The Rudolf Steiner Archive

2. Elemental, Sidereal, and Celestial Deities. Human Evolution and the Zodiac

[ 1 ] If we trace the entire origin of humankind, we will recall that we are initially dealing with Pitris who came over from the lunar epoch, for the Pitris are the actual human beings who came over in the seed and form the foundation for the Earth. They have already shed the three realms, and we are dealing with lunar Pitris.

[ 2 ] That is the first factor. The second is that into which the Pitri are to incarnate, which comes from the Earth itself, for the lunar forms are, after all, gone. It is a second current that must unite with the first. And the third is that which came during the Lemurian epoch as manasic fertilization.

[ 3 ] The soul comes from the moon, the body from the earth, and rises up from the earth. And the spirit comes from above as a divine impulse. Thus, the three members come together.

[ 4 ] These three currents represent three entities:

1. human being
2. superhuman being
3. subhuman being. We call the superhuman ones “divine beings”; the mystic also calls them “heavenly gods.” The second stream from which the souls come, we call “star gods” or “planetary or sidereal gods.” /p

[Gap in the transcript]

[ 5 ] We call the three groups from which the body is composed “elemental spirits.” Thus, we may say that, in terms of its body, human beings are composed of elemental, subterranean spirits. These spirits have gradually shaped the bodies of minerals, plants, animals, and human beings to the point where the human body is permeated by the planetary [gap in the transcript] spirit. Only at the end of his development will he become spirit or Logos.

[ 6 ] There are still other characteristic features we must understand. We can characterize the elemental beings by saying that in them, will, feeling, and thought are present in a single focal point. If we study all the elemental spirits that are at work in our evolution and ask, “Why do you want this?”, it makes no sense. For the collective spirit has the will, while the elemental spirit is the executor. Likewise, there is a collective consciousness—one cannot ask, “What do you feel?” Just as with the human hand. Therefore, the activity of the elemental spirits manifests in the form of necessary laws of nature. They appear emotionless and without will as necessities, because consciousness is at the center of the entire macrocosm.

[ 7 ] Now we come to the sidereal beings. When they have reached the highest level, they have their own feelings and their own thoughts, but not yet their own will. When humanity has reached the end of Earth’s evolution as a planetary Logos, it will be capable of thinking and feeling everything, but not of willing. That will only happen once he has spiritualized the next three planets. Then we will be beings who feel and will everything, but not yet omnipotent beings. However, humanity is now gradually developing the will. It is precisely the element of will that is gradually emerging and has been fostering freedom since the middle of the Lemurian period. An elemental being is not free, neither in terms of [gap in the transcript] plan. The Logos is free with regard to its thoughts once it has reached the highest pinnacle of feeling; and a divine spirit being is free with regard to thought, feeling, and will. This also explains why Christian esotericism does not attribute free will to human beings—only to a limited extent. Angels carry out the will of God; they are messengers. They see that thought and feeling are in balance in the sidereal beings [gap in the transcript]. The two are not yet mastered by the will and are therefore still in conflict;

[ 8 ] They will bring them into full harmony on the next planet through the Will. So that, specifically, these planetary spirits who enter our Earth maintain a balance in thought and feeling—that is, they still waver back and forth and are not yet stable—and thus are Kama-Manas.

[ 9 ] The third degree of divine beings possesses a stable equilibrium through the will that keeps them in balance. If you follow this line of thought, you will say to yourself: At the beginning of the first planet, we perceive only elemental beings at work, for the Pitris are still children. Then, in the middle of planetary development, the influence of the sidereal beings begins and continues, and from the middle to the end, the influence of the divine beings prevails.

[ 10 ] From the very beginning, then, we have only a central consciousness for the planetary cosmos; then a sidereal consciousness begins to develop, and then a celestial one. In the beginning, one is conscious, and in the end, all participate in the consciousness of the one; in the beginning, unity consciousness; in the end, multiplicity consciousness. Now, in the end, we call such a being—endowed with the consciousness of many—“Atm.” And we call the unity consciousness at the beginning “Ishwar,” so that we must imagine the entire evolution as a transition from the unity consciousness, Ishwar, to the unity consciousness of <“Atwar.”> It continually gives forth until a symphony is achieved.

[ 11 ] If you now try to imagine this process, you must tell yourself: At the beginning, we are dealing with an undivided Ishwara consciousness that has divided itself somewhere along the way, until the dull “I” consciousnesses emerge. In esoteric astrology, this point is designated by Libra. So you can say: For the esotericist, the symbol of Libra signifies the emergence of Atma from Ishwara.

[ 12 ] And now an important moment in evolution occurs: that the being from which the “I” emerged is a duality; for it is, after all, a macrocosmic being. The microcosm is the Atma-embryo, and the macrocosm is that which acts from the outside as Ishwara-consciousness. Thus, following the constellation of Libra—where the two diverge—you have the duality: the virginal aspect of the soul, the Virgin, and that which comes in from the outside, the powerful force. This can also be called the Will, the Lion. And now we have already reached the point where Leo and Virgo—which previously manifested only in the natural kingdoms—gradually come together in the human being: the hermaphroditic human, Gemini. Of course, a reversal must take place between Leo, Virgo, and Gemini; what was external must turn inward—this is what Cancer signifies. We now have this duality inherent in the hermaphroditic human, a duality that now emerges on the other side. What was formerly higher nature becomes lower nature: Taurus. And now the ascent begins again, moving upward toward Aries. What was lower nature becomes the representative of justice—the Jason myth.

[ 13 ] The next point is that justice does not remain external, but takes hold of the inner self: Kama, the water. We have the constellation of Pisces. The present moment. The Theosophical Movement [gap in the transcript]

[ 14 ] Then it continues. Future: Aquarius, Sagittarius, Scorpio, and then Libra comes around again.

[ 15 ] A new cycle from God to humankind. What unfolds between Libra and Aries—Virgo, Leo, Cancer, Gemini, Taurus, Pisces—is the evolution of humanity on our Earth, as it is revealed on that day.

[ 16 ] On the other hand, we have the hidden development within the divinity. It lies between Libra and Pisces. Thus, everything that lies on the other side is outwardly visible development [possibly a gap in the transcript]. Everything else lies on the outer side when inner development takes place—night, the southern half. The one, the visible, is, in the broadest sense, the content of science. The other half is the content of the mysteries. Of course, only complete science sheds light on the whole. Therefore, theosophical development is the unveiling of the other side—the actual night—which becomes day for those who enter it. Thus, at Christmas, the sun rises in Virgo and ascends ever higher; at Easter, there is the rebirth from the Taurus human to Aries; and then the journey continues through Pisces until the sun reaches its full zenith.