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Spiritual Science

Deep Dive Article

Cultural Ages Overview

Excerpts that provide a birdseye view of the Cultural Ages

Source: FreeManCreator

The Fifth Post-Atlantean Epoch

We are currently living in the Fifth Post-Atlantean Epoch that follows the Polarian, Hyperborean, Lemurian and Atlantean epochs. It consists of seven cultural ages. We are currently in the Fifth Cultural Age.

The Fifth Post-Atlantean Epoch is the lowest point of Man's physical descent, and represents a turning point in Man's consciousness:

  • from an atavistic clairvoyance and guidance by the spirits of the third hierarchy
  • to a free human being, set free from that guidance, and able and expected to consciously develop based on free will

During the first three cultural ages humanity went through several stages of development including the development of the Etheric Body, the Astral Body and the Sentient Soul (the part of the human soul and not only mediates all perceptions and sense impressions, but is also the seat of all drives, desires, passions, and impulses with which the "I" has connected itself). We begin below with the Fourth Cultural Age, referred to as the Greco-Latin in which the most important event in history took place, The Mystery of Golgotha.

The Fourth Greco-Latin Cultural Age

The Greco-Latin or Greco-Roman age is the fourth and middle cultural age in the Current Postatlantean epoch, and lasted between -747 BC to 1413 AD. The Greek culture was already instilled by the teachers of humanity in the previous third cultural age (see or Orpheus, and Migrations), but Greek culture rose to its heights between the 7th century BC and the 1st century AD. In a transition period of various wars, the Roman empire reach its heights around the 1th century AD and lasted to the final fall of Rome in 476 AD. After that period the empire was fragmented into many smaller states and new structures formed such as the Ostrogothic and Visigothic kingdoms.

The fourth cultural age is characterized as the age of the intellectual soul, by the teachings of Buddha see also Wotan impulse. In this age Man developed thinking and philosophy.

Main Aspects

The Fifth Germanic-Celtic Cultural Age

The current cultural age describes a period between 1413 and 3573 characterized by the German and Anglo cultures, it is the fifth cultural age in the Current Postatlantean epoch.

Main Aspects

  • development of the consciousness soul, see Development of the I

  • related topic pages

    • transition from previous fourth to current fifth cultural age:
    • different substreams, currents or influences in the current age
    • transition from current fifth to next sixth cultural age:

    • Discussion

      Given the sketch that the sixth cultural age will be so vastly different than the fifth .. how are we to imagine getting there? how will this happen; and how can we imagine the transition?

      Rudolf Steiner gives some hints, eg read the extracts above from these lectures:

      • "It will be preceded by mighty cataclysms and physical catastrophes" (1906-06-14-GA094)
      • "The transition to this cannot take place without a violent struggle between white and coloured mankind in many regions, which will be foreshadowed in earlier events. We stand here before something colossal." and ".. a great war will have to take place between the white and coloured humanity in the transition between the fifth and sixth cultural ages, and this in the most manifold ways." (1915-02-13-GA174B)

      1) In that context, now see what is mentioned under the topic page on the Future Oriphiel age (approx 2230-2590). This however still leaves a period of approx 1000 years until the start of the sixth age in 3570.

      One way to see this is that it also took about 1000 years after the fall of the roman empire (say around the 4th century AD) to reach again a similar level of civilization (starting again 14th century). This allows one to get a feel for the nature of such a transition phase of 1000 years.

      Furthermore, this is imaginatively not so different from what farmers do to make fields fertile again by burning them after a harvest. They destroy what was before because it needs to be done out of necessity, preparing for the next thing to come. Knowing it takes time to recover.

      See Schema FMC00.449 on Future Oriphiel age for an illustration.

      Not an image but just analoguously, in cancer chemo therapy the body is brought to the border of survival in order to kill the tumor.

      2) For further info on the East-West conflict, see Nostradamus#2.1 - War between the West and Asia and World catastrophe where lecture quotes stipulate explicitly that the conflict will take place between America and China.

      3) And this may well map to Future Oriphiel age#1933-01-15-BD .28Beinsa Douno.29, requoted here below:

      • [if humanity does not learn, after WW1 and WW2...] .. "there will be another war, even more fierce, in which 550 million people will die. After that there will be no wars, because it will result in a wonder that people never expected. All communications, railroads, 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. .. 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."

        [more below]

      4) Last, Virginia Sease writes (in lecture 7 published in the book 'Thinkers, Saints, Heretics'):

      Rudolf Steiner said that by the third millenium, around the year 3000, circumstances will become so bad that many, many people will wish never again to incarnate.

      The lecture reference or source for this statement was not given, but in 1914-03-07-GA286 is stated:

      in the year 3000 the end of the world will again be expected, but the world will then have become such that entire peoples will long for this end of the world. It can be said without sentimentality: European humanity is facing terrible times.

      For another quote (and link to this lecture), also stating "terrible times are ahead for mankind in Europe" see also Contemporary worldview war#1914-03-07-GA286

  • task to come to grips with evil as an impulse in world evolution (1917-11-19-GA178), see a.o.
    • rise of the the adverse powers of opposition: Ahrimanic (untruthfullness, materialism, Mammon .. ), Asuric (black magic, pornography, child abuse & slavery)

    • Future Oriphiel age as a hefty cleansing period central in the fifth cultural age followed by a transition period (see above)

      Main 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
      • 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)

          [more below]

        • 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 (see last bullet under "related topic pages" above for details)

  • spiritual guidance of Mankind by angels (GA015), an intellectual age focused on thinking (1911-11-10-GA130) see Schema FMC00.047 on Current Postatlantean epoch

  • Gospels that map to a specific cultural age: (Matthew to fourth), Mark to current fifth, (Luke sixth age, John's Gospel to the seventh) (1905-08-14-GA091, 1911-03-07-GA124)

    The gospels describe different angles of perspectives on the three years of Christ-Jesus on Earth.

    The five gospels were written from clairvoyant perception, see Clairvoyant research of akashic records with the different authors working from a different initiation background and stage of clairvoyance.

    • The first four canonical gospels part in the New Testament in the Bible were written (more than a century after Christ) by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are referred to as the synoptic because they include many of the same stories and often in similar sequence and similar wording, this in contrast to John whose content is largely distinct.
    • The fifth gospel was delivered from clairvoyant perception by Rudolf Steiner in 1913-1914 (GA148) and complements the first four (see Schema FMC00.017 below).

    The objective of the gospels was not to have a historical record of events or biography of Jesus of Nazareth, but to lead and transform the human soul to a genuine true love for the Christ and divinity. They were a rebirth of old initiation instructions, new and public versions of the process and instructions given in the old Initiations. So that in the future, Man through the simple evolution of the soul, will be able to experience that which was once experienced in the Mysteries. (1911-10-04-GA131)

The Sixth Slavic Cultural Age

The next cultural age after the current fifth anglo-german (timed approx from 1413 to 3570) is called the sixth 'russian' or 'slavic' cultural age, timed approx. to the period between the years 3570 and 5070. It is the most important age of the Current Postatlantean epoch, where humanity will blossom to the development of this epoch, and a seed cohort of souls of this sixth cultural age will be the basis for the next great Sixth epoch.

Main Aspects

Evolutionary

  • It is the most important cultural age of the current epoch, in which part of humanity will reach the maturity required for the 'epoch sample' that will be the seed material for the next great Sixth epoch (see schema FMC00.169A and FMC00.169, and for a broader context also FMC00.233 and FMC00.168).
  • Transition
    • It will be preceded by mighty cataclysms and physical catastrophes (1906-06-14-GA094)
    • The transition to this cannot take place without a violent struggle between white and coloured mankind in many regions, which will be foreshadowed in earlier events. We stand here before something colossal. (1915-02-13-GA174B)
    • see also below in the Discussion area: Note [1] - Transition between the fifth and sixth cultural ages
  • In the Book of Revelation, this cultural age maps to the church of Philadelphia ref. 3,7-13
  • gospel that maps to cultural age: (Matthew to fourth, Mark to current fifth,) Luke sixth age, (John's gospel to the seventh) (1905-08-14-GA091, 1911-03-07-GA124)
  • if Man continues with dead intellectual thoughts as is currently the case, and does not develop imagination, then in the sixth cultural age, the air atmosphere will be poisened through the intellect that does not develop imagination, and in the seventh cultural age the water will become contaminated. (1923-03-23-GA222 )

Man

  • The developmental target for humanity in this evolutionary period will be to have developed the Spirit-Self, and a special relationship with the lower spirit world, see eg Schema FMC00.047.
  • The soul will only be able to develop in the physical body upto the age of 21 (at the start) and 14 years (at the end) of this cultural age (Schema FMC00.232).

  • the Kundalini fire will acquire great influence and act as a force on what lives in the human heart (1904-10-28-GA092)

    in the Current Postatlantean epoch, the slumbering force in Man called the Kundalini fire will gradually develop and greatly influence what lives in the human heart, so that - through this force - in the next Sixth epoch, Man " will no longer make a distinction between his own well-being and the well-being of the whole" (1904-10-28-GA092)

  • the level of clairvoyance will consist of revelation in images
    • the revelations of Maid of Orleans, in the form of images, are given as an example for the sixth cultural age (1910-12-28-GA126)
  • as the physical body was solidified since the Atlantean epoch, the etheric body will be strengthened in the sixth and seventh cultural ages of the current Postatlantean epoch and "have a great influence through its inflexibility on the physical body, making the physical body its faithfull likeness" and representing its moral qualities. In the sixth age, also the external appearance of the surroundings will change manifold, as certain animal forms (that have taken on the most rigid forms) will become extinct. Vegetarianism will become standard. (1915-11-07-GA254 tbc)

Location

  • Geographically the center of cultural development will lie in western asia and the slav(on)ic or russian culture. See FMC00.211 and the according lectures for background on how this center moves across earth's geography along with the developmental stage of humanity.
  • the Grail atmosphere and spirit is linked to the russian geography and folk soul (characteristics such as piety) - "To the Russian people has been assigned the mission to develop the essential reality of the Grail as a religious system up to the time of the sixth Postatlantean age, so that it may then become a cultural ferment for the whole world." (1918-11-03-GA185)
  • in eastern Europe we find the seeds of what really belongs to the next age (1919-01-01-GA187)

Culture, science, and spirituality

  • this sixth cultural age will be radically different and as spiritual as our current fifth has been material, and age that will see the development of brotherhood among men, clairvoyance and creative power (1906-06-14-GA094)
  • a developmental goal for the sixth cultural age with the help of the Christ Impulse is "to help the world to overcome the last vestiges of the principle of nationality." (1917-01-22-GA174)
  • three key characteristics of this age of the spiritual self (1915-06-15-GA159)
    • moral quality and social life in which brotherliness prevails
      • the most highly cultured will not only feel pain such as is caused today by the sight of poverty, suffering and misery in the world, but such individuals will experience the suffering of another human being as their own suffering .. the well-being of the individual will depend entirely upon the well-being of the whole.
    • freedom of thought
      • complete freedom of thought and a longing for it will so lay hold of men that what a Man likes to believe, what religious convictions he holds, will rest wholly within the power of his own individuality. Collective beliefs that exist in so many forms today among the various communities will no longer influence those who constitute the civilized portion of humanity
    • pneumatology (forms of knowledge based upon the spiritual)
      • men will only be considered to have real knowledge when they recognize the spiritual, when they know that the spiritual pervades the world and that human souls must unite with the spiritual .. all materialistic beliefs including our current science will be regarded as antiquated superstition. Men as a matter of course will accept as science only such forms of knowledge as are based upon the spiritual, upon pneumatology.
  • the individuality known as Jeshu ben Pandira will rise from Bodhisattva to a Buddha and be the teacher of Christianity in a totally new way as the Earth "will be bathed in a moral-ether atmosphere"(1911-10-01-GA130 and 1911-12-03-GA130), for more see 1911-11-04-GA123 on the Bodhisattva page and also on Three classes of Buddhas
    • about some 3000 years after 1911 would mean around 4900
  • this age will know the true Christianity (not the one of the current or past cultural ages), centered around the sacred Golden Triangle (or Man's higher triad, consisting of Spirit-Man, Spirit-Self or atma, buddhi and manas) and the knowledge of reincarnation and karma, united with Christianity (again). A symbol will no longer be the crucified Son of God, but the cross encircled by roses (re Symbol of rose cross).
  • The Masters (see White Lodge) will become publicly known as leaders of humanity (1905-01-01-GA090B)
  • Mechanical science will become spiritually creative.

  • Beinsa Douno is regarded as the herald of the great Sixth epoch and the next slavic or russian cultural age.

    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 Duono

    Peter Deunov (1864-1944) is an incarnation of an important spiritual Individuality and was a spiritual teacher of esoteric Christianity. As a spiritual teacher he used the name Beinsa Douno and not his native name Peter Deunov.

    He gave thousands of lectures and talks, prayers, exercises, occult formulas, mantras and songs. He lectured a.o. on the second coming (of Christ in the etheric) and the Sixth epoch. He lived and worked mainly in Bulgaria, and his teachings show a connection with the Slavic people and culture in light of the next Sixth cultural age.

    He is generally regarded as a member of the White Lodge. His Individuality is subject of speculation and debate, see the 'Discussion area' below.

    Some facts of his life include (see full biography link under 'Further reading' below):

    • During the period 1888-1895 he studied medicine and theology in the United States (Boston University)
    • In 1897, aged 33, he had a first group of disciples and formed an association for raising the religious spirit of the Bulgarian spirit, later called 'the chain' and 'universal white brotherhood'.
    • His first public lecture was in 1914, aged 50. In total he gave thousands of lectures (figures between 3700 and 6000 are given) in the 30 years period up to 1944, teaching by stories like old prophets.
    • From 1932 and onwards, he taught Paneurythmy in the Rila mountains south of Sofia, Bulgaria. See also the topic page Eurythmy

The Seventh American Cultural Age

The next cultural age after the sixth 'russian' cultural age (timed approx from 1413 to 3570) , is called the seventh or 'american' cultural age and is timed approx. to the period between the years 5070 and 7200. It will be a lagging culture and an age of chaos, with humanity near its collapse, and it will end the current epoch through the 'War of all against all'. Humanity will be divided according to differences in intellect and morals; on this basis a spiritualized caste system will again appear (1908-08-16-GA105). At the end of the epoch, only about a third of humanity will have attained its goal, a second third is lagging behind and will only attain this later, and one third will completely fall away from evolution (1904-10-24-GA092).

The Earth will be changing dramatically, similar to what happened at the end of the Atlantean epoch, see Earthquakes and emergence continent sixth epoch [NOTE: Sixth EPOCH, NOT to be confused with the Sixth Cultural Age]. Furthermore, this is the time of the anticipated reunion of Earth with the Moon, after the Separation of Moon in the Lemurian epoch.

Main Aspects

  • the seventh cultural age will be the culture of egoism, establishing the evil race (1905-10-31-GA093)
  • in the Book of Revelation, the seventh cultural epoch is called Laodicea (1908-06-20-GA104)
  • castes or communities will be formed voluntarily by those who have grasped spiritual life (1908-08-16-GA105, 1909-06-11)
  • in the seventh cultural age
    • Christ appears as a great cosmic I which is like a group soul of humanity (1911-09-21)
    • "cleverness without morality will be non-existent" (1911-09-21-GA130) .. it will be an age of morality (1912-01-14-GA143)
    • represents a downwards development as the summit of the Postatlantean epoch has been reached (1915-06-15-GA159)
    • procreation will be guided by impulse from the cast-down angels (1917-10-28-GA177)
    • the seventh sub-race [cultural age] becomes the kingdom of evil (1906-02-12-GA266)
    • if Man continues with dead intellectual thoughts as is currently the case, and does not develop imagination, then in the sixth cultural age, the air atmosphere will be poisened through the intellect that does not develop imagination, and in the seventh cultural age the water will become contaminated. (1923-03-23-GA222)

Evolutionary

  • in the seventh cultural age, the changed circumstances in their surroundings will provide little opportunity for the souls that have not developed in the decisive fifth and sixth cultural ages. The next opportunity will present itself only in the distant future.
  • This cultural age will conclude the current Postatlantean epoch with the 'War of all against all'
  • In the Book of Revelation, this cultural age maps to the church of Laodicea ref. 3,14-22
  • gospel that maps to cultural age: (Matthew to fourth, Mark to current fifth, Luke sixth,) John's gospel to the seventh (1905-08-14-GA091, 1911-03-07-GA124)
  • may be the time of the reunion of the Moon with the Earth

Man

  • The developmental target for humanity in this evolutionary period will be to have developed the Spirit-Self, and a special relationship with the lower spirit world, see eg Schemas FMC00.047.
  • The soul will only be able to develop in the physical body upto the age of 21 (at the start) and 14 years (at the end) of this cultural age (Schema FMC00.232).

  • the Kundalini fire will acquire great influence and act as a force on what lives in the human heart (1904-10-28-GA092, see also Mystery of the Heart)

    in the Current Postatlantean epoch, the slumbering force in Man called the Kundalini fire will gradually develop and greatly influence what lives in the human heart, so that - through this force - in the next Sixth epoch, Man " will no longer make a distinction between his own well-being and the well-being of the whole" (1904-10-28-GA092)

Location

  • Geographically the center of cultural development will lie in America, See FMC00.211 and the according lectures for background on how this center moves across earth's geography along with the developmental stage of humanity.

Culture, science, and spirituality

  • this will be a lagging culture, compared to the Sixth cultural age; similar to the sixth and seventh ages or subraces in the Atlantean epoch
  • following the principle of remembrance: the seventh cultural age will repeat that which arose in the first, and humanity will be divided according to differences in intellect and morals; on this basis a spiritualized caste system will again appear (1908-08-16-GA105)
  • will be an age of chaos, with humanity near its collapse (1904-10-28-GA092)

  • major discoveries about the forces of nature, and the fact that the atom is coagulated electricity, will bring Man to control unseen forces - which will also play a role in the destruction of Earth through the War of all against all (1904-12-23-GA093). See also Discussion Note [1] on that topic page: War of all against all#.5B1.5D - About humanity turning the whole earth into "a self functioning live electric mass or apparatus"

    Main Aspects & Discussion

    The 'War of all against all' will be caused by egotism, evil and mutual strife. Egotism is the fundamental power in the soul, and this line of evolution will descend ever deeper. When it arrives at the bottom everyone will rage against everyone else and the fifth race will find its destruction in conflict between selfish, egoistic powers.

    In the seventh cultural age, mankind will make discoveries about the physical forces of nature, to take hold of 'great and mighty forces' that will in the end 'turn the whole earth-globe into a kind of [self-functioning] live electric mass'.

    The war of all against all will be a war of classes of souls who no longer understand one another, a war much worse than war of the present-day with weapons and difficult for present-day consciousness to understand.

    A small group of men will develop selflessness and the power of Budhi or Life-Spirit through the force of thought, in order to carry over Budhi into the new civilisation. In a way 'that cannot be discussed, the tiny handful will be protected and preserved'.

    For humanity this catastrophe will mean the transition to the next great Sixth epoch, which will take place on a new continent and very different earthly conditions, see also Earthquakes and emergence continent sixth epoch [NOTE: Sixth EPOCH, NOT to be confused with the Sixth Cultural Age].

    1904-12-23-GA093

    We are going forward to an age when, as I indicated recently, men will understand what the atom is, in reality. It will be realised, and by the public mind too, that the atom is nothing but coagulated electricity. The thought itself is composed of the same substance. Before the end of the fifth epoch of culture, science will have reached the stage where man will be able to penetrate into the atom itself. When the similarity of substance between the thought and the atom is once comprehended, the way to get hold of the forces contained in the atom will soon be discovered and then nothing will be inaccessible to certain methods of working. A man standing here, let us say, will be able by pressing a button concealed in his pocket, to explode some object at a great distance, say in Hamburg. Just as by setting up a wave-movement here and causing it to take a particular form at some other place, wireless telegraphy is possible, so what I have just indicated will be within man's power when the occult truth that thought and atom consist of the same substance is put into practical application.

    It is impossible to conceive what might happen in such circumstances if mankind has not, by then, reached selflessness. The attainment of selflessness alone will enable humanity to be kept from the brink of destruction.

    The downfall of our present epoch will be caused by lack of morality.

    The Lemurian epoch was destroyed by fire, the Atlantean by water; our epoch and its civilisation will be destroyed by the War of All against All, by evil. Human beings will destroy each other in mutual strife. And the terrible thing — more desperately tragic than other catastrophes — will be that the blame will lie with human beings themselves.

    A tiny handful of men will make good and thus insure their survival in the sixth epoch of civilisation. This tiny handful will have attained selflessness.

    The others will develop every imaginable skill and subtlety in the manipulation and use of the physical forces of nature, but without the essential degree of selflessness.

    In the seventh epoch of civilisation, this War of All against All will break out in the most terrible form.

    Great and mighty forces will be let loose by the discoveries, turning the whole earth-globe into a kind of [self-functioning] live electric mass.

    In a way that cannot be discussed, the tiny handful will be protected and preserved.

    and a second translation

    It is impossible to conceive what might happen in such circumstances if mankind has not by then reached selflessness. Only through the attainment of selflessness will it be possible to preserve mankind from the brink of destruction. The downfall of post-Atlantean culture will be caused by the lack of morality. The Lemurian race was destroyed by fire, the Atlantean by water; ours will be destroyed by the War of All against All, [by?] evil, through the struggle of men with one another. Humanity will destroy itself in mutual strife. And the despairing thing — more desperately tragic than other catastrophes — will be that the blame will lie with human beings themselves.

    A tiny handful of men will save themselves and pass over into the sixth epoch. This tiny handful will have developed complete selflessness. The others will make use of every [imaginable] skill and subtlety in the penetration and conquest of the physical forces of Nature, but without attaining the essential degree of selflessness . They will start the War of All against All, and that will be the cause of the destruction of our civilisation.

    In the seventh post-Atlantean cultural epoch, to be precise, this War of All against All will break out, in the most terrible way. Great and mighty forces will ensue from discoveries that will turn the entire globe into a kind of self-functioning electrical apparatus. The tiny handful will be protected in a way that cannot be discussed.

    1907-03-07-GA097

    Mighty flames of fire destroyed ancient Lemuria, and mighty floods ancient Atlantis. Our civilisation will also perish, through the war of all against all. This is what we must face. Our fifth root-race will perish, because egoism will reach its highest pitch. But at the same time, a small group of men will develop the power of Budhi, of the Life-Spirit, through the force of thought, in order to carry over Budhi into the new civilisation. Everything that is productive in the striving human being will grow stronger and stronger, until his personality reaches the summit of freedom. At present, every individual must discover in himself a kind of guiding spirit in the soul's inner depths: — This is Budhi, the power of the Life spirit. Were we to approach the future by taking up the cultural impulses as in earlier epochs, we should face the disintegration of humanity.

    What do we see now at the present time?

    Everyone wants to be his own master: Egoism, selfishness have been pushed to the extreme. A time will come when no other authority will be recognised except one which men recognise freely, whose power is based upon free confidence.

    • The Mysteries which were founded upon the power of the spirit, are called the MYSTERIES OF THE SPIRIT;
    • the Mysteries of the future, which will have trust as their foundation, are called the MYSTERIES OF THE FATHER.

    These will mark the end of our civilisation. The new impulse of the power of confidence must come, otherwise we approach human disintegration, a universal cult of the I and of egoism.

    • In the times of the Mysteries of the Spirit, which were founded upon the rightful power, authority and might of the Spirit, there were certain wise men who possessed wisdom, and only the soul who passed through difficult probations could be initiated by them.
    • In future, we approach the Mysteries of the Father, and we must strive more and more that each single human being should attain wisdom.

    Will this counter-act egoism and the threatening disintegration? Yes! For only when we reach the highest wisdom, in which there are no differences, no personal opinion and no personal standpoint, but ONE VIEW only, will men agree. If they were to remain as they are at present, following their different standpoints, they would become more and more disunited. The highest wisdom always produces a unanimous view among all men. Real wisdom is ONE, and it unites men again, whilst leaving them as free as possible, without any coercive authority. Just as the members of the great White Brotherhood are always in harmony with one another and with humanity, so all men will one day be one, through this wisdom. Only this wisdom can establish the true idea of brotherhood. Spiritual science therefore has only one task: to bring this idea to men, by developing now the Spirit-Self and later on the Life-Spirit. The great goal of the spiritual-scientific movement is to make it possible for man to attain freedom and true wisdom; its mission is to let this truth and wisdom flow into men.

    The modern movement of spiritual science began with the most elementary teachings. Many important things have been revealed in the years which have passed since the founding of this movement, and much that is even more important will be revealed. The work of the spiritual-scientific movement, is therefore to allow a gradual flowing out of wisdom of the great White Brotherhood that had its origin in Atlantis. Such work has always been prepared for through long periods of time. The whole activity of the great founders of religions was a preparation for the ONE great event, for the appearance of Christ-Jesus.

    1907-05-08-GA104A

    At that time there will be human beings who are Christ filled, who have been sealed; in the ages of future spirituality the opening up, the breaking of the seals of human souls will take place. That the five wise virgins have oil burning in their lamps, that the bridegroom finds illuminated souls, signifies that a portion of humanity will have revealed to it the mystery that is still today closed to humankind. The book with the seven seals will be deciphered for a portion of humankind.

    The writer of the Apocalypse, John, wants through signs to point to this time, wants to proclaim prophetically this age.

    In one sentence we read: “And a great sign appeared in heaven ...” (Rev. 12:1)

    That means we are dealing in the Apocalypse with signs representing the great phases of the evolution of humanity. We must then decipher these signs. We remember that our present fifth root race was preceded by the Atlantean race, which was destroyed by a flood.

    What will destroy the fifth race?

    The fifth race has a special task: the development of egotism. This egotism will, at the same time, create what causes the downfall of the fifth root race. A small part of humankind will live toward the sixth main race; a larger part will not yet have found the light within. Because egotism is the fundamental power in the soul, the war of all against all will rage within this larger part of humanity. As the Lemurian race found its end through the power of fire, the Atlantean through water, so will the fifth race find its destruction in conflict between selfish, egoistic powers in the war of all against all. This line of evolution will descend deeper and deeper; when it arrives at the bottom everyone will rage against everyone else. A small part of humankind will escape this, just as a small part escaped during the destruction of the Atlantean race. It is up to every individual to find a connection to the spiritual life in order to be one of those to go over into the sixth root race. Mighty revolutions stand before humankind; they are described in the Apocalypse

    Note: There are move references from RS on the War of all against all page. The following is a reiteration to emphasize.

    Discussion

    Regarding the statement in 1904-12-23-GA093 above

    In the seventh epoch of civilisation, this War of All against All will break out in the most terrible form. Great and mighty forces will be let loose by the discoveries, turning the whole earth-globe into a kind of [self-functioning] live electric mass.

    and a second translation

    In the seventh post-Atlantean cultural epoch, to be precise, this War of All against All will break out, in the most terrible way. Great and mighty forces will ensue from discoveries that will turn the entire globe into a kind of self-functioning electrical apparatus.

    .. it can be noted that Rudolf Steiner does go into this image in various other lectures, example of which below (when covering the 'Mothers', see more on Three mothers, and the forces such as electricity as an impulse remaining of Old Moon).

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