Waldorf Watch Wing 3 - Waldorf's Worlds 2

Waldorf's Worlds 2

◊ GREAT EPOCHS ◊

PREFACE

(by R.R.)

Our progress from Old Saturn to Future Vulcan is anything but a straight line. The path it extremely twisted. Not only do we descend from Old Saturn to Present Earth before switching direction and heading upward to Future Vulcan, but during each stage along the way we cycle through a large number of sub-stages. During each incarnation of the solar system (Old Saturn, Old Sun, etc.), we pass through seven Conditions of Life. Moreover, during each Condition of Life, we pass through seven Stages of Form. Furthermore, during each Stage of Form, we pass through seven Great Epochs. More than that, during each Great Epoch, we pass through seven Cultural Epochs. Each of these passages is itself a sort of descent followed by a sort of ascent.

So, the picture is complex. (If you're keeping score: We pass through seven incarnations of the solar system, meaning we pass through 49 Conditions of Life (7x7), or 343 Stages of Form (7x7x7), or 2401 Great Epochs (7x7x7x7), or 16,807 Cultural Epochs (7x7x7x7x7.)

Fortunately, the intermediate stages (Conditions of Life and Stages of Form) can be considered tangential to the present account of evolution. (If you wish to delve into the intermediate stages, you can consult chapters seven and eight of Richard Seddon's THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY AND THE EARTH AS FORESEEN BY RUDOLF STEINER; or you might look at "conditions of life, kingdoms of life" and "stages of form" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.) For the nonce, we can proceed immediately to the Great Epochs.

Here is the general outline of the Great Epochs that Anthroposophists say we pass through during Present Earth (i.e., during our current Stage of Form within our current Condition of Life within the Present Earth incarnation of the solar system). Four of these epochs lie in the past, one is our present, and two lie in our future:

Below are descriptions of these seven Great Epochs given by Alan Whitehead and Richard Seddon. I will trim their descriptions down to the bare basics, omitting a great many ancillary details. (I fill in some of these details in my footnotes. If you want more information about these stages of evolution, you might consult The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia, or, of course, you could read Whitehead's and Seddon's books.)

4.1

POLARIA (THE POLARIAN EPOCH)

"Polaria was, in a higher form, a recapitulation of Ancient Saturn [1] ... Polaria was smaller than Saturn [2], though still immense; it was about the size of the earth's orbit around the sun today [3]. In fact, Polaria still contained both sun and moon [4] ... Man's substance, albeit still supersensible [5], was drawn from the cosmos, as molluscs absorb calcium for their shells from seawater [6]. These 'heat people' — Polarians — were by now infinitely complex [7]." — Waldorf teacher Alan Whitehead, ANCIENT SATURN TO ATLANTIS, pp. 47-49.

[1] In the Anthroposophical scheme of things, essentially all recapitulations are repetitions of prior stages at a higher level (more advanced, more elevated).

[2] I.e., Polaria was smaller than Ancient Saturn, an ancient ball of heat as wide as the orbit of the planet Saturn today. But Polaria was much larger than the planet Saturn today — Polaria had a radius of about 93 million miles, or a diameter of about 186 million miles (the diameter of the Earth's orbit today). The planet Saturn, by comparison, has a diameter of about 75,000 miles.

[3] Although Polaria was an early phase of the Present Earth stage of evolution, Polaria was nothing like the planet Earth today. Polaria resembled Ancient Saturn, Ancient Sun, and Ancient Moon: It was an enormous globe of more or less undifferentiated substance.

[4] I.e., neither the Sun nor the Moon had yet separated from the undifferentiated globe that was the solar system during the Polarian Age.

[5] The evolving proto-human body was composed of substance that could not be detected by our ordinary senses today.

[6] The substance for the proto-human body was drawn from the surrounding cosmos (more or less as the substance for a mollusc's shell is drawn from the surround sea).

[7] In a sense, the proto-human was composed of heat (this is one of the ways Polaria recapitulated Ancient Saturn, which consisted of heat), but the proto-human body had already became extremely complex (many internal organs were coming into existence).

4.2

HYPERBOREA (THE HYPERBOREAN EPOCH)

"[T]he second stage...of the evolution of our present Earth, begins with the first 'day' [1] ... Because during this period, the Sun-Moon-Earth Being [that] our planetary home then was [2], became only a Moon-Earth. The Sun, taking with it higher spiritual beings [3], detached itself during the Hyperborean era, and began to shine from OUTSIDE [4] — hence the 'first day' [5] ... Hyperborea was still only a ball of hot light/gas — a recap of Ancient Sun, but on a higher level ... [L]ofty Venus Beings [6] poured [out] their substance [7]...and it was here that the planet, the Occult Venus (the one astronomers call Mercury [8]) was also parted from the Earth ... The first Hyperboreans [9] were the brother and sister, Apollo and Artemis actually [10]. Artemis was a 'Moon' [Being], rather than a 'Sun' Being, and represents a prescient vision of the next age to come — Ancient Lemuria [11] ... Apollo is a true Hyperborean, a Sun God. [12]" — Waldorf teacher Alan Whitehead, ANCIENT SATURN TO ATLANTIS, pp. 55-59.

[1] I.e., the beginning of the Hyperborean Epoch coincides with what the Book of Genesis calls the "first day."

[2] I.e., the globe comprising the solar system, which still contained the Sun, Moon, and Earth (and other planets) in undifferentiated form within itself. (The Sun and Moon had not yet separated from the Earth.) The globe may be considered a "Being" if we accept Steiner's teaching that virtually all things (including rocks, planets, and solar systems) are alive.

[3] I.e., when the Sun separated from the Earth (or from the "Sun-Moon-Earth Being"), certain highly evolved entities (gods) left the Earth and took up residence on the separated Sun.

[4] Prior to separation, when it was still inside the Sun-Moon-Earth Being, the Sun's light came from within that Being. After the separation, the Sun's light reached the Earth (or the Moon-Earth) from outside.

[5] I.e., the first day recounted in Genesis was actually the first period of time when the Sun shone on the Earth from outside.

[6] I.e., gods who would dwell on or around Venus once it became a separate planet. Whitehead says these gods held the rank of Archai, making them one step higher than Archangels.

[7] I.e., they poured out their beneficent influences, sacrificing some of the themselves for our sake.

[8] The occult cosmic teachings of Anthroposophy are almost always at odds with genuine astronomy. One small example: According to Anthroposophy, the planet astronomers call Mercury is really Venus (the Occult Venus).

[9] I.e., the first residents of Hyperborea.

[10] In Greek mythology, Apollo was the god of the Sun and Artemis was the goddess of the Moon. (Here, Whitehead indicates that the figures of Apollo and Artemis actually represent proto-human beings; their status as gods may be a misinterpretation by ancient Greek myth-tellers.)

[11] The Lemurian Epoch — which recapitulated Old Moon — followed the Hyperborean Epoch, according to Steiner. We will get to it presently.

[12] In Anthroposophy, the true Sun God is Christ. Other gods associated with the Sun have connections to Christ or they actually are Christ as perceived (mispreceived) by ancient peoples. [See "Sun God" in the Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.]

4.3

LEMURIA (THE LEMURIAN EPOCH)

"Lemuria was the 6th evolutionary stage [1], reflected in 6 year olds even today [2] ... Lemuria was a watery continent — a kind of Old Moon recap [3] ... In fact the present moon...left the earth during this period [4]. With the incarnation of Man into his watery nature [5]...true sexuality AND metabolism occurred [6]. Indeed in early Lemuria, Man was wholly watery — jellyfish like ... The expulsion from the Garden of Eden signalled the end of Lemuria [7] ... Adam...was the last Lemurian, [and he was] the first Atlantean [8]. The unruly power of this Lucifer-inspired youthful Ego [9] created the great firestorms which destroyed the continent [10]." — Waldorf teacher Alan Whitehead, ANCIENT SATURN TO ATLANTIS, pp. 68-69.

[1] Lemuria was supposedly a continent — evolution had progressed to a stage at which Earth existed more or less as a physical planet with land masses and oceans. The Lemurian Age, then, was the time when humanity lived on the continent of Lemuria. This was the "6th evolutionary stage" if we count from Old Saturn thus: 1. Old Saturn, 2. Old Sun, 3. Old Moon, 4. Polaria (the first epoch of Present Earth), 5. Hyperborea (the second epoch of Present Earth), 6. Lemuria (the third epoch of Present Earth).

[2] This is a crucial point bearing on Waldorf education. Whitehead, concurring with Steiner, says human children today recapitulate the stages of humanity's overall evolution. So, a one-year-old child recapitulates Old Saturn, a two-year-old child recapitulates Old Sun, etc. Hence, a six-year-old child recapitulates the Lemurian Age. A true-believing Anthroposophical Waldorf teacher should keep this in mind and treat her/his students accordingly.

[3] I.e., a recapitulation of Old Moon, which consisted of supersensible liquid. [See "Ancient Moon (Old Moon)", above.]

[4] I.e., the Moon separated from the Earth, becoming a satellite of the Earth.

[5] I.e., the evolving human being passed through a stage in which the human body was "watery" (consisting of liquids and semi-liquids inside and out: like a jellyfish).

[6] Humans separated into different sexes, and the metabolic organs were developed in nascent form.

[7] Here we get another Anthroposophical interpretations of biblical teachings. The story of Adam and Eve being expelled from Eden, Whitehead says, represents the destruction of Lemuria. (In Anthroposophical teachings, humans lived on Lemuria, then they destroyed it; they moved to Atlantis, which they also destroyed. This led to our existence on the Earth as we know it now.)

[8] I.e., Adam was the last ancient human to live on Lemuria, and the first to take up residence on Atlantis (after Lemuria was destroyed).

[9] According to the Bible, Lucifer or Satan tempted Adam and Eve (especially Eve), which led to their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. But Whitehead says Lucifer misled the youthful Adam with his immature ego, causing Adam to destroy Lemuria.

[10] Anthjroposophy teaches that Lemuria was destroyed by fire and Atlantis was destroyed by water. Here, Whitehead says Adam caused the eruptions of fire that destroyed the continent of Lemuria.

4.4

ATLANTIS (THE ATLANTEAN EPOCH)

"A handful of relatively 'pure' escapees travelled westward from the embers of Lemuria across Africa to a vast, new 'land' in the North Atlantic [1] ... Atlantis was like a great, flat swamp — very soft and unstable. But as these peripatetic 'human beings' [2] were pretty insubstantial themselves [3], they swam comfortably in this rich and supportive environment. Later they became semi-aquatic — mermaids, yes? [4] ... Thor, Wotan, Freya, and the rest of the Valhalla gang [5], were once Atlantean guides of humanity [6] ... Atlantis was the 7th evolutionary condition [7] ... [Fittingly, there were] seven colors [in] the rainbow that Noah [8] saw as the curtain was wrung down on the Atlantean culture [9]." — Waldorf teacher Alan Whitehead, ANCIENT SATURN TO ATLANTIS, pp. 74-76.

[1] According to Anthroposophical lore, human evolution generally occurs when a small band of individuals (pure, good, attractive) makes a transition to a higher plane of existence, leaving behind the numerous other folks (impure, wicked, ugly) who haven't measured up. Here we find an example: Whitehead tells of a special band of exemplary individuals who escaped the destruction of Lemuria and found their way to Atlantis.

[2] These were not yet fully evolved human beings; they were individuals who, having been similar to jellyfish on Lemuria, were evolving toward becoming humans as we know ourselves now.

[3] I.e., they were physical beings, but not as densely physical as they would become. They were more at home in a liquid realm than in the densely material realm we know today.

[4] I.e., before becoming solidly physical and at home on hard dry ground, they evolved to a condition that resembled mermaids (and mermen, presumably). The legends about mermaids are ancient memories of that stage of evolution.

[5] These are the gods of Norse mythology. (Valhalla was the castle or hall or Wotan, the highest of the gods.)

[6] I.e., the Norse gods were real beings. The myths told about them convey ancient memories of the time when such beings were our guides and teachers. [See "Norse myths" in the Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.]

[7] I.e., the seventh stage in the evolution of humanity and the Earth (1. Old Saturn, 2. Old Sun, 3. Old Moon, 4. Polaria, 5. Hyperborea, 6. Lemuria, 7. Atlantis).

[8] Here is another Anthroposophical correction of the Bible: Noah (aka Manu) was actually an ancient spiritual initiate; he was the great guide who led a small band of pure survivors who escaped the destruction of Atlantis. The destruction was caused by the mighty flood recounted in various mythic traditions. [See "Noah and the Flood" on the page "Old Testament".]

[9] The culture of Atlantis died when Atlantis itself was destroyed. The result was the world we know today in the Post-Atlantean Epoch.

4.5

TODAY'S WORLD (THE POST-ATLANTEAN EPOCH)

The Post-Atlantean Epoch (the Great Epoch coming after the sinking of Atlantis) is our current level of evolution, the level we have attained here on the solidly physical planet Earth with all of its solidly real continents and oceans. We all know about this stage; it is the one we read about in history books, and hear about on the evening news, and see all around us with our eyes. So maybe you'd like to skip ahead at this point, turning your attention instead to thrilling future forecasts. If so, please skip down this page a short distance to

4.6

THE SIXTH EPOCH (SEALS)

But if you'd like to dig into the present a bit deeper,

exploring the smaller cycles of evolution that Steiner said exist

within the Post-Atlantean Epoch, please use the following link:

Waldorf's Worlds 3 (Cultural Epochs)

4.6

THE SIXTH EPOCH (SEALS)

"The sixth epoch is more spiritual than the present; human life does not flow on according to causality on the physical plane [1], but even outwardly becomes the expression or manifestation of the astral or soul world [2] ... [I]n the sixth epoch everyone awakens step by step to the cultures of the previous epoch [3]...and to what must be done to rectify mistakes ... Rather than feeling oneself the ruler of nature [4], one here feels oneself as a child of the Hierarchies [5] and a companion of the deceased [6]. A third of those who began evolution have, at this stage attained the goal, a third will only do so later, and a third are falling away [7] ... The First Three Ages [8] Those few individuals who survived the War of All Against All, together with the many spiritually minded individuals who had lifted themselves above it [9], provide the foundation for a new start ... Progressive people [10] have radiant, good features and noble benevolent expressions; those who were luke warm or turned away [11], preserving backward forces and retarding evolution, reveal their evil passions and impulses hostile to the spirit in ugly, unintelligent, evil-looking countenances ... Mankind is thus visibly divided into two streams, the good and the evil. The first task for this age must be to master the initial interaction between the moon and the earth [12], and especially to control the spiderlike network of intellectual automata [13] ... Christ, who approaches as an Angel-like being [14], enters the power of memory, extending it so that the whole of earthly evolution can now be surveyed [15]. But where he is not received, memory becomes chaotic and people get duller and duller, which is nothing but a fall into the Abyss [16] ... The Fourth Age Karma is finally balanced in the good stream. Karma comes to an end. [17] ... Every progressive individual...ascends to the free ether as an immortal spirit free of death ... This is the laying aside of the physical body [18] ... The spiritual leadership of humanity now passses for the first time from a higher being to a human Manu [19] ... There are however still some who wish to remain in the pre-Christian cultures of Lucifer, or are tormented by desire for the material to which they have chained themselves. They fall back on the physical moon-earth [20] ... The Last Three Ages Progressive souls are continually present, since there is no death, only transformarion; and they are inwardly awakened and filled with the light of Christ [21] ... This fifth age is prepared and guided by the forces of Leo [22] ... Amid our fifth Anglo-Germanic age which now reappears [23] are some individuals — especially in the Rosicrucian-anthroposophical stream [24] — whose astral bodies are already illuminated and permeated by the light of the true 'I' [25], and these are now normally the first to have the spiritual world around them [26] ... The task of humanity during this whole sixth epoch is yo establish the Life Spirit [27]...to the extent possible on earth ... The evil race with its savage impulses, dominated by the philosophy of Leo that sensations alone are real [28], now dwells in unchanged animal forms ... By the sixth age those who prepared themselves for the eternal in the pre-Christian mysteries and have since transformed themselves through the Christ impulse [29] form a great multitude [30] ... It is the Russian age that now appears again [31] ... The age is prepared and guided by the forces of Cancer [32] ... The multiude robed in white...receive the seal of God on their foreheads [33]. But those who still follow the Cancer philosophy of materialism, weighted in matter [35], must suffer the great day of vengeance and the ordeal [34], and are drawn down by the Angel of the Abyss [36] ... [In the seventh age] souls are freed from any last remains of the inclination toward bodily life [37] ... The spiritual aspect of the sun becomes experience [38]. The 'I' now knows that it was a sun-being before the Fall [39], to which it must again progress ... [I]t no longer needs the support of angelic forces [40] ... Spirit Man [41] is incorporated into humanaity ... This seventh age is prepared and guided by the forces of Gemini, the Twins [42]; the two groups of humanity are separate [43] ... The American age that now reappears [44] created nothing of value; nevertheless Christ then appeared in the fullness of his Cosmic Ego [45] ... The evildoers are in the Abyss". — Richard Seddon, THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY AND THE EARTH AS FORESEEN BY RUDOLF STEINER, pp. 64-82. [Italics by Seddon]

[1] I.e., we are no longer controlled by the physical law of cause and effect.

[2] This, Steiner said, is the first of two higher worlds above the physical world. [See "astral world" and "soul world" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.]

[3] I.e., people recapitulate the seven cultural epochs of the Post-Atlantean Epoch.

[4] People in the deeply materialistic Post-Atlantean Epoch focused on the physical plane of existence and sought to be masters of that plane.

[5] These are the gods. [See "Polytheism".]

[6] Maintaining contact with the dead, honoring and assisting them, and receiving assistance from them, are importany Anthroposophical objectives. [See "dead, the" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.]

[7] Among the humans who survive to the Sixth Epoch (Seals), a third have evolved as the gods intended, a third have fallen behind but will eventually make progress, and a third are becoming lost.

[8] Within the Sixth Epoch (Seals) there are three ages, similar to cultural epochs in the Post-Atlantean Age.

[9] Some people avoided The War of All Against All, because they were spiritually above it. (Implicitly, these were mainly Anthroposophists.)

[10] I.e., those who have evolved as the gods intended.

[11] I.e., those who are behind or who have fallen away.

[12] The Moon had, by this time, reunited with the Earth. People in the Sixth Epoch (Seals) must deal with the newly restored entity, the Earth-Moon.

[13] This is among the worst parts of the legacy of the Post-Atlantean Epoch.

[14] Christ appears before humanity in the form of an Angel.

[15] Christ enables good humans to comprehend the evolution they have undergone.

[16] The backward or evil individuals are effectively consigned to perdition. [See "abyss, Abyss" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.]

[17] In the good stream progressive people evolving properly, the need for karma is finally concluded; hence, mankind is freed from karma.

[18] The good progressive people now follows Christ's example in conquering death and laying aside physical existence. They exist now at the etheric level, having the etheric body as their lowest body. [See "etheric realm" and "etheric body" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.]

[19] Previously, gods such as Michael had directed human evolution. Now, an especially advanced human would be able to assume this responsibility. [See "Manu(s)" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.]

[20] Some human beings, remaining under the influence of Lucifer, continue to desire life on the physical plane. They therefore fall out of the etheric realm onto the physical Earth-Moon.

[21] "The light of Christ" has a particular meaning in Anthroposophy, which heals Christ as the Sun God.

[22] This is the zodiacal constellation also called the Lion.

[23] I.e., the Anglo-Germanic Age is recapitulated.

[24] This is the stream of progressive humans, the stream of Rosicrucianism [see "Rosy Cross"] and Anthroposophy. (Rosicrucianism as reframed by Steiner is tantamount to Anthroposophy set in action.)

[25] According to Steiner, the "true 'I'" or "highest 'I'"; it is also the best self on can become by realizing the potential of Christ within oneself.

[26] I.e., these are the first humans for whom the spirit world becomes truly home.

[27] See "life spirit" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.

[28] I.e., Leo inclines one to excessive commitment to sensory experience.

[29] I.e., those who sought to attain hidden spiritual knowledge before the arrival of Christ, and then found spiritual truth by embracing Christ. (Due to reincarnation, this essentially means all true spiritual seekers. They began their spiritual journeys in their earliest lives and continued their journeys in later lives, devoted to Christ.)

[30] The tiny minority of the past has now become a vast multitude as the triumph of Anthroposophy broadens and deepens.

[31] I.e., it is recapitulated.

[32] This is the zodiacal constellation also called the Crab.

[33] See Revelations 7:1-7.

[34] See Revelations 6:12-17.

[35] Those born under Leo tend to materialism; they are weighed down and blinded by material existence.

[36] See Revelations 9:11.

[37] I.e., life in the physical body.

[38] I.e., the love of Christ is experienced, not merely contemplated and discussed.

[39] I.e., the highest part of ourselves understands that it came from Christ's realm before the Fall of Man, and it should aspire to return there.

[40] We can direct our own spiritual evolution; we no longer need the assistance of gods such as Angels.

[41] See "spirit man" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.

[42] This is the zodiacal constellation named for the bright stars Castor and Pollux ("the twins").

[43] I.e., as suggested by Gemini, there are now two distinct and separate human populations: the good and the evil.

[44] I.e., it is recapitulated.

[45] Among his small band of true followers, Christ was then understood to be the highest "I".

4.7

THE SEVENTH EPOCH (TRUMPETS)

"This epoch completes the physical condition of form of the earth, which must then be entirely transmuted into astral form [1]. But only in human beings is matter annihilated. So it must all be absorbed by us [2] ... Steiner [said] this epoch must be regarded as the earthly expression of Spiritland, which now descends to earthly incarnation [3] ... The ego must penetrate from the astral to the etheric by means of Inspiration [4] the hear the spiritual sounds expressed in the Apocalypse a the seven trumpets [5] ... The first region of Lower Spiritland [6], the 'continental', contains the archetypes of which all organic substances...were created [7] ... At the sound the first trumpet, hail and fire mixed with blood are hurled to earth, a third part of the earth, with trees and grasses, is burnt up (Rev. 8:7) ... The second region of Spiritland is the 'oceanic', where archetypes of everything living...form a common life [8] ... At the sounding of the second trumpet, a blazing mountain is hurled into the sea, a third of the sea is changed to blood, and a third of its creatures die (Rev. 8:9) ... The third is the 'atmospheric' region, which contains the flowing archetypes that form and organize the astral qualities of all beings into a common world [9] ... At the third trumpet the flaming star called Wormwood falls on a third of the rivers, its bitterness bringing death to many people (Rev. 8:10) ... The fourth region, pure Spiritland, is an etheric sphere [called "Heat Death"] containing as thoughts the archetypes of human deeds performed out of love for humanity as a whole ... The more the soul is armed by the powers of love gained through the Christ Impulse [10], the more powerfully it can astralize matter [11] ... At the fourth trumpet a third part of the sun, moon, and stars is darkened, ending a third part of day and of night (Rev. 8:12) ... The fifth region ["First Woe"] marks the transition to Higher Spiritland [12] ... Spirit Self [13] is here developed to a high degree ... One is fully oneself, able to work freely amid memories of previous lives and prophetic visions of the future ... Spirit Self appears in the Apocalypse as 'a star fallen from heaven to earth, to which was give the key to the shaft of the Abyss' (Rev. 9:1) ... Here the Apocalypse depicts of cloud of locusts ... Their king, named the Destroyer, is the Angel of the Abyss ... They may harm for five months...people who lack on their brow the seal of God [14] ... The sixth realm of Spiritland is that of Life Spirit [15] ... Here the archetypes of life are living germ-points, and the true being of the world and the right course of the world order are established ... But the 'second woe' begins with the release of 'four Angels bound at the River Euphrates ... Following them are 200 million troops of calvary ... They are authorized to kill a third part of mankind...by means of the fire, smoke and sulfur that come from their mouths ... [The] sixth trumpet sounds the experience of '66', when those filled with a high degree of evil...form a material sphere which now separates from...earth as a slag, but is not yet ejected [16] ... The seventh stage of Spiritland is Spirit Man [17] ... All those who express what is good, beautiful and noble bear an expression of Christ in their countenance ... The earth too is completely transformed ... [Its] matter will be dissolved into cosmic space as dust. Physical laws now coincide with moral laws. But whereas the planets are stars [sic] which the gods have already abandoned, Christ leaves no such physical star at the death of the earth [18]."

[1] I.e., during this epoch physical reality for humanity on the Earth is essentially ended: the Earth becomes an incorporeal realm, existing at the astral level. [See "astral plane" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.]

[2] I.e., humanity has necessarily plunged deep into physical existence so as to comprehend it, absorb it, and ultimately demolish or transmute it.

[3] I.e., the Earth becomes an embodiment of the spirit realm, specifically Spiritland. [See "Spiritland, spirit-land" and "Spirit-land, spirit land" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.] In effect, the physical Earth dies, shedding its physical form as a human being does in the process of death.

[4] In Anthroposophy, this is a form of clairvoyance. [See "inspiration" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.]

[5] The "Apocalypse" is the Book of Revelation, the final book in the Christian Bible, which foretells the end of the world. (In Rev. 8:6-13, angels blow seven trumpets in succession as parts of the world and the heavens are destroyed.) Here, we are told that the human ego must penetrate from a high psychic/spiritual region (astral) to a lower region (etheric) to become attuned to the ending of physical reality. We thereupon pass through regions of Spiritland.

This account, originating with Steiner and expatiated by Seddon, reflects another of Anthroposophy's many reinterpretation of the Bible. Christians and biblical scholars may deem it beyond the pale.

[6] See "Lower Spiritland" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.

[7] See "Continental Realm" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.

[8] See "Oceanic Realm" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.

[9] See "Atmospheric Realm" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.

[10] This is the impulse (direction, impetus) given to human evolution by Christ. [See "Christ Impulse" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.]

[11] See "Heat Death" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.

[12] See "Higher Spiritland" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.

[13] See "spirit self" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.

[14] See "First Woe" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.

[15] See "life spirit" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.

[16] See "Second Woe" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.

[17] See "spirit man" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.