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Click the links to find out more information about any topic. To edit this text select the 'Customize Page' option and click on this text.
While the focus is on Steiner's view of evolution, such esoteric usage is prevalent throughout Anthroposophical speech and publications.
Chapter three of Geoffrey Ahern's Ph.D thesis (see Further Information page) describes Steiner's view of the evolution of all creation from a state of undivided spirit to the present state. According to Steiner, we have passed our nadir, and are now evolving back toward undivided spirit, the turning point coming with what Steiner refers to as The Christ Event.
These 'embodiments' do not form a circle as one might expect. They are best described as a U shape, and are summarised as:
Old Saturn Vulcan
\/ /\
Old Sun Venus
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Old Moon Jupiter
\/ /\
Earth: reached nadir and turned with The Christ Event
Old Saturn and Vulcan.The embodiments of spirit, warmth.. An time of no material, everything exists as pure spirit, nothing was tangible. Even the most ardent Trekkie might struggle a wee bit here since there seems to be little difference between absolute nothing and pure spirit.
If all of creation 'had to come from somewhere", we can either go along with the Genesis story or something like it, or we can do a Steiner: invent another name for The Nothing. This doesn't really achieve anything other than to suggest subliminally some knowledge or insight that mere mortals don't have. It proves zilch.
Old Sun and Venus The embodiments of air. Hardened, or materialised from undivided spirit. Will become 're-spiritualised' from the future Jupiter embodiment..
Old Moon and Jupiter The embodiments of water. Hardened, or materialised from the Old Sun embodiment. Jupiter is the next staging post in the process of re-spiritualising, but we won't make it without Anthropsosophy. Will we?
Earth and The Christ Event The culmination of the process described by Steiner as hardening, solidifying, densifying, materialising &c. The upturn back to spirituality really only took off some years after The Nativity. You know: once one of the TWO JESUS CHILDREN had died (or at least surrendered his physical incarnation) with the surviving child absorbing all the best aspects of the deceased. This exposition shouldn't be confused with some gnostic propositions of the John the Baptist- Jesus of Nazareth relationship. It should also be noted that The Christ Being a.k.a.the Sun Being- honest, is held as personifying the ultimate incarnation of the highest member of development of the individual "I", otherwise expressed as "ego".
As with other topics subject to Steiner's pronouncements -and they cover just about everything if you let them- this page seeks to do no more than provide a starting point from which you may want to research further on your own.
No attempt has been made to introduce Steiner's 'revalations' on the evolution of the Spiritual Hierarchies, nor of the Root Races of man, which, within the structure of this website would merit pages of their own. These might appear at a later date.
Rather the intention here is to provoke inexperienced visitors to treat apparently everyday expressions with caution.
In the meantime, for anyone who wants a little more information without having to either give years of commitment to Anthroposophy or plough through any of Steiner's frequently torturous books, Roger Rawlings gives some more info on Steiner's epochs- as opposed to ages- at: http://www.steiner-predicts.com/ (website link no longer valid) and gives some info on the more apocalyptic bits of Steiner.
Having read this page, you will perhaps pause to ponder the implications carried by Steiner's assertion that the brain is actually hardened milk material. Page 'The Lunch Box' expands on this a little.
Do you now have a different understanding of 'warmth'? Did you ever associate this very simple, cosy word with either 'Saturn' or 'Vulcan' before reading this? Had 'Sun' or 'Venus' ever entered your thoughts along with 'air' which generally implies that of the breathable sort? How about 'water' holding hands with what you previously understood by 'Moon' and 'Jupiter'?
What would you now make of 'the warmth' of the various religious festivals? Do you now wonder if they mean more to practitioners than they say to you?
It will probably be the case that some visitors will find such esoterica hugely attractive. Good luck to you. Others might wonder why all this is very seldom even hinted at when it comes to recruitment. You might then ask, if not, why not?
published 20/11/07
revised 01/12/07
