The Rudolf Steiner Archive

Lecture VIII

[ 1 ] The various reincarnations of the human individuality are a kind of back-and-forth oscillation until a rhythmic calm has set in, and the higher part of the human being has found a fitting expression—a suitable instrument—within the physical body. The positions of the Sun, Moon, and Earth, as they exist today, have been in place more or less since the beginning of human reincarnation. We must understand that human beings are part of the great cosmic organism. In times when major changes occur in the life of humanity, tremendous changes also take place in the cosmos. In the past, before reincarnation existed, the Sun, Moon, and Earth were not yet separate as they are now. Kant and Laplace observed only from the physical plane, and in that respect their theory is entirely correct. However, they were unaware of the connection with spiritual forces. When the Sun, Moon, and Earth emerged as separate bodies from the primordial fiery nebula, human beings also began to incarnate. When human incarnations come to an end, the Sun will once again be united with the Earth. Both on a grand scale and in individual cases, one must take these relationships between humanity and the universe into account.

[ 2 ] You have probably heard many times that human beings usually reincarnate after a period of about two thousand years. It is possible to determine approximately when the people currently living were incarnated in the past. As a rule, the souls who are now incarnated can be traced back to around 300 to 400 A.D. In addition, there are others who were incarnated at various times, some earlier, some later. However, there is another way to determine past incarnations—a way that leads more reliably to the goal. One might say: If the people who die today were to return in a short time, they would find almost the same circumstances as they do now. But human beings are meant to learn as much as possible on Earth. This can only happen if, in their next incarnation, they encounter something new that is fundamentally different from their previous circumstances.

[ 3 ] Let’s imagine ourselves back in the time around 600 to 800 B.C., which is roughly when the *Iliad* and *Odyssey* were written. Among the advanced civilizations of that era, living conditions were quite different from what they are today. For example, one would be astonished to see the strange utensils people used to eat with. Back then, people had not yet learned to write. The great works of poetry were passed down orally. If a person from that time were to be reincarnated today, as a child they would have to learn things quite different from what they learned back then. Now, as a child, they would have to learn to write. The flow of culture has continued in the meantime. One must distinguish the flow of culture from the development of the individual soul. As a child, one must catch up on culture, and for that reason, one must be reborn as a child.

[ 4 ] We must now ask: What causes such entirely new conditions to arise on Earth? — This is related to the progression of the vernal equinox. Around 800 B.C., the Sun began to rise in the constellation of Aries, the Ram, in the spring. Every year, the vernal equinox shifts a little further. As a result, conditions on Earth change ever so slightly. Around 800 BC, the Sun was in the constellation of Aries. Even earlier, it was in the constellation of Taurus; before that, in Gemini; and before that, in Cancer. For several centuries now, it has been rising in the constellation of Pisces. Next comes Aquarius. The advancement of cultures is also linked to the Sun’s progression from one constellation to another.

[ 5 ] During the time when the Sun was in the constellation of Cancer, the ancient Vedic culture of the Indians—the culture of the Rishis—reached its zenith. The Rishis, these still semi-divine beings, instructed humanity. The Atlantean civilization had perished; a new era was dawning. In occultism, this is called a “vortex.” That is why the sign of Cancer is also associated with the zodiac constellation in which the Sun was located at that time:

[ 6 ] Cancer signifies a new direction, a whirlwind. The second culture is represented by the constellation of Gemini. At that time, people came to understand the dual nature of the world—the opposites in the world, Ormuzd and Ahriman, good and evil. That is why the Persians also speak of the twins.

[ 7 ] The third culture is that of the Sumerians in the Near East and the ancient Egyptians. The constellation of Taurus corresponds to it. This is why the bull is revered in Asia and the Apis bull in Egypt. At that time, the Sumerian language was the language of wisdom in Babylonia, Assyria, and so on. Then the sign of Taurus fell into decline, and Aries emerged. The first indication of this is the legend of the Golden Fleece.

[ 8 ] The fourth culture is that of the Ram or Lamb; Christ is represented by the sign of the Ram or Lamb, which is why he calls himself the Lamb of God.

[ 9 ] The fifth culture was the outwardly material culture of the constellation Pisces. It developed primarily from the 12th century onward and reached its peak around the year 1800. This is the culture of the fifth subrace, the present.

[ 10 ] In the constellation of Aquarius, the new Christianity will be proclaimed in the future. “Aquarius” is also the one who will bring it, the one who has already been here: John the Baptist. He will also precede Christ later, when the sixth, spiritual sub-race is established. The Theosophical Movement is intended to be the preparation for that time.

[ 11 ] In the New Testament, the expression “on the mountain” is used several times. “On the mountain” means: in the mystery, within, in the innermost realm. — Nor should the Sermon on the Mount be understood as a sermon to the masses, but rather as an instruction to the disciples in the innermost realm. The Transfiguration on the mountain must also be understood in this sense. Jesus went up the mountain with the three disciples—Peter, James, and John. It is said that the disciples were caught up; then Moses and Elijah appeared beside Jesus. For a moment, space and time were obliterated; their consciousness was on the mental plane. Moses and Elijah—who were no longer physically present—appeared. What they saw before them as a real manifestation was: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” The Way = Elijah, Moses = the Truth, Christ = the Life. This appeared to the disciples here in its essential form. Jesus also once said to them: “Elijah has appeared again; John was Elijah—they just did not recognize him.” — But he went on to say: “Tell no one until I appear again.”—Christianity was not to teach reincarnation for two millennia. Not out of caprice, but for educational reasons, people were not to know anything about it for two millennia. In the Gospel of John, this is alluded to through the miracle at the wedding in Cana, where water is turned into wine. In the ancient mysteries, only water is administered, but in the Christian mysteries, wine is given. For among the priesthood, the knowledge of reincarnation was to be erased through the consumption of wine. Anyone who enjoys wine cannot attain true knowledge of Manas, Buddhi, and Atma. He can never comprehend reincarnation. By “returning,” Christ means the reappearance in the sixth sub-race, where he will be proclaimed to us by “Aquarius.” Theosophy is in fact fulfilling the testament of Christianity and working toward this moment.

[ 12 ] Every time the Sun moves from one zodiac sign to another, profound cultural changes take place. The interval between these transitions is approximately two thousand six hundred years. If we take the time when the sun entered the sign of Aries, or the Lamb—around 800 B.C. and 1800 A.D.—that amounts to two thousand six hundred years. Around 1800, we entered the sign of Pisces. With this, material culture reached its peak. It had been building up during the Middle Ages, and now it has begun to ebb again. Around the year 4400, humanity will enter the sign of spiritual culture, Aquarius. But preparations for this are already underway.

[ 13 ] As the constellation changes, so do the circumstances. As one moves from one constellation to another, new circumstances arise, giving meaning to rebirth. Approximately every two thousand six hundred years, a person is reborn. But the experiences they have as a man and as a woman are so fundamentally different that two such incarnations—one as a man and one as a woman—are counted as one. Approximately one thousand three hundred years pass between two incarnations as a man or as a woman, and approximately two thousand six hundred years between such dual incarnations, if both are counted as one. A human being is actually male or female only in terms of the physical body. While the physical body is male, the etheric body is female, and vice versa: while the physical body is female, the etheric body is male. Only the astral body is both male and female at the same time. A human being carries within themselves the opposite gender as their etheric body. Thus, the man is etherically female, and the woman is etherically male. The physical woman therefore also possesses many hidden masculine qualities; the physical incarnation exists only exoterically. In this way, a human being passes through each zodiac sign once as a man and once as a woman. That is why the Master also told Sinneit that a human being incarnates approximately twice within a subrace. Occultly, the two incarnations are counted as one. A time must come when women will truly draw closer to male culture. In the current women’s movement, one can discern the groundwork for a completely different women’s movement in the future. The duality of the sexes will one day be completely overcome.

[ 14 ] There was a specific reason why the doctrine of reincarnation was completely suppressed for about two millennia. Human beings were meant to learn to recognize and appreciate the importance of this one life. Every slave in ancient Egypt was still convinced that he would return, that he would one day be a ruler instead of a slave, but that he had to atone for his karma. That is why this one life was not so important to him. But people were now to learn to gain a firm footing in life; therefore, the concept of reincarnation was to remain unknown during a single incarnation. Christ therefore virtually forbade the teaching of anything about reincarnation. But from 800 B.C. to around 1800 A.D., the period had elapsed during which almost all people had gone through a single incarnation without learning anything about reincarnation. The great masters have the task not of always teaching the whole truth right away, but only what people need. The lack of awareness regarding reincarnation was poetically expressed during this period in Dante’s *Divine Comedy*. Within monastic esotericism, however, reincarnation was apparently still taught on occasion. The Trappists must remain silent throughout one incarnation so that they may become good orators in the next. They are deliberately trained in this way to become good orators, for the Church has a need for them. When St. Augustine formulated the doctrine of predestination, he was entirely consistent. Since reincarnation was not to be taught in the age of materialism, the Augustinian doctrine of predestination had to emerge. Only in this way could the various conditions among human beings be explained.

[ 15 ] This, in turn, is connected to the deeply materialistic aspect of [traditional] Christianity, which lies in the fact that the afterlife was made dependent on physical existence. This materialistic doctrine of Christianity has, so to speak, borne fruit. Today, people have lost all awareness of the afterlife. Social democracy is the ultimate consequence of traditional Christianity. But now a new direction must emerge in the world. When one cycle ends, a new direction begins. Christianity paved the way for the materialistic age that was gradually dawning. In order to bring about materialistic culture, people had to be taught—for thirteen hundred years—the doctrine that Christianity brought, namely, that human beings make the entire eternity dependent on this one earthly life. The urban middle class is thus the true founder of the materialistic age. Even in Christ’s time, the spiritual had to be betrayed by the purely material. Judas Iscariot had to betray Christ. But one could say: If there had been no Judas, there would be no Christianity either. Judas is the first to be attached to money—that is, to material culture. The entire material age is incarnated in Judas. This material age has obscured and darkened the spiritual. Through his death, Christ becomes the Redeemer of the material age.