The Rudolf Steiner Archive

Lecture Fourteen

[ 1 ] Yesterday we looked back at human history from the perspective of the physical form. Today, let us return to the past states of consciousness.

[ 2 ] People often ask themselves: Are humans the only beings on Earth that possess self-awareness? Or: What is the relationship between our human consciousness and that of animals, plants, and metals? Do these beings, as a whole, possess consciousness?

[ 3 ] Imagine a tiny insect walking across a human body and seeing nothing of it but a finger. It would have no conception of either the human physical organism or the human soul. We are in exactly the same position with regard to the entire Earth and the other beings that live on it. A materialist has no conception of the soul of the Earth; after all, he lacks the perception of his own soul. Just as the little insect senses nothing of the human soul, the reason for this is that it itself has no soul with which to perceive it.

[ 4 ] The soul of the Earth stands far above the human soul, and human beings know nothing of it. In reality, all beings possess consciousness, but human beings differ from them in that their self-awareness today is entirely focused on the physical plane.

[ 5 ] Beyond the waking state, which corresponds to this physical plane, he experiences other states of consciousness that bring him closer to the states of consciousness of other realms. During dreamless sleep, human consciousness dwells on the Devachan plane, as is constantly the case with the consciousness of plants. When a plant suffers, this suffering brings about a change in its Devachanic consciousness. The consciousness of the animal, which resembles dream consciousness, is located on the astral plane; that is to say, the animal has an astral awareness of the world, just as a human does in a dream.

[ 6 ] These three states of consciousness are very different. On the physical plane, one forms no ideas or concepts other than those derived from the sense organs and the external realities with which they connect us. On the astral plane, one perceives the surroundings only in the form of images, while at the same time feeling completely connected to them.

[ 7 ] Why does a person, in waking consciousness on the physical plane, feel separated from everything that is not himself? The reason is that he receives all his impressions from an environment that he perceives, with clear distinction, as being outside his body. In contrast, on the astral plane, one perceives not through the senses but through sympathy, which allows one to penetrate into the heart of everything one encounters. Astral consciousness is not confined to a relatively closed sphere. It is, so to speak, fluid and flowing. In the realm of Devachan, consciousness is as fleeting as a gas can be. There is no order there comparable to that of physical consciousness, into which nothing penetrates except indirectly through the senses.

[ 8 ] What, then, was the purpose of this narrowing of consciousness in place of imaginative consciousness? — Without it, human beings would never have been able to say “I” to themselves. The divine seed within human beings could, in the course of evolution, only penetrate them through the densification of their physical body. And this divine spirit—where was it before the solidification of the Earth and of consciousness? Genesis tells us: “The Spirit of God hovered over the waters.” This divine spirit, this spark of the “I,” was still on the astral plane, where all forms of consciousness have their origin, like the waves of the ocean.

[ 9 ] In the upper Devachan, above the fourth level—called Arupa [= formless]—where this antimatter, known as Akasha, begins, there the consciousness of minerals has its seat. One must acquire a true understanding of what the mineral actually is and must discover the moral bond that unites us with it. The Rosicrucians of the Middle Ages had their disciples admire the chastity of the mineral. “Imagine,” they said, “that a human being, while remaining fully human in thought and feeling, had become as pure and as free from desire as a mineral—he would possess an infallible spiritual power.” - If one can say that the spiritual entities of the various minerals reside in Devachan, one can conversely also say that the spiritual entity of the mineral is comparable to a human being who would live solely with a Devachanic consciousness.

[ 10 ] Therefore, there is no need to deny that other beings possess consciousness. Human beings have passed through all these levels of consciousness along the descending path of their evolution. Originally, they were similar to minerals, in the sense that their “I” was at home in a higher world and guided them from above. But the goal of evolution is to free humans from dependence on beings who stand at a higher level of consciousness than their own and to enable them to remain fully conscious on higher levels of existence.

[ 11 ] All of these levels of consciousness intersect within human beings today:

[ 12 ] First: Mineral consciousness. It is the consciousness of deep sleep (modern humans are losing it).

[ 13 ] Second: Plant consciousness. It is the consciousness of the ordinary state of sleep.

[ 14 ] Third: Animal consciousness, which corresponds to dream consciousness.

[ 15 ] Fourth: Physical awareness of objects. This is the normal waking state, whereas the previous two are atavistic relics.

[ 16 ] Fifth: A state of consciousness that repeats the third stage while retaining the concreteness acquired therein. The images have specific colors and are distinct from the perceiver; subjective attraction or repulsion disappears. At this new imaginative level of consciousness, the reason acquired in the physical world retains its validity.

[ 17 ] Sixth: Now it is no longer the dream, but sleep itself, that ascends to a new state of consciousness. We no longer perceive mere images, but we penetrate into the very being of beings and things and perceive their inner resonance. On the physical plane, we give every thing a name, but this name remains outside the thing. Only we ourselves can define ourselves from within by saying: “I”—this ineffable name of conscious individuality. This is the fundamental fact of all psychology. Through this word, we distinguish our personality from the rest of the universe. But when we reach the world of sounds with our consciousness, every thing reveals its ineffable name to us. Through clairaudience, we perceive the sound that expresses the innermost essence of every thing and makes it a note in the universe, distinct from all others.

[ 18 ] Seventh: One step further, and deep sleep becomes a conscious experience. This state cannot be described because it defies all comparison. One can only say that it exists.

[ 19 ] These are the seven states of consciousness through which a person passes. He will pass through others as well. In this process, there is always a central state in the middle, three looking toward the past, and three looking toward the future, with the latter giving rise to the three lower states in a more elevated manner. The traveler who moves forward is always at the center of his field of vision.

[ 20 ] Every state of consciousness develops over the course of seven life stages, and every life stage over the course of seven states of form. Seven states of form always constitute one life stage; seven life stages together constitute a planetary evolution, such as that of our Earth.

[ 21 ] The seven states of existence lead to the formation of seven kingdoms, four of which are currently visible: the mineral kingdom, the plant kingdom, the animal kingdom, and the human kingdom.

[ 22 ] The passage through a life state is called a round.

[ 23 ] Thus, in every state of consciousness, a human being passes through 7 times 7 states of form; this means 7 times 7 times 7 metamorphoses, or 343 metamorphoses, which represent an equal number of stages of human nature.

[ 24 ] If anyone could imagine the 343 states of form on a single tablet, they would have a picture of the third Logos.

[ 25 ] If he could imagine the 49 states of existence, he would have a picture of the second Logos.

[ 26 ] If he could imagine the seven states of consciousness, he would have a concept of the First Logos.

[ 27 ] Development consists in the mutual interaction of all these forms. To transition from one form to another requires a new spirit—this is the work of the Holy Spirit. To transition from one state of life to another requires a new power—this is the work of the Son. To transition from one state of consciousness to another, a new consciousness is required—this is the work of the Father.

[ 28 ] Christ Jesus introduced a new state of life into humanity and truly became the Logos incarnate. With the appearance of Christ, a new power entered the world to prepare a new earth that stands in a new relationship to the heavenly realms.