Christ Module 7 - Cosmic dimension
This module focuses on:
- a statement by Rudolf Steiner that, at the moment the blood dripped from the cross and reaches the earth at Golgotha, the astral atmosphere of the Earth changed. And that beings in the cosmos, if they would have watched from space, would have seen the atmosphere of the earth changing at the moment initiated by the Mystery of Golgotha.
- Furthermore, that only the Mystery of Golgotha gives the Earth its cosmic meaning. (quote 1916-01-09-GA165 below).
- Last, this module also explores the meaning of the term 'Mystical Lamb'.
This is why this module is called the 'cosmic dimension'. The above statements are mind-boggling when one projects an image of the cross at Golgotha in purely human terms. These statement forces one to switch gears, and to consider Christ-Jesus not as a man but as a divine being, to realize a cosmic event happened at the Mystery of Golgotha.
The meaning of the Mystery of Golgotha and Christ Impulse was unveiled by Rudolf Steiner's explanatory lecturing for our age, as elaborated in the Study Modules. This module is the final of the first seven that carries over in the next seven that continue on other as well as more advanced aspects.
Aspects
- change in the Earth atmosphere - the radiating effect .. the Earth becomes a Sun (underlying schema FMC00.187)
- a new center gets created (see Schema FMC00.188 below, also 1915-06-15-GA159 on Communicating over spiritual science)
- link with the importance of ideals and shared ideals by a group
- Mystical Lamb
Inspirational quotes
1916-01-09-GA165
.. when spirits from other planets look down upon Earth and ask what the meaning of this earthly evolution is, they will understand it when they learn about the Mystery of Golgotha. Everything that happens in the course of earthly evolution has its meaning only through the Mystery of Golgotha. The Mystery of Golgotha radiates out into the cosmos and imparts to everything else that radiates out from the Earth its central meaning.
GA026 - LT
The life of all this earthly realm becomes clear and transparent when we feel at its foundation the germ of a new universe. Every single plant and stone appears in a new light to the soul of Man, when he becomes aware that each of these creations is contributing by its life or by its form to this great fact: that the Earth in its unity is an embryo — the seed of a macrocosm newly rising into life.
The module study work and process
As with every module, the intention is for the student to develop an imaginative picture, not just grasp the topic with an intellectual understanding.
- To approach this requires us to look in the evolutionary development of spiritual beings. For this we need to use our solar system as only reference.
- The key lecture here is the amazing 1905-08-12-GA091 (DE book only), which really sets a reference frame for our thinking and reasoning.
- The second step is to realize what is happening when high spiritual beings sacrifice themselves, in fact there is a emanation of streaming out of their own substance.
- The proposed best entry here is a contemplative study of the five lectures of GA132, but especially the first two on sacrifice on Old Saturn and Old Sun.
- From there we can look at the development of our solar system and see that there is a link between this sacrificing and the budhi plane, and can compare that with what happens during a pralaya 'state-transition'.
- With that basis we will be able to see how a new centre gets created, and this maps to the statement that a new beginning was made with the Mystery of Golgotha, also known as 'the earth becomes a sun'. (what is meant with the earth here is the Christ spirit and humanity, not the physical planet).
- The key lecture here is the amazing 1904-11-09-GA089 (EN book), followed by the second part of the 1904-11-10-GA089. However what is laid out here is so deep that the whole of GA089 needs to be read as elements that touch on these two lectures appear in small but useful details throughout, once one has studied these two lectures deep enough. See schema FMC00.187 below.
- We can look into two examples of what is explained: the first is Goethe's quote regarding the eye, the second is Steiner's explanation about the need for working in groups, and the effect of group processes (also as used by secret societies)
- The dimension missing in the above, rather technical considerations, is: where does freedom, morality and love come in. This is a very deep and broad topic on its own. This module requires only the additional angle from building an understanding of how the spiritual contains the basis for the moral.
- As one key into this study, 1920-12-18-GA202 is proposed.
- It will be useful for perspective to look at the beginning of our solar system and compare how there also a new center was created and a new start was made with Old Saturn.
Illustrations
Schema FMC00.165 illustrates visions from the place where the cosmic center was created in a mundane environment of ignorant human beings. Only initiates knew and realized what was happening at Golgotha. Note: Emmerick and Neumann received their visions as part of their process of living with the stigmata.
Schema FMC00.187 is essential and comes from the key lecture put forth for the study of this topic.
The following sequence 'rolls off' the above schema and develops it in a few steps.
FMC00.187A is to sketch the base concepts and how they relate:
FMC00.187B illustrates the key relation between giver and receiver:
FMC00.187C further details how this happens:
and FMC00.187D focuses on the shining of budhi outwards:
Schema FMC00.187E illustrates with the original notes that were checked, for reference
Schema FMC00.188 depicts how 'another center is created' by people who share ideals. This is a more 'technical' spiritual scientific explanation of how human beings that come together in the spirit of higher ideals, create something at a higher level that surpasses their Individualities and has a cosmic impact as it starts shining back from the center that gets thus created (see lecture and also Schema FMC00.266 below).
An illustration of such can be seen in the German idealism, see for example the illustration with the network of some important souls (that carried this idealism) in Schema FMC00243 on Goethe. However this is also important for group work in communities, see Communicating over spiritual science.
and again Schema FMC00.188A shows the base materials checked, for reference.
Schema FMC00.266 shows (see 1920-12-18-GA202 below and on Threefold Sun) how the spiritual Sun [1] works on Earth and Man [2], but that Man radiates this morality out into the cosmos [3], and after a certain distance is reflected: "the physical sun is only the seemingly physical appearance of a spiritual mirroring" [4].
Schema FMC00.400 is built up from the overview of solar system evolution Schema FMC00.077 with the seven planetary stages, and applies the principle of cosmic breathing of Schema FMC00.240A underneath, with the maha-pralaya in between such cycles of seven planetary stages. See more on: Cosmic breath of Brahma and relate this to Schema FMC00.329 on IAO
Lecture coverage and references
Coverage
The fact that the astral aspect of the Earth changed when the blood dripped from the wounds at Golgotha, appears in:
1905-08-15-GA091
1907-11-22-GA100
1907-12-01-GA098
astral body Earth changed when blood streamed -> astral aura began to radiate
1908-06-23-GA104
1909-03-31-GA111
1909-07-06-GA112
and second alternate translation
a new center, a new start was created
radiates back and streams into space - force will form spiritual sphere surrounding earth, composed of those etheric bodies endowed with light, in process of becoming a Sun.
In 1906-08-31-GA091 describes how when Man transforms warmth into love his astral body begins to transform and light and love gets united with wisdom (Lucifer), after which physical and etheric body can be interchanged. This not only is relevant for the 'redeeming Lucifer' question, but also for the (resurrection body'.
The chemical and life ethers
1910-09-12-GA123
discusses how with the departure of the Sun in the Hyperborean epoch, the spiritual part and higher ethers left also. The Life Ether was called Honover in Persian times, in the Gospel of John it's called the Logos (as the 'meaning-filled tone belonging to the Being of the Sun')
We have therefore on the earth — warmth, air or gaseous substance, water or fluid substance, and solids or earthly substance. Opposed to these as finer conditions we have light-ether, tone-ether, and life-ether, this last being the finest etheric condition known to us..
Now with the departure of the Sun from the Earth, not only the material part of the Sun left but the spiritual part left also. It was only later, and by degrees, that this returned to the earth, and it did not return entirely.
That which as organizing quality lay here at the foundation of a new kind of fellowship is contained in the Life-ether, which organizes life, and which streamed into the earth in the Deed of Christ.
1913-11-16-GA148
we read Death: Earth getting darker, like a solar eclipse but can also be clouds, lasted hours; Laying in the tomb: earthquake with whirlpool, afterwards there only like the clothes
Dann kann man wahrnehmen, wie beim Sterben am Kreuze der Christus-Impuls, durch diese Finsternis hindurchgehend, sich mit der Erdenaura verbindet. Die Verbindung des kosmischen Christus-Impulses mit der Erdenaura schaut man bei dieser Verfinsterung vor seinem Tode. Dann hat man jenen großen, gewaltigen Eindruck, wie diese Wesenheit, die im Leibe des Jesus gelebt hat, jetzt sich ausgießt über die geistig-seelische Erdenaura, so daß die Seelen der Menschen nun fortan wie in sie eingezogen sind.
So im Geiste zu schauen das Kreuz auf Golgatha, und den Christus durch die verfinsterte Erde sich ausgießen sehen über das Erdenleben, ist ein ungeheuer überwältigender Eindruck; denn man sieht im Bilde das wirklich sich vollziehen, was für die Entwickelung der Erdenmenschheit sich vollziehen mußte.
1916-01-09-GA165
contains the following sentence, here parsed:
the sun-being Christ
- entered into the earth sphere and united with the whole etheric body of the earth
- he then entered into the earth aura and now continues to work there
More on the higher ethers in Christ Module 11 - a new physics
A new center gets created
After study of 1904-11-09-GA089 that explains about the creation of a new center, Schema FMC00.188. Certain lectures use that term and language.
1906-09-13-GA091
An example is the wonderful lecture 1906-09-13-GA091 with the title 'Das Weltenzentrum, Christus, Das Ich'. This is an example of a lecture (only published in 2018) that really belongs in volume GA097 on the Christ Mystery (GA097 already contains the lectures of of 2 and 15 september). Just a few phrases as example. With the new center reference is also made to the seed at the nirvana plane in the pralaya after the Earth's planetary stage.
.. he was flowing his life into the world, streaming into each person and giving him his power, to experience his true I and find the center to live in his I. ..
.. the more people unite with the power of the Christ, the more they will be free and divine .. the life impulse they have to get there, in the center of the world. The human I is the key to the center of this world. It is the spark or flame that connects Man with this central force of the world.
.. and when the whole of humanity has become an expression of the Christ, then that will represent the transition to a new step in world development. Then all powers that were in the world have been put out and used, and now these life forces can be involved in something new in the center of the world and a plan for a new cosmos. This new cosmos will stream out of this center in a new evolutionary stage, just like our current evolution has streamed out of a world center. The end of our Earth development is only the end of the outbreathing of God. Everything will be breathed in again in the center of the divine God, to find a new existence with the next outbreathing.
1920-12-18-GA202
see quote A on: Moral ideals#1920-12-18-GA202 about 'radiance shining forth from Men'
The impact on the kingdom of the dead
1909-03-26-GA111
(freely translated)
if there would have been a clairvoyant person as the blood an from the five wounds of the body of Christ-Jesus at the Mystery of Golgotha, he would have seen how Christ surged into the kingdom of the dead like a light arrow and transformed it from a kingdom of darkness into a kingdom of light
Discussion
1 - The idea of 'a new center gets created' links to common ideals shared in groups, see the future groupings of souls in Group souls of humanity.
Rudolf Steiner also describes this in the context of conscious developments by secret brotherhoods (references to follow).
2 - Regarding terminology, see 1912-09-17-GA139
"The term in Oriental literature for what we call ‘etheric body’ is ‘Linga Sharira’. Thus it is an extract of Linga Sharira that Man takes with him from incarnation to incarnation."
