Spiritual Hierarchies & Nature Beings

Angels in Anthroposophy are the lowest rank of the nine, also called Sons of Twilight, the personal guardian spirits one rank above humanity whose specific work in each human's astral body Steiner detailed in GA 182.

Archai in Anthroposophy are the Spirits of Personality, also called Time Spirits, who govern cultural epochs and the I-being's development across history.

Archangels in Anthroposophy are the Folk Spirits, the ninth rank above humanity, who govern nations as ensouling Volksgeister with one Archangel rotating as cosmic regent every 350 years.

Cherubim in Anthroposophy are the second of the nine angelic ranks, Spirits of Harmony whose wisdom-substance shapes the harmonies of star-existence and patterns cosmic evolution.

Dynamis in Anthroposophy are the Spirits of Motion (also called Mights or Virtues), the moving-power animating planetary spheres who gave the astral-body germ at Old Moon.

Spiritual entities working behind earth, water, air, and warmth, known as gnomes, undines, sylphs, and fire-spirits, that sustain nature's living processes.

Exusiai in Anthroposophy are the Spirits of Form (the biblical Elohim), third rank of the second triad, who gave humanity the etheric-body germ at Old Sun and shape life-forces into form.

The warmth elementals of Steiner's spiritual science, formerly called salamanders, who carry cosmic warmth into the blossom and the seed.

Folk-Soul in Anthroposophy is the Volksseele, the group-soul that ensouls a people or nation, understood as the work of an Archangel-rank being through the etheric and astral life of that people.

Gnomes are Steiner's root spirits: clever earth elementals that draw mineral substance to plant roots and carry the earth's gravity-forces in full waking consciousness.

The shared soul and I of a whole animal species, living on the astral plane, of which the single animals are extended members.

Kyriotetes in Anthroposophy are the Spirits of Wisdom, first rank of the second triad, who articulate cosmic Wisdom into the ethereal forms of life and shaped Old Sun existence.

Michael is the Archangel-rank Sun spirit who, since 1879, leads humanity's present epoch as the cosmic intelligence inviting free, individual cognition of the spiritual world.

Seraphim in Anthroposophy are the highest of the nine angelic ranks, the Spirits of Love whose substance overflows in pure love-creating activity immediately beneath the Trinity.

The Spiritual Hierarchies are the nine ranks of supersensible beings (angels, archangels, archai, exusiai, dynamis, kyriotes, thrones, cherubim, seraphim) who guide cosmic and human evolution.

Sylphs are Steiner's air-and-light elementals: the light-bearers of the plant world, living in the moving air and kindled to selfhood by the flight of birds.

Thrones in Anthroposophy are the Spirits of Will, the lowest of the first triad, who sacrificed their substance as warmth on Old Saturn to give humanity the physical-body germ.

Undines are Steiner's elemental water spirits, the dreaming beings who weave in sap and moisture and act as the chemists of plant life.