The Four Ethers

Throughout the lectures of the Agriculture Course mention is made of the working of the four ethers; warmth, light, tone and life ether. The ethers act into the four elemental states of fire, air, water and earth as ordering, enlivening life-forces. Warmth ether may be compared to the warmth of enthusiasm, the willingness to sacrifice and the developing warmth that brings things to maturity, light ether has a quality of wisdom that is actively creative, which is similar to when a new idea lights up in us, tone ether arranges matter into ordered and harmonious relationships, while life ether embodies the essence of something, its wholeness, living meaning or Word. As bearers of cosmic formative forces, there is a relationship between the light ether and the etheric itself, the tone ether and the music of the planetary spheres, and the life ether with the creative forces of the zodiac.

• The Four Ethers – Reading 1
• The Four Ethers – Reading 2
• The Four Ethers – Reading 3

Ernst Marti’s comprehensive studies of the four ethers, The Etheric Vol 1 and The Etheric Vol 2, is recommended as further reading.