SIXTEENTH LETTER - July 1945 The Nature of the Planetary World - Moon Now, after the conclusion of the description of the superior planets Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, and the Sun, we will have to explore the activities of the inferior planets of Mercury and Venus and the Moon. We will have to enter quite a different world from that of the superior planets and their activities, just as the soul world of the human being is entirely different from the realm of its bodily principles. The Moon is “nearest” to our soul consciousness today; therefore we will start with it. The Moon In the 11th and 13th letters, we have already mentioned the idea of the lemniscatory movement of both the Sun and the Earth. According to this idea, the path of the Moon also appears quite different from that given in the Copernican point of view. It appears as a serpentine line along the Sun-Earth-lemniscate; however, to think of the movements of the Moon as well as those of the Sun and the Earth as taking place on certain lines in the space of the universe would only lead us to another abstract outlook of the universe. Unless we learn to imagine the pathways of heavenly bodies as the boundaries of the living organs of that Being whose body is the universe, we cannot experience the starry universe as an entity that works in all realms of nature. For instance, the lemniscatory movement of the Sun and the Earth can awaken in us the impression that this lemniscate has a certain similarity to the circulatory system of the blood in the human body. This is a reality. The spiritual “blood stream” of the Being of our solar system causes the movement of the Sun and the Earth in the form of a lemniscate. Of course we can object that the circulation of the human blood does not constitute a simple lemniscate. It is more complicated than that. But neither is the Sun-Earth-lemniscate as simple as it may appear at first. For instance, there are complicated movements brought into connection with it, causing the course of the Sun during one year to appear as a circle. In a similar way we should look at the movement of the Moon. The diagram below will help us to recognize its essential character. The drawn-out lemniscate represents the pathway of the Sun and the Earth. The dotted lemniscates are connected with the Moon. We suppose that during the position (a) of the Sun and the Earth, a Full Moon takes place. In this case the Moon is, as seen from the Sun, behind the Earth. The dotted outer lemniscate then indicates the boundary of the inviofsible, yet spiritually real lemniscate-body of the Moon. A fortnight later there would be New Moon. This is the time when the Moon stands between the Earth and the Sun. Of course in the meantime the Sun and the Earth have moved into the position (b). Now as we can see in the diagram, the lemniscate of the Moon has shrunk to the form which is indicated by the inner dotted lemniscate. Toward the following Full Moon this lemniscate-form of the Moon-path would expand again and slowly grow beyond the size of the Sun-Earth lemniscate. Thus we can observe a continuous expansion and contraction of the lemniscate-body of the Moon in connection with its phases. It is a kind breathing activity that is very characteristic for the Moon and illuminates its essential tendencies in the various realms of nature. We must now turn our attention toward this breathing activity of the Moon. In previous letters we have outlined the contradictory activities of the Sun and the Earth. We have described the Sun as a “hole” in the universe whose activity reaches far out into cosmic space and sucks, as it were, the astral substance from the fringe of the Zodiac toward the center. Between the starry realm of the Zodiac and the “hole” of the Sun are the superior planets and especially the Earth. They are the stepping stones of the condensation of this astral substance into matter. The culmination of this condensing activity takes place on Earth. Then again in the space between the Earth and the Sun, where we find the inferior planets, the dissolution and etherization of matter takes place. Thus the sucking tendency of the Sun is the indirect cause of the materialization of the astral substance, then finally it is the hole through which matter is dissolved and brought back to its ethereal origin after the nature of the superior planets and the Earth have been imprinted upon it. The Moon stands in between these activities of the Sun and the Earth. The diagram shows us that in times of Full Moon, the Moon and its lemniscatory body are strongly related to the realm in space that is devoted to the process of materialization “behind” the Earth, because the lemniscate-body of the Moon is stretched far beyond the sphere in which the dissolving and etherizing activity between the Earth and the Sun takes place. Thus we should assume that in the time of Full Moon the Moon has a matter-creating tendency. In the time of New Moon the body of the Moon and its lemniscate are within that sphere of etherization between the Earth and the Sun, and it should assume a more dissolving and etherizing activity. In between, roughly in the times of the first and the last quarter, it should be neutralized or changing over from one activity to the other. Therefore, we can conceive the Moon as the great cosmic “weaver” who weaves the cosmic substances into Earth existence and who takes them out again into the cosmos as the etherized Imaginations of dissolved earthly forms. We can find this rhythmic weaving activity of the Moon-forces everywhere in nature and in humanity. Its matter-creating activity has been traced scientifically by experiments. Already in the last century a scientist, who has since been forgotten, proved the creation of matter. His name was Herzeele. A few years ago a modern scientist, Dr. Hauschka, rescued this idea from oblivion. In carefully arranged experiments, in connection with the germination of plant seeds, he proved that an increase of matter takes place which can be weighed and measured. He discovered that this occurs in the time of Full Moon. Furthe, he discovered with the same method that a decrease of matter appears in connection with the New Moon. Here we have the confirmation of the conclusion that we came to when we looked upon the changing lemniscate of the Moon which appeared interwoven into the Sun and Earth activities as a kind of balancing factor. We can now understand why the crescent of the waxing Moon has been experienced by seers as the image of the ever-feeding vessel of the Holy Grail and the dark part of the Moon's face, whose outlines can be dimly recognized immediately after New Moon, as the image of the Holy Host that descends as the source of eternal health. Toward the time of New Moon, the vessel empties itself and is then ready to receive anew the forces of the Holy Host, which it sheds upon the Earth during the time of the waxing Moon. Thus the Grail story of the sustaining Holy Cup is not merely a beautiful phantasy. It is a reality. The rhythms of the Moon imprint themselves into all the rhythms of organic growth on Earth. We can detect them in the rhythms of plant growth. The farmers of olden times knew this, so they carefully arranged the times of sowing and planting according to the phases of the Moon. This old wisdom has been forgotten in modern times. But now, the farmer and gardener who have gained confidence in the indications of modern spiritual science, again, take into account the movements of the planets, especially those of the Moon. They are aided in their striving for a new knowledge of the working of the Moon-forces in nature by scientific experiments and modern approaches to this problem. (See: Moon and Plant Growth by L. Kolisko.) The rhythmic influence of the Moon forces makes itself apparent not only in the existence of the plant world but also in the growth of all organic matter; for instance, in the embryonic processes. There the rhythms of the Moon are very important, especially in the first four weeks after the conception, which corresponds to one cycle of the Moon from one phase back to the same phase. In connection with the embryonic development of the human being, we can detect a very significant relationship between the rhythms of the Moon and the destiny that is implanted into the growing body. Research made in connection with a great number of historic personalities has shown that the rhythms of the Moon correspond to the periods in the earthly lives of these individualities. The Moon needs 27.3 days to complete one cycle through the Zodiac, i.e., it comes back into the same constellation where it stood 27.3 days before. Human embryonic development comprises, on the average, ten such Moon cycles; that is 273 days. Each one of these cycles corresponds to one period of seven years in the later life of the human being. For instance, the time from the conception to the end of the fourth embryonic week is related to the first seven years of a person's life after birth, the following four weeks are connected with the time from seven to fourteen, etc. The Moon always comes back, after four weeks, to the place in the Zodiac where it stood at the time of the conception. If we find that a certain cosmic event took place during the fourth embryonic cycle of the Moon, we can also find it realized in the biography of this human being during the fourth of the seven-year periods in the life after birth, i.e., it emerges in the events of the period between 21 and 28 years of age. Such an event that reflects itself into the later life, may be an aspect between two planets such as a conjunction, opposition, or another aspect; or it may be an important evolution of a single planet, as the transition from one constellation to another. Thus the Moon gathers, so to speak, the harvest of cosmic events into its vessel and sheds or weaves them, according to individual destinies, into the bodies of the human beings who are about to enter the physical world. Here the Moon presents itself as the great cosmic “weaver” who provides the bread of destiny, which is baked from the harvest of previous earthly lives in order that it may be elevated and spiritualized to higher levels of human moral activity. We can discover the influence of the Moon also in the “psychic” sphere of the Earth. The atmospheric and meteorological changes around the globe of our planet can be recognized as the expression of a soul life of the Earth. To a certain extent we can even include the phenomenon of the tides in these psychic processes. They are a visible expression of these rhythmic breathing activities of the Moon, of which we have spoken above. In fact the tides and the meteorological events are connected with the rhythmic movements of the Moon. Certainly the crude statement that the Moon makes the weather is insufficient and even dilettante, but if we study the psychic background of the meteorological facts, then we clearly detect the Moon's influence. This applies chiefly to the period of the watery element on Earth. The “water” of the Earth is one of the main domains of the Moon forces. We shall see in the later description where this connection originates. The influence of the Moon rhythm can also be observed in the rhythms of the human soul or consciousness life. It is even comparatively easy to make observations of the psychic conditions of our human surroundings and of ourselves. We always find in times of Full Moon — unless this is inhibited by stronger starry events — that the human soul is more active than at other times. It is expanded, as it were, into the whole universe. Human thinking and imagination are much more animated during these times and more ready to embark upon adventurous and magnanimous deeds. But in times of New Moon our psychic life is more contracted, passive, and turned away from the surrounding world. Our psychic life can then be more in a state of inner receptivity. The human soul at this time is in a condition similar to the contracted lemniscatory sphere of the Moon, which we described above. Through this contraction it may be more awake in itself, whereas in the opposite state — the Full Moon — may bring about a cosmically dreamy condition. These rhythms manifest themselves especially in artistic activities. We now want to find out why these influences emanate from the Moon. We know from previous descriptions that the spheres of the planets also indicate the range of the activities of the spiritual hierarchies. The sphere of the Moon reaches further than the sphere of the Earth, thus it is the dwelling place of the Angels in the universe. They are active within the sphere of the Earth as well because the Moon sphere penetrates the Earth sphere, but their influence reaches farther out into the universe. This hierarchy of the Angels has especially penetrated the Moon and its sphere with their activity; therefore, if we understand a little of their own being, we will also understand the influences of the Moon upon Earth events and beings. In the 4th letter, we briefly outlined the activities of the Angels within Ancient Saturn evolution. They then created a kind of metabolism of warmth with the help of the Spirits of Harmony. If we imagine this kind of cosmic nutrition, the warmth flowing into the ancestors of the human race and streaming out again after a kind of digestion, then we have a grand imagination of the processes that we described above; that is, of the changes of the human soul life between the mood of activity and receptivity in relationship with Full Moon and New Moon. As the Angels have created these rhythms, they are still connected with this sphere of the Moon. With the rhythm that is imprinted since primeval times into this sphere, soul warmth is inhaled by humanity and this appears as activity and positivity; whereas, when the soul warmth is exhaled, according to the phases of the Moon, this manifests itself in passiveness. In our time, we should evolve to a soul condition that enables us to stand more above these rhythms that hitherto seized hold of us from “outside”. We should transform this rhythm into a conscious balance between activity in the world of the senses and activity in the inner world of imagination. Within Ancient Sun evolution, we find that the Angels were again active in a kind of metabolism, but this time all the conditions had changed. The body of our human ancestor consisted of a kind of sheath and skeleton of warmth, as it were, which also contained “air”. Thus the Angels, still with the help of the Spirits of Harmony, brought about changes and transformation of the “air” from within. If we meditate upon these events, we receive an impression that reminds us of the events which take place today in the atmosphere surrounding the globe of the Earth. It is almost as though very subtle and splendid visions and imaginations of animal forms impressed themselves upon the “air” and disappeared again after some time. This ancient activity of the Angels is written into the Moon sphere too, and appears in the connection of the rhythms and movements of the Moon with the psychic life of the atmospheric and meteorological realm of the Earth of which we have spoken above. In the following cycle of evolution, which we call the Ancient Moon evolution, the Angels were again active. They had evolved to a higher state of existence, and the general conditions on Ancient Moon had changed considerably. Now the physical body of the ancestors of humanity consisted not only of warmth and air but also of “water”, into which a part of the original substance had been densified. Together with this, a “split” in this cycle of evolution occurred. The higher hierarchies did not want to connect themselves with this densification so they withdrew to another celestial body or realm. Thereby, a twofoldness came into everything that existed in that universe, and especially our human ancestors were drawn into this polarity. There were times when they lived within a body that was more densified and in which they had also a brighter consciousness, for they were now gifted with a soul body. Then there came times for them when their body became corrupted by these consciousness forces. The soul body was then withdrawn into the realm of the higher hierarchies where it gathered strength once more to revive its body. The latter had not been dissolved in the meantime. The whole process was more like a state between the experience of death and falling asleep and of birth and awakening. Something like a seed or rootstock had been left behind, which could be revived when the soul body of our human ancestor returned from its sojourn in the higher realm. This ancestor had not then acquired the “I”, and the Angels guided it through these metamorphoses of its being. They preserved the “seeds” and brought them to “germination”. Thus our human ancestor on Ancient Moon had a twofold nature even in its body. One part was like a head that provided also a brighter consciousness, but it stuck, as it were, like the root of a plant in the denser “layers” of this planet. The other part showed its connection with the warmth and air-filled heights of the Moon universe. It was like the leaves and flowers of a plant. The processes of flourishing and fading were guided by the Angels, and a whole group of these beings was under the guidance of one Angel who was their “group ego”. We can now understand why the Moon and its sphere, as the dwelling place of the Angels, work in the germination processes and the growth of the plants and, likewise, in all organic processes of living beings. Thus it is also strongly connected with embryonic development.