Cosmic Evolution: Planets & Epochs
The planetary conditions of cosmic evolution, Old Saturn to future Vulcan, with Lemuria, Atlantis and the post-Atlantean cultural epochs of earth history. Part of Thalira's Anthroposophical Glossary of 515 terms, and companion to the in-depth guide Anthroposophy.
The first of seven post-Atlantean cultural epochs in Steiner's cosmology, c. 7227 BCE to 5067 BCE, led by the seven Holy Rishis through dreaming-clairvoyant consciousness.
The second post-Atlantean cultural epoch (c. 5067 BCE to 2907 BCE), led by Zarathustra, in which humanity learned to work with the sense-world under the polarity of Ahura Mazda and Ahriman.
Atlantis is Steiner's fourth earthly epoch in which the etheric body still organised the body from outside, language and writing began, and the I-organisation slowly individuated.
The fifth post-Atlantean cultural epoch (1413 to 3573 CE), in which the human I awakens to itself as a free cognitive agent.
The third post-Atlantean cultural age, c. 2907 BCE to 747 BCE, when the Sentient Soul awoke through Egyptian mystery-religion and Chaldean star-wisdom.
Future Jupiter is the fifth planetary condition in which humanity attains Spirit-Self consciousness as a collective faculty.
The sixth planetary stage in Steiner's cosmology, on which humanity attains Life-Spirit as a shared species-faculty.
The seventh and final planetary condition in Steiner's cosmology, the stage at which humanity attains Spirit-Man (Atma).
The fourth post-Atlantean cultural epoch (c. 747 BCE to 1413 CE) in which the Intellectual Soul awoke and the Mystery of Golgotha occurred.
The second of seven earthly epochs in Steiner's cosmology, when humanity first acquired its etheric germ within a warmth-filled air existence.
In Steiner's anthroposophy, the Dark Age of roughly 5,000 years (3101 BC to 1899 AD) when direct spiritual vision was withdrawn so the human I could awaken.
Lemuria is Steiner's third earthly epoch in which the moon separated from the Earth, sex differentiation arose, and the I first descended into hardening bodies.
Old Moon is the third planetary condition in which the astral body germ joined the physical and etheric, with the water element arising.
Old Saturn is the first of seven planetary conditions, composed of pure warmth, in which the physical body germ of the human being first arose.
Old Sun is the second planetary condition in which the etheric body germ joined the physical, with air and light elements arising.
The first earthly epoch in Steiner's cosmology, when humanity existed as warmth bodies in a recapitulation of Old Saturn, before Hyperborean, Lemurian, and Atlantean.
The fifth great earthly epoch in Steiner's cosmology, the 15,120-year arc following Atlantis that contains seven cultural sub-epochs from Ancient Indian to a future seventh culture.