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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Old Sun Epoch Details
Etheric Body Evolution - The Sun Stage:
The next phase of development initiates for Sun what we understand in this age to be its most prominent characteristic, for some its only characteristic, up until now: the Sun begins to glow and radiate. The details of the process are given in the passage below:
[page136, 137] When the Spirits of Wisdom begin to pour the life body into man, the Sun, previously dark, now begins to radiate. At the same time the first signs of an inner activity appear in the germinal human being; life begins. What on Saturn had to be characterized as an appearance of life, now becomes actual life. This pouring in of the life body continues for a certain length of time, after which an important change takes place in the human germ, namely, it divides into two parts. Whereas previously the physical body and life body formed one closely-bound whole, the physical body now begins to detach itself as a separate part. This detached physical body, however, continues also to be permeated by the life body. We have now before us a twofold human being. One part is a physical body worked upon by a life body, the other part is pure life body. This separation takes place during an interval of rest in the life of the Sun, During this interval, the radiation that had already begun is again extinguished. The separation takes place, as it were, during a "cosmic night." This interval of rest is much shorter than the interval of rest between the Saturn and Sun evolutions, of which we have spoken previously. After the expiration of this interval, the Spirits of Wisdom continue to work for a time upon the twofold human being just as they had worked before on the single-membered human being. The Spirits of Motion then begin their activity. They let their own astral body surge through the human life body. As a result, it acquires the capacity to carry on certain inner movements within the physical body. These movements may be likened to the movements of sap in our present-day plants.
As the human being proceeds through the four stages of evolution, its also progresses through four states of physicality: heat, gaseous, fluid, and solid (3). We saw in the previous section of this review how the human being existed as a "heat body" during Saturn -- we will see in this section how the human being existed as a gaseous body during Sun. Since we know we exist as solid bodies during Earth, that leaves fluid bodies during Moon.
[page 137, 138] The Saturn body consisted solely of heat substance. During the Sun evolution this heat substance condenses to a state that may be compared with the present state of gas or vapor. It is the state that may be designated by the word "air." The first appearance of such a state manifests itself after the Spirits of Motion have begun their activity. The following spectacle presents itself to supersensible consciousness. Within the heat substance something appears like delicate structures that are set into regular motion by means of the forces of the life body. These structures represent the human physical body at that stage of evolution. They are completely permeated by heat and enclosed by a mantle of heat. Physically speaking, this human being may be said to consist of heat structures into which air forms are articulated that are in regular motion. If we wish to keep to the above comparison with the plants of the present day, we must remain conscious of the fact that we are not dealing with a compact plant formation, but with a gaseous or aeriform structure, the movements of which may be compared with the movements of the say in present-day plants. The gas appears to supersensible consciousness through the effect of light, which the gas permits to steam forth from itself. We might thus also speak of light structures that are perceptible to spiritual vision.
From this point on, the evolution of the human being in Sun proceeds as it did during Saturn with a slight difference: where the sacrifice of the Spirits of Will happened at the beginning of Saturn, the recapitulation of the Saturn stages occurs as the first step in Sun. (The college orientation for the new students from high school, to extend the earlier metaphor.) Thus an overview can be created of the Sun stage of evolution as shown in Figure 11 Old Sun Process. In the last sentence of the next passage, Steiner mentions that the work of the Spirits of Form marks the central stage of development in Sun.
[page 138] This evolution then proceeds further. After a certain length of time a pause again ensues, after which the Spirits of Motion continue their activities until these are supplemented by the activities of the Spirits of Form, the effect of which produces permanency in the previously continuously changing gaseous forms. This, too, takes place through the fact that the Spirits of Form permit their forces to flow in and out of the human life body. Previously, when only the Spirits of Motion were acting upon them, these gaseous structures were in ceaseless motion, holding their form only momentarily. Now, however, they assume temporarily distinguishable shapes. --- Again after a certain length of time there ensues a period of rest, at the end of which the Spirits of Form continue their activities. Then entirely new conditions arise within the Sun evolution.
We have reached the point where the Sun evolution has arrived at the central stage of its development.At this point in Sun the Spirits of Personality rise above the capabilities of us humans today. They develop an ability that humans will only acquire as a common ability in our future when we leave Earth and enter the Jupiter stage of evolution. What will this capability consist of? It will be a common human capability to perceive psychic realities as a pictorial consciousness, an ability Steiner refers to as Imagination. Instead of seeing merely the surface colors of a person's physical body, we will see color-filled representations of his inner soul-being. Whether one is lying or telling the truth will be consciously visible -- how many people would lie today if it were obvious to all immediately that they were lying? This is the type of reality Steiner is pointing towards in this next passage.
[page 139] Man will then not only be able to perceive in his environment what at present is transmitted to him by the physical senses, but he will be able to observe in pictorial images the inner soul states of the beings in his environment. He will possess a picture consciousness, but at the same time retain full self-consciousness. His pictorial perception will not be dreamy and dull. He will perceive the soul pictorially, yet at the same time these soul pictures will be the expression of realities just as now physical colors and tones are expressions of realities. At the present time, a human being can only develop such perception in himself through spiritual-scientific training.
But the Spirits of Personality acquire this perceptual ability during Sun and apply it to the development of the human body.
[page 139] During the Sun stage, the Spirits of Personality acquire this perception as a normal part of their evolution. Because of this they become, during the Sun evolution, capable of working upon the newly formed human life body just as they worked upon the physical body on Saturn. Just as at that time heat reflected back to them their own personality, so now the gaseous shapes reflect back to them in resplendent light the pictures of their perceiving consciousness. They behold supersensibly what takes place upon the Sun, and this perception is by no means mere observation. It is as though something of the force that on earth is called love were making itself felt in the images that steam forth from the Sun.
Again, as we saw during Saturn, the Spirits of Love assist in the development of the latest human body, the etheric body this time. The first indications of the reproduction of human beings appear in the gaseous structures of the Sun humans.
[page 139, 140] If we observe more closely with our soul powers, the reason for this phenomenon may be discovered. Exalted beings are now working actively in the light radiating from the Sun. These beings are the already designated Spirits of Love -- Seraphim. They work, henceforth, on the human ether or life body in co-operation with the Spirits of Personality. By means of this activity, the life body itself advances a stage on its evolutionary journey. It acquires the capacity, not only to transform the gaseous structures within it, but to fashion them in such a way that the first indications of a reproduction of the living human being appear. Exudations are driven out, sweated out of these gaseous structures, which assume shapes similar to their maternal forms.
You may have noticed, dear Reader, that no mention has been made of humans as having descended from animals in Steiner's recounting of the evolution of human beings. What he does tell us quite dramatically is that human beings came first -- they appeared earliest in the stages of the evolution of our cosmos through the working of beings higher in the hierarchy of spirits than we humans are today. This tells us, by the way, that we humans will one day be able to create other living beings when we have evolved to the stage where these hierarchies exist. If humans came first, then animals, plants, and even minerals must somehow be derivatives or by-products of human evolution. In other words, instead of "humans evolving from animals" as Darwinians would have us accept, Steiner tells us -- shows us in great detail -- how "animals devolved from humans." This next passage broaches the subject for us, a subject we will return to again at later stages of evolution and one we will mine for insights into how to live rightly as humans in the cosmos. One major insight is that it is only by dint of our individual efforts that we evolve as human beings -- like in our high school metaphor where the sophomores who don't pay attention or work earnestly in class have to spend another year as sophomores while their classmates spend the same year as juniors. Animals, we will find, are like those held-back sophomores in relation to their former peers, the human juniors.
[page 140, 141] In order to characterize the further evolution of the Sun, it is necessary to draw attention to the important fact of cosmic history, that in the course of an epoch all the beings involved do not by any means reach the goal of their evolution. There are some who fall short of it. Thus during the Saturn evo1ution not all of the Spirit of Personality actually reach the human stage for which they were originally destined in the manner described. Likewise, not all of the human physical bodies, formed on Saturn, attain the degree of maturity that would have made them capable of becoming bearers of an independent life body on the Sun. The result is that upon the Sun there exist beings and formations that do not fit into its conditions. These have to retrieve, during the Sun evolution, what they failed to attain upon Saturn. Hence, during the Sun stage the following can be observed. When the Spirits of Wisdom begin to pour in the life body, the body of the Sun, as it were, becomes turbid -- darkened. Structures are mingled with it that in reality would belong to Saturn. These are heat structures that are unable to condense properly to air. These are the human beings who have remained behind at the Saturn stage. They are unable to become bearers of a regularly developed life body. -- The heat substance of Saturn, which remained behind in this way, divides itself into two sections on the Sun. One section is absorbed, as it were, by the human bodies and forms a kind of lower nature within the human being. This human being at the Sun stage thus takes into his corporeality something actually corresponding to the Saturn stage.
The concept of reaching the "human stage" by the Spirits of Personality, Fire, and Twilight refers to these Spirits reaching egohood, or the Ego stage of development, something that will come for us humans only during Earth. This incorporation of Saturn residue into the Sun human being creates an opportunity for the Spirits of Fire to achieve egohood.
[page 141] Just as the human body of Saturn made it possible for the Spirits of Personality to rise to their human stage, so now this Saturn part of the human being performs on the Sun the same task for the Spirits of Fire. These Spirits of Fire rise to the human stage by allowing their forces to surge in and out of this Saturn part of the human being, just as this was performed by the Spirits of Personality on Saturn. This, too, happens at the central stage of the Sun evolution. At that time the Saturn part of the human being is so far matured that with its help the Spirits of Fire -- Archangels -- are able to pass through their human stage. -- Another section of the Saturn heat substance acquires an independent existence alongside and in the midst of the human beings on the Sun. This then forms a second kingdom alongside the human kingdom, a kingdom that develops upon the Sun a fully independent, but purely physical, body, a body of heat.
To help explain this division into two bodies, let us continue our college metaphor: suppose that the football team has some players who are not able to play varsity football but with some development can play next year. Some of the coaches who also need development are assigned to a separate squad of these players to aid in their development. Two separate squads are formed: a freshman football team and a varsity football team. The freshman team plays freshman teams from other schools and the varsity team plays varsity teams from other schools. Within one college, we find two completely separate football teams and coaches, freshman and varsity. (This actually existed in the USA for a long time, but now freshmen are allowed to play on varsity teams, and those not up to full participation are placed on a red-shirt squad -- they are basically held back a year to develop further.) Basically a similar process results in two cosmic bodies during Sun where previously there was only one during Saturn. Two cosmic bodies form out of Saturn. This accompanies the presence of the two bodies in the Sun human: the physical or heat body and the etheric body being constructed.
[page 141] The result is that the fully developed Spirits of Personality cannot exert their activity upon an independent life body in the manner described. There are, however, certain Spirits of Personality who have remained behind at the Saturn stage. These had not at that time reached the human stage. Between them and the second kingdom, which became independent on the Sun, there exists a bond of attraction. Their behavior toward the retarded kingdom on the Sun must now be similar to the behavior of their advanced companions toward the human beings on Saturn. On the latter, the human physical body was alone developed. Upon the Sun itself, however, there is no possibility of a similar activity by the retarded Spirits of Personality. They, therefore, withdraw from the main body of the Sun and form an independent cosmic body outside of it. From it the retarded Spirits of Personality work back upon the beings of the Sun's second kingdom already described. Thus two cosmic bodies are formed out of the one that was formerly Saturn. The Sun has now in its environment a second cosmic body, one that represents a kind of rebirth of Saturn. a new Saturn. From this new Saturn, the character of personality is bestowed upon the second kingdom of the Sun.
At this time, we are observing effects during the middle of the Sun stage of evolution. The actions of the Spirits of Fire are next up in the process chart and their actions result in the creation of the germinal glandular system of the human being.
[page 141,142] During the middle part of the Sun evolution the human being is organized into a physical body and a life body. Within him there takes place the activity of the advanced Spirits of Personality and the Spirits of Love. A part of the retarded Saturn nature is mixed with the physical body, within which the Spirits of Fire are active. In the effects of the activity of the Spirits of Fire upon the retarded Saturn nature the precursors of the sense organs of the present earth man can be seen. It has been shown how even on Saturn the Spirits of Fire were at work forming germinal sense organs in the heat substance. In what is accomplished by the Spirits of Personality in co-operation with the Spirits of Love we can discern the germinal beginnings of the present human glandular system.
Humans are developing a working physical body and etheric body, one aspect at a time by the actions of the hierarchy of Spirits. In other words, when flesh and body arrive in the Earth stage, the germinal beginnings of the human glandular system had already been laid down in the physical body phantom (which we should recall is like the dressmaker's wire-framed form) and the etheric body which pervades the phantom. The next actions are by the Spirits of Twilight [also called Sons of Life or Angels] in conjunction with the Spirits of Harmony and those joint actions result in the ability to perceive tastes and to express tones. Thus the germinal senses of taste and speech are laid down in the Sun human.
[page 143] Everything that has been described as existing in the middle of the Sun evolution lasts for a certain time. Then another period of rest begins, following which evolution goes on for a time in the same way until it reaches a stage when the human ether body is sufficiently matured to permit the beginning of a united activity of the Spirits of Twilight (Sons of Life or Angels) and the Spirits of Harmony (Cherubim). To super sensible consciousness, manifestations appear within the human being that may be likened to the perceptions of taste, which express themselves outwardly as tones.
When the Spirits of Harmony and Twilight are finished, a period of "cosmic sleep" sets in and afterward the human being emerges with an inward life similar to an inner perception of smell. Outwardly to the cosmos, the human appears to be what we would call "a plant" -- that is, a being with a physical and etheric body, but no higher bodies. We also note the forming of the germinal life spirit in the human being.
[page 144] Outwardly, however, toward cosmic space, this human being presents himself as a personality, yet as a personality not directed by an inner ego. It appears more like a plant giving the impression of personality. We have seen already at the end of the Saturn evolution that personality manifests itself like a machine. Just as at that time the first germ of spirit man (atman) was developed, which is still today only germinally present in man, so similarly here in the Sun period the primary nucleus of life spirit (buddhi) is formed.
After another period of rest, the Spirits of Wisdom operate and form further our primitive senses of scent, taste, sight, and speech. At the same time humans acquire the higher stage of consciousness of dreamless sleep.
[page 144, 145] At a certain time after this has occurred, another period of rest ensues; at its end, as in previous similar instances, human activity proceeds for a time. Then conditions arise that prove to be a new intervention of the Spirits of Wisdom, through which the human being becomes capable of experiencing the first traces of sympathy and antipathy toward his surroundings. In all this there is no actual sensation present, yet it is a forerunner of it, for the inner life-activity, which in its manifestation might be characterized as perceptions of smell, expresses itself outwardly as a kind of primitive language. If a pleasant scent, or taste, or glimmer of light is perceived inwardly, the human being expresses this outwardly by means of a tone, and this also occurs in regard to an inwardly antipathetic perception. -- In fact, the actual meaning of the Sun evolution for the human being is gained by means of all the processes that have been described. This human being has now reached a higher stage of consciousness than on Saturn. This is the dreamless consciousness of sleep.
By the end of the Sun stage, human beings reach the evolutionary stage of the plant kingdom during our present age. They possess a fully operational physical body and etheric or life body. Then they undergo a long period of rest or pralaya resting in the warm soil of the cosmos as a seed with dormant powers of growth before emerging for the next stage of evolution, the Old Moon or Moon stage of evolution.
Click Here to Continue Reading: Astral Body Evolution -- The Moon Stage
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