The Rudolf Steiner Archive

24. The Rosicrucian Esoteric Doctrine of the Evolution of the Cosmos

[ 1 ] After Dr. Steiner had provided an overview the previous afternoon of how consciousness can be attained in higher realms, he spoke this time at length about the results of clairvoyant research into cosmic evolution. In very brief outline, Dr. Steiner said the following:

[ 2 ] Above all, one must not regard the esoteric teachings of the Rosicrucians as anything different from other teachings. They merely reflect a specific aspect of the truth that meets the needs of certain individuals. They are like one of the sides of a mountain that has a single summit where all the slopes converge.

[ 3 ] The Rosicrucian teachings, however, are best suited for people in the modern world, where industry and the struggle for material things take center stage and the intellect reigns supreme. Since the year 1400, human minds have been transformed through the metamorphosis of the astral and etheric bodies, and the teachings of the Messenger of the White Lodge, known as Christian Rosenkreutz, also date from this time. The central idea is the intimate connection between humanity and the world, the microcosm and the macrocosm, both forming an inseparable whole. Through the conscious “I am,” humanity distinguishes itself from all lower beings in creation.

[ 4 ] The human physical body is the oldest and therefore the most perfect. The higher bodies do not yet possess such a perfect organization, but eventually the entire fourfold human being—consisting of the I, the astral body, the etheric body, and the physical body—must become just as perfect as the physical body, which is so perfectly organized. The development of the physical body begins on our planet during the Saturn state, that is, on the first planetary chain. The etheric body begins its development on the second chain, when our planet was in the solar state. The astral body was born on the third chain, when our planet was in the lunar state; and finally, the “I,” which was formed in human beings only on this Earth and is thus the youngest member.

[ 5 ] The four successive states of Saturn, the Sun, the Moon, and Earth correspond to the four elements: fire, air, water, and earth.

[ 6 ] The first sphere was like a heat mirror that reflected everything it received, in which the spirits of will, wisdom, movement, and form were reflected, and the resulting reflections were the seeds of future humanity. In the Saturn state, the human body was nothing more than a particle in a conglomerate. The first state of consciousness was very dull, yet all-encompassing, like that of a stone in the material realm.

[ 7 ] After the Pralaya came the Solar State, during which gaseous formations appeared. The fire spirits passed through the human state at that time, and the future human received his etheric body. The human bodies looked like mirages; consciousness was that of a plant—that is, the dreamless consciousness of sleep.

[ 8 ] In the lunar state, the astral bodies were added, and the formation of fluids took place. Consciousness reached the third state, the pictorial consciousness, the imaginative.

[ 9 ] What is unique about this third period is that, at a certain moment, a part of the planet broke away, taking with it the rapidly evolving beings. This part became a sun; the old moon remained behind with the more slowly evolving beings—the humans of today. The moon also became denser, but there was still no mineral kingdom. The moon can best be compared to a mass of spinach. Mountains and valleys were plant-like. On each subsequent chain, a lower kingdom arose from those who remained behind, so that, beginning with humankind, the fourth kingdom—or mineral kingdom—did not emerge until the Earth period.

[ 10 ] In the Earth stage, humanity finally received the “I,” and the pace of evolution slowed. The Sun, the realm of much more rapid development, emerged from our Earth during the second root race; the Moon, the realm of the crystallization of all development, emerged during the period of the third root race. For in the first three rounds of the Earth chain, the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon were united.

[ 11 ] On Earth, then, development proceeded at a moderate pace, and by the period of the third root race, conditions had evolved to such an extent that human beings were able to receive the “I.”

[ 12 ] The speaker then briefly outlined the higher states of our planet—that is, the three subsequent chains, which correspond to the Venusian, Mercurian, and Vulcan states. In the Venus state, the higher Manas is developed; in the Mercury state, Budhi; while Atma unfolds in the Vulcan state. From the planets that had already reached this higher stage of development, guides and teachers came to our Earth to help humanity.

[ 13 ] As he examined the organs of the physical body, the speaker pointed out that they were not all the same age. The heart, for example, is very old; the foundation for it was laid first. The reproductive organs, on the other hand, are younger and were first developed in a plant-like state.

[ 14 ] In summary, Rosicrucian esoteric teaching views human beings as a microcosm, as a product of the macrocosm; everything revealed in the macrocosm must be found within them.

[ 15 ] At the end of the lecture, several questions were asked, and in answering them, Dr. Steiner presented his perspective on the composition and evolution of life within the planetary chains, offering a view of the theory of chains, rounds, and races that was quite different from what we had been accustomed to up to that point, so that a great deal of adaptability was required to grasp this way of thinking.