Three Streams in Human Evolution
Rudolf Steiner covers an extraordinary amount of detailed esoteric knowledge in this six-lecture series titled: Three Streams in Human Evolution. The main theme is the activities and relationships between the three fundamental directing forces in human evolution, namely the Luciferic, which both inspires and tempts humanity from the realm of the superconscious; the Ahrimanic, which drives and deceives him from the subconscious; and the original progressive Powers which strive to maintain the balance between these two. He describes how over successive epochs of time, the Luciferic and Ahrimanic Powers alternate in their cultural predominance, and examines their relative influences in the Lemurian epoch, the Atlantean period, and finally our own post-Atlantean period. He also examines their origins and how their ‘out-of-stepness’ as Beings of one rank within the Higher Spiritual Hierarchies, appearing within the stature and function of a lower rank, results in their anomalous effects on human and world evolution, but ironically how this contributes to our evolution as free and true human beings in the long run. Among so many other historical elements, Steiner gives special focus on the span of years from the birth of Jesus to the year 666 A.D., with the pivotal point 333 in the exact middle. This year (333) was the exact midpoint of the 4th post-Atlantean epoch (the Greco-Roman period), but it was also the midpoint of the the entire post-Atlantean epoch, a period lasting 15,120 years. Steiner describes how an Ahrimanic impulse was preparing to enter into human evolution through the middle-east culture of Persia in the year 666 which would have thrown human evolution so far off its intended course that further human development would have been impossible. This event, 333 years after this critical midpoint, was countered by the Christ event which was begun with the birth of Jesus 333 years prior to this point and which culminated with the enactment of the Mystery of Golgotha. This occult presentation of the dynamics of Time balanced around significant midpoints is found elsewhere in Steiner’s lectures and is also described here. Much more is given including how these events manifested historically and how their effects echo on through the centuries and can be witnessed even in our own time.
Publisher: Rudolf Steiner Press
Format: Hardback
