Old Sun
Old Sun is the name of the second planetary stage in the evolution of our current solar system, after Old Saturn and before Old Moon and the current Earth stage.
Aspects
planetary body
- appearance of the element of air and the light ether through bestowal (gift-granting, bestowing virtue),
- in the middle of the Old Sun period a condensation of its substance took place. Old Sun consisted not only of warmth, but also of gas and air (1908-08-08-GA105)
- schemas:
- see FMC00.031 below (incl. corresponding lecture reference for the key role of the second hierarchy H2)
- see also FMC00.194 and FMC00.225 on the Spectrum of elements and ethers
- The entire Sun-globe consisted of shining warmth-bodies, which were the primary rudiments of our human physical bodies; as the human physical body was a kind of germinal body of warmth, composed of gaseous or airy currents, which glittered in the most wonderful way and shone with varied colours. (1908-08-08-GA105)
spiritual entities
this section covers the regular evolution, see section below for the additional special aspects
- Spirits of Movement
- sacrifice (CoC=8) by the Spirits of Movement (SoM) of the second hierarchy, see Schema FMC00.077A
- archangels
- the archangels going through the 'human stage' (CoC=4) on Old Sun, and the Cherubim (CoC=10) coming from four sides, reaching out, to allow the archangels to stay longer in space outside of Old Sun (re 1909-04-13-GA110 below)
- breathing process of the archangels that made Old Sun alternate between shining and darkness (re 1909-04-13-GA110 on Variable stars)
- human being
- Man became a twofold structure, with the etheric bodily principle added to the physical (as a result of the 'thoughts' of the archangels) - see Schema FMC00.222.
- The human being, now consisted of two principles, namely, a physical body and an etheric body. Man, as part of the structure of the Sun, radiated forth the illuminating power of light into space; his physical body, through taking into itself the etheric body, became luminous. The physical body was a kind of germinal body of warmth, composed of gaseous or airy currents, which glittered in the most wonderful way and shone with varied colours. (1908-08-08-GA105)
special evolutionary aspects
- the base principle of renunciation - see 1911-11-14-GA132
- appearance of Luciferic beings, see also schema FMC00.019 on Luciferic beings and their influences; and what would happen later as a result of this, with the War in Heaven
- sacrifice of Christ, see Christ on Old Sun
various
- the beginning of space (1911-11-07-GA132)
Illustrations
FMC00.031 shows Old Sun as the work of the second hierarchy H2 into the Old Saturn warmth as developed by the first H1, giving rise to inner illumination. It shows the revelation of light (white beams) and the shadow of light, air (green wavy lines).
Old Saturn warmth is inwardly shone through with light and at the same time it becomes denser: instead of only the warmth element there is now also air. Light means the path of spiritual beings, and wherever light occurs there is also darkness, which is air: air is the shadow of light.
From lecture 1924-01-04-GA233A. See also lecture extract below.
FMC00.224 is a schematic study diagram sketching the Old Sun evolutionary stage by George O'Neil.
FMC00.223 is a reference table showing the cascading pattern of consecutive hierarchies at work in the seven CoL (or rounds) of the Old Sun stage. For AM and PM, see The two halves of each evolutionary cycle.
(old and wrong version uploaded below) -> please see Schema FMC00.276 on Solar system evolution
Schema FMC00.222 is an illustration by George O’Neil of twofold Man's structure (based on Outline of Esoteric Science)
Lecture coverage and references
1908-02-29-GA102
[introduction]
If we now go on to the Old Sun which arose out of Old Saturn, the advance was made through the fact that the Spirits of Form no longer have need of an etheric or life-body; they give up the etheric body. They no longer ray down the life-giving saps, they relinquish their etheric body and in this way the first physical germs of man were permeated with an etheric body. The etheric body which the human beings received on the Sun was formed, to begin with, from the etheric body of the Spirits of Form, — a portion of the etheric body of the Spirits of Form. These celestial beings mirrored themselves in the warm Saturn, and through the fact that they brought a sacrifice and created pictures, they have gradually grown more independent and capable of the greatest deed, namely, to lay aside their etheric body in sacrifice and to permeate with their own life-force that which they first formed as picture. If you could endow with life the reflection which rays to you from the eye of your fellow man, make it independent, so that it had its own life and could step out of the eye, then you would have a deed which the Spirits of Form accomplished in the transition from ancient Saturn to the Sun. This was a significant advance for our cosmic evolution.
You know of course — I will just mention this here — that all sagas and myths have a multiple meaning, and when we consider the true facts of world evolution in a spiritual sense, then the myths disclose their truth in a surprising way. This may be the case right here.
Let us look at the advance that took place from Saturn to Sun. On ancient Saturn the life-giving forces streamed in, were reflected and taken up again by the mantle, the atmosphere of Saturn. In the old Greek myth the warm globe of Saturn was called Gaea and the atmosphere Chronos. Now consider the myth: the life-giving forces of Chronos rayed in continually upon Gaea and were reflected and absorbed. It is Chronos continually swallowing his own children! One must feel the truth of such a myth; if it is not felt, one has not the right attitude to it. For just consider what it means: in hoary primitive ages of ancient Greece we find a myth that presents this truth to us in a wonderful picture. There is only one possible explanation of such a fact, namely, the most advanced individuals of mankind, who guided man's further development from the Mystery centres, had exactly the same knowledge of world evolution as we give out today in Theosophy. In the Ancient Mysteries they spoke of these things as we speak today; for the masses the truths were veiled in pictures and these pictures form what today we know as Mythology. In the face of such knowledge how extraordinary seem those people who believe that men have discovered truth only in the last forty years and that all knowledge possessed by men of earlier times is only childish fantasy. One must however describe it as a childish fantasy when it is emphasized again and again: “How marvellously advanced we are today!” That is the really childish picture!
[SoF on Old Sun]
So we advance from Saturn to Sun and consider the evolution of the Spirits of Form further.
They have laid aside their etheric body, “exuded” it out of themselves and imparted it to the body of the Earth, inasmuch as the human bodies have permeated themselves with it.
As the lowest member of their being they now have the astral body and their higher development means that they have not only one member above spirit-man or Atma, but a still further one. We must now describe their being as consisting of astral body, I, spirit-self, life-spirit, spirit-man, an eighth and a ninth member which are beyond what man can attain in his completed seven-membered development.
What do the Spirits of Form present as an “outside”?
The Spirits of Form have “trickled,” so to speak, the life-rain down on to Old Saturn. On Old Sun they manifest through instincts, desires and passions raying into the Old Sun, through all that is anchored in the astral body. If someone had sat there and looked out into cosmic space, he would not have seen lightning flash or heard thunder pealing, but round him in the astral light he would have perceived the passions of spiritual beings — everywhere, all around him, passions, and you must not at all imagine only lower passions. These passions and emotions now worked creatively on the planet from without.
If we consider the myths further we see the creative Titans within our earthly evolution, the creative passions which worked from out-side, from the spiritual airy circles of the Old Sun when this was a planet.
1908-08-08-GA105
After a period of rest Old Saturn changed into the Old Sun formation. Externally it is the case that in the middle of the Old Sun period a condensation of its substance took place. Old Sun consisted not only of warmth, but also of gas and air (in the occult sense), and everything within Old Sun passed through its evolution under conditions only possible in warmth and air.
[human being]
To begin with, the following took place: The human being, who (as he consisted only of warmth) could not assume an etheric body, was permeated on Old Sun by an etheric body; he now consisted of two principles, namely, a physical body and an etheric body.
Man's physical body on Old Sun was, however, quite different to what it is now. Let us try to form an idea, if only a rough one, of the physical body upon Old Sun.
- Imagine that we have breathed in air and that the breathed-in air has passed into us. This air is now permeated with a certain degree of warmth. Now think away everything but the in-breathed air, which in effect forms an image of the whole human body; think away all the solid and the liquid parts, keeping only the air and the warmth in mind. You then have in imagination a form before you such as would appear if you considered merely the in-breathed air and its activity. If you observed the form of this in-breathed air and the warmth the human being contains you would have approximately the form Man had at the middle of the Old Sun period.
You might now ask: If we have lines of warmth and, in addition to these, currents of gas which form the physical body, how does the clairvoyant see this gas in the Akashic Record?
He perceives it in a special way. When the warmth condenses into air and no other conditions are present (as is the case now on Earth, where the sun pours in from outside) the moment this gas or air separates from the form of warmth it begins to shine.
- Hence upon Old Sun the physical body was a kind of germinal body of warmth, composed of gaseous or airy currents, which glittered in the most wonderful way and shone with varied colours.
.
The entire Sun-globe consisted of shining warmth-bodies, which were the primary rudiments of our human physical bodies.
On Old Sun, Man rose a stage higher; he added an etheric body to the physical body. It was Man himself who, as part of the structure of the Sun, radiated forth the illuminating power of light into space; his physical body, through taking into itself the etheric body, became luminous.
The physical body was now at the second stage of its progress towards perfection, but the etheric body, which first became luminous on Old Sun, was only at its first stage.
1909-04-13-GA110
describes the process between Archangels and Cherubim on Old Sun (SWCC), the Cherubim coming from four sides and reaching out to allow the archangels, going through the 'human stage', to stay longer in space outside of Old Sun
.. to describe these archangels, in a trivial, way: It pleased them too much, when they soared out into the Universe; the flowing outwards, the soaring up to the spirits of the universe, pleased them more than the contracting, or drawing of themselves together again. The latter seemed a narrowing, inferior existence.
Life in the light-ether pleased them better. But they never could have extended this life in the light-ether further than a certain limit, if something had not come to their help. If those beings on Old Sun had been left to themselves, it would have been quite impossible for them to do anything else than bravely to return to the Sun, in the Sun-night. Yet they did not do it, they lengthened the time of their stay outside in the universe always more and more, they remained longer and longer in the Spiritual World.
Who helped them to do this?
Let us imagine that the small circle is the ball of Old Sun; the archangels strive to get out into the spaces of the world from all sides of that Old Sun ball, they spread out their presence, spiritually into the universe. The archangels were helped in this out-spreading by the fact that there were beings out in the universe who came to meet them. Just as earlier, the fire elements of the Thrones, streamed towards Old Saturn, so now other beings come to meet the out-streaming archangels, beings who are higher than the Thrones, and these help them to stay longer out in the Universe than they otherwise could have done.
Those beings who came out of spiritual space to meet the archangels, we call Cherubim. They are Beings of an exceptionally sublime nature; they have power to receive the archangels, so to speak, with open arms. When the archangels spread outwards, the Cherubim came to meet them, out of the Universal All. Thus, all round the globe of Old Sun, we have the approaching Cherubim. If I may use the comparison: just as our earth is surrounded by its atmosphere, so was Old Sun surrounded by the realm of the Cherubim, for the benefit of the Archangels. When the Archangels went out into the Universal spaces, they beheld their great helpers.
In what way did those great helpers meet them, and what appearance had they?
This can naturally only be stated by clairvoyant consciousness as read in the Akasha Chronicles. These great Universal Helpers revealed themselves in quite definite etheric shapes or figures. Our forefathers who, through their traditions, were still conscious of these most important facts, represented the Cherubim as those strangely winged animals with differently formed heads: the winged Lion, winged Eagle, winged Bull, winged Man.
The fact is, that the Cherubim made their approach from four sides, in forms afterwards represented in the way the Cherubim are known to us. In the schools of the first Postatlantean initiates, these Cherubim, approaching Old Sun on four sides, were given names, which later became the names, Bull, Lion, Eagle, Man.
The aspect presented by Old Sun, was that of its human inhabitants, called archangels, passing out into universal space, and the four kinds of Cherubim, coming from four sides to meet them. On account of this, the Archangels were enabled to stay in the spiritual region which surrounded Old Sun longer than they otherwise could have done. For the influence of those Cherubim upon the Archangels was vivifying in the highest degree, in the spiritual sense.
But as the Cherubim came into the vicinity of Old Sun, their influence was active also in another way. They acted in the way described, on those Sun-beings who had evolved up to the element of light, who knew how to live in that element.
- But this element of light could be influenced only during the Sun-days, when light streamed out into Universal space.
- But there were also the Sun-nights when light did not stream out. The Cherubim were then also in the skies. During this time, when the Sun-planet was darkened, only warmth-gas was there, the illuminated warm gases streamed within the Sun-ball. Round about it were the Cherubim sending down their influence, which was active now within the dark gas. When the Cherubim could not act in a normal way upon the Archangels, they sent their influence into the dark smoke and gas of the Sun. Whilst on Old Saturn influences were exercised upon the warmth, influences were now exerted out of cosmic space on the condensed warmth, or gas, of the Old Sun. To this action we must ascribe the fact, that out of that Sun-mist was built the first foundation or germ of what we call today the animal kingdom. Just as the earliest foundations of the human kingdom arose in the physical human body on Old Saturn, so on the Sun, out of its smoke and gas was formed the first germ of the animal kingdom. Out of the warmth of Old Saturn was formed the first germ of the human body; on the Ancient Sun was formed the first germ of the smoke-like changing animal bodies, created through the mirroring of the forms of the Cherubim in this Sun-gas.
Thus we find,
- spread abroad in space surrounding Old Sun - that totality of exalted Beings, the Cherubim who receive the Archangels, as it were, with open arms
- and we find also, evoked as by magic out of the Sun-gas during the Sun's nights, the earliest germinal beginnings of the animal kingdom. The animal kingdom in its first physical foundation grew out of the Sun mist. Therefore those of our forefathers who from the Mysteries had knowledge of these deeply important things out of spiritual Cosmology, called the Beings, who, acted upon the Ancient Sun, from all sides of Space: the Zodiac or Animal Circle. That is the primeval significance of the Zodiac.
1909-04-13-GA110
This breathing process of the archangels that makes Old Sun alternate into a dark night and bright day, is described in the 1909-04-13-GA110 quote on the topic page Variable stars. Its importance is stressed by the following complementary extract:
Whilst the Old Saturn is evolving into Old Sun (as we have described in the last lecture) those Beings who have just been named are also evolving each one stage higher, and the Archangels enter upon the human stage. Externally - we might say physically - the warmth condenses into gas: Old Sun is a gaseous body.
While Old Saturn was a dark warmth-body, Old Sun now begins to shine outwardly; but it alternates, so to speak, from Sun-days to Sun nights. It is particularly important to take notice of those interchanges from Sun-days to Sun-nights. For an enormous difference between the life of the days and the nights obtains on Old Sun.
If nothing else had intervened but what has been described in the previous lecture, the Archangels, who are the 'men' [editor: going through the human stage CoC] on Old Sun, would during the Sun-days hurry with the rays of light out into the Universe, would expand to the Universe and would have to return to the Sun during the Sun's nights. It would be an inhaling and exhaling of the light, together with all the creatures weaving their existence within it. But it is not so. ..
1911-11-07-GA132
[On Old Saturn]
So, too, in first speaking of ‘space,’ that also is merely a pictorial description; for, as we saw in the last lecture, ‘time’ itself did not even exist. When we speak of ‘space’ we are speaking pictorially. Of space there was none in our sense. And time first came into being on Old Saturn itself. When we carry our thought back to Old Saturn we are absolutely in the realm of spaceless eternity. When, therefore, something is said to call up a picture before our minds, we must be clear that it is only a picture. If we could have observed the space of Old Saturn we should have found no substance dense enough to be called gas, nothing but heat and cold. In reality we could not speak of coming from one part of space into another, but only the sensation of passing through warmer and colder conditions; so that even the clairvoyant, when he transports himself back to the time of Old Saturn, receives the impression of being in spaceless ebb and flow of heat. That is only the outer veil of the Old Saturn condition.
...
In this way we obtain a picture of Old Sun: We think of a centre in which is focused what came over from Old Saturn; the sacrificial acts of the Thrones to the Cherubim. Absorbed in contemplation of these acts of sacrifice are the Spirits of Wisdom. This vision causes them to radiate forth from themselves that which is their real being: streaming, flowing wisdom is the virtue they give. However, as this is radiated through by ‘time’ it is sent forth and sent back again, so that we have a globe, inwardly illuminated by the virtue returning to it; for we must not think of Old Sun as outwardly but as inwardly luminous, because the Spirits of Wisdom radiate outwards. Thus something new is created which we may describe as follows: Let us imagine the Spirits of Wisdom as sitting at the centre of the Sun absorbed in contemplation of the vision of the sacrificing Thrones; and by reason of this vision, radiating forth their own being; and receiving back their radiating being which they sent forth, receiving it reflected back from the surface, so that they receive it back as light. Everything is illuminated. What then do they receive back! Their own being surrendered by them became a gift to the Macrocosm, it was their inner being. Now it rays back to them; their own being meets them coming back from outside. They see their own inner being outspread in the Cosmos — and reflected back as light, as the reflection of their own being.
The inner and the outer are the two opposites which we now meet. The earlier and the later are transformed into the inner and the outer; and space is born! Space comes into existence through the bestowing virtue of the Spirits of Wisdom on Old Sun. Before that, space could only have pictorial value. Now we have space - but consisting at first of only two dimensions. There was as yet no above and below, no right or left, nothing but an outer and an inner.
In reality these opposites appear at the end of Old Saturn; but they repeat themselves as space-creation on Old Sun. And if we wish to obtain a conception of all these occurrences, as we did of the last when the picture appeared before our soul of the sacrificing Thrones, giving birth to the Spirits of Time, we must not even picture a body consisting of light, for the light within it was only a reflection. We must think of it as a globe of inner space, in the centre of which the picture of Old Saturn is recapitulated: the Thrones as Spirits as though kneeling before the Cherubim, those winged beings, sacrificing their own being, and, in addition to these, the Spirits of Wisdom, absorbed in the vision of the sacrifice. And now it is also possible to have the vision of the heat of the sacrifice being so transmitted that we may think of it objectively as the incense of sacrifice, as air ascending from the sacrifice as incense. We obtain a complete picture if we imagine: the sacrificing Thrones kneeling before the Cherubim, and as though participating, the Spirits of Wisdom, absorbed in the contemplation of what they perceive in the centre of the Sun as the sacrifice of the Thrones, and thereby ascending in their conception to the idea of the sacrificial incense pouring forth and spreading out on all sides, and finally condensing, while from its clouds proceed the figures of the Archangels,--who reflect back the incense from the periphery as light, illuminating the interior of Old Sun, returning the gift of the Spirits of Wisdom, and in this way creating the sphere of Old Sun. This sphere consists of the outpoured gift of glowing heat and sacrificial incense. At the outer periphery are the Archangels, the creators of the light, who, later depict what was first on Old Sun; it then returns as light. What then, do these Archangels preserve! They guard the beginnings, what was formerly there, the earlier. The gifts they receive they reflect. That which was there in the beginning they radiate forth at a later time, and in as much as they do this, they are the Angels of the Beginning, because they bring into activity in later times what was previously there. ‘Archangeloi’ ‘Messengers of the Beginning’!
1924-01-04-GA233A
But when this highest Hierarchy had once placed it there and a new world-becoming had taken its start, then the evolution could go on further. The Old Sun, as it were, that is formed of Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones could carry evolution further. And it came to pass in the following manner.
Beings of the Second Hierarchy Beings that had been generated by the Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones, press into the space that has been formed through the working of Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones, that has been fashioned to Old Saturn warmth. Thither entered younger, cosmically younger Beings.
And how did these cosmically younger Beings work?
Whereas the Cherubim, Seraphim and Thrones reveal themselves in the Element of Warmth, the Beings of the second Hierarchy form themselves in the Element of Light. Saturn is dark; it gives warmth. And now within the dark world of the Old Saturn existence arises that which can arise through the working of the Sons of the First Hierarchy, through the SoW, SoM, SoF.
What is it that is able now to arise within the Old Saturn warmth?
The penetration of the Second Hierarchy signifies an inner illumination. The Old Saturn Warmth is inwardly shone through with light and at the same time it becomes denser. Instead of only the Warmth Element there is now also Air. And in the revelation of Light we have the entry of the Second Hierarchy.
You must clearly understand that it is in very deed and truth Beings who thus press their way into the Old Saturn existence. One who had the requisite power of perception would see the event as a penetration of Light; it is Light that reveals the path of the Beings. And wherever Light occurs, there occurs too, under certain conditions, shadow, darkness, dark shadow. Through the Penetration by the Second Hierarchy in the form of Light, shadow also comes to pass. What is shadow? It is Air.
And indeed until the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries men knew what Air is. Today men know only that air consists of oxygen, nitrogen and so forth. When that is said, it is very much as if someone were to say about a watch that it consisted of glass and silver. He would be saying nothing at all about the watch. And nothing at all is said about Air as a cosmic phenomenon when we say that it consists of oxygen and nitrogen. We say very much, on the other hand, if we know: Air comes forth from the Cosmos as the shadow of Light.
In actual fact we have, with the entry of the second Hierarchy into the Old Saturn warmth, the entry of Light (white beams) and we have too the shadow of Light, Air (green wavy lines)
And when we have this we have Old Sun. Such is the way one would have had to speak in the thirteenth and twelfth centuries.
the above fits into the following frame (quote from same lecture, which explains the arising of the Spectrum of elements and ethers in the language of the spiritual beings of the hierarchies):
.. in those times they spoke of original Man, of Man before the Fall, who still bore a form that gave him power over the Earth, even as
- the Angels and Archangels and Archai had power over the Old Moon existence,
- the second Hierarchy over the Old Sun existence and
- the first Hierarchy over the Old Saturn existence
