Die Entwicklung der Erde vom Saturnzustand {\"u}ber den Sonnen- und Mondzustand hat die vier Elemente W{\"a}rme, Gas, Fl{\"u}ssiges und Festes hervorgebracht. In jedem der drei erstgenannten Zust{\"a}nde wurde das dem folgenden Zustand entsprechende neue Element keimhaft angelegt. Deutet sich schon jetzt, nachdem wir die Mitte des Zustandes {\guillemotleft}Erde{\guillemotright} {\"u}berschritten haben, in den physikalischen Erscheinungen des Festen, d.h. des Gestalteten, auch hier ein neues - f{\"u}nftes - Element an, das erst sp{\"a}ter Grundlage unseres Daseins sein wird? [...]
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The development of the earth, going from the Saturn, the Sun and the Moon to our present state, has called forth the four elements, heat, gas, fluids and solids. In each of the first three states the germ of the subsequent new element was laid in the preceding one. Now that we have passed the middle of the "earth state" we ask the question whether we can notice a germ of a new fifth element in the physical phenomena of solids, one which will later become the basis of our existence in the Jupiter state. In the Heat Course Rudolf Steiner suggested that a new element, the U-region beneath that of solids, may be found where form acts upon form. He suggested that the image of such an element may be found in so-called optical polarization phenomena. We examine this idea, looking first at the various natural and artificial polarization phenomena in nature and those in technology. We then look at characterizations of the possible qualities of such a new element in the Jupiter state to see to what extent optical phenomena give an adequate expression to this notion.
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