The Four Ages: Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron - (285)

Introduction

It is something very peculiar, that passages of man’s course through time should be put into four stages or ages with each stage being characterised by a metal. Why a metal I have always asked myself.

Origin - Ovid

These four ages of man was laid down by Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso), a Roman poet, who is most known for his work called Metamorphoses, which comprises 15 books of continuous mythological narrative. He lived in Rome from 42BC to 17/18AD and his work is one of the most important sources of classical mythology.

Significance of Metals

The four ages of humanity being described each with a particular metal indicates to us that metals must be significantly related to the changes that occur in humanity in moving from one age to the next and that the nature of humanity in each age.

Humanity in the four ages according to Ovid are very briefly described below.

Gold

According to Ovid, a period of humanity’s history where there were no laws as everyone knew the law inherently within their own being and acted accordingly. Peace reigned with no violence and need for weapons. The land offered its fruit without the need to toil, and an eternal spring reigned. This was the period of human utopia in other words a time of real peace and prosperity.

Silver

Ovid says the seasons were introduced in this period, however the changes between seasons were much less dramatic then what they are now. Though there were from time to time harsh conditions requiring man to build and take shelter and toil in the form agriculture became more and more necessary.

Bronze

Ovid does not say too much here only that there was an increased tendency towards cruelty and violence and weapons were first made however, the degeneration was not so great to enter into the sacrilegious.

Iron

According to Ovid this is the last period. Which is the worst, because every evil impiety occurs, a real dark age, where greed, war, betrayal, lust, materialism and degeneration are rife.

Gnosis and the Four Ages

In Gnosis these four ages are also mentioned and they essentially depict the level of spiritual development at the time, or the general level of Being of humanity during that period.

7 Races and the Four Ages

The first two races and up until the third sub race of Lemuria before the division in sexes occiurred and the later the fall, was the age of gold for humanity. The third sub-race and into the beginning of Atlantis was the Age of Silver. From middle to later on in Atlantis came the Bronze Age and at the end of Atlantis until today came rose the Age of Iron.

Why Metals?

It is very interesting to see how metals are used to describe the age or level of spiritual development of humanity. There are many good reasons for this with the major ones being that the use of metals by human beings depends on their level of Being. Each metal according to its particular properties and characteristics lends itself to different uses, and of course the use a human being being makes out of something goes all in accordance with his or her level of Being.

Iron

For example, within the Iron Age, the metal iron the metal most used by humanity. Iron by its properties and characteristics, affordable, strong and versatile, makes it the metal of industry (consumerism), construction, transport, conquest (war). Essentially the human use of iron facilitates man to make war and produce all the objects of materialism. Iron has essentially made industry and factories and transportation possible and so consumerism and materialism has flourished with these inventions, which all depend upon iron.

Gold

Gold is very much still sought after now days but not as something that is really used practically. It more used for psychological purposes such as vanity, power, security, influence and as a measure of wealth. It does have some practical uses in electronics and medicine but mainly its uses is not so practical. It is just sought after as something to possess and not to use.

In the Age of Gold, gold was the metal most commonly used and in those times, gold was used in the temples and adored as being akin to Divinity and as human beings were in touch with Divinity in those times gold was the metal that served a real practical use and logically, gold should really represent these times where the level of human spiritual development is high as it is in the Age of Gold.

Conclusion

So the use, we give to metals are really an indicator for humanity’s level of Being.

End (285).