Conditions of Life

Seven stages of life or conditions of life, also called rounds, kingdoms or elementary kingdoms, must be passed through in order to form a new stage of consciousness in the course of the planetary stages of world evolution. However, one must not imagine that these stages are simply passed through one after the other, but rather that what has already developed from them then also continues to exist. Each stage of life in turn passes through 7 stages of form in order to mature completely.

„You have there the different forms of consciousness Saturn, Sun, Moon, Earth and so on, the seven forms of consciousness. Man passes through a consciousness in each of these stages, one of which is the earth. He passes through seven different stages of consciousness, on each of these stages of consciousness, that is, Saturn, Sun, and so on, seven stages of life, and in each stage of life seven stages of form.“ (Lit.:GA 187, p. 87f)

The 7 Stages of Life are:

1. First elementary kingdom (elementary kingdom of radiant colours).
2. Second elementary kingdom (elementary kingdom of free tones)
3. Third elemental kingdom (elemental kingdom of coloured forms)
4. Mineral kingdom (mineral kingdom of coloured bodies)
5. Plant kingdom
6. Animal kingdom
7. Human kingdom

Literature

• Rudolf Steiner: Theosophie. Einführung in die übersinnliche Welterkenntnis und Menschenbestimmung, GA 9 (1904), Kapitel V. Die physische Welt und ihre Verbindung mit Seelen- und Geisterland English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
• Rudolf Steiner: Bewußtsein Leben Form. Grundprinzipien der geisteswissenschaftlichen Kosmologie., GA 89 (2001), S 35 ff. (Entwurf zur Darstellung der geisteswissenschaftlichen Kosmologie. Fragment aus dem Jahre 1903/04) English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
• Rudolf Steiner: Natur- und Geistwesen. Ihr Wirken in unserer sichtbaren Welt., GA 98 (1983), München 4. Dezember 1907 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
• Rudolf Steiner: Die Apokalypse des Johannes, GA 104 (1985), Zehnter Vortrag, Nürnberg, 27. Juni 1908 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
• Rudolf Steiner: Wie kann die Menschheit den Christus wiederfinden?, GA 187 (1995), ISBN 3-7274-1870-2 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.