Future Oriphiel age

"Oriphiel is the one who must come to shake humankind, to jolt it through terrifying suffering, awakening it to its true vocation."

The current Michael age [*] is timed approx. between the years 1881 and 2235. It is followed by the Oriphiel age between approx. 2235 and 2589.

Initiates like Rudolf Steiner and Beinsa Douno made very explicit warnings to humanity regarding this 'dark age' period of the 23th to 25th century, see below.

Schema FMC00.534 illustrates how this period will represent a pivotal turning point for the development of modern culture and civilization, a break with the old and preparation for the new, in a similar way as the 4th century represented such pivotal point until the next cultural age broke through in the 15th century.

Note [*]: see Schema FMC00.239 below. For more on the archangel-reigned time periods of approx. 354 years, as already described in the middle ages by d'Abano and Trithemius, see Spiritual hierarchies and their eigenperiods.

Aspects

divine love will appear in the form of divine wrath, and will
- stop the harmful effects of the materialistic arrangements (that are in our materialistic consciousness age) by destroying them
- produce a separation into good and evil races
Schema FMC00.534 illustrates the explanation, to be read together with Schema FMC00.052, on why this period will be pivotal: in a way similar as to what happened in the 4th century, it will probably mean the end of the old culture and turmoil setting the world upside down, followed by a long and very different transition period, before the next new cultural age 'takes off'. See also Schema FMC00.449. This pattern can be discerned in previous cultural ages, all according to the principle of Schema FMC00.534. More on this also on The two halves of an evolutionary cycle.
the dark age is described with oa:
- a war in which over 500 million people will die, and all communications, railroads, telegraphs, telephones will be disrupted for over a 100 years causing complete isolation before the relations between peoples to be restored .. there will be famine, chill, pestilence (Beinsa Douno)
- terrible epidemics and strange nervous diseases; children could be born with a ruined nervous system (Rudolf Steiner)
from the middle of the Oriphiel age (2400) onwards, Christ will work from the physical plane into men and will reveal himself on the physical plane in etheric form (re: 1913-03-05-GA152). See further: Christ in the future cultural ages and next epochs
preparation of a cohort or host of human beings for those difficult times; through the study of spiritual science and initiation - see link with Individuality of Christian Rosenkreutz, and Q00.006 - spiritual events at various points in life
in terms of purification
- the cleansing in the Oriphiel age can be regarded a forebode for the transition to the Sixth cultural age, see also: Sixth cultural age#.5B1.5D - Transition between the fifth and sixth cultural ages
- for the later major transition towards the sixth epoch - see also Earthquakes and emergence continent sixth epoch
- prophecies place a global disaster (and/or divine cleansing) as part of - and ending - the future great war between East and West (third world war) , see Three days of darkness

Inspirational quotes

1908-01-16-GA266

In the course of human evolution the external world around us will become increasingly hostile.
Increasingly you must learn to set your inner power against the world pressing in on you. But in so doing, fear must disappear. ... especially for those undergoing esoteric training it is necessary, unavoidably necessary, that they free themselves from all anxiety and feelings of fear.
Already now this condition is being prepared in the external world. And this will be shown to humans even more clearly in that terrifying age that will descend under the regency of Oriphiel ...

full quote and lecture on: Fear#1908-01-16-GA266

Illustrations

Schema FMC00.239 shows the archangelic rulers of approx 354 periods for the current cultural age (plus and minus a cultural age). Rudolf Steiner uses this period to describe the nature of current Michael age and the future Oriphiel age.

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).

Note: see more on Christ Module 11 - A new physics

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 Current Postatlantean epoch which uses the same layout
Schema FMC00.167 on Transition between 4th and 14th century

.

Schema FMC00.449 is imaginative evocation imagery related to transition between the old and the new.

Farmers consciously burn the fields to make these fertile again after a harvest. They destroy what was before because it needs to be done out of necessity, preparing for the next thing to come and knowing it takes time to recover.

Transition periods also happen between evolutionary phases in the development of humanity. One example is the disruption after the separation of Moon (as illustrated on Schema FMC00.362 on Planets hosting beings at various stages of evolution).

Another example is the approx. 1000 years it took after the fall of the roman empire (approx. 4th century AD) to reach again a similar level of civilization (starting again 14th century). Exoterically, history may call this a dark period of the middle ages, as if nothing much of interest happened. However see Schema FMC00.167 on Transition between 4th and 14th century for an esoteric perspective on this crucial transition phase.

The image is put in context of the Future Oriphiel age on: Sixth cultural age#.5B1.5D - Transition between the fifth and sixth cultural ages

Schema FMC00.534 is a schema intended to support study of the fourth and fifth cultural ages and gain insights of the patterns underlying evolutionary development of humanity, see also Schema FMC00.059 on History. As often, the schema is a digitized version of a paper scribble sketch. This schema has:*a) a lower section as a map to many key dates and phases described in Rudolf Steiner's lectures, with special focus on i) the period of the 4th century (see also 325) and the Transition between 4th and 14th century (including aspects such as Central European cultural basin but also 869, the Christ Impulse - meeting of two streams, Academy of Gondishapur, and more); and ii) the period 1840 and it's relation to the new start in the age of the consciousness soul (see 1840 and 1879)

b) an upper section showing the two halves of an evolutionary cycle - in this case a cultural age corresponding to an archai time spirit, and how certain centuries or periods represent crucial transitions on the timeline of the development of mankind. History and evolution does not progress linearly but with jumps or step changes represented by the spiral symbol. In this case that is linked to the activity of spiritual activities (above) and their emanation that can be observed (below).

Discussion Note [1] below provides a narrative to the schema with explanations and relevant lecture excerpts and references, to explain the point the schema conveys, and how it helps to understand the 'jump' in Schema FMC00.535.

For example, as illustration: the year 333 is described in 1918-10-16-GA182 as the time the intellectual soul was coming to its prime, up to then it was developing on the ascending arc, then began the arc of descent.

For purposes of personal study, the JPG can be saved and printed on A3 format for readability (as it is scaled down here on the site), so one can add personal annotations. Also one can truncate the JPG file and retain mainly the lower timeline section as very many other topic pages and lecture references connect to the years mentioned.

Lecture coverage and references

Gospel of Matthew Ch 24:6

And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

or

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.

Rudolf Steiner:

Something quite similar to a birth took place on the astral plane in 1879. What had slowly ripened since the 14^th century could now be carried into the world in a freer way, even though only for a few people. For Gabriel's rule was followed by that of the archangel Michael. He's the radiant sun that lets esoteric wisdom shine out into a small host of people. Materialism is included in the divine plan of creation and it has a purpose in the whole world. But the time has now come for the esoteric sun to shine brightly under Michael's radiant direction. For materialism's dark forces are increasing.
Michael's radiant rule will be followed by a dark, terrible age that starts about 2300.
Together with Michael, a dark God has begun his rule — the God Mammon. For occultism Mammon isn't just the God of money. He's the leader of all base, black forces. And his hosts attack men's bodies and souls to corrode and ruin them. There's a lot of talk about bacterial today, and they influence a lot of things. In future they'll increase in a terrifying way, and many human bodies will waste away from terrible diseases and plagues. The brand of sin will be stamped on men's bodies for all to see. Another archangel — Oriphiel — will rule then. He must come to shake men up to their true vocation through terrible tortures. So that this can happen in the right way a small group of people must be prepared today to spread esoteric life in the black age 400–600 years from now. [DL editor: 2307-2507]
One under Michael's rule who feels the urge to participate in spiritual life is called upon to serve archangel Michael and to learn under him so that someday he'll be mature enough to also serve the terrible Oriphiel in the right way. A sacrifice is demanded from those who want to dedicate themselves to a higher life. One should only want to receive spiritual life and experience an awakening if one later wants to use this to put oneself, one's will and everything one has in the service of mankind only.
In four to six centuries the small group of men who are being prepared today will serve the God Oriphiel so that mankind can be saved. If in that age men wanted to be spiritual leaders who hadn't been prepared to stand fast in all storms and to resist Mammon's hosts, they wouldn't be able to serve the God Oriphiel in the right way, and mankind would not be lifted out of their misery. So in order to do it we must work very earnestly now to fulfill our tasks then.
But when dark powers rage most terribly, the brightest light also shines. Oriphiel has ruled before. That was the time when Christ appeared on earth. Bad powers of degeneration and decadence were ruling everywhere on earth then. And the human race could only be shaken higher by terrible means. Oriphiel is called the archangel of wrath, who purifies mankind with a strong hand.
The story in the Bible where Christ swings a scourge to chase the money changers out of the temple has a deep meaning. Back when things were darkest on earth, Christ appeared as the savior of mankind. Oriphiel's reign ended 109 years after Christ's appearance, and he was replaced by Anael. Then came Zachariel, then Raphael; Samael ruled during the Renaissance and Gabriel from the 16^th century until 1879. Then Michael began to rule, and circa 2300 Oriphiel, the terrible archangel of wrath, will be ruling things. And as once before, spiritual light will shine into darkness brightly and radiantly. Christ will appear again on earth, although in a different form than before. We're called upon to receive him and to serve him.

1906-11-01-GA266

Asuras remain behind on Old Saturn.

Satanic fire spirits on Old Sun. The regent of fire spirits is Christ.

Luciferic spirits fell behind on Old Moon.

and

Lucifer was at work in the Lemurian epoch, could be included in earth evolution, and worked as a liberator by giving men independence and enthusiasm for wisdom.

Satanic Gods of hindrances began their work in the Atlantean epoch.

Asuras are starting to work in the Postatlantean epoch. They're the worst of the three and they mainly work into sexual life in the physical body. The many sexual aberrations today are to be ascribed to this strong influx.

All forces of hindrances try to hold onto currently existing things that are still imperfect, carry them out and intensify them.
Lucifers gave independence, egoity with egoism. Egoism, error and animal love are the first expressions of egoity, wisdom and highest spiritual love. We must bring about the respective transformations.
The separation of the sexes took place in the third root race, it'll be overcome in the sixth root race; this must be prepared for in the sixth sub-race. Man's productive forces are becoming transformed. The productive force as such is the most sacred thing that we have, because it's directly divine. The more divine what we pull into the dirt is, the greater the sin. Later on the heart and larynx will be the productive organs in us.
Just as the Word became flesh in Christ Jesus, so the flesh must become word when Christendom becomes perfected. That's the mystery of the Holy Grail, the holy love lance, the fertilizing sunlight that'll unite with Eva again. Rosicrucians' occult brotherhood is the seminary in which a human material must be educated for the coming age.
A particularly bright light must always arise in especially dark times. Christ was born in the Oriphiel age. When Oriphiel rules again the spiritual light that was brought by Christian Rosenkreutz and is now being spread must have generated a host of clairvoyant men who are pioneers working consciously towards a goal. This will produce a separation into good and evil races.
The fifth root race will perish through evil. Good and evil are still relatively undifferentiated and it's hard to see who's evil or good behind the flesh. When the forces of the masters and of the men who join them with their whole strength and will, and when the forces of the Gods of hindrances, Mammon, Satan, Asuras and their human followers intervene ever more mightily into human life and earth evolution, then good will develop into a divine good, and evil into a terrible Antichrist. Then every one of us needs world helpers and all the strength that he can only gain through the overcoming of suffering and evil. It's the aim of Theosophy and Rosicrucianism to summon men to this battle via such knowledge and to give them peace in the battle.

1907-12-05-GA266

The Age of Michael began in 1879. After that comes the Age of Oriphiel, when great conflicts will rage among human beings. Therefore a tiny handful of human beings is now being prepared to keep the torch of spiritual knowledge alight in that sombre epoch
Anyone who feels an urge to participate in spiritual life under Michael's guidance is called to serve Michael and learn from him. This is the preparation for service under Oriphiel's terrifying rule. Sacrifice will be required of those who want to consecrate themselves to the spiritual life. The willingness to put oneself at the service of humanity is the necessary prerequisite from anyone who seeks to receive the spiritual life.
In four to six hundred years the handful of human beings who are now preparing themselves will be put in the service of Oriphiel, so that humanity can be saved. If the people who assume the leadership then have not prepared for it by holding their own against the troops of Mammon, they will not be able to play the role assigned them under Oriphiel. Then humanity will not be raised from its misery. Therefore, we must set to work now with the utmost seriousness.
But it is when the darkest forces are at their most violent that the brightest light also shines. Oriphiel has assumed the leadership in the past. The last time was when Christ appeared upon the earth, a period when the worst rottenness and decadence reigned all over the earth. It took terrible sufferings then for the human race to be jolted forward. Oriphiel has been called the Archangel of Anger, who purifies humanity with a strong hand.
The story of Christ's cracking his whip at the money-changers in the Temple has deep meaning in it. At this darkest of times in human history, Christ appeared to save humanity.

1908-08-09-GA266

And it's very necessary that we be instructed in this way. For since 1879 we've entered a new stage of human evolution. Gabriel worked on the development of a new organ in man's brain by regulating human births (1525–1879). A 16^th century man would not have understood our present theosophy.
It's up to archangel Michael to stimulate men to use their newly acquired organ, that degenerates if a man doesn't use it.
Such a man comes under the influence of Michael's opponent, Mammon or Beelzebub. This is the God of hindrances, who wants to prevent men from making progress. The bacteria that arise under his influence can give rise to terrible epidemics and strange nervous diseases; children could be born with a ruined nervous system. After Michael's reign comes Oriphiel who gives the divine wrath that should only be used by highly developed people. Jesus drives the merchants out of the temple.

1911-02-12-GA266

Since November, 1879, a few men have become mature enough to take in theosophical teachings, but it's only a small host, whereas other moderns are till unable to acquire the teachings, consider them to be fantastic ideas and dreams or even get angry about them.When people who prove to be receptive for theosophical teachings let the latter work upon them, their etheric body begins to oscillate slightly. .. For we only have another 400 years or so to give these teachings in a theosophical form to all men. So that everyone will have an opportunity those who resisted them now will be born again in the next four centuries. A suitable number of men must be present then who represent theosophy in the right way.

or a longer extract

Since November, 1879, a few men have become mature enough to take in theosophical teachings, but it's only a small host, whereas other moderns are till unable to acquire the teachings, consider them to be fantastic ideas and dreams or even get angry about them. When people who prove to be receptive for theosophical teachings let the latter work upon them, their etheric body begins to oscillate slightly. Whereas someone who loses himself in external things gets an expanded and rarified etheric body. When such a person hears some spiritual teachings it's as if the wind were blowing through a cleft in the etheric body, which announced itself in him as fear, but appears outwardly as doubt. Such a man only notices the doubts, but they're the expression of fear and anxiety that have moved into his rarified etheric body as into a vacuum and have become noticeable there as doubt. We can't help a man who behaves in a rejective manner. It's better not to bother him with theosophy. But wherever an opportunity rises we should quietly let theosophical ideas flow in according to the principle “steady dripping hollows the tone.”
For we only have another 400 years or so to give these teachings in a theosophical form to all men. So that everyone will have an opportunity those who resisted them now will be born again in the next four centuries. A suitable number of men must be present then who represent theosophy in the right way.
Men could only tread the inner path for a long time before the event of Golgotha. Men who went out into the macrocosm in ancient India would have become lost in it as in darkness and emptiness, because their inner members had a different relationship to each other then. This kind of union with God existed until medieval times, because man changes but slowly. Mystics like Eckhart, Tauler and Molinos teach us the inner path an describe it exactly. Miguel de Molinos speaks of five stages of immersion He says that we must turn away from all creatures that corresponds to the forces of our etheric body, from our talents that correspond to the astral body, and from our ego that coincides with our fourth part and that we must merge with God.
But it gradually became necessary for men to tread the inner and outer paths simultaneously, and that's why the Rosicrucian, esoteric schools that taught both ways rose in the 11th and 12th centuries.

1924-08-08-GA237

- see more on Q00.006 - spiritual events at various points in life

.. that which goes on externally, which the astronomers describe, is after all only the outer side. You know that approximately every 11 years we have a period of Sun-spots, when in the shining of the Sun upon the earth certain places are darkened, covered with spots or blotches. This was not always so. In very ancient times the Sun shone down as a uniform disc of light. There were no Sun-spots. Moreover, after some thousands of years the Sun will have very many more spots than it has today. The Sun is growing ever more spotted. This again is the outer manifestation of the fact that the Michael Power, the Cosmic Power of Intelligence is still decreasing. In the increase of the Sun-spots in the course of Cosmic Evolution is revealed the Sun's decay; the Sun within the cosmos grows increasingly dim and old. And at the appearance of a sufficiently large number of Sun-spots, the other Planetary Intelligences recognised that they would now no longer be ruled by the Sun. They resolved no longer to allow the earth to be dependent on the Sun, but to make it dependent henceforth on the entire cosmos directly. This took place through the planetary Counsels of the Archangels. Notably under the leadership of Oriphiel, this emancipation of the Planetary Intelligences from the Sun-Intelligence took place. It was a complete separation of Cosmic Powers that had hitherto belonged together. The Sun-Intelligence of Michael and the Planetary Intelligences gradually came into cosmic opposition one with another.

1924-09-19-GA346

Pouring out of the vials of divine wrath
Now the fact is that this is one stream in the universe, and it is important to us as human beings, but it is only one stream. If we look at the age of materialism since the 15th, 16th, 17th centuries, at the climax of materialism during the 40's of the 19th century and at the development of materialism afterwards with everything that people think and do and with all the terribly destructive forces that have been raging in humanity since the middle of the 19th century, although many people haven't even really noticed them yet, — we can well imagine that divine love which unfolds in light weaves above all of this.
However, if you take some very clean water, some absolutely crystal clear water and dip a dirty sponge in it and squeeze it, and let the water run out again, you will see that it is cloudy and dirty. You have let the dirty sponge suck up the crystal clear water and you have squeezed it out again and it has become dirty water. The crystal clear, pure water can't help it that it flows out as dirty water when one squeezes the sponge. And the divine love that is springing up in pure light can't help it that it is being absorbed by the age of materialism, by a sponge that is permeated by impurities and that it thereby becomes something quite different when it reemerges. So when crystal clear water is absorbed by a dirty sponge it becomes cloudy, undrinkable water, and by analogy we can imagine that when divine love that appears in light is sucked up by all the evil ingredients that are latently or openly raging in humanity, it becomes divine wrath.
The secret of the next age is that divine love will appear in the form of divine wrath through what happens in humanity. It will appear in the form of the divine wrath that will stop the harmful effects of the materialistic arrangements that are arising in our materialistic, consciousness age by destroying them. Proceeding from what appears to the Apocalypticer in pictures, he speaks of the pouring out of the vials of wrath in the next age. That is something that was expressed in the mysteries in a sentence that had a terribly shocking effect upon the neophytes: Divine love appears in the form of divine wrath in the sphere of human illusions.
…
Looked at from a real and true point of view, the divine wrath that is poured out over men is still a manifestation of divine love, and that is why the sentence was formulated in the way that I gave it.

If divine love would become weak and if it would seemingly take pity on men in this age, it would be no real compassion, for it would ignore the necessary consequences of human thoughts and actions. That would be very loveless, for then humanity would become corrupt. The deleterious things that men did and that would have an unspeakably harmful effect on further human evolution can only be eliminated by the outpouring of divine wrath, which is a metamorphosis of divine love. This sentence in the manuscripts is so old that it is often stated in its oriental form in Europe, so that one says: In the region of maya divine love becomes manifest as divine wrath. Here again one can see how completely the Apocalypse is taken from the really active ingredients in the world. The deeper one goes into it the more one realizes that one can really rely on this Apocalypse; although that is a rather trivial way of putting it. It is basically something that tells priests what is happening in the course of human and world evolution. It was originally given to priests as the really esoteric part of Christianity in addition to the other part that was exoteric.

1933-01-15-BD (Beinsa Douno)

here follows a maybe not so good translation of Beinsa Douno in 1933

Christ came to Earth on a great mission. He wanted to show the European peoples of that day, what to do and how to behave. Everything the Christ preached during his time, referred to the current times. He said to all peoples: you will come to a great crisis. If you want to escape this crisis, the only solution is in what I am preaching. If you apply My doctrine, you will be redeemed from a great catastrophe, but if you fail to follow My doctrine, the catastrophe is unavoidable.
Now you’re in trouble for the sole reason that you have left everything to Got and you’re just saying: “When Christ comes, He’ll fix everything”. Christ came, but what did he fix? The way people perceive fixing things, He fixed nothing. He came and the Roman Empire crucified him. Then Christ came again in 1914, but 6 million people died. He said to them: “Do not fight!”, But they did not listen to Him. [editor: WW1]. He will come again during the next war. People get ready and if there’s a new war, about 50 million people will die. [WW2]. And if, even then does not force some sense into them, there will be another war, even more fierce, in which 550 million people will die. [WW3 to come]. This is not what I want, but I’m just saying that human thoughts, feelings and behavior, give rise to that war, in which at least 50 million people will die. [WW2]. And if that does not make them cleverer, a more vicious war will then start. [WW3].
After that there will be no wars, because it will result in such a wonder that people has never expected. All the communications, railroads, telegraphs, telephones will be disrupted and it will take at least 100 years, for the relations between peoples to be restored. Until then they will be completely isolated. This is not my prophecy, but of the prophets around the world – those in England, America, Germany, China, Japan, everywhere they prophesy what will happen.

If peoples do not humble themselves, there will be famine, chill, great earthquakes, pestilence and only after that they will humble themselves, i.e. such fearsome things will happen, that will make them humble themselves. But because of the chosen ones, the suffering will be discontinued. Those, who are chosen, support life.

Beinsa Douno also speaks of the great earthquake

Further references

Richard Seddon (see references below) gives the following list of further references:

1904-12-16

1905-11-10

1906-01-02

1907-10-18 and 23

1908-01-16 and 26

1909-03-22

1910-02-27

1913-03-22

1916-11-07

1917-11-18

1918-06-25

1918-07-16

1918-12-01

1919-11-28

1923-03-23

1924-06-10

1924-08-08

Discussion

Related pages

References and further reading

Richard Seddon: The future of humanity and the Earth (as foreseen by Rudolf Steiner) (2002)