Primal Toltecs

The primal Toltecs were, according to Rudolf Steiner, the third subrace on ancient Atlantis. They were the first to develop clear forms of social coexistence:

„This kind of social coexistence only really developed in the third subrace (the Toltecs). The people of this race therefore first established what can be called communities, what can be called the first type of state formation. And the leadership, the government of these communities passed from the ancestors to the descendants. What had previously lived on only in the memory of fellow human beings was now passed on from father to son. The works of the ancestors were not to be forgotten by the whole family. In the descendants, what the ancestor had done was still valued. One only has to be clear about the fact that in those times people really had the power to pass on their gifts to their descendants. Education was calculated to model life in vivid images. And the effect of this education was based on the personal power that emanated from the educator. He did not sharpen the power of the intellect, but gifts that were more instinctive in nature. Through such a system of education, the father's ability really passed on to the son in most cases.

Under such conditions, personal experience became more and more important in the third sub-race. When one group of people separated from another, they brought with them the living memory of what they had experienced in the old setting in order to establish their new community. But at the same time, there was something in this memory that they did not find appropriate for themselves, that they did not feel comfortable with. In relation to this, they tried something new. And so, with each new such foundation, the conditions improved. And it was only natural that the better also found imitation. These were the facts on the basis of which, in the time of the third sub-race, those flourishing communities came into being which are described in Theosophical literature. And the personal experiences which were made found support on the part of those who were initiated into the eternal laws of spiritual evolution. Powerful rulers received initiation themselves, so that personal efficiency might have full support. Through his personal efficiency, man gradually becomes capable of initiation. He must first develop his powers from below, so that enlightenment can then be given to him from above. This is how the initiated kings and leaders of the Atlanteans came into being. They wielded enormous power, and the veneration they received was also great.

But this fact was also the reason for their decline and fall. The development of the power of memory led to the power of personality. Man wanted to count for something through this fullness of power. And the greater the power became, the more he wanted to exploit it for himself. The ambition that had developed became an outright selfishness. And with that, the abuse of power was a given. When one considers what the Atlanteans were able to do by controlling the life force, one will understand that this abuse had to have enormous consequences. A vast power over nature could be put in the service of personal self-love.“ (Lit.:GA 11, p. 37ff)

Literature

• Rudolf Steiner: Cosmic Memory, translated by Karl E. Zimmer, Harper & Row Publishers 1981, ISBN 0-06-067572-1 rsarchive.org

German

• Rudolf Steiner: Aus der Akasha-Chronik, GA 11 (1986), ISBN 3-7274-0110-9 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org

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