The Rudolf Steiner Archive

Tenth Lecture

[ 1 ] From the description given yesterday of the interaction of the various spirits of the individual hierarchies within the kingdoms of nature, we are left, for the time being, with a consideration of the mineral kingdom. We recall that we were able to characterize the mineral kingdom in such a way that, on the physical plane, in the physical world, only its physical body is present; whereas, on the other hand, we must seek what corresponds to the mineral as an etheric body in the so-called astral world, the astral body in the lower devachanic world, and the actual group-I of the mineral kingdom on the higher devachanic plane. Thus the mineral kingdom forms a remarkable contrast to the human being. While we had to say that in the human being, on the physical plane, all four members of his being are active—the physical, the etheric, the astral body, and the I—we must, as it were, peel away what the human being has on one plane and say: On the astral plane, we must look for in the mineral what corresponds to the human etheric body; on the Devachan plane, the astral body; and on the higher Devachan plane, the group-I of the mineral kingdom. Thus, in terms of its mode of operation, what is concentrated in the physical world in the human being is distributed across different worlds in the mineral kingdom. If we again observe with the occult eye what this actually entails, the following becomes clear to us. In the sense of occultism, on the physical plane we must initially seek in the mineral kingdom only that which is truly physically perceptible—that is, what is perceptible to the outer senses from the mineral kingdom. We must be clear that what is initially perceptible in the mineral kingdom is what we call the forms, the shapes. We know, of course—and this can only be touched upon here—that the mineral world, at least in part, presents itself to us in such a formed, shaped manner that we perceive this shaping as something appropriate to the nature of the mineral. When we see one body in the shape of a cube and another in a different form, we know that these forms are not random, but that they are connected in a certain way to the nature of the mineral.

[ 2 ] Occult research teaches us that these forms in the mineral kingdom—which we also refer to as crystal forms—are primarily attributable to the workings of the spirits of form. Precisely because occultism is always grounded in reality and seeks to determine the origin of this or that, the naming conventions in occultism are chosen such that the name points to something characteristic. And the name “Spirit of Form” has been chosen for the reason that in the realm we refer to on Earth as the mineral kingdom, the Spirits of Form prove to be active, and furthermore, above all, the descendants of the Spirits of Form in the sense that we have spoken of the descendants of the spirits of higher hierarchies in the course of these lectures. If we wish to understand the nature of the mineral, we must now be clear that, for the purposes of physical perception, these forms of the mineral are essentially what exist; then, of course, certain forces that manifest in the mineral kingdom, such as forces of electricity and magnetism—forces that cause the minerals to appear to us in certain colors. In short, we must be clear that, in the mineral kingdom, it is essentially only the form that can be observed on the physical plane. Let us initially leave the other properties aside, consider the form that presents itself to us in at least a large part of the mineral kingdom, and be clear that this pure form derives, first and foremost, from the activity of the spirits of form or their descendants.

[ 3 ] Now we come to what we must address as the second aspect of a being in the mineral kingdom: the so-called etheric body. The occult researcher does not find what he must address as the etheric body in a mineral in the physical world; he finds it in the same realm where he must search, for example, when he considers the astral body of the plant or the group-I of the animals. And we saw yesterday that he needs to make no other mental preparations than those necessary to find the group-I’s of animals: with the same states of consciousness with which he perceives the group-I’s of animals, he also finds the astral entities of plants and that which underlies the mineral kingdom as the etheric. Now it has become clear to us that to do this, we must extend our observation into the region of the planets of a planetary system; that is, in our own planetary system, to those planets that lie beyond the Earth. And we have shown how, so to speak, the corresponding forces act directly from these planetary locations, forces that manifest in the group-Ics of animals and in the astral bodies of plants. But we must also go there if we wish to seek what acts etherically within the minerals. How a mineral is surrounded by life forces becomes apparent to us only when we go as far as that general life which is the same from Earth to the other planets of our planetary system. Thus, we must not seek the principle through which the mineral realm is enlivened—the life of the mineral—in the physical world, nor in the realm of what our Earth immediately presents to us, but rather in the life currents that flow down from the planets. Stimulated, of course, by the Sun, but flowing down directly from the planets and permeating our Earth with life, in order to penetrate, together with their offspring—the ethereal nature spirits of whom we have spoken—that which is form, so that what is form possesses inner life; in other words, that the form of the mineral, as originating solely from the physical plane, is not permeable, but rather offers us resistance. If nothing were active in the mineral other than what is active on the physical plane, then the mineral would merely make the form perceptible to us, but this form is filled with inner life. The mineral does indeed have inner life; it possesses the inner life of the various mineral substances. It has not only form, it has matter, it has substance. When we perceive this substance directly in the physical world, it is indeed a decayed, a dead substance; for the cosmos it is not dead; for the planetary realm, at least, it is something that belongs to its life, something that the life of the planetary system excretes. Just as the human or animal organism, let us say, also excretes hard products—nails, for example—so is the mineral substance excreted. But the active forces through which these are excreted are not to be found on Earth itself, and therefore they appear dead to us in relation to Earth. It is these life currents, these life forces, it is this etheric that must be sought as flowing down from the individual planets. And just as we could say when considering the group-I of animals: the group-I of animals actually creates only general forms, which are then further developed—so we must also say: the life currents that flow down from the individual planets and permeate the Earth on all sides do not create the forms for the minerals, for these are created by the Spirits of Form; rather, through these currents, the minerals are imbued with inner life, but initially in such a way that this inner life gives rise to certain main types, main inner lives, and main substances, and each substance is connected to a particular current emanating from a planet. However, in the mineral kingdom, because the minerals immediately take on fixed forms, these planetary currents do not create types that are in a state of flux, but rather distinct types; and then, through the various positions of the planets—as I described yesterday regarding the group souls of the animals—other types, sub-substances, which in turn depend on the constellation of the individual planets; but what the planets create through their original characteristics is expressed in the main substances of the Earth organism.

[ 4 ] We thus have certain primary mineral substances of the Earth organism about which we can say: Here is a substance that is as it is because it is permeated by an etheric current from one planet; another is permeated by a current from a different planet. Thus we must trace the nature of the mineral substances back to activities within the planetary system, to activities that manifest within the Earth organism as etheric currents. And that is why the occult schools, which are tasked with investigating such matters, have indeed related the principal substances of our Earth organism to the planets in such a way that they have designated those substances—which are brought about quite directly, not merely through constellations but through the primary activity of the planets—with the same or similar names as the planets; or at least they have associated these substances with the corresponding planets, and in such a way that occult observation has truly been adhered to. If we take Saturn within our planetary system, the substance we call lead is connected to the current that flows directly from it as a life current through the Earth. We thus have a fundamental substance that is internally animated by Saturn. From Jupiter we have tin as the main substance, from Mars iron, and from Venus—meaning this in the occult sense—copper. In the case of Mercury, one must take into account that it was later confused with Venus. As for what the life activity of Mercury—in the sense of the actual occult naming—substantially created by penetrating the Earth’s organism, this showed even greater similarity to the planet itself due to its greater proximity, for Mercury is, after all, closer to Earth than the other planets. That is why the substance was given the same name as the celestial body itself, namely Mercury or quicksilver. These are the principal substances that, in their etheric bodies, are connected with the corresponding planets of the planetary system. And if we recall how we had to speak of what acts from the planetary system in general in relation to the group souls of animals, in relation to the astral bodies of plants, it always concerned beings connected with the spirits of movement, either with them themselves or their descendants, and who act upon the Earth from the planets of the planetary system in their entirety. Thus, we must again count among the sphere of the spirits of movement that which permeates mineral substances in the etheric realm.

[ 5 ] We need only ascend one level higher, so to speak, if we wish to consider what belongs to the mineral kingdom as the astral body. In the context of our customary line of thought, it will be clear to you that just as we had to ascend from the astral body of plants to the group-I of plants, and from the planets to the Sun and the fixed stars, so too in the mineral kingdom, when we move from the etheric body to the astral body, we must again ascend toward the fixed stars. This means we can understand that the occult gaze tells us that the astral aspect of the mineral acts, within the hierarchy of beings, from that which is perceptible directly from the Sun, from what we call the Spirits of Wisdom or what is connected with the sphere of these Spirits of Wisdom. Thus everything comes into consideration, including the descendants of the Spirits of Wisdom. What is at work there in the mineral, however, appears to occult research as separate, outside the mineral. But it appears in such a way that the life just described as being within the mineral—the mineral’s etheric body—is, as it were, pressed in from the outside. While the astral body, let us say, in humans or animals holds the etheric body together from within, in the mineral the etheric body is, as it were, pushed together by the astral body, which is outside the mineral, rather than drawn together as in humans or animals. We could say: When we consider the relationship of the human astral body to the etheric body, what functions as the etheric body is held together by attractive forces; in the case of the mineral, the etheric is pushed together from the outside by forces, so that the content, the inner essence, which expresses itself in the etheric current, is pushed into the form of the mineral by astral forces. The mineral is held together astralically from the outside, specifically because this mineral is determined in relation to this astral compression by the various positions the Sun occupies in relation to the Earth. One could say: From the point from which the Sun shines upon the Earth, the etheric substance is pushed into the mineral. Thus, while this etheric substance itself is directed by the planet, it is pushed into and held together within the mineral or crystal by the Sun, by those forces belonging to the sphere of the spirits of wisdom.

[ 6 ] But here something very curious comes to light. When we investigate this effect—which acts as an astral force from the Sun upon the minerals—from an occult perspective, it is precisely at this point that we most clearly recognize an extraordinarily important fact: Namely, we learn here that while all the etheric forces acting upon the minerals—and which actually constitute their basic substances—originate from the planets, such etheric currents also descend from the Sun onto the Earth. So while, in general, the substantial etheric component for the normal formation of minerals comes from the planets, and only the etheric substance is drawn together and compressed from the outside by the forces emanating from the Sun, it is not the case that no etheric currents at all descend from the Sun; rather, such a current does indeed descend from it. Where does this come from? Why does an etheric current descend from the Sun that can, as it were, animate the mineral from within? Why does this happen?

[ 7 ] This happens because what I have referred to as the Luciferic principle is at work there. The spirits who act astralistically on the minerals from within the higher hierarchies are, as we have just mentioned, the spirits of wisdom, while the spirits of movement act etherically. There are now such spirits of wisdom, active from the Sun, who have undergone their normal process of development; they act as has just been described, they act astral upon the mineral realm. However, some spirits of wisdom have become Luciferic. We have been able to describe this Luciferic transformation of certain spiritual beings within a hierarchy as a kind of rebellion in the cosmos. This rebellion is brought about by certain spirits of a hierarchical level rebelling against their peers and thereby counteracting them, working in a different way. This rebellion is achieved by their simply not participating in the development that the others are undergoing. They simply remain behind at an earlier stage. Just as we experience it in our own soul: we want to move forward, but the mental images and habits we have acquired do not let us go, because they too want to exist. Our habits are often the rebels against what we have acquired in a new epoch of life. Thus, the spiritual beings who remain at an earlier stage are the rebels in the cosmos. The Luciferic spirits, the spirits of wisdom from the second hierarchy, who did not participate in the development, now send down etheric currents to Earth instead of sending astral currents from the Sun to the minerals. Through this, however, a certain fundamental mineral substance was formed that received its inner nature directly from the Sun. Thus, this fundamental substance received its inner nature not from the planets but from the Sun, and that is gold. The occultist has therefore directly attributed gold to the Sun. Gold is that Luciferic mineral whose inner nature is not etherically influenced by the planets, but by the Sun. Consequently, this metal is, in a certain sense, something different from the other metals.

[ 8 ] Now you can easily understand that because ethereal currents come from the Sun and cause something within the Earth—which is actually a rebellious principle—the Earth’s balance is disrupted. The Earth’s balance with regard to the mineral kingdom would exist if all etheric influences on the minerals came from the planets and only the astral influences came from the Sun. But as it is, there are also direct etheric influences from the Sun that disturb the balance. This balance then had to be restored by the wise world leaders. The Earth could not carry out its evolution in such a state. The cooperation of the hierarchies had to take place in such a way that balance was restored. The stronger Luciferic etheric forces had to be countered by forces that would, in a certain way, paralyze or neutralize this effect. This could only be achieved by setting another etheric current against the one coming from the Sun—one that would interact with it and, in a certain way, balance out its effects. So while spirits of wisdom proved to be Luciferic and sent etheric currents from the Sun into the Earth’s mineral kingdom, other spirits ensured that these currents were countered by other currents. These opposing currents, which restore the balance, were created by a portion being separated from the Earth’s disturbed equilibrium substance and orbiting the Earth as the Moon. Thus, the etheric currents from the Sun are met by those etheric currents that now flow from the Moon toward the Earth from a completely different direction, restoring the balance. Thus, because Luciferic spirits of wisdom on the Sun had gained the ability to send out etheric currents, other spirits of wisdom had to refrain from acting from the Sun, but rather consent to use their powers to restore the balance. This means: a world colony, a planetary colony, was established on the Moon, from which etheric currents now flowed out toward the Earth, so that a substance was produced that had to be present in the Earth in order to weaken the direct power of gold. This came about through the Moon being separated from the Earth. And from the spirits of wisdom who separated the Moon and have now, so to speak, become the opponents of the Luciferic spirits of wisdom from the Sun, those etheric forces flow through the Earth that have now led to silver as a substance. You can see from this that in the universe, in the cosmos, certain things operate in such a way that one can, I would say, make sense of them with a certain pattern, but the peculiar thing is that this pattern is broken everywhere. If someone were to claim schematically that all etheric forces for the minerals come from the planets, they would be mistaken, for in truth two etheric streams come from other directions, one from the Sun, the other from the Moon, and through this, precisely two basic substances are formed in a different way.

[ 9 ] If we wish to visualize, to make tangible, how what I have just described manifests itself outwardly in the universe, we can take the following approach. We must first clarify for ourselves what it actually is that we see when we look up at the sun. We showed a few days ago that, within the higher hierarchies, only the spirits who descend as far as the spirits of wisdom actually undergo a distinct development on a fixed star. So we can say: When we direct our gaze toward a fixed star, what is contained within that fixed star is actually the substance of the spirits of wisdom. That is the true content of the fixed star. Indeed, human beings can initially form a mental image of what this substance of the spirits of wisdom is only by taking what exists within themselves, at least as an image of this substance. What is within us, within human beings, within the human soul, that serves as an image of the substance of the spirits of wisdom? Our thoughts. But we do not see our thoughts with physical eyes. This is the essential point: that the fixed stars, insofar as they are the stage for the true spirits of wisdom, are likewise not visible to physical eyes. Here we stand at a point where we can once again point to the immensely significant fact that confronts us in the religious texts founded on occultism. You know, of course, that in the biblical text, in Genesis, human beings are created in a very peculiar way. We are told that Lucifer approached Eve and told her that if she did what he wanted, her eyes would be opened. Anyone familiar with the original text will not be quick to offer a symbolic explanation here either. For the way good and evil are meant in the Bible does not refer to moral good and evil—that belongs to an entirely different cultural-historical context—what is described there as good and evil is what is seen externally, that is, something perceived not spiritually or psychologically, but with the eyes of the senses. “Your eyes will be opened!” Before, they were not opened. This is to be taken literally. Before Lucifer approached humanity, humanity could look out; with a primal clairvoyance bestowed upon humanity, they saw the fixed stars, but they saw them as they are in their substance—as the substance of the spirits of wisdom: they saw them spiritually. And he began to see them physically, that is, light perceptible to his physical eyes first shone upon him only when he himself, the human being, had succumbed to the Luciferic temptation. That is to say, just as the fixed stars are initially directed by the spirits of wisdom, so they are not physically visible; thus they do not radiate physical light. Physical light can only be emitted if there is something underlying it that serves as a medium for the light, if the light is, as it were, bound to a medium. For a fixed star to become visible, something else is necessary besides the mere activity of the spiritual beings of wisdom within the fixed star. It is necessary that Luciferic spirits act within this fixed star, rebelling against the mere substance of wisdom, permeating this mere substance of wisdom with their own principle. And so, within the fixed star, that which is only spiritually visible is intermingled with that which rebels against this purely spiritual visibility as the Luciferic element in the fixed stars, which carries the light out to the point of physical manifestation.

[ 10 ] A fixed star would not be visible if it did not contain, among the spirits of wisdom that have progressed normally, also those who have not reached their goal, who have remained at a lower level—either at the level of the spirits of movement or the spirits of form. We must recognize these spirits of wisdom who have remained at a lower level—those who have not reached their goal—as the bearers of light within the lightless spiritual substance of the fixed stars. And now that we are clear that what actually reaches us from the fixed stars—and thus also from our Sun—as physical light is only because the spirits of wisdom who have remained behind join the normal ones and become bearers of light, becoming Lucifer and Phosphorus, then we will now also be clear that the very same principle that makes the Sun visible, that sends us light from the fixed star, is also the one that sends the ethereal life-streams toward the Earth and brings about gold. Therefore, it was necessary that precisely from the Moon the other forces counteract, which—as ethereal streams, the occult eye perceives—lead to silver. But if there really are spirits of wisdom who set the Moon against the Sun to create a balance, then we must say to ourselves: These spirits of wisdom on the Moon cannot shine, for spirits of wisdom do not shine. Therefore, when the occult gaze seeks the spirits on the Moon, it does not find them shining. But these spirits of wisdom, who established a colony on the moon, must exclude the Luciferic spirits from the moon itself; otherwise, no balance would be maintained.

[ 11 ] Therefore, no light of its own may emanate from the Moon, but only the light that is reflected back as sunlight. On the Moon, ordinary spirits of wisdom have taken up residence, as it were through a sacrifice, in order to supply the Earth from there with the necessary currents that maintain balance against the Luciferic currents emanating from the Sun. Therefore, the Moon is devoid of its own light. And it is not difficult now to see in the external facts that confront us in the physical world a symbol of a deep occult connection. The Sun appears to us to have its own light, the Moon does not, and the reflected light that shines upon us from the Moon—of which Lucifer is the bearer—Lucifer, Phosphoros, announces to us that this light is excluded from the Moon. That which is Lucifer can only appear in an image, in a maya, from the moon through the reflection of sunlight. So, for example, when the crescent moon reflects sunlight, there is initially nothing of the Luciferic spirits of wisdom on the moon itself; rather, what streams down from the sun—from the Luciferic spirits of wisdom—is reflected back as light. If one now directs the occult gaze upward toward the moon, then what the physical gaze sees disappears; the luminous crescent moon vanishes, for it exists only for physical eyes; but in the place where the crescent moon is, the real being underlying the radiance in the cosmos reveals itself to the occult gaze—the image of Lucifer appears, albeit as a mirror image. So imagine the image of Lucifer, as seen by the occult gaze, placed in the place of the crescent moon, and you must say: This moon owes its origin to the fact that normal spirits of wisdom have renounced their dwelling place on the sun, have established their dwelling place on this colony, and there subdue what radiates from the Luciferic spirits. Therefore, to the occult eye, the spirit of wisdom appears here above the crescent moon, subduing the Luciferic principle. Just as a good spirit of wisdom subdues the Luciferic principle beneath itself, so the occult tarot image appears symbolically before the imagination.

[ 12 ] The occultists have therefore depicted a figure who is generally understood to be an archangel of the higher spirit of wisdom, subduing Lucifer; and in place of the crescent moon is depicted Lucifer, bound and subdued. This is an occult image. Among our occult images, you will also find one depicting how the archangel subdues Lucifer. This points precisely to profound occult mysteries. What appears outwardly in maya is in truth attributable to the interplay of the spirits of the hierarchies. When we see the crescent moon with our physical eyes, shining silver, and at the top, like a shadow within it, the darkness that is sometimes visible, then to the occult eye the crescent moon transforms into a living being with the subduing spirit above it, which establishes the balance from the moon. You see, then, that even to bring about a phenomenon such as our Earth’s moon, various events in the cosmos are necessary. The interaction of the various hierarchies in the cosmos is a very complex one, and even in a longer series of lectures one could only ever offer hints. We can only clarify the principle of how these spiritual hierarchies interact.

[ 13 ] Please keep in mind the idea that has just been presented in connection with the astral body of minerals. We must now consider the group-I of the minerals. When we contemplate this group-I, we must first seek it in an even higher supersensible world—that is, in a world not found within the realms where the group-I’s of animals or plants reside. We cannot, therefore, find it on the Sun either. Where, then, does the group-I of the minerals reveal itself to the occult gaze? Yes, you see, this is the peculiar thing: that this group-I of the minerals actually has no real end anywhere when we go out into the vastness of space—that it is present throughout the entire vastness of space and works in from there. This leads us to realize: We must actually seek the group-I of the mineral kingdom outside the planetary system; we must regard it as something that works into the planetary system from the outside. This also corresponds, in a sense, to what you know from the “Akashic Records”: that the next higher class of beings after the Spirits of Wisdom are the Spirits of Will or the Thrones. These Spirits of Will, who belong to the first hierarchy—though their descendants do not advance far enough to be counted among the first hierarchy—these Spirits of Will or their descendants impart that which leads to the group-I of the minerals and which, in essence, acts upon the planetary system from the outside. This also corresponds to the fact that, with the outpouring of the Spirits of Will, the formation of the planetary system begins with the ancient Saturn, which is brought about by the Spirits of Will. Just as they once built up the first embodiment of our Earth from the cosmic space, so do they still work today. We can actually only perceive these spirits of will in that, when they become Luciferic, they manifest themselves in a certain way in those phenomena we find as meteors in the vicinity of the Earth and which seem to come in from outer space. It appears to us, one might say, that the cosmic origin, the extraterrestrial origin of what is at stake here, is revealed in that when these spirits of will work their way in, they attach themselves—lightly, very lightly—to what works its way into the planetary system as cometary and meteoric entities, as cometary or meteoric life.

[ 14 ] We have shown what purpose this life serves within the planetary system. I would at least like to suggest that the comet is indeed something that comes in from outside, but which, in a certain sense, becomes attached to the mineral realm. As the comet passes through the planetary system, the mineral realm—which also originates from the spirits of will—becomes attached. And the result may be that, as the comet races through the planetary system, mineral matter becomes attached, which is then drawn to the Earth and falls down. This is, of course, not the comet itself; rather, it is the case that it announces its presence on Earth in some way through meteorite showers. The facts are entirely accurate, and if, upon closer examination, certain contradictions emerge with respect to what was previously described, one should always be prepared for these contradictions to simply resolve themselves when all relevant factors are truly taken into account.

[ 15 ] That was merely a hint intended to show that, within the planetary system, we are indeed dealing with forces that act upon us from the cosmos. These group souls of the minerals radiate from the outside in. And since space presents us with different modes of action from various sides—since it is not a uniform space—these group souls of the minerals, which belong to the realm of the spirits of will, radiate toward us from various sides in the most diverse ways. Through the interaction of what comes to the minerals from the planets, what comes from the Sun, and what flows in from the cosmos in the most diverse directions—through all of this arises the possibility that not only those basic types we have mentioned today are present in the mineral kingdom, but that all manner of other forms and all manner of differently modified substances of the mineral kingdom are formed. The substance a mineral possesses depends solely on the way in which the forces acting from the planets are in turn influenced by other forces that flow toward the Earth from various directions—either astral forces from the Sun or forces from outer space. The entire diversity of the mineral kingdom can thus be understood.

[ 16 ] When we look at Saturn today, it initially appears to the occult eye as the outermost planet in our solar system. Why? Because Saturn, as a planet, is actually influenced just as much as the ancient Saturn—which is the first traceable embodiment of our Earthly state—by the outer currents flowing in from outer space. And if we had been able to observe Saturn in a very early stage of our Earth’s development, we would have seen that in its orbit it has a sort of core and a sort of comet’s tail that extends out into the vastness of space. In ancient times, Saturn would certainly have appeared to have a core and a true comet’s tail extending out into the vastness of space. That is to say, in the primeval days of our Earth, Saturn would have appeared as a comet moving along the Saturn orbit, with its tail pointing outward.

[ 17 ] This is how it used to be, as the facts of the Akashic Records show. This tail of ancient Saturn pointed in various directions out into space, corresponding to the currents flowing in from outer space, directed by the spirits of will, who are the group souls of the minerals. At a later time, when the planetary system was made self-contained by the spirits of the other hierarchies, what had previously extended out into outer space contracted to such an extent that the tail became a self-contained ring. Through the gravitational pull of the planetary system, it formed into the ring. To the occult eye, Saturn’s ring is nothing other than exactly the same phenomenon as a comet’s tail. If you were to take Saturn’s ring, as it orbits Saturn, and dissolve it, you would have the comet’s tail.

[ 18 ] We thus have the opportunity to look back on the influx of the group souls of the minerals into our planetary system. Once again, the individual stations are indicated to us primarily by the signs of the zodiac. It should be noted that the two outermost planets, Uranus and Neptune, which are today counted as part of our system by physical astronomy, did not originally belong to our solar system, but rather flew in much later and entered the gravitational field of our system. They then became part of it and remained with the solar system. Thus, they cannot be counted as part of our system in the same sense as the other planets from Saturn onward, which, so to speak, belonged to our system from the very beginning. Thus, in Saturn—especially when we consider it in its ancient form—we see a planet that, by sending its own etheric current emanating from its center toward our Earth, creates the substance of lead; we might even say it creates it. At the same time, however, we see how the group souls of the minerals flow in, how these group souls are drawn in by an attraction exerted upon them by the Sun, from which the astral body of the mineral flows out. From the Sun, the astral body of the mineral flows out into space; from outer space, the I of the mineral flows in. As they flow together, something is brought about that, in a modified sense, expresses itself in a fertilization of the group-I with the astral body, and through which the mineral first comes into being in its entirety.

[ 19 ] But if we return once more to the comets, we can also see in them something that, in essence, streams in from outer space with a kind of being similar to the group souls of the minerals. The group souls of the minerals belong to the realm of the spirits of will. Beyond them lie the beings that essentially underlie cometary life. But Luciferic beings are everywhere; this is also true within the comets, where they stand on the level of the Thrones, not the Seraphim or Cherubim. This gives the comet a mineral nature, so that it appears as a mineral impact within the planetary system; in other words, we must regard comets as world bodies that fly in from the cosmos at a time when the planetary system has already been formed, and which therefore do not reach as far as the bodies within the planetary system itself, but remain at a significantly earlier stage.

[ 20 ] It would now be fascinating, however, to trace the stages of world-formation as they arise through the interaction of the spirits of the hierarchies within a fixed-star system—as these very spirits essentially appear to us when we gaze out at nebulae and distant fixed stars. Wherever we direct our occult gaze toward a fixed star, we encounter first and foremost the normal spirits of wisdom. The entire sky would remain invisible to the physical eyes and visible only to a clairvoyant consciousness if only these normal spirits of wisdom were at work. But everywhere, mingled with the normal spirits of wisdom, are Luciferic spirits that bring physical light into the fixed-star worlds. When the night sky shines upon us, it is actually Phosphoros working from countless points, and everywhere in the universe we find the possibility of creation only through the interplay of opposites, through the interplay of the normal spirits of the hierarchies with those who have become rebels—that is, who have remained behind. Invisible to the physical eye but visible to the spiritual eye, the starry sky is created by the normal spirits of wisdom; it becomes luminous to the physical eye; in maya it reveals itself through Lucifer or through the Luciferic spirits, who are active everywhere and must be so.

[ 21 ] So, my dear friends, we have also seen something remarkable in the mineral kingdom. We have, so to speak, intercepted the Moon today as a stage from which a spirit of wisdom works to restrain Lucifer, because a place had to be created from which, through contrast, a balance could be established against Luciferic activity. What significance does this have for human beings? We have seen how, in the case of human beings, everything is concentrated on the physical plane, whereas for the mineral kingdom it is, as it were, distributed across the worlds. We have found group souls for the minerals, plants, and animals. Is there also a kind of group soul for human beings? Oh yes. We find the group souls of the minerals in the realm of the Thrones, the group souls of the plants in the sphere of the Spirits of Wisdom, the group souls of the animals in the sphere of the Spirits of Movement; but human beings received their group soul in such a way that, with the instillation of their ego, a group soul was originally given as the outflow of the Spirits of Form. And what has differentiated this group soul of humanity—which was actually destined by the Spirits of Form to be a unified soul throughout all of humanity—and divided it into such diversities that racial and tribal differences arose, this has now come about through the activity of the other spirits. We were able to hint at some of this yesterday. Humanity was created across the Earth as a unity through which the common, the primordial I of humanity was to assert itself—like a group soul living in all human beings, which has descended all the way down to the physical plane. Just as for the minerals only the outer form can be brought about by the spirits of form, so too is the group-I created for humanity by the same spirits of form, which is then differentiated by the other beings of the various hierarchies. What has now been created for the mineral kingdom through the formation of the Moon as a state of equilibrium, has also been created for human beings, in such a way that, just as there is a physical counterbalance in the Moon for the mineral kingdom, there is now also a lunar principle for human beings in exactly the same way, which counteracts the Luciferic influence on human nature just as the dark lunar principle in the mineral kingdom counteracts the Luciferic principle. Just as something is at work in the mineral world on the Moon that maintains a balance against the Luciferic principle radiating from the Sun, so a spiritual lunar principle works from the Moon to counteract the temptation of Lucifer that has approached humanity in the course of Earth’s evolution. And just as we have seen that all planets, all celestial bodies, are connected with beings of the higher hierarchies, so too is the Moon. The spirits of wisdom established a colony on the Moon to preserve the balance, and thus balancing spirits also act upon humanity from the direction of the Moon, primarily against Lucifer, who approached humanity with temptation and, just as he spread the light, so too instilled his spiritual principles into the human soul. Thus we can also point to the Moon as the bearer of the adversary of Lucifer, as the abode of dark spirits, who must, however, be there so that balance may be maintained for the forward-pressing bearers of light, who are at the same time the tempting spirits of humanity.

[ 22 ] In ancient Hebrew times, the mystery of the moon and its spiritual principle was essentially first revealed to humanity, and what we have physically found in the moon is, in its spiritual aspect, what ancient Hebrew tradition refers to as the Yahweh principle. Thus, the moon is, so to speak, designated as the point of origin of the forces of the adversary of Lucifer acting upon humanity. Yahweh or Jehovah is the adversary of Lucifer. Ancient Hebrew esoteric teaching looks to the sun and says: In the sun work the invisible spirits of wisdom, which are visible only to the spiritual eye, but not to the physical eye. For him, the principle of Lucifer shines down. What is outwardly visible in the solar principle is Lucifer; but within it, working mysteriously and invisible to the physical eye, is all that is accessible through the spirits of wisdom, who form the gateway to it. One of these spirits of wisdom has separated and sacrificed itself, taking up residence on the moon in order to work from there so that the light is tamed, but also the spiritual aspect of Lucifer is eradicated. — The Hebrew ancients saw in Yahweh or Jehovah an emissary of those true, higher spiritual beings to whom the gaze opens through the spirits of wisdom when one looks spiritually upon the sun. As long as—so the ancient Hebrews rightly imagined— as long as this is the case, Yahweh must work from the moon until humanity has matured—at least inwardly at first—to sense and feel what, in the further course of events, humanity will also come to see with clear recognition: that not only does the physical aspect of Lucifer come from the sun, but from the sun also comes the dissemination of that to which the spirits of wisdom are the gateway.

[ 23 ] Thus, to the ancient Hebrews, Yahweh appeared as that which is akin to the spirits of the sun’s wisdom, and we may say: Just as sunlight is reflected by the moon in space, so, for the true connoisseurs of ancient Hebrew times, Yahweh was the reflection of that spiritual entity which will one day, when humanity has matured, radiate from the sun—an event foretold by the Rishis, Zarathustra, and the servants of Osiris. Just as sunlight is reflected from the moon in space, so did the principle of the solar spirit manifest itself in Yahweh or Jehovah as a reflection; you may designate it by any name you wish: Vishvakarman, as the ancient Indians called him; Ahura Mazda, as Zarathustra called him; Osiris, as the ancient Egyptians called him; or Christ, as the fourth post-Atlantean cultural period designated him. This is the esoteric conception of Yahweh: he is the Christ reflected back by the lunar principle and, because reflected back in time, foretold. Hence we also encounter a passage in the Gospel of John that can otherwise never be understood, where it is pointed out that Moses speaks of the Christ. In truth, the text speaks of Yahweh; but it is the Christ who was foretold. Reference is made to such a passage where Yahweh is mentioned because the bearer of the Christ thereby alludes to the fact that Yahweh is merely the Christ foretold in ancient times.

[ 24 ] Thus we see how these things harmonize within themselves and how today’s consideration merges with yesterday’s; how we must now perceive, in what we call the outer light and its bearer, something that is in conflict with a spiritual principle which is at the normal point of its development and which, as the spiritual center of our planetary system, appears to us as we have described it yesterday and today. Names are not important here, but rather that we recognize the full significance of this principle. We must recognize that in the spiritual realm we speak of the Christ just as we speak of the Sun in the physical realm; that in the spiritual realm we speak of the planetary spirits and the planets just as we speak, for example, of the principle of the Buddha in the development of earthly culture. Here again you have a point where you find one of the significant revelations that confront you in H.P. Blavatsky. You can also see what great revelations are contained in The Secret Doctrine from the treatment Blavatsky gives to the concept of Yahweh. We need not take offense at the fact that she does not do justice to these matters because she harbors a certain antipathy toward Christ and Yahweh; yet the truth still shines through, and the characterization of Yahweh as a lunar deity and the portrayal of Lucifer as his adversary in H.P. Blavatsky’s work prove to be something like, one might say, the fragmented expression of a truth. And the portrayal given by Blavatsky, which is inspired, takes on a subjective hue only in her case, because she felt that Lucifer is actually a good deity. She perceived him as a good deity. In a certain sense, she preferred him to the moon god, because for her, Lucifer was a sun god. He is indeed, but we had to establish the true context so that we might understand the saying that appeared earlier: Christ is the true Lucifer. “Christus verus Luciferus.” Today that no longer sounds good to people. Back then it still sounded good, when people knew from the ancient secret teachings: In the outer physical light, Lucifer, the bearer of light, reveals himself; but when we penetrate through the physical light to the spirits of wisdom, penetrate to the spiritual light, then we arrive at the bearer of the spiritual light: Christus verus Luciferus.

[ 25 ] I believe, my dear friends, that despite all the imperfections with which this comprehensive topic has been presented, what we always strive to achieve in the field of Spiritual Science has nevertheless come before your souls: that the treatment of any given topic leads us to look up from the sensory realm toward the spiritual. In the case of the celestial bodies, which shine upon us from space as the imprints of the wonders of the worlds, this becomes particularly difficult in many respects, because within the celestial bodies we have a complex interplay of beings from the various hierarchies, and because we can can only be understood if we find the Spirit or the spirits behind all matter, even behind the light-matter. Behind all this spiritual lies the common, the fatherly, divine life. This one all-pervading, ever-active, all-divine life is structured, before it finds expression in the physical, into numerous worlds of spiritual hierarchies. But we look up to these worlds and see in them that which underlies the wonders of the heavens and works its way down into our natural realms. For even in our natural realms the hierarchies themselves or their descendants make themselves known. When we look out into the heavens in this way, such contemplation can also impart a moral impression—an impression that must consist in this: that if we allow the mighty effects of the hierarchies in the heavens to exert a little influence upon us, we are then drawn away from the passions, the drives, desires, and mental images that physical earthly life brings forth. These mental images, these instincts, desires, and passions that physical earthly life brings forth—it is essentially these that cast over the development of the Earth what divides people into factions, what turns people across the Earth into opponents and followers of the most diverse directions. One attains a higher moral freedom when, at least for brief moments, one breaks away from contemplating the earthly and looks upon the worlds of the spirits in the cosmos. There we become free from what otherwise plays into our selfish impulses, which are, after all, only the causes of all earthly struggles and all earthly trivialities. Therefore, the surest way to attain the high ideals of the anthroposophical life is surely to lift our gaze from time to time to the starry worlds and their spiritual guides and leaders, the hierarchies. When we explore cultural currents up there, as we have attempted yesterday and today, and the significance of the inspiring spirits for the religions and bearers of wisdom of humanity, then we will lose the desire to engage in strife on Earth like the adherents of individual systems. We will not cling to names, nor to the creeds of individual groups of people on Earth. When people there seek their insights—where the gaze of all people on Earth can turn and where they find shared insights —insights that unite rather than divide—, when people truly penetrate to what, as the language of heaven, expresses the significance of the various founders of religions and inspirers of humanity, then the ideal of Spiritual Science for a tolerant and unbiased consideration of all religions and worldviews will truly be able to come to pass. People will no longer quarrel when they no longer claim this or that bearer of religious or other cultural currents for a particular group, but when they seek the origins of these bearers out in the heavens. In this sense, such a perspective can also take on great moral significance by bringing peace and harmony to many things that otherwise cause division and disharmony on Earth. We must only learn to read the mighty script inscribed in the forms and movements of the celestial bodies—to see how truly not different spirits, but the same spirits, work for every single person on Earth and belong to all people. One might explain this fact with a physical image: As long as we remain on Earth, a group of people may dwell above or below, in the West or the East. But then we look at the movements of the Earth as it turns its face toward the stars by changing its position, whether over short periods or over millions of years—how the southern hemisphere turns toward the northern one and beholds our northern starry sky, and then the northern hemisphere turns toward the south and beholds the southern starry sky. And just as the Earth, over the course of time, turns its face, so to speak, toward all the stars that shine upon us from outer space, so may humanity learn, through the ideals of Spiritual Science, to look impartially upon everything that speaks to us spiritually from outer space. This anthroposophical ideal will best be achieved through such a positive consideration of the facts, not through a sentimental emphasis on love and peace. We will attain love, peace, and inner harmony in a real sense when we turn our gaze away from the affairs of our Earth—which divide people into races, nations, and religions—and look up to the starry worlds, where spirits speak to us, speaking the same language to all human souls, to every human heart, through all times, indeed through all eternities, if only we understand them correctly.

[ 26 ] In this sense, as we now come to the end of this series of lectures, I would also like to have pointed out the moral impact of every consideration of Spiritual Science when we strive to understand the facts of occultism. If we come to know them in the true occult sense, they ultimately flow into our hearts, so that what we have learned becomes within us a life force, a hope for life—above all, moral energy—and truly makes us what we might call a citizen of the heavenly worlds. Then, through their spiritual life, human beings bring heaven into the affairs of the earth and, in the course of the cultural process, bring about what we can describe in the highest sense as harmony and peace. And more and more it will then also come to his consciousness that truly, at the starting point as well as at the end of cultural development, a spirit of unity reigns, a spirit of form that works uniformly through human beings and allows itself to be inspired by its brothers, the other spirits of form who serve it, in order to send a unified effect throughout all of humanity. Thus, through true celestial science, something unifying is brought into all human beings, thereby promoting the intellectual and moral understanding of humanity on Earth. Thus, let us not merely consider abstract, theoretical matters, but let every such consideration also become a source of strength within us—above all, a source of moral strength—and then all the chapters will serve us, even those that seem far-fetched, in pursuing the immediate goals and ideals of Spiritual Science. With these words, which are intended to capture in a subtle nuance the spirit and attitude of these lectures, I would like to take my leave of you, my dear friends, at the end of this lecture series.