Awareness - Life - Form
GA 89
The volume includes two series of public lectures given in Zurich. The first four, from 5 to 14 November 1917, were given at the request of young anthroposophists connected with the university. The next four lectures, from 8 to 17 October 1918, largely continue the previous series, though they were in part given without specific reference to one of the sciences.
Rudolf Steiner showed very convincingly in these lectures that the methods and findings of anthroposophical spiritual science may be seen as a vital contribution also in the spheres of academic sciences. It is a central aim in anthroposophy to enhance human powers of perception beyond the limits set to purely intellectual thinking. This is of vital importance also for the problems faced by scientists today. Rudolf Steiner’s statements relating to this are as significant today as ever and in fact gain more than ever in importance and urgency if we consider recent scientific developments.
In contrast to most other public lecture series (e.g. those given at the Architect’s House in Berlin), Rudolf Steiner did not, on the whole, proceed systematically in presenting the argument for the science of the spirit. Instead he concentrated on presenting findings made in that science: ‘my only purpose in presenting such results will be to arouse interest. To furnish proof for every detail of what I am going to say ... would require a course taking a whole week’ (lecture given on 12 November 1917).
‘My aim in giving these lectures has not been to fight other sciences or go against them in any way but to show ... that I appreciate them. I believe they are great not only in what they are today but also in what may still develop’ (lecture given on 14 November 1917).
Translated by A. R. Meuss
| About this volume | |||
| Part I Spiritual-scientific cosmology Written texts, notes and lectures |
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| Draft of a Spiritual Cosmology | |||
| Fragment from 1903/4 | |||
| Earth Evolution | |||
| Enclosure with a letter to Marie von Sivers dated13 January 1906 | |||
| The Christ as the macrocosmic human being in reverse | |||
| From a letter to Marie von Sivers dated 13 January 1906 | |||
| Names of the days in the week and human evolution | |||
| Enclosure in a letter to Marie von Sivers dated 25 November 1905 | |||
| Theosophical Cosmology I | May 26, 1904 | ||
| Problems theosophical authors (Blavatsky, Sinnett) have in presenting cosmological evolution. Theosophical cosmology and modern science. What is an initiate? Occult knowledge held back in earlier times. Mission of the theosophical movement was to present occult truths in the thought forms of modern life. | |||
| Theosophical Cosmology II | June 2, 1904 | ||
| The spiritual nature of the human self; the physical brain as an instrument. The spiritual self's state of conscious awareness at the beginning of Earth evolution. Earth evolution in seven stages (‘rounds’)—arupa round, rupa round, astral and mineral round; the future of Earth. The human being shares in creating the natural worlds. | |||
| Theosophical Cosmology III | June 9, 1904 | ||
| Stages in Earth evolution. Manvantara and pralaya. Origin of matter. First three ‘rounds’. Earth in states of fire, ether, mist formations. Fourth ‘round’—our present Earth. Man in Lemurian, Atlantean and the present age. Days of creation in Genesis. | |||
| Planetary Evolution I | October 17, 1904 | ||
| The human being in body, soul and spirit. Soul and body as vestments for the developing spirit. The activities of the Lords of Wisdom and the Lords of Love. Lucifer guiding the human intellect. Future Earth evolution—transforming wisdom into love. Ascending and descending evolution. | |||
| Planetary Evolution II | October 19, 1904 | ||
| Dhyanic spirits involved in configuring the physical human being. Dangers of one-sided development due to hardening or spiritualizing trends. The Christ, Lord of Love. The Christ becoming man as a cosmic event. Review of the sub races of the fifth root race. | |||
| Planetary Evolution III | October 22, 1904 | ||
| Awareness, life, form. Dhyanis, substances and elemental spirits in their relationship to conscious awareness, life and form. The guardian of the threshold. Need for moral training. | |||
| Planetary Evolution IV | October 25, 1904 | ||
| Three principles in the progress of evolution— awareness, life, form. The seven states of conscious awareness, the seven stages of life, and the seven stages of form. Evolution going through these states. The three Logoi. | |||
| Planetary Evolution V | October 29, 1904 | ||
| 7 stages in the evolution of conscious awareness = planets; 7 levels of life = rounds; 7 levels of form = globes. The human being’s progress through the different states of awareness, life and form. | |||
| Planetary Evolution VI | October 31, 1904 | ||
| Evolution of man and the natural worlds on ancient Moon and on Earth. Higher evolution of man, with natural worlds left behind. Redemption of natural worlds in later stages of evolution. Brotherhood lodges and dhyanic spirits. | |||
| Planetary Evolution VII | November 1, 1904 | ||
| Metamorphosis of give and take, sensory perception and activity in human evolution. Ordering the world according to measure, number and weight. The work of the dhyanis and the seven classes of pitris. The great teachers of humanity. | |||
| Planetary Evolution VIII | November 2, 1904 | ||
| Physical body endowed with power of thought. Development of two genders. Intentions of Jahveh elohim and luciferic spirits. Original veneration of Lucifer in esoteric schools. Evolution and involution in the development of the senses—hearing in Polarian age, feeling in Hyperborean, vision in Lemurian and taste in Atlantean times. Transformation of the old senses into future spiritual senses. | |||
| Planetary Evolution IX | November 3, 1904 | ||
| Earth and man in Lemurian times. Development of sense organs as matter grew denser. Alternation of inner and outer, activity and passivity. Existence the outcome of activity. Active and passive thinking. Life and existence. About the Lords of Karma. | |||
| Planetary Evolution X | November 5, 1904 | ||
| Development of numerical relationships in universal space. The prajapati of awareness, of life and of form. Significance of the number 1065. About the chakras of the astral body. The first ‘human’ manu. | |||
| Planetary Evolution XI | November 9, 1904 | ||
| Forms of effective activity in spirit, soul and body—budhi, kama, prana—and their limits; I-awareness. Revelation of planetary spirits. Individual awareness and common ideal; origin of a brotherhood lodge. Law of form—birth and death; law of life—rebirth; law of the spirit— karma. | |||
| Planetary Evolution XII | November 10, 1904 | ||
| Creation of the world a free Logos deed. The three Logoi. Three parts (gunas) of the third Logos—tamas (spiritual darkness), rajas (absolute longing or desire), sattwa (simple mirror image of the first Logos). The seven creative powers and how the prajapatis of conscious awareness, life and form arose from them. Conscious awareness and nirvana plane. | |||
| Part II Logosophy—cosmosophy Notes and lecture notes |
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| Introductory Remarks | |||
| The first, second and third sonship of God | |||
| handwritten, undated, c. 1903/04 | |||
| The godhead reveals itself as All Soul and All Life | |||
| written down for Jan Peelen, 27 April 1905 | |||
| Signs and evolution of the three Logoi in the human races | |||
| written down for Edouard Schuré, May 1906 | |||
| The first, second and third Logos, summer 1903 | |||
| written down by Marie von Sivers | |||
| The Logoi, 2 July 1904 | |||
| written down by Marie von Sivers | |||
| Evolution and involution, 3 July 1904 | |||
| written down by Marie von Sivers | |||
| Existence [form], life and conscious awareness I, 4 July 1904 | |||
| written down by Marie von Sivers | |||
| Existence [form], life and conscious awareness II, 7 July 1904 | |||
| written down by Marie von Sivers | |||
| About the Logoi | |||
| undated notes by Mathilde Scholl | |||
| Appendix | |||
| Part III Single lectures Notes |
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| About the Cabbala | March 18, 1904 | ||
| with 4 notebook pages on the problem of the sephiroth categories | |||
| Symbols reflecting original wisdom | March 27, 1905 | ||
| About the book of ten pages | April 3, 1905 | ||
| Sources | |||
| About the Draft publisher’s contract for the volume intended to continue Theosophy | |||
| Special note on evolutional metamorphoses based on the principle of number | |||