Platonic Year

The path of the celestial north pole around the ecliptic pole in the course of a Platonic Year as a result of the earth's precession movement.

The Platonic Year with its duration of about 25,920 years - that is the time the sun needs as a result of the precession movement of the earth's axis to return retrograde through all 12 signs of the zodiac to its starting point (vernal equinox) - is of fundamental importance for human evolution. Thus a cultural epoch lasts on average as long as it takes the sun to pass through a sign of the zodiac, i.e. 2160 years, corresponding to 1/12 of the Platonic Year. If human existence were completely harmoniously integrated into this cosmic rhythm, man would descend to a new earthly incarnation every 2160 years. However, since we can gain very different experiences in a male and a female incarnation, it is necessary for man to incarnate twice in each cultural period as a rule. In fact, at present we find strong deviations from this cosmically determined rule and the incarnations usually follow each other at much shorter intervals. It is precisely in this that the basis for human freedom lies, that man today is no longer compulsively bound to these cosmic laws, but has become independent of them to a great extent, in order to later harmoniously reintegrate himself into the cosmic structure of his own free will.

As far as the individual life of man is concerned, his rhythmic system (→ threefold structure of the human organism), i.e. breathing and circulation, is naturally closely connected with this great cosmic circulation (→ breathing rhythm). But also the average life span of man is measured by the Platonic Year.

Literature

• Gisela Gorrissen: Astrosophie des Tierkreises und der Planeten. Der Mensch im Spannungsfeld zwischen Kosmos und Erde, Urachhaus, Stuttgart 2002, p. 18ff.
• Rudolf Steiner: Bausteine zu einer Erkenntnis des Mysteriums von Golgatha, GA 175 (1996), ISBN 3-7274-1750-1 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
• Rudolf Steiner: Entsprechungen zwischen Mikrokosmos und Makrokosmos, GA 201 (1987), ISBN 3-7274-2012-X English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org (here, the nutation period and the associated lunar rhythm and its relationship to the human soul life are also dealt with in particular)
• Rudolf Steiner: Das Verhältnis der verschiedenen naturwissenschaftlichen Gebiete zur Astronomie, GA 323 (1997), ISBN 3-7274-3230-6 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org (The essential basis for an understanding of the relationship of the human being to astronomical conditions can be found here)

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.