Reading the Pictures of the Apocalypse
GA 104a
11 May 1909, Kristiania
Lecture II-III
We have seen that the writer of the Apocalypse intended the seven letters in the first chapters of the Apocalypse as messages for the seven representatives of the seven cultural epochs of the post-Atlantean age; that is, the age that followed the great water catastrophe also known as the Flood. The age that will come after the seven post-Atlantean epochs reveals itself to the initiate in seven seals as the seven epochs like those of our post-Atlantean age.
We must realize that the soul development of humankind in the future still has many and manifold changes to go through. The more we imagine ourselves back into the state of consciousness in the ancient past when the human being's feeling for self was just a dim dawning, the more we also find a dim clairvoyance; the further back we go the less people appear as individuals. If we go far back into Atlantean times we no longer see people as individual beings but rather united with one another into group souls. But even in historical times, in the last centuries before Christ, we still find group souls. At that time the people in middle Europe felt themselves to be members of an organism, members of a tribe. Tacitus tells us how the individual Cheruscans experienced themselves, not as individuals, but as members of the tribal I.1Publius Cornelius Tacitus (ca. 55 – 120 A.D.), the Roman historian, in his book “De origin et situ Germanorum,” generally known as “Germania.”
We find in early Atlantean times that human beings over wide, wide geographical regions were very similar in appearance. They broke down into groups of striking similarity. In the middle of the Atlantean age humankind still fell into four main groups. In the first stages of Atlantean development the members of the individual groups still resembled one another in a very pronounced way: only the groups were sharply distinguished. The clairvoyant today can see very little of what constituted the physical body at that time. It was still completely made up of a very soft material, much like certain fish in the ocean today that can barely be distinguished from the rest of the water. The air then was entirely permeated by the watery element and the human physical body was still very difficult to distinguish from the watery element surrounding it. However, the bones and nervous system were also already present as forces at that time. The human being only became a real earthly human being through a process of hardening.
If we wish to characterize the various human beings, borrowing, as it were, present-day images, then we can consider first those who had developed and condensed their physical nature the most. The occultist refers to them as the bull people. The people whose etheric body was developed the most, the aggressive people, the powerful ones, were called the lion people. A third group had an astral body that strongly ruled over the other members; that is the group referred to as actual human beings. Then there were the people who could be called the eagles, who had already developed a strong I. In this way they ruled over the others. We can speak of these four group souls, and a clairvoyant perceives them by looking back into those ancient times.
These four groups of people were characterized by whatever aspect had been most formed in them on the earth below. The bull people at that time had developed their digestive system the most; the lion people their heart and blood circulation ... [gap in the manuscript]. The clairvoyant can see four such group souls. That is what appears with initiation in the astral world. What then presents itself to the clairvoyant can be compared approximately with what those four animals are today. One who sees the evolution of humankind today with the view of an occultist sees this picture of the four human groups symbolized in these four animals.
The war of all against all will be an expression of the egotism that is always growing stronger, the egotism conjured forth by humanity today as the I is and will always become, stronger and stronger. That will be the end of the last post-Atlantean culture. This catastrophe will also have its mission, its usefulness in the ascent of the entire human race. However, the great war of all against all will be something much worse than war of the present-day with weapons. It will be a war of souls, of souls who no longer understand one another, a war of the classes. This future catastrophe is difficult for present-day consciousness to understand.
The Atlanteans were magicians. As we today use the powers asleep in coal, so the Atlantean used the forces in plant seeds. The forces in the seeds served them in their technology, in their industry.
There is a mysterious connection between these forces. As long as the Atlanteans used the seed forces properly, they were in harmony with the working of the forces of the air and water. However, from the middle of the Atlantean age onward, the Atlantean magicians increasingly approached their moral fall; and in the mysteries of the black occult schools these magical forces were misused in a terrible way. They were placed in the service of the most horrible egotism. In this way the powers of air and water were increasingly excited which finally had to result in the mighty Atlantean water catastrophe. Today, those who know the secret of the use of these forces know full well that the use of such forces in our time means that powers of black magic are at work. Magic must never be made to serve when selfish purposes are involved. Hence, the employment of seed forces is not permitted today even to serve white magic. On the other hand, in Lemurian times the seed forces of the animals were used. But everywhere that the growth forces of animals are misused, horrendous forces of fire, the vulcanic element, are awakened.
Today these things are not so obvious. Today the feeling for one's self, the overwhelming egohood of people has brought about the drying up, the desolation of those regions of the earth that have developed this egotism to the greatest extent. It is absolutely true that this war of all against all is being prepared on the surface of the earth because a connection exists between the egotistical withering of the soul's forces and the paralyzation of the earth's productive powers. The Nordic myth of the Twilight of the Gods also tells us this.
We must understand the difference between the evolution of souls and the evolution of bodies. From epoch to epoch human souls find themselves again and again in different bodies. These souls will one day see the strife that will reign among the human souls who will be born in the last post-Atlantean age. This experience will be a lesson for them and will help to free them from egotism. Then they will be able to grow into an era where they will have the fruits of selfhood but without its disadvantages. An age will come with clairvoyant conditions similar to those prevailing in ancient Atlantis, but with this difference: human beings will have a free consciousness of self. We will then have learned, in these seven cultures of the post-Atlantean age, what can be achieved in the physical world. This self-perception or consciousness of self can only awaken in a physical body; but the human being must again subjugate the physical body. After the war of all against all, we will have achieved a stage of evolution where we live in a bodily nature in such a way that we are no longer slaves of our physical bodies.
The impulse for this development comes from the Christ principle. Christ even falls right in the middle between the age of the Atlantean catastrophe and the war of all against all. On the one hand we can thank the descent into matter for our consciousness of self within our physical bodily nature. On the other hand, we thank the Christ event for our ability to ascend with the achievements of the physical world. We thank the Christ principle for our ability to ascend to universal brotherly love, to the universal love of humanity, since we will again unite in groups with love for one another.
If we look back to the time of the original group souls of Atlantis and then into the future we see these four group souls appearing again. The lamb will stand in the middle as a sign for the love that will unite people who will then be living in a bodily nature that is less dense.
But this state must be prepared today through the setting aside of a small group that will carry brotherly love into the future. Therefore, a stream has arisen in our time that will lead to brotherly love through real spiritual knowledge. Humankind will not attain brotherly love through preaching but rather through knowledge. Preachers who constantly speak of love achieve nothing. But if people are given wisdom, knowledge of evolution, in such a way that it becomes life in the soul, then humanity will arrive at love. The soul can attain this when it is warmed by wisdom. Then it can radiate love.
For this reason the masters of wisdom and harmony of feelings have formed this stream for the raying forth of love into humanity and for the influx of wisdom into humanity. Humankind, rushing toward the war of all against all, will then find the fruit of the theosophical movement in an understanding of peace—while all around it, the nature of humankind will have everywhere led into strife those who have not heard the call of the master of wisdom and harmony of feelings on the basis of the Christ impulse in the fourth age.
Let us look back again to the first epoch of our culture, to the holy Rishis who pointed to the Vishva Karman, whom, as clairvoyants, they saw by means of the etheric bodies of the Atlantean initiates they carried within them. The writer of the Apocalypse directed his spiritual gaze toward him and saw how he holds the seven star oracles, through the seven Rishis, in his hand. These holy, simple men wanted to awaken the spiritual senses of humanity by saying to human beings that the world surrounding them is just maya or illusion. Only the spirit standing behind the surrounding world could be called truth. The seven holy Rishis pointed to this spirit. Human beings had to descend into physical life; but in order to preserve them from a descent into matter that would be too deep. they first had to absorb the teaching concerning maya or illusion. The souls that are now living in our bodies have also lived in Indian bodies, and at that time learned to see matter as an illusion. But all around there were the souls of many human beings who were locked in the fetters of matter. For those souls incarnated again today it means that they are theoretical materialists. Among materialists those are the least harmful, for their materialistic thoughts will be driven out of them in the future when the earth will become devastated and only the soul will remain alive, the soul that they no longer believe in today.
What is even worse is practical materialism. But this form of materialism was even more dangerous in ancient times because the memory of magic powers was still present; then this materialism always led to the practice of black magic. Therefore, at that time this materialism always signified the fall into the decadence of black magic. The writer of the Apocalypse always spoke of these people as Nicolaitans who have lost the first, the glorious love of the spirit. Therefore, when he wanted to praise he said that the Nicolaitans were hated.
We find the least amount of black magic in the ancient Indian culture. We find the greatest misuse in Egypt because the lofty teachings of Hermes went over into the art of black magic. Balaam is intended as a black magician. The writer of the Apocalypse directs his admonishment to the community in Pergamon in the verse: “But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teachings of Balaam.” (Rev. 2:14) Common immorality is not meant here but rather the development of the powers in matter, black magic.
In the occult schools of the first age after Christ the Apocalypse was a favored book. The ancient mysteries founded the primal wisdom, the wisdom of the Atlanteans. The Christian mysteries, on the other hand, strive to direct their view to the future. They did this not only in order to know but also in order to stimulate their wills so that, with this spiritual treasure, humanity could pass through increasingly higher incarnations.
Dritter Vortrag
Es ist uns klar geworden, daß die sieben Briefe in den ersten Kapiteln der Apokalypse von dem Schreiber der Offenbarung gedacht sind für die sieben Repräsentanten der sieben Kulturepochen der nachatlantischen Zeit, welche folgte auf die große Wasserkatastrophe, die auch die Sintflut genannt wird. Das Zeitalter, das nach den sieben nachatlantischen Kulturperioden kommt, enthüllt sich dem Eingeweihten in sieben Siegeln als sieben Zeiträume, gleich denen unserer nachatlantischen Zeit.
Vor allen Dingen müssen wir uns klarmachen, daß die Seelenentwickelung der Menschheit auch in Zukunft noch manche und mannigfache Wandlungen durchzumachen hat. Je mehr wir uns in die Zeiten alten, dämmerhaften Selbstgefühls zurückversetzen, desto mehr finden wir auch dämmerhaftes Hellsehen, immer weniger erscheinen uns die Menschen als Individualitäten. Wenn wir weit zurückgehen in die atlantische Zeit, so sehen wir die Menschen nicht als Einzelwesen, sondern im Bewußtsein miteinander verbunden zu Gruppenseelen. Aber selbst noch in historischen Zeiten finden wir in den letzten vorchristlichen Jahrhunderten das Gruppenseelenwesen; damals fühlte sich der Mensch in Mitteleuropa als Glied eines Organismus, als Glied eines Stammes. Tacitus erzählt uns davon, wie die einzelnen Cherusker sich nicht als Individualität, sondern als Glieder des Stammes-Ichs empfanden.
In der frühen atlantischen Zeit finden wir, wie sich die Menschen über weite, weite Gebiete hin einander sehr ähnlich sind; sie zerfallen in Gruppen von großer, auffallender Ähnlichkeit. Um die Mitte der atlantischen Zeit zerfällt die Menschheit noch in vier hauptsächliche Gruppen. Die Mitglieder der einzelnen Gruppen sehen sich in der ersten atlantischen Entwickelung noch ganz ausgeprägt einander ähnlich, nur die Gruppen unterscheiden sich stark voneinander. Der Hellseher sieht zu jener Zeit noch sehr wenig von dem vorhanden, was heute den physischen Leib ausmacht; der physische Menschenleib ist dazumal durchaus noch von einer sehr weichen Materie, wie die gewisser Meerestiere, die heutzutage kaum von dem übrigen Wasser zu unterscheiden sind. Die Luft war dazumal ganz durchsetzt vom wäßrigen Element und der physische Leib des Menschen war zu jener Zeit noch sehr schwer zu unterscheiden von diesem ihn umgebenden Element. Als Kräfte waren aber auch schon zu jener Zeit die Knochen und das Nervensystem vorhanden. Erst dadurch, daß er sich verhärtet, wird der Mensch zum eigentlichen Erdenmenschen.
Wenn man, sozusagen an heutige Vorstellungen sich anlehnend, die verschiedenen Menschen damals bezeichnen will, so kann man da zuerst solche sehen, die am dichtesten die physische Natur ausgebildet haben; die bezeichnet der Okkultist als Stiermenschen. Die Menschen, bei denen der Ätherleib am meisten ausgebildet ist, das sind die aggressiven Menschen, die Kraftnaturen, die Löwenmenschen. Eine dritte Gruppe hat einen Astralleib, der sehr stark die übrigen Glieder beherrscht; das ist die Gruppe, die man nun als eigentliche Menschen bezeichnet. Dann gibt es noch die Menschen, die man die Adler nennen könnte, die ihr Ich schon ausgeprägt haben, so daß sie über die anderen herrschen. So kann man von diesen vier Gruppenseelen sprechen und der Hellseher nimmt sie durch die Rückschau in jene alten Zeiten wahr.
Diese vier Gruppen von Menschen waren durch das charakterisiert, was unten auf Erden am meisten ausgestaltet war. Die Stiermenschen der damaligen Zeit hatten ihr Verdauungssystem am meisten ausgebildet; die Löwenmenschen Herz und Blutzirkulation.... [Lücke in der Nachschrift.] Der Hellseher kann vier solcher Gruppenseelen sehen; das ist das, was bei der Einweihung in der astralen Welt erscheint. Was sich dem Hellseher dann darstellt, das kann er annähernd vergleichen mit dem, was heute die vier Tiere sind. Wer die Menschheitsentwickelung heute mit okkultem Blicke schaut, sieht dieses Bild von den vier Menschengruppen versinnbildlicht in diesen vier Tieren.
Der Krieg aller gegen alle wird der Ausdruck sein des immer stärker werdenden Egoismus, heraufbeschworen durch die heutige Menschheit, indem das Ich immer stärker und stärker werden wird. Das wird das Ende sein der letzten nachatlantischen Kultur. Auch diese Katastrophe wird ihre Mission haben, ihren Nutzen im Emporkommen der ganzen Menschheit. Der große Krieg aller gegen alle wird aber etwas viel Schlimmeres sein als der heutige Krieg mit den Waffen. Der Krieg der Seelen wird es sein, der Seelen, die sich nicht mehr verstehen, der Krieg der Klassen, der Stände. Diese Zukunftskatastrophe ist schwer zu verstehen für ein heutiges Bewußtsein.
Die Atlantier waren Magier. So, wie der Mensch heute die Kräfte benutzt, die in der Kohle schlummern, so gebrauchten die Atlantier die Kräfte in den Samenkörnern; die Samenkräfte der Organismen stellten sie in den Dienst ihrer Technik, ihrer Industrie.
Es gibt nun einen geheimnisvollen Zusammenhang zwischen diesen Kräften. Solange die Atlantier die Samenkräfte richtig verwendeten, so lange stand das in Harmonie mit dem Wirken der Luft- und Wasserkräfte. Von der Mitte der atlantischen Zeit an aber ging die Magie der Atlantier immer mehr ihrem moralischen Verfall entgegen, und in den Mysterien der schwarzen okkulten Schulen wurde furchtbarer Mißbrauch getrieben mit diesen magischen Kräften. Sie wurden in den Dienst des schrecklichsten Egoismus gestellt. So wurden die Luft- und Wasserkräfte immer mehr erregt, bis es zu der gewaltigen atlantischen Wasserkatastrophe kommen mußte. Diejenigen, die heute das Geheimnis von der Benutzung dieser Kräfte kennen, die wissen wohl, daß wenn man heute noch solche Samenkräfte verwenden würde, es schwarzmagische Kräfte wären, die das bewirkten. Magie darf niemals Dienste leisten, wenn es sich um selbstsüchtige Zwecke handelt. So darf heute auch nicht im Dienste der weißen Magie mit den Samenkräften der Pflanzen gearbeitet werden. In der lemurischen Zeit hingegen wurde mit den Samenkräften der Tiere gearbeitet. Überall da, wo aber ein Mißbrauch mit diesen tierischen Wachstumskräften stattfindet, werden die furchtbarsten Kräfte des Feuers, das vulkanische Element der Erde wachgerufen.
Heute liegen diese Dinge nicht so offen zutage; heute bewirkt das Element des Selbstgefühls, der sich überschlagenden Ichheit im Menschen, die Ausdörrung, die Verödung derjenigen Erdgegenden, die diesen Egoismus aufs höchste getrieben haben. Wahr ist es durchaus, daß auf der Erdoberfläche dieser Krieg aller gegen alle sich vorbereitet, indem ein Zusammenhang besteht zwischen der egoistischen Vertrocknung der Seelenkräfte und der Erstarrung der produktiven Erdkräfte. Das wird uns erzählt in der nordischen Mythe von der Götterdämmerung.
Zunächst müssen wir aber verstehen lernen den Unterschied zwischen Seelenentwickelung und leiblicher Entwickelung. Die Menschenseelen finden sich von Epoche zu Epoche immer wieder in anderen Leibern, und dadurch, daß diese Seelen einst sehen werden den Streit, der zwischen den menschlichen Seelen herrschen wird, die in die letzte nachatlantische Zeit hineingeboren sein werden, dadurch wird das für sie eine Lehre sein zur Befreiung vom Egoismus. So werden sie hinüberwachsen in eine Zeit, wo sie die Früchte der Ichheit haben werden, aber ohne ihre Schäden. Und dann wird eine Zeit kommen, die gleichsam ähnlich sein wird den alten hellseherischen Zuständen der Atlantis, aber mit freiem Selbstbewußtsein. Der Mensch hat dann in diesen sieben Kulturen der nachatlantischen Zeit gelernt, was er in der physischen Welt erobern kann; nur im physischen Leibe kann dieses Selbstgefühl erwachen, aber niederzwingen muß der Mensch wieder den physischen Leib. Nach dem Kriege aller gegen alle wird der Mensch angelangt sein auf einer Stufe und in einer solchen Leiblichkeit, wo er nicht mehr Sklave, sondern wo er Herr sein wird seines physischen Leibes.
Und dieser Impuls kommt gerade durch das Christus-Prinzip. Mitten hinein zwischen die Epoche der atlantischen Katastrophe und den Krieg aller gegen alle fällt das Christus-Ereignis. So verdankt der Mensch auf der einen Seite dem Herabsteigen in die Materie das Selbstgefühl innerhalb der physischen Leiblichkeit und auf der anderen Seite das Emporsteigen mit den Errungenschaften der physischen Welt dem Christus-Ereignis. Dem Christus-Prinzip verdankt der Mensch, daß er aufsteigen wird zur allgemeinen Bruderliebe, zur allgemeinen Menschenliebe, da die Menschen sich in Liebe zueinander wieder vereinigen werden in Gruppen.
Schauen wir nun zurück in die Zeit der ursprünglichen Gruppenseelen der Atlantis und dann in die Zukunft, so treten diese vier Gruppenseelen auf; in ihrer Mitte wird das Lamm stehen als Zeichen für die Liebe, welche die Menschen verbinden wird in einer weniger dichten Leiblichkeit.
Aber dieser Zustand muß vorbereitet werden dadurch, daß heute schon ein Häuflein sich aussondert, das hinübertragen kann die Bruderliebe. Deshalb ist in unserer Zeit eine Strömung entstanden, die durch wirkliches geistiges Wissen zur Bruderliebe führt. Durch Predigen von Bruderliebe wird die Menschheit nicht zur Bruderliebe gelangen, aber durch Wissen. Die Prediger, die immer von Liebe reden, erreichen nichts; gibt man aber den Menschen die Weisheit, das Wissen von Entwickelung so, daß dieses Wissen Leben in der Seele ist, dann wird die Menschheit zur Liebe kommen. Dazu gelangt die Seele, wenn sie mit Weisheit durchwärmt wird; dann kann sie die Liebe ausstrahlen.
Deshalb haben die Meister der Weisheit und des Zusammenklangs der Empfindungen diese Strömung zur Ausstrahlung der Liebe in die Menschheit und zur Einströmung der Weisheit in die Menschheit begründet. Die Menschheit, entgegeneilend dem Krieg aller gegen alle, wird dann die Frucht der theosophischen Bewegung finden als das Verständnis für den Frieden, während um sie herum die Natur der Menschen überall jene zum Streite geführt haben wird, die nicht gehört haben werden den Ruf der Meister der Weisheit und des Zusammenklanges der Empfindungen auf Grund des Christus-Impulses des vierten Zeitraumes.
Blicken wir noch einmal zurück in den ersten Zeitraum unserer Kultur, auf die heiligen Rishis, die da hinweisen auf den Vishva Karman, den sie als Hellseher schauen durch die Ätherleiber der atlantischen Eingeweihten, die sie in sich tragen. Den geistigen Blick richtet der apokalyptische Hellseher auf Ihn und sieht, wie Er die sieben Sternorakel durch die sieben Rishis in der Hand hält. Diese heiligen, schlichten Männer haben erwecken wollen den geistigen Sinn der Menschheit, indem sie ihr sagten, die umliegende Welt um sie herum wäre Maja oder Illusion; Wahrheit nannten sie nur den Geist, der dahinter steht — auf den wiesen die heiligen sieben Rishis hin. Der Mensch mußte herabsteigen in dieses physische Leben; aber um ihn zu bewahren vor zu starkem Herabsteigen in die Materie, mußte er erst in sich aufnehmen die Lehre von der Maja oder Illusion. Die Seelen, die jetzt in unseren Leibern wohnen, die haben ja in indischen Leibern gelebt und haben damals gelernt, die Materie als Illusion anzusehen. Aber ringsherum gab es die Seelen der vielen in die Fesseln der Materie geschlagenen Menschen. Heute bedeutet es für diese wieder inkarnierten Menschen, daß sie theoretische Materialisten sind. Das sind die Unschädlichsten; denn ihnen werden schon in Zukunft diese Gedanken ausgetrieben werden dadurch, daß die Erde veröden wird und nur lebendig bleiben wird die Seele, an die sie heute nicht mehr glauben. — Was aber schlimmer ist, das ist der praktische Materialismus. Aber noch gefährlicher war in den alten Zeiten diese Form des Materialismus, weil damals noch die Erinnerungen da waren an die magischen Kräfte; da mußte dieser Materialismus zur schwarzmagischen Kunst führen. So bedeutete dieser Materialismus damals immer den Verfall in schwarze Magie; und der Apokalyptiker spricht immer von diesen Menschen als von den Nikolaiten, welche die erste, die herrliche Liebe zum Geiste verlassen haben. So sagt er, wo er zu loben hat, daß gehaßt werden die Nikolaiten.
Innerhalb der alten indischen Kultur finden wir am wenigsten von der schwarzen Kunst; am meisten finden wir davon als Mißbrauch in Ägypten, da die hohe Lehre des Hermes überging in die Kunst der schwarzen Magie. Mit Balaam ist gemeint ein schwarzer Zauberer; da richtet der Apokalyptiker seine Mahnung an die Gemeinde von Pergamon im 14. Vers: «Aber ich habe etliches wider dich, daß du Leute dort hast, die zu der Lehre Balaams halten.» (Apk. 2, 14) Nicht gewöhnliche Unzucht ist gemeint, sondern das Entwickeln der Kräfte der Materie, die schwarze Magie.
In den okkulten Schulen der ersten nachchristlichen Zeit war die Apokalypse ein Lieblingsbuch. Die alten Mysterien ergründeten die Urweisheit, die Weisheit der Atlantier. Die christlichen Mysterien hingegen suchten den Blick zu richten auf die Zukunft, nicht nur, um zu wissen, sondern auch um den Willen anzuregen, damit die Menschheit mit spirituellem Gut immer höhere Verkörperungen durchmachen könne.
Third Lecture
It has become clear to us that the seven letters in the first chapters of the Apocalypse were intended by the writer of Revelation for the seven representatives of the seven cultural epochs of the post-Atlantean period, which followed the great water catastrophe also known as the Flood. The age that follows the seven post-Atlantean cultural periods is revealed to the initiated in seven seals as seven periods of time, similar to those of our post-Atlantean time.
Above all, we must realize that the soul development of humanity will still have to undergo many and varied changes in the future. The more we go back to the times of ancient, dim self-awareness, the more we find dim clairvoyance, and the less people appear to us as individuals. If we go far back to the Atlantean era, we see people not as individual beings, but as connected in consciousness to group souls. But even in historical times, in the last centuries before Christ, we find group soul beings; at that time, people in Central Europe felt themselves to be members of an organism, members of a tribe. Tacitus tells us how the individual Cherusci did not feel themselves to be individuals, but members of the tribal ego.
In the early Atlantean period, we find that people are very similar to each other across vast areas; they break down into groups of great and striking similarity. Around the middle of the Atlantean period, humanity still breaks down into four main groups. During the first stage of Atlantic evolution, the members of the individual groups still looked very much alike, with only the groups themselves differing greatly from one another. At that time, clairvoyants could see very little of what today constitutes the physical body; the physical human body was still made of a very soft matter, like that of certain sea creatures, which today can hardly be distinguished from the water around them. The air was completely permeated with the watery element, and the physical body of the human being was still very difficult to distinguish from this surrounding element. However, the bones and the nervous system were already present as forces at that time. It is only through hardening that the human being becomes an actual earthly human being.
If, based on today's ideas, so to speak, one wants to describe the different people of that time, one can first see those who have developed the physical nature most densely; the occultist calls them Taurus people. The people in whom the etheric body is most developed are the aggressive people, the forceful natures, the Leo people. A third group has an astral body that strongly dominates the other members; this is the group that is now referred to as actual human beings. Then there are those who could be called eagles, who have already developed their ego to such an extent that they rule over the others. Thus, one can speak of these four group souls, and the clairvoyant perceives them by looking back into those ancient times.
These four groups of people were characterized by what was most developed on earth at that time. The Taurus people of that time had the most developed digestive system; the Leo people had the most developed heart and blood circulation.... [gap in the transcript] The clairvoyant can see four such group souls; this is what appears during initiation into the astral world. What then presents itself to the clairvoyant can be roughly compared to what the four animals are today. Anyone who looks at human evolution today with occult insight sees this image of the four groups of people symbolized in these four animals.
The war of all against all will be the expression of the ever-increasing egoism conjured up by today's humanity as the ego becomes stronger and stronger. This will be the end of the last post-Atlantean culture. This catastrophe will also have its mission, its benefit in the advancement of the whole of humanity. However, the great war of all against all will be something much worse than today's war with weapons. It will be a war of souls, of souls that no longer understand each other, a war of classes, of social strata. This future catastrophe is difficult to comprehend for today's consciousness.
The Atlanteans were magicians. Just as humans today use the forces that lie dormant in coal, the Atlanteans used the forces in seeds; they put the seed forces of organisms at the service of their technology and industry.
There is a mysterious connection between these forces. As long as the Atlanteans used the seed forces correctly, they were in harmony with the forces of air and water. From the middle of the Atlantean era, however, the magic of the Atlanteans increasingly led to their moral decline, and in the mysteries of the black occult schools, terrible abuse was made of these magical forces. They were placed at the service of the most terrible egoism. Thus, the forces of air and water became increasingly agitated until the great Atlantean water catastrophe was inevitable. Those who today know the secret of how to use these forces are well aware that if such seed forces were used today, it would be black magic that would bring about the same results. Magic must never be used for selfish purposes. Thus, today the seed forces of plants must not be used in the service of white magic. In the Lemurian era, however, the seed forces of animals were used. But wherever these animal growth forces are misused, the most terrible forces of fire, the volcanic element of the earth, are awakened.
Today these things are not so obvious; today the element of self-consciousness, of exaggerated egoism in human beings, causes the drying up and desolation of those regions of the earth that have carried this egoism to the highest degree. It is absolutely true that on the surface of the earth this war of all against all is being prepared, in that there is a connection between the egoistic drying up of the soul forces and the stagnation of the productive forces of the earth. This is told to us in the Norse myth of the twilight of the gods.
First, however, we must learn to understand the difference between soul development and physical development. Human souls find themselves in different bodies from epoch to epoch, and because these souls will one day see the strife that will prevail among the human souls born into the last post-Atlantean epoch, this will be a lesson for them in liberation from egoism. In this way, they will grow into a time when they will have the fruits of selfhood, but without its harmful effects. And then a time will come that will be similar to the old clairvoyant states of Atlantis, but with free self-consciousness. In these seven cultures of the post-Atlantean era, human beings will have learned what they can conquer in the physical world; this sense of self can only awaken in the physical body, but human beings must once again subdue the physical body. After the war of all against all, human beings will have reached a stage and a state of physicality where they will no longer be slaves, but masters of their physical bodies.
And this impulse comes precisely through the Christ principle. The Christ event falls right in the middle between the epoch of the Atlantean catastrophe and the war of all against all. Thus, on the one hand, human beings owe their sense of self within their physical bodies to their descent into matter, and on the other hand, they owe their ascent with the achievements of the physical world to the Christ event. Human beings owe it to the Christ principle that they will ascend to universal brotherly love, to universal love for humanity, as human beings will reunite in love for one another in groups.
If we now look back to the time of the original group souls of Atlantis and then into the future, these four group souls appear; in their midst will stand the Lamb as a sign of the love that will unite human beings in a less dense physical body.
But this state must be prepared by a small group separating itself out today, a group that can carry over brotherly love. That is why a current has arisen in our time that leads to brotherly love through real spiritual knowledge. Preaching brotherly love will not bring humanity to brotherly love, but knowledge will. Preachers who always talk about love achieve nothing; but if you give people the wisdom, the knowledge of evolution, in such a way that this knowledge is life in the soul, then humanity will come to love. The soul attains this when it is warmed by wisdom; then it can radiate love.
That is why the masters of wisdom and harmony of feelings have established this current for the radiation of love into humanity and for the inflow of wisdom into humanity. Humanity, rushing headlong into war against all, will then find the fruit of the theosophical movement in the understanding of peace, while all around them the nature of human beings will have led those who have not heard the call of the masters of wisdom and harmony of feeling, based on the Christ impulse of the fourth period, into strife.
Let us look back once more to the first period of our culture, to the holy Rishis who point to the Vishva Karman, which they see as clairvoyants through the etheric bodies of the Atlantean initiates whom they carry within themselves. The apocalyptic clairvoyant directs his spiritual gaze upon Him and sees how He holds the seven star oracles in His hand through the seven rishis. These holy, simple men wanted to awaken the spiritual sense of humanity by telling them that the world around them was Maya or illusion; they called only the spirit behind it truth — to which the holy seven Rishis pointed. Human beings had to descend into this physical life; but in order to protect them from descending too deeply into matter, they first had to absorb the teaching of Maya or illusion. The souls that now dwell in our bodies lived in Indian bodies and learned at that time to regard matter as illusion. But all around them were the souls of the many people bound in the chains of matter. Today, this means that these reincarnated people are theoretical materialists. They are the most harmless, for in the future these thoughts will be driven out of them by the fact that the earth will become desolate and only the soul, in which they no longer believe today, will remain alive. But what is worse is practical materialism. This form of materialism was even more dangerous in ancient times because then the memories of magical powers were still alive; this materialism had to lead to black magic. Thus, this materialism always meant a decline into black magic at that time; and the apocalyptic writer always speaks of these people as the Nicolaitans, who were the first to abandon the glorious love of the spirit. Thus, where he has cause to praise, he says that the Nicolaitans are to be hated.
Within the ancient Indian culture, we find the least of black magic; we find most of it as abuse in Egypt, since the high teaching of Hermes passed into the art of black magic. Balaam refers to a black magician; the apocalyptic writer addresses his warning to the church of Pergamum in verse 14: “But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the teaching of Balaam.” (Rev. 2:14) This does not refer to ordinary fornication, but to the development of the powers of matter, black magic.
In the occult schools of the early post-Christian period, the Apocalypse was a favorite book. The ancient mysteries explored the primordial wisdom, the wisdom of the Atlanteans. The Christian mysteries, on the other hand, sought to direct the gaze toward the future, not only to know, but also to stimulate the will so that humanity could undergo ever higher incarnations with spiritual goods.