary system are developing further, so also are the Beings outside our system, those who are sending in their influence from surrounding spaces. As some of the surrounding Beings withdrew, so did also some of the Beings who were outside in universal spaces; some of these also withdrew; and as Jupiter contracted, something was also withdrawn by the Beings who retired, something which had nothing to do with our evolution at all, but which along with the withdrawing Beings formed first Uranus, and then Neptune during the Mars development. The names of Uranus and Neptune were, of course, not chosen to suit the subjects in the way the Ancients chose names; although in the name Uranus some meaning still is left; it was given when people still had some feeling for the meaning of names; therefore, all that lies outside our circle was generically called Uranus.
[ 8 ] Thus we see that the two planets which our astronomers of the present day consider as having the same significance as the other planets stand on a totally different footing, and fundamentally speaking have nothing to do with the creation of our world; they represent those worlds which have come into existence because Beings who, during the Saturn period, still had something to do with us, have withdrawn and have found their places of habitation outside our world. We shall gather other facts from this, for instance, that those planets have retrograding moons, and so on.
[ 9 ] Thus we have sketched the origin of our solar system and have asked ourselves: What position has man towards those Beings of the higher Hierarchies who, fundamentally speaking, were his human forefathers? We can begin with the highest, the Seraphim, the Cherubim, the Thrones, and in describing them, get a good idea of man. If we could rise beyond the Seraphim, we should get into the realm of the Divine Trinity. What is it then that the Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones have in particular, that is different from all the other beings in the world? They have what is called ‘the direct sight of GOD.’ That which man has to seek for slowly and gradually, throughout his development, is theirs from the beginning of all time. We men say, that we must start from our modern standpoint to acquire ever greater powers of knowledge, of will, etc.; thus we shall rise ever nearer and nearer to the Godhead, Divinity will become ever more present to us. We say to ourselves: We are developing upwards, towards something which is still veiled from us, towards the Godhead. This is the difference between the Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones and men, that since the beginning of our development these highest Beings have enjoyed the direct sight of the Godhead, have been in the near presence of the Divine Trinity. That whereunto men have to evolve has been theirs from the very beginning.
Thus it is immensely important for us to know that these Beings came into existence seeing God; that as they live, so also they are in the sight of God.
All they do, all they achieve, they do through the vision they have of God, God does it through them. They could not do otherwise, it would be impossible for them to act otherwise than they do; for the sight of God has such power, such an influence upon them, that with a direct certainty, with immediate impulse they put into action, all that they receive from the Godhead. Anything like deliberation, judgment, consideration, does not exist in the sphere of those Beings. For them, there only exists the sight of the commands of the Godhead, the reception of the immediate impulse to put into action that which they have seen. And they also behold the Godhead in its original true form, they see the Godhead as it is. But they only see themselves as those who fulfil the will and the wisdom of God. These are the conditions of the highest Hierarchies.
[ 10 ] When we descend to the next Hierarchy, to those Beings whom we call the Spirits of Wisdom, of Motion, and of Form, we have to say that they have not such direct vision of the Godhead, they do not see God in His immediate aspect as He is, but in His revelations in the way He — if I may express it so — reveals Himself through His countenance. Certainly it is unmistakable for them that it is the Godhead, they feel the immediate impulse to follow the revelations of the Godhead, just as with the Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones. The impulse is not so strong, but it still is a direct one. It would be impossible for the Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones to say that they would not put into action that which they see prescribed for them, so to speak, by the Godhead; that would be unthinkable because of their nearness to the Godhead. But it would also be in a certain way quite impossible for those Spirits of Wisdom, of Motion, and of Form to undertake that which the Godhead Itself did not want them to undertake.
[ 11 ] Therefore, if development was to progress, something quite particular had to come into action. We now touch on a point which is always difficult for men to understand, even for those who have advanced to a certain degree of the Mystery-Wisdom. In the ancient Mysteries they tried to make it comprehensible in the following way: At a certain stage of initiation into the ancient Mysteries, the neophyte was led by hostile powers, who had a cruel and horrible appearance, and who also enacted cruel and horrible deeds in the sight of the neophyte. Those who performed these deeds were no other than masked priests, masked sages. To bring about the necessary temptations and ordeals, Priests had to disguise themselves in devilish shapes, as terrible beings who performed the most terrific and the most abominable deeds which the mind of man could ever imagine. What did this mean? To show to the neophyte how far development could err from the right path, the priest himself, under the guise of the evil-doer, had to represent that evil before his eyes. He had to have the illusion that evil itself stood before him, and only when the evil was unmasked did he see the truth; then the illusion was taken away, and he knew he had had to do with a trial. To make him strong, to arm him against evil, it was represented to him in its most terrific aspect, represented by the wise Priests themselves who certainly did not err in truth. It was only a reflection of that which had really taken place within the Cosmic development.
[ 12 ] In the time between the Jupiter and the Mars development — if I dare express myself in trivial words — a number of Beings from the sphere of the Mights or Spirits of Motion were detached; they were placed in such a manner within the course of evolution that, instead of helping it onwards, they had to put hindrance in its way. Thus the deeds of — if I may coin the word — ‘adversely-commanded’ Mights were thrown athwart the course of evolution. For the ruling world-powers of the Hierarchies said to themselves: ‘Never could that arise which has to arise if the way were always smooth. Greater things must take place.’ [ 13 ] Imagine that you have a car to push. You develop your strength by pushing it. If heavy ballast is put into the car it will be heavier to push, but you would develop greater strength. Suppose the Godhead had let the world's evolution remain as it was, up to the time just after the Jupiter evolution, men could have certainly developed very well; but humanity could have become still stronger if hindrance had been in its way. For the good of humanity, certain Mights or Spirits of Motion had to receive adverse commands. These were not evil at first, one need not consider them as evil Powers, one might even say they sacrificed themselves by putting obstacles into the way of development. Therefore, these Mights may be called the gods of hindrance, of impediment, in the widest sense of the word. They are the gods of the impediments and hindrances placed in the way, on the high-road of development. And from that moment, the possibility was given for all that was achieved in the future. These ‘adversely-commanded’ Mights were not yet evil in themselves; on the contrary, they were the great promoters of development, promoting it through the storms they produced, but they were the breeders of evil; for, out of the storms they produced, evil gradually arose.
Naturally, the path of development of these ‘adversely-commanded’ Mights shaped itself quite differently from that of their brothers; their action was quite different, and the result was that, during the Moon-development, they became the tempters, the seducers, of those beings we call Angels. The Angels were passing through their human stage during the Moon development. There were Angel-men on the Moon who, so to speak, looked at the way the hindrances acted on development, and who said to themselves: ‘We can now put ourselves in the way of conquering the hindrances, we can plunge into the whole stream of the Moon's evolution; but we prefer to pass it by, we do not want to plunge into it, we want to remain above with the good Gods.’ These Angels tore themselves away, at a certain moment of the Moon's development, from the Mights who were throwing hindering influence down into the Moon-evolution. But there were other Angels who said to themselves: ‘We will not follow our brothers, for if we follow them, development would turn back, nothing new would be embodied in it.’ Just because of the existence of these hindering influences, something new was infused into evolution, from the time of the Moon onwards. Those Beings who said to themselves: ‘I shall have nothing to do with that which is going on down there, I shall stay with the Mights who do not wish to be tainted by anything low,’ these withdrew from the mass of the Moon and became part of the followers of all that is connected with the Sun. They would not have anything to do with what was proceeding on the forsaken Moon, when all the hindering powers held sway. But the other Beings who plunged down into it, had now to take into their bodily nature; (which they received on the Moon) all the hindering influences that existed there. They had to harden themselves more, as it were, than would otherwise have been the case. Their bodily sheaths became denser than they would otherwise have been. In their bodies were implanted the consequences of the deeds of the Mights, but these deeds were well rooted in the divine plan of the world — we must keep that well in mind. A further result of this was, that as the Moon development passed on into that of the Earth, the whole process was repeated, and those Beings who had plunged into the full tide of the Moon's development, remained behind those who would have nothing to do with it, and others remained still further back, and were attracted by the retrograding development. The result of all this was, that during the earth evolution Angel-men existed, who were advanced, and others who were retrograde.
The advanced Angel-men approached the men of the earth during the time, when, in Lemuria, they were ripe to receive the germ of the human ‘I,’ and gave them the choice, as it were, to rise into the spiritual worlds, then, and not to have anything further to do with that which since the time of the Moon, had mingled with the course of the world's development. The Beings who had stayed behind, whom we call the Luciferic beings, came into touch with the human astral body — they could not approach the ‘I’ — and grafted into that astral body all the results of the fight in heaven. While to the Mights was assigned the fight in heaven, for they were created Gods of Hindrance; the consequences of their deeds now slipped into the human astral body, and there signified something else; they signified the possibility of error and the possibility of evil. Man had now been given the possibility of error and of evil with the object that he should also have the possibility of rising above evil and error, through his own strength.
[ 14 ] Now consider that such Beings as the Mights, belonging to the second threefold Hierarchy, could not have had the power to become evil of their own free will; they had to be ‘adversely-commanded;’ and it was the Beings of the third threefold Hierarchy, and only those who stand nearest to man, the Angels, who first had it in their power to follow, or not to follow, the hindering Powers. Those who did not follow we always find represented in the pictures which illustrate the victories fought out in heaven. They express what happened during the Moon development, when Man had progressed as far as the organisation of his astral body, that is to the human-animal stage. Then those Angel beings who, so to speak, remained good, tore themselves away from the course of the Moon development, they escaped from what was going on down there, on the Moon. And this picture is represented to the Soul of man in different ways. It was originally represented in the fight of Michael with the dragon. You see it also in the symbol of the Bull of Mithra, where it is specially clearly expressed. It is, of course, not meant that in doing this these Angel Beings avoided their duty, but they were put forth as an ideal for the future. ‘These beings’ — it was said — ‘preferred to rise into the spiritual worlds, whereas you have descended. Other beings came down with you, those who followed the Powers of Hindrance. You must now work upon that which you have absorbed in this descent, and carry it up again into the spiritual world; when you rise again you must become a Michael, a conqueror of the Bull.’ For every symbol of this kind is used in a twofold sense.
[ 15 ] Thus we see that, because those ‘Mights’ were given certain orders, men first received the possibility of reaching their goal by their own strength, a thing which even the highest Seraphim cannot do of themselves. This is very essential. The Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones cannot do otherwise than follow the immediate impulses given them by the Godhead. The Dominions of the second threefold hierarchy, too, cannot do otherwise. A certain number of the Mights were ordered to oppose, so that those Mights also, who, as it were, threw themselves into the way of development, could not do otherwise than follow the orders of the Godhead. In what is called the ‘origin of evil’ they could but perform the will of the Godhead who, by means of evil, wishes to develop more powerful good. Now let us descend to those Beings we call the Powers or Spirits of Form. They also could not have come to this of themselves. They could not have grown wicked of themselves, nor could the Spirits of Personality, nor could the Spirits of Fire. For, when these were men on the Sun, the Mights had not yet been ordered to oppose, there was as yet no possibility of becoming wicked. The first who had the possibility of becoming evil were the Angels, for this could only happen after the development of the Moon. There, from the Sun to the Moon, the Fight in Heaven took place. A part of the Angels avoided this possibility, they would not be seduced by the forces which had to introduce hindrances, they held to the way of the old Nature. Thus, as far down as the Angels, or part of them, we have Beings who are absolutely unable to do otherwise than follow the divine Will. It is essential to remember this.
[ 16 ] We now come to two categories of Beings. First those Angels who fling themselves into that which the Mights produced during the Fight in Heaven; these are Beings who on account of their later deeds we call Luciferic. These Beings became united to the human astral bodies during the Earth-evolution and gave to men the possibility of evil, and also the possibility of developing through their own free power; so that in the whole sequence of Hierarchies we have only men; and some of the Angels, who have the possibility of freedom. In the midst of the ranks of the Angels the possibility of freedom begins, but it is first fully developed in men. When man entered the earth, he had at the beginning to be assailed by the power of the Luciferic Spirits; they penetrated the human astral body with their force. The ‘I’ was therefore attracted towards those forces, so that during the Lemurian and Atlantean evolutions, and even later we have the ‘I’ as in a cloud, as sheathed in a cloud, which was produced by the assaults of Lucifer. Man was saved from being overpowered by these forces which penetrated him, only because he was overshadowed by earlier Beings, because Angels who had remained above, and also Archangels, came down from the spirit world, incarnated into special individuals and guided men. And this continued up to the time when something quite particular took place; when a Being, whose existence up to then had always been united to the existence of the Sun, when a Being had progressed so far as to be able to penetrate, not only the physical, etheric and astral bodies of men, as former exalted Beings had done, but to penetrate into man even as far as his Ego.
[ 17 ] You remember how I described that in former times higher Beings descended and ensouled the human physical, etheric and astral bodies. Now at a special time, an individual arose who was chosen to receive into him the highest Being — a Being who was at first united to our Sun existence, but who now entered into, and worked inspiringly in all the powers of this individuals Ego.
[ 18 ] The ‘I’ expresses itself through the blood. Just as the material substance of blood is the expression of the ‘I’, so the warmth or fire of the blood, which is the remnant of the Saturn fire, is the expression of the Ego in the elements. This Being had to find expression physically in a twofold way; first through fire. It proclaimed itself to Moses through fire in the burning bush and in the thunder and lightning on Sinai. For it is the same Being who later was able to penetrate into the human ‘I’, who spoke to Moses in the burning bush and in the thunder and lightning on Sinai. This Being prepared its advent, and appeared in a body in which blood flowed — in the body of Jesus of Nazareth. Through this, a Sun-Being entered into an earthly individuality. Because the human ‘Ego’ will be filled ever more and more by the force which then entered into it, it will become ever more and more capable of overcoming by its own power the influences which can pull it down. For the Being who could penetrate into the Ego of man, is of a different nature from those other Beings who formerly descended to earth and ensouled physical, etheric and astral bodies. [ 19 ] Let us take the ancient holy Rishis. In their etheric body there was, as we have seen, the spirit of a high Being; they had inherited that etheric body from great Atlantean forefathers in whom that exalted Being had lived. It was passed over to them. They could not follow at all with their Ego and their astral body, the things which their etheric body expressed in the moments of inspiration. And so it happened from epoch to epoch. Men were inspired; it was always as if a power was in them, something that took strong possession of them. From what man was capable of in himself — he was withdrawn, in order to become better. He was inspired by a better Being. This was the case with all founders of religions. They were ensouled by a Being who was still high above the Fight in Heaven, so that they were not left completely to themselves. In the Christ there appeared a Being of a quite different nature, who did nothing, nothing at all, to force people to come to Him. And this is essential! [ 20 ] If you take the whole manner in which Christianity was propagated, you will find a living proof that the Christ during His life did nothing of what was done later for the propagation of Christianity. Look at the founders of religion of the ancient times! They are the great Teachers of humanity, they taught from a certain period in our development, and their teaching acted on men in an overwhelming way. Look at the Christ! Does He, fundamentally speaking, work through His teaching? The man who thinks that His teaching is the most important part, does not understand the Christ. The Christ did not in the first place act at all through His teaching, but through that which He did. And the greatest deed of the Christ was that which ended with death, was His Death. This is the essential point, that the Christ acted though a deed, and when this deed spread through the world, He was not any more physically present. This is the great difference between the Christ and the other great founders of religions. This difference is not at all understood as yet, but is essential. You can follow all the teachings of Christianity, all that is preached as Christianity, and you can find it all in other religious systems. This cannot be denied. You can say: ‘All the essential part of Christian teaching is included in other teachings.’ But has Christianity been operative in the contents of its teaching? He who at first did what was most essential towards spreading the essence of Christianity, did he rely on its teaching? Look at the Apostle Paul! Was he transformed from a Saul to a Paul by what is written in the Gospels? He persecuted the followers of Christ Jesus. He persecuted them until He who died on the Cross appeared to him from the clouds, until he, Paul, had his own personal occult experience of the fact that Christ lived. It was the effect of that death, the result of that deed, which gave the impulse to Paul, this was the cause of it all. Other religious systems act through their teachings, and their teachings are the same as in Christianity, but the essential thing in Christianity is not the teaching, but what happened, the deed. And this deed is such that it does not act upon man except when man makes up his mind to let it act upon him, that is, when it can be joined to the absolutely free character of his ‘Ego.’ For it is not sufficient that the Christ should be present in the man's astral body, He must be present in his ‘EGO,’ if He is to be really understood. And the Ego must decide in complete freedom, voluntarily, to receive the Christ. This it is with which we are concerned, this is the point. Just because of this, the human Ego, when it unites with the Christ, receives into itself a reality, a divine force which is not a mere teaching. Therefore it can be asserted a hundred times that the teachings of Christianity are to be found in other religions, but this is not the question; the fact is that the essential thing in Christianity is the deed which can become one's own possession only through free will, through a voluntary ascent into the higher worlds. Man takes the Christ-force into himself, because he voluntarily receives it, and no one can receive it who does not do so voluntarily. This has only been made possible for man because he has become human upon earth, because he was called to grow into man on earth.
[ 21 ] The fallen Angels who have spread over the earth as Lucifer, are in a different position. These ought really to have become men on the Moon; they have remained behind in their development, hence they can enter the astral body but not the Ego. They are in a peculiar position, a position which we can only describe graphically, even if it appears somewhat pedantic. Let us suppose, leaving aside the physical and etheric body, that the astral body of man during the Lemurian development was represented by the circle A-B-C, and the Ego was the circle enclosed (a) in that astral body. [ 22 ] The Ego gradually entered the astral body. What happens now? During the Lemurian development the Luciferic forces slip on all sides into the man's astral body and penetrate him with their activities, which find expression in his lower passions. That through which he succumbs to error and evil is rooted in his astral body; the Luciferic spirits have implanted this into him. (If they had not done this he would never have had the possibility of error and evil, he would have been lifted up to the place from whence he receives his ‘Ego’, untouched by all hindering influences.) So it goes on, but the great leaders protect humanity as far as it is necessary so that it should not sink too low.
[ 23 ] Now comes the Advent of the Christ. Let us take a man who has voluntarily received the Christ. Christianity is only at its beginning. But let us take the Ideal; the man's ‘Ego’ has voluntarily, with complete free will, allowed the Christ's force to flow into him. When the Ego has progressed so far that it has filled itself with the Christ, then this Christ force irradiates the astral body also. In that same astral body, into which the Luciferic powers had formerly implanted their deeds, the Christ power is now radiating from within outwards. What happens in the future? Because we have overcome with the help of Christ, and only with His help, all those human qualities which come from Lucifer, we also, as men, gradually release the Luciferic powers; and a time will come, when the Luciferic powers who, during the Moon development, had to sink downwards into a certain lower evolution for the sake of human freedom, and who had not themselves the opportunity of experiencing the Christ force upon earth, these Luciferic powers will experience the Christ force through man, and through Him they will be released. Man will save Lucifer, when he takes the Christ force into himself in the necessary way. And because of this, man will again grow stronger than he otherwise would have been. For imagine: if man had not received the Luciferic powers, then the Christ force irradiating him, would not have encountered the hindrances of the Luciferic forces, and it would have been impossible for man to progress so far in wisdom, goodness and in truth as he may do, when he has to overcome these opposing forces.
[ 24 ] Thus in Man, we have a member of the Hierarchies who, as we see, is very distinct from the other members. We see that man's position is different from that of the Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, the Spirits of Wisdom, of Motion and of Form, and different too from the Spirits of Personality, from the Fire Spirits the Archangels and from some of the Angels. He can say to himself, looking into the future: ‘I am called on to search in my own inmost depths, for that which gives me the impulse for my actions — I do not receive it from gazing on the Godhead like the Seraphim, but from the innermost depth of my own being.’
The Christ is a God whose action is such that one is not absolutely forced to follow His Impulse, one follows it only when one understands it, and in freedom. He is, therefore, the God who never seeks to hinder the free development of the Ego in this or that direction. The Christ says in the very highest sense: ‘You will know the Truth and the Truth will make you free.’
And those beings of the next Hierarchy who had the possibility of doing evil, the Luciferic beings, these will again be released, liberated by the power of man.
[ 25 ] We therefore see, my dear friends, how in fact the World development does not simply repeat itself, but that new things enter. For a human stage such as is lived by men at present was never met with before, not with the Angels, nor the Archangels, nor the Spirit of Personality. Man had a completely new mission to fulfil in the world, the mission we have just characterised. For the sake of this mission he has descended into the world of the earth. And the Christ came into the world as a free Helper for him, not as a God acting from above, but as a first-born among many.
[ 26 ] Thus at last, we understand all the dignity and all the importance of Man as a member of our Hierarchies, and when we glance upwards to all the nobility and the glory of the higher Hierarchies we say to ourselves: Be they ever so great, so wise, so good that they never err from the right path, yet the great mission of man is to bring Freedom into the world, and with Freedom firstly that which one calls Love in the true sense of the word. For Love without Freedom is impossible. A Being who blindly follows an impulse, just follows it; but for a Being who can also act otherwise, there exists but one force which he could follow, and that is Love. Freedom and Love are two poles which belong to each other. If Love is to enter into our Cosmos, it can happen only through Freedom, that means, only through Lucifer and those who conquer him; and at the same time through the Saviour of men, through the Christ. Therefore, the earth is the Cosmos of Freedom and Love, and therefore, the essential thing is, that we, without tempting man away from humility, must learn to reckon the Hierarchies as they ever have been reckoned in Western esotericism: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones; these follow the direct impulse of the Godhead, having the sight of God. The Spirits of Wisdom, of Motion, and of Form, (Dominions, Mights, and Powers), these are as yet so bound to the higher powers that they have to be given ‘adverse-commands’ in order that evolution should have the possibility of proceeding further. The Archangels and the Spirits of Personality also cannot fail, cannot, through their own free will, sink into evil. Therefore, the spirits of the Hierarchies next above man were called Messengers and Arch-Messengers to show that they did not fulfil their own tasks but the tasks of those who stand immediately above them. But in men a Hierarchy is maturing which will fulfil its own tasks.
Through the Jupiter, Venus and Vulcan developments man will be always maturing towards accomplishment from out his own Impulses. Even if to-day he is not yet so far advanced he will attain to it in time.
[ 27 ] Which are the Hierarchies? We begin: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones; the Spirits of Wisdom, who exercise their dominion only so far as they act in the direction of the impulses they receive from the gods; then the Mights or Spirits of Motion, who have their power only because they receive it from above; it is the same with Spirits of Form. Were they to become evil, they could. become so only according to the decision of Divinity. We come then to the Spirits of Personality, to the Arch-messengers and messengers and have now descended almost as far as to men. And what can be said of Man if we place him in the ranks of the Hierarchies? After the Archangels and Angels, the Arch-messengers and messengers, we will have to rank the Spirits of Freedom or Spirits of Love; for this, beginning from above, is the tenth of the Hierarchies, which although in process of development, yet belongs to the Hierarchies.
[ 28 ] In the universe we have not to do with repetitions, each time that a cycle is passed, something new is added to the world's evolution. And to introduce the new element, is always the mission of that Hierarchy, which is at its human stage of development.
[ 29 ] In these lectures we have endeavoured to prove the significance of Man through the significance of our Cosmos; we have, to a certain degree at least, questioned ourselves to-day as to the spiritual significance of man, and we have endeavoured to explain man — this point in the centre of the universe — in accordance with the teaching of the Mysteries, by explaining him — the point, from the circumference!
In doing this our knowledge gains reality; for it is most essential that all true spiritual knowledge should be a concrete true knowledge. This means that the knowledge gained through spiritual science should itself give a direct presentation of the Cosmos and of the Spiritual Hierarchies.
[ 30 ] We stand at the central point of the world. Everything around us loses significance for us, because we have to say: The external world of sense cannot solve the riddle for us. It is, as if everything were to draw together to a centre, and when this is done — then from the circumference, the solution of this world problem comes back to us in actual reality, just as is the case with matter itself which is a reflection and symbol of the spiritual. It draws together in the centre, disappears there, and then emerges again out of the circumference. This is a reality. And our knowledge is real when it thus stands before our eyes like the construction and the process of the whole cosmos. Then it is no speculation, no fancy, it is born out of the Cosmos itself. And we must develop the feeling within us: Wisdom must be an ideal for us, which is born out of the circumference of the Cosmos, and which fills us with the strongest force, with force to carry out our own intentions, our own great world-Ideal, and with this, force also for our ideal for future humanity.
Zehnter Vortrag
[ 1 ] Außer der am Schluß des vorigen Vortrags hingestellten Frage wäre wohl zu dem Thema unserer Vorträge noch mancherlei auszuführen, aber es läßt sich eben nicht in zehn Vorträgen erschöpfend über alle unsere Welten reden. Daher gestatten Sie, daß ich, bevor ich zu unserer Frage übergehe, noch einige Bemerkungen mache, welche in gewissem Sinne auch mit unserer Schlußbetrachtung zusammenhängen werden. Die erste Bemerkung, die ich zu machen habe, ist etwas, was für ein Gegenwartsbewußtsein schwer, man darf vielleicht sagen, zunächst gar nicht recht verständlich ist; aber es ist gut, wenn man weiß, daß es so etwas gibt. Das ist nämlich die Frage: Wie verschwinden nun diese planetarischen Gebilde eigentlich wiederum? Im Geistigen ist es Ihnen ja klar, wie die Entwickelung geschieht: Die Wesenheiten steigen zu höheren Stufen hinauf, und indem sie hinaufsteigen, müssen sie den alten Schauplatz, den alten Wohnplatz verlassen, der ihnen eine Weile dazu gedient hat, gewisse Fähigkeiten zu entwickeln, die sie sonst nicht hätten entwickeln können. Als im Laufe der Evolution jene Zeit heranrückte, die wir die alte lemurische Zeit nennen, da war der Mensch im Verlaufe seiner Gesamtentwickelung so weit, daß er alles, was durch Saturn-, Sonnen- und Mondenentwickelung zu erlangen war, wiederholt hatte. Nun trat er auf indem Wohnplatz unserer Erdenevolution, der sich zu seiner Weiterentwickelung eben erst gebildet hatte. Er entwickelte sich durch die lemurische und atlantische Zeit herein in unsere Zeit, und er wird sich in die Zukunft hinein entwickeln, so wie wir es kennen, fortschreitend von Inkarnation zu Inkarnation. Er wird aber nach einiger Zeit die Erde wiederum zu verlassen haben, weil sie ihm nichts mehr zu geben haben wird, weil sie ihm keine Entwickelungsmöglichkeiten mehr bieten wird. Nun könnten Sie sich ja zunächst einmal vorstellen, daß unsere Erde sozusagen ein öder Schutthaufen würde, wenn der Mensch sie verläßt; Sie könnten es damit vergleichen, daß eine Stadt von der gesamten Bevölkerung verlassen wird. Sie wissen, wie eine solche Stadt nach kurzer Zeit schon aussieht, wie sie nach und nach zu einer Art von Erdhügel wird. Die Anschauung alter, vom Erdreich sozusagen aufgenommener Städte gibt ja ein hinlängliches Bild davon. So ist es in der Tat heute. Aber so wird es nicht mit der Zukunftder Erde sein. Dasjenige, was Sie führen kann zu einer Beantwortung der Frage, wie es mit der Zukunft unserer Erde sein wird, das kann diefolgende Betrachtung geben: Was eigentlich bedeuten für die Erdenentwickelung Menschen wie zum Beispiel Leonardo da Vinci, wie Raffael oder andere große Genien auf diesem oder jenem Gebiete? Was bedeutet es für die Erdenentwickelung, daß von Raffael oder Michelangelo jene wunderbaren Kunstwerke hervorgebracht worden sind, die da Tausende und aber Tausende von Menschen heute noch erfreuen? Aber vielleicht hat der eine oder andere von Ihnen, meine lieben Freunde, eine gewisse Wehmut empfunden beim Anblick des Abendmahles von Leonardo da Vinci, wenn er sich vor dem Bilde in Mailand fragen mußte, wie lange es mit dieser Wundertat des Leonardo da Vinci noch dauern wird. Denn man soll nicht vergessen, daß zum Beispiel Goethe auf seiner ersten italienischen Reise dieses Kunstwerk noch in seinem vollen Glanz hat sehen können und daß wir das jetzt nicht mehr in dem Maße können. Also seit dieser Zeit Goethes bis heute ist es mit diesem Kunstwerk dahin gekommen innerhalb der äußeren materiellen Welt, daß es diese wehmütige Empfindung hervorruft. Es wird eben für Leute, die so viel später nach uns leben wie wir nach Goethe, gar nicht mehr da sein. So ist es mit alledem, was Menschen auf der Erde schaffen und was in physischer Materie auf der Erde verkörpert ist. So ist es aber auch im Grunde genommen für die Erde selbst, ja auch mit den menschlichen Gedankenschöpfungen. Versetzen Sie sich einmal im Geiste in jene Zeit, wo die Menschen vergeistigt werden aufgestiegen sein in höhere Sphären. Gedanken im heutigen Sinne - ich will gar nicht sagen wissenschaftliche Gedanken, denn die werden nach dreihundert bis vierhundert Jahren schon keine Bedeutung mehr haben -, aber Gedanken der Menschen überhaupt, wie sie für die Erde eine Bedeutung Jetzt haben, wie sie aus einem Gehirn hervorkommen, sie haben natürlich keine Bedeutung für diehöheren Welten, sondern nur für die Erde. Aber der Mensch hat die Erde verlassen. Was ist mit alledem geworden, was die Menschen nun geschaffen haben im Verlaufe von Jahrhunderten und Jahrtausenden auf unserer Erde?
[ 2 ] Was zunächst geistig in Betracht kommt, das ist natürlich die Evolution einer Individualität. Leonardo da Vinci ist höher gestiegen durch das, was er geleistet hat — das ist sein Höhersteigen. Wir aber fragen uns: Bedeuten die großen Gedanken, die großen Impulse, welche die gewaltigen Schöpfer einprägen dem Erdenstoffe, bedeuten sie für die Zukunft der Erde nichts? Wird die Zukunft die Erde zu Staub zerbröckeln und das, was der Mensch aus der Erde gemacht hat, wird das mit dem Erdendasein verschwinden? Sie bewundern den Kölner Dom. Gewiß wird nach einer verhältnismäßig kurzen Zeit nicht ein Stein mehr auf dem anderen liegen; aber daß einmal der Mensch diesen Gedanken des Kölner Domes in Stein ausgedrückt hat, bedeutet das nichts für die ganze Erde? Wir sehen also ab von demjenigen, was die Menschen mitnehmen aus der Erde, wir sehen auf die Erde selber. Sehen Sie, ein Planet wird in der Tat im Laufe seiner Entwickelung immer kleiner und kleiner, er zieht sich zusammen. Das ist so das Schicksal der Materie des Planeten; aber das ist nicht alles, das ist nur etwas, was sozusagen das physische Auge und physische Instrumente am Planeten betrachten können. Es gibt eine Enrwickelung auch des Materiellen über diesen Punkt hinaus.
[ 3 ] Und jetzt wollen wir diese Entwickelung des Materiellen über diesen Punkt hinaus einmal ins Auge fassen, und ich komme auf das, wovon ich gesagt habe, daß es für einen Gegenwartsverstand schwer, vielleicht gar nicht begreiflich ist. Es ist nun so, daß die Erde sich fortwährend zusammenzieht. Dadurch drängt sich die Materie von allen Seiten nach dem Mittelpunkte. Und jetzt sage ich, selbstverständlich mit vollem Bewußtsein, daß es ein Gesetz von der Erhaltung der Kraft gibt, aber auch im vollen Bewußtsein der jedem Okkultisten bekannten Tatsachen: Es drängt sich die Materie gegen den Mittelpunkt immer mehr und mehr zusammen, und das Eigenartige ist, daß die Materie im Mittelpunkte verschwindet.
[ 4 ] Um es ganz anschaulich zu machen: Denken Sie sich, Sie hätten ein Stück Materie, das würde immer mehr und mehr in den Mittelpunkt hineingedrängt - im Mittelpunkt verschwindet es; es wird nicht nach der anderen Seite hinübergedrängt, es verschwindet tatsächlich im Mittelpunkt in nichts! So daß Sie sich vorstellen können, daß die ganze Erde einstmals, indem sich die materiellen Teile gegen den Mittelpunkt zusammendrängen, in den Mittelpunkt hinein verschwindet. Das ist aber nicht alles. In demselben Maße, wie das in den Mittelpunkt hinein verschwindet, in demselben Maße erscheint es im Umkreise. Da draußen tritt es wieder auf. An einer Stelle des Raumes verschwindet die Materie, und von außen tritt sie wieder auf. Alles, was in den Mittelpunkt hinein verschwindet, kommt vom Umkreise wiederum herein, wird herangezogen, und zwar so, daß hineingearbeitet ist jetzt in diese Materie alles das, was die Wesen, die auf dem Planeten gearbeitet haben, der Materie eingeprägt haben; natürlich nicht in seiner heutigen Form, aber in einer Form, wie sie ihm eben durch diese Umwandlung gegeben wird. Sie werden so den Kölner Dom, indem seine materiellen Teilchen in den Mittelpunkt hinein verschwinden, von der anderen Seite wieder ankommen sehen. Nichts, nichts geht verloren von dem, was gearbeitet wird auf einem Planeten, sondern es kommt wieder von der anderen Seite her.
[ 5 ] Dasjenige, was da angekommen war im Beginne unserer Erdenentwickelung vor der Saturnentwickelung, das müßten wir auswärts setzen, außerhalb des Tierkreises. Die Urweltweisheit hat es genannt den Kristallhimmel, und in diesem Kristallhimmel waren deponiert die Taten der Wesen einer früheren Evolution. Sie bildeten sozusagen dasjenige, auf Grund dessen die neuen Wesenheiten zu schaffen begannen.
[ 6 ] Wie gesagt, das ist für einen Gegenwartsverstand außerordentlich schwer zu fassen, weil der daran gewöhnt ist, nur das Materielle ins Auge zu fassen, weil er nicht gewohnt ist, einzusehen, daß an einer Stelle aus dem dreidimensionalen Raum das Materielle verschwinden kann und an einer anderen Stelle, nachdem es durch andere Dimensionen gegangen ist, wieder zurückkommt. Solange Sie mit Ihrem Vorstellen im dreidimensionalen Raum bleiben, können Sie das nicht fassen, denn das geht aus dem dreidimensionalen Raum heraus. Daher ist es nicht zu sehen, bis es von der anderen Seite in den dreidimensionalen Raum wieder hereinkommt. In der Zwischenzeit ist es eben in einer anderen Dimension. Das ist so eine Sache, die wir auch nunmehr fassen müssen, denn es hängen überhaupt die Dinge unserer Weltentstehung in der mannigfaltigsten Weise zusammen, und etwas, was an einem Orte ist, hängt zuweilen recht kompliziert mit etwas anderem zusammen, was sich an einem ganz anderen Orte im dreidimensionalen Raume befindet.
[ 7 ] Wir haben gesagt, unsere Planetenbildung begann mit dem alten Saturn. So hat sie auch wirklich begonnen. Dann schritt sie weiter bis zum Jupiter. Als nun die ganze Schöpfung am Jupiter anging, da waren, wie Sie wissen, alle die Wesen des Umkreises auch dabei tätig. Aber geradeso wie die Wesen innerhalb der ganzen Verteilung des Planetensystems wirken und sich fortentwickeln, so auch die Wesen da draußen, die aus dem Umkreis hereinwirken. Wie also sich gewisse Wesenheiten von innen her zurückziehen, so ziehen sich auch von denen, die da draußen sind im Weltenraume, gewisse Wesenheiten zurück. Und geradeso wie zusammengedrängt worden ist der Jupiter, so wurde auch zusammengedrängt durch Wesenheiten, die sich zurückzogen, etwas, was mit unserer Entwickelung nichts zu tun hat, sondern was, mit sich zurückziehenden Wesenheiten, zunächst der Uranus und, während der Marsentwickelung, der Neptun geworden ist. Die Namen Uranus und Neptun sind natürlich nicht mehr in der Weise gewählt, wie die Alten ihre Namen für die Sache passend gewählt haben, obwohl gerade im Namen Uranus noch ein Sinn ist. Er ist ja gegeben worden, als man noch eine kleine Ahnung hatte von der richtigen Namengebung, deshalb hat man dasjenige, was außerhalb unseres Kreises liegt, zusammengefaßt unter dem Namen Uranus.
[ 8 ] Also wir sehen, daß die beiden Planeten, die unsere heutige Astronomie als völlig gleichbedeutend mit den anderen Planeten betrachtet, auf einem ganz anderen Boden stehen, daß sie im Grunde genommen mit dem Werden unserer Welt nichts Besonderes zu tun haben. Sie stellen gerade diejenigen Welten dar, die dadurch entstanden sind, daß Wesenheiten, die während der Saturnzeit noch etwas zu tun hatten mit uns, sich zurückgezogen haben und sich draußen Wohnsitze gebildet haben. Daraus werden Sie sich manche anderen Tatsachen noch ableiten können, zum Beispiel daß diese Planeten rückläufige Monde haben und anderes mehr.
[ 9 ] So haben wir also skizzenhaft das Werden unseres Sonnensystems überblickt und haben uns gefragt: Welche Stellung hat denn nun eigentlich der Mensch zu diesen Wesenheiten der höheren Hierarchien, die im Grunde genommen seine menschlichen Vorfahren waren? Wir können bei den höchsten, bei den Seraphim, Cherubim und Thronen, beginnen und werden gerade durch ihre Charakterisierung uns einen guten Begriff machen können vom Menschen. Wenn wir über die Seraphim hinaufgehen würden, würden wir in das Gebiet der göttlichen Trinität hineinkommen. Was ist es denn, was die Seraphim, Cherubim, Throne als etwas ganz Besonderes haben vor allen anderen Wesenheiten in der Welt? Sie haben, was man genannt hat den «unmittelbaren Anblick der Gottheit». Was der Mensch sich durch seine Entwickelung nach und nach suchen muß, das haben sie von allem Anbeginn an. Wir Menschen sagen: Wir müssen von unserem heutigen Standpunkte ausgehen, um immer höhere Kräfte der Erkenntnis, des Willens und so weiter zu erlangen; dadurch werden wir immer näher und näher der Gottheit kommen, immer gegenwärtiger wird uns die Gottheit sein. Aber wir sagen uns: Wir entwickeln uns zu etwas hinauf, was uns noch verschleiert ist, zur Gottheit hin. Das macht den Unterschied aus zwischen den Seraphim, Cherubim, Thronen und dem Menschen: daß vom Anbeginn unserer Entwikkelung an diese höchsten Wesenheiten der geistigen Hierarchien unmittelbar herum sind um die göttliche Wesenheit, um die göttliche Trinität, daß sie den Anblick der Gottheit von Anbeginn an genießen. Wozu der Mensch sich entwickeln soll, das haben sie vom Anbeginn. So also ist es unendlich wichtig, zu wissen, daß diese Wesenheiten, wenn sie entstehen, Gott anschauen, daß sie, indem sie leben, immerfort Gott anschauen. Was sie nun tun, was sie vollbringen, sie tun es aus ihrer Gottesanschauung heraus, Gott tut es durch sie. Sie könnten gar nicht anders, es wäre ihnen unmöglich, jemals anders zu handeln, als sie es tun, denn die Gottesanschauung ist eine so starke Kraft, hat eine solche Wirkung auf sie, daß sie mit unmittelbarer Sicherheit und unmittelbarem Impulse dasjenige in Szene setzen, was die Gottheit ihnen aufträgt. So etwas wie Überlegen, wie Urteilen gibt es im Kreise dieser Wesenheiten nicht, es gibt da nur eine Anschauung der Befehle der Gottheit, um den unmittelbaren Impuls zu haben, das, was sie angeschaut haben, auch zu tun. Und dabei sehen sie die Gottheit in ihrer ursprünglichen, wahren Gestalt, so wie diese Gottheit ist. Sie selber aber sehen sich nur wie die Vollstrecker des göttlichen Willens, der göttlichen Weisheit an. So ist es bei der höchsten Hierarchie.
[ 10 ] Wenn wir heruntergehen zu der nächsten Hierarchie, zu denjenigen Wesenheiten, die wir Herrschaften, Mächte und Gewalten nennen oder auch Geister der Weisheit, der Bewegung und der Form, so müssen wir sagen: Sie haben den Anblick der Gottheit nicht mehr so unmittelbar; sie sehen den Gott nicht mehr in der unmittelbaren Gestalt, wie er ist, sondern in seinen Offenbarungen, in dem, wie er sich, wenn ich so sagen darf, durch sein Antlitz, durch seine Physiognomie, zeigt. Es ist ihnen natürlich unverkennbar, daß es die Gottheit ist; es ist ihnen ein unmittelbarer Impuls, den Offenbarungen der Gottheit zu folgen, wie bei den Seraphim, Cherubim und Thronen. Der Impuls ist nicht mehr so stark, aber er ist noch ein unmittelbarer. Es wäre unmöglich für die Seraphim, Cherubim und Throne, zu sagen, daß sie das nicht ausführen würden, was sie sehen als von der Gottheit vorgeschrieben; das wäre undenkbar wegen der Nähe, in der sie zur Gottheit stehen. Aber es wäre auch von diesen Herrschaften, Mächten und Gewalten in einer gewissen Weise ganz ausgeschlossen, daß sie etwas unternehmen würden, was die Gottheit selber nicht will.
[ 11 ] Daher mußte, damit überhaupt die Weltentwickelung vorwärts schreiten kann, etwas ganz Besonderes eintreten. Wir kommen hier an ein Gebiet, welches immer schwer verständlich war für die Menschen, selbst für diejenigen, die zu einem gewissen Grade der Mysterienweisheit vorgeschritten waren. Aber man hat es in den alten Mysterien verständlich zu machen gesucht durch das Folgende. Auf einer gewissen Stufe der Mysterien-Einweihung in den alten Mysterien wurde der Einzuweihende geführt vor feindliche Gewalten, die äußerlich grausam, schrecklich aussahen und die auch grauenhafte Taten vollbrachten vor den Augen des Einzuweihenden. Und diejenigen, die das vollbrachten, das waren keine anderen als maskierte Priester, maskierte Weise. Es hatten sich, um die nötigen Versuchungen herbeizuführen, Priester vermummen müssen in grauenvolle Dämonengestalten, in grauenvolle Wesenheiten, die Entsetzliches vollbrachten, scheußlichere Dinge vollbrachten, als jemals Menschen erfinden könnten. Was lag da zugrunde? Um dem Einzuweihenden zu zeigen, wie stark die Entwickelung abirren kann von dem geraden Wege, führte man ihm den Initilerten selber, den Priester, in der Maske des Übeltäters, in der Maske des Bösen vor. Er sollte die Illusion haben, daß Böses hier vor ihm stünde, und erst, wenn die Demaskierung eintrat, da sah er die Wahrheit. Da war die Illusion von ihm genommen, da sah er, daß es sich um eine Prüfung handelte. Um ihn stark zu machen und ihn zu wappnen gegen das Böse, wurde es ihm in seiner abschreckendsten Gestalt vorgeführt, vorgeführt gerade von den Priesterweisen, die natürlich in Wahrheit nicht abirrten. Das war nur eine Abspiegelung dessen, was in der kosmischen Entwickelung sich wirklich vollzogen hat.
[ 12 ] In der Zwischenzeit zwischen der Jupiter- und Marsentwickelung wurde, wenn ich mich trivial ausdrücken darf, eine Anzahl von Wesenheiten aus der Sphäre der Mächte abkommandiert; sie wurden so in den Entwickelungsgang hineingestellt, daß sie, statt die Entwikkelung vorwärts zu führen, ihr Hemmnisse in den Weg rückten. Das ist es, was wir als den Streit am Himmel kennengelernt haben. Also es wurden hineingeworfen in die Entwickelung die Taten von, wenn wir so sagen dürfen, abkommandierten Mächten, denn es mußten sich die regierenden Weltenmächte der Hierarchien sagen: Niemals würde dasjenige entstehen können, was entstehen soll, wenn der Weg gerade fortginge. Es muß Größeres entstehen.
[ 13 ] Denken Sie einmal, Sie haben einen Karren zu schieben. Dadurch, daß Sie ihn vorwärts schieben, entwickeln sich Ihre Kräfte in gewisser Weise. Wenn man den Karren nun belädt mit einem schweren Ballast, dann müssen Sie schwerer schieben, aber dafür entwickeln sich Ihre Kräfte stärker. Denken Sie sich, die Gottheit hätte die Weltenevolution gelassen, wie sie war, bis über den Jupiter hinaus: Gewiß, die Menschen hätten sich gut entwickeln können; aber noch stärker konnte die Menschheit werden, wenn man ihr Entwickelungshemmnisse in den Weg legte. Zum Wohle der Menschheit mußte man gewisse Mächte abkommandieren. Diese Mächte wurden zunächst nicht böse, man braucht sie nicht als böse Mächte aufzufassen, sondern man kann sogar sagen, daß sie sich geopfert haben, indem sie sich der Entwickelung hemmend in den Weg stellten. Diese Mächte kann man daher nennen die Götter der Hindernisse, im umfassendsten Sinne des Wortes. Sie sind die Götter der Hemmnisse, der Hindernisse, die der Entwickelungsbahn in den Weg gelegt worden sind; und von jetzt ab war die Möglichkeit gegeben zu all dem, was in der Zukunft sich vollzog. Diese Mächte, die abkommandiert waren, waren an sich noch nicht böse, waren im Gegenteil die großen Förderer der Entwickelung, indem sie Sturm liefen gegen die normale Entwickelung. Aber sie waren die Erzeuger des Bösen; denn dadurch, daß sie Sturm liefen, dadurch entstand nach und nach das Böse. Der Entwickelungsweg dieser «abkommandierten» Mächte gestaltete sich naturgemäß ganz anders als der ihrer Brüder. Ihr Wirken war ein ganz verschiedenes, und die Folge davon war, daß diese Mächte während der Mondenentwickelung in gewisser Beziehung die Verführer derjenigen Wesenheiten wurden, die wir die Engel nennen. Die Engel machen während der Mondenentwickelung ihre Menschheitsstufe durch. Es gab Engelmenschen auf dem Monde, die sozusagen es mitansahen, wie die Hemmnisse der Entwickelung wirkten, und die sich sagten: Wir könnten uns jetzt einlassen darauf, diese Hemmnisse zu besiegen, uns hineinzustürzen in den ganzen Strom der Mondenentwickelung, aber wir wollen es unterlassen, wollen nicht hinuntertauchen, wir wollen oben bei den guten Göttern bleiben. Diese Engelwesen entrissen sich in einem bestimmten Zeitpunkte der Mondenentwickelung sozusagen den Mächten, die da unten die Hemmnisse hineinwarfen in die Mondenentwickelung. Dagegen gab es andere von den Engelmenschen auf dem Monde, die sagten sich: Denen folgen wir nicht; würden wir ihnen folgen, so würde ja die Entwickelung jetzt wieder umkehren, es würde ihr gar nichts Neues einverleibt werden. — Gerade dadurch, daß diese Hemmnisse da waren, wurde der Entwickelung vom Monde ab ja etwas Neues eingefügt. Diejenigen Wesenheiten, welche sich sagten: Ich will nichts zu tun haben mit dem, was da unten vorgeht, ich bleibe bei den Mächten, die nicht berührt sein wollen von allem Niederen - die zogen sich aus der Mondenmasse heraus während der alten Mondenentwickelung und wurden Wesen von der Gefolgschaft alles dessen, was in der Sonne ist. Sie ließen sich nicht ein auf das, was in dem herausgeschleuderten Monde vorging, in dem eben die Hindernisse waren. Die andern aber, die untertauchten, diese Wesenheiten mußten Jetzt in alle ihre Körperlichkeit, in all das, was sie dem Monde entnahmen, aufnehmen, was an Hindernissen der Entwickelung vorhanden war; sie mußten sich sozusagen mehr verhärten, als es sonst der Fall gewesen wäre. Dichter wurden ihre körperlichen Hüllen, als sie es sonst geworden wären; sie hatten in ihrem Leibe die Konsequenz der Taten der Mächte. Aber die Taten der Mächte waren im göttlichen Weltenplan wohl begründet, das müssen wir uns immer vor Augen führen. Und eine weitere Folge war es, daß, als die Mondenentwickelung herüberging zur Erdenentwickelung, sich das Ganze in gewisser Weise wiederholte, daß diejenigen Wesenheiten, welche sich hineingestürzt hatten in die volle Flut der Mondenentwickelung, zurückblieben hinter denjenigen, die nichts davon hatten wissen wollen, und daß andere noch mehr zurückgeblieben waren, die angezogen wurden von der rückschreitenden Entwickelung. Das alles hatte dazu geführt, daß während der Erdenentwickelung fortgeschrittene Engelmenschen vorhanden waren und zurückgebliebene. Die fortgeschritteneren Engelmenschen machten sich an den Menschen heran in der Zeit, als er in Lemurien reif wurde, den Keim des menschlichen Ich zu empfangen, und stellten es ihm frei sozusagen, Jetzt schon hinaufzusteigen in die geistigen Welten und sich weiter nicht einzulassen in dasjenige, was seit dem Monde her hineingemischt worden war in den Gang der Weltenentwickelung. Und es waren diejenigen Wesen, die damals zurückgeblieben waren und die wir die luziferischen Wesenheiten nennen, die sich heranmachten an des Menschen Astralleib - an das Ich konnten sie ja nicht heran —- und diesem Astralleib einimpften alle Folgen des Streites am Himmel. Während also, als die Mächte abkommandiert wurden zum Streit am Himmel, während sie da nur geschaffen wurden zu Göttern der Hindernisse, schlichen sich jetzt die Folgen ihrer Taten ein in den menschlichen Astralleib, und da bedeuten sie etwas anderes: Da bedeuten sie die Möglichkeit zum Irrtum und die Möglichkeit des Bösen. Jetzt hatte der Mensch die Möglichkeit des Irrtums und die Möglichkeit des Bösen gegeben, damit aber zu gleicher Zeit die Möglichkeit, sich durch eigene Kraft über Irrtum und Böses zu erheben.
[ 14 ] Bedenken Sie jetzt, daß solche Wesenheiten, wie die zur zweiten Hierarchie gehörigen Mächte, gar nicht aus eigener Kraft die Möglichkeit gehabt hätten, böse zu werden - sie mußten abkommandiert werden. Und erst die Wesenheiten der dritten Hierarchie, und zwar erst diejenigen, die dem Menschen am nächsten stehen, die Engel, die konnten sozusagen folgen oder nicht folgen den hemmenden Mächten. Die da nicht folgten, finden wir immer wieder dargestellt in Bildern, welche versinnlichen sollen die Siege, die im Himmel erfochten werden; die zum Ausdruck bringen sollen, was damals während der Mondenentwickelung geschah, als der Mensch fortschritt bis zur Einverleibung des Astralleibes, das heißt bis zur Mensch-Tierheit. Da entrangen sich ja diejenigen Engelwesen, die sozusagen gut geblieben waren, diesem Mondenwerden, entstiegen dem, was da unten auf dem Monde war. Und dieses Bild steht in mancherlei Gestalten vor der Seele des Menschen. Es ist das, was ursprünglich bedeutet Michaels Streit mit dem Drachen. Dieses Bild sehen Sie auch im Bilde des Mithras-Stieres, und da besonders anschaulich. Natürlich wollte man nicht damit sagen: Diese Engelwesenheiten haben sich entzogen ihrer Aufgabe, sondern man hat sie hingestellt als ein Ideal der Zukunft. Diese Wesenheiten, sagte man, sie haben vorgezogen den Aufstieg in die geistige Welt. Du bist hinuntergestiegen; mit dir sind hinuntergestiegen andere Wesenheiten, die den Mächten der Hindernisse gefolgt sind. Nun mußt du.das verarbeiten, was du damit aufgenommen hast, und hinauftragen in die geistige Welt; du mußt sozusagen beim Wiederaufstieg ein solcher Michael, ein solcher Stierbesieger werden. — Denn ein jedes solches Symbolum ist in diesem zweifachen Sinne durchaus zu gebrauchen.
[ 15 ] So sehen wir, daß in einer gewissen Beziehung erst dadurch, daß die Mächte abkommandiert wurden, dem Menschen die Möglichkeit gegeben wurde, aus sich selbst heraus das Ziel zu erreichen, das selbst die höchsten Seraphim nicht aus sich selbst erreichen können. Das ist das Wesentliche. Sie können gar nicht anders handeln, die Seraphim, Cherubim, Throne, als unmittelbar den Impulsen folgen, die die Gottheit gibt. Die Herrschaften, die ganze zweite Hierarchie kann auch nicht anders handeln. Von den Mächten war eine Anzahl abkommandiert; also auch diese Mächte, die sozusagen sich in den Weg der Entwickelung warfen, konnten nicht anders als den Befehlen der Gottheit folgen. Auch in dem, was man nennen könnte den Ursprung des Bösen, auch da vollziehen sie nur den Willen der Gottheit; indem sie sich zu Dienern des Bösen machen, vollziehen sie nur den Willen der Gottheit, die durch den Umweg des Bösen das starke Gute entwickeln will. Und steigen wir jetzt herunter zu denjenigen Wesenheiten, die wir die Gewalten nennen: Durch sich selbst hätten sie das nicht erreichen können. Auch sie hätten nicht böse werden können durch sich selbst; auch nicht die Geister der Persönlichkeit, auch nicht die Feuergeister. Denn als diese auf der Sonne Menschen waren, da waren ja die Mächte noch nicht abkommandiert, da war überhaupt noch keine Möglichkeit vorhanden, böse zu werden. Die ersten, die die Möglichkeit hatten, böse zu werden, waren die Engel, denn diese Möglichkeit war erst von der Mondenentwickelung aus vorhanden. Da, von der Sonne zum Mond, hat der Streit am Himmel stattgefunden. Ein Teil der Engel hat nun diese Möglichkeit ausgeschlagen, hat sozusagen sich nicht verführen lassen durch die Kräfte, die in die Hemmnisse hineinführen sollten; die blieben bei der alten Natur. So daß wir bis zu den Engeln herab und noch in einem Teil der Engel solche Wesenheiten der geistigen Hierarchien vor uns haben, die unbedingt nicht anders können, als dem göttlichen Willen folgen, bei denen es keine Möglichkeit gibt, dem göttlichen Willen nicht zu folgen. Das ist das Wesentliche.
[ 16 ] Und nun kommen wir zu zwei Kategorien von Wesenheiten: Erstens denjenigen Engeln, die sich hineingestürzt haben in das, was die Mächte während des Streites am Himmel angerichtet haben. Das waren solche Wesenheiten, die wir eben wegen ihrer weiteren Taten die luziferischen Wesenheiten nennen. Diese Wesenheiten haben sich dann herangemacht an den menschlichen Astralleib während der Erdenentwickelung und dem Menschen die Möglichkeit des Bösen gegeben, aber damit auch die Möglichkeit, aus eigener freier Kraft sich zu entwickeln. So daß wir innerhalb der ganzen Stufenfolge der Hierarchien nur bei einem Teil der Engel und beim Menschen die Möglichkeit der Freiheit haben. Sozusagen mitten in der Reihe der Engel beginnt die Möglichkeit der Freiheit; im Menschen ist sie aber doch erst in der richtigen Weise ausgebildet. Als der Mensch die Erde betrat, hat er allerdings zunächst verfallen müssen der großen Gewalt der luziferischen Geister. Sie durchdrangen den Astralleib des Menschen mit ihren Kräften, und das Ich wurde dadurch einbezogen in diese Kräfte; so daß wir während der lemurischen und atlantischen Entwickelung, und auch nachher noch, das Ich wie in einer Wolke haben, wie in eine Wolke gehüllt, die herbeigeführt worden ist durch die Einflüsse Luzifers. Der Mensch ist nur dadurch bewahrt worden vor der Überwältigung durch die ihn herabziehenden Kräfte, daß frühere Wesenheiten ihn überschattet haben, daß die Engel, die oben geblieben waren, und die Erzengel oben, in besonderen Individuen sich verkörpert und ihn geführt haben. Und das geschah bis in jene Zeit hinein, wo etwas ganz Besonderes eintrat, wo eine Wesenheit, welche bis dahin nur verbunden war mit dem Sonnendasein, so weit gekommen war, daß sie jetzt nicht nur, wie frühere Wesenheiten der höheren Welten, in den physischen Leib, Ätherleib und Astralleib des Menschen hineintreten konnte, sondern daß sie eindringen konnte in den Menschen bis in das Ich.
[ 17 ] Erinnern Sie sich, wie ich dargestellt habe, daß in vorherigen Zeiten höhere Wesenheiten heruntergestiegen sind und beseelt haben den menschlichen physischen Leib, den Ätherleib und den Astralleib. Jetzt trat in einer besonderen Zeit, die dazu berufen war, ein Individuum auf, welches aufnahm in sich die höchste Wesenheit, die zunächst mit unserem Sonnendasein verbunden war und die bis in das Ich inspirierend einwirkte, bis in alle Kräfte des Ich hinein.
[ 18 ] Das Ich findet seinen Ausdruck im Blut. Geradeso wie das Blut als materieller Stoff der Ausdruck des Ich, so ist die Blutwärme, das Blutfeuer, sozusagen der zurückgebliebene Rest des alten Saturnfeuers, der Ausdruck des Ich in den Elementen. In Zweierlei mußte sich dieses Wesen physisch zum Ausdruck bringen: zuerst in dem Feuer. Es kündigte sich im Feuer an dem Moses: im brennenden Dornbusch und in dem Blitz auf dem Sinai; denn es ist dieselbe Wesenheit, die in das menschliche Ich dann einziehen konnte, die zu Moses sprach aus dem brennenden Dornbusch, aus dem Blitz und Donner auf dem Sinai. Und sie bereitet ihr Kommen vor und erscheint dann in einem bluttragenden Leibe, in dem Jesus von Nazareth: Damit zieht die Sonnenwesenheit in ein irdisches Individuum ein. Dadurch, daß das Ich sich immer mehr und mehr durchdringen und durchtränken wird mit der Kraft, die damals eingedrungen ist in das Ich, dadurch wird dieses Ich die Fähigkeit erlangen, immer mehr aus eigener Kraft sich zu erheben über all die Einflüsse, die dieses Ich herunterziehen können. Denn dieses Wesen, das bis in das Ich vordringt, das ist anderer Art als die anderen Wesenheiten, die früher herniedergestiegen sind auf die Erde und welche den physischen Leib, den Ätherleib und den Astralleib beseelt haben.
[ 19 ] Nehmen wir die alten heiligen Rishis. In ihrem Ätherleib war, wie wir gesehen haben, der Geist einer höheren Wesenheit, denn sie hatten diesen Ätherleib geerbt von großen atlantischen Vorfahren, in denen diese höhere Wesenheit war. Das war auf sie übertragen; sie konnten mit ihrem Astralleib und Ich dem gar nicht folgen, was aus der Inspiration des Ätherleibes hervorging. Und so geschah es von Epoche zu Epoche. Die Menschen wurden inspiriert. Es war immer etwas wie eine Gewalt in ihnen, wenn sie inspiriert wurden; es war etwas, was sie mit Gewalt gefangennahm. Von dem, was des Menschen Geschick war - sich selbst überlassen zu sein -, von dem wurde er etwas hinweggezogen, um besser werden zu können: Er wurde inspiriert mit einer besseren Wesenheit. So war es bei allen Religionsstiftern: Es wurde ihnen einverleibt eine Wesenheit, die noch erhaben war über den Streit am Himmel, so daß sie nicht vollständig sich überlassen waren. In dem Christus erschien eine Wesenheit ganz anderer Natur, eine Wesenheit, die zunächst einmal gar nichts, aber auch gar nichts tat, um durch irgendeinen Zwang die Menschen zu sich herüberzubringen. Unddasistdas Wesentliche. Wenn Sie dieganze Ausbreitung des Christentums nehmen, so wird sie Ihnen ein lebendiger Beweis dafür sein, daß der Christus eigentlich in seinem Leben nicht das getan hat, was geschehen ist zur Ausbreitung des Christentums. Sehen Sie die Religionsstifter der Vorzeit an. Sie sind die großen Menschheitslehrer, sie lehren von einer bestimmten Zeit ihrer Entwickelungan, und ihre Lehren wirken in überwältigender Weise auf die Menschen. Sehen Sie den Christus an. Wirkterim Grunde genommen durch seine Lehren? Derjenige versteht ihn eben nicht, der da glaubt, in den Lehren sei die Hauptsache. Der Christus wirkte gar nicht zunächst durch seine Lehren, sondern durch das, was er getan hat. Und die größte Tat des Christus war diejenige, die mit dem Tode endete, war der Tod. Das ist das Wesentliche, daß der Christus durch eine Tat wirkte, bei deren Verbreitung in der Welt er gar nicht mehr physisch dabei sein sollte. Das ist der große Unterschied zwischen der Wirkung des Christus und der anderer Religionsstifter. Dieser Unterschied wird fast noch gar nicht verstanden, aber er ist das Wesentliche.
[ 20 ] Sie können alle Lehren des Christentums verfolgen, alles, was als Lehre im Christentum gepredigt wird, und können jede christliche Lehre in einem anderen Religionssystem auch finden. Das ist gar nicht in Abrede zu stellen. Sie können sagen: Alles Wesentliche der christlichen Lehren ist inanderen Systemen enthalten. Aber hat das Christentum gewirkt durch den Inhalt seiner Lehren? Derjenige, der zunächst das Wesentliche zur Ausbreitung des Christentums getan hat, hat der sich auf die Lehren gestützt? Sehen Sie ihn an, den Apostel Paulus! Hat er sich durch das, was in den Evangelien steht, von einem Saulus zu einem Paulus machen lassen? Er verfolgt die Anhänger des Christus Jesus. Solange verfolgt er sie, bis ihm derjenige, der am Kreuz gestorben ist, aus den Wolken erschien, bis er, Paulus, die eigene, persönliche okkulte Erfahrung hatte, daß der Christus lebt. Die Wirkung des Todes, die Wirkung der Tat, das war der Impuls für den Paulus, und darauf kommt es an. Andere Religionssysteme wirken durch ihre Lehren, und ihre Lehren sind dieselben wie auch im Christentum; im Christentum handelt es sich aber nicht um die Lehren, sondern um das, was geschehen ist, um die Tat. Und diese Tat ist eine solche, daß sie auf keinen Menschen anders wirkt, als wenn er sich selbst dazu entschließt, sie auf sich wirken zu lassen, das heißt, wenn sie mit dem absolut freien Charakter seines indwiduellen Ich vereinbar ist. Denn nicht genügt es, daß der Christus anwesend wird im menschlichen Astralleib, sondern der Christus muß, wenn er wirklich verstanden werden soll, im menschlichen Ich anwesend werden. Und das Ich muß sich frei entschließen, den Christus aufzunehmen. Das ist es, worauf es ankommt. Aber gerade dadurch nimmt dieses menschliche Ich, wenn es sich mit dem Christus verbindet, eine Realität in sich auf, eine göttliche Kraft, nicht bloß eine Lehre. Daher kann hundertmal bewiesen werden, daß alle Lehren des Christentums schon zu finden sind da oder dort; aber darauf kommt es nicht an, sondern darauf, daß das Wesentliche im Christentum die Tat ist, die nur durch eine freiwillige Erhebung in die höheren Welten zum eigenen Besitz werden kann. Dadurch also nimmt der Mensch die Christus-Kraft auf, daß er sie freiwillig aufnimmt, und keiner kann sie aufnehmen, der sie nicht freiwillig aufnimmt. Dies ist aber dem Menschen nur dadurch möglich geworden, daß der Christus auf der Erde Mensch geworden ist, daß er berufen war, auf der Erde Mensch zu werden.
[ 21 ] In einer anderen Lage sind die abgefallenen Engel, die als luziferische sich herübergelebt haben auf die Erde. Die hätten ja auf dem Monde eigentlich Mensch werden sollen. Sie sind zurückgeblieben in ihrer Entwickelung, sie können daher in den Astralleib hinein; an das Ich können sie zunächst nicht heran. Nun sind sie in einer sonderbaren Lage, in einer Lage, die wir uns eigentlich nur graphisch darstellen können, wenn das auch pedantisch aussieht. Nehmen wir einmal an - wenn wir von Ätherleib und physischem Leib absehen -, des Menschen Astralleib wäre während der lemurischen Entwickelung dieser Kreis, sein Ich wäre ein Einschluß in diesem Astralleib; das
[ 22 ] Ich hat sich allmählich in den Astralleib hineinbegeben. Was geschieht nun? Während der lemurischen Entwickelung schleichen sich die luziferischen Mächte überall in den astralischen Leib des Menschen ein und durchdringen ihn mit demjenigen, was ihre Taten sind, was bei ihm aber sich als niedere Leidenschaften darstellt. Dasjenige, wodurch er dem Irrtum und Bösen verfallen kann, das sitzt im Astralleib; die luziferischen Geister haben es ihm eingespritzt. Hätten sie es ihm nicht eingespritzt, so würde er niemals die Möglichkeit des Irrtums und des Bösen haben, er würde hinaufgehoben werden, wo er sein Ich empfängt, unberührt von allen hemmenden Einflüssen. Das geht so fort, nur beschützen die großen Führer die Menschen davor, so weit das notwendig ist, zu tief hinunterzusinken.
[ 23 ] Nun tritt das Ereignis des Christus ein. Nehmen wir einen Menschen, der freiwillig den Christus in sich aufnimmt, — das Christentum ist erst im Anfange, aber nehmen wir das Ideal: des Menschen Ich hätte freiwillig die Christus-Kraft in sich einfließen lassen. Wenn dieses Ich so weit ist, daß es sich mit dem Christus durchdrungen hat, dann strahlt die Christus-Kraft auch in den Astralleib hinein. In denselben Astralleib strahlt die Christus-Kraft von innen hinein, in den vorher hineingespritzt haben ihre Taten die luziferischen Mächte. Und was geschieht nun in der Zukunft? Dadurch, daß wir mit Hilfe und nur mit Hilfe des Christus alle diejenigen Eigenschaften des Menschen, die von Luzifer kommen, auslöschen, dadurch befreien wir als Menschen nach und nach die luziferischen Mächte mit. Und es wird eine Zeit kommen, wo die luziferischen Mächte, welche während der Mondenentwickelung zum Heile der menschlichen Freiheit heruntersinken mußten in eine gewisse niedere Entwickelung und auf der Erde nicht Gelegenheit hatten, selber die Christus-Kraft zu erleben, wo diese durch den Menschen werden die Christus-Kraft erleben und erlöst werden. Der Mensch wird Luzifer erlösen, wenn er die Christus-Kraft in der entsprechenden Weise aufnimmt. Und dadurch wird der Mensch wiederum stärker, als er sonst geworden wäre. Denn denken Sie, der Mensch hätte nicht die luziferischen Kräfte bekommen: dann würde die Christus-Kraft ausstrahlen, aber sie träfe nicht auf die Hindernisse der luziferischen Kräfte, und der Mensch würde unmöglich im Guten, im Wahren, in der Weisheit so weit kommen können, wie er kommen kann, wenn er diese widerstrebenden Kräfte zu besiegen hat.
[ 24 ] So haben wir im Menschen ein Glied unserer Hierarchien, von dem wir sehen, daß es sich sehr wohl von den anderen Gliedern unterscheidet. Wir sehen, daß der Mensch anders dasteht als die Seraphim, Cherubim, Throne, als die Herrschaften, Mächte und Gewalten, auch noch als die Geister der Persönlichkeit und als die Feuergeister, als ein Teil der Engel. Er kann sich sagen, wenn er der Zukunft entgegenblickt: Ich bin berufen, in meinem tiefsten Innern selbst das alles zu suchen, was mir die Impulse des Handelns gibt nicht aus dem Anschauen der Gottheit, wie die Seraphim, sondern aus dem tiefsten Innern heraus. Und der Christus ist ein Gott, welcher nicht so wirkt, daß seine Impulse unbedingt befolgt werden müssen, sondern nur, wenn man sie einsieht, nur in Freiheit. Er ist daher der Gott, der niemals diese individuelle, freie Entwickelung des Ich nach dieser oder jener Richtung hemmen kann. Der Christus konnte sagen im allerhöchsten Sinne: Ihr werdet die Wahrheit erkennen und die Wahrheit wird euch frei machen. — Und diejenigen Wesenheiten der nächsten Hierarchie, die die Möglichkeit hatten, Böses zu tun, die luziferischen Wesenheiten, sie werden wiederum durch die Kraft des Menschen erlöst, befreit.
[ 25 ] Damit sehen wir auch, wie tatsächlich die Weltentwickelung nicht einfach sich wiederholt, sondern daß Neues eintritt. Denn solch eine Menschheit, wie der Mensch sie erlebt, war eben noch nicht da, nicht bei den Engeln, nicht bei den Erzengeln, nicht bei den Urkräften. Eine völlig neue Mission hat der Mensch in der Welt zu erfüllen, eine Mission, die wir eben jetzt charakterisiert haben. Und zu dieser Mission ist er heruntergestiegen in die irdische Welt. Und als ein freier Helfer ist ihm der Christus in der Welt erstanden, nicht als ein Gott, der von oben wirkt, sondern als ein Erstgeborener unter vielen.
[ 26 ] So verstehen wir erst die ganze Würde und Bedeutung des Menschen innerhalb der Glieder unserer Hierarchien, und wir sagen uns, wenn wir zu der Herrlichkeit und zu der Größe der höheren Hierarchien hinaufschauen: Sind sie auch so groß, so weise, so gut, daß sie niemals von dem rechten Pfade abirren können, so ist doch die große Mission des Menschen, daß er die Freiheit in die Welt bringen soll und mit der Freiheit erst dasjenige, was man im wahren Sinne des Wortes Liebe nennt. Denn ohne die Freiheit ist Liebe unmöglich. Ein Wesen, welches unbedingt einem Impuls folgen muß, folgt ihm eben; ein Wesen, das auch anders handeln kann, für dieses gibt es nur eine Kraft, um zu folgen: die Liebe. Freiheit und Liebe sind zwei Pole, die zusammengehören. Sollte daher in unserem Kosmos die Liebe einziehen, so konnte das nur geschehen durch die Freiheit, das heißt durch Luzifer und seinen Besieger, und zu gleicher Zeit durch des Menschen Erlöser, durch den Christus. Daher ist die Erde der Kosmos der Liebe und Freiheit, und es ist das Wesentliche, daß wir, ohne den Menschen zur Unbescheidenheit zu verführen, die Hierarchien aufzählen lernen in der Art, wie sie innerhalb unserer abendländischen Esoterik immer und immer aufgezählt worden sind. Seraphim, Cherubim, Throne, sie folgen den unmittelbaren Impulsen unter dem Anschauen der Gottheit; Herrschaften, Mächte und Gewalten, sie sind noch so gebunden an die höheren Mächte, daß sieabkommandiert werden müssen, damit die Entwickelung zum Menschen vorwärtsschreiten kann. Auch noch Erzengel und Geister der Persönlichkeit können nicht fehlen, können also nicht durch freien Willen heruntersinken in ein Böses. Deshalb nannte man die Geister der unmittelbar höheren Hierarchie Boten und Erzboten, um anzudeuten, daß sie nicht ihre eigenen Aufträge, sondern daß sie die Aufträge ausführen derjenigen, die über ihnen stehen. Im Menschen wird aber eine Hierarchie heranreifen, die die eigenen Aufträge ausführt. Durch die Jupiter-, Venus- und Vulkanentwickelung hindurch wird der Mensch heranreifen zum Ausführer seiner eigenen Impulse. Wenn er auch heute noch nicht soweit ist, er wird dazu heranreifen.
[ 27 ] So also dürfen wir sagen: Welches sind die Hierarchien? Wir fangen an: Seraphim, Cherubim, Throne; die Herrschaften, die ihre Herrschaft ausüben, indem sie nur dadurch herrschen, daß sie in dem Sinn, wie ihnen die Impulse von den Göttern gegeben werden, wirken. Dann kommen die Mächte; die führen ihre Macht eben nur dadurch, daß sie sie von oben erhalten; ebenso die Gewalten. Sollen sie böse werden, so müssen sie das nach göttlichem Ratschluß werden. Wir kommen zu den Geistern der Persönlichkeit, zu den Erzboten und Boten und sind heruntergestiegen bis unmittelbar heran zum Menschen. Und wie wird vom Menschen zu sagen sein, wenn wir ihn einreihen in die Hierarchien? Nach den Erzengeln und Engeln, den Erzboten und Boten, wird anzureihen sein der Reihe der Hierarchien der Geist der Freiheit oder der Geist der Liebe, und das ist, von oben angefangen, die zehnte der Hierarchien, die allerdings in Entwickelung begriffen ist, aber sie gehört zu den geistigen Hierarchien.
[ 28 ] Nicht um Wiederholung handelt es sich im Weltenall, sondern jedesmal, wenn ein Umlauf gemacht ist, wird Neues eingefügt der Weltenevolution. Und dieses Neue einzufügen, ist immer die Mission der entsprechenden Hierarchie, die auf der Stufe ihrer Menschheit steht.
[ 29 ] Damit haben wir den Sinn des Menschen zu ergründen versucht aus dem Sinn unseres Kosmos heraus. Wir haben, bis zu einem gewissen Grade wenigstens, geistig heute uns gefragt nach dem Sinne des Menschen, und wir haben diesen Sinn des Menschen, des Punktes inmitten des Universums, nach der Mysterienanweisung zu ergründen versucht, indem wir den Punkt, den Menschen, aus dem Umkreis zu enträtseln versuchten - den Punkt aus dem Umkreis! Damit aber stellt sich unsere Erkenntnis in die Realität hinein. Und das ist das Wesentliche, daß alle wahrhaftige geisteswissenschaftliche Erkenntnis eine wirkliche, konkrete, eine reale Erkenntnis ist, das heißt, daß geisteswissenschaftliche Erkenntnis unmittelbar selber gibt ein Bild des Kosmos und der geistigen Hierarchien.
[ 30 ] Wir stehen im Mittelpunkt der Welt. Alles, was um uns herum ist, verliert für uns seine Bedeutung, weil wir uns sagen: Die äußere Sinneswelt kann uns die Rätsel selber nicht lösen. Es ist, wie wenn in einem Punkt sich alles zusammenzöge. Dann aber, wenn sich alles zusammenzieht, dann kommt aus dem Umkreis zurück die Lösung des Welträtsels so wahrhaftig real, wie die Materie, die ein Abbild und Gleichnis des Geistigen ist, selber sich verhält. Sie zieht sich zusammen, verschwindet im Mittelpunkt und taucht aus dem Umkreis herein wieder auf. Das ist Realität. Und unsere Erkenntnis ist real, wenn sie uns so vor Augen tritt wie der Bau und Prozeß des ganzen Weltenalls. Dann ist sie nicht Spekulation, nicht Spintisiererei, dann ist sie geboren aus dem Kosmos heraus. Und dieses Gefühl sollen wir entwickeln: Weisheit soll ein Ideal sein für uns, das geboren wird aus dem Umkreis des Kosmos und das uns mit der stärksten Kraft erfüllt, mit der Kraft für unsere eigene Bestimmung, für unser eigenes großes Weltideal und damit auch für unser nächstes Menschenideal.
Tenth Lecture
[ 1 ] In addition to the question posed at the end of the previous lecture, there would probably be a lot more to say on the subject of our lectures, but it is simply not possible to talk exhaustively about all our worlds in ten lectures. Therefore, before I move on to our question, please allow me to make a few more comments, which in a sense will also be related to our final consideration. The first comment I have to make is something that is difficult for a present consciousness to understand, one might even say, not at all. But it is good to know that something like this exists. The question is: how do these planetary formations actually disappear? In the spiritual realm, it is clear to you how evolution takes place: the beings ascend to higher levels, and in ascending they must leave the old arena, the old dwelling place, which has served them for a while to develop certain abilities that they would not otherwise have been able to develop. When, in the course of evolution, the time we call the old Lemurian time approached, man had progressed so far in the course of his overall development that he had repeated everything that could be achieved through Saturn, Sun and Moon evolution. Now he appeared in our Earth evolution, which had only just formed for his further development. He developed through the Lemurian and Atlantean periods into our time, and he will develop into the future as we know it, progressing from incarnation to incarnation. But after some time he will have to leave the earth again because it will have nothing more to give him, because it will no longer offer him any opportunities for development. Now you could imagine that our earth would become a desolate heap of rubble, so to speak, when man leaves it; you could compare it to a city being abandoned by its entire population. You know what such a city looks like after a short time, how it gradually becomes a kind of mound of earth. The sight of old cities being absorbed by the soil, so to speak, provides a sufficient picture of this. This is indeed the case today. But it will not be so in the future of the earth. The following observation can lead us to an answer to the question of what will happen to the earth in the future: What do people like Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael or other great geniuses in this or that field actually mean for the development of the earth? What does it mean for the development of the earth that Raphael or Michelangelo produced those wonderful works of art that still delight thousands upon thousands of people today? But perhaps one or other of you, my dear friends, has felt a certain melancholy when looking at Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper, when he had to ask himself in front of the painting in Milan how long it will last with this miracle of Leonardo da Vinci. For one should not forget that, for example, Goethe was still able to see this work of art in its full glory on his first Italian journey and that we can no longer do so to the same extent. So since Goethe's time until today, this work of art has come to be within the external material world that it evokes this wistful feeling. It will no longer even be there for people who live so much later after us as we do after Goethe. This is the case with everything that people create on earth and that is embodied in physical matter on earth. But it is also the case with the earth itself, and even with human creations of thought. Imagine for a moment that people have become spiritualized and ascended to higher spheres. Thoughts in today's sense - I do not even want to say scientific thoughts, because after three hundred to four hundred years they will no longer have any meaning - but thoughts of people in general, as they have a meaning for the earth now, as they emerge from a brain, they naturally have no meaning for the higher worlds, but only for the earth. But man has left the earth. What has become of all that people have created on our earth over the course of centuries and millennia?
[ 2 ] What comes into consideration spiritually first is, of course, the evolution of an individuality. Leonardo da Vinci has risen higher through what he has achieved – that is his ascent. But we ask ourselves: do the great thoughts, the great impulses that the mighty creators impress on the earthly material, do they mean nothing for the future of the earth? Will the future crumble the earth to dust and what man has made of the earth, will that disappear with earthly existence? You admire the Cologne Cathedral. Certainly, after a relatively short time not one stone will be left upon another; but does not the fact that man once expressed this idea of the Cologne Cathedral in stone mean anything for the whole earth? So we disregard what people take from the earth; we look at the earth itself. You see, a planet actually becomes smaller and smaller in the course of its development, it contracts. That is the fate of the planet's matter; but that is not everything, that is only something that the physical eye and physical instruments can observe on the planet. There is also a development of the material beyond this point.
[ 3 ] And now let us consider this development of the material beyond this point, and I come to what I said would be difficult, perhaps impossible, for a contemporary mind to grasp. It is now the case that the earth is constantly contracting. This causes matter to push towards the center from all sides. And now I say, of course with full consciousness, that there is a law of the conservation of energy, but also in full consciousness of the facts known to every occultist: Matter pushes itself more and more together towards the center, and the peculiar thing is that matter disappears at the center.
[ 4 ] To make it quite clear: Imagine you have a piece of matter that is pushed more and more into the center - in the center it disappears; it is not pushed over to the other side, it actually disappears into nothing in the center! So you can imagine that the whole earth will one day disappear into the center as the material parts are pushed together towards the center. But that is not all. To the same extent that it disappears into the center, it appears in the surrounding area. It reappears out there. Matter disappears in one place in space and reappears from outside. Everything that disappears into the center comes in again from the periphery, is drawn in, and in such a way that everything that the beings who worked on the planet have imprinted on the matter is now worked into it; not in its present form, of course, but in a form that is given to it by this transformation. Thus you will see the Cologne Cathedral, with its material particles disappearing into the center, arrive again from the other side. Nothing, nothing is lost from what is worked on a planet, but it comes again from the other side.
[ 5 ] That which arrived at the beginning of our evolution on earth before the Saturn evolution, we would have to place outside, outside the zodiac. In ancient wisdom it was called the Crystal Heaven, and in this Crystal Heaven were deposited the deeds of the beings of an earlier evolution. They formed, so to speak, the basis on which the new beings began to create.
[ 6 ] As I said, this is extremely difficult for a present-day mind to grasp because it is accustomed to considering only the material, because it is not accustomed to realizing that at one point in three-dimensional space the material can disappear and at another point, after passing through other dimensions, come back again. As long as you remain in three-dimensional space with your imagination, you cannot grasp it, because it goes out of three-dimensional space. Therefore, it cannot be seen until it enters three-dimensional space again from the other side. In the meantime, it is simply in another dimension. This is one of the things that we now have to grasp, because the things of our world's origin are connected in the most diverse ways, and something that is in one place is sometimes connected in a very complicated way to something else that is in a completely different place in three-dimensional space.
[ 7 ] We have said that our planetary formation began with the old Saturn. That is exactly how it began. Then it progressed to Jupiter. When all of creation began with Jupiter, as you know, all the beings of the surrounding area were also active there. But just as the beings within the entire planetary system work and develop, so do the beings outside, who work from the surrounding area. Just as certain entities withdraw from within, so do certain entities withdraw from those who are outside in space. And just as Jupiter was compressed, so too was something else compressed by the withdrawing entities. This has nothing to do with our evolution, but rather, with the entities withdrawing, it became first Uranus and then, during the evolution of Mars, Neptune. The names Uranus and Neptune are, of course, no longer chosen in the way that the ancients chose their names to suit the occasion, although there is still some meaning in the name Uranus. It was given when people still had a slight idea of the correct naming, so what lies outside our circle has been summarized under the name Uranus.
[ 8 ] So we see that the two planets, which our present-day astronomy regards as completely equivalent to the other planets, are on a completely different footing, that basically they have nothing special to do with the evolution of our world. They represent the very worlds that came into being when beings who still had something to do with us during the Saturn age withdrew and formed residences outside. From this you will be able to derive many other facts, for example that these planets have retrograde moons and much more.
[ 9 ] So we have sketched out the development of our solar system and asked ourselves: What is the actual position of man in relation to these beings of the higher hierarchies, which were basically his human ancestors? We can start with the highest, with the seraphim, cherubim and thrones, and their characterization will give us a good idea of human beings. If we were to go up beyond the seraphim, we would enter the realm of the divine Trinity. What is it that makes the seraphim, cherubim and thrones so very special compared to all other beings in the world? They have what has been called “unmediated vision of the Godhead.” What man must seek for little by little through his development, they have from the very beginning. We human beings say: We must start from our present point of view in order to attain ever higher powers of knowledge, will and so on; in this way we will come ever closer and closer to the Godhead, the Godhead will be ever more present to us. But we say to ourselves: we are developing upwards towards something that is still veiled from us, towards the Godhead. This makes the difference between the seraphim, cherubim, thrones and man: that from the very beginning of our development, these highest entities of the spiritual hierarchies are immediately around the divine entity, around the divine Trinity, that they enjoy the sight of the Godhead from the very beginning. What man is to develop into, they have from the very beginning. So it is infinitely important to know that these entities, when they arise, behold God, that they, by living, continually behold God. What they now do, what they accomplish, they do it out of their vision of God, God does it through them. They could not act differently; it would be impossible for them to ever act differently than they do, because the vision of God is such a strong force, it has such an effect on them that they carry out what the Deity instructs them to do with immediate certainty and impulse. Something like deliberation, like judging, does not exist in the circle of these entities; there is only a beholding of the orders of the Deity, in order to have the immediate impulse to also do what they have beheld. And in doing so, they see Divinity in its original, true form, as this Divinity is. But they see themselves only as the executors of the Divine Will, of Divine Wisdom. So it is with the highest hierarchy.
[ 10 ] If we descend to the next hierarchy, to those entities whom we call lordships, powers and authorities, or also spirits of wisdom, of movement and of form, we have to say : they no longer have such direct vision of the Godhead; they no longer see God in the direct form in which He is, but in His revelations, in the way He shows Himself, if I may put it like this, through His countenance, through His physiognomy. It is, of course, unmistakable to them that it is the Godhead; it is an immediate impulse for them to follow the revelations of the Godhead, as with the seraphim, cherubim and thrones. The impulse is no longer so strong, but it is still an immediate one. It would be impossible for the seraphim, cherubim and thrones to say that they would not carry out what they see as prescribed by the deity; that would be unthinkable because of the closeness with which they are related to the deity. But it would also be completely out of the question for these dominions, powers and authorities to undertake something that the deity itself does not want.
[ 11 ] Therefore, in order for the evolution of the world to proceed at all, something very special had to occur. We come here to a realm that has always been difficult for people to understand, even for those who have progressed to a certain degree of mystery wisdom. But in the ancient mysteries it has been tried to make it understandable through the following. At a certain level of initiation into the mysteries in the ancient mysteries, the person being initiated was led before hostile forces that looked outwardly cruel and terrible and that also performed terrible deeds before the eyes of the person being initiated. And those who performed these deeds were no other than masked priests, masked sages. In order to bring about the necessary temptations, priests had to disguise themselves as horrible demons, as horrible entities that performed terrible deeds, more horrible things than humans could ever invent. What was the reason for this? In order to show the person being initiated how greatly development can stray from the straight path, the initiate himself, the priest, was presented in the mask of the evildoer, in the mask of evil. He was to have the illusion that evil was standing before him, and only when the unmasking occurred did he see the truth. Then the illusion was removed from him, and he saw that it was a test. In order to make him strong and to arm him against evil, it was presented to him in its most frightening form, presented by the priestly sages, who of course did not stray in truth. That was only a reflection of what really took place in cosmic evolution.
[ 12 ] In the interval between the evolution of Jupiter and Mars, if I may express myself in a trivial manner, a number of entities were detached from the sphere of the Powers; they were placed in the course of evolution in such a way that instead of leading evolution forward, they placed obstacles in its path. That is what we have come to know as the conflict in heaven. So the deeds of, if we may say so, the detachments of powers were thrown into the development, for the ruling world powers of the hierarchies had to say to themselves: What is to come into being can never come into being if the path continues straight ahead. Something greater must come into being.
[ 13 ] Imagine you have a cart to push. By pushing it forward, your strength develops to a certain extent. If you now load the cart with a heavy ballast, you have to push harder, but your strength develops more strongly. Imagine that the Deity had left the evolution of the world as it was, beyond Jupiter: certainly, people could have developed well; but humanity could become even stronger if obstacles to its development were placed in its path. For the good of humanity, certain powers had to be called upon. These powers did not become evil at first, they need not be conceived as evil powers, but it can even be said that they sacrificed themselves by placing themselves in the way of development. These powers can therefore be called the gods of obstacles, in the broadest sense of the word. They are the gods of hindrances and obstacles that have been placed in the way of the path of development; and from now on the possibility was given for all that was to take place in the future. These powers, which had been ordered away, were not evil in themselves, on the contrary, they were the great promoters of development by storming against normal development. But they were the creators of evil; for by storming against the normal development, evil gradually arose. The path of development of these “detached” powers naturally took a completely different course than that of their brothers. Their work was quite different, and the result was that during the lunar evolution these powers became, in a certain respect, the seducers of those entities whom we call the angels. The angels are undergoing their stage of human development on the Moon. There were angelic beings on the moon who, so to speak, saw how the obstacles of evolution worked and said to themselves: We could now set about overcoming these obstacles, plunging into the full stream of lunar evolution, but we will refrain from doing so, will not descend, we will remain above with the good gods. At a certain point in the evolution of the moon, these angelic beings, so to speak, snatched themselves away from the powers that were throwing obstacles into the evolution of the moon. On the other hand, there were others of the angelic beings on the moon who said to themselves: We will not follow them; if we were to follow them, the development would now be reversed, nothing new would be incorporated. Precisely because these obstacles were there, something new was added to the development of the moon. Those entities that said to themselves: I want nothing to do with what is going on down there, I will remain with the powers that do not want to be touched by all that is low - they withdrew from the moon mass during the old moon development and became beings of the following of all that is in the sun. They did not concern themselves with what was happening in the moon that had been hurled out, in which the obstacles were. But the others, the submerged ones, these beings now had to absorb into all their physicality, into all that they had taken from the moon, whatever obstacles to development were present; they had to harden themselves more, so to speak, than would otherwise have been the case. Their physical forms became denser than they would otherwise have done; the consequences of the Powers' deeds were embodied in them. But the actions of the Powers were well-founded in the divine plan of the world, and we must always bear this in mind. And a further consequence was that when the evolution of the Moon passed over to the evolution of the Earth, the whole thing was repeated to a certain extent, in that those entities which had plunged into the full tide of the evolution of the Moon remained behind compared with those who had wanted to know nothing about it, and that others still remained further behind, who were attracted by the retrogressive evolution. All this had led to the fact that during the development of the earth there were both advanced and backward angelic beings. The more advanced angelic beings approached man at the time when he matured in Lemuria to receive the germ of the human ego, and left it up to him, so to speak, to ascend now already into the spiritual worlds and not to get involved in that which had been mixed into the course of world development since the Moon. And it was those beings, who had remained behind at that time and whom we call the luciferic entities, who set about the human astral body - they could not approach the I - and implanted in this astral body all the consequences of the conflict in heaven. So while the powers were assigned to the conflict in heaven, while they were only created as gods of obstacles, the consequences of their actions now crept into the human astral body, and there they signify something different: they signify the possibility of error and the possibility of evil. Now man had given the possibility of error and the possibility of evil, but at the same time the possibility of rising above error and evil through his own power.
[ 14 ] Now bear in mind that such entities as the powers belonging to the second hierarchy would not have had the power to become evil in the first place through their own efforts - they had to be commanded. And only the beings of the third hierarchy, and only those who are closest to man, the angels, could follow or not follow the restraining powers, so to speak. The ones that did not follow are repeatedly depicted in pictures that are supposed to sensualize the victories that were fought in heaven; that are supposed to express what happened during the moon's development when man progressed to the incorporation of the astral body, that is, to the human animal. There, the angelic beings who had remained good, so to speak, escaped this moon-like state, rising from what was down there on the moon. And this image appears in many forms before the soul of man. It is what originally meant Michael's dispute with the dragon. You can also see this image in the image of the Mithras bull, and there it is particularly vivid. Of course, it was not meant to say that these angelic beings had withdrawn from their task, but they were presented as an ideal of the future. These beings, it was said, preferred to ascend to the spiritual world. You have descended; with you have descended other entities that have followed the Powers of Obstacles. Now you must assimilate what you have taken up with them and carry it up into the spiritual world; you must, so to speak, become such a Michael, such a Taurus-conqueror, on your re-ascent. For each such symbol can be used in this twofold sense.
[ 15 ] Thus we see that in a certain respect it is only through the fact that the Powers were ordered to do so that man was given the possibility of reaching out of himself that goal which even the highest Seraphim cannot reach out of themselves. That is the essential point. They cannot act otherwise, the seraphim, cherubim, thrones, than to follow directly the impulses given by the Godhead. The Lordships, the entire second hierarchy, cannot act otherwise either. A number of the powers were detached; so these powers too, which, so to speak, threw themselves into the path of evolution, could not act otherwise than to follow the commands of the Godhead. Even in what could be called the origin of evil, they too only fulfill the will of the deity; by making themselves servants of evil, they only fulfill the will of the deity, who wants to develop the strong good through the detour of evil. And now let us descend to those entities that we call the powers: They could not have achieved this through their own efforts. Nor could they have become evil through themselves; not even the spirits of personality, nor the fire spirits. For when these were on the sun as human beings, the powers had not yet been assigned, there was no possibility of becoming evil. The first ones who had the possibility to become evil were the angels, because this possibility only existed from the development of the moon onwards. There, from the sun to the moon, the dispute in heaven took place. A part of the angels has now rejected this possibility, has, so to speak, not allowed itself to be seduced by the forces that were supposed to lead into the obstacles; they remained with the old nature. So that we have such entities of the spiritual hierarchies down to the angels, and even in some of the angels, who absolutely cannot help but follow divine will, for whom there is no possibility of not following divine will. That is the essential.
[ 16 ] And now we come to two categories of entities: First, there are the angels who plunged into the chaos that the powers had caused during the battle in the sky. These were the entities that we call Luciferic entities precisely because of their further actions. These entities then approached the human astral body during the process of earthly development and gave the person the possibility of evil, but also the possibility of developing out of their own free will. So that within the entire hierarchy, we only have the possibility of freedom with some of the angels and with human beings. The possibility of freedom begins, so to speak, in the middle of the angelic hierarchy; but in the human being it is only fully developed. When man first came to earth, he was indeed at first subject to the great power of the Luciferic spirits. They permeated the human being's astral body with their powers, and the ego was thereby drawn into these powers; so that during the Lemurian and Atlantean evolution, and even afterwards, we have the ego as if in a cloud, as if shrouded in a cloud, which has been brought about by the influences of Lucifer. Man has only been saved from being overwhelmed by the forces pulling him down because earlier entities overshadowed him, because the angels who had remained above and the archangels above embodied themselves in special individuals and guided him. And this happened until that time when something very special occurred, when an entity that had only been connected to the solar existence until then had come so far that it could now not only enter the physical body, etheric body and astral body of a person, as earlier entities of the higher worlds had done, but it could penetrate into the person, right into the I.
[ 17 ] Do you remember how I explained that in earlier times, higher beings descended and animated the human physical body, the etheric body and the astral body? Now, in a special time that was called for it, an individual arose who took upon himself the highest essence, which was initially connected to our solar existence and which had an inspiring effect on the ego, on all the powers of the ego.
[ 18 ] The I finds expression in the blood. Just as the blood as a material substance is the expression of the I, so the warmth of the blood, the fire of the blood, is, so to speak, the remnant of the ancient fire of Saturn, the expression of the I in the elements. This being had to express itself physically in two ways: first in fire. It announced itself in the fire to Moses: in the burning bush and in the lightning on Mount Sinai; for it is the same essence that could then enter into the human ego, that spoke to Moses out of the burning bush, out of the lightning and thunder on Mount Sinai. And She prepares Her coming and then appears in a body that carries blood, in Jesus of Nazareth: in this way the Being of the Sun enters an earthly individual. As the I becomes more and more imbued and permeated with the power that once entered it, the I will acquire the ability to rise up more and more out of its own strength above all influences that can pull it down. For this being, which penetrates into the ego, is of a different nature from the other entities that previously descended to earth and which animated the physical body, the etheric body and the astral body.
[ 19 ] Take the ancient holy Rishis. In their etheric body, as we have seen, was the spirit of a higher being, for they had inherited this etheric body from great Atlantean ancestors in whom this higher being was. This was transferred to them; they could not follow with their astral body and I what emerged from the inspiration of the etheric body. And so it happened from epoch to epoch. People were inspired. There was always something like a force within them when they were inspired; it was something that captured them by force. From what was man's fate – to be left to himself – he was drawn away from something in order to be able to improve: He was inspired with a better Being. This was the case with all founders of religions: a Being was incorporated in them that was still exalted above the quarrel in heaven, so that they were not completely abandoned to themselves. In Christ an Entity of a completely different nature appeared, an Entity that at first did nothing at all to bring people over to Itself through any kind of compulsion. And that is the essential point. If you take the whole spread of Christianity, it will be a living proof that the Christ did not actually do anything in his life that happened to spread Christianity. Look at the religious founders of the past. They are the great teachers of humanity, they teach from a certain time of their development, and their teachings have an overwhelming effect on people. Look at Christ. Did He work fundamentally through His teachings? He is not understood by those who believe that the teachings are the main thing. Christ did not work primarily through His teachings, but through what He did. And the greatest deed of Christ was the one that ended in death, was death. That is the essential thing, that the Christ worked through an act, in the spreading of which throughout the world he was no longer even to be physically present. That is the great difference between the work of the Christ and that of other founders of religions. This difference is almost not understood at all, but it is the essential thing.
[ 20 ] You can follow all the teachings of Christianity, everything that is preached as a teaching in Christianity, and you can find every Christian teaching in another religious system. That cannot be denied. You can say: All the essentials of Christian teachings are contained in other systems. But did Christianity work through the content of its teachings? Who did the most to spread Christianity in the first place, and did he rely on the teachings? Look at him, the Apostle Paul! Did he allow himself to be transformed from Saul to Paul by what is written in the Gospels? He persecuted the followers of Christ Jesus. He persecuted them until the One who died on the cross appeared to him in the clouds, until he, Paul, had his own personal occult experience that the Christ lives. The effect of the death, the effect of the deed, that was the impulse for Paul, and that is what matters. Other religious systems work through their teachings, and their teachings are the same as in Christianity; but in Christianity it is not about the teachings, but about what has happened, about the deed. And this deed is such that it has no other effect on any person than when he himself decides to let it have an effect on him, that is, when it is compatible with the absolutely free character of his individual ego. For it is not enough that the Christ should be present in the human astral body; but if He is to be truly understood, He must become present in the human ego. And the ego must freely decide to receive the Christ. That is what matters. But it is precisely by connecting with the Christ that this human ego takes in a reality, a divine power, not just a teaching. Therefore, it can be proved a hundred times that all the teachings of Christianity can already be found here or there; but that is not the point. The point is that the essential thing in Christianity is the deed, which can only become one's own possession through a voluntary ascent into the higher worlds. Thus man receives the power of Christ by voluntarily receiving it, and no one can receive it who does not receive it voluntarily. But this has only become possible for man because the Christ was incarnated on earth, because he was called to become man on earth.
[ 21 ] The fallen angels, who have lived themselves over to Earth as Luciferic beings, are in a different situation. They should have become human on the Moon. They have remained behind in their development, and so they can enter the astral body, but initially they cannot approach the I. Now they are in a strange situation, in a situation that we can actually only describe graphically, even if it looks pedantic. Let us assume - leaving aside the etheric body and the physical body - that during the Lemurian development the human astral body would be this circle, and the I would be enclosed in this astral body;
[ 22 ] I has gradually moved into the astral body. What happens now? During the Lemurian evolution, the luciferic powers crept into the astral body of man everywhere and permeated him with their deeds, which, however, present themselves in him as lower passions. That through which he can fall prey to error and evil is seated in the astral body; the luciferic spirits have injected it into him. If they had not injected it into him, he would never have had the possibility of error and evil; he would have been raised to where he receives his ego, untouched by all inhibiting influences. This continues, only the great leaders protect people from sinking too low, as far as is necessary.
[ 23 ] Now the event of the Christ occurs. Let us take a person who voluntarily accepts the Christ within himself. Christianity is only just beginning, but let us take the ideal: the human ego would have voluntarily allowed the power of Christ to flow into it. When this ego is so far advanced that it has permeated itself with Christ, then the power of Christ also radiates into the astral body. Into the same astral body the power of Christ radiates from within, into which the luciferic powers had previously injected their deeds. And what happens in the future? Through the fact that we, with the help and only with the help of Christ, extinguish all those qualities in man that come from Lucifer, we thereby gradually free the luciferic powers along with us as human beings. And the time will come when the Luciferic powers, which during the evolution of the moon had to sink to a certain lower evolution for the benefit of human freedom and did not have the opportunity on earth to experience the power of Christ for themselves, will experience the power of Christ through man and be redeemed. Man will redeem Lucifer when he receives the power of Christ in the appropriate way. And through this man will again become stronger than he would otherwise have become. For consider, had man not received the powers of Lucifer, then the power of Christ would radiate forth, but would not meet with the obstacles of the powers of Lucifer, and man would never have been able to advance in the Good, in the True, in Wisdom, as far as he can advance when he has these opposing powers to overcome.
[ 24 ] Thus we have in man a link in our hierarchies that we see is very different from the other links. We see that man stands differently from the seraphim, cherubim, thrones, from the dominions, principalities and powers, also still from the spirits of personality and from the spirits of fire, as a part of the angels. He can say to himself when he looks toward the future: I am called to seek in my deepest inner self that which gives me the impulses for action, not from beholding the Godhead, as the seraphim do, but from the deepest inner self. And the Christ is a God who does not work in such a way that His impulses must be followed unconditionally, but only when one sees them, only in freedom. He is therefore the God who can never hinder this individual, free development of the ego in this or that direction. The Christ could say in the highest sense: You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. And those beings of the next hierarchy who had the opportunity to do evil, the Luciferic beings, are in turn redeemed and liberated by the power of man.
[ 25 ] Thus we see how world evolution does not simply repeat itself, but how something new occurs. For such a humanity as man experiences has not yet existed, not with the angels, not with the archangels, not with the elemental forces. Man has a completely new mission to fulfill in the world, a mission that we have just characterized. And for this mission he has descended into the earthly world. And as a free helper, the Christ has arisen for him in the world, not as a God who works from above, but as a firstborn among many.
[ 26 ] Only when we understand this can we comprehend the full dignity and significance of the human being within the ranks of our hierarchies. As we gaze up at the glory and grandeur of the higher hierarchies, we say to ourselves: However great, wise and good they may be, and however little they may stray from the right path, it is still man's great mission to bring freedom into the world, and with freedom that which is truly called love. For without freedom, love is impossible. A being that must follow an impulse will follow it; a being that can also act differently has only one force to follow: love. Freedom and love are two poles that belong together. If love was to enter our cosmos, it could only happen through freedom, that is, through Lucifer and his conqueror, and at the same time through man's redeemer, through the Christ. Therefore, the earth is the cosmos of love and freedom, and it is essential that we learn to enumerate the hierarchies in the way they have always been enumerated within our Western esotericism, without tempting man to be immodest. Seraphim, cherubim, thrones follow the immediate impulses under the contemplation of the Godhead; dominions, principalities, powers, are still so bound to the higher powers that they have to be delegated so that the development towards man can progress. Even archangels and spirits of personality cannot be absent, and thus cannot voluntarily descend into evil. That is why the spirits of the immediately higher hierarchy were called messengers and archmessengers, to indicate that they do not carry out their own missions, but those of those who stand above them. But in man a hierarchy will mature that carries out its own missions. Through the Jupiter, Venus and Vulcan developments, the human being will mature into the implementer of his own impulses. Even if he is not yet ready today, he will mature into it.
[ 27 ] So we may say: What are the hierarchies? We begin with: seraphim, cherubim, thrones; the dominions that exercise their dominion only by working in the sense in which the impulses are given to them by the gods. Then come the powers; they exercise their power only by receiving it from above; the same applies to the authorities. If they become evil, they must become so according to divine counsel. We come to the spirits of personality, to the archangels and messengers, and have descended to the very edge of humanity. And how can we describe man when we include him in the hierarchies? After the archangels and angels, the arch messengers and messengers, we will have to add the spirit of freedom or the spirit of love to the series of hierarchies. This is the tenth hierarchy from above, which is indeed developing, but it belongs to the spiritual hierarchies.
[ 28 ] It is not a matter of repetition in the universe, but rather, each time a cycle is completed, something new is added to the evolution of the world. And it is always the mission of the corresponding hierarchy, which stands at the level of its humanity, to insert this new element.
[ 29 ] Thus we have tried to fathom the meaning of man from the meaning of our cosmos. Today, to a certain extent at least, we have asked ourselves spiritually about the meaning of man, and we have tried to fathom this meaning of man, the point in the middle of the universe, according to the Mystery Instruction, by trying to unravel the point, man, from the surrounding - the point from the surrounding! But in doing so, our knowledge is placed in reality. And that is the essential thing: that all true spiritual-scientific knowledge is real, concrete, real knowledge, that is, spiritual-scientific knowledge itself directly gives a picture of the cosmos and the spiritual hierarchies.
[ 30 ] We are at the center of the world. Everything around us loses its meaning for us because we say to ourselves: the external world of the senses cannot solve the riddles for us itself. It is as if everything were drawn together at one point. But then, when everything contracts, the solution to the riddle of the world comes back from the periphery as truly real as matter, which is a reflection and likeness of the spiritual, itself behaves. It contracts, disappears into the center and reappears from the periphery. That is reality. And our knowledge is real when it presents itself to us as the structure and process of the whole universe. Then it is not speculation, not madness, then it is born out of the cosmos. And we should develop this feeling: wisdom should be an ideal for us, born out of the cosmos and filling us with the strongest power, with the power for our own destiny, for our own great world ideal and thus also for our next human ideal.