Cosmosophy II
GA 208
These lectures are volume two of the Cosmosophy lecture course and the 8th volume in a series of lecture courses Rudolf Steiner gave under the general title “Man and his relationship to the cosmos” for members of the Anthroposophical Society in 1920 and 1921, published in nine volumes in GA (German Gesamtausgabe or collected works) 201-209.
The first 11 lectures (Cosmosophy vol. 1, GA 207) have been translated by A. Wulsin and M. Kirkcaldy and published by Anthroposophic Press, New York 1985.
This volume will easily stand on its own, but readers will need to have some knowledge of Rudolf Steiner’s science of the spirit and are advised to read the basic works first, e.g. Occult Science and Philosophy of Spiritual Activity. The Cosmosophy lectures are not easy, with very close reasoning at times, and would be hard to understand without such basic knowledge.
| Translator's Preface | ||
| Lecture I | October 21, 1921 | |
| Thinking and feeling in relation to ether body and astral body, will and sensory perception in relation to the I and the physical body. The inner human being and the external aspect of human life. Their metamorphosis after death. On the nature of the sun. The future Jupiter planet. The moon in life after death. Man’s sun existence after death. The higher aspects of the human being as garments for the I during life after death. | ||
| Lecture II | October 22, 1921 | |
| Super consciousness after death the counterpart of the sleep level of awareness during life on earth. Sensory perception and spirits of form. Thought world and archai. World of speech and language (archangels) and fantasy (angels). Acting out of the will as the true world of man. Internal organs as cosmic memories of life between death and rebirth. The higher hierarchies as structurers of our organs. Anthroposophy as cosmosophy. | ||
| Lecture III | October 23, 1921 | |
| Perceptive knowledge of earlier times was that of luciferic angels. Transition to human perceptive insight with Plato. Purely human insight with Aristotle. Abstract perceptions of the Romans. Christianity becoming theological and luciferic. The luciferic nature of the Renaissance. Father Angelo Secchi. Luciferic and ahrimanic nature. Ahrimanic nature of science and technology. Ahriman going according to programme. Need for a consistent science of the spirit. | ||
| Lecture IV | October 28, 1921 | |
| Man given his form out of the universe. Form elements related to the zodiac. Man created out of the universe as head, chest and limb human being. The head a passenger carried by the limbs, the chest person the carer, the limb person the worker. | ||
| Lecture V | October 29, 1921 | |
| Human embryo and human form. Characterization of the 7 stages of life and the differences between them. Life dying and renewing itself. Life stages as planetary stages. The sun as the source of Light, Life and Love. Influence Saturn, Jupiter and Mars have on life of senses, nerves and respiration. William James and his “awakenings”. Influence of Mercury, Venus and moon on lower abdominal organs. Speech the echo of internal organ development. The nature of eurythmy. | ||
| Lecture VI | October 30, 1921 | |
| The head as destroyer of matter and bearer of the soul’s life in images. Freedom in the will pole. Embryonic life not taken to its completion in organ development. Head, chest and limbs in relation to the zodiac. On the life of feelings, ideas and will. Inadequacy of modem psychology. The “psychoid”. Scientists as philosophers—Drews, Mach, Driesch, Kuno Fischer. Need to create a synthesis of religion, art and science. | ||
| Lecture VII | November 4, 1921 | |
| Connection between sleep and I-nature. Unconscious Imagination in the life of ideas, unconscious Inspiration in life of feelings, unconscious Intuition in life of will. Physiognomy, flesh colour of skin, human activity. Image experience and reality in physical and spiritual life. Experience of spirit man in waking and sleeping, life and death. Circling movement mediating between ordinary coordinate system and polar coordination in mathematics. Einstein’s theory of relativity. | ||
| Lecture VIII | November 5, 1921 | |
| Physical, plant, animal and human nature seen in terms of the zodiac, the planetary sphere, earth and moon. Polyhedral, spherical and pocket form and filled pocket. Evolution of the animal and the closed-up animal or human organ. Moriz Benedikt’s booklet on hypnotism and suggestion, need for medical people and scientists to have training in mathematics. Mathematics in Plato’s Academy. Seeing the human being in terms of the world as a whole. | ||
| Lecture IX | November 6, 1921 | |
| Two kinds of will and of feeling. Will and feeling in the waking state and in sleep. The nature of evil. Forming ideas as positive or negative judgements. Sensory perception as light and darkness. The nature of Persian, Egyptian and Graeco-Latin civilization. The sun as the source of Light, Life and Love. Julian the Apostate and Constantine. The Palladium in the course of history. The Palladium shining out again when illumined by modem understanding of nature in the West. | ||
| Lecture X | November 12, 1921 | |
| Duality of human nature in sleep. Moral nature of I and astral body compared to physical and ether body. The I shaped (furrowed) out of the world of the spirit during sleep, the astral body coloured by the outer soul world during sleep to prepare a head for the next incarnation. Human approach to sleep. On the causes of sleep. Du Bois-Reymond about sleep and the waking state. Waking up as autumnal or wintry experience, going to sleep as spring or summer-like experience. | ||
| Lecture XI | November 13, 1921 | |
| A look at the physical body. I and astral body in the head and in the metabolic system. Dual function of the senses. Senses help to shape metabolic life during sleep (spirit man). Ether body becomes image of the universe during sleep (life spirit). Ether body radiating out to feed the earth. Life between death and rebirth, spirit self and mathematics. Jupiter consciousness. In sleep, the astral body is the judge of the soul, the I its own sacrifice. Last Judgement. Lamb of God. Emperor Henry II and his Ecclesia catholica non Romana. Evil of lies. Easter celebrated at Helsingfors. | ||