The Rudolf Steiner Archive

47. An Overview of Our Development

[ 1 ] Today I would like to provide an overview of a certain period in our development, and in doing so I will have to repeat some of what I have already said during these sessions. But we will view it within a broader context, and in the process we will also see some things we already know in a new light. In fact, one must be clear that the fundamental reality of world evolution can only be recognized by examining it from a wide variety of perspectives; only then can one gradually form a picture of how the whole context should actually be understood.

[ 2 ] Today I would like to briefly touch on a few questions that are often discussed in theosophical teachings, but which usually remain somewhat obscure because there is no mention of how these questions relate to immediate human experience.

[ 3 ] Above all, this concerns the question of the so-called Trinity. It is emphasized time and time again that the idea of the Trinity is found in all religions and that it is one of the oldest religious doctrines. Above all, it is emphasized that, regardless of whether we go to India, Persia, or Egypt, or among the Germans, the Germanic peoples, or the Celts, we find everywhere three aspects of the deity that are endowed with roughly the same attributes. You can find the Indian Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva time and again.

[ 4 ] I would now like to show you how this trinity arose from a human experience—though one of a nature quite different from what our experiences are typically like today. This experience is one of the oldest components of human wisdom, and teachers as far back as the Lemurian era already taught this doctrine. But if we go back and examine the actual occult traditions, we find that these three aspects of the Godhead also refer, among other things, to three specific stages of human development. More than has been realized in later times, the human being of the third root race—the human being of the middle of the Lemurian epoch—was aware that his innermost self is one and the same as the great divine Self.

[ 5 ] More than it has come to be recognized in later times, it was an immediate, intuitive conviction back then. To those who had reached a certain stage of development, it was clear that as human beings evolve, the Divine itself evolves. And so let us now consider the three most important stages of human evolution.

[ 6 ] But how could these stages have been perceived back then? In those days, knowledge had been acquired in an entirely different way. Knowledge acquired by observing things and then forming mental images of them has only existed since the middle of the third root race. Before the middle of the third root race, no one acquired knowledge in this way—by looking at and observing things. This kind of knowledge, gained through external observation and experience, began only in the middle of the Lemurian race. Everything is, in a certain sense, in a state of flux, and so this kind of knowledge began to develop for the two most prominent senses, primarily in the middle of the Lemurian race. The other senses—smell and taste—had already been capable of perception before that. But hearing and sight did not begin until the middle of the Lemurian race. Before that, knowledge welled up as if a kind of water were gushing forth from the earth; it was as though the human being, as he crossed the midpoint of the Lemurian race, revealed in particular his own previous states—his states during the first, second, and the first half of the third human race. This was a kind of intuitive, memory-based knowledge, and it was such that when human beings began to see, hear, and perceive the outside world, they recalled three important states.

[ 7 ] First, his experiences among the first human race; second, his experiences among the second human race; and third, his experiences during the first half of the third human race. He named these three states as follows: The state of the first human race corresponded to Brahma, the state of the second human race to Vishnu, and the state of the first half of the third human race to Shiva.

[ 8 ] We must therefore view Brahma as the evolution of God developing within humanity, in the state in which human beings existed during the first human race. At that time, human beings lived in purely etheric matter. They were luminous, like the etheric body. Thus, the body that human beings had at that time was a mere etheric body. But it was similar to the astral body. When the ancient Indians sought to imagine this etheric body of the first race, they conceived of it under the name Brahma. Brahma was therefore also regarded as the god of ethereal light.

[ 9 ] This state was succeeded by what is known as the “air state.” The second race lived in this state. If you were to try to imagine it in terms of our present-day concepts, the picture would be very unclear, for the second human race was incarnated in a body that was denser than today’s air, yet was still air-like. It was something of which one could say that the divine being sends its angels forth like winds. It was no longer an etheric race, but a condensed air race. Therefore, when natural scientists attempt to search for pre-human beings and are surprised that they find no remains beyond a certain stage, we need not be surprised, since humans at that time could not leave behind any stone impressions. This, then, is Vishnu.

[ 10 ] The third is Shiva, called the “Destroyer” on the one hand and the “Builder” on the other. Adam Kadmon was the genderless human. He was destroyed by the god Shiva. But another was created in his place; therefore, [Shiva is also called] the God of Rebirth, the God of Procreation. Wherever Shiva—or the deity corresponding to Shiva—is depicted, he is portrayed as the God of Procreation.

[ 11 ] These are the three aspects of the Divine that humans have derived from experience. These are states that they themselves have gone through.

[ 12 ] Then we speak of the “Sons of the Fire Nebula.” The Lemurian continent was destroyed by fire, not by water, as was the Atlantic continent. Please keep this in mind; it is not entirely easy to grasp. During the second human race—that is, during the so-called Hyperborean period—humans were beings of air. They were beings incarnated in air, and they were entirely in a state of oscillating, vibrating motion. They had already brought with them the potential for organs, but these were not yet fully developed. What first developed was the potential for the ear. At that time, human beings were beings of sound. They were such that one could have heard them. This concept has been preserved in the teachings of Vishnu. Vishnu found wisdom within the trumpet conch. This is an indication that humanity was already predisposed toward hearing at that time. During the development of the third race, in the Lemurian era, the ability to see forms and distinguish objects began to develop. Inner life had already existed earlier. But at that time, we were not yet able to distinguish what approached us from the outside. The eye could not yet perceive forms. The ability to see in three dimensions was only just developing then. Through this, human beings grew outward into the physical world. This development was completed in the middle of the Lemurian epoch.

[ 13 ] Now we come to what is primarily the task of the human race: Manas had to be developed in every respect. Before that, one could not speak of Manas at all. Previously, one could speak only of Mahat. The human being of the Hyperborean era, having seen the stars, would have observed them moving according to certain laws. But that was not a capacity of Manas. Manas was not an innate capacity of ours.

[ 14 ] Mahat existed as a vast cosmic tableau. Manas is essentially something that has only been present in human beings since the middle of the Lemurian period. Since that time, human development has consisted of the cultivation of previously acquired qualities and abilities through Manas, which has now taken root in human beings. Thus, Manas is responsible for cultivating the various abilities that were previously developed in human beings.

[ 15 ] During each epoch that is now to come, Manas has a very specific task. The first epoch we encounter is that from the middle to the end of the Lemurian period. During this time, Manas develops the external perception that human beings had to acquire within the Lemurian race. Then—and this is an additional aspect—human beings must associate ideas with what they see. What human beings do not yet possess, however, are memory and the power of thought. Memory and logic do not yet exist at this stage. Although human beings can see something and associate an idea with what they have seen, they are unable to retain this idea in their memory. His power of imagination, however, is all the more intense. It is immensely intense and of immense vividness, so that these images do not pass him by without leaving behind a very specific feeling. They are not retained in memory, for the Lemurian human does not yet possess such a memory. But he retains them in his feelings. Remnants of the Lemurian race can be found among the decadent tribes in Australia. They, too, do not yet possess a memory that extends beyond twenty-four hours.

[ 16 ] The profound feeling that accompanies perception brings about something very special. This second race possesses an intuitive knowledge of reincarnation. And this stems from the following: There were not very many who incarnated at that time. They had a vivid sense of things because they were left with a deep feeling from every experience. And this feeling remained embedded in the causal body, which carried it over into the next incarnation.

[ 17 ] This should be noted as a fact from the second epoch of the Lemurian era. Interaction with the surrounding environment was so lively that human beings were already becoming aware of the outside world and felt connected to things. When they then returned to this world, they sensed their kinship with things. It was similar to people who have a particularly keen sense of smell and can say to themselves, “I’ve smelled that before.” That is roughly how it was with these Lemurians of the second half of the Lemurian epoch.

[ 18 ] The Lemurian continent roughly covered the southern part of India and the area south of India. This continent was destroyed by fire. However, some peoples remained in the adjacent regions. They lived through the entire Atlantean era. Some of them intermingled with the Atlanteans. Thus, people lived here who had an immensely intense sense of reincarnation.

[ 19 ] Let us now note: Lemuria had come to an end, and we move on to the next human race, the Atlanteans. Their task was to further develop inner life. What emerged as a new human faculty was memory—a faculty that was not yet present among the Lemurians but was present among the Atlanteans. They had an extraordinarily well-developed memory. Logical thinking did not yet exist at that time. Arithmetic, multiplication tables, and so on did not yet exist. They formed an objective mental image of—let’s say—seventeen or twenty beans, of piles of such-and-such a size. The first faculty was therefore the power of imagination. The second was memory.

[ 20 ] Along with this memory, the first stirrings of the faculty of thought emerge in the Toltec subrace. A rather rudimentary faculty of thought now develops slowly—a faculty that enabled not only memorization but also the ability to combine ideas. This was still very rudimentary among the Toltecs; it was still rudimentary among the Turanians. However, it attained a certain high level among the Proto-Semites. Therefore, the Jews were called upon to further develop the subsequent race, precisely because they had cultivated thinking to the highest degree. This combinatorial ability took shape through schematic thinking. [...]

[ 21 ] The Proto-Semitic race provided the foundation for our Aryan race. Now I will show what is to be developed in the Aryan race. In the Lemurian race, it was the power of imagination; in the Atlantean race, it was memory. Now, in the Aryan race, it is what is called the power of thought. Every race in the world, every stage, every phase of development has a specific task. A later principle is always used to further develop the earlier one. What existed before is now further developed through Manas. In the fifth root race, Manas continued to develop. This power of thought is the most inner aspect we can perceive; it therefore has a very personal character. While the Lemurians had a direct awareness of reincarnation, the Atlanteans had only a very faint memory of reincarnation in their inner lives. True, when certain developments had taken place, they were able to refresh within themselves the consciousness of the Lemurian race, and then people recalled events from past lives. But on the whole, among the Atlanteans—in whom the capacity for combinatorial thinking had developed—the sense of reincarnation had completely died out. And it was even more natural, of course, that this sense could not exist within the fifth root race. Thinking is an intensely personal matter. The human personality is primarily concerned with life between birth and death. Therefore, within the force that the fifth root race was to develop, there is very little that could have led to a belief in reincarnation. The leaders of the fifth root race then spread a very rational network over the world in the most diverse ways.

[ 22 ] I hardly need to repeat that this root race originated in the Gobi Desert, where a number of chosen people were settled by the so-called Manu. From there, the Proto-Semites sent people out to various parts of the world. The first cultural current thus originated in the Gobi Desert and enriched India. Here, the Initiates were at work, and I expressly note that Initiates are always in possession of wisdom and that there has never been an Initiate lodge in which the knowledge of reincarnation was not present. So the current flows down to India. There, a culture is established—as cultures are always established by the initiated—by imparting a new direction with complete tolerance for what is encountered there.

[ 23 ] Thus, the power of thought is instilled into this vivid sense of reincarnation that the Lemurian still possesses. There, the best of what remained from the Lemurian era is united with the best that the Aryan race had to offer. This forms the union. That is why you will also understand why you find no mention of reincarnation in the ancient Vedic scriptures. The knowledge of reincarnation arose through the union of the Lemurians’ feeling with the Aryans’ power of thought. This high wisdom of the original human races, based on direct certainty, was united here with the pure spiritual life of the people of the fifth root race. This is the original Indian wisdom. A branch of this was sent down to Egypt. Hence, a similarity can also be found with that cultural layer. This is the first great cultural movement that took place within the fifth, the Aryan, human race. It was initiated by the initiates with the admirable aim of attaining the highest possible through the use of what was already there.

[ 24 ] In all other regions of the Earth, remnants of the Atlantean races were present; specifically, along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and extending into Asia, remnants of the Atlantean race could be found. Only in our regions, in Germany, did something of the Hyperborean kind still live—you must imagine this in terms of the corresponding states of aggregation. You see, you must not imagine this ancient Hyperborean kind as living in the blood; that would be too grossly materialistic. In its entire spiritual nature, it lived in such a way that it was initially possible here to establish a very spiritual worldview. In Europe, therefore—almost entirely in line with the original Indian teaching—a spiritual teaching was established, which later appeared somewhat—and now recall what I have already said about this—diluted in the ancient Druidic culture. Here, it was still possible to build upon the old traditions.

[ 25 ] But at the same time, if you carefully compare this ancient Druidic culture with the ancient Vedic culture, you will see that there is, after all, a difference. What the ancient Druidic culture possesses is an unconditional belief in the immortality of the soul, in the eternity of the soul. But it is not the case that this was an explicit doctrine of reincarnation, and that will be clear to you. Just as the remains of the Lemurians have been found in the south, so too are there, so to speak, peoples here who—because they were remnants of the Atlanteans—knew little about reincarnation. And on the other hand, they descended from the Hyperborean race. They were part of the second race. During the second human race—the Hyperborean race—reincarnation did not yet exist. That is why such an intense doctrine of immortality arose here among the Druids. This was the remnant of the ancient Hyperborean knowledge.

[ 26 ] Now, a process of fertilization takes place here at first, and various currents emerge. The second current, which first pours forth, flowed out as initiates were sent everywhere to form colonies—such as in ancient Persia and within the ancient Iranian culture. A culture is then established around the Mediterranean that is similar everywhere, among the peoples who are remnants of the various races. This is most purely expressed among the Iranians, who developed what is known as the Zoroastrian doctrine. It is a doctrine of absolute immortality. For the reasons that have been indicated, it is not based here on a doctrine of reincarnation. And this will explain to you why you cannot find a true doctrine of reincarnation in the Persian teachings. The initiates have always used what was there and developed it a little further.

[ 27 ] Then came the second cultural current. In Europe, this manifested itself in such a way that the memory of it has endured—above all, the memory of the initiates of the second cultural current. They have remained in the collective memory of various European peoples everywhere. Here in the North, you have preserved these Initiates as Wodan, Wili, Loki, and so on; in Greece, as gods such as Zeus and so on. The various circles of gods—these are the Initiates who spread this culture throughout the entire world.

[ 28 ] Now comes the third wave of initiation. This primarily gave rise to what we see in Egypt—that is, Egyptian historical culture. That is the third wave. And what constitutes heroic culture in Greece. All the Initiates of the third current have been preserved as the names of heroes, such as Hercules and so on. They have been preserved among us. These are the German heroes, the German Initiates—as, for example, in the legend of Dietrich von Bern, which has very similar traits to the Greek legend of Hercules. This is the culture preserved as the Age of Heroes. This is the third subrace of the fifth root race. It gave rise to what is called artistic culture in various fields, both in terms of myth-making and in terms of the plastic arts in Asia, Greece, and here as well.

[ 29 ] Now a new process of racial formation begins. Greek culture spreads to Italy. This new process of racial formation begins a few centuries before the birth of Christ, once again as a result of Semitic peoples migrating around the shores of the Mediterranean. The influences I have described have always been Semitic. Now we have the emergence of the Latin race, which is enriched by Christianity. This develops well into the ninth and tenth centuries. Everything depends on the Latin race.

[ 30 ] Recently, a new wave of influence has emerged as a result of the Arabs' migration westward. This, too, stems from shadowy sources. Muhammad is merely a figurehead. Behind him stands the secret Grand Lodge.

[ 31 ] And now comes the Germanic race, among whom we currently live. This is the evolution of the races, which spread out in concentric circles across the world. The colonies of the Initiates have never worked in any other way than with full consideration of what was already present in the respective regions.

[ 32 ] This is the broad overview I wanted to provide of evolution from the Hyperboreans to the present day. From the Q&A section

[ 33 ] During the Hyperborean era, preparations were made for things that were in tune with those vibrations. People back then had, so to speak, different ears. Indeed, they differed in their type of vibration. It was the similarity of these vibrations that constituted their kinship. The Atlanteans had long since begun to develop, while Hyperborean development was still ongoing, so that genuine interaction did indeed take place between the Atlanteans, who lived in Europe, and the Air People.