עברית in Cognitive Yoga I described the gradual spiritualization of the etheric body from head via heart to limbs, not in theoretical and general anthroposophical concepts, but as it is actualized in the real spiritual praxis, step by step, from the head to heart and then also in the metabolic-limb and reproductive systems.
The 3 Centuries of the Age of Michael and the Three Stages of the Spiritualization of the Etheric Body from head to heart and limbs
In my book, Cognitive Yoga: Making Yourself a New Etheric Body and Individuality, I described how the etheric body is released from the physical body and is spiritualized in three stages from head via the heart to limbs. It starts in the nerve-senses system in the head, moved to the spiritualized forces of the etheric heart-and lung rhythmic system, in the chest, and finally anchored in the spiritualized etheric forces of the metabolic-limb and reproductive system, in the lower body.
This process underlies the development of the stream of Michael during the three centuries of his present age. In the first Michaelic century, the 20th century, anthroposophy could only be grasped with the forces of the head. This gave it the common intellectual signature. In the second century of Michael, the 21st century, it must be fully embodied in the released etheric forces of the heart; and in the third and last full Michaelic century, the 22nd century, it must be able to be embodied in the released etheric forces of the metabolic-limb and reproductive systems.
You can study more closely the consequences of the release of the etheric heart in the third chapter of The New Experience of the Suprasensible. The book Cognitive Yoga is based on working with the released etheric forces from head to heart, and the etheric forces the metabolic-limb and reproductive systems, that will be released after 2100. It describes the three stages of the release and spiritualization of the etheric body, from the head to heart and limbs, which must take place in the three centuries of the present age of Michael. In the 22nd century, the third and last full century of the age of Michael, after the etheric head and heart have been fully released and spiritualized in the 20th and 21st centuries, the etheric body will have to be released and spiritualized also in the metabolic-limb and reproductive systems. Therefore, in Cognitive Yoga I tried to describe the gradual spiritualization of the etheric body from head via heart to limbs, not in theoretical and general anthroposophical concepts, but as it is actualized in the real spiritual praxis, step by step, from the head to heart and then also in the metabolic-limb and reproductive systems. In the 22nd century, the third and last full century of the present age of Michael, we will have to work with the whole released and spiritualized etheric body and integrate it consciously with the creative Michael-Christ forces in the etheric world.
What made possible the threefold process of spiritualizing the etheric body from head to limbs, described in Cognitive Yoga? It became possible for the first time in human evolution, because of the recent change in the constitution of the etheric body. Rudolf Steiner points out that the etheric body was released from the physical head since the times of ancient Greek. He says that ‘since the 3rd century BC the old intimate connection between the etheric head and the physical head has been lost’. This is the reason why in Athens humans could begin to think in a free human manner, and not only receive divine thoughts as inspirations from the gods. On the other hand, ‘the intimate connection was still maintained between the physical heart and the etheric heart until the year 1721’. This means that from the beginning of the 18th century, ‘the connection between the human physical and etheric heart will grow weaker, in a remarkable way and the etheric heart will be totally released from the physical heart in 2100’. This fact is of the greatest significance for all the present and near future development of the real Michaelic work and worst ahrimanic and luciferic possibilities, described also in Spiritual Science in the 21st Century. And this is the decisive indication, that ‘the released etheric body will acquire a right connection to the spiritual world only when man strive for spiritual knowledge’. [1]
I investigated this development for many years, since I realized that not only the Michaelic beings are interested in that part of the etheric body released from the heart. The more it is released- and today most of it is already released- the luciferic and ahrimanic beings are very eager to use this opportunity to take hold of it and manipulate it for their opposing aims. They know that they have the greatest opportunity in this age to control the whole human being, because if you control the etheric head and heart, you will also control the metabolic-limb and reproductive etheric forces, and this means the whole human constitution.
[1] Lecture of 5 April 1919 (GA 190)Continue Reading in Cognitive Yoga: Making Yourself a New Etheric Body and Individuality