Planetary system

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A planetary system is a cosmic organism comprising the entire astrosphere formed by the stellar wind emanating from the central star(s) and separated from the interstellar medium by the astropause. Shown here using the example of the heliosphere of our Sun formed by the solar wind, with the orbits of the planets and Pluto, bounded by the heliopause and surrounded by the interstellar medium

A planetary system or solar system, which is built up from a number of very different celestial bodies (fixed star, planets, moons, asteroids and comets), does not, in the anthroposophical view, come into being through physical forces alone, but is the result of the joint activity of higher spiritual hierarchies. There are many planetary systems in the cosmos, of which our solar system is a special example. In its totality, the highest Trinity creates an outer shell for itself. The communication between the individual planetary systems is guided by the highest Hierarchy, the Seraphim. Each planetary system develops further in seven successive stages of world evolution, each separated from the other by a purely spiritual, externally intangible existence. In the course of this series of development, it ascends from the planetary state to the fixed star system and, towards the end of the sevenfold series, further to the zodiac.

Physical structure

Our solar system is divided into an inner solar system and an outer solar system. Between the two lies the asteroid belt, whose spiritual cause of origin was the so-called fight in heaven, in which the primordial mystery of evil lies.

The four inner planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars; the four outer planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Pluto, which was only discovered in 1930 and was long considered the ninth planet, has only been classified as a dwarf planet since 24 August 2006.

The space between the planets, the interplanetary space, is filled by an interplanetary medium. It consists of the hot plasma of the solar wind, from which the heliosphere of the Sun, which is about 120 astronomical units (AU) in diameter, is built up and extends far beyond the outermost planetary orbits, of interplanetary dust and other particles of cosmic radiation, some of which also originate from interstellar space. In the area of the Earth's orbit, the particle density is between one and ten million particles per cubic metre[1], and considerably more when solar activity is high.

Zodiacal light

The zodiacal cloud is a disc-shaped cloud of gas and dust that surrounds the Sun in the plane of the planetary orbits. It scatters the Sunlight and can be observed as zodiacal light. Starting from the Sun, it narrows in a wedge shape with simultaneously decreasing brightness and finally merges into a very faint, barely visible light bridge. Exactly opposite the Sun's position, you can see a slightly brighter oval spot, the gegenschein, which is produced by backscattered Sunlight. Only on particularly clear nights does it show up along the entire ecliptic as a zodiacal light band. The zodiacal light is best visible in spring after Sunset in the west and in autumn before Sunrise in the east.

„But now, gentlemen, if you look out into the world: People believe that when you look out into the world, it is empty and that the stars live in the empty space and so on. - In the past, the peasants believed that where they walked around was also empty. Today everyone knows that there is air, that it is not empty. In the same way, one can know that nowhere in the space of the world outside is empty; either matter is there, or spirit is there. You see, that there is nowhere empty in the space of the world can be virtually proved. It is interesting to consider that it is not empty. I want to prove by means of a certain sign that it is nowhere empty. Let us disregard the fact that the earth revolves around the Sun, as Copernicus taught us. Let us take the matter as it appears. Here we have the earth, and the Sun goes around the earth, rising in the east and setting in the west. There is always the Sun somewhere (drawing). Now there is something peculiar. In certain areas, in fact everywhere, if you watch closely, when the Sun rises and sets, but also otherwise, there is not only twilight, but there is something that always astonishes the world. There is something around the Sun that forms a kind of radiant light. Whenever the Sun is looked at, especially in the morning and evening, there is this radiant light in addition to the twilight. A light shines around the Sun. It is called the zodiacal light. This zodiacal light, gentlemen, gives people a lot of headaches, especially those who think materialistically. They think to themselves: the Sun in empty space can therefore shine, and when it shines we see that it illuminates the other bodies. But where does this light come from that is always around the Sun, this zodiacal light? - People have put forward an incredible number of theories about where this zodiacal light comes from. If the Sun is supposed to be flying around in empty space, or even just standing there according to Copernican doctrine, there can't be any light there! Where does this light come from? - It is terribly easy to find where this light comes from. You will certainly have walked through the city on a very clear evening and seen lanterns there. These lanterns have fixed boundaries. On a clear evening you can see the lights quite firmly bounded. But if you go on a foggy evening, you won't see such fixed boundaries, you'll see a kind of ring of light all around the bottom. Where does that come from? Because there is fog. In the fog inside, this glow of a ring of light forms. The Sun goes across the sky with a ring of light at certain times because the celestial space is not empty, but because it is filled with a fine mist everywhere. The zodiacal light is what is present in this fine mist as a glow. People have thought of all kinds of things. For example, that all kinds of comets fly through it. They certainly do. But this zodiacal light that goes with the Sun, that is stronger at certain times, sometimes weak, sometimes not there at all, that is because the nebulae in the space of the world are more or less condensed or thinned. So that we can say: Actually, the whole world-space is filled with something. - But I have already told you that we cannot believe that there is matter everywhere. I told you that the physicists, the materialistic physicists, would be very astonished if they came up there and expected the Sun to look the way they describe it in physics today. That is nonsense. If physicists could go up there, with any kind of favourable train, into the Sun, they would be astonished that they would find nothing there that was like a gas. They would find a cavity, a real cavity. It shines light. And what they would find would be precisely the spiritual. So that we cannot say: Everywhere is only substance - but we must say: everywhere is also spiritual, real spiritual.“ (Lit.:GA 354, p. 149f)

Origin

Space is a creation of the Trinity, and precedes the creative activity of the Hierarchies (Lit.:GA 110, p. 176). The formation of a new planetary system begins with the first Hierarchy searching for a suitable spherical space in the universe (Lit.:GA 110, p. 82) and working creatively into it from outside. The Seraphim receive the plans for the new world system from the Trinity. The Cherubim, who in their totality as zodiacal beings are encamped around this centre of their creative activity, work out these plans further, and the Thrones make possible a first realisation by letting out their substance of will, which at first appears externally only as heat.

The Beings of the Second Hierarchy work within the planetary structure thus created. The Kyriotetes, as Spirits of Wisdom, see to the correct arrangement of the whole world system, the Dynameis, or Spirits of Motion, see to the correct execution, and the Exusiai, or Spirits of Form, secure the closed existence of the whole planet.

Further development

This gives rise to a first planetary state, which at this time is not yet divided into individual celestial bodies, but is still a relatively uniformly formed world structure. This is a so-called occult planet which, as already indicated, develops further in the course of seven successive stages of world development. In concrete terms, this means that the planetary state first gradually enters into the outer appearance, which is also called Manvantara, following the Indian terminology, and thereby undergoes a certain process of development, which is directed towards the fact that those beings for whose spiritual development this sevenfold series of planetary states is created, can attain a very specific level of consciousness here. Once this goal has been achieved, the planet first withdraws from the outer appearance and enters a purely spiritual intermediate state, also called Pralaya according to Indian expression. After some time, the whole world system is reborn for the outer appearance, thus enabling the development of the next higher state of consciousness. In this sense, therefore, one can also speak of seven successive re-embodiments of the planetary system.

The zodiac, which surrounds the planetary system, also undergoes a development. It begins as an undifferentiated mass of nebulae and only gradually groups itself into such constellations as appear to us in the present development of the Earth as the well-known twelve constellations.

Our Earth evolution represents the fourth and middle stage of seven planetary states to which one can look back or prophetically look ahead with the opened spiritual gaze, whereby the future development is of course still open and can only be grasped in its previously predisposed basic lines. The seven stages through which our world system develops are designated by Rudolf Steiner as:

Saturn, Sun, Moon, Earth, Jupiter, Venus and Vulcan.

They must not be confused with the planets of the same name in our present solar system, which is only the middle stage of this series of development. There is, however, a spiritual relationship between these occult planetary states and our present outwardly appearing planets, which justifies this naming.

Each of the 7 planetary stages of world evolution is further subdivided into 7 life stages, each of which in turn passes through 7 form stages, so that until the completion of the entire planetary evolution, a total of 7*7*7 = 343 stages of evolution are passed through. Esoterically, the number 7-7-7 is therefore regarded as the number of completion; it is occasionally also called the number of the Logoi, because the highest Trinity, the Trinity of the three Logoi Father, Son and Holy Spirit, guides the total development (Lit.:GA 94, p. 92). Planetary evolution enters a particularly critical phase on the sixth occult planet in the sixth form stage of the sixth life stage. This is indicated by the number of the beast 6-6-6, which is also spoken of in the Apocalypse of John, although there it does not refer to the critical phase of development of the whole planetary chain, but only to the critical point of our immediate earthly development.

The planetary spheres as Dominions of the Hierarchies

→ Main article: Dominions of the Hierarchies

The spatial domains of the hierarchies from the Angels up to the Thrones are the planetary spheres in ascending order, if the geocentric Ptolemaic system is taken as a basis. They overlap with the Dominions of the Archangels, which are also assigned to the planetary spheres. The highest hierarchies, the Cherubim and Seraphim, have the whole zodiac as their field of activity. Man, as the tenth hierarchy, has the Earth as his domain during his earthly life. In the life between death and a new birth, he travels through all the planetary spheres up to the zodiac, first ascending, then descending again.

Literature
References to the work of Rudolf Steiner follow Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works (CW or GA), Rudolf Steiner Verlag, Dornach/Switzerland, unless otherwise stated.
Email: verlag@steinerverlag.com URL: www.steinerverlag.com.
Index to the Complete Works of Rudolf Steiner - Aelzina Books
A complete list by Volume Number and a full list of known English translations you may also find at Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works
Rudolf Steiner Archive - The largest online collection of Rudolf Steiner's books, lectures and articles in English.
Rudolf Steiner Audio - Recorded and Read by Dale Brunsvold
steinerbooks.org - Anthroposophic Press Inc. (USA)
Rudolf Steiner Handbook - Christian Karl's proven standard work for orientation in Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works for free download as PDF.

References

  1. ↑ ACE Real-Time Solar Wind
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