The Ancient Sun

[Lunesoleil]

I continue the adventure this time with the "old Sun" which is not to be compared with the Sun that astrologers interpret in the practice of astrology.

From this perspective, it concerns consciousness within the spiritual dimension. I should clarify that the excerpts are taken from the 30th edition of Rudolf Steiner's book " Science and the Occult, " and the PDF of the book is the 4th revised and corrected edition. Pages have been added between editions!

[…] The second of the great periods of evolution, that of the Sun, has the effect of raising humankind to a state of consciousness superior to that which it had attained on Saturn. In truth, compared to current human consciousness, this solar state of consciousness could be described as "unconsciousness." It closely resembles the state humans experience during dreamless sleep. It could also be compared to the much lower degree of consciousness that characterizes sleep in our plant kingdom […]
Everything in the world possesses consciousness. During the evolution of the Sun, human beings attain a higher state of consciousness because the etheric body, or life body, is incorporated within them. Before this incorporation can take place, the states of Saturn must be repeated, as previously described. This repetition has a very precise meaning. Indeed, once the period of rest mentioned earlier has elapsed, what was once Saturn emerges from its cosmic "sleep": the Sun. But in doing so, the conditions of evolution have changed. The spiritual beings whose influence on Saturn we described have progressed toward other states. As for the human germ, it first appears on the newly formed Sun, just as it had become on Saturn. It must now transform the knowledge acquired during the various stages of evolution on Saturn so that they adapt to the conditions prevailing on the Sun. This is why the solar period begins with a repetition of Saturnian realities, but adapting to the new conditions specific to solar life […]
When the "Spirits of Wisdom" begin to flow into the etheric body, the solar being, hitherto obscure, begins to shine. At the same time, the first signs of inner activity appear in the human germ: life begins. What had to be characterized as apparent life on Saturn becomes here true life. [...] We are now dealing with a being composed of two parts, one a physical part shaped by an etheric body, the other being solely an etheric body. This split occurs during a pause in solar life, during which the manifested luminosity fades. This separation thus takes place during a "cosmic night." This pause is much shorter than the one that separated the Saturnian age from the solar age. [...] Some time later, another pause occurs, and once again the Spirits of Form resume their activity. But then entirely new conditions arise during the course of the Sun's evolution. We have reached the midpoint of solar evolution. This is the moment when the Spirits of the personality, who had attained their stage of humanity on Saturn, now rise to a higher degree of perfection. Surpassing this degree, they acquire a consciousness that present-day humanity does not yet possess in the normal course of evolution. Humanity will possess it when Earth, that is, the fourth of the planetary stages of evolution, has reached its goal and the next planetary era has begun […]
[…] It is this faculty of vision that the Spirits of the personality normally access during the solar era. This enables them to act during solar evolution on the newly formed etheric body of the human being, just as they acted on its physical body during the Saturnian era […] they thus contemplate what is happening on the Sun, but this contemplation is by no means a simple observation. It is as if, in the images emanating from the Sun, a little of that force which humans call love is manifested. And if one looks more closely, one discovers the cause of this manifestation. The radiant light of the Sun has been mingled with the activity of sublime Spirits. These are those whom we have called “Spirits of Love” (or “Seraphim”) […]
To characterize the continuation of solar evolution, attention must be drawn to a fact of paramount importance in cosmic evolution: that during any given epoch, not all beings reach the goal of their development. Some fall behind. This is because, on Saturn, the Spirits of the personality did not all truly rise to the degree of humanity they were destined to attain. Similarly, not all human physicals formed on Saturn acquired the degree of maturity that would have allowed them to become bearers of an independent etheric body on the Sun. Consequently, there are beings and formations on the Sun that are not compatible with the prevailing conditions. They must therefore make up for what they neglected to do on Saturn during solar evolution. As for human beings, here is what must be taken into account in the midst of solar evolution. This being is then composed of a physical body and an etheric body. Here, the activity of the evolved "Spirits of Personality" is exercised in collaboration with that of the "Spirits of Love." The physical body now includes a remnant of delayed Saturnian nature. [...] With what has just been said, the work of the personality beings who inhabit the new Saturn is not exhausted. They not only devote their activity to this second solar kingdom, but also establish a kind of link between this kingdom and the human senses [...]
Logically, these intermediate periods between Saturn and the Sun are relatively long before the Sun's reign is established with Saturn's reign. The Moon and the Sun are merely spiritual planes. Trying to transpose this to our incarnate plane would be inconceivable to the rational mind, but can we nevertheless draw some lesson from the formation of the solar system? Knowing that the soul is immortal, one might suppose that there is a parallel dimension, populated by invisible beings.

So, this solar dimension, which can manifest an intensity of luminosity, will have been inhabited for a time by the heat of Saturn, which may have initiated it into a knowledge to tame its power of light. In any case, this solar brilliance will have prepared the ground for the age of the Moon, which will come to establish itself, but also share its realm with the solar dimension. Just as with Saturn and the Sun, an intermediate phase will follow, which could be compared to a marriage between the Sun and the Moon. This made me think of the lunar-solar cycle, and then the Moon's expression in its own art before the arrival of the Earth's age. We know the close proximity that exists in the heliocentric zodiac between the Moon and the Earth, which are constantly in conjunction…