Karma and Reincarnation, Page 5

In the Sun sphere, one who was religious only in a parochial way, understanding only the perspectives of a given religion or confession, will find loneliness in this sphere, for here one is at home only from having developed on Earth “a deeper tolerance for all religious systems on earth” (ORL, Lect. 1). Indeed, Steiner tells us that “in the very essence of Christianity there lies a true tolerance for every religious system.” One senseshere the reality that the spiritual Sun shines on all humanity (cf. Mt 5,45; also Rom 2,14 and Acts 17,22-28). It is necessary in the Sun sphere to come to an understanding of the throne there that was emptied when the Christ descended therefrom to the Earth in the Mystery of Golgotha. Here an anthroposophical understanding becomes essential, for the emptied throne is filled by Lucifer, the “light-bearer,” who himself (in contrast to his legions) was converted by the Christ when the latter’s “Blood” dropped to Earth from the Cross. This is microcosmically represented in Luke’s Gospel by, and is the higher meaning of, the conversion of the thief on the cross (Lk 23,39-43). (This is not to say that the thief did not convert, but rather that it was an earthly reflection of a higher spiritual development. See “As Above, So Below.”) From this point forward in the journey through the outer planets (Mars, Jupiter and Saturn), the soul is led by Lucifer, but his leadership is salutary only if the soul has “the Christ impulse as a counter-balance; .. . otherwise it is evil for us.”

Next the soul enters the Mars sphere. The perceptive soul, so led by both Christ and Lucifer, perceives that “certain changes . . . have occurred on Mars in the course of recent centuries.” In short, the warlike nature of Mars has been “saved” by the Buddha, the originator on Earth of compassion, much as the Christ became the Savior of all creation. Since the beginning of the seventeenth century, “the peace substance of the Buddha flows into the Mars-sphere. . . .” Since that time, souls that emerge rightly from the Sun sphere become permeated in the Mars sphere not with the bold “courage and energy” factor of previous times, but rather with a “Francis of Assisi . . . element.”⁷ Aggressive courage becomes the inner strength of compassion for all beings and things.

Then one expands further into the Jupiter and Saturn spheres. But Steiner tells us that here consciousness “occurs only . . . with the most advanced souls.” All others go through these and later heavenly stages

in a certain unconscious state akin to sleep. In the outer spheres, in the spheres beyond the sun, the forces are gathered which man must acquire in order to be able to work, to collaborate, in building up a new body as he approaches a new birth.

The more advanced a soul becomes, that is, the more a soul has transformed its astral body into manas (Manna), a spiritual state, the more it can consciously collaborate with the Hierarchies in planning and fashioning its next incarnation during this farther journey into the spirit world.

As one expands outward through the planetary spheres, the soul is conscious of these spheres as though they were its bodily organs during earthly life (see I-20, Figure 13; also the discussion of Steiner’s Occult Physiology [OP] under “Blood” in Vol. 2, “What Is Man?”). Upon completion of the journey through the planetary spheres, i.e., the lower spiritual world, the soul enters higher devachan where, as before, only the most advanced soul is able consciously to participate with the Host in preparing the next earthly personality to most effectively address its remaining karma.

The “regions” of what Steiner calls “spiritland,” that is, higher heaven or upper devachan, are reiterated from OS in I-33, and can be seen there to be a recapitulation, at a higher level, of the regions of the astral world. It is hard to escape drawing a rather precise parallel between these progressions and those in virtually every water-launching in the Bible. First the voyager is on solid land, then launches upon water, next encountering a storm or danger of some sort, followed by some form of rescue, and finally perception (light). Consider, for instance, Jonah (Jon), the storm upon the Sea of Galilee (Mt 8,18,23-27, Mk 4,35-41, Lk 8,22-25) and Paul’s last journey (Acts 27-28). See also “Storm/Water Launching.”