Esoteric Evolution - 27 

Warmth Ether and Light Ether

The eras of development of the Earth:

1. Polaris						7. Seventh era
	2. Hyperborea				6. Sixth era
		3. Lemuria		5. Post-Atlantean era
			4. Atlantis

The creation of life

In our quest for insight into the mysterious forces of the Tree of Life, in the previous chapters, questions came up such as: "What is life?" (No. 25) and "What is the origin of life or of the living?" (No. 26).

In this chapter we will begin with the question: "What does the creation of life mean?" Or: "How can we form a picture of the high creative process that underlies all the living on Earth, in nature and in humanity?"

Thereafter we will go into the properties of the life forces of warmth ether and light ether.

Esoteric Christianity and Anthroposophy are based on the premise that everything that makes its appearance in the realm of the physical-material, the living, or the soul world or inner human being, has its origin in creative activity of high divine-spiritual beings. These high creative beings, also called heavenly or cosmic hierarchies, are acting by order of the still much higher divine Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.¹⁾

From this high divine source they not only receive their creative powers but also, even today, receive guidance for their work in the continuing evolution of humanity and the Earth.

Devachan

As was related in the previous chapter, high cosmic creative beings do their creative work from the higher realms of the spiritual world, Devachan. They live there. Devachan consists of multi-dimensional spiritual realms. They penetrate into the physical earth world, as well as into each other on all levels of existence. With our limited three-dimensional earthly consciousness, we can scarcely make a picture of it for ourselves.

The "substance" of these spiritual worlds consists of unimaginably lofty levels of consciousness or "thoughts" of these cosmic creative beings and their divine love forces. Together they form what in esotericism is called "cosmic intelligence."²⁾

This high consciousness and, with it, all the realms of the higher spiritual worlds, are permeated by living, radiating, spiritual sounds and archetypal images.³⁾

Everything that makes its appearance in the physical-material world has its origin in these high spiritual realms, both on Earth and in the cosmos with its stars, planets and orbits.

Continual dynamics and progress

Once, in the very beginning of the Earth, the heavenly hierarchies created the physical-material world step by step with all its life and life forms, including the corporeality of the human being. In the same way they are still working in our time. They maintain the creation and bring wholeness and healing where it is needed, but they also guide the ever-continuing developments that are needed so that the evolution of humanity will reach its goal.

We can see that this is true when we look at all the incarnations that have preceded our current Earth condition, beginning with Old Saturn, but also the incarnations that are still to come and that will eventually lead to the Vulcan state. In other words, the work of the cosmic hierarchies is characterized by continual dynamics of creative activity.

The quality of the etheric world

Rudolf Steiner relates that it was and is not possible for high hierarchical beings to create the outer, physically perceptible forms in the physical-material world as we know them in our time. This is because those beings are too far removed from the world of physical matter. Hence, they depend for their creative work on the help of forces and spiritual beings that do have this capability. Those forces and spiritual beings are to be found in the world of the etheric, the etheric world.

The remarkable thing of the etheric world is that its etheric "materiality" possesses a certain quality in which, on the one hand, the powers of the spirit, the creative thought forces of the cosmic hierarchies, come to expression. But on the other hand, this quality is able to create material, physically perceptible forms in physical earthly reality.⁴⁾ Think of all that we see and experience in living nature around us.

The etheric thus fulfills a mediating role, as it were, between the creative higher spiritual beings from Devachan and earthly physical reality. On the one hand, as world ether it reaches high into the higher spiritual worlds and is there steeped in the creative forces of the spiritual hierarchies in Devachan; on the other hand, it penetrates with its etheric forces deeply into the physical earthly world and there gives form to all that lives, grows, and develops.

A help in the work of creation

In this way, the etheric world is not only able out of its life forces to give physical form to that which the creative higher hierarchies let stream to the Earth in the form of living forces and intentions; but it also preserves and maintains these physical forms for as long as needed. When old forms on Earth have had their time, the etheric forces withdraw from them. As a result, the life element then lets go, and the living forms and figures fall apart and disappear again.

We witness that process in all aging and death processes that humans, animals, and plants - everything that lives - physically experience. When it is their time, the etheric forces let go of their physical bodies, and they die.

Besides the death process, we see that through the forces of metamorphosis, which are also characteristic of the etheric, new forms make their appearance. Think of the sprouting new plants in spring. And of how humans are born into a new life in a new physical body and in a new incarnation. Life thus continues.

In this way, in the great creative work of the Earth and humanity, the etheric world fulfills an essential bridging function between the higher spiritual creative forces from Devachan and that which lives on the Earth - human beings, plants, and animals. But also, between Devachan and the Earth itself, which as such is a living organism.⁵⁾

This means that a person whose spiritual eye has been opened and who therefore has access to the etheric world, can observe in that world the mighty creative deeds of high hierarchical beings, which weave and work as world thoughts in the world ether.⁶⁾

In summary we can say that the higher hierarchies work out of the sounding archetypal images of Devachan, through the form-giving, form-maintaining, and form-changing, metamorphosing forces of the etheric world. And in this way, they create life in the cosmos and on Earth.

The forces or substances used for creation

In their creative work high hierarchical beings use four different kinds of spiritual substance, or forces, or combinations of these.⁷⁾ Those substances are:

• Fire or warmth
• Light
• Sound
• Word

The origin of the four kinds of etheric forces

As mentioned before, the high spiritual beings are not able with their creative powers to create forms in the world of matter directly, down into the physical. They need the specific, mediating forces of the etheric world for this. However, the cosmic hierarchies first had to create those very etheric forces.

Thus, it happened that starting on Old Saturn already they created the different kinds of ether from the existing world ether, which would enable them much later to call into being the different kingdoms of nature on Earth, such as the plant-, animal-, and human kingdom.⁸⁾

What are those ethers?

First, during the Old Saturn phase, the original substance of warmth ether arose out of the world ether. At the same time, out of this original substance the creators separated what would later on Earth become the element of warmth.

During the Old Sun period, besides warmth ether, light ether was created. In addition to the later element of warmth then also arose, in a purely spiritual form, the elements of air and light that would later appear on Earth.

During the Old Moon period, besides warmth ether and light ether, sound- or chemical ether was created. That meant that in addition to the elements of warmth, light, and air, the element of water made its appearance.

When the Earth period began, hierarchical beings created, besides warmth ether, light ether, and sound- or chemical ether, life ether as the fourth spiritual substance. With the life ether they generated, in addition to the elements of warmth, light, and water, also the spiritual substance of solid earthly matter, the mineral element.

In those early times of the Earth we should not yet imagine this earthly substance as solid matter.

Solid material forms only came into existence in Atlantean times as a result of the increasing hardening of the physical. Only then did the different kingdoms of nature become visible in their current physical, earthly appearance. Previously, only the spiritual element of earthly matter existed.

The following overview summarizes the foregoing and adds the names of the leading hierarchical creators in each period.⁹⁾

Incarnation	Leading hierarchy	Ether	Element
Old Saturn	Thrones - Spirits of Will	warmth ether	warmth
Old Sun	Kyriotetes - Spirits of Wisdom	warmth ether light ether	warmth light/air
Old Moon	Dynameis - Spirits of Motion	warmth ether light ether sound ether	warmth light/air water
Earth	Elohim - Spirits of Form	warmth ether light ether sound ether life ether	warmth light/air water mineral earth

As these kinds of ether came into being, an uninterrupted creation process began on Earth, which continues to this day.¹⁰⁾

For through these four kinds of ether, which they had created themselves, and the spiritual beings living in them, the cosmic hierarchies were able to work into the physical world on Earth and in the cosmos. That is possible because the four kinds of ether are, besides formative forces, also life forces - forces which, out of the original source of streaming life in Devachan, emanate life into earthly nature.

In this way, the greatest diversity of physical forms of existence could come into being at all levels and, by the element of life, foster growth and development in them.

For our subject, esoteric evolution, it is important to become familiar with these kinds of ether. How do they work on Earth and how can we recognize them? In this chapter we will discuss the first two kinds of ether: warmth ether and light ether.

Warmth ether

Warmth ether is closely connected with the element that belongs to it, warmth.

Warmth ether forms the border area between the spiritual world of the etheric and the physical earthly world. It consists of two layers. The one is the earthly warmth layer, the other the cosmic one. They constantly interpenetrate.¹¹⁾

In nature, warmth ether wakes things up and makes the living sprout, germinate, blossom, ripen and produce fruit or seeds. This sets off physical development in living beings, whether they are plants, animals, or human beings.

However, warmth ether works not only in the physical element, but also in the human soul. It is the inner, driving force that makes our heart warm and enthusiastic for what touches us. It urges us to action. Warmth ether is connected with the will.

Light ether

Light ether, first of all, works formatively in the elements belonging to it, air and light. But it also works in and through the element of warmth. As light ether it makes visible what was invisible before. We experience both of them, warmth and light, in the effects of the sun. This makes light and life possible on Earth.

Light ether is a growth force that works in every living being. Out of the surroundings, out of the cosmos, it sucks on that which lives and is becoming as plant, animal, or human being on Earth, and draws it upward so that growth takes place. Thus, it works on the physical level in the growth and scope of plants; in humans and animals especially on the skeleton. Hence the relationship between light and vitamin D, which is essential for the formation of bones and the skeleton.

Just like warmth ether, light ether also works on the realm of the soul - as feeling and light in the sense of inner enlightenment, insight. Hence the expression "it dawned on me," in other words, something suddenly became clear to me. And then we may get the feeling: "That tallies; it is true." In the first instance, you seize such flashing, light-bringing inspirations with your feeling. That is possible because the light ether works in our inner being.

Gumbertus Bible - The Work of Creation

Thus far the first two kinds of ether, warmth ether and light ether. When we immerse ourselves meditatively in the way they work, we can to some extent form a picture of how cosmic beings, through warmth ether bring sprouting and fructifying life on Earth out of Devachan; and how through light ether they create light in earthly existence, and through inspirations, light into the souls of human beings.

The latter is possible, says Rudolf Steiner, because not only does light spring from this particular realm in Devachan, but high spiritual knowledge also speaks through the light and the light ether. High knowledge in the sense of eternal truths that have inspired initiates and spiritually developed people from the beginning of time. Those profound truths originate especially from the lofty spiritual beings of the second hierarchy, which are called the Kyriotetes, the Spirits of Wisdom.¹²⁾

In the next chapter we will discuss the sound- or chemical ether and life- or word ether, the higher ethers.

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Sources

1. Rudolf Steiner, The Spiritual Hierarchies and the Physical World, GA 110, lecture of April 14, 1909.
2. Rudolf Steiner, Karmic Relationships, Vol. III, GA 237, lecture of August 8, 1924.
3. Rudolf Steiner, Theosophy, GA 9, Chapter: The Country of Spirit Beings.
4. Rudolf Steiner, Concerning the Astral World and Devachan, GA 88, lecture of January 28, 1904.
5. See note 3. Also: Rudolf Steiner, The Evolution of the World and of Humanity, GA 227, lecture of August 25, 1923.
6. Rudolf Steiner, Die geistigen Hintergründe des ersten Weltkrieges, GA 174b, lecture of March 15, 1916.
7. See note 4.
8. Ernst Marti, The Four Ethers, Schaumburg 1984.
9. See Rudolf Steiner, An Outline of Esoteric Science, GA 13, and The Spiritual Hierarchies and the Physical World, GA 110.
10. Dr. E. Hagemann, Weltenäther-Elementarwesen-Naturreiche, Texte aus der Geisteswissenschaft Rudolf Steiners, zusammengestellt und bearbeitet, page 36.
11. Rudolf Steiner, The Effect of Esoteric Development, GA 145, lecture of March 22, 1913.
12. See note 4.

For English translations of Rudolf Steiner's works see www.rsarchive.org.