The Rudolf Steiner Archive

81. Division into Male and Female

[ 1 ] We must understand this division into male and female in such a way that it held much greater significance at the beginning of the Lemurian race than it did later, when the characteristics of the male and female became more neutralized. The matter runs deeper and is connected to the entire process of evolution. The two sexes were preceded by a hermaphroditic humanity, in which each individual possessed both sexes within themselves; a hermaphroditic humanity. The oldest gods were always described as hermaphroditic. We still find this among the ancient Greeks. The mystery temples were filled with hermaphroditic figures. Even the Bible itself still contains a clear awareness of this, as it suggests that the separation of the sexes was the emergence of the two genders from the hermaphroditic state. This is even more clearly evident in Persian mythology.

[ 2 ] Back then, at the time of the separation, all human powers were still more magical and more immediate than they are now, so that after the separation we find within the human being two spiritual powers—one male and one female—that are still magical. Those of the masculine must be described as forces more closely related to the will, while those of the feminine are forces more closely related to the emotions and memory. Thus, humanity is divided. In Sanskrit, Iccha Shakti is the force more akin to the masculine; Kriya Shakti, the one more akin to the feminine. Neither of these forces exists in their original form, since in the course of further development, the feminine, mood-like forces have come to resemble the masculine, will-like forces.

[ 3 ] Hermaphroditic humanity served as the vessel for the very first and most advanced Pitris, who were not yet able to incarnate into these sexes, each of which was limited to one half, and therefore possessed the powers within their physical bodies to express humanity in twofold form. These are the great sons of the Fire Nebula, the Arhats. The best known is Hermes Trismegistus, the Egyptian. You can see that these first Arhats recognized the moment when they had a humanity capable of attaining the highest, for with the division into male and female, only a one-sided incarnation was possible, and this one-sided incarnation also meant that, at first, a portion of the Dhyanic natures ripe for incarnation did not incarnate at all. Only a portion—which, however, had from the outset encountered a strongly one-sided development of humanity, because it could perceive only half of humanity—was dependent on the guiding world powers. It is therefore not surprising that the advanced Pitris refused to incarnate. The result was a lower stage of humanity alongside the Arhats. Now the separation of the human-animal and the animal-human also arose. The difference was not very great, and the result was that humans and animals lived together and engaged in sexual intercourse. This carried forward to a certain extent what would have occurred had there been no manasic fertilization at all.

[ 4 ] What essentially occurred was a deterioration of the low state of humanity. Thus, there was no karma for the Arhats.

[ 5 ] Only now, as human nature has continued to evolve, has it become necessary to raise it to a higher level once again. Only in the middle of the sixth root race will humanity be raised to the same level as the Arhats of that time, but through the process of karma. What will be the difference? That the great hermaphrodites were perfect, just as those who have reached the summit are perfect. But they were perfect under the direct assistance of God, guided by the gods themselves. What emanates from these Arhats is therefore holy. What they lack, however, is freedom. For them, it is impossible to do evil. The Arhats produced purely by human means, without any influence from supernatural powers, have overcome the freedom to do evil through their own efforts.

[ 6 ] What, then, has humanity accomplished? It has absorbed the lagging individuals from the Moon and redeemed the Luciferic beings. And from this follows that great truth regarding the kinship between the higher nature of Lucifer and the lower nature of humanity.

[ 7 ] This truth—that humanity’s evolution must be redeemed through karma with humanity’s own help—is the foundation of Manichaeism, from which sects have continually emerged ever since. These sects recognize that people must now overcome evil through good in order to redeem it. Among the Cathars and Waldensians, there were sects that called themselves . These sects are often systematically established by initiates so that they can work among people in a much more conscious way in their next incarnation.

[ 8 ] That is the very purpose of evolution through the Lemurian, Atlantean, and Aryan root races. Karma is nothing other than humanity’s descent to a level one step lower than what was foreseen in the plan for humanity’s destiny—in order to redeem a part of the divine, non-human plan, to redeem Lucifer, who thereby gave humanity freedom.

[ 9 ] In the male, the volitional nature was primarily developed; it was more of a natural force within the soul. This was initially influenced by the great hermaphrodites; and at first, it was strictly forbidden for women to participate in ritual acts. In contrast, the soul force developed in women, and if we consider that Lucifer acts upon the soul through the detour of the lower human realm, then women were called upon to receive the influence of the Luciferic principle.

[ 10 ] And thus humanity is divided into the masculine nature, which tends toward the strengthening of the will, and the feminine nature, which tends toward a sensual deepening of the soul. Through the cruel upbringing of boys, the carnal was killed off and the iccha-shakti power was unleashed, which is related to the rhythmic movements of the universe. Of all this, the calendar is now nothing more than a decadent remnant.

[ 11 ] The education of women was more focused on absorbing, with the soul, the full meaning of the surrounding natural world. Back then, human beings were, in a sense, systematically shaped into microcosms. In a kind of somnambulistic dream, they absorbed nature; the entire plastic power, Kriya-Shakti, was present and had an immense effect on future generations. Thus, the masculine and feminine gradually neutralized one another.

[ 12 ] Thus we see that religion—namely, the free worship of the divine—arose under the influence of women. Men acted more like divine forces. [...]

[ 13 ] Cain went to foreign lands and took a wife. This means that, from among the two sexes, he took a woman. Cain mingled with something that was already of a different sex. Adam “knew his female counterpart”—not another being, not self-fertilization—and thus Abel came into being—and Cain, of course, as well. Gradually, a contrast developed between humanity at large and that small group destined to transition into the Atlantean race. This was, however, influenced by women with a penchant for free religious practice, song, and dance—in essence, a kind of Dionysian cult. The men were fertilized by this feminine soul element, while the feminine soul element is fertilized by the masculine will element and thus neutralized; hence, human nature’s striving toward something higher is always symbolized as a woman.

[ 14 ] This is how humanity lived at the beginning of the Atlantean race. However, at that time, the Luciferic principle was so strong that, in the fourth subrace, it led to seduction through black magic, and we witnessed a kind of derailment of humanity.