Occult planet

Occult planets are called the successive outer incarnations of an evolving planetary system. They must not be confused with the planets of today with the same name!

Occult research shows that each planetary system evolves through a series of seven successive, causally connected, outwardly appearing rebirths (manvantara), through seven stages of world evolution, between each of which lies a purely spiritual existence (pralaya). What connects the successive occult planets is the world karma, the world destiny, which was created with the first incarnation of the planetary system and which will be extinguished again at the end of the planetary series of development.

Our present planetary system has already gone through three incarnations and is now on the fourth stage of development. Three more re-embodiments will follow before a completely new development begins, which is in no way karmically causally connected to the present one.

The seven planetary embodiments are thus in the order of their emergence:

Old Saturn - Old Sun - Old Moon - Earth - New Jupiter - New Venus - Vulcan

This arrangement of the occult planets, also known as the Chaldean series, which corresponds to the order of our weekdays if one starts the counting at Saturday, Saturn's day, was first recorded by the Chaldeans.

Only a deeper occult consideration reveals certain connections which justify the same naming for the occult planets and for certain planets of today. Old Saturn, for instance, was so large that it reached to where today's Saturn moves in its orbit through the celestial space. Rudolf Steiner describes these connections in more detail in his "Occult Science":

„In individual chapters of this book it has been shown how the world of man and he himself pass through the states which have been designated by the names Saturn, Sun, Moon, Earth, Jupiter, Venus, Vulcan. It has also been indicated how human development relates to celestial bodies which exist beside the Earth and which have been named Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, etc. These latter celestial bodies make up the natural world of the human being. These latter celestial bodies are naturally also undergoing their evolution. In the present period they have reached such a stage that their physical parts show themselves to the perception as what in physical astronomy is called Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, etc. If now the present Saturn is considered in the spiritual-scientific sense, it is, as it were, a re-embodiment of what Old Saturn was. It came into being because before the separation of the Sun from the Earth there were certain entities which could not take part in the separation, because they had incorporated into themselves so many of those qualities which are appropriate to Saturn's existence that their place could not be where the Sun's qualities are especially developed. The present Jupiter, however, came into being because beings existed which had qualities that could only develop on the future Jupiter of the total evolution. For them a dwelling-place came into being in which they could already anticipate this later development. Thus Mars is a celestial body in which dwell beings who have gone through the lunar evolution in such a way that further progress on Earth would be of no use to them. Mars is a re-embodiment of the Old Moon on a higher level. The present Mercury is a dwelling-place for beings who are ahead of the earth's evolution, but precisely because they have developed certain earthly qualities in a higher way than can happen on Earth. The present Venus is a prophetic anticipation of the future state of Venus in a similar way. From all this it is justified if the names of the states which have preceded and succeeded the Earth are chosen according to their present representatives in the universe.“ (Lit.:GA 13, p. 324f)

Literature

• Rudolf Steiner: An Outline of Occult Science , translated by Maud and Henry B. Monges, The Anthroposophic Press 1972, ISBN 0-88010-368-X html

German

• Rudolf Steiner: Die Geheimwissenschaft im Umriß, GA 13 (1989) English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org

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.