brought to greater perfection. While the Lords of Form were
giving him a form which adapted him to Moon life, the Sun-Spirits were
giving him a nature which lifted him beyond that life. He had the power of
ennobling his own nature with the faculties given him by these Spirits,--in
fact, of raising what was akin to the lower kingdoms to a higher level.

Seen spiritually, the events now under consideration may be described in
the following way. Man's ancestor had been brought to greater perfection
by beings who had fallen away from the Sun kingdom. This improvement
extended especially to everything that could be experienced in the element
of water. Over that element the Sun-beings, who were rulers in the
elements of heat and air, had less influence. The consequence of this was
that in the organism of man's ancestor two kinds of beings manifested
themselves. One part of the organism was wholly interpenetrated by the
influences of the Sun-beings. In the other part, the rebellious
Moon-beings were operative. Owing to this, the latter part was more
independent than the former. In the former there could only arise states
of consciousness in which the Sun-beings lived; in the latter there lived
a kind of cosmic consciousness, such as was typical on Saturn, only now
upon a higher level.

Man's ancestor consequently felt himself to be an "image of the universe,"
whereas his "Sun-part" felt itself to be only an "image of the Sun." The
two beings now came to a kind of conflict in man's nature. A settlement of
this conflict was brought about by the influence of the Sun-beings,
through which the material organism which made the independent universal
consciousness possible, was rendered frail and perishable. From time to
time this part of the organism had to be thrown off. During and also some
time after the separation, man's ancestor was a being wholly dependent on
the Sun influence. His consciousness became less independent; he lived
within it, entirely surrendered to Sun-life. Then the independent portion
of the Moon was once more renewed. After some time this process was
repeated. Thus man's ancestor lived on the Moon in alternating conditions
of clearer and duller consciousness; and the alternation was accompanied
by a change of his being in a material respect. From time to time he laid
aside his Moon-body and resumed it later. Seen physically, great variety
appears in the kingdoms of the Moon above mentioned. The mineral-plants,