SEVENTH LETTER - October 1944 The Spiritual Nature of the Fixed-Star Zodiac (continued) The readers of these letters may sometimes wonder what to make of the indications that are given in the Calendar. [The Calendar events of 1944 are not included here, but these words are germane to the reason for the letters.] Some of the main events that take place during the respective months are selected, but it is not possible to follow the subject far enough to give them all. The question is often asked: what does this or that event or aspect between two or more planets mean or signify? It is my intention in these letters to give some guidance so that readers may be able to live more intimately with the Calendar and its indications. It was, of course, the aim of the previous letters to give a fundamental knowledge of the constellations of the Zodiac; however, we must not only learn to know something about the starry universe but also how to live with it, and there are indeed possibilities of living with the events in the universe as we live on Earth among human beings. W. Sucher Connection between the Human Being and the Universe In olden times, humanity was still really able to live with the stars. We experienced spiritual beings behind the stars who guided life on Earth. But all this beautiful wisdom has come to an end in our days in a kind of fatalism. We have lost the perception of those spiritual beings, and all that is left, which is known today as astrology, is the experience of being exposed to unknown powers in the universe that rule the destiny of human beings on Earth. As the nature of these powers cannot be penetrated any longer by a true knowledge, the study of astrology can lead only to fatalism. It has often been said that we must create a new conception of our relationship to the starry universe. However, we can only do this if we find ways to a new perception of the spiritual beings who are connected with the stars. Previously, we have tried to indicate that we can really see the gigantic outlines of the archetypal human form in the twelve constellations of the Zodiac, but this archetypal form is more than an image. One who lives with it for a long time finds that it is the visible form, or one can even say the body of a spiritual Being who is very near us, because it bears the features of the human form. It is a spiritual Being who goes before and beside us and who can be of comforting help to all those who really seek it. It can be felt as the guiding and healing hand of an older Guide or Teacher. It is the great representative of humanity, to whom we can lift up our hearts and who will never fail to give us help when we are in need. Human beings on Earth have to live within a physical body. It is the expression and the means of existence within the world of the senses, but it is also a limitation, and sometimes it may even be experienced as a hindrance. This limitation and hindrance reveals the story of the Fall. Our physical body has fallen into the fetters of matter. Quite different is the “body” of that heavenly Being who goes before us. Its body is the starry universe itself with its eternal depths. Whereas the human body on Earth is limited, the body of that Being has the capacity of never ending expansion and uncountable possibilities of transmutation. We have tried to “sketch” the forms of this Being — an Angel-like Being with mighty wings. But even so, we must imagine that the inner dynamic powers of this form are of a different intensity from those in the physical form of humanity. We look at the head of the human being. It gives our physical appearance its individual countenance. It is the root of our day-conscious existence within the world of the senses. Yet it is closed by the mighty helmet of the skull. This is its limitation, and very often this enclosure is a mighty barrier for a universal understanding and penetration of the facts by which we are confronted on Earth. If we look at the “head” of that heavenly Being, at the constellation of Ram, and if we want to gain a true image of it, we must form a different conception. Just as the earthly head is closed by the skull, this “head” is open as if the skull were turned upside down, forming a kind of vessel. And into this vessel flows the wisdom of the universe, the cosmic wisdom of the Spirits of Wisdom whose visible expression we have found in the constellation of Ram. It is the wisdom that has since flowed into the existing forms and objects of the Earth; the cosmic ingenious wisdom that we experience if we look at the structure of the skeleton or the incomparable ingenuity of the organism of a plant. The horns of the Ram reach out into the cosmic spaces and bring this cosmic wisdom through the spiral form down into existence, and the shining white fleece of the Ram is the image of the vast sea of this all-penetrating and life-giving wisdom. Thus we must learn to imagine the “head” of the cosmic Forerunner of humanity. (Later on it will be shown how we can find this image in connection with star events in Ram,) In the human body we then find the larynx. It is the instrument with which we produce sound and speech, but this organ is also very limited, especially in our age. We can speak about objects, but in forming words we can only reflect the nature of the objects around us. The human language is divided into many languages, and this process of division and estrangement has steadily increased. In our time it is even difficult for those who speak the same language to understand the meaning of one another's words. If we look at the “larynx” of that heavenly Being, the constellation of Bull, we experience that its words are creative and universal. The Bull is the outer expression of the Spirits of Motion who founded the one archetypal creative language of the universe that has its expression in the vowels and consonants of the starry movements from which the human languages derived their origin. The alphabet is the earthly representative of the Zodiac and the planets. Only the cosmic “alphabet” in the composition of the language of the starry events is still creative and uniform in the events within the kingdoms of nature. This is how we should imagine the “larynx” of that cosmic Being when we look at the constellation of Bull — it is still a “magic organ”. Then we find the arms in the human form, which are related to the constellation of Twins of our heavenly Guide. The human arms are surely mighty organs with which we can enter actively into the world, and yet, how often does the activity that flows through our arms into the world divide and estrange us from each other. Human beings fight and even kill one another with the arms. This organ of our arms, with its tremendous incorporated capacities, very often becomes the instrument of destruction. The arms (Twins) of the heavenly Being whom we want to approach are different. They are like mighty wings that can be experienced by the inner senses of the human being as a protective silver garment around those who really seek the help and the guidance of their heavenly Forerunner. The “feathers” of these wings stream down, as it were, to each single human being and thus to each single ego, and although we may feel separated from the others on Earth, we can experience our spiritual union with all humanity within the Being of our heavenly Guide. And these wings can be felt not only as a protecting power but also as an inner reality that can uplift and free the soul, as though it were to rise on wings. In previous letters we have explained how the upper arms are related to the constellation of Archer. In our human form on Earth the upp continue and experience, so to speak, the split that goes through both the individual human being and humanity, of which we have spoken above. The Archer of that cosmic Being again is different. The silvery “feathers” of the wings reach down to each single human being on Earth, and when individuals in earthly darkness are touched by these feathers, we can say — if we wish to express it poetically — that they find the experience of their own Angels and are reminded of their own task on Earth or, perhaps, the soul is warmed or comforted. There the manifoldness of humanity becomes Oneness. The picture of the wings streaming into each single human being may also be put into another imagination, which Christ created with these words, “I am the vine, ye are the branches.” The single sweet, and juicy grape can feel itself united in the vine that gave its life to the grapes. Thus we may learn to imagine the Twins-Archer organ of the cosmic Teacher of humanity. If we follow up the structure of the arms, the human form then shows us the elbows and in the lower limbs the knees. Their cosmic counterpart is the constellation of Goat. However, this part of the human organism has fallen too deeply into the fetters of matter, so far that we can hardly see its cosmic origin. In the fourth letter, this was described in more detail, especially how Goat is connected with the creation of the archetypes of the sense organs, and indeed if we try to find the features of our cosmic Forerunner in the Zodiac, we detect that each single “feather” of the wings, in the end, becomes a very “sensitive” organ implanted into every human being on Earth. The wings of which we have spoken are, as it were, covered with millions and millions of sense organs — like eyes. As these eyes are implanted into the single earthly being, our cosmic Guide wants to perceive the world from countless individual viewpoints. Each human being, whether good or bad, with his or her attitude to life, philosophy, and outlook, becomes an “eye” of the heavenly Being. We are not very often aware of the fact that our thoughts, our feeling, and our willing are not only existent for our own sake but also for the sake of God. If we are aware of this, then our soul life must, necessarily, change considerably. That is where our heavenly Teacher with its “Goat-organ” may also go before us, if we truly read the language of the starry events in this constellation. The lower arms are connected with the constellation of Waterman. Whereas Goat is the region where the differentiated thought world of humanity flows together into one gigantic panorama of the world situation, the “lower arms”, or Waterman of the Angelic world above us, pour forth healing and comforting forces of warmth. We know that Waterman is connected with warmth, as is described in the fourth letter. There the heavenly wings touch human beings especially in the world of feeling. They ask each one of us to direct our striving toward healing, compassion, and love and against the dark forces of hate and destruction that often spring up simultaneously. There we find that the heavenly Being can become a very strict and severe judge of humanity or of its single members. We have shown in detail that the hands are connected with the constellation of Fishes. There we have found the realm of humanity's destiny and will. This world cannot yet be penetrated by our full consciousness. We are still deeply asleep in this realm, although the full cosmic consciousness of it is alive in the “hands” of the Fishes of the godlike being. Like unseen hands they reach down into the depths of the human will. They guide each of us through our individual destiny. They lead us along our individual path of life and work on Earth. These ways may appear strange and impenetrable to us, yet by those wing-hands, the course of life is ordered according to the all-overlooking wisdom of the cosmic Guide. It is here that the hand of the Judge, of whom we spoke, sometimes has to recall its erring sheep on Earth by catastrophes in nature and amongst humanity. This unerring Will then leads humanity to decisions from which no one can escape, for each has to find an individual answer for or against the evolution of the world. Thus this Being is not only a Guide of earthly humanity but also a pedagogue on a grand scale. We have now tried to approach one step nearer to the image of the cosmic Guide of humanity in relationship to the spiritual background of the constellations of Ram, Bull, Twins, Archer, Goat, Waterman, and Fishes. We must be aware that we have found only its countenance but not yet its “inner life”. This is revealed by the other constellations of the Zodiac: Crab, Lion, Virgin, Scales, and Scorpion. Before we can approach these, we must do some more strenuous work of cognition; therefore, we have to wait until we have achieved this knowledge in future descriptions. Many readers may now say, “This is an outlook that we can accept as more or less beautiful in a poetic description” (though even this is doubtful owing to the handicaps of the writer). “But”, they may continue, “how can we find this outlook realized in the realm of the visible starry world?” This is justifiable and the writer of these letters has devoted much time to finding an answer to the question. He must confess that, for him, this cosmic image appeared for years without any proof, and only very much later, he found that the star events reveal this image if only we know how to look at them in the right way. We shall now look at a certain event in the starry world that repeats itself in short intervals. It is the conjunction of the two planets Jupiter and Mars that takes place about every second year. On Earth we then see these two planets very near each other. It can even happen that Mars covers or occults Jupiter. This event takes place at intervals of about two years, only in different constellations. In between this rhythm is another rhythm of the opposition of Mars and Jupiter that also takes place, roughly, every two years. If we then see Jupiter in the sky, we must imagine that Mars is exactly opposite, that is, at the other end of an imaginary line from Jupiter, through the center of the Earth and toward the other invisible half of the heavenly sphere. Thus it happens that we have, roughly speaking, every year either a conjunction or an opposition of Mars and Jupiter. We have not spoken in detail about the character of either Mars or Jupiter, but it may suffice at this moment if we imagine that Jupiter is the representative of cosmic wisdom and Mars that of cosmic strength. In February 1819 AD, a conjunction of Mars and Jupiter took place in the constellation of Goat. If we now follow up the sequence of these conjunctions in the following years, we find, among many others, another conjunction in 1848 AD in Twins. Let us leave these for now and go on to an opposition in June 1914, where we find Jupiter in Goat/Waterman, a conjunction taking place in Crab in September 1919, an opposition where Jupiter was again in Waterman in September 1938, and a conjunction in Fishes in January 1940. Thus we have a sequence of these events in the constellations of Goat (1819), Goat/Waterman (1914), Waterman (1938), and Fishes (1940). Now we are in that sphere of the Zodiac where we have drawn the wings of the heavenly Being as it touches the human soul in its thinking, feeling, and willing. It is the realm where it perceives the situation upon this planet through the soul organs of humanity and acts according to these perceptions. It is obvious that those cosmic “perceptions” and “conceptions” are connected with the first and Second World War. So, why do we start in 1819 AD? We could also start earlier and find the most astonishing things. However, in 1819 the Congress of Carlsbad took place, where the representatives and princes of all the German states, which then were not yet united in the “German Reich”, met in order to introduce measures for the suppression of the revolutionary activities in their states. The result was an unbelievably severe limitation and restriction of the activities of the universities and strict censorship of the Press. This was one of the reasons that led to the revolution of 1848, which broke out in all the countries of Central Europe. We can almost perceive how that heavenly Being looked down on Earth through the souls of humanity and saw the struggle for spiritual freedom. This impulse appeared again and again in many historical incidents after the year 1819 — all in connection with the rhythms of Mars and Jupiter. It was manifest again in the catastrophe of 1914, and in 193 8 it fully entered the sphere of Waterman. The impulse penetrates the world of human feeling and calls for the awakening of the forces of healing, compassion, and love against the ever-increasing wall of hate and destruction. When everything seemed to have been in vain, the conjunction of Mars and Jupiter in Fishes on the 6th of January 1940 revealed the unerring cosmic Judge who could not, from what it experienced on Earth, do otherwise than educate and recall humanity to the straight path of positive evolution through one of the greatest catastrophes that this planet has ever seen. Thus the cosmic Will fulfilled what the human will could not fulfill. If we now ask, what does the world of the Gods demand from humanity?, we can find the answer if we follow another sequence of the Mars-Jupiter rhythm. In September 1916, an opposition of both took place when Jupiter stood in Ram. In the following year, in June 1917, a conjunction appeared in Bull and in November/December 1918 an opposition when Jupiter was in Twins. These events took place during the last years of the First World War in the constellations of Ram, Bull, and Twins. If we try to imagine in these constellations the features of that spiritual Being who goes before us, we find in them the head, open for the all-embracing wisdom of the universe; the larynx, the organ for the creative Word in the universe; and the wings that reach down to the single human beings, trying to inspire and uplift them to ideals that strive to lead them toward the creation of true Christian brotherhood. And what happened on Earth as the expression of the activity of the spiritual world? In September 1916, Rudolf Steiner spoke about the spiritual background of human history. There we can already find the fundamental ideas of the image of the threefold human organism, which he elaborated more in detail in his book Von Seelenraetseln (Riddles of the Soul). Behind this, the idea already dawned of the threefold commonwealth. At the same time, the Jupiter-Mars event took place with Jupiter in Ram. It is as if at this moment a gateway was open from the “head” of the Godhead, from the world of the all penetrating, all overlooking wisdom of the spiritual universe. This healing jewel of cosmic wisdom, the idea of the threefold commonwealth, came down to Earth, was conceived by the individuality of Rudolf Steiner, and was born as the social idea that was the answer to the striving and fighting within the depths of millions and millions of human beings. Then we can see how during 1917, in June/July, this idea that strove to become the solution of the burning social problems, gained definite forms more and more in conversations of Rudolf Steiner with his friends and even in a printed memorandum. Mars and Jupiter were then in conjunction in Bull, and spiritual beings spoke with mighty and creative words to humanity. The year 1918 (November) brought the end of the First World War and with it the rise of the hidden social problems and revolutions in Central Europe, which had hitherto been artificially concealed. Immediately afterwards, we see Dr. Steiner in the midst of a gigantic activity, speaking in many lectures and meetings to thousands and thousands of people about the manifold social questions and means for their solution through the idea of the threefold commonwealth. Here we can see how the wings of the cosmic intelligence — Twins with Jupiter — touch the single human being in order to bring humanity further on the road toward a social organism that can become the bearer of true Christianity. We see how these events, which bear more the imprints of the revelation of our cosmic Forerunner, are interwoven into the events of the other sequence of Mars-Jupiter connections in Goat, Waterman, and Fishes. Humanity did not listen to this revelation of the true form of its own social organism. After the fall of human feelings into the abyss of extreme nationalism in Central Europe, there was only one way out — the cosmic judgment beginning in 1939–40.