The Natural Sun
Announcements about our sun and its natural conditions
- Chapter 34 -
The third pair of equatorial belts. The northern belt in correspondence with the planet Mars.
As previously determined, we shall now move to the third belt. This belt is the smallest, both north and south and measures on average not much over a thousand GM in diameter between the two mountain chains. Notwithstanding this, its circle still extends to over three hundred thousand GM.
2
This equatorial belt has no continuous sea either, but has instead bigger individual and more stretched out seas than the previous one.
3
The land itself is less mountainous than any of the others we have spoken about except the frontier-mountains, which of course are notable, radiating minor chains into the plateau. These offshoots as well as less notable run-off chains are at the same time the only mountains covering this land, which, as said, is mostly made up of plains.
4
Since we have seen, that with the exception of the main equator, all sub-equatorial belts correspond to the planets, you might ask whether this equator does not do so? And I say unto you, that it is so. This belt corresponds to the planet Mars.
5
But just as this planet is a rather meagre one and indeed the paltriest of all the planets, so the corresponding belt also is the most meagre of all the equatorial belts.
6
What is the nature of the paltriness? This is not from the spiritual but the natural aspect.
7
Firstly, the people themselves are rather unsightly and of little beauty, small and rather fat and of little attraction outwardly being of a light brown colour and are frequently dark. Their facial features greatly resemble your Greenlanders, Laplanders and some Eskimos. Their clothing however differs from the aforementioned peoples, consisting of a type of apron bound around the neck and reaching over the entire body to below the knees and is uniform for male and females. There are openings for the hands on both sides to extend the arms for work; after which they withdraw their rather unattractive hands back under the coat. This is paltriness number one.
8
Secondly the vegetation and the animal kingdom are also meagre because vegetation is limited to a few species of unsightly fruit trees whose cultivation yields the inhabitants of this belt only paltry nutrition. The grass upon this equator being sparse in itself, roughly resembles moss upon Earth which you not infrequently see on some old trees and occasionally upon some old straw thatched rooves of poor country cottages.
9
The ground here is quite solid and frequently stony and sandy, especially upon the coasts and banks of great seas and rivers.
10
The animal kingdom however consists of a single species of sheep, which approximately resembles your elves of Siberia. This animal provides them with tasty milk and from its fine wool they make their essential clothing. Then there is a species of worm that feeds on grass, similar to your silkworm, which by nature spins lengthy threads over the ground, somewhat like your spider. These threads are collected by the residents for the preparation of cloth, mostly for women's coats.
11
The air is inhabited by just one bird species, which is quite numerous. The residents also tame some of them and use their feathers for their resting places, consisting in no more than a mound dug up from the ground over which they spread feathers covering same with the coat material.
12
The waters on the other hand are quite lively with vessels sailing along the coasts. Therewith another sparsity.
13
A third type of paltriness is their dwelling, for these normally consist of a niche-type earth mound dugout, which rises about six metres above the ground. Into this are dug further niches of the same depth. Around the rim there is the above mentioned resting-bench, whilst in the background, also earthen, there is a sort of table on which they put their fruits when having a meal.
14
There are occasional large dwellings in the mountains, dug out of the latter.
15
Within these dwellings they prepare their basic tools for their simple, essential work. Their entire industry consists therein and is the aggregate natural wealth of these equatorial inhabitants.
16
Behold, this equator upon this belt and its corresponding planet is of extraordinarily meagre provision, but not so spiritually. Because due to the inhabitants finding few stimulants in the shape of their world, they are compensated by constant inner vision through which their paltry world is glorified and transfigured within, so that it gives far more joy to its people than the central equator.
17
Not that they are heroes in willpower but much more in every kind of self-denial. In this respect they are veritable Diogeneses. Due to this their inner spiritual life gains more scope and they see with their spiritual eyes, things of which no wise man of your Earth has yet dreamt.
18
That the above mentioned things make their national, domestic and religious constitutions simple goes without saying.
19
Their national constitution is actually nothing other than a family relationship in line with which, related families erect their dwellings in proximity to each other, living in perpetual peace and harmony.
20
Their education focuses on the spiritual, being concerned only that their children's spirit develops early inner independence. Once the children, through their doing and letting alone, have passed the necessary tests, they are guided to the "God Man", having to recognize Him as the foundation of all things and as the sole leader of the human race.
21
For they say: when you are in a strange house there is not much for you to do or care for, whilst in your parent's house you are in any case looked after. But we are in the world as in a strange house so what should we care? If however we are within the independence of our spirit, then we are in the parent's house and hence looked after; for God the best Man, cares for all His beings in this house like the best father for his children in his own house. And so we have just one concern and that is to get into that house! Once there, we are provided with everything; for notwithstanding the God Man's meagre provision for our external world, it being a strange house, he has fitted out yonder fatherland house in which He cares for us like the best father for his children.
22
Behold, due to this simple principle, their religious constitution consists solely of everyone striving firstly for his spiritual independence and that along the path of humility and self-denial, and to then increasingly recognize the Good Man and to be guided by Him.
23
This is all that these equatorial inhabitants can show by way of education. You shall find no temples, houses of prayer and schools whatever. Rather, the fatherly niche found in every family is all in all, because in this niche the father gathers his entire family, numbering about thirty, from time to time, teaching them about the inner fatherland, and how to find the true house Father within same. And on concluding his instruction consisting of talks and stories, he blesses his family, who can then return to light work or move to their own somewhat smaller niches and quietly think about the foregoing and probe how far the inner fatherland has revealed itself.
24
The prayer and hence the entire divine service consists of no more than constant live yearning to make the acquaintance of the best Good Man and therefore the only true house Father.
25
The indication of whether one person or the other is close to the door of the great House Father and that it will open to him soon, is when you hear a resounding song of the spheres. The people also have a saying about this: when you hear the great worlds singing the House Father an exalted hymn, then you know that you stand close to the threshold of yonder door leading into the holy house of the only true and supremely good Father.
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When someone can testify to having heard this, then the others are overjoyed and wish him good luck and steadfastness in the pursuit of his Path.
27
When someone has fully entered into this inner fatherland, then a feast of joy is held in their family house to which the neighbours are also invited. This feast is also the only one that you will get to see here, consisting always of a moderate meal and finally a united praise of the only true House Father.
28
Those who feel fully at home in the inner house are also acquainted with the Lord's Incarnation and are most elated about it. But it is not made known to them how unthankful the people of that planet are towards the supremely good House Father, who showed their Earth the unspeakable grace of wanting to take on the condition of human flesh.
29
Now behold, therewith we have completed the northern belt. Concerning its corresponding southern belt, this covers the four small planets whose correspondence with this belt we shall treat next time, before we proceed to the fourth equatorial belt. And therewith we conclude for today.