The Rudolf Steiner Archive

The Lemurian Race

[ 1 ] Here, an excerpt from the Akashic Records is presented that refers to a very distant primeval era in human evolution. This era precedes the one described in the preceding accounts. It concerns the third human root race, which, according to theosophical books, inhabited the Lemurian continent. This continent was located—according to these books—in the south of Asia, but extended roughly from Ceylon to Madagascar. Present-day southern Asia and parts of Africa also belonged to it. — Although every possible care has been taken in deciphering the “Akashic Records,” it must nevertheless be emphasized that these accounts are in no way intended to be taken as dogma. While reading about events and occurrences so distant from the present age is no easy task, translating what has been seen and deciphered into the language of today presents almost insurmountable obstacles. — Specific dates will be provided later. They will be better understood once the entire Lemurian period, as well as that of our (fifth) root race, has been covered up to the present. — The information presented here is surprising even to the occultist reading it for the first time—although that word is not entirely accurate. Therefore, he may only share it after the most careful examination.

[ 2 ] The fourth (Atlantean) root race was preceded by the so-called Lemurian race. During its development, events of the utmost significance took place involving the Earth and humankind. However, we shall first say a few words here about the character of this root race in light of these events, and only then will we address the latter. On the whole, memory had not yet developed in this race. Although people were able to form mental images of things and events, these images did not remain in their memory. Therefore, they did not yet have language in the true sense of the word. What they were able to produce in this regard were more like natural sounds that expressed their feelings, pleasure, joy, pain, and so on, but which did not designate external objects. — But their mental images possessed a power quite different from that of later humans. Through this power, they exerted an influence on their surroundings. Other humans, animals, plants, and even inanimate objects could perceive this effect and be influenced by mere mental images. Thus, the Lemurian could communicate with his fellow humans without needing a language. This communication consisted of a kind of “mind reading.” The Lemurian drew the power of his mental images directly from the things that surrounded him. It flowed to him from the growth force of plants and the life force of animals. Thus he understood plants and animals in their inner workings and life. Indeed, he also understood the physical and chemical forces of inanimate objects in this way. When he built something, he did not first need to calculate the load-bearing capacity of a log or the weight of a building stone; he saw by looking at the log how much it could bear, and by looking at the building stone, where its weight made it suitable for placement and where it was not. Thus the Lemurian built without the art of engineering, drawing on his imagination, which functioned with the certainty of a kind of instinct. And in doing so, he had a high degree of control over his body. He could steel his arm when necessary through the mere exertion of his will. For example, he could lift immense loads through the sheer power of his will. Just as the Atlantean later relied on mastery of the life force, so did the Lemurian rely on mastery of the will. He was—and let this expression not be misunderstood—a natural-born magician in all areas of lower human activities.

[ 3 ] The Lemurians focused on training the will and the power of imagination. The upbringing of children was entirely geared toward this. The boys were toughened up in the most rigorous way. They had to learn to face dangers, overcome pain, and carry out daring deeds. Those who could not endure torture or overcome dangers were not considered useful members of humanity. They were left to perish under the hardships. What the Akashic Records reveal regarding this child-rearing practice surpasses anything that modern humans can imagine in their wildest fantasies. Enduring heat up to scorching intensity and having their bodies pierced with sharp objects were quite common procedures. — The upbringing of girls was different. Although female children were also toughened up, everything else was designed to help them develop a robust imagination. For example, she was exposed to storms so that she might calmly appreciate their eerie beauty; she had to watch the men’s battles, without fear, imbued only with a sense of the strength and power she saw before her. This fostered in the girl a predisposition toward daydreaming and fantasizing; yet these qualities were held in particularly high regard. And since she lacked a memory, these tendencies could not get out of hand. The relevant dreams or fantasies lasted only as long as the corresponding external stimulus was present. In this respect, they were firmly grounded in external realities. They did not vanish into the abyss. It was, so to speak, the fantasy and reverie of nature itself that was instilled in the female mind.

[ 4 ] The Lemurians did not have dwellings as we understand them, except during their final period. They lived wherever nature itself provided the opportunity. For example, they simply adapted the earthen caves they used, furnishing them with whatever they needed. Later, they also built such caves out of earth; and in doing so, they developed great skill. One must not imagine, however, that they did not also construct artificial buildings. These, however, were not used as dwellings. In the early days, they arose from the need to give natural objects a form created by human hands. Hills were reshaped so that people could take pleasure and find comfort in their form. Stones were set together for the same reason, or to serve a specific purpose in certain tasks. The places where children were hardened were surrounded by walls of this kind. — Toward the end of this era, however, the structures dedicated to the cultivation of “divine wisdom and divine art” became increasingly grand and elaborate. These institutions differed in every respect from what temples would later come to be for humanity, for they served simultaneously as educational institutions and centers of learning. Those deemed suitable were permitted to be initiated here into the science of the laws of the universe and the application of these laws. If a Lemurian was a natural-born magician, this aptitude for the art and for insight was cultivated here. Only those who, through every form of hardening, had acquired the highest degree of ability to overcome challenges could be admitted. For everyone else, what took place in these institutions was the deepest secret. Here, one came to know the forces of nature through direct observation and also to master them. But the learning process was such that the forces of nature were transformed within the individual into forces of will. Through this, he was able to accomplish for himself what nature accomplishes. What later humanity accomplished through reflection and combination had, at that time, the character of an instinctive activity. Yet one must not use the word “instinct” here in the same sense in which one is accustomed to applying it to the animal kingdom. For the feats of the Lemurian humanity towered far above anything the animal kingdom is capable of producing through instinct. They even stood far above what humanity has since acquired in the arts and sciences through memory, intellect, and imagination. If one were to use an expression for these institutions that would facilitate understanding, one could call them “universities of the powers of the will and of clairvoyant imagination.” — From them emerged the people who became rulers over others in every respect. It is difficult today to convey a true picture of all these conditions in words. For everything on Earth has changed since then. Nature itself and all human life were different; consequently, human labor and the relationship between people were quite different from what is customary today.

[ 5 ] The air was much denser than it would later be during the Atlantean era, and the water was much thinner. And even what today forms our solid Earth’s crust had not yet hardened as much as it would later. The plant and animal kingdoms had only advanced as far as amphibians, birds, and lower mammals, as well as plants resembling our palms and similar trees. Yet all forms were different from what they are today. What now occurs only in small forms was enormously developed back then. Our small ferns were trees back then and formed mighty forests. The higher mammals of today did not exist. In contrast, a large portion of humanity was at such a low stage of development that it must certainly be described as animal-like. In general, what is described here applies only to a small portion of humanity. The rest lived a life of animality. Indeed, these animal-like humans differed entirely from that small portion in their physical build and way of life. They did not differ particularly from the lower mammals, to which they were also similar in appearance in certain respects.

[ 6 ] A few more words must be said about the significance of the temple sites mentioned. What was practiced there was not strictly speaking religion. It was “divine wisdom and art.” People perceived what was given to them there directly as a gift from the spiritual forces of the world. And when they partook of this gift, they regarded themselves as “servants” of these spiritual forces. They felt “sanctified” above all that was unspiritual. If one wishes to speak of religion at this stage of human development, one could call it a “religion of the will.” The religious mood and sense of consecration lay in the fact that human beings guarded the powers bestowed upon them as a strict, divine “mystery,” and that they led a life through which they sanctified their power. The reverence and awe with which people treated others who possessed such powers were profound. And these were not brought about by laws or the like, but by the direct power that these individuals exerted. Those who were uninitiated were, quite naturally, under the magical influence of the initiated. And it was, of course, also natural that they regarded themselves as sacred beings. For in their temples they participated fully in the contemplation of the active forces of nature. They gazed into the creative workshop of nature. What they experienced was communion with the beings who are building the world itself. One may call this communion a relationship with the gods. And what later developed into “initiation” and “mystery” emerged from this original form of human communion with the gods. In subsequent eras, this communion had to take on a different form, because human imagination and the human spirit assumed new forms.

[ 7 ] Of particular importance is what occurred as a result of the progress of Lemurian evolution, due to the fact that women lived in the manner described. Through this, they developed special human faculties. Their imagination, which was in harmony with nature, became the foundation for a higher development of the life of the imagination. They sensibly absorbed the forces of nature into themselves and allowed them to continue to work within their souls. This gave rise to the seeds of memory. And with memory came the ability to form the first, simplest moral concepts. — The development of the will in the male element did not initially know anything of this sort. Man instinctively followed either the impulses of nature or the influences emanating from the initiates. — The first concepts of “good and evil” arose from the feminine principle. Thus people began to love that which had made a particular impression on their imaginative life and to abhor the rest. While the dominion exercised by the masculine element was directed more toward the external effects of the forces of the will and the mastery of natural forces, a parallel development arose within the feminine element through the emotions and the inner, personal forces of the human being. Only those who take into account that the first advances in the life of the imagination were made by women can truly understand the development of humanity. The development of habits—linked to the sensory life of the imagination and the cultivation of memory—which formed the seeds of a legal life, of a kind of custom, came from this side. While man had observed and exercised the forces of nature, woman became the first interpreter of those same forces. A special new way of living through reflection arose here. This way had something much more personal about it than that of men. Now one must imagine that this way of women was also a kind of clairvoyance, even if it differed from the will-magic of men. In her soul, the woman was receptive to a different kind of spiritual power—one that spoke more to the emotional element of the soul and less to the intellectual element to which the man was subject. Thus, the men radiated an influence that was more natural-divine, while the women radiated one that was more soulful-divine.

[ 8 ] The evolution that women had undergone during the Lemurian era meant that they were destined to play an important role when the next—the Atlantean—root race appeared on Earth. This emergence took place under the influence of highly evolved beings who were familiar with the laws of racial formation and who were capable of directing the existing forces of human nature along such paths that a new race could arise. These beings will be discussed in more detail later. For now, it may suffice to say that they possessed superhuman wisdom and power. They now set apart a small group from the Lemurian humanity and designated them as the progenitors of the coming Atlantean race. The place where they did this was located in the tropical zone. Under their guidance, the men of this small group had trained themselves in the mastery of natural forces. They were strong and knew how to extract the most diverse treasures from the earth. They were able to cultivate the fields and make use of their fruits for their livelihood. They had become strong-willed through the discipline they had been subjected to. To a limited extent, their souls and minds were developed. These, however, had found fulfillment in the women. Memory, imagination, and everything associated with them were present in them.

[ 9 ] The leaders mentioned caused the small band to organize itself into smaller groups. And they entrusted the women with the organization and management of these groups. Through her memory, woman had acquired the ability to apply past experiences and events to the future. What had proven useful yesterday, she applied today, and she was fully aware that it would also be beneficial tomorrow. As a result, the structures for communal life originated with her. Under her influence, the concepts of “good and evil” took shape. Through her contemplative life, she had gained an understanding of nature. From her observation of nature sprang the ideas by which she guided human activities. The leaders had arranged things so that, through the soul of women, the volitional nature—the brimming vitality—of men was ennobled and purified. Of course, one must imagine all of this in its earliest, childlike stages. The words of our language all too easily evoke images drawn from present-day life.

[ 10 ] It was only through the awakened spiritual life of the women that the leaders were able to develop that of the men. In the colony described, the influence of the women was therefore very great. One had to seek their counsel if one wished to interpret the signs of nature. However, the entire nature of their spiritual life was still one dominated by the “secret” spiritual forces of the human being. One does not quite capture the essence of the matter, but comes close, when speaking of a somnambulistic perception on the part of these women. In a certain higher state of dreaming, the secrets of nature were revealed to them, and the impulses for their actions flowed from this. Everything was animated for them and revealed itself to them through spiritual forces and phenomena. They surrendered themselves to the mysterious interplay of their spiritual forces. What drove them to their actions were “inner voices” or what plants, animals, stones, wind, and clouds—the rustling of the trees and so on—told them.

[ 11 ] From such a state of mind arose what might be called human religion. The spiritual aspect of nature and human life gradually came to be revered and worshipped. Certain women attained a position of special authority because, drawing upon special, mysterious depths, they were able to interpret what the world holds.

[ 12 ] Thus it came to pass that, in such women, what lived within them was expressed in a kind of natural language. For the origin of language lies in something akin to song. The power of thought was transformed into the audible power of sound. The inner rhythm of nature resounded from the lips of “wise” women. People gathered around such women and perceived in their song-like utterances the expressions of higher powers. Human religious worship began with such things. — There can be no question of any “meaning” in what was spoken at that time. People perceived sound, tone, and rhythm. People did not imagine anything beyond this; rather, they absorbed the power of what they heard into their souls. The entire process was guided by the higher leaders. In a manner that cannot be discussed further here, they had instilled tones and rhythms into the “wise” priestesses. In this way, they were able to exert a refining influence on the souls of human beings. One might say that it was in this way that true soul life first awakened at all.

[ 13 ] The Akashic Records depict beautiful scenes in this realm. One such scene will be described here. We are in a forest, near a mighty tree. The sun has just risen in the east. The palm-like tree casts mighty shadows; the other trees around it have been removed. Facing east, entranced, the priestess sits on a seat fashioned from rare natural objects and plants. Slowly, in rhythmic succession, wondrous, sparse sounds flow from her lips, repeating themselves over and over. Seated in a circle around her are a number of men and women with dreamy expressions, absorbing the inner life of what they hear. — Other scenes can also be seen. At a similarly arranged site, a priestess “sings” in a similar manner, but her tones have something more powerful and forceful about them. And the people around her move in rhythmic dances. For this was the other way in which the “soul” entered humanity. The mysterious rhythms that had been gleaned from nature were imitated in the movements of one’s own limbs. Through this, one felt at one with nature and the forces at work within it.

[ 14 ] The place on Earth where this tribe of a future human race was formed was particularly well-suited for this purpose. It was a place where the Earth—which at that time was still in a state of turmoil—had settled down to some extent. For Lemuria was in turmoil. After all, the Earth had not yet attained its later density at that time. Everywhere, the thin soil was eroded by volcanic forces that erupted in smaller or larger streams. Mighty volcanoes were present almost everywhere and were constantly wreaking havoc. People were accustomed to taking this volcanic activity into account in all their daily tasks. They also utilized this fire in their work and in their structures. In many cases, their activities were such that nature’s fire served as a foundation, just as artificial fire does today in human labor.

[ 15 ] The activity of this volcanic fire also brought about the downfall of the Lemurian continent. The part of Lemuria from which the ancestral race of the Atlanteans was to develop did indeed have a hot climate, but it was, on the whole, spared from volcanic activity. — Human nature was able to unfold here in a quieter and more peaceful manner than in the rest of the world. The more nomadic lifestyle of earlier times was abandoned, and permanent settlements became increasingly numerous.

[ 16 ] One must imagine that, at that time, the human body still possessed a great deal of plasticity and suppleness. It was still constantly reshaping itself as inner life changed. Not long before that, people had still been quite different in terms of their external structure. The external influences of the region and the climate were still decisive factors in physical structure. It was only in the colony in question that the human body increasingly became an expression of the person’s inner spiritual life. This colony also had a more advanced, outwardly more refined human race. It must be said that, through what the leaders had done, they were actually the ones who first created what the true human form is. This process, however, proceeded very slowly and gradually. But it unfolded in such a way that first the soul life within the human being was developed, and the body—which was still soft and pliable—adapted to it. It is a law of human evolution that, as humanity progresses, the human being exerts less and less transformative influence on his physical body. This physical human body actually did not acquire a fairly solid form until the development of the power of reason and the associated solidification of the Earth’s rock, mineral, and metal formations. For in the Lemurian and even in the Atlantean era, stones and metals were much softer than they were later. — (This is not contradicted by the fact that there are still descendants of the last Lemurians and Atlanteans who today exhibit forms just as solid as those of the human races that formed later. These remnants had to adapt to the Earth’s changed environmental conditions and thus also became more rigid. This is precisely the reason why they are in decline. They did not transform from within; rather, their less-developed inner being was forced from the outside into rigidity and thereby compelled to a state of stagnation. And this stagnation is truly a decline, for their inner life has also degenerated because it could not find expression within the solidified outer physical form.)

[ 17 ] Animal life was subject to an even greater capacity for transformation. We will discuss later the animal species that existed at the time of humanity’s emergence and their origins, as well as the emergence of new animal forms after humans had already appeared. Here, it suffices to say that the existing animal species were constantly undergoing transformation and new ones were emerging. This transformation was, of course, a gradual process. The reasons for the transformation lay in part in changes in habitat and lifestyle. Animals possessed an extraordinarily rapid ability to adapt to new conditions. Their malleable bodies altered their organs relatively quickly, so that after a more or less short period of time, the descendants of a certain animal species bore only a slight resemblance to their ancestors. The same was true—indeed, to an even greater extent—for plants. Human beings themselves had the greatest influence on the transformation of humans and animals. Whether by instinctively placing living beings in an environment that caused them to take on certain forms, or by bringing about such changes through breeding experiments, the transformative influence of humans on nature was, compared to today’s conditions, immeasurably great at that time. This was particularly true in the colony described. For there, the leaders guided this transformation in a way that was unconscious to the people. This was the case to such an extent that when the people later set out to establish the various Atlantean races, they were able to take with them highly developed knowledge of animal and plant breeding. Cultural development in Atlantis was then essentially a consequence of this knowledge they brought with them. However, it must also be emphasized here that this knowledge had an instinctive character. This remained essentially the case among the first Atlantean races as well.

[ 18 ] The noted predominance of the female soul was particularly strong during the late Lemurian period and continued into the Atlantean era, when the fourth subrace was taking shape. But one must not imagine that this was the case for all of humanity. It certainly applied, however, to that portion of the Earth’s population from which the truly advanced races later emerged. And this influence was strongest on all those aspects of the human being that are “unconscious” within and around him. The development of certain habitual gestures, the subtleties of sensory perception, the sense of beauty, and a good portion of the emotional and feeling life common to all human beings originated in the soul-based influence of women. It is no exaggeration to interpret the accounts of the Akashic Records in such a way as to assert: “Civilized nations have a physical constitution and physical expression, as well as certain foundations of physical-psychic life, that have been imprinted upon them by women.”

[ 19 ] In the course of this discussion, we will look back to earlier periods in human history, when the Earth’s population was still single-sex. We will then describe the emergence of the two sexes.