SECOND LETTER - May 1944 Relating to the Seasons In the last letter we spoke about the three components of our solar universe. Now it will be our task to elaborate the details of the structure of our universe, especially of the Sun and the orbit of the Earth. The Earth revolves around the Sun in the course of one year, as we have stated. For us on Earth this appears as the movement of the Sun along the path of the Zodiac. This movement is not only an astronomical fact, it is connected in time with definite rhythmical events on Earth. This is the rhythm of the seasons. We will now look at this rhythm of the seasons from the point of view of the northern hemisphere of the Earth. Every year on the 21st of March spring starts in the northern hemisphere. This does not change in the course of time. It does not happen that suddenly spring starts on the 21st of April; it is the 21st of March. We say then that the spring equinox takes place or the Sun is in the vernal point — that is to say, according to the world system of Copernicus — when the Earth has finished its orbit around the Sun and starts a new circle. Spring lasts till the 21st of June. During this season the processes of germination, growth, expansion, and blossoming take place in the plant world that surrounds us. It is the season during which creation mainly takes place in nature. Then on the 21st of June summer begins. Now the Earth has moved through one quarter of its orbit. Seen from the Earth, the Sun has moved during the preceding three months through the signs of Aries, Taurus, and Gemini. On the 21st of June it enters the sign of Cancer — from the aspect of the Earth. We are confronted with the phenomena of the summery season in nature around us. The flowering processes have reached their climax. The plant world is perfected. Fructification takes place, and toward the end of this season the fruits ripen. During this time the Sun has moved through the signs of the ecliptic of Cancer, Leo, and Virgo; or according to Copernicus, the Earth has completed another quarter of its orbit. On the 23rd of September the Sun enters the sign of Libra. On Earth in the north we have the beginning of autumn. Nature enters a time of crisis. A separation between the fruit and the mother plant takes place. The mother plant (it is different with trees) withers away. The fruit and with it the seed is buried in the soil. The light and the warmth fade away. The Sun has moved through the signs of Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius. Then on the 21st of December it enters the sign of Capricorn, and while it is going through Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces we have the wintry season on Earth. During this season the seeds slumber in the soil; perhaps covered by ice and snow, but then a great awakening takes place — a great miracle — as the seeds bring forth the same kind of plant forms as the mother plant that had withered away in the preceding autumn. Then the Sun enters the sign of Aries again on the 21st of March, and the whole cycle of the year and of the seasons starts once more. We can ask: where do the forces come from which make the plants grow and also wither away after having produced the seed for the following cycle of seasons? From a materialistic point of view, one can answer that the increase of light and warmth toward summer makes the plants grow, and the decrease in autumn withdraws life in the plant world. However, this is too easily said, because there are plants that grow even if the light and warmth have faded. They cannot only receive light and warmth as the sole influence of the Sun. There must be forces radiating from the Sun that are more than only warmth and light. The seeds do not germinate if they are only exposed to light and warmth; they must even be put into the darkness of the moist soil. The Earth must receive influences from the depths of the cosmic spaces, which penetrate the Earth more deeply than only warmth and light. These more hidden forces are indicated by the movement of the Sun through the signs of the ecliptic, and this does not even interfere with the Copernican conception of our solar system. Even if we imagine the Earth moving and the Sun fixed in the center, we can still imagine the globe of the Earth receiving certain cosmic influences through the Sun from the different directions of the Zodiac. We could imagine the Sun being like a huge optic lens that gathers the activities of the various parts of the ecliptic and sends them down to the Earth. We could also imagine the inferior planets engaged in this collecting and transforming activity of the Sun. Only materialistic superstition would make it impossible to imagine that besides light, warmth, and certain magnetic influences, nothing else is radiated by the Sun. If we can agree with this, we could then imagine a differentiated and fourfold activity of the Sun during the course of the year according to the four seasons. The relative position of the Sun in the different signs of the ecliptic would then bring about the changes. The position of the Sun between the spring equinox and the summer solstice would send down to the Earth the forces of creation. Between the summer solstice and the autumn equinox, the Sun would collect the forces from the Zodiac that manifest themselves on Earth as perfection and ripening. Between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice, we would receive forces from the Sun that bring about the crisis in nature, and the forces gathered by the Sun through its zodiacal positions during the time between the winter solstice and the spring equinox would bring about the miracle of the new birth in nature on Earth. We can still elaborate more on the differentiated activity of the Sun indicated by the positions in the ecliptic. Then we will come to the twelvefold Sun activity according to the twelve signs. In April the Sun stands in the direction of the sign of Aries. From there the plant world receives the power of shaping-out again and again the same forms. It never happens, for instance, that the buttercups or daisies suddenly take on a different shape from that which they always had in the past. Forces of remembrance, so to speak, radiate from this part of the ecliptic and connect the past with the present and future. In May when the Sun is in the sign of Taurus we see the growth of the plants and their expansion in space. Everything rushes into existence and wants to get as big as possible. In this development we can recognize the strength and power of increase and propagation coming from the sign of Taurus. Then in June the Sun enters the sign of Gemini. The plant reaches the limits of its expansion in space, and from the universe — by the medium of the Sun — it receives the power to develop two tendencies: with the roots it reaches down into the darkness of the soil as deeply as possible, and on the other side it reaches up into the sphere of light and warmth. There it creates the flower. In this twofold activity we see the polarity of Gemini; the heavenly twin in the flower and the earthly twin in the root. Polarity in all kinds of forms and metamorphoses radiates from the region of Gemini in the ecliptic. In July the Sun is in the sign of Cancer. Now the plant is saturated in itself. It no longer has the tendency to expand; the flowering processes have reached their climax. The plant does not want anything more. From the universe it receives the impulse to give away its properties. This is done by the scent and the manifoldness of colors that radiate into the world from the flowers. It is the serving attitude of the scarab, which carries above its head a huge ball of earth as the sign of the Sun and the heart. The scarab is the ancient image of the sign of Cancer. The transformation of the hitherto more earthbound forces into sun-like, radiating forces is the dynamic power of the sign of Cancer. Then in August we find the Sun in the sign of Leo. Now the plant has received the impulse to sacrifice itself. The harvest time has come and the processes of fructification take place. Like the rays of the self-sacrificing Sun, the plant fills the space around itself. Union with the whole Sun-universe is the tendency of the sign of Leo. In September when the Sun can be found in the sign of Virgo, the fruits and the seeds are ripening. The light and the warmth of the summer are now transformed into the sweetness of the fruit that bears the hope for the future as the seed; like the holy Virgin, the Child bearing the hope of the world. Fruitfulness, as the result of the union with the universe, is the power that radiates from the sign of Virgo. In October when the Sun appears in the sign of Libra, the separation between the mother plant and the seed takes place. From the universe come forces that cut the world of the plant into two: that which has been and that which will be in future. It is a time of peace in nature; a balance between past and future, like balanced scales. Care for the Child of the Virgin and the withdrawal of the creative forces of the Mother into the heavenly realms are the influence of the sign of Libra. Then the Sun enters the sign of Scorpio. Now come forces of destruction and disintegration from the depths of the universe. The plants wither away. The image of the scorpion with the deadly sting is indeed a true picture of those forces that are active in nature during this time of the year. It takes place roughly in November when the light is also dwindling away and the summery warmth is overcome by the wintry coldness. In December the Sun is in the sign of Sagittarius. It is the time of the year when human beings on Earth light the Advent candles and wait for the birth of the soul light of the world. In nature the seeds are now resting in the soil. If one imagines the numberless seeds in the soil, one can have the impression of millions and millions of little flames of hope waiting patiently for the new birth of light and warmth. These forces of hope are well expressed in the imagination of Sagittarius/Archer. He aims at the goal that is still far away. Awaiting and seeking the light of the soul is the message of the sign of Sagittarius. In January when the Sun has entered the sign of Capricorn, the light increases again. The new birth of the light has taken place. It is the time during which Christianity celebrates the birth of Christ, who has come into the world as the renewing power in all nature and humanity. The seed may be buried in the soil, perhaps covered by ice and snow, but it has survived darkness and coldness; it has been saved from destruction. The creative light from the spiritual world radiates from the sign of Capricorn. After this, the Sun enters the sign of Aquarius. Now there streams down to Earth from this region the renewing and awakening forces. Here it is that the hidden forces of the Sun's activity enter the sphere of the Earth; forces that are not only light and warmth but, like life-giving water, invisible life-forces. The image of Aquarius/Waterman pouring out the heavenly water into the cosmic spaces is truly a picture of these events in February. The influx of the renewing and up-building forces of the cosmos comes from the region of the sign of Aquarius. Then at the end in March, the Sun enters the sign of Pisces. In nature the germinating processes take place. The seeds in the soil are swimming like fishes in a sea of the life-giving cosmic water. They open themselves and taste this water; they germinate. And by tasting the water, they are now drawn into the activity of those forces coming from the direction of Pisces, which want the event — the deed in nature — in this case the event of the new start in the rhythm of the year. The incorporation of the cosmic laws and spiritual aims of the world into the single earthly being is the influence of the sign of Pisces. Thus the position of the Sun indicates the rhythms of the events that take place within the sphere of the organic life on Earth. This is especially obvious in the plant kingdom, but it is not only an indication. We can speak of real forces that radiate from the Sun toward the Earth, just as the Earth also receives light and warmth from the Sun. The Sun is like a huge optic lens that collects the activities located in the different spheres of the ecliptic; for instance, if we on Earth perceive the Sun in the sign ofAries, we can imagine the Sun collecting the activity of the region of Aries, which is then behind the Sun, and sending it down to the Earth. If the twelve signs of the ecliptic — around the Sun and within the orbit of the Earth — are a dynamic reality, we would have to think of the possibility that the other planets, especially those within the orbit of the Earth, are able to collect and radiate the forces of the ecliptic signs in a similar way as the Sun. This would mainly concern the inferior planets Mercury and Venus and to a certain extent also the Moon. We do, in fact, find such activities of the inferior planets according to their positions in the different signs of the ecliptic. Only the realms in which these activities manifest themselves on Earth are different from those of the Sun's activity, as described above. The Sun's activity becomes visible in the plant life during the year within the world of physical matter, but it would not be possible for the Sun alone to create the living plant; the Moon has to help, and it helps by working through the liquid substances; for instance, it works in the saps of the plant. The Moon must necessarily be waxing at the same time. In other words, only if the waxing Moon, after the 21st of March when the Sun has entered Aries, is moving through the creative signs of Aries, Taurus, Twins, Cancer, can the festival of Resurrection-Easter take place in nature. This is the reason why Easter can only be celebrated after the first Full Moon following the spring equinox. Even the combined activities of Sun and Moon are not enough. Also the other planets of our universe must contribute their share, especially the inferior planets Mercury and Venus, in connection with the plant growth. They bring the variety of events in nature in the different years. They are more connected with the sphere of light and warmth. The activity of the twelve signs of the ecliptic as they manifest themselves through the differentiated Sun activity during the year is a kind of fundamental language, only it is expressed in a transformed way through the medium of Moon, Venus, and Mercury. It may happen, for instance, that Venus in the sign of Taurus gathers the strong expanding forces of Taurus and exhales them into the atmosphere of the Earth. The result may be, under certain conditions, terrific storms in parts of the Earth. Mercury may do something similar in the thermostatic sphere of the Earth. But it may also happen that the two planets exchange their activities, i.e., that Venus attacks the thermosphere and Mercury the atmosphere of the Earth. In regard to Venus and Mercury, the language of the twelve signs of the ecliptic, therefore, has to be translated into the terms of the activities and events within the sphere of light and warmth, if one wants to live with and to read the dynamic influences of these planets. The same applies to the Moon. The Moon works in the liquid substances of the Earth. We know the influence of the Moon on the rhythm of the tides, and we also know that the tides are stronger in the beginning of spring and autumn when the Moon receives the light of the mighty, creative Aries-Sun or is in Aries itself. (The elaboration of these facts would be the subject of researches mainly in connection with agriculture. As these letters have a different task, it is only possible to give a few indications.) We have now been speaking about the forces that weave between the Earth, Sun, Moon, and the planets. The differentiation of these forces is partly due to the difference of the nature of the planets and also of the twelvefold ecliptic. According to the system of Ptolemy — where the Earth is in the center of the universe and all planets, even the Sun, move around the Earth — the Sun and the planets would change their character through their own movement, but according to the Copernican system it would be the Earth itself that exposes itself by its own movement to any one special aspect of the Sun's activity. The orbit of the Earth would then create the reality of the ecliptic with its twelve signs in our universe. It would be a relative reality that concerns only the Earth, but the manner in which our universe is constructed in reality, whether Ptolemy is right or Copernicus is right or whether we have to search for a totally new outlook, is a mere astronomical question. What we have described so far in this letter about the influences of the planets, Moon, and Sun upon the organic life of the Earth, is connected with the ecliptic. Whether we look at our solar system from the point of view of Ptolemy or Copernicus, the ecliptic with its twelve signs is a reality within our solar universe; we must imagine that it is either brought about by the movement of the Sun or the movement of the Earth. However, so far we have not connected or based it upon the circle of the fixed-star Zodiac, which is beyond our solar system. Within the Zodiac of the fixed stars we have twelve constellations, which were mentioned in the last letter. This is a reality that starts where our universe comes to an end. We shall have much to say about this reality in the following letters. We have to be absolutely clear about the fact that, besides the fixed-star Zodiac, there exists the ecliptic, which is another reality but within our solar system. How it works has been indicated above in connection with the Sun year. How it is related to the twelve constellations of the fixed-star Zodiac will be elaborated in following descriptions. The difficulty, which can create confusion, is that the same names are used for the twelve fixed-star constellations and for the twelve divisions of the ecliptic. This even has a certain justification, but it can create confusion. In these letters the twelve constellations of the fixed-star Zodiac will be distinguished from the twelve divisions of the ecliptic as constellations; for instance, the constellation of Ram or Bull means the fixed-star constellation of this name beyond the outermost circumference of our universe, and for the twelve divisions of the ecliptic — the twelve parts of the orbit of the Sun, or the Earth — we will use the nomination sign, [and use the Latin name] as the sign of Aries would be that part of the ecliptic through which the Sun appears to be moving between the 21st of March and the 21 st of April.