Current Postatlantean epoch

We are currently living in the fifth Aryan or Postatlantean epoch that follows the Polarian, Hyperborean, Lemurian and Atlantean epochs. It consists of seven cultural ages (Schema FMC00.047 below), we are current in the fifth cultural age.

The fifth epoch is the lowest point of Man's physical descent, and represents a turning point in Man's consciousness:

• from an atavistic clairvoyance and guidance by the spirits of the third hierarchy
• to a free human being, set free from that guidance, and able and expected to consciously develop based on free will.

This is related to the development of the threefold 'I' consisting of sentient, intellectual and consciousness soul.

The main event of this epoch is the Mystery of Golgotha which is central to the evolution of mankind and Earth .

A major change took place with the Transition between the 4th and 14th century with the loss of Logos and handover of Spirits of Form (SoF) to Archai.

The main developmental goal for Mankind in this epoch is the development of the spirit-self (Schema FMC00.130), and within that tasks and challenges for the various cultural ages (1917-11-19-GA178)

• First ancient Indian cultural age
• second ancient Persian cultural age
• third Egypto-Chaldean cultural age (as in: 1908-09-14-GA106, 1922-09-23-GA216) - approx the period 2907 - 747 BC
  • is also called: Egyptian-Babylonian-Assyrian (1908-09-04-GA106), also includes the Assyrian and Jewish cultures, and the Mayan culture in Central America.
• fourth Greco-Latin cultural age: birth & death, realize that through the Christ something carries us across death
• Current fifth cultural age: come to grips with the problem of evil
• Sixth cultural age: continous contemplation of the spiritual
• Seventh cultural age

The 'seed material' from this epoch for the next great Sixth epoch will be taken from the Sixth 'russian' cultural age following the (anglo-german) Current fifth cultural age, just as the seed material for our current epoch was taken from the fifth Atlantean age or subrace. See also Schema FMC00.169A on Overlapping evolutionary periods.

Aspects

• the emergence of the intellectual soul and loss of ancient atavistic clairvoyance, see the Baldur myth
• In the current fifth epoch, the revelation from above, the guidance of the soul from above (as in the Lemurian and Atlantean epochs), is gradually being withdrawn, so that Man is left to go his own way and become his own leader. (1904-11-11-GA093)
  • Man is set totally free from direct angelic guidance since the 15th century onwards and the age of the consciousness soul, and the withdrawal of the logos. See Transition between the 4th and 14th century
• leadership of mankind
  • The first time a human manu, who will be a human 'master', will arise will be by the end of the fifth epoch. In the sixth epoch he will be a brother to the human race.(1904-11-02-GA089) The Manu of the Sixth epoch (leading bodhisattva, see White Lodge) will for the first time be a real brother to his fellow men, whereas all earlier Manus were superhuman, divine beings of a kind.
• evolutionary trends
  • as we evolve from the fifth into the sixth and then into the seventh epoch, the ancient connection of race and blood will be increasingly lost (1907-06-05-GA099)

End transition

• The Reunion of Moon with Earth will take place in the fifth epoch, around the seventh millenium.
• End of this epoch and destruction of its culture by the War of all against all
• probably already starting much before, Earthquakes and emergence continent sixth epoch

Christ aspects

Extensive coverage of all aspects of the Christ Impulse is in the 21 Study Modules. See especially Modules 2 (and 3).

• the appearance of Christ in the etheric, the appearance of natureal clairvoyance, in the period starting 1933 but growing stronger for 2500 years
  • Christ took form as an angel and lived invisibly in the sphere around the Earth, however suffered an extinction of consciousness (or 'second crucifixion') as an angelic being on the etheric plane due to the onset of materialistic thinking over some nineteen centuries. This however leads to the awakening of etheric clairvoyance in the consciousness of Man.
  • the faculties to be expected
  • paramount importance of gaining understanding of MoG through spiritual science
  • other aspects
    • link with Vidar
    • new elementals

• The relationship Man can have or develop with the Christ will evolve in future cultural ages. There is a connection between the impulses of the different cultural ages and the soul life of Man, and he forces that flow into man and become active within him will come from ever higher worlds or planes.
  • fourth <-> life of perception
  • Current fifth cultural age <-> thinking, intellectuality (eg hence abstract sciences), in second half:; Christ will be seen clairvoyantly in his etheric form
  • Sixth cultural age ('russian') <-> feeling life of the soul, Christ will appear 'to a number of human beings' as a form of light in lower spirit land
  • seventh ('american') <-> spirit world <-> age of morality .. a number of human beings will 'perceive the Christ revealing Himself from the higher spirit world in His true I that surpasses all human I's in inconceivable greatness, and with such splendour that It can bestow on man the highest possible moral impulses.

Illustrations

Overview cultural ages

Schema FMC00.047 below gives a simple tabular overview of the cultural ages for the current Postatlantean epoch, with the center of cultural development. This geography is related to how the spiritual influences are working on Earth, hence this center moves across the globe in a specific way, see Schema FMC00.211 on Human races.

Schema FMC00.047A is an extended reference table that integrates various perspectives, and provides cross-references to more detailed Schemas for these aspects.

Schema FMC00.047B: is a more visual representation by Owen Barfield of the development of Man's bodily principles in the cultural ages of the current Postatlantean epoch.

Note: the three colours nicely reflect how a longer evolutionary period always has three parts: a preparatory third, a main characteristic third in the center, and a flushing third with preparations for the future - see See Schema FMC00.302. This is related to the fact that evolutionary periods overlap, see illustrations on Overlapping evolutionary periods.

Schema FMC00.047C: shows additional aspects of the cultural ages of the current Postatlantean epoch from early lectures by Rudolf Steiner

left: on the (spiritual) guidance of mankind - also integrated in the broader Schema FMC00.607

right: alternative names for the first five cultures, relating to the archai 'spirit of the age'

outer right: a statement on the Two streams of development, and the fact the Northern was kept separate from the Southern - see also Schema FMC00.432 and Schema FMC00.438

Two streams

Schema FMC00.438 illustrates the essential agenda for humanity in the Current Postatlantean epoch to develop the first spiritual principle of Man's higher triad, the spirit-self (or manas) - see Schema FMC00.130. This will be achieved for a large part of humanity in the sixth cultural age (light yellow) as the fruits of the fructification of the consciousness soul by the Christ Impulse (see text in red, and the two mini infographics - see also Schema FMC00.428A).

This critical period of the fourth to the sixth cultural ages was prepared in the first four cultural ages (see Recapitulation - Schema FMC00.168), in parallel in a Southeastern and Northwestern stream (see Two streams of development). Both streams relate to the Atlantean migrations and the development of body and soul in the different populations (see also Human races). The Northwestern stream was in a preparatory waiting mode for four ages, see what is discussed on the topic pages available from both Germanic mythology and Mystery School tradition, a.o. but not limited to Ragnarok, Nibelungen, Druidic and Trotten Mysteries, Wotan Impulse, etc). The two streams met in the fourth cultural age, see Christ Impulse - meeting of two streams.

The spiral below (see also Schema FMC00.169) illustrates how evolution proceeds in discrete jumps, and the whole Schema is a concrete example of that in more detail. The central node of the spiral happens between the fourth to sixth cultural ages, of which the fifth is pivotal or central.

This positions the truly pivotal nature and importance of the current times, as the Christ Impulse is to fructify the consciousness soul so as to get the fruits required for this whole epoch in the next cultural age (Schema FMC00.169A). See also Schema FMC00.052: the next three millenia are crucial, and the current (and next) incarnation(s) is and are therefore pivotal.

Additional schemas that complement this schema: Schema FMC00.432, Schema FMC00.205B and Schema FMC00.441 below

Last, the Mystery of Golgatha in the center of the spiral is not just central to the current epoch, but to the whole Earth cycle and the evolution of the solar system cosmos: it is the start of a new creation, see Schema FMC00.400 on Cosmic breath of Brahma. For perspective, see also the PDF file The great journey of humanity.

Schema FMC00.432 shows a geographical view on the Current Postatlantean epoch, with the center of culture over millenia moving across the Southern most advanced stream described extensively by spiritual science. Meanwhile the Northern stream developed differently, as expressed in the Northern Scandinavian and Germanic mythology and ancient Mystery tradition, with initiation centers such as the Hibernian, Druidic and Trotten Mysteries (see Schema FMC00.437).

For more on the northern and southern streams, see Christ Impulse - meeting of two streams#Southern and Northern streams

It is important to realize that the development of humanity was not limited to the key cultures highlighted in the descriptive labels given to characterize each cultural age. For example the Mayan and Jewish cultures also belong to the third 'Egypto-Chaldean' cultural age. Also the Chinese culture is not a focus in the descriptions of the development of humanity.

Also shown are for reference are the Gobi desert and Tibet, see the migrations on Schemas FMC00.205 and variants on Atlantean epoch. For the geographical movement of the epicentrum of cultural height across the globe, see Schema FMC00.211 on Human races.

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Schema FMC00.444: shows a sketch by Rudolf Steiner in a letter, that depicts what is shown on Schema FMC00.438. This sketch by Rudolf Steiner was found only after the imaginative insight of Schema FMC00.438A. For context see also: Overlapping evolutionary periods.

In the source letter to Marie Steiner of 1905-04-28-GA262, Rudolf Steiner describes patterns of old and new using illustrative examples of the work and influence of Marx and Fechner; Bismarck (+ Tolstoj influence to fertilize the form), Haeckel .. (+ Goethe influence to fertilize the form), this way placing references to understand the old which is dying (using the term 'cultural afterbirth', and the new influences which are arising).

See also 1905-11-04-GA093 where the same spiral idea and influences like Marx, Lassalle, Haeckel are discussed.

Note: regarding the 'semitic' elements, what is meant here are (not the Jewish people but) the characteristics that arose from the ancient primal semitic stock in the Atlantean epoch. So also the influence is meant, on its role in the Current Postatlantean epoch see also 1910-06-12B-GA121:

Everything that could be distilled from the unitary principle by the synthesizing activity of the ‘I’ has been distilled by the Semitic spirit in the course of thousands of years. This is the significance of the Semitic influence in the world and illustrates the polarity between pluralism and monism. Monism is not possible without pluralism. Pluralism is not possible without monism. We must recognize the necessity for both.

Schema FMC00.607: provides an overview of how the law of evolution applies to the development and spiritual guidance of mankind, with a focus on the evolution between the previous Atlantean epoch towards the next Sixth epoch. As development is only possible through differentiation, different segments at various stages of karmic development or spiritual maturity must be separated in order to develop further. Examples of this separation were the different Mysteries and Oracles in the Atlantean epoch, and the castes in India and other areas incl. Egypt. In the future, moral castes will develop based on spiritual maturity as part of the separation of mankind into good and evil segments or sub-races (190X-XX-XX-GA097, 1908-06-21-GA104, 1910-GA013)

The Current Postatlantean epoch is a gradual training to independence for humanity. This is depicted below with a transfer of the guidance of mankind by leaders not part of humanity, that developed on other planets (see also Three Classes of Buddhas) .. to - in the Sixth epoch - the leadership of mankind by the most advanced humans who developed on Eart . The schema shows the gradual evolution of these trends across the cultural ages, and how the sixth cultural age will seed the sixth epoch with the appearance of these moral castes and the fact that the Masters of the White Lodge will become publicly known as leaders of humanity.

Notes for Schema commentary page:

• regarding boxes on the lower left:
  • examples of priests and priest-kings: Zarathustra in the Ancient Persian cultural age, the Egyptian Pharaohs
  • further coverage of these stages in 1919-10-27-GA193 (and 1919-10-19-GA191) - see Contemporary worldview war#1919-10-27-GA193
    • first: Egyptian Pharaohs, Babylonian rulers, Asiatic rulers .. were initiates
    • then : "the priest-type emerged as ruler and was really the ruler right up to the Reformation and the Renaissance"
    • since that time: the economist has been in command, rulers are merely the handymen,of the economists.
      • has become an impersonal ahrimanic force/entity as in the 19th century due to evolution of banking

• regarding castes in India
  • the castes in India should not be related to the first Ancient Indian cultural age .. they appeared later and lasted at least until the fourth cultural age
  • the lecture references given for the castes in India couples karma-based segmentation to the number of incarnations, hence the term 'spiritual maturity'
• the Southern stream of development consisted of the four most advanced segments or castes from the Atlantean epoch
• 1912-05-29-GA155 describes the Two streams of development as an excellent illustration of the two arms of the spiral of development, the need for two concurrent streams of development whereby a second one first stays behind, in order to be able to fructify and merge and grow further beyond the development of the first.
• for the development of moral castes, see Moral ideals and Schema FMC00.188 and variants (on Christ Module 7 - Cosmic dimension) that depicts how 'a new center is created' through this.
• compare this Schema also with
  • Schema FMC00.594 and the process of Individuation as central to the development of mankind in the Earth planetary stage of evolution; see narrative Unification#Individuation and differentiation
  • Schema FMC00.591 showing a more high-level view on why the period between the third and sixth epochs is thé crucial phase for the development of mankind, whereby Schema FMC00.052 zooms in to state the fifth and sixth cultural ages are the decisive ones, and Schema FMC00.422A on how only one third reaches the goal at the end of the fifth epoch
• physiognomy will become more important again in the next cultural ages and Sixth epoch, as a reflection of the soul and spiritual maturity: the outer physiognomy will directly mirror one's karma (1904-11-11-GA093) .. the physical body will become a 'stamp' of one's morality (1915-10-31-GA254, 1915-11-07-GA254) and "in the sixth epoch men will show good and evil on their faces" (1908-06-25-GA104)

Schema FMC00.442 provides an overview of how the current Postatlantean epoch centers around the period of the third to the sixth cultural ages. The third cultural age of the sentient soul was preparatory with the Krishna impulse, then came the fourth age of the intellectual soul with the Wotan-Buddha impulse and the Mystery of Golgotha. And the Christ Impulse is to fructify humanity in the current fifth cultural age of the consciousness soul. The period of 1400 to 1900 was preparatory also, and since 1879-1900 we are in the age of light after the end of the dark age or kali yuga (see also Schema FMC00.013), and more specifically in a period under the archangelic rulership of Michael (see Schema FMC00.239).

Therefore towards the end of the fourth cultural age the Northwestern and Southeastern streams merged, see Christ Impulse - meeting of two streams, see also Schema FMC00.167 on that page showing the important transition over a period of two millenia. The schema depicts the importance of studying the Mystery School tradition and Ancient history of myths and legends for both Northwestern and Southeastern streams (see Schema FMC00.441). From this the follows what is depicted in Schema FMC00.438 - see below.

Overview - evolutionary

Schema FMC00.013 below stacks a number of views and original illustrations that have been calibrated to a single horizontal time line.

It depicts the fact that in the current epoch the old form of natural or atavistic clairvoyance ('guided by spiritual beings') slowly ebbed away, and a new form of consciousness is forming and will further develop in the remaining cultural ages into a new independant form of clairvoyance.

The table under the blackboard drawing illustrations shows:

• the grey cultural ages on top along the horizontal time dimension (the blue is the current, the yellow pointer showing our current century)
• with underneath the typical level of clairvoyance, into which plane or world of consciousness
• at the bottom, an illustration to show that 'like a curtain fell' over the old clairvoyance and connectness with the spiritual world (this is the only part of the picture not calibrated to the time scale, it should be more extended)
• the blackboard drawing from GA191 shows: the old mixture of wisdom and morality is impacted by the central MoG event (in orange) .. and after a period of impact comes true freedom as the spiritual influences in Man withdraw (see Transition between 4th and 14th century) and Man develops the consciousness soul in the 15th century (see the GA343 drawing dephased for this delay) .. a new future lies ahead with a different connectedness, clairvoyance and brotherly love that is developing.

Schema FMC00.052 shows the dephased Christ solar impulse in red (dephased versus the cultural ages and timing of the regular hierarchies, called lunar/stellar astronomy). See Schema FMC00.052A for the original BBD (blackboard drawings). The timebar shows an interesting correlation between these impulses and two key periods for humanity: the first the next future Oriphiel age which will be a hardship test for humanity, and then the period in the next sixth cultural age where we have the Michael age and the impulse of the Maitreya Buddha .. a key period for the cohort of human beings that will provide the foundation for the next great Sixth epoch.

These two key periods are put in perspective to show - in yellow bars - the fact that "the fifth and sixth cultural ages are decisive" (1910-GA013), as "only a third of the population reaches the developmental goal at the end of the fifth epoch" (1904-10-24-GA090A).

To overlay schemas with a similar time-chart layout as below, see also:

• Schema FMC00.013 on this page, which uses the same layout
• Schema FMC00.167 on Transition between 4th and 14th century

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Schema FMC00.567 illustrates the parable of the five foolish virgins in the Bible, as related to the mission for humanity to develop the bodily principles in order to receive the Christ Impulse (see also Schema FMC00.438, and Schema FMC00.468 on Man's transformation and spiritualization). The artwork by poet William Blake (1757- 1827) dates from around 1799-1800, and the original has been mirrored here to show how the ones on the right proceed along a timeline to the right, and the others are left behind (see also Sixteen paths of perdition).

The same reasoning as explained goes for the the sixth cultural age in the Current Postatlantean epoch, but similary also for the next Sixth epoch (whereby the five can represent the previous five epochs). In the Book of Revelation the four horses represent the shedding of the worked lower bodily natures - see more on Schema FMC00.505.

Schema FMC00.239: shows the archangelic rulers of approximately 354 year periods for the current cultural age (plus and minus one cultural age).

Rudolf Steiner uses this period to describe the nature of current Michael age (see Archangel Michael and The Michaelic stream) and the future Oriphiel age.

See also Spiritual hierarchies and their eigenperiods for more info on the 354 year rhythm.

Schema FMC00.130: provides a simple tabular overview of evolution and the developmental goal per planetary stage of evolution (and Condition of Consciousness) - and epoch, shown in yellow. In grey is shown what was developed before is recapitulated so as be ready for a new development (in yellow).

Conditions of Life and Form are not shown here: take into account that each planetary stage only has a certain Condition of Life where a spiritual hierarchy such as humanity goes through the main and largest development potential in the lowest Condition of Form - see Schema FMC00.203. See also the related Schema FMC00.302 to get a feel for how cosmic breathing works across these evolutionary phases: there is always a preparatory phase, then a main phase of 'developmental traction', and a third phase of flushing and aftereffects.

Note: cohorts of the overall population that are developing ahead of this 'mainstream' evolutionary pathway require different conditions and hence develop on other planets. Only when conditions on Earth provide the conditions mapped to their developmental stage can they descend and incarnate again, see Planets hosting beings at various stages of evolution.

For humanity on Earth, the current fifth Postatlantean epoch has as developmental target spirit-self (or manas). For the next sixth epoch it is life-spirit (or budhi), and for the seventh epoch it is spirit-man (or atma). However only a limited cohort of the population will reach those targets in each epoch. The seed cohort for the next epoch is selected taking into account the developmental goal for the next epoch. See also Schema FMC00.486 and Man's transformation and spiritualization#1907-03-07-GA097.

See also: Man's transformation and spiritualization

Relationship with Christ

Schema FMC00.082 shows (projecting into schema FMC00.047), the evolving relationship Man will have (or be able to develop) with the Christ

Schema FMC00.081: gives an overview of some of the expected faculties related to of the Second Coming also called the appearance of 'Christ in the etheric' due to the natural arising of new clairvoyance.

It can be called an 'appearance' of Christ because it is the shining through of the moral dimension; as these things are related: the golden rule is about selfless brotherly love and hence also karma. For this understanding of the Christ as a cosmic principle, see Schema FMC00.481.

As depicted in the blackboard drawing Schema FMC00.054 this clairvoyance will be a mixture of wisdom with moral consciousness (see explanations on Schema FMC00.054A) hence the elements related to karma in the table below.

See also the related Schema FMC00.591B, and Christ Module 19 - experiencing the Christ

Note: table to be expanded with statements from other lectures like 1910-02-08-GA116

Geographically

Schema FMC00.214H: illustrates how Yonaguni Monument, approx. 100 kilometres east of Taiwan and discovered only in 1986, lies only some 30m below current sea level. Simulation of lowered sea levels shows (map by NASA, below middle) shows that an ‘arc’ land connection, currently under water, once connected Taiwan with south Japan, and was in fact a seaside mountain range. The map on the right below is at some 3000 m level below the current sea level, see also Schema FMC00.214G.

Just like doggerland on that Schema, these images build an appreciation for how cultures inhabited different parts of the Earth between the Atlantean epoch and today, and much remains unknown of the last 10.000 years of our current Postatlantean epoch and the first cultural ages (eg period 8000 to 5000 BC).

Schema FMC00.622: shows the area known as 'Doggerland' which was part of the mainland in the late stages of the Atlantean epoch and the early stages of the Current PostAtlantean epoch - see also right on Schema FMC00.214G and compare with middle and right maps on Schema FMC00.214C

Rudolf Steiner mentions this as an important area populated during the migrations from Atlantis, and the Northern stream of development between say -8000 to -800 BC, with oa the Hibernian Mysteries (Ireland) and an important Mystery Center in Jutland (Denmark) - see Nerthus.

A number of historical landmarks have been added from the Druidic and Trotten mysteries, along with such sites that Rudolf Steiner visited, and Michaelic sites - see Schema FMC00.621 for the later spreading of Christianity by Irish-Scottish monks (covered on topic page Central European cultural basin)

Note: Rudolf Steiner's visits to Ilkley and Penmaenmawr in August 1923 and Torquay in August 1924 deeply impacted Steiners lecturing and work, see Frank Teichmann's writings as covered on Druidic and Trotten mysteries#Note 4 - Commentary on Rudolf Steiner in 1923-1924.

Lecture coverage and references

Overview coverage

• In 1921-05-GA321, Rudolf Steiner spends a few lectures to pass in revue the evolution of the different cultural ages from the perspective of the human soul and consciousness in relation to the outside world. 1921-05-22-GA325 is a good example, but the approach is introduced the day before, and he continues the day(s) afterwards. For a starter link, see Egypto-Chaldean cultural age#1921-05-22-GA325

Reference extracts

1904-11-02-GA089

see also longer extract: Human senses#1904-11-02-GA089

with reference to Schema FMC00.052 (above), and see also Apocalyptic seals

Note the underlined, which clearly points out this is just a segment, an advanced cohort, and definitely not the whole of humanity.

Talking is the opposite pole to hearing. It must continue to develop. It will gain significance and become a sense when mystic evolution will have refined the human being from inside to such effect that it will be able to take the spiritual element in directly. When the spiritual unites with the larynx, the human being will at last be able to speak in a higher sense (in the presence of the masters).

The first time a human manu, who will be a human 'master', will arise will be by the end of the fifth epoch.

In the sixth epoch he will be a brother to the human race. Those who will have taken their mystic evolution of the astral so far that they will be able to recognize the master, will have achieved this by developing this sense.

"Before the voice can speak in the presence of the masters it must have lost the power to wound".

1904-12-23-GA093

The fifth cultural epoch is a purely intellectual one, an epoch of egoism. We are now at the high point of egoism. The intellect is egoistical in the highest degree, and it is the hallmark of our time. And so we must make our way upwards through intellect to spirituality, which was once there ...[Gap]

The secret of secrets is this, therefore: the human being must learn how to keep silence about the paths along which his I unfolds, and to regard his deeds, not his ego, as the criterion. The real heart of the secret lies in his deeds and the overcoming of the ego through action. The ego must remain concealed within the deed. Elimination of the interests of the ego from the on-streaming flow of karma—this belongs to the first degree. Whatever karma the I incurs is thereby wiped out from karma. Nation, race, sex, position, religion—all these work upon human egoism. Only when mankind has overcome all these things will it be freed from egoism.

You can identify, in the astral body, a particular colour for every nation, every race, every epoch. You will always find a base-colour there, that the person has as a member of one of these classifications or categories. This [specific colour] must be eliminated. The Theosophical Society works to level out the colours of the astral bodies of its adherents. They must be of like colour, like in respect of the base-colour. This base colour gives rise to a certain substance ... [Gap] ... [called kundalini, which holds together, within the human being, the forces which lead eventually to the spirit.]7

Bringing this levelling-out about will actually entail bloody war, and through such things as economic strife among nations, wars of exploitation, financial and industrial enterprises, conquests, etc., and through the adoption of certain measures, it will be more and more possible to set masses of people in motion and simply to compel them. The individual will acquire more and more power over certain masses of people. For the drift of this development is not that we will become democratic, but that we will become brutally oligarchic, in that the individual will gain more and more power. If the ennobling of morals is not achieved, then the most brutal forces will lead. This will happen, just as catastrophe by water happened to the Atlanteans.

1905-10-31-GA093A

• Now in the fifth cultural age man does not perceive the changing stages of Manas, but this Race sees as the highest stage the psychic experience of concepts as such. Our cultural age has developed the psychic Manas, the usual scientific knowledge.
• The sixth cultural age will develop a Super-psychic Manas. What with human beings today is merely a kind of knowledge will become actual reality, a social force. The Sixth cultural age has the task of permeating society in a social way with everything which has been produced by the preceding stages of evolution. Then for the first time Christianity will come forth as shaper of the social order. The Sixth Sub-Race will be the one which is the germinal foundation for the Sixth epoch. The Fifth Root-Race is descended from the original Semites, from the Fifth Sub-Race of the Fourth Root-Race. This people developed the individual I which produces egoism. Man owes his independence to the original Semites. Man must first find himself, but then again must also surrender himself He must surrender himself to what makes thought a reality. The sixth cultural age is destined to replace blood relationship with manas relationship, relationship in the spirit. Thinking which is altruistic will develop the predisposition to the overcoming of egoism. In the sixth age the predisposition will be given for the overcoming of egoism, but in such a way that the balance is held between selfhood and selflessness. The man of the sixth cultural age, will neither lose himself in what is outside, nor shut himself up in what is within.
• The seventh cultural age will be a premature birth. It will make outwardly real too soon and too strongly what has come forth from Manas. With the seventh cultural age a kind of hypertrophy will come about. Man will then pour out what he now has within him: his egoism. On the other hand the members of the sixth cultural age will hold the balance. The seventh age will harden egoism. Later the English-American people will be projected as something rigidified into the Sixth Root-Race, just as today the Chinese are a rigidified residue of the Atlantean Age, the Fourth Root-Race.

World-egoism proceeds from the Anglo-American Race. From that direction the whole Earth will be overlaid with egoism. It is from England and America that all the discoveries come that will cover the Earth like a network of egoism. So it is from there that the whole Earth will be covered by a network of egotistic evil. But from a small colony in the East [The Slavonic people.] there will be developed, as though from a seed, new life for the future.

The English-American civilisation consumes European culture. The sects in England and America represent nothing other than the most incredible conservation of what is old. But such Societies as the Salvation Army, the Theosophical Society and so on, come into existence just there, in order to rescue souls from decadence, for race evolution does not run parallel with soul evolution.

But the race itself is going towards its destruction. Within it is the seed of the evil race.

In the Fourth Sub-Race work was performed as tribute (Slave Labour).

In the Fifth Sub-Race work is performed as a commodity (sold).

In the Sixth Sub-Race work will be performed as an offering (free work).

The economic needs of existence will then be separated from work: there will be no more personal possession, everything will be owned in common. One will no longer work for one's personal existence, but will do everything as absolute offering for humanity.

1905-11-04-GA093

discusses the spiral idea, and see also the Schema FMC00.444 and commentary above

From the original Semites up to the fifth cultural age, the human ego was very gradually developed. In the sixth cultural age of the fifth epoch the ‘I’ will again reach a higher stage of development. This means that we stand before a new so-called spiral of existence. The previous spiral began in the time when the original Semites laid the foundation for the present epoch.

It is to the original Semite civilisation that we owe everything that has existed up till the present time. But now there begins a new impact with the Slavonic Peoples which will lead into the future. A kind of break with the past will be brought about by a people who will introduce a new impulse into the world. This is working as hidden spirituality out of the Russian peasantry. It will form the second part of the coming spiral.

At the present time a certain culture is in process of destruction and a new one is being prepared. It is being prepared in the West and will come to fruition in the East. But the old must activate the new. Wherever in our time we have new impulses these are germinal, awkward, unskillful. On the contrary the Old is clear-cut, but has a critical, destructive character. It was the Semitic Race which gave birth to the bearers of the Old Culture, who are the bearers of what spirals within the spiral.

All these have something Semitic about them. Examples: Lassalle, Marx. The spiral turns inwards. A continuation from here is not possible. Now a leap must be made as though from one shore to another, to the spirituality of the future culture of the East. This is a completely new impulse.

What belongs to the future is as yet unformed and naturally infiltrated by the old. Haeckel is a man who swims in midstream and is pulled by both spirals. The first part of Haeckel's ‘Weltritsel’ (Riddles of the World) is positive, elementary Theosophy: the second part is negative and altogether destructive. This is a double spiral (Wirbel).

We can also observe these contradictions in the Socialism of the East and the West. The Socialism of the West is a Socialism of production; that of the East is a Socialism of consumption. One who orders the social life in the direction of production reckons with possessiveness, with egoism. He who reckons with consumption turns his attention to what others require from him; he bears in mind his fellow men, reckons with brotherhood. The socialism of production — Marx, Lassalle — only bears the worker in mind, in so far as he is the producer. In the East the consumer is placed in the foreground, as for instance with Kropotkin, Bakunin, Herzen. You can see things building up to a climax if you follow Kropotkin. He had an immediate understanding of the principle of helpful interaction in the case of animals. The socialism of the West is entirely built up on strife. Thus do the currents of World evolution play into one another.

1910-GA013

The decisive fifth and sixth cultural ages - longer extract Current fifth cultural age#1910-GA013

contains this paragraph to keep above our beds not to waste the precious time of our life and use this incarnation to the full extent possible.

However, only human beings embodying souls that have become all that they could under the influence of the Greco-Latin cultural age and the subsequent fifth, sixth, and seventh ages of Postatlantean evolution will be able to cope with these reconfigured earthly circumstances. The inner nature of these souls will correspond to what the Earth has then become. Other souls will have to remain behind at this stage, although earlier they could still have chosen to create the prerequisites for participation in it.

The souls mature enough to face the conditions that will exist after the next great upheaval will be the ones who succeeded in imbuing supersensible knowledge with their own forces of intellect and feeling at the transition from the fifth to the sixth cultural ages in the post-Atlantean epoch. The fifth and sixth periods are the decisive ones, so to speak.

In the seventh cultural age, although the souls who have achieved the goal of the sixth will continue to develop accordingly, the changed circumstances in their surroundings will provide little opportunity for the others to make up for lost time. The next opportunity will present itself only in the distant future.

1910-03-06-GA118

The Abraham - Moses - Solomon ages are sketched in 1910-03-06-GA118 as a way to present the future mirrored versions with a renewal of a new kind of clairvoyance.

1911-11-GA130

Future cultural ages are covered in 1911-11-04-GA130 and 1911-11-18-GA130, see schema above.

1917-10-06-GA177

In the last three, or two cultural ages of Postatlantean civilization in the fifth epoch of Earth evolution, work now done by the gods will again become work to be done by humanity.

We are only in the early stages of the technological, industrial and commercial activities which proceed under the influence of the elemental spirits of birth and death. This influence and its effects will be increasingly more radical.

Until now, the elemental spirits of birth and death have been guided by the gods and their influence has been limited to the coming into being and passing away of humans at the physical level. But the civilization of our own and future ages has to be such that these spirits can be active in technology, industry, commerce, and so on.

There is also another, quite specific, aspect to this. As I have said, these elemental spirits are the enemies of human welfare and want to destroy it. We have to see things straight and not have any illusions concerning the radical nature of this.

Civilization must progress in the fields of technology, industry and commerce. But by its very nature such a civilization cannot serve the well-being of humanity in the physical world; it can only prove destructive to the human weal.

This will be an unpalatable truth for people who never tire of making great speeches on the tremendous advances made in modern civilization, for they see things in abstract terms and know nothing of the rise and fall which is part of human evolution. I have made brief reference to the causes of destruction in Atlantis.

The commercial, industrial and technological civilization which is now in its beginnings harbours elements which will lead to the decline and fall of the fifth earth period. And we only see things straight and face reality if we admit that we are here beginning to work on something which must lead to catastrophe.

...

There is, however, something else which can happen, something people generally do not want to know about today but which is exactly what modern humanity will have to discover. Insight — a clear picture of the necessity which exists — is what will have to come to all human minds. It will necessarily mean that much will have to change in the frame of mind in which we consider the world. Human beings will need to live with inner impulses which they still prefer to ignore today, for these go against the good life they want. There are many such impulses. Let me give you just one example.

...

The elemental spirits of birth and death are, of course, messengers of Ahriman. The iron necessity of world evolution forces the gods to use Ahriman's messengers to control birth and death. When they ask the elemental spirits to act on their behalf they do not allow the powers of these messengers to enter the physical world. But as civilization goes into its decline, from the fifth post-Atlantean period onwards, this element has to come in again, so that catastrophe may be brought about. Human beings must use these powers themselves. Ahriman's messengers are therefore an iron necessity; they have to bring about the destruction that will lead to the next step forward in civilization. This is a terrible truth, but it is so. And nothing will avail where this truth is concerned but to get to know it and to see it clearly.

...

It is the devil who will and must be the bearer of our future civilization. This is a harsh truth, but it is important. It is intimately bound up with the fact that destructive powers will have to enter into the future progress of civilization.

• Above all — and I will speak of this tomorrow — destructive powers will have to enter into the whole field of education, and especially the education of children, unless the matter is taken in hand with wisdom.
• Because of the general trend of civilization, and the customary practices and emotions of people, destructive powers will also enter more and more into the whole social sphere.
• They will above all bring more and more destruction into the actual relationships between people.

1917-10-28-GA177

In the sixth post-Atlantean cultural age, the human fertility which depends on the powers of light for its impulses will gradually come to an end. The powers of darkness will have to intervene so that the affair may continue for a time. We know the seeds for the sixth post-Atlantean cultural age lie in the East of Europe. The East of Europe will develop powerful tendencies which do not allow physical human reproduction to continue beyond the sixth cultural age but, instead, let the earth enter into a form of existence in soul and spirit.

The other impulses for the seventh post-Atlantean cultural age, in which procreation will be guided by impulses from the cast-down angels, will come from America.

Consider the complex nature of these things, which can only be discovered — I have to stress this again and again — by direct observation of the spiritual worlds. Mere theorizing will generally lead to error, for with this we tend to follow a single line of thought which will finally led to the statement that human procreative life will be extinguished in the sixth post-Atlantean period of civilization.

1919-12-15-GA194

see section 1.2 in Note [1] below

Discussion

Note 1 - About merging of various influence currents in current Postatlantean epoch

The general frame for this note is Schema FMC00.438 (Northern and Southern streams of development) and Schema FMC00.013 (with the impact of the Christ Impulse against a background of the yugas or great ages). 1.1/ Schema FMC00.444 above shows a sketch by Rudolf Steiner, see above for more comments.

In the source letter to Marie Steiner of 1905-04-28-GA262, Rudolf Steiner describes patterns of old and new

using illustrative examples of the work and influence of a.o.

• Marx and Fechner;
• Bismarck (+ Tolstoj influence to fertilize the form),
• Haeckel .. (+ Goethe influence to fertilize the form),

this way placing references to understand the old which is dying (using the term 'cultural afterbirth', and the new influences which are arising)

1.2/ Another perspective is offered in 1919-12-15-GA194. This shows how three influences of previous cultural ages and their Mysteries merge in the current Postatlantean epoch:

• Mysteries of the Spirit, of Light (Greek age and culture) <-> current of spiritual life
• Mysteries of Space (Egyptian age and culture) <-> current of rights or government
• Mysteries of the Earth (northern & central European culture, oa Druidic Mysteries) <-> current of economic life

1.3/ A third related perspective is in 1920-10-23-GA200 (see also the lectures of the days before in GA200), the merging of three subcurrents streaming out of romanism. The East-West polarity and influences on the Middle (Europe) are sketched:

• west - soul body: economy - new economy
• middle - state - ending jurisprudence
• east - spirit soul: spiritual life that has ended

Note 2 - Cultural ages in the Current Postatlantean epoch

Introduction

In response to a question and forum discussion

I am seeking clarification as to if my understanding is correct, that the Fourth PostAtlantean age was the Age of Intellectual Soul, our Current age is the Age of Consciousness Soul, and when was then the Age of Sentient Soul? Are the ages related to different developments of different aspects of the individual and collective soul bodies?

with side perspectives/considerations

Steiner’s conception of the ages is problematical, and even if of some value hardly applicable to other cultures .. does it work for the Chinese, for the Polynesians? For example, something I found was how during the age of the Crusades, in the Americas there was a formulation specifically within the Aztec Empire to mix church and state. Before the Crusades, the the Ottoman empire was quite cosmopolitan .. Islamic empire was tolerant towards other religions of The Book (Jews and Christians) they saw these groups as a source of income in the occupied territories under Sharia Law, special taxes were imposed and in many lands, the Christians preferred the Muslim leaders so that Constantinople and Rome would not interfere with their dogmas. During the age of the Crusades is when Islam became much more militant and enforcing of conversions and so on. In the Americas, this was the time of the resurgence of the heart sacrifices, and appointment of a co emperor priest who enforced public participation in such rituals

and

Is Christ irrelevant to you because He only appeared in a Hebrew body in a Greco-Roman saturated culture? Is the telephone irrelevant outside its culture of invention? We must be careful not to let the most characteristic expressions cloud the depth and breadth of the impulse.

Certainly what came to expression most clearly and decisively in the Egyptian and Chaldean cultures was felt and expressing throughout the world. This is not favouritism, its reality. Things appear most clearly and favourably in certain times and places. It cannot be otherwise, else we would all be one indistinct homogenous mass.

A flower cannot burst straight out of a seed, leaf and stem must develop first, and fruit will come later. Does the root complain it is not a flower? Or a leaf grumble the seed is not a stem? All these parts are equally valuable but also not all equally characteristic at the same time.

Commentary

The below offers links for study on this site:

The 'pass' of development of the sentient, intellectual and consciousness soul are a recapitulation in the cultural ages of the current epoch of the threefold soul as parts of the Human I as part of the development of the I in the Lemurian and Atlantean epochs (Schema FMC00.046 and Schema FMC00.370).

So there are various angles of perspective that intersect to position the age of the sentient soul, that one needs to put together.

• on this page, above: ... Schema FMC00.047, Schema FMC00.013
• Development of the I ... Schema FMC00.233
• Recapitulation ... Schema FMC00.168, Schema FMC00.130
• Human character - the I and threefold soul ... Schema FMC00.431
• Krishna impulse ... Schema FMC00.377A
• Egypto-Chaldean cultural age

It is true that the focus of Rudolf Steiner's description is with the spearpoint development of humanity, so the cultural ages of the current epoch are homing in on certain geographical areas and cultures, because these were where human faculties developed through these cultures. The topic pages below also explain why these centers of development are geographically following a certain U curve (at both epoch level and cultural age level).

However Rudolf Steiner does position that this storyline, especially for the first three cultural ages, is mostly the southern stream of development that then merged with the northern stream. And it's clear from descriptions of earlier epochs that meanwhile the whole world advanced through different streams and cultures, like in China, South America, etc. This is described eg for the Atlantean epoch (eg Schema FMC00.214E, also see Powell).

For this, see

• Migrations .. with Schema FMC00.453 and Schema FMC00.453A showing the 'seeding'
• Two streams of development ... Schema FMC00.438 and Schema FMC00.432
• Human races .. Schema FMC00.546 and Schema FMC00.456 will broaden the perspective

And to your question, this indeed relates also to changes in the group souls of humanity as part of the process of individuation (whereby human races, folks or peoples etc are related to the higher hierarchies that make up the human being). This is the 'big picture' where all these things come together .. see illustrations at a higher level, Schema FMC00.594 and Schema FMC00.568, with explanation Unification#Individuation and differentiation.

The key is that we know and understand, and then through contemplation, see all these angles of perspective together as a whole through our soul work. That is when it comes to life. I mean as opposed to only rational intellectual analysis or study of a single dimension.

And some will argue this is (too) complex .. hence the 'kind of spain' argument, see Notes on the study process

There is the development of the human bodily constitution, astral body and nervous system, evolution of consciousness (Human I and threefold soul). One can also relate this to the evolutionary periods and patterns of the Cosmic fractal, linked to the spiritual hierarchies and especially the Third Hierarchy.

Structural analysis

This short note looks at the information dimensions involved in a question and answer such as the above, and how we can see the specifics but also a generic approach of taxonomy of the main information dimensions along which we are considering and approaching such a topic.

A) individual - concepts and principles

• 1/ microcosm: there the development of the human bodily constitution, astral body (Schema FMC00.134) and nervous system, evolution of consciousness (Human I and threefold soul).
• 2/ macrocosm: One can also relate this to the evolutionary periods and patterns of the Cosmic fractal, linked to the spiritual hierarchies and especially the Third Hierarchy. Not just in terms of recapitulation, eigenperiods (mapping to ages and epochs) but also folk souls, human races, etc.
• coupling: both are obviously coupled,
  • and this is the big picture of detaching humanity becoming free and self-conscious through the process of individuation from group souls of humanity
  • there are views like Schema FMC00.132, Schema FMC00.472A and Schema FMC00.471A that explicitly show this linking of Man as a microcosm to the macrocosm. This is important to realize how folk souls, human races are the terms we use 'below' on Earth that really reflect the workings of the spiritual hierarchies.

B) as a whole, at work as components in the larger picture

• 1/ 'below' then on Earth we can follow the human cultures on the world map, connecting to archeological findings, ancient texts, history.
• 2/ 'above' This picture links in spiritual science to
  • the cosmic plan and spiritual guidance of humanity, as in Migrations and Two streams of development
  • how impulses work and are carried by souls, see eg Remembrance, Impulses from waves of reincarnating souls .. down to the 'mechanics' like Schema FMC00.554
• coupling: now the evolution and development trends under A) can be linked to these under B). This is a crucial linkeage to weave in our minds, as this coupling brings important realizations for one's worldview and see how it is all connected.

C) the top level or cosmic agenda for humanity

• When connecting all of the above, one is ready to go one level up and cannot avoid zooming out to the bigger picture of Planets hosting beings at various stages of evolution, Sixteen paths of perdition, etc. It is also when one has all the above topic pages 'under the bve

.

Additional notes

1915-02-13-GA174B

Nor is anything schematic intended in such characterisations. One cannot say, for instance, that the special character of this cultural age extends, over the whole Earth. At certain spots it appears; other parts of the Earth, other territories, remain behind.

They need not stay behind absolutely, but they lag behind with ancient forces, in order that in a later cultural age the ancient forces may be brought into a right connection with advancing evolution.

It is not a question of values, but purely of peculiarities of character.

How could one fail to be struck by the profound difference in spiritual culture between, let us say, the peoples of Europe and Asia! How indeed could one not be struck by the differences connected with the colour of the skin?

Note 3 - About timings of the cultural ages in the current epoch

The Schemas on the FMC wiki contain an error with regards to the time periods for the cultural ages of the current epoch, still to be corrected. This error has to do with the initialization of the FMC wiki in the first month, and the systemic error has rippled through to affect a number of Schemas, whereby as a result the duration of the cultural ages is not the same.

Affected are Schemas:

• FMC00.047A : the second, third and sixth cultural ages are not 2160 years but respectively 2763, 2223 and only 1494 years
• FMC00.442
• FMC00.013
• FMC00.052
• FMC00.239
• FMC00.082

Many or the majority of the sources project 2160 year periods following simple arithmetic, and this logic already appears e.g. in the reference works of Ernst Hagemann.

However Rudolf Steiner seems never to have specified all cultural ages with exact timing in years, and used this consistently throughout. At least it seems, unless we missed this or haven't found this yet in the GA. Indeed for some of the 'outer' cultural ages one does not seem to find exact dates in lectures or the GA, but only descriptions.

There are exceptions, eg in 1920-01-16-GA196 around 2600 years are taken instead of 2160 for the outer cultural ages ... in other lectures also 2600 years was mentioned. For example in 1905-06-25-GA091 ... "In 12 times 2600 years, that is in 31200 years, the sun goes once around through all constellations". It is remarkable that such cases stand out, even in 1920, and they appear to be exceptions. Mostly this is spoken of as twelve times 2160 years for 25.920 years - and this was repeated very consistently, see topic page for 25920. The 2160 years for going through a constellation of the zodiac already appears in 1905-10-03-GA093A and 1905-10-21-GA093. However also maybe the answer is that these ought to be regarded as averages, as the zodiacal signs are not all having the same span.

1920-01-16-GA196

extract from Humanity is getting younger#1920-01-16-GA196:

we can say: the first period ranges from 8167 to 5567 BC; the second from 5567 to 2907 BC; the third from 2907 to 747 BC; the fourth the Greek period from 747 BC before the Mystery of Golgotha to 1413 AD

The timings of 747 BC, 1413 AD are often used, and also 3573 is given, eg in:

1916-04-04-GA167

since the year 1413 we stand in the 5th post-Atlantean cultural age. This will last 2160 years and will be ended in the year 3573.

1918-10-19-GA185

that which must gradually be developed in the course of the age of the consciousness soul, from 1413 to the year 3573, with all the spiritual resources at Man's disposal

Note 4 - About 'the great goodbye'

Introduction

The title of this note refers to the curve below on Schema FMC00.013 (above) with the label 'the great goodbye' - please take a look at this first.

The importance of this 'great goodbye' for humanity as a whole can not be overestimated, and Rudolf Steiner comes back to it not dozens but hundreds of times. It thus also appears in the great legends of mankind, is brought to life in Richard Wagner's Ring (see also Nibelungen), but see also the ancient mongolian legend below (1907-10-21-GA101). Etcetera.

These are but a few illustrations by means of introduction. Because coverage and descriptions are scattered across Rudolf Steiner's Gesamtausgabe (GA), this note is intended to centrally bring together multiple references, clothed in different languages and perspectives; this in context of (and as an example of) what is described about language frames, see Terminology#Note 1 - Language frames.

Commentary

The whole of humanity, for thousands of years, experienced this deep pervasive change of loosing the experience and connection with the spiritual.

This is the essence of going through a transition, see the Bridges transition model (with the hysteresis image): one leaves behind the known, the old, and really goes into a period of darkness, of the unknown, feeling like on thin ice, a journey through the desert, before reaching the new on the other side.

As will be shown below, the blackboard drawing (BBD) by Rudolf Steiner that also depicts this is another way is Schema FMC00.054, with explanations on Schema FMC00.054A, both in context on Christ and the Mystery of Golgotha#Illustrations. The picture is therefore in a way central to this whole Free Man Creator wiki resource, as we are going through this transition still.

In the below, we sketch a multi-step process as an example of how one can structure one's learning approach:

Step 1

To initialize one's base knowledge about this we propose:

• Please first read the selected extract 1918-12-21-GA186 (below), that offers the essential point. Many similar descriptions exist in the GA, but we just need one as a starting point (and so selected this one, as good as any other).
• Then study Schema FMC00.054A (link see above), especially the annotations, maybe also complemented by reading the full source lecture 1919-10-17-GA191, to see that this is about the same thing
• followed by reading the ancient 'mongolian legend' 1907-10-21-GA101 (below). You will understand that it is about the same thing again, yet phrased/approached differently.

These are examples of three language frames: one legend, one graphical, one short text. See the 'turret' with different lenses or filters on Schema FMC00.703.

Step 2

Let's go further. Because this point is so central in the evolution of mankind and the experience of humanity in our Current Postatlantean epoch, it is logical that this 'topic' can feel and be regarded as a 'hub', a nucleus, a big node in the knowledge network, from which many connections are made. And indeed: many lectures refer to this, as it is obviously crucial context when explaining many other trends and human cultures. It is like a required background knowledge without which other things can not be understood. (side-note: another such meta-topic for this current fifth epoch are the Two streams of development)

Two examples to illustrate this. These were chosen because they are both important topics of an immense important by themselves:

• An first obvious link is the Transition between 4th and 14th century. On that topic page, Schema FMC00.167 gives a timeline view showing that the transition before the start of the 'new' is a process to be considered over two millenia.
• A second most important link is with the freedom that comes with the withdrawal and descent of the logos described in the previous point, see Schema FMC00.612.

As mentioned, but these are topic of major importance and thus can be seen to represent other related 'hubs' with many branches.

• For example the first one of the two above, Rudolf Steiner connects to every time when discussing the new role of the archai (that the archai become creators, and this even into themes as macroscopic rhythms, see Schema FMC00.615, etc)

Step 3

In a next phase we can connect additional perspectives, ways of viewing and presenting the same, but in yet other, different language frames:

• Rudolf Steiner often talks about the future new conscious clairvoyance - see Schema FMC00.617 and Schema FMC00.617A on a.o. D00.003 - Systemic aspects of the study process#Illustrations
• this is obviously related to the ascent and spiritualization of mankind, and what is described regarding the Second Coming on Christ in the etheric, just see Schema FMC00.081 on that page regarding the emergence of new faculties in human cognition.
  • note: one phrase in the text to this Schema FMC00.081 is of especially important meaning: "It can be called an 'appearance' of Christ because it is the shining through of the moral dimension, of moral ideals. These things are related: the golden rule is about selfless brotherly love and hence also karma. For this understanding of the Christ as a cosmic principle, see Schema FMC00.481. The links associating these elements ((and their relations) into one larger picture are crucial for one's insight in the whole, but also of the elements separately.
• another important 'language frame' represents the angle of perspective captured and summarized in Schema FMC00.694. This is about the old and new wisdom, also described by Sophia and the New Isis (see also the topic page Christ Module 13 – Teachings through the ages#Old and new wisdom). In this case the language 'frame' is a pictorial graphic presention (backed up with descriptions in various lectures). And another aspect to this is the distinction between the two faculties of cognition (re stages of clairvoyance) depicted on Schema FMC00.695 and labelled 'magi and shepherds'.

Step 4

The interesting dimension of this particular chosen topic is that it offers a next step which goes even further into 'living' the contents of what is sketched above in various intellectual ways. In other words: to get into the feeling dimension of the storyline, and what it means to human beings, through experiencing art.

• the most grand example is Richard Wagner's tetralogy of four operas called The Ring des Nibelungen. This tells the story of the change from the ancient clairvoyance and wisdom in the Atlantean epoch (symbols: gold, water), fading away over the first four cultural ages of the current epoch, and the advent/emergence of individuation and the human 'I' (symbol: the ring). It features the god Wotan and the human hero Siegfried and is the story of the Northern stream of development as depicted on Schema FMC00.438 (above).
  • for people not familiar with this medium, some short introductory music fragments are listed on Richard Wagner#Note 1 - Introductory music fragments. As it only takes 10-15', please listen to fragments [2], [3] and [5] and see if it leaves you unaffected. There is no better way to convey how different this dimension is versus the 'dry intellectual' language frames listed in the earlier steps above. Note: the few music fragments are instrumental and chosen because they more easily convey the point, but so they lack the human voices that 'live' the extensive storyline and the characters that express the opera drama (for this one needs more background, dedicated time, concentration).
  • Note: When one reads Rudolf Steiner's coverage of Richard Wagner, one appreciates that forces were at work through him which brought wisdom regarding the topic discussed here, namely of how to connect a human soul with this most important story and esoteric wisdom:
    • "What Wagner achieved is intimately connected with the spiritual power of archangel Michael" and "Wagner had such inner kinship with the lofty spiritual being who preserves memory of the past, whose spirit lives in sagas and myths, that he extracted from myths the whole essence of his view of the world."
    • "Wagner knew well that the secrets hidden in the human heart and soul cannot be expressed through everyday characters or events; he knew that myths and legends in particular can reflect what goes on inside the human soul." and "Wagner's work was to give religious depth to art, and ultimately profound understanding of Christianity. He knew that Christianity can be shown forth to the world best of all in music. By rising to the inmost secrets of the world order we will on the one hand gain knowledge, but on the other also true godliness." and "Wagner knew that the convictions which arise in Man when he listens to the speech of symphonic music are so firmly rooted in his being that no intellectual judgment can prevail against them. Such words were not uttered at random; they were indications of a deep and profound theory of knowledge."
• besides opera, another dimension is poetry and proze. This other dimension is to 'get into' the ancient versions of the Nibelungen-lied and Ragnarok. The Twilight of the Gods tells the story that old old innate clairvoyance eroded and was replaced by current waking consciousness, to be replaced by a new clairvoyance. It tells the story of the luciferic infection and consequent ahrimanic influence. This story is the core of the poetic Edda, and this study leads one into the correspondence between Edda and Veda: "Edda and Veda is the same word. The Edda is an echo of the immigration from Atlantis". In our times we have the priviledge that there are various modern renderings of the Edda and Nibelungenlied.

It is clear that to immerse, submerge one's self into this art demands more than a quick read, it demands more 'bandwidth' in terms of time and emotional energy. This is not so common in or typical for today's times. However: this is the story of humanity, it is a story carried through tradition of past centuries and millenia before us. But ... we are part of this, we were there and lives this too in earlier lives. So to give this a place in our life and truly connect to it soul-wise is a valuable and enrichting experience. (PS reminds of the book titled 'stories we need to know').

But, this is not something where one can see how computer technology such as digital internet or AI is to assist the human soul experience.

Conclusion

This note shows how various angles of perspectives, all the above, all relate to one 'key message', point, topic, subject, let's say we can use Schema FMC00.054 as the central symbol or pointer. The perspectives listed homed in on various aspects, using different 'language frames' (see Terminology#Note 1 - Language frames).

The note should help to appreciate that, when someone does get a meta-language explanation, one might easily get confused between sophia, second coming, magi and shepherds, descent of logos, and Christ as the lord of karma ... and lack a multi-dimensional frame of reference to 'place' all these things with their interrelated meanings.

Hence this example was worked as an illustration, but in practice each topic will have a myriad of such angles of perspectives, which makes the uniqueness and holistic character of anthroposophy as a wordview. When the student of spiritual science reads and studies lectures of Rudolf Steiner, he/she builds a mental representation and picture of a gradual understanding of these concepts, their importance and especially their mutual relationships.

• PS: people have written about this, eg see Study process and developing imaginations#1994 - Albert Soesman.

Postscriptum

The intention of this example was to elaborate how a better understanding of this process could be used as inspiration to develop assistent learning techniques whereby the student is guided more efficiently and effectively through the body of knowledge using new media and technology. This Free Man Creator wiki already allows to seamlessly hop between and link schemas, topics, lecture quotes.

Last century, essays and secondary literature was limited to concatenating quotes to develop a sequential written storyline, and to 'teach' in this way. Today, through digital technology, the huge step-change is

• (a) not only that the totality of all the GA information is available anywhere in the world from any digital device (computer, tablet, smartphone) thanks to the internet and 'free flow of information' (whereas previously students were limited to the physical books and notes they had); and
• (b) that this is integrated (not just the whole GA, but complemented with other sources from different teachers, as well as secondary and contemporary scientific literature) and enriched (with multimedia content: color images, schemas, movies); but especially
• (c) that the process is totally user-driven: the reader-student is at the steering wheel. This is the right suitable, needed approach for the Parsifal attitude in the age of the consciousness soul: the impulse has to come from the student inside-out, asking questions, investigating, and doing the soul work. So less directed and guided outside-in. This is described in various places on this site, o.a. Free Man Creator schooling#You have to do the Work.

This last point does not mean that, like a tour-guide, a teacher can not provide guidance through lessons. This remains important: the first time(s) a guide can show you the city or the forest, whereas on your own you would get lost or loose lots of time and see less.

Maybe in the future algorithms could be taught, on the basis of learning from such lessons made by human teachers and such 'pathways' through the Body of Knowledge. This site contains some embryonal seed material for developing such vision.

• Sidenote, by extension, one could theoretically say that older existing material, say an essay by Maximilian Rebholz (see sample in PDF download), also contains such 'pathway' consisting of a chain of lecture extracts that are concatenated in a sequence. This as a way to develop a logical thread, that provides some kind of 'insight', and through which a person grows one's overall understanding of the subject matter.

To conclude, one might envision that algorithms in the future will provide a GPS navigation system through a site such as this FMC wiki, or their future versions (as this is an early version of making use of technology to 'do something good').

Reference extracts

1918-12-21-GA186

Man is beginning to confront an altogether changed world picture, one that comes forth—to use a Goethean expression—out of the gray depths of the spirit. If we look back with spiritual science into the historic evolution of mankind—we may look back into pre-Christian times—the farther we go back, the more we find that men possessed in an old instinctive way an extensive cosmic knowledge, which inspires us with all the greater reverence the more we learn to know it. For the seer it becomes a fact that at the outset of earthly evolution an immense wisdom was poured out as it were over the earthly life of Man. In course of time this wisdom gradually filtered away.

And strange as it may sound, my dear friends, yet it is true, it had reached a kind of zero level at the time when the Mystery of Golgotha came with a blessing to mankind. During that time all that humanity had known in former ages fell into a kind of chaos in the consciousness of Man.

[this is what is discussed by Krishnamurti and David Bohm, how 'thought as a system' and waking consciousness is the reason of division within mankind, as it casts an unreal image of the reality which is spiritual but from which Man is cut off]

Those who have understanding of these matters express themselves with perfect agreement on this fact. During that time, they say, the evolution into which Man is woven had reached once more the point of utter ignorance. Yet into this gray ignorance which overlay mankind there fell the greatest earthly revelation—the Mystery of Golgotha—the starting point of new knowledge, new revelations for humanity.

Nevertheless, through many centuries, as concerns Man himself, the dark gray ignorance persisted in a sense. It does enlighten us, my dear friends, in the deepest sense, if, looking back on the last two thousand years, we ask ourselves with understanding: What, after all, did men produce out of themselves during these last two thousand years? All they possessed by way of wisdom (independent of the Mystery of Golgotha) was old tradition—inheritance from old traditions. Let us understand one another aright. Needless to say, I will not say humanity has had no wisdom at all during the last two thousand years, nor will I cast aspersions on the Wisdom which they had.

The point is this: The wisdom that was present in the old pre-Christian times—whose relics are still observable in the last centuries before the Mystery of Golgotha—this wisdom was seen, albeit instinctively, seen in the spirit of the olden times. Now however they had lost the power of relating themselves, with independent spiritual vision, to the content of the cosmic Wisdom. What had existed in olden times was preserved, as it were, in a historic memory.

[hence this is reflected in the whole of mankind as Ancient history of myths and legends]

Even the Mystery of Golgotha, as I said yesterday, was clothed in the old wisdom, expressed in the conceptions of the old-remembered wisdom.

1907-10-21-GA101

is called 'a mongolian legend'

A simple tale is found among the Mongolians in Asia, which has been transplanted as far as the eastern part of Europe, where Mongolian sagas and stories live on. Even without as yet knowing the wisdom inherent in it, is there not something profoundly gripping in this Mongolian saga which tells us:

There is a mother who has a single eye at the top of her head.

This mother hurries inconsolably through the world, for she has lost her only child.

She hurries through the world, lifting every stone and raising it to her eye, only to throw it to the ground again in disappointment, so that it breaks into a thousand pieces, for she has to convince herself that it is not her lost child. She does the same with every object, each time believing she will find her lostchild. Seizing the object, she holds it to her eye and, her hopes dashed, throws it from her. Thus, she hastens on ceaselessly through the world, repeating this procedure over and over again.

This story is nothing other than the memory of the tribe driven farthest to the east, which still knew of ancient Atlantis, of the primeval state of humanity in which human beings stood closer to the spiritual worlds and were themselves still able to look into these worlds.

[contextual explanation]

You all certainly know that with a child after birth the bones up here on the head only gradually become closed. A different relation to the external world existed among human beings in primeval times. At that time, had one been able to see in the same way as today, one would have seen an organ, like a shining body, protruding at that place on the head, its rays extending to the boundaries of the human form and disappearing into the surroundings. One would have observed something like a wondrous lantern that is only quite inappropriately called an eye, since this organ was not an eye. It was an organ of feeling and perception of humanity in those very ancient, primeval times, with which human beings were able to look out freely and unhindered into what we call the astral world. With this, they could see not only bodies, but also souls, and what actually lived in the souls around them.

This organ has shrunk to become the so-called pineal gland, now covered over by the roof of the head. However, human beings bear this ancient organ, with which they were able to experience the spiritual worlds around them, as an heirloom today within the soul. It is the yearning for these worlds, the door to which has closed, the door of one's own head. The yearning for this world has remained, though not the possibility of looking into it. This longing is expressed in the different religions, in what lives in human souls. If human beings formerly saw warm, feeling-imbued beings in the spiritual regions surrounding them, with their eyes they now see physical forms around them with defined contours.

[back to legend]

Is this not indeed a compelling story, in which this woman, the mother of humanity, searches the world, seeking for what will allay her longing, not finding it in all the external objects, because she no longer sees what she was once able to see when the eye at the top of the head still functioned? This is no longer to be found in all the external objects granted humanity to see today by means of the senses.

In this way, the world-spirit speaks to us profoundly through sagas and myths. Only in contemplating them from the standpoint of true spiritual science do we come to understand their deep meaning.

[continuation]

What human beings expressed in such grandiose truths so compellingly in ancient sagas and fairy tales - as in the Mongolian fairy tale of the woman with the single eye - will come to expression in a different form in a future humanity. The power of spiritual seeing will come alive again in human beings. That power of spiritual seeing which is an attribute of the head-eye will no longer leave them feeling dissatisfied in looking at physical objects in our surrounding world, as with the woman in the legend who throws away everything in her vicinity. This power will begin to permeate the current nature of human beings, and they will come to see not only the external, physical aspect of things, but what is expressed of a spiritual nature in external objects. What has become merely material will then be spiritual for them. Their now hardened physical bodies will be spiritualized once again.

That woman of the Mongolian legend will live again and look out into the world. And whereas she now throws away things that show only their sense-perceptible side, not finding in them what she is looking for, human beings of the future will again see the spirit in matter and find what belongs to them. They can then take hold of it and press it lovingly to their hearts. They will find in other entities the spirituality of the world, which they can clasp with affection.

Human evolution will evolve as a gradual ascent into the cosmos. This will have to occur by degrees, it cannot be caught in a flash. Were human beings not to want to participate in this with patience, then the power of the eye situated on the head of the ancients would not stream through their entire being, through all their organs, as an aura of love. This power would exhaust itself, and human beings would have to separate themselves off in love-lessness from what is outside them and wither away. Human beings are called upon, however, to permeate everything on their planet with love, to take the planet with them and to redeem it. The redemption of our inner self cannot take place without the redemption of what is outside us. Human beings have to redeem the planet along with themselves. Redemption can only occur if human beings pour their forces out into the cosmos. The human being has not only to become one who is redeemed, but a redeemer.

Various work area (old draft notes)

1/ The 1911-11-04-GA130 and 1911-11-18-GA130 references are consistent with what is described in 1910-03-06-GA118 in a different way, and underlying are the schemas that provide the base foundation. Man's soul life evolves per cultural age, guided as it is by a different Archai (Spirit of the Age). Because we are now, in the fifth cultural age, in an age of intellectuality, it is rather logical to present spiritual science and free (non-sensory) thinking as a way to the Christ (as is explicitly done in 1911-11-04-GA130). It is important though to grow into a feeling connection and not a purely dry intellectual. This is a preparation for the etheric clairvoyance that will become ever more clearly in the next three thousand years (1911-11-18-GA130). 2/ Schema 47 - see extended version ao with update from unpublished lecture 1904-11-11

3/ Observe that the GA130 quotes explicitly mention 'a number of human beings', so definitely not the whole of humanity.

4/ The period for Christ's appearance in the etheric may seemingly vary with lecture references, as different phrasings put difference focus or nuances (eg 1910-01-15-GA117A (approx 500 years from 1899 to 2500).

Related pages

• Development of the I
• Evolution
• Christ Module 3 - Evolutionary framework
• Spiritual hierarchies and their eigenperiods
• Transition between 4th and 14th century
• Cosmic year of Zarathustra
• 25920