The Rudolf Steiner Archive

The fundamental feeling which I have wanted to call forth is this:—The individual who finds himself within the Anthroposophical Movement should begin to feel something of the peculiar karmic position which the impulse to Anthroposophy gives to a man. We cannot but confess that in the ordinary course of life man feels very little of his karma. He confronts his life as though the things that become his life's experience happened by fortuitous concatenations of circumstance. He pays little heed to the fact that the things that meet him in earthly life from birth till death contain the inner, karmic relationships of destiny. Or, if he does not consider this, he is all too prone to believe that a kind of fatalism is herein expressed,—and that human freedom is thereby called into question, and the like.

I have often said that the more intensely we penetrate the karmic connections, the more do we see the true essence of freedom. We need not therefore fear that by entering into the karmic relationships more accurately we shall lose our open and unimpaired vision of the essence of human freedom. I have described the matters connected with the former earthly lives of those who come into the Michael community, and with their lives between death and a new birth. You will have seen that with all such human beings, that is to say, in the last resort, with all of you—it is of the greatest importance, that the Spiritual plays a deep and significant part in the whole inner configuration of the soul.

In our materialistic age with all its conditions of life, of education and upbringing, a man can only come sincerely to a thing like Anthroposophy (otherwise his coming to it is insincere)—he can only come to it sincerely through the fact that he bears within him a karmic impulse impelling him towards the Spiritual. In this karmic impulse are summed up all those experiences which he underwent in the way I have described before he came down into the present earthly life.

Now, my dear friends, when a man is thus strongly united with spiritual impulses which work immediately upon his soul, he will as he descends from the spiritual into the physical worlds, enter less deeply, unite himself less strongly with the external, bodily nature. All those who have grown into the Michael stream as above described, were thus predestined to enter into this physical body with a certain reservation, if I may put it so. This too lies deep in the karma of the souls of anthroposophists.

In those, on the other hand, who out of an inner impulse quite consciously and anxiously hold themselves at a distance from things anthroposophical, we shall always find that they are fully and firmly established in the physical bodily nature. In the men of today who turn to that spiritual life which Anthroposophy would give, we find a looser relationship at any rate of the astral body and Ego-organisation with the physical and etheric organisation.

Now this means that such a man will less easily come to terms with his life. He will find life less easy to deal with, for the simple reason that he has more possibilities to choose from than other men. And he easily grows out of the very things that other men easily grow into. Think only, my dear friends, to what an intense degree many a human being of today is what the connections of outer life have made of him. No one can doubt that he fits into these connections, however questionable the thing may sometimes be in other respects. We see him as a clerk, a City man, a Builder, a Contractor, a Captain of industry and so forth. He is what he is as an absolute matter of course. There is no question about it. True, such a man will sometimes say he feels he was born for a better, or at any rate a different kind of life; but such a saying is not taken so very seriously. And now compare the infinite difficulties we find in those who are drawn by an inner impulse into the spiritual life of Anthroposophy. Perhaps we see it nowhere with such remarkable intensity as in the youth, and notably the youngest of the youth.

Take for instance the older pupils of the Waldorf School, those in the top classes of the school. We find, both in our boy and girl pupils, that they progress comparatively quickly in their development of soul and mind and spirit. But this does not make life any easier to take hold of for the young people. On the contrary, it generally becomes more difficult—being, as it is, more complicated. The possibilities become wider and more far-reaching. In the ordinary course of modern life, (certain exceptions being omitted) it is not overwhelmingly difficult for those who stand as teachers or educators beside the growing adolescent, to find the ways and means of giving sound advice. But when we bring our children on as we do in the Waldorf School, it becomes far more difficult to give advice, for the simple reason that the universal humanity is more developed in them. The wide horizon which the boy or girl acquires in the Waldorf School, places before their inner vision a greater number of possibilities.

Hence it is so necessary for Waldorf teachers—who again have been guided to this calling by their karma—to acquire a wide horizon and a broad outlook, a knowledge of the world and a sound feeling of what is going on in the world. At this point all the detailed educational principles and methods are far less important than wideness of outlook. Here again, in the karma of such a teacher, we see how large the number of possibilities becomes; far, far greater than in ordinary life. The child or adolescent confronts the Waldorf teacher, once again, not with definite and defined, but with manifold riddles,—differentiated in all conceivable directions.

The real karmic conditions and pre-disposing causes of all that impels a man to Anthroposophy will best be understood if we speak not in pedantic outline and definition, but rather hint at the things in one way or another, characterising more the atmosphere in which, if I may put it so, anthroposophists unfold their lives.

All this makes it necessary for the anthroposophist to pay heed to one condition of his karma—a condition that is sure to be present in him to a high degree. Much can be said,—and we shall still have to say many things—about the reasons why one or another character or temperament is drawn to Anthroposophy after the events of the spiritual world which I have described. But all these impulses, which bring the single anthroposophists to Anthroposophy, have as it were one counterpart, which the Spirit of the World has made more strong in them than in other men. All the many possibilities that are there with respect to the most manifold things in life, demand from the anthroposophist initiative—inner initiative of soul. We must become aware of this. For the anthroposophist this proverb must hold good. He must say to himself: “Now that I have become an anthroposophist through my karma, the impulses which have been able to draw me to Anthroposophy require me to be attentive and alert. For somehow or somewhere, more or less deeply in my soul, there will emerge the necessity for me to find inner initiative in life,—initiative of soul which will enable me to undertake something or to make some judgment or decision out of my own inmost being.” Verily, this is written in the karma of every single anthroposophist: “Be a man of initiative, and beware lest through hindrances of your own body, or hindrances that otherwise come in your way, you do not find the centre of your being, where is the source of your initiative. Observe that in your life all joy and sorrow, all happiness and pain will depend on the finding or not finding of your own individual initiative.” This should stand written as though in golden letters, constantly before the soul of the anthroposophist. Initiative lies in his karma, and much of what meets him in this life will depend on the extent to which he can become willingly, actively conscious of it.

You must realise that very, very much has been said in these few words. For in our time there is extraordinarily much that can lead one astray with respect to all that guides and directs one's judgment; and without clear judgment on the conditions of life, initiative will not find its way forth from the deep foundations of the soul. Now what is it that can bring us to clear judgment on the things of life, especially in this our age? My dear friends, let us here consider one of the most important and characteristic features of our time. Let us then answer the question: How can we come to a certain clarity of judgment in face of it?

You will see presently that in what I am now going to tell you we have a kind of “egg of Columbus.” With the egg of Columbus the point was to have the happy idea—how to set it up so that it would stand. In what I shall now tell you the point will also be to have the happy idea.

We live in the age of materialism. All that is taking place, by forces of destiny around us and within us, stands in the sign of materialism on the one hand, and of the intellectualism that is already so widespread, on the other. I characterised this intellectualism yesterday when I spoke of journalism and of the impulse everywhere to expatiate on the affairs of the world in public meetings, mass meetings and the like. We must become aware, to what an extent the man of today is subject to the influences of these two currents of the time. For it is almost as impossible to escape from these two, from intellectualism and materialism, as it is to avoid getting wet if you go out in the rain without an umbrella. These things are around us everywhere. After all, there are certain things we simply cannot know (and yet we have to know),—which we cannot know unless we read them in the papers. There are certain things we cannot learn (and we have to learn them) unless we learn them in the sense of materialism. How is one to become a doctor today, unless he is willing to consume a goodly portion of materialism? He can do no other than take the materialism too. He must do so as a matter of course, and if he is unwilling to do so he cannot become a proper doctor in the sense of the present age. Thus we are perpetually exposed to these things. This surely enters very strongly indeed into our karma.

Now all these things are as though created purposely to undermine initiative in the souls of men. Every public meeting, every mass meeting to which we go, only fulfils its purpose as such, if the initiative of the individual human being, with the exception of the speakers and leaders, is undermined. Nor does any newspaper fulfil its purpose if it does not create an atmosphere of opinion, thus undermining the individual's initiative.

These things must be seen. Moreover, we must remember that this ordinary consciousness of man is a very tiny chamber in the soul, while all that is going on around him, in the forms which I have just described, has a gigantic influence on his sub-conscious life. And after all, we have no alternative. Beside the fact that we are human beings pure and simple, we must be “contemporaries” of our age. Some people think it is possible in a given age to be a human being pure and simple, but this too would lead to our downfall. We must also be men and women of our age. Of course it is bad if we are no more than this; but we must be contemporaries of our age, that is to say, we must have a feeling of what is going on in our own time.

Now it is true that many anthroposophists let their minds be carried away from a living feeling of what is present in their time. For they prefer to paddle in the Timeless. In this respect one has the strangest experiences in conversation with anthroposophists. They are very well aware, for instance, who Lycurgus was, but their ignorance of their contemporaries, every now and then, is simply touching.

This too is due to the fact that such a man is pre-disposed to the unfolding of inner initiative. His karma having placed him in the world with this quality, he is always in the position (forgive the comparison) of a bee that has a sting but is afraid to use it at the right moment. The sting is the initiative, but the man is afraid to use it. He is afraid, above all, of stinging into the Ahrimanic realm. Not that he fears that he will thereby hurt the Ahrimanic. No, he is afraid that the sting will recoil into his own body. This, to some extent, is what his fear is like. Thus through an undetermined fear of life the initiative remains inactive.

These are the things which we must see through. On all hands, theoretically and practically, we meet with the materialism of our time. It is powerful, and we let our initiative be put off by it. If an anthroposophist has a sense for these things, he will perceive how he is being confused, put off, thrown back on every hand by materialism theoretical and practical, even in the deepest impulses of his will. Now this gives a peculiar form to his karma. If you will observe yourselves truly, you will discover it in your lives day by day, from morning until evening. And out of all this there naturally arises as a prevalent feeling of life: How shall I prove, theoretically and practically, the falsehood of materialism? This impulse lives in the hearts and minds of many anthroposophists. Somehow or other they want to convict materialism of falsehood. It is the riddle of life, the riddle that life has set so many of us in theory and practice: How shall we contrive to prove the falsehood of materialism?

Here is one who has been through the schools and has become a learned man. You will find many an example in the Anthroposophical Society. Now he is awakened to be an anthroposophist. He feels a tremendous impulse to refute materialism, to fight it, to say all manner of things against it. So he begins to attack and refute materialism, and maybe he thinks that in this very act he stands most thoroughly within the stream of Michael. But as a rule he meets with little success, and we cannot but admit: these things that are said against materialism, though they often proceed from a thoroughly good will, do not succeed. They make no impression upon the materialist in theory or practice. Why not?

This is the very thing that hinders our clarity of judgment. Here stands the anthroposophist. In order not to be hampered in his initiative, he wants to be clear what it is that confronts him in materialism. He wants to probe the wrongness of materialism to its foundations. But as a rule he finds little success. He thinks he is refuting materialism, but it is ever on its legs again. Why is this so?

Now comes what I have called the egg of Columbus. Why is it so, my dear friends? It is due to the simple fact that materialism is true. I have said this many times. Materialism is not wrong, it is quite right. Here lies the reason. And the anthroposophist should learn in a very special way the lesson that materialism is right. He should learn it in this way:—Materialism is right, but it holds good of the outer physical body only. The others, who are materialists, know the physical only,—or at least they think they know it. Here lies the error, not in the materialism itself. When we learn anatomy or physiology or practical outer life in the materialistic way we learn the truth, but it holds good in the physical alone. This confession must be made out of the inmost depths of our human being. I mean, the confession that materialism is right in its own domain—nay more, that it is the splendid achievement of our age to have discovered what is right and true in the domain of materialism. But the thing also has its practical, its karmically practical aspect.

This is what will happen in the karma of many an anthroposophist. He will come to have the feeling: Here am I living with human beings with whom indeed karma has united me. (I spoke of this yesterday). Here am I living with human beings who know materialism only. They only know what is true of the physical life, and they cannot approach Anthroposophy because they are put off by the very correctness of the knowledge that they have.

Now, my dear friends, we live in the age of Michael, and in our souls is the Intellectuality that fell from Michael. When Michael himself administered the Cosmic Intelligence, these things were different. From the materialism of that time, the Cosmic Intelligence was ever and again tearing his soul away. There were of course materialists even in former ages, but not as in our age. In former ages a man might be a materialist. Then with his Ego and astral body he was implanted in his physical and etheric body. He felt his physical body. But the Cosmic Intelligence, that Michael administered, tore his soul away from it ever and again. Today we are side by side—indeed we are often karmically united—with men in whom it is as follows. They too have the physical body; but the Cosmic Intelligence has fallen away from Michael and is living individually,—personally, as it were,—in the human being. Hence the Ego—all that is soul and spirit—remains in the physical body. Thus there are standing, side by side with us, men whose soul and spirit has dived deep down into their physical body.

When we stand side by side with non-spiritual human beings, we must see these things according to the truth. Our standing beside them must not merely call forth in us sympathy or antipathy in the ordinary sense. It must be an experience that moves our soul deeply, and it can indeed be a shattering experience, my dear friends.

To realise how tragic, how deeply moving an experience it must be, to stand thus side by side with materialists (who, as I said before, are right in their own way) we need only look at those among them who are often highly gifted and who out of certain instincts may have very good impulses indeed; yet they cannot come to spirituality. We see the tragedy of it when we come to consider the great gifts and noble qualities of many of those who are materialists. For after all, there can be no question but that they who in this time of great decisions do not find their way to the Spirit, will suffer harm in their soul-life for the next incarnation. Great as their qualities may be, they will suffer harm. And when we see how through their karma a number of human beings today have the inner impulse to spirituality while others cannot come near to it,—when we behold this contrast—our karmic living-together with such as I have here described should find a deep response within our souls. It should touch us and move us with a sense of tragedy. Until it does so, we shall never come to terms with our own karma. For if we sum up all that I have said of Michaelism, (if I may now so call it) then we shall find: the Michaelites are indeed taken hold of in their souls by a power that is seeking to work from the Spiritual into the full human being, even down into the Physical. I described it yesterday as follows. I said: these human beings will put aside the element of race,—the element which, from natural foundations of existence, gives the human being such or such a stamp. If a man is taken hold of by the Spirit in this earthly incarnation inasmuch as he now becomes an anthroposophist he is thereby prepared in future to become a man no longer distinguished by such external features but distinguished rather by what he was in the present incarnation. Let us be conscious of this in all humility: The time will come when in these human beings the Spirit will reveal its own power to form the physiognomy,—to shape the whole form of man.

Such a thing has never yet been revealed in the history of the world. Hitherto the physiognomies of men have been formed on the basis of their nationality, out of the Physical. Today we can still tell by the physiognomy of men, where they hail from,—especially when they are young, when the cares of life or the joys and divine enthusiasms of life have not yet left their mark. But in the time to come there will be human beings by whose physiognomy and features alone one will be able to tell what they were in their past incarnation. One will know that in their past incarnation they penetrated to the things of the Spirit. Then will the others stand beside them, and what will their karma then signify? It will have cast aside the ordinary karmic affinities.

My dear friends, in this respect he above all who knows how to take life in real earnest will tell you: One has been karmically united, or is still karmically united, with many who cannot find their way into this spirituality. And however many a kinship may still be left in life, one feels a more or less deep estrangement, a justified estrangement. The karmic connection, as it would work itself out in ordinary life, falls away; it goes. But it remains for something different. I would put it in this way:—From the one who stands outside in the field of materialism to the one who stands in the field of spirituality, nothing else will remain of karma; but this one thing will remain, that he must see him. He will become attentive to him. We can look to a time in the future, when those who in the course of the 20th century are coming ever more into the things of the Spirit, will stand side by side with others who were karmically united with them in the former life on earth. In that future time the karmic affinities, the karmic relationships, will make themselves felt far less. But of all the karmic relationships this will have remained: Those who are standing in the field of materialism will have to see and witness those who stand in the field of spirituality. Those who were materialists today will in the future have to look continually upon those who came to the things of the Spirit. This will have been left of karma.

Once again a shattering, a deeply moving act, my dear friends. And to what end? Truly it lies in a far-reaching Divine cosmic plan. For how will the materialists of today let anything be proved to them? By having it before their eyes—by being able to touch it with their hands. Those who stand in the field of materialism will be able to see with their eyes and touch with their hands those with whom they once were karmically united, perceiving in their physiognomy, in their whole expression, what the Spirit really is, for it will have become creative in outer form and feature. In such human beings it will thus be proved, visibly for the eyes of man, what the Spirit is as a creative power in the world. And it will be part of the karma of anthroposophists to demonstrate, for those who stand in the field of materialism today, that the Spirit truly is, and proves itself in man himself, through the wise councils of the Gods.

But to come to this, it is necessary for us to confront intellectualism, not in a vague and nebulous and ill-advised way, but truly. We must not go out, my dear friends, without an umbrella. I mean, we are exposed to all that I described above as the two streams—all the writing in the papers, all the talking in public meetings. As we cannot escape becoming wet if we go out without umbrellas, so these things too come over us, we cannot escape them. In the tenderest age of childhood,—when we are twenty to twenty-four years old—we have to pursue our studies (whatever they may be) through materialistic books. Yes, in this tender age of childhood—the age of twenty to twenty-four—they take good care to saturate and well prepare our inner life. For, as we study what is there put before us, we are trained in materialism by the very structure and configuration of the sentences. We are utterly defenseless. There is no help for it.

Such a thing cannot be countered by merely formal arguments. We cannot keep a man of today from being exposed to intellectual materialism. To write non-materialistic text-books on botany or anatomy today, simply would not do. The connections of life will not permit of it. The point is, my dear friends, that we should take hold of these things in no merely formal sense but in their reality. We must understand that since Michael no longer draws out the soul-and-spirit from the physical bodily nature as in times past, Ahriman can play his game with the soul-and-spirit as it lives within the body. Above all when the soul-spiritual is highly gifted and is yet firmly fastened in the body, then especially it can be exposed to Ahriman. Precisely in the most gifted of men does Ahriman find his prey,—so as to tear the Intelligence from Michael, remove it far from Michael. At this point something happens which plays a far greater part in our time than is generally thought. The Ahrimanic spirits, though they cannot incarnate, can incorporate themselves; temporarily they can penetrate human souls, permeate human bodies. In such moments the brilliant and overpowering spirit of an Ahrimanic Intelligence is stronger than anything that the individual being possesses,—far, far stronger. Then, however intelligent he may be, however much he may have learned, and especially if his physical body is thoroughly taken hold of by all his learning, an Ahrimanic spirit can for a time incorporate itself in him. Then it is Ahriman who looks out of his eyes, Ahriman who moves his fingers, Ahriman who blows his nose, Ahriman who walks.

Anthroposophists must not recoil from knowledge such as this. For such a thing alone can bring the realities of intellectualism before our souls. Ahriman is a great and outstanding Intelligence, and Ahriman's purpose with earthly evolution is overwhelming and thorough. He makes use of every opportunity. If the Spiritual has implanted itself so strongly in the bodily nature of a human being,—if the bodily nature is taken hold of by the Spirit to such an extent that the consciousness is thereby in a measure stunned or lowered or impaired,—Ahriman uses his opportunity. And then it happens (for in our age this has become possible) then it happens that a brilliant spirit takes possession of the human being, overpowering the human personality; and such a spirit, dwelling within a human personality and overpowering him, is able to work upon earth—able to work just like a human being.

This is the immediate striving of Ahriman, and it is strong. I have told you, my dear friends, of what will be fulfilled at the end of this century, with those who now come to the things of the Spirit and take them in full earnestness and sincerity. This is the time above all, which the Ahrimanic spirits wish to use most strongly. This is the time they want to use, because human beings are so completely wrapped up in the Intelligence that has come over them. They have become so unbelievably clever. Why, we are quite nervous today about the cleverness of the people we shall meet! We can scarcely ever escape from this anxiety, for nearly all of them are clever. Really we cannot escape from this anxiety about the cleverness of men. But of a truth the cleverness which is thus cultivated is used by Ahriman. And when moreover the bodies are especially adapted to a possible lowering or diminution of consciousness, it may happen that Ahriman himself emerges, incorporated in human form. Twice already it can be demonstrated that Ahriman has thus appeared as an author. And for those who desire as anthroposophists to have a clear and true vision of life, it will be a question of making no mistakes, even in such a case.

For what is the use of it, my dear friends, if someone finds a book somewhere and writes his name on it and he is not the author? The true author is confused with another. And if Ahriman is the author of a book, how can it be of any benefit if we do not perceive who is the true author, but hold a human being to be the author? For Ahriman by his brilliant gifts can find his way into everything—he can slip into the very style of a man. He has a way of approach to all things. What good can come of it if Ahriman is the real author, and we mistake it for a human work? To acquire the power of discrimination in this sphere too, is absolutely necessary, my dear friends.

I wanted to lead up to this point, describing thus in general a phenomenon which is also playing its part in our present age. In next Friday's lecture I shall have to speak of such phenomena in greater detail.

Report in the “Mitteilungen für die Mitglieder der Anthroposophischen Gesellschaft (Theosophischen Gesellschaft), herausgegeben von Mathilde Scholl”, No. 1/1913

At 10:15 a.m., Dr. Rudolf Steiner opens the meeting with the following words:

"In place of the eleventh General Assembly of the German Section, which, as you will hear, I am logically no longer able to hold in view of the events that have occurred, I hereby open the meeting of the Theosophical friends who are present.

I ask you to consider the words that, logically, I can no longer open the General Assembly of the Theosophical Society of the German Section here, in view of the facts that have occurred. What has happened will be the subject of the proceedings; what I have to say to you before anything else is what was not bound to any external organization in previous years either, but to our heartfelt theosophical empathy. And it is out of this heartfelt theosophical empathy that I greet you on this, our day of assembly. It is to be hoped that this warm and beautiful bond that has united us for so many years will also unite us this time, insofar as we have an understanding of what we wanted. And from the feeling of this unity, let me express in a few words only the warmest greeting, in a few words, because we will still have a lot to do today and the following negotiations should begin as soon as possible.

What I would like is that at least perhaps in a single act not a few dark rays shine in that could shine in later; that is, in view of the difficulties of our negotiations, we remember right at the beginning this time those who, since we last gathered here, when our dear Theosophical friends left the physical plan.

I need not, of course, particularly emphasize today, after years of talking about the feelings and emotions in such cases, that for the truly sensitive Theosophist, a person's transition from one plan to another is just a change of form of existence, and that, since we feel connected by ties that are not bound to one plan, these ties to our dear Theosophical friends will remain the same even if they are obliged to exchange one plan for another. Thus those who have passed away from us will have loving friends in us, and we will have loving friends in them, as we turn our thoughts wherever we can to those who were so often allowed to go there when they were still working with us on the physical plane.

First and foremost, I have to mention a member who worked with us theosophically for many years in such a way that her kind and loving heart brought her intimate friends everywhere. Those who have had the opportunity to be touched by Mia Holm's beautiful poetic talent are particularly aware of how significant it was to have this personality in our midst, and how we have every reason to remember this personality forever and ever, as far as we feel connected to her. There are many among us who loved Mia Holm dearly, who also had a deep love for her poetic talent, for her entire lovable personality.

Secondly, I would like to mention not only a long-standing member of our Theosophical work, but also, so to speak, the oldest Theosophist we ever had, our dear Mrs. Bontemps in Leipzig. She belonged to our way of thinking and feeling so completely with all her heart that when we spoke to her, even the most ordinary things that came from her lips felt imbued with Theosophical sentiment and warmth. And those who got to know Mrs. Bontemps well appreciate her good heart, her in so many ways great and comprehensive character, her so easily the hearts of people justifiably winning theosophical attitude. It was deeply satisfying to me that I could still say many a word to her in the last days when she was still on the physical plane, when she could no longer leave her sickbed. And just as many of the words I was able to speak to her in her healthier days will remain unforgettable to me, so too will the conversations I was able to have with her at her last sickbed.

I have to mention the young lady [Clara Brandt], who ended her life on the physical plane this summer in a regrettable accident. I emphasize explicitly, because misunderstandings have spread in many ways, that Miss [Brandt] died a very natural death, caused by a state of weakness that led to the misfortune of her unfortunate fall; it was nothing more than a very natural death. We remember how she was devoted to the Theosophical cause for many years, in spite of many difficulties, and how this Theosophical cause made her what she wanted to be.

I have many loyal and dear friends to remember, both those I have recently gained and those who have been with us for many years. If I were to say everything that is on my mind here, it would be a very long speech, and one that is only of value if we all start our thoughts about our departed friends from a loving attitude.

Thus I have to commemorate a long-standing member, Mr. Leo Ellrich from the Leipzig Lodge.

Thus I have to commemorate a particularly painful death, because we are not only painfully affected in this case by the fact that the deceased has left the physical plane, but has also left behind the deeply grieving husband, who is our dear member. When we consider the beautiful way in which Dr. [Roesel], who belonged to the Bielefeld Lodge, found her way into the Theosophical movement, how she strove to enter it, when we remember that, then we most certainly empathize with our dear friend Dr. [Roesel], who is such a loyal and much-loved member.

I have to remember two friends from Basel who were held in high regard and loved in their immediate circle, the two members Gottlieb [Hiltboldt] and Wilhelm Vockroth. They were loyal, dear, self-sacrificing, Theosophical co-workers.

Furthermore, I have to remember the man who passed away not only because of the physical suffering of his painful existence, our friend Hugo [Boltze] in Eisenach. Most of our friends know Hugo [Boltze]; he really had a lot to suffer, and we were devoted to him in loyalty and love and will remain so. After seven years of very painful illness, this disease had to lead to death. We stand before him in such a way that we will surely send him our best and most loving thoughts.

We also have to remember a dear friend, Mr. Hans Schellbach, who, after seeking healing in a southern Theosophical colony, could not be saved in the physical life. Suffice it to say that he remained true to his Theosophical beliefs until his last breath, as he had always demonstrated them in life. That they were a healing medicine for him, that he was so attached to Theosophy that it was the strength that could sustain him in the happiest as well as in the most painful moments of life.

I must also mention a friend whose death was, in a certain respect, extraordinarily tragic, who was a close friend of a man who was close to the theosophical circle, Mr. Georg Bauernfeind. It would not be appropriate here to speak about the details of our friend's life. It should only be said that Theosophy can lead us to understand every kind of seeking, every kind of spiritual experience, and that we will also understand this man's final path to death.

Furthermore, I have to mention a man who had a great deal of theosophy in his mind, but whom few got to know, Mr. Meakin, who left the physical plane last October after working with us more and more intensely and intensively for a long time.

Miss [Bloecker], Mrs. Major Herbst, Mrs. Marty, I also have to mention them. Even if they have been less prominent in our movement, we are no less called upon to feel united with them beyond the grave. We know, my dear Theosophical friends, how indissoluble our bond remains with those who have left the physical plane through death, and we know that they have entered another sphere of life. So let this moment of union be the starting point for you to feel connected to these friends of ours in the sense just expressed, and that you will continue to feel connected to these friends in the future. Let us express these loving thoughts and feelings that we send to our deceased friends by rising from our seats.

Dr. Steiner: “My dear Theosophical friends! First of all, a request has been received that I have to answer as a request regarding the agenda. The request is:

Is the resolution of the board of December 8, 1912, to expel the members of the 'Order of the Star of the East' from the German Section of the Theosophical Society, considered to have been carried out without the General Assembly having voted on it and agreed to it?

Hermann Ahner

I would just like to add a few words to this request. I would like to say that the decision to exclude the members of the “Star of the East” without further ado was never taken by the board in this version, but that the members of the “Star of the East” were asked to resign, otherwise the board would be forced to exclude them. But now a request had been received from a member of the “Star of the East” asking whether such a member would still be allowed to remain in the meeting in that case, and whether I would like this member to address a few kind words to the General Assembly. I replied that I actually had enough of interfering in the affairs of the General Assembly in any way, and that the General Assembly would have to decide on this. During my absence, the board felt compelled to ask the delegates themselves whether they wished members of the “Star of the East” to attend today's general assembly. The delegates responded almost without exception that they did not wish members of the “Star of the East” to be present. After this announcement by the delegates, I was no longer authorized to open the General Assembly to the members of the 'Star of the East'. And whatever distortions have been made in the world, those who want to check will see that I have never acted otherwise than as a representative, as the executive organ of the German Section. As Secretary General, I never wanted to follow my own will, but always that of the Section.

Furthermore, however, it must be said that, after long consideration of the matter, because the matter can no longer be otherwise, I am no longer in a position to hold the eleventh general assembly of the German section at all, but only to hold a meeting in its place with our friends, because logically a German section no longer exists. According to the board's decision of yesterday, it is no longer possible to hold this meeting in the way that previous general meetings have been held. But this means that the possibility of contesting today's meeting no longer applies. I will treat this meeting afterwards as an original meeting. Therefore, it should be considered whether there is any reason at all to decide at this meeting whether or not to implement the Executive Board's decision to expel the members of the Star of the East.

The Theosophical Society, German Section.

To the esteemed members of the German Section of the Theosophical Society who are members of the “Star of the East.

The undersigned are obliged to inform you that the Executive Board, which met in an extraordinary session on December 8, 1912, has passed the resolution set out below. This decision has not been taken because of any existing differences of opinion or divergent points of view, which may of course be represented in the Theosophical Society, but solely because the way in which the leadership of the “Star of the East” has related to the German Section appears to the Section to be quite incompatible with the first paragraph of the Constitution of the Theosophical Society. If it were to be said that the German Section excludes certain opinions and points of view, then this must be dismissed from the outset as incorrect.

The above-mentioned resolution reads: “The Executive Board of the German Section of the Theosophical Society regards membership of the Order of the Star of the East as incompatible with membership of the Theosophical Society and requests members of the Star of the East to resign from the Theosophical Society.

The board of the German Section will be forced to expel members who do not comply with this request from the German Section.

On behalf of the board of the German Section of the Theosophical Society.
The Secretary General. The Secretary.

[Dr. Steiner:] “The delegates have already agreed to this decision, but if Mr. Ahner wants to talk about it, he is of course free to do so.”

Mr. Ahner: “I can find no reason why the members of the ‘Star of the East’ should be excluded. The Theosophical Society, the all-embracing society, has a place for everyone. Therefore, I do not like to exclude such people who want to bring in a higher life and encourage a higher life. I do not know why Star members are excluded. I don't know to what extent the board has the right to do so. I would like to know whether this board decision is legally valid at all. I myself am not a star member, but I regret not understanding and I don't understand why this should happen, why disharmony should arise. I do not want the exclusion from my point of view, you can of course think differently about it. It is repugnant to me, decidedly unsympathetic, when we see our brothers in all people and then exclude them in a loveless way. I have nothing more to say about it, it was nothing more than a question to which an answer has already been given. I have nothing more to say about it."

Dr. Steiner: “Do you want a vote on this?” Mr. Ahner: “Yes, if possible.”

Dr. Steiner: “Since a vote is to take place, I ask the delegates to stand up who are in favor of excluding the Star members.”

A vote is taken. With the exception of Mr. Ahner, the delegates are in favor of the exclusion.

Dr. Steiner: “This is undoubtedly the majority, although the votes have not yet been counted. However, as a precaution, I would like the entire assembly to vote on it as well. Vote.” - With the exception of five, everyone is in favor of the exclusion.

Dr. Steiner: “Since I see myself only as an executive body, I am not able to reverse the decision of the board and to let the members of the ‘Star of the East’ call now.

My dear Theosophical friends! With a certain pain, which many of you who have worked with me over the years may feel, I begin this argument. I myself must remember that moment when we, a small number of friends, came here to this city a number of years ago to establish the German Section of the Theosophical Society. We came at that time to establish this Section because we had before us the ideal and the intention of working within the Theosophical Society for that which we regard as the high goods of human development. We entered into this movement at that time with the sole intention of working faithfully in the field indicated. A committee was elected at the first constituent General Assembly.

Not all those who were elected at the time are still on the committee; nor are all of them still on the physical plane.

The first difficulty that arose for us, after I had been preceded by a number of difficulties, was this, which originated from a man who has now once again begun the difficulties within the German Section within the Theosophical Society. After Dr. Huebbe-Schleiden, who was one of the veterans, so to speak, of the Theosophical movement, had been willingly elected to the executive council, he began writing letter after letter within a few weeks, and there was really no end to them. In the letters, which partly preceded the founding of the Section and partly followed it, there were some, for example, that contained the content: one should limit the power of the President of the Theosophical Society, the Adyar Presidium, and instead of that, set up a kind of Areopagus of members, who stand at the head of autonomous national societies, so that in no way could there be interference from a Presidium. At the time, Dr. Huebbe-Schleiden wanted a completely republican structure for the Theosophical Society. Another proposal was to exclude women from the Theosophical movement, a movement in which reason and judgment should prevail, because women were considered to have less reason and judgment than men because they had less mental ability. At the time, I raised the slight objection of whether the dead Mrs. Blavatsky, who founded the movement, should also be excluded, but I did not receive any clarification on the matter. Before the Genoa Congress, Dr. Huebbe-Schleiden suggested that he, I and a few other members, among whom not the astral element of women but the mental element of men should be represented, should negotiate before the said congress on what would be beneficial for the Society, because he was familiar with the intentions that Mrs. Blavatsky and Mrs. Besant had originally had. But then followed the request that only men of sound mind, who alone had a mental aptitude, should participate in that conference. I have not had the opportunity to ask how the writer of the letter could legitimately have mentioned the two women in the first part of the letter, since in the last part of the letter, on the same page, he gave the cited judgment.

After this mention of a later fact, I continue from the announcement that difficulties arose for us right at the beginning of the founding of the section, and that then Dr. Hübbe-Schleiden resigned from the board after a few weeks without being pushed to do so. Those of our friends who are in a position to know about this will know how I have accommodated Dr. Hübbe-Schleiden in all things in the ten years since then. I believe I may touch on these matters here, because today the objective should combine with the personal in an objective manner. I believe there are members among you who know how, out of full love, justified goodwill and justified humanity, those of our friends who need something take up – I may say so, take up – that which is called time, which is not elastic and cannot be stretched. By presenting this claim as something absolutely justified, the fact cannot be denied that enormous amounts of time have been used in the direct contact between people. From person to person, most of our time was spent in our work. And the question may arise as to whether, within this practice of Theosophical love within our society, it was possible to insist that our precious time should be sacrificed to people who only came as troublemakers. That was the reason for the various measures that have been taken. Out of these convictions, out of real insight, we have allowed the restrictions to be put in place, for no other reason than because we wanted to work in true human love, and because we did not want to just make love-dripping speeches and therefore did not want to have our time taken away by insincere disruption.

The person who was most aware that we couldn't possibly make progress if anyone could come in and disturb us was Dr. Hübbe-Schleiden. Because I can say quite objectively that Dr. Hübbe-Schleiden is one of the people who often took up the most of my time. Never would this word have crossed my lips if necessity had not forced me to utter it. It is necessary for the mask to fall away from much that is dripping with love, but carries something quite different in its heart.

No person who wishes to work peacefully with us should be excluded from our German section because of their views, their point of view, or their attitude. It goes without saying that each lodge has the right to set its own conditions. No other resolution has been adopted other than that the name of the lodge board should appear on the admission form, in addition to the names of the two guarantors, so that the general secretary is informed whether the lodge board agrees. In this case, anyone could still become a member of the section. There can be no question of an amendment to the statutes. It can therefore be said that in the practices of admitting members, this decision has not had any practical effect. All those who were rejected later would have been rejected earlier.

Before I get to what needs to be said today, a little history needs to be presented here. It is one of many things that happened that difficulties arose for all those who worked with Misses Besant. Everyone has experienced these difficulties and has expressed them numerous times, privately and publicly. One should only want to assess these things correctly. Once, and I can still show the exact place where it happened, I said to Dr. Huebbe-Schleiden that it was really quite difficult to work with Mrs. Besant. That was before 1906, before she became president. Dr. Huebbe-Schleiden told me that it was so because, first of all, she was a woman and, secondly, she had no mental education.

Then there were a series of events that followed, which were only known to the German Section to the extent that they had to be dutifully announced. Then came the unpleasant Leadbeater affair. From a circular you know that I strictly and energetically rejected Leadbeater's method because, if it became general, it would have to bring about the downfall of the entire Theosophical movement. At that time Mrs. Besant had a different opinion of Leadbeater; she sent a detailed letter to a number of members in which she stated that what Leadbeater had done could only have been done by someone who was insane on this point. That was in June 1906. I would not mention this letter if it had not since been printed in the main journals. So the publication would not happen through me. I will not speak of how I tried at the time to bring clarity to the matter, I will only mention how from 1906 to 1907 Mrs. Besant had come to the point of vigorously advocating this man whom she had called mentally ill the year before. I will not emphasize all the other things, only that when Mr. Leadbeater was to be invited to rejoin the Theosophical Society in 1909, I refused to vote for this entry. I wanted to abstain. Mrs. Besant wrote back to me that she could see from my letter that I was not against it, so she would use my vote for re-entry. I now had to demand by telegram, since there was no time for a letter, that my written instructions to abstain from voting be followed. I would just like to emphasize that Mrs. Besant later reported that it had been unanimously decided by the general secretaries to invite Leadbeater to rejoin the Theosophical Society.

As things turned out, there was no choice but to work positively and to keep ourselves free from Mrs. Besant's influence. Whether or not we succeeded in this, I leave entirely to your judgment. There was no other choice but to work positively in such a way that we made progress and paid attention to nothing but our work, until we were energetically disturbed in this work without anything having happened that would have justified this external disturbance.

One day, Dr. Huebbe-Schleiden, who had always sought my help, came and declared that he was the representative of the Star of the East Society in Germany. Among other things, he explained: Since there appeared to be a contradiction between what Mrs. Besant teaches and what Dr. Steiner teaches, I should in future formulate my teachings in such a way that my listeners could not construct any contradictions. It was even said that I should avoid the word “Christ,” because it could only lead to misunderstandings. The motivation for this was that Mrs. Besant needed this word for Bodhisattva because in Europe the word Bodhisattva was not understood. So for Bodhisattva, Mrs. Besant needs the word “Christ,” so I should therefore avoid the word Christ. These things have happened, they can be documented. Not only was I expected to listen to the distorting representations of what I had to say, but I was also expected to let them dictate the words I should use to describe my teaching. That was the inner tolerance of the representative of the Star of the East in Germany.

(I would like to insert a comment for the print here, which I make for the reason that there are still people who seek the reasons for what happened in something other than the fact that my friends and I could not sense of truth, a certain way of talking about things, listening without admitting that this way is the opposite of all theosophical sentiment and should not occur within the theosophical movement. Thus it could happen that Dr. Hübbe-Schleiden wrote me the following words in a letter dated July 4, 1911, in which he tried to justify the “Star in the East” movement: “It is inconceivable to me that a 14- to 15-year-old boy can survive the kind of testing that Krishnamurti is going through now. Mrs. Besant parades him before the world as the coming adept. Since the cultural world does not associate this with anything, Mrs. Besant says, in short, to the ecclesiastical listeners: “The coming Christ, as the type of the divine adept.” But anyone who has read the 30 past lives of Krishnamurti, which she and Leadbeater published in The Theosophist, knows that she does not mean Jesus with that. I am of the opinion that a feeling for truth and truthfulness, as expressed here, has nothing to do with Theosophy. Unfortunately, I have to share such things because otherwise people might doubt how deeply rooted everything was that came from the German Section.)

After all that had happened, which you could read about in the recently published “Mitteilungen”, our Basel friends asked me after the last Munich negotiations whether members of the “Star of the East” should be admitted to the upcoming Basel cycle. I replied by telegram that, as members of the Theosophical Society, they could not, of course, be excluded. The Basel friends then asked, really out of their sense of truth, that the members of the “Star of the East” not participate in their events, because it would have made them feel constrained in their natural sense of truth. It takes only one tongue that can speak to express love and human brotherhood on the lips; and if one has such a tongue, one can write brochures that drip with love on the first pages and then be called Jesuitical by someone who has never had anything to do with a Jesuit. Love requires true hearts, and I was able to see in Basel that it was true hearts that said to each other: We can no longer meet or work with people who behave like that. We would never have objected to the Star of the East as such.

But this “Star of the East” consists of personalities, and these personalities must be known. The Basel cycle was announced and began. After it had begun, friends came from Holland who said: A telegram has arrived in Holland reporting that the Basel cycle has been suppressed. They investigated and discovered that the telegram had been sent by a member of the “Star of the East”. This member later explained that he had done so out of goodwill, in the best of intentions, because such terrible things were being said about Dr. Steiner in Belgium and Holland that he wanted to prevent even more such talk. That is the practice of the Star of the East. There are numerous examples of this.

At the time when there was no talk of excluding members of the Star of the East from our events, when none of this was even considered, Dr. Hübbe-Schleiden circulated a written piece of propaganda for an “Undogmatic Association”. This writing is full of accusations that are completely unfounded. We were not just dealing with a member of the “Star of the East,” but with a man who fought us at every turn and wanted nothing more than to fight us. If we were still required to summon the people who would turn the rope around our necks.

There is another claim made by Dr. Huebbe-Schleiden, among many others, namely that there is not a single member of our German Section who does not copy Dr. Rudolf Steiner word for word and repeat what I have said. But it went too far when the truly loyal work of our co-workers was characterized in this way. Dr. Huebbe-Schleiden could say what he liked about me, I would remain unchanged towards him. But to present our co-workers as automatons who do nothing but repeat what I have said is an outrageous insult to our co-workers. And now judge for yourselves whether we are the intolerant ones. One of the personalities of the Stern des Ostens who attacked us most fiercely was staying in our Berlin lodge until the November days, and there was no thought of harming a hair on her head. It was only when we saw ourselves hindered in our positive work by the members of the Stern des Ostens from all sides that we decided to take defensive measures.

There are also other things to be considered; I do not need to elaborate on them, they are set out in the “Communications”. If truth is to prevail, then it must prevail above all on the physical plane. If it can happen that the president makes a decision in 1909 about a matter of which she claims in 1912 to know nothing about all these things, then one cannot imagine a more grotesque untruth. I also had to experience that there was an official in the Society who really dared to say about Mrs. Besant: She must have forgotten her letter of 1909. That it is possible for such a thing to be said must first happen so that one can believe it within the Theosophical Society.

You see what has remained the same. You see what has changed. What has remained the same? The steady progress of our positive Theosophical work, as we once began it in the German Section. What has changed? In the early years, Mrs. Besant was a joyful supporter of our positive work. But there came a time when she sensed that it was uncomfortable for her to have people saying something different from what she herself said. But it was not right to take action against these people. And when we decided in 1909 to appoint members of the board for life, Mrs. Besant was one of the most enthusiastic supporters of this decision. And it was only a few weeks ago that she seriously considered whether she herself could be elected president for life. In Budapest, where I spoke to Mrs. Besant, she expressed her enthusiastic support for the election of lifelong board members.

What has changed is that until the year he fell away, Dr. Hübbe-Schleiden wrote to me: “In all matters concerning the Theosophical movement, it is understood that your judgment comes into consideration first.” That was a few weeks before he turned against me as a representative of the “Star of the East”. You see, I prefer to tell you facts rather than characterize; but I think that those who want to be taught can be sufficiently taught by these facts.

Now the following happened. Dr. Huebbe-Schleiden had sent out all over the country his communications violently attacking the German Section in the name of the “Undogmatic Federation.” We ignored this, but when he came and wanted to found a so-called “Branch of Freedom,” as he called it, I wrote in October 1912 that I did not feel called upon to issue a diploma for this branch, but would submit the matter to the Executive Council. I explicitly wrote that I could not issue the diploma because his way of thinking did not correspond with the work of the German Section. And I went on to say that this was not about some other outlook or some other opinion, but that this was about something that violated the first sentence of our statutes, that violated all fraternity. It goes against all fraternity to present people as the automatons of one individual without any semblance of reason. That is why I could not bring myself to put my name on the diploma. They could have said whatever they wanted about me, but I could not let those people, who I know have put all their energy into this, be treated like the automatons of one individual. Judge where love lives by considering such facts; what weighs more, these facts or the love-filled words of the one who speaks with love-filled words about our work, which is the opposite of what is objectively true because he has not understood it or does not want to understand it.

I had to decline a second lodge in Leipzig for the following reason. Before I was informed of this lodge, Mrs. Besant indicated to me that it was already independently connected to Adyar. I therefore had to refuse to issue a diploma for this lodge and add that I would await a board decision on the matter, even if the positive reason for the refusal was not clearly stated. This lodge was founded with hostile intent from the outset.

Then things happened that you can see for yourselves when the “Mitteilungen” are published, which a member of the board has already been commissioned to do. It should only be mentioned that an extraordinary board meeting was convened by the board itself on December 8, 1912, which, after all that had happened, led to the regrettable but obvious decision, which is known to you all, to send a telegram to Adyar for the General Council, which met in the last days of December. The wording of the telegram is also known to you from the “Mitteilungen”. It demands the resignation of the president.

I have left a lot out today, but hopefully you have not left it out in your memory, what is already in the last few issues of the “Mitteilungen”. I may well say that after all this, it is a strong piece of work that in Adyar, so to speak, without being able to examine the justification of our measures in any way, they proceeded solely and exclusively from the assumption that we were expelling people who were entitled to belong to the German Section. We will have to speak about the cancellation of the German Section later. Before I discuss this matter, I would like to mention the following. The thing that people started shouting about was that we are excluding the members of the Star of the East. The members of the 'Star of the East' have the option of belonging to the Theosophical Society without belonging to the German Section. We did nothing but defend ourselves against people who behaved hostilely towards us. But in doing so, we did not prevent anyone from being a member of the Theosophical Society. Perhaps some of you also know from me that I took the position that although a section cannot make itself the slave of those who disturb the peace, I would never resist and would have nothing against a second section forming; because how can it be justified that a large number of people should become slaves to those who want to come in just to disrupt our work. We have not expelled anyone from the Theosophical Society because we cannot do that as the German Section; we could not expel anyone from the Theosophical Society. But consider, if we are now expelled from the Theosophical Society, is there any possibility for us to be within the Theosophical Society? I direct this question to all those who have talked so much about love and brotherhood. What will those people who have talked so much about the restriction of freedom with regard to the members of the “Star of the East” say when the General Council expels the entire German Section? I do not need to ask about our members. In view of what I have said, I now have to read a letter dated January 14, 1913, a letter from the President, which came into my hands yesterday, a few hours before our board meeting. I will add a few explanatory words afterwards. Perhaps you will understand afterwards why I am hesitant in my address.

President's Office, Theosophical Society,
Adyar, Madras, January 14, 1913. Dear Dr. Steiner!

The enclosed is self-explanatory.

After the General Council of the Theosophical Society considered the entire attitude of the German Section towards the Theosophical Society and its constitution, as demonstrated in your letter and mine, as well as in the correspondence regarding the German-Swiss and the telegram from your board, he asked me to withdraw the charter of the German Section and instead give a charter to those German lodges that are willing to work within the constitution of the Theosophical Society. Before I give in to this demand, I would like to ask you, in view of the seriousness of the situation, whether you would like to provide any explanation regarding the following matters, which, if a satisfactory explanation is not provided, would be the reasons for the withdrawal of the charter.

a) Your refusal in your letter of October 15, 1912 to give the lodge in Göttingen the charter requested by Dr. Hübbe-Schleiden and six other members of the German Section, on the grounds that because Dr. Hübbe-Schleiden represents Theosophy in a way that is contrary to the views (intentions) of the German Section and even hostile to them, and that the proposed lodge includes members who follow such a working method.

b) Your refusal in another letter of October 15, 1912, to issue a foundation charter to a lodge in Leipzig, at the request of Mr. Carl Schumann, for the (second) reason that that the persons who signed the request worked in a manner contrary to the views (intentions) of the German Section, since the working method was such that the German Section could not allow its members.

c) The decision to exclude members of the Order of the Star in the East who were members of the German Section from the Section's meetings, to which all other members have the right to attend as members, thus depriving them of their rights as members of the Theosophical Society.

d) The silence of the General Secretary in the face of letters from the President, who informed him of requests under Statute 31 and asked for the statutes of the Section.

I will await your reply to this, or, if there is no reply, I will wait another fortnight after the return of the mail from Germany before I carry out the advice of the General Council, which has been given to me as President of the Council. I deeply regret that you have forced the General Council upon us by taking a position that puts the German Section in opposition to the Constitution of the Theosophical Society and endangers the freedom of every member of the Theosophical Society. I dare to express the hope that even at this late hour the German Section, through you, will take back its steps, submit to the constitution under which it was founded, and continue its work within the Society.

If not, we can still wish them well in the path they have chosen and trust that their future as a separate society will prove their usefulness to the world.

Sincerely yours, Annie Besant President Theosophical Society

to Dr. Rudolf Steiner, General Secretary of the German Section of the Theosophical Society

President's Office Theosophical Society,
Adyar, Madras, S., Jan. 14, 1913

Dear Dr. Steiner,

Enclosed explains itself.

The General Council of the Theosophical Society, having considered the whole attitude of the German Section to the Theosophical Society and its Constitution, as shown in your letters and mine, the correspondence on the Swiss-German Lodges, and the telegram from your Executive, has asked me to cancel the charter of the German Section, and to issue in place thereof a charter to the German Lodges, willing to work within the Constitution of the Theosophical Society. Before complying with this request, I beg to ask you - in view of the gravity of the situation - if you wish to offer any explanation on the following matters, which will, in default of a satisfactory explanation, form the grounds of the cancelment of the Charter:

1. Your refusal, in your letter of Oct. 15th 1912, to issue a Charter for a Lodge in Göttingen, asked for by Dr. Hübbe-Schleiden and six other members of the German Section, the ground of refusal being that Dr. Hübbe-Schleiden, represents Theosophy in a way opposed and even hostile to the views (Intentionen) of the German Section, and that the proposed Lodge included members who followed such a method of work.

2. Your refusal, in another letter of October 15th, 1912, to issue a Charter for a Lodge in Leipzig, on the application of Herr Carl Schumann, on the (second) ground that the persons signing the application worked in a way opposed to the views (Intentionen) of the German Section, the method of work being one which the German Section could not permit to its members.

3. The resolution excluding members of the ‹Order of the Star in the East›, who were Fellows of the German Section, from the meetings of the Section to which all other fellows had the right of entry as Fellows thus illegitimately depriving them of their Status as Fellows of the Theosophical Society.

4. The silence of the General Secretary in the face of letters from the President, informing him of applications under Rule 31, and asking for the Rules of the Section.

I will await your answer to this, or, failing an answer, I will wait for a fortnight after the return mail from Germany, before carrying out the advice of the General Council, conveyed to me as President in Council; I deeply regret that you have forced the General Council to give this advice by an attitude which sets the German Section against the Constitution of the Theosophical Society, and imperils the liberty of every Fellow of the Theosophical Society; and I venture to express the hope that, even at this late hour, the German Section will, through you, retrace its steps, submit to the Constitution under which it was founded, and continue to work within the Society.

If not, we can still wish it all good in the path it selects, and trust that its future, as a separate society, may prove its usefulness to the world.

Sincerely Yours, Annie Besant,
President Theosophical Society

to Dr. Rudolf Steiner, General Secretary of the German Section,
Theosophical Society

The words are also read out in English: “The German General Secretary, educated by the Jesuits, has not been able to shake himself sufficiently clear of that fatal influence to allow liberty of opinion within his Section.”

[Rudolf Steiner:] “According to the report of the French General Secretary, Mrs. Besant spoke these words.

You will understand that I want nothing more to do with a personality who is capable of making such assertions, which are purely invented and fly in the face of all real facts, in an official speech to the society she represents.

(Stormy applause from the assembly.)

Anyone who wants to stand on the ground of truth may, if they want to damage their cause in such a way before the world through such an accusation, may consider this as a factual attack. I may ask you whether the assembly also sees this attack as an attack on its own cause.

Before this incident, one was allowed to look at a passage in the January issue of 'Theosophist' with very special eyes. There is the following nice piece. There is a part of a letter from me to Dr. Hübbe-Schleiden. In the first sentences one reads:

"It is impossible to attach to the German Section the Branch, for the Charter of which you applied on the 14th September last. This cannot, at least, be done on my own responsibility, but would have to be submitted to our next General Convention. The reason for this is the manner in which you have for some time chosen to represent the Theosophical cause; this is felt by the German Section to be directly opposed to their intention, and even hostile to them. Above all things I myself cannot put my name under the charter of such a Branch which includes members who follow this kind of work.

But the later sentences, where the reasons for this are given in my letter, are suppressed. This is simply an objective untruth, achieved by an incomplete quotation.

But now, immediately after I was mentioned, the following passage appears in the January number of 'Theosophist':

"The Theosophical Society is facing an organized attack, engineered by the most dangerous enemy that liberty of thought and speech has ever had – the Jesuits. Helena Petrovna Blavatsky long ago warned us that this conflict would come, and now it is upon us. They work in different lands in different disguises, but aim steadily at one thing — the destruction or the distortion of Theosophy. In America, they started a secret organization called the Universal Brotherhood (not openly identical with Mrs. Tingley's Universal Brotherhood), and within this the 'Besant Union', and cleverly induced Theosophists to think that they were working in my interests. Their chief tool has now joined the Roman Catholic Church. In Germany, they are working to secure the predominance of Christianity in the Theosophical Society, thus distorting it into a Christianising sect, and making certain its rejection in the East. They use their old weapons - misrepresentation, slander, false charges, all levelled against the leaders of the movement they seek to destroy; and all means are good ad majorem Dei gloriam. The ‹Black General›, as their Head is called, has agents everywhere. Attacks are circulated in many countries, in many tongues; money is poured out like water; one day's post brings attacks from Rome, from Stockholm, from Hong Kong. It is very interesting to watch, and one recalls the words of warning that ‹the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.› The old record bids men rejoice because it is so; of such combats the Bhagavad-Gita says that they are the open door to heaven. Therefore the word goes out to all faithful members: 'Quit you like men: be strong.'

That is to say:

"The Theosophical Society is facing an organized attack, which has been set in motion by the most dangerous enemy that freedom of thought and speech has ever had - the Jesuits. Helena Petrovna Blavatsky warned us long ago that this fight would come, and now it is here. They work in different countries under different guises, but their aim is invariably the same – the destruction or distortion of Theosophy. In America they formed a secret organization called the Universal Brotherhood (not openly showing itself as identical with Mrs. Tingley's Universal Brotherhood), and within it the 'Besant Club', and cleverly caused Theosophists to believe that they were working on my behalf. Their main tool has now joined the Roman Catholic Church. In Germany they are working to secure the supremacy of Christianity in the Theosophical Society by distorting it into a Christianizing sect, and thereby certainly provoking its rejection in the East. They use their old weapons - misrepresentation, slander, false accusations, all against the leaders of the movement, whom they seek to destroy; and all means are justified ad majorem Dei gloriam. The 'Black General', as their leader is called, has representatives everywhere. Attacks are being spread in many countries, in many languages; money is being poured out like water; one day's mail brings attacks from Rome, from Stockholm, from Hong Kong. This is very interesting to observe, and one recalls the words of warning: 'The devil has descended with great wrath because he knows he has but a short time'. The ancient scriptures urge people to rejoice because it is so; the Bhagavad Gita says that such struggles are the open door to heaven. Therefore, the word goes out to all loyal members: 'Hold yourselves like men! Be strong!'

This passage comes immediately after a matter that relates to the German Section. But just imagine if someone had said something about it the day before yesterday – before the president's letter arrived – even though the Belgian general secretary had already drawn his objectively completely untrue conclusions from such things. Then Mrs. Besant could still have said: Yes, you are not affected at all, so why are you speaking up? This passage is separated from the previous one by three asterisks. This is how a thing is written, and they speak of theosophical politics, a word that should not be used within our movement. But there is something else to be added; because even if we are not supposed to be affected by it, the matter itself is still not true! Where, in our theosophical movement, is there any influence of the Jesuits? Everything is taken out of thin air.

It is true that Dr. Hübbe-Schleiden has repeatedly toyed with the Jesuit accusation, and it is true that Mrs. Besant has officially expressed it. It would be hard to make a more untrue accusation, one that is likely to play a role in Germany and other areas if people want to cast suspicion on us.

Because that is the case, and because here, the factual is really linked to the personal, I am now asking you for something. I cannot share everything that could show you how this accusation is plucked out of thin air, how untrue and foolish it is. I ask you if you would be willing to hear a brief sketch, a brief excerpt from my life, over the next few days? I cannot otherwise prove to you how foolish and untrue Mrs. Besant's accusation is. But I do not want to impose this account on you either, so I ask you to tell me if you would be willing to listen to my memoirs, which I will summarize as briefly as possible, at a more appropriate time in the next few days?"

(The assembly accepts the offer.)

[Rudolf Steiner:] “Mrs. Besant is well aware that some of the accusations will stick. And now – I am making a point – because no expression is sufficient to characterize what has happened. It is indeed unheard of that I should have to resort to describing my life's journey. I hope that the lecture will be rewritten so that it can then be published as a brochure. People go so far as to specify the location. I only learned from a publication by Paungarten, 'Werdende Wissenschaft' (nascent science), which refutes unjust and untrue accusations, that I am supposed to have enjoyed this Jesuit education in a place in Moravia, the name of which is completely unknown to me and which I have already forgotten. Boitzenburg or something like that. I declare to you that I have never known this place or even heard it mentioned.

I therefore declare that I no longer want to have anything to do with Mrs. Besant, after she has added this piece to all the other objective untruths. I have placed the matter in the hands of the board, and I will only let this fact reach Mrs. Besant as a last resort, that I no longer want to have anything to do with someone who is so concerned with the truth.

In doing so, I am actually trying to motivate you that we are, so to speak, hovering between heaven and – I don't want to say – heaven and hell. I now ask Miss von Sivers to read out the board's decision.

Fräulein von Sivers: “At its meeting yesterday, the board decided to send the following letter in response to the president's letter to her, should it be approved by the general assembly.”

Berlin, February 2, 1913.
To the President of the Theosophical Society,
Mrs. Annie Besant.
Adyar, Madras.

The personalities present at the eleventh General Assembly of the German Section of the Theosophical Society, having taken note of the letter of January 14, 1913, from the President of the Theosophical Society, Mrs. Besant, to the Secretary General of the German Section, Dr. Steiner, stating that the General Council has demanded that Mrs. Besant revoke the German Section's diploma and that Mrs. Besant will comply with this demand if the German Section does not submit to the constitution, declare:

Never has the German Section, its executive committee or its general secretary violated the constitution of the Theosophical Society in any way. The decision of the General Council, which was made before even the published documents could be examined, must be recorded as an outrageous violation of the spirit and constitution of the Theosophical Society. Even the most primitive sense of truth and justice must be outraged by the way the German Section and its executive committee were treated for the well-founded accusations they had to make against the behavior of the president. To suspect the person of the General Secretary, who is uncomfortable with her, Mrs. Besant will stop at nothing: the climax of such a clever denigration, however, is reached with the claim, brought forward before the General Assembly, that Dr. Steiner was educated by the Jesuits. This claim is arbitrarily invented and almost senseless in the face of the facts, with the resulting insinuations.

The German Section has nothing to revoke and nothing to take back. It therefore has no choice but to regard the alternative presented to it by Mrs. Besant as an act of expulsion, which has only been carried out because the German Section has taken it upon itself to stand up for the truth and truthfulness of the Theosophical Society.

The German Section and its members would never leave the Theosophical Society of their own accord. And so, forcibly expelled, they will continue their work undeterred and will be ready to work with the Theosophical Society again as soon as truthfulness, reason, seriousness and dignity have replaced the current conditions.

Berlin, February 2nd, 1913.
To the President of the Theosophical Society,
Mrs Annie Besant.
Adyar, Madras.

Those who assembled to the 11th Convention of the German Section of the Theosophical Society, having been made acquainted with the letter of the President Theosophical Society, Mrs Besant, to the General Secretary of the German Section, Dr. R. Steiner, bearing the date of January 11th 1913, wherein it is said: That the General Council has asked Mrs Besant to cancel the charter of the German Section, and that Mrs Besant will comply with this request ‹unless the German Section shall submit to the Constitution» declare that: The German Section, its Executive Committee or its General Secretary have never in any way violated the Constitution of the Theosophical Society. The resolution of the General Council, which was taken even before the published documents could be examined, must be characterized as an unpardonable offence both to the spirit and the Constitution of the Theosophical Society. Even the most primitive sense of truth and justice must be indignant at the treatment given to the well-substantiated accusations that the German Section and its Executive Committee were forced to direct against the attitude of the President. In order to cast suspicion upon the personality of the General Secretary who is inconvenient to her, no means are too base for her to stoop to: but the culminating point of such malicious defamation is reached in the freely invented and in face of the facts simply absurd affirmation brought by her to the General Convention of the Theosophical Society that ‹Dr. Steiner has been educated by the Jesuits› and other subsequent insinuations.

Nothing exists which the German Section has to repudiate or retract. And it therefore has no Option but to consider the alternative put to it by Mrs Besant as an act of expulsion, accomplished only because the German Section has undertaken to stand for truth and veracity within the Theosophical Society. The German Section and its members would never have left the Theosophical Society on their own initiative. Being thus expelled by force they will continue their work unswervingly and will be ready to work again with the Theosophical Society as soon as veracity, reason, seriousness and dignity take the place of the present conditions.

Dr. Steiner: “My dear friends! I would never have wanted to become sentimental, even at this moment, but I may well tell you that I myself feel with a heavy heart about this departure from the Theosophical Society, that it will not be easy for us, because we can only regard it as being expelled. In Mrs. Besant's letter, the Executive Board regards the exclusion of the German Section from the Theosophical Society as a fait accompli. Therefore, we are no longer the German Section and, logically, we no longer have to hold the General Assembly of the German Section.

I believe and hope that the members of the German Section, that all those who know what is at stake have a sense of what this exclusion means. That they can appreciate what we are seeking and want. Now we are excluded and can only declare that we will work together with the Theosophical Society again at any time when it is in good order. But we respect and honor the Theosophical Society, and it is truly not our intention to leave it voluntarily. Now we can do no other than consider ourselves excluded, after the letter from the president contains the sentence: “If not, we can still wish it all good in the path it selects, and trust that its future, as a separate Society, may prove its usefulness to the world.” “If not, we can still wish it all good in the path it selects, and trust that its future, as a separate Society, may prove its usefulness to the world.” Therefore, it was logical that the board finally felt compelled to take this step. After that, we can no longer regard the German Section of the Theosophical Society as existing today, and we have no choice but to grant the Executive Council immunity for this decision.

(Vote. All but two votes agree with the decision.)

Dr. Steiner: “Does anyone have anything to say about this?”

Mr. Weidlich: (The first few words are unintelligible.) “... unjustified. You should also ask the other side. Couldn't this have been avoided?”

Mr. Ahner: “I would have liked to have said a few words before the decision was made. Isn't that customary?”

Dr. Steiner: “This is a decision of the board. “But please, speak now."

Mr. Ahner: ”I cannot hold it against Dr. Steiner that he became forceful. But I ask whether all of this was necessary. If this happens in the Theosophical Society, what should one expect in other places! I would like to say something else about the members of the “Star of the East”. There is no one present from the Star of the East. This is unlawful without any doubt. Someone can come forward and explain that it is necessary to hear the members of the “Star of the East” as well.

Mr. Weidlich: “I would like to make a further comment regarding the translation of a letter from Mrs. Besant in the ‘Mitteilungen.’ I consider this to be a mistranslation. Mrs. Besant does not write that she does not know the matter, but that she does not know right from wrong. There is a big difference, there is no doubt about it.

Dr. Steiner: “It is indeed true that we cannot be a part of this Theosophical Society with our beliefs. Anyone who looks at the sentence in question will find that the translation has been done as carefully as possible. But that is not the point. The English text is there, and anyone can consider it. The things that have been proven as facts, up to the last Jesuit accusation, are so numerous that the individual does not matter at all. It is strange that things are not said where they belong. If the gentleman in question had addressed these things to Adyar, they would be in the right place in this case.

If we were still at the eleventh general assembly of the German Section of the Theosophical Society, it could have been argued whether the delegates did well to exclude star members. But after what we have just heard, we can only be grateful to the delegates that we do not hear a lot of love-driven words again, and then something completely wrong is said. Perhaps it is a matter of good taste not to listen to everything that some people say. But if someone finds that unpleasant, I ask the meeting again whether a free assembly has to listen to those it does not want to hear, whether it has to be tyrannized by two people, whether it does not have the right to defend itself, not to let the opinions of two people be imposed on it.

(Approval.)

Mr. Fidus: “I would like to emphasize that I do not fully agree with this negotiation. At the moment when we became a free assembly, the exclusion of star members should not have taken place. They must be able to defend themselves. Dr. Hübbe-Schleiden should have been notified so that they could defend themselves. We must emphasize... (very difficult to understand, but long-lasting, causing unrest and final calls from the assembly)... we cannot know where the truth is, nobody can understand the truth. There is no truth for us, only truthfulness. What is truth... (unintelligible)... not satisfied... “

Mr. Tessmar: “We are all satisfied except for three, and they can leave...

Dr. Steiner: ‘Unfortunately, I have to call Mr. Tessmar to order because of the expression ’leave‘. But I must protest against words like: ’Nobody can understand the truth‘. But then the words ’truth‘ and ’truthfulness' are always used. There is no question of whether one can recognize the 'truth' or not when, for example, one quotes untruthfully. Everyone needs to put my books on one side and Dr. Hübbe-Schleiden's outrageous quotations on the other. I have to say that here too there is a tendency to play with words.

Fräulein Prellwitz: “We are grateful to Dr. Steiner for all we have heard. What we wished and hoped for was that what has happened might happen with not so much friction. It is impossible to unite if we sit here and want to fight each other. Any activity that can be avoided, we should avoid here. Because there are demonic powers against which there is only one thing to do: be as passive as possible, be as loving as possible. Because this being blown apart has to do with demons. We should not have started this. But now it has happened. We are a primeval gathering, now we must also carry out a full, clean divorce, make a pure beginning with as much loving sense as possible and as simply as possible. You must not make hostile faces now, you must work lovingly and faithfully for the sake of the great truth."

Dr. Steiner: ”I am in complete agreement with you. I would just like to tell you about the thing you are asking us to start at the present moment, we started that eleven years ago and have been as passive as possible during all that time. Therefore, I must ask you to address what you said as an admonishment to Dr. Hübbe-Schleiden and Mrs. Besant."

Miss Prellwitz: “We don't seem to be aware of that... It all happened so fast and we didn't understand. But you also have to be patient. We felt like we were facing something we didn't understand. These are all difficulties.

Dr. Steiner: “If you were to check, you would see how patiently and with how much forbearance the proceedings have been conducted, and that this patience and forbearance have nevertheless led to Mrs. Besant making the accusations she has against the Jesuits.

I am completely convinced of your good intentions, but your opinion arises from your inadequate examination of the facts. I know that you just haven't examined the matter enough; if you had, you would have already seen what patience has been exercised and what happens when you adopt a false passivity.

Anyone who talks about a translation error at this point is not considering the issue at hand, but only wants to [sophistically] ignore the main issues. Nothing can be said about such things.

One can truly believe that someone who decides with a heavy heart to act in this way does not decide for small reasons. It is distressing that so little goodwill is assumed by those who otherwise drip with love and then hide behind translation errors that do not even exist. You see, I left the things as they were, I did not publish them, in order to prevent Mrs. Besant from shouting untruths into the world. And what does she do? She shouts the untruth of the Jesuit accusations to the whole world. So please look for where there was passivity and where there was activity.

Fräulein Hübbe-Schleiden: “I have witnessed all these events for eleven years and I know that Dr. Steiner has done everything humanly possible. I would just like to express my thanks here for all the selfless sacrifices and for all the love that he has shown my father and me during these eleven years. That is what I would like to say to the assembly.

Dr. Steiner: “You know, dear Miss Hübbe-Schleiden, that what happened was done with good intentions. But it was important for the assembly that Dr. Hübbe-Schleiden's foster daughter speak these words, and that the assembly sympathize from the bottom of its heart with what moves Miss Hübbe-Schleiden. One speaks such words only when one must.

Mr. Fidus: “I see in this great manifestation not fanatical one-sidedness, but the gradual strengthening of theosophical life in Germany. I don't know where right and wrong lies, whether mistakes have been made on one side or the other. I don't want to settle scores. I just want to say that I am glad that the German movement feels impelled to make itself independent. In this sense, I welcome the founding of the 'Anthroposophical Society'. Those who work theosophically will always benefit Theosophy. The German movement must no longer allow itself to be led by the East. The main thing is that the spiritual life in a country becomes so strong that it does not have to turn to a central office again and again."

Dr. Steiner: “Everything is being used against us. It is already beginning in Europe, based on the objective untruths of Mrs. Besant. The Belgian General Secretary has already made a good start, because he speaks of a ‘Pangermanist’ movement. Theosophy is not a German movement; it is a completely universal human movement to which everyone can belong, regardless of race. We are dealing with the fact that we are forced to replace a caricature of Theosophy with a true Theosophy. It would be exploited if what Mr. Fidus just said with good intentions were to go unchallenged. What we want is as universally human as truth; and the spirit of the universally human knows no distinction of race, religion, people or nation that would lead to separation in the highest. Everyone in the world who strives for the theosophical ideal belongs to us, and rightly so. I had to say these words here so that well-intentioned words would not be used to attack us again.

Fräulein von Sivers: “I wanted to say this too. It is not about East and West, it is about awakening a sense of truth and truthfulness. We did not use this word in our mouths as long as it was possible to work without having stones thrown in our way. If we now have to use this word, it has been forced on us.

I would like to move on to two other points. One: the passivity that one is supposed to have; the other: that there is no pure, objective truth, that no one can decide where the truth is. I believe that there are facts on the physical plane, and if one cannot distinguish between them here, one is hopelessly lost when one enters the occult world. I would like to give just a few examples. First of all, passivity. For years, untrue things have been written about us. For years we have had to experience that the most untrue things about us have been hurled into the world in theosophical magazines, in letters and so on. We have remained unthinkably silent for a long time and aroused passionate opposition by remaining passive. This has led to serious accusations. Up until the days of Munich, the facts that had occurred were kept secret. Just one example: in 1909, Mr. Leadbeater was again asked to join the Theosophical Society. Dr. Steiner's objectivity earned him the enmity of Leadbeater's enemies in England. The fact that he was able to remain so fraternal despite their rejection of the subject provoked resentment. Then came the request for Leadbeater's readmission. You have already heard how Mrs. Besant wrote back that she would use Dr. Steiner's vote for Leadbeater's readmission. Dr. Steiner had to send a telegram asking for abstention to be recorded, as he had indicated. Then a telegram came back: 'You are the only General Secretary who acts like this.' That was not true either; the Scandinavian General Secretary had also abstained. But in 1911, a biographical sketch of Leadbeater appeared in 'Theosophist', in which it was reported: 'All the General Secretaries without exception have asked Mr. Leadbeater to rejoin the Theosophical Society'. That was in 1911. But now we learn that Mr. Mead makes it a serious reproach to Dr. Steiner that he voted for Leadbeater. I ask Mr. Fidus: Do they not know what is true here? Is there no way to distinguish the truth here? One person who knew about this has since died, his vote has fallen into the grave, and we count on our passive silence.

Another case: It is repeatedly claimed that Mrs. Besant forgot a letter. At first it was claimed that she did not receive the letter at all. We heard Mr. Schrader in Munich say that the president could not possibly have received the letter about the Vollrath affair, otherwise she would have been mentally deficient. He left this out of his later account of the Munich days, which is full of inaccuracies, but such a distorted report is taken as the basis for our point of view and used against us. It is causing great outrage.

I believe that it is useless to cite more examples, but I ask again: Do they distinguish between truth and lies here or not?

Mr. Fidus: “They should.”

Pastor Klein: “There is an expression that a lady used earlier that I cannot let go unchallenged, because I would consider it downright dangerous if one were to follow the practice recommended therein, namely, that one cannot be passive enough towards demons. On the contrary, I am of the opinion that one cannot be sufficiently on one's guard against demons and cannot be sufficiently vigilant, and in the fight against them, the best defense is still the blow, the offensive attack. Did Christ perhaps practice passivity against the demons? I recall one of his most significant words: “I have cast out the strong armed one from the house! I will not even talk about his behavior towards the other demons – but it should be noted that he took action against them with a strikingly impulsive, relentless, ruthless harshness: these were 'untruthfulness' and 'hypocrisy', as they were particularly encountered by him on the part of the Pharisee sect. Think of the famous scene of the cleansing of the temple in Jerusalem, after which he carried out the terrible general reckoning with the Pharisees, who, with their untruthfulness, distorted his teaching and, with their hypocrisy, presented themselves as so pious and behaved so hypocritically, while their attitudes and their deeds loudly testified against it. Against them, Christ Jesus hurls the sharpest and most abrupt expressions: 'You hypocrites', 'you fools', 'you brood of vipers', 'you whitewashed graves' Outside full of flowers, inside full of mold and decay, you blind guides, who are blind themselves and want to lead others. He knew that sincerity and honesty are the nerve of all morality; that where they are not, but untruthfulness and hypocrisy prevail, something dissolving, corrosive, and vitriolic is present that destroys every community.

We have not summoned such demons, they have approached us with the intention of destroying our work! To be passive in the face of this would be irresponsible. What we have had to hear today about the dishonesty practised by the Adyar leadership and the members of 'Star of the East' defies belief; and can you imagine greater hypocrisy than on the first page of a writing such as 'Message of Peace', one continually recommends peace unctuously as a theosophical virtue to one's opponent, while at the end one openly calls him a Jesuit?

Against such a procedure, behind which stand the two most dangerous demons of untruthfulness and hypocrisy, let us apply the 'Passivity of Christ', namely clear, conscious, energetic, ruthless resistance, defense, which in this case is self-defense.

Mr. Fidus: “I would just like to say two words. We cannot know the truth here, but we can only practice truthfulness. I know how to distinguish what has been said here. I just think that these apparent contradictions could turn out to be misunderstandings. If the board had been a little more willing to understand...

(Call to order)

Dr. Steiner: “You must not insult the board here. I cannot understand how anyone can use the words truth and truthfulness in the face of such blatant untruths; that must be taken as an insult. You can't just say anything that comes into your head. Please continue.”

Mr. Fidus: “... I want to respond to the reproach and the accusations... I don't want to sugarcoat everything, but there are individual things that can be taken...”

(The speaker becomes completely incomprehensible in his longer remarks.) (Shout: Enough!)

Dr. Steiner: “It is impossible for you to continue speaking in this way, objectively impossible. Consider just a little that there are also people who need their time. It is not acceptable to keep bringing up things that have really been refuted objectively, and we really need our time today.

Fräulein von Sivers: “I would just like to say that we are challenged by the fact that Dr. Steiner remained silent for so long. Mrs. Besant even accused us of withholding letters. It has been spread everywhere that we withhold letters. Mrs. Besant has appealed to every section to disseminate all her letters as much as possible. We maintained passivity for as long as possible. But since she challenged us, we printed the letters.

Dr. Steiner: “I must confess that it is quite uncomfortable not to be able to discuss things. During the time of the Leadbeater affair, Mrs. Besant sent a letter to a number of members, that letter contained the words that Leadbeater could only do such things if he was insane on one point. This was in June 1906. This letter has been partially printed. At the end of this letter, after the print, are the words:

'I have erred grievously in my judgment and insight, and must bear the karma of it. I dare not believe that the White Lodge could leave unheeded such evil thoughts and acts in the Temple, which is only open to those of pure heart. “If the day of my downfall should come, I ask those who love me not to shrink from condemning my error, not to sugarcoat it or say , but rather that they ease my heavy karma as I try to ease the karma of my friend and brother by upholding the unshakable purity of the ideal and by declaring that the fall of a man leaves their faith in the Masters of Purity and Compassion unshaken.

We should not confuse what comes from the Masters of Wisdom with what we weak humans do. The Masters know how to guide us so that they direct everything for the best of human development.

A person can fall, and his fall is also directed for the benefit of his development. Leadbeater fell, Judge fell, I will probably fall too. But I will not make Leadbeater's karma more difficult by calling black white and white black. And I urge all those who love me, when I fall, not to fail to call black black and white white.

These are the words of Mrs. Besant herself. I quote them because they are in the public press. I would not have quoted from Mrs. Besant's letter. I am convinced that those who do so now, those who call black black and white white, love Mrs. Besant more than those who now flatter them. Listen to the words of Mrs. Besant spoken in a good moment! That is something I might also be allowed to recall when people keep saying: “The people in Adyar were quite nice people, if you weren't such rabbits, everything would be fine.”

Mr. von Rainer: “If I take the floor here now, I feel compelled at this moment to emphasize the way in which we are going through this important transition today. If one is to speak about what Theosophy should be and should not be, then only one side of this important moment has been considered. The second side is that the Theosophical movement, if it is led correctly, has the mission to tear humanity away from what has led to a comfortable behavior today. This must not be overlooked. And we ourselves, a relatively small number, have the task of seeing with open eyes how things are today. On the one hand, people no longer want to believe that there is a truth, and yet they demand that everything that is presented should be heard and that we should accept it all. Love for one's neighbor and brother can be summoned up in the broadest sense, even if one also has the courage to say at the given moment: This is no longer something I can support.

When someone like me has come to this movement because they felt that something was missing, they feel in the deepest and broadest sense what it means to learn to appreciate the truth and to affirm it when it is recognized. That attacks can be made and met with approval in this way proves that something has died in the face of what has been shown to be the truth. All this shows us how necessary it is to truly call upon what must be called upon in our hearts if we truly want to feel connected to the ideal of humanity. And if we want to lend expression to this, if we want to feel what it means to be united with the ideal of humanity in this hour and in this sense, then we have to vent our feelings in the form of being outraged by what has happened and rejecting this other side from the bottom of our souls. That will be the first step. What else can we do if we cannot believe in the truth? We would have to smash everything inside us if we did not feel it our duty to reject what comes from the other side in such an outrageous way. And we must commit ourselves to the truth in a much deeper sense. It is not easy, but we can find it if we want. There is only one way to go.

I would like to invite you, in this sense, to express from our deepest feelings, perhaps by rising from our seats, our outrage at how our positive work is being suspected, how precisely by bringing in the accusation of Jesuitism, we are giving our Theosophical cause a character that cannot be conceived as worse by the public. In Germany and also here in Austria, no one should be able to say that those who can express such suspicions have any understanding of what Theosophy is supposed to achieve. I would like to repeat the request to accept this expression of our outrage.

(The assembly rises from its seats.

Mr. Tessmar: “What was on my mind earlier has been said by the previous speaker in a much more beautiful way than I could have said it. However, I would like to say: I am one of those people who feel it in their hearts. Last year, Mr. Bauer spoke of being asleep. I am not asleep, but I am one who is outraged. I have already been called to order today, I regret this call to order, but I have to say that I cannot take anything back, even if Dr. Steiner had to call me to order again.

(Call to order)

Whenever tolerance is mentioned, we listen as long as we can. But there are limits. When a crowd of people express their feelings, and very few want to tyrannize the assembly, it does not work. They feel what moves me, what burns in my heart, - I am in favor of striking when it is necessary. - We did not come here to listen to two or three gentlemen who bore us and waste our time. I would ask the meeting to declare vigorously that it wants to put an end to this."

Fräulein Riege: “I heard that Mr. Fidus, when he was cut off, spoke of a letter that he had to share. There was even talk of suppressing a message. It will be good to hear that.”

Fräulein Prellwitz: “Yesterday, Dr. Hübbe-Schleiden sent us a letter from Mrs. Besant. In this insert, she answers for the first time in relation to Vollrath whether she lied or not in this affair.

Dr. Steiner: “Not to bore you, I made no mention of this insert. Mrs. Besant did write a letter in which she, as is her habit, distracts from the main issue and draws attention to a secondary matter. I didn't think, though, that there are people who would fall for this confused, this sophisticated letter. I must confess, Miss Prellwitz, that with your fine literary sensibilities, I don't understand how you can ignore the final sentence of this letter.

(The sentence is read out.)

‹As to the pamphlet, I had supposed that it contained something important, as Dr. Steiner was evidently very angry about it, saying that if its statements were true “a dog would not take food from us”. If, as Dr. Steiner now says, it was merely a rehash of the original quarrels, stated in his letter to me, the language seems a little strong.

As for the pamphlet, I felt that it must contain something very important, since Dr. Steiner was obviously very annoyed about it, and says that if the statements it contained were true, 'not even a dog would take another piece of bread from us. If, as Dr. Steiner now says, it was only a rehash of the original disputes, as he explains in his letter to me, then the language seems a little strong.

[Rudolf Steiner:] “I have the letter that Dr. Vollrath wrote to Mrs. Besant in 1908. If she can write the above sentence about it, it only means that she is covering the old objective untruths with new objective untruths.

Wherever you look, you are confronted by bundles of untruths. Do you remember the last general assembly? Was it possible to speak of annoyance there? I am not annoyed with Mrs. Besant either. I have compassion for her, a lot of compassion; but that's why I can't call black white and white black. I therefore ask you to see how the letter here distracts completely from the main issue. In 1909 she writes: 'After I have heard all the details', and then later in 1912 she says she cannot distinguish right from wrong in it. I know that she heard right and wrong. Because I reported to her exactly. Who is able to write in May 1912: 'I don't know right and wrong', while in 1909 I tried hard to explain the matter to her, to officially educate her about everything, and then comes with accusations of the other, does not need to be considered. This is insult and nothing but insults.

Pastor Klein: “I move that the debate be closed. There should be no further debate on the expulsion of the members of the ‘Star of the East.’

(The motion is carried, and there is a long break in the proceedings.

(After a long break, the meeting is reopened at six o'clock.

Fräulein von Sivers reads out the English text of the statement to be sent to Adyar by the German Section to the General Council in response to Miss Besant's last letter.

Dr. Steiner: “Does anyone wish to speak on this?

As this is not the case, I ask those who are in favor of sending this statement to the General Council to please rise from their seats.

(Everyone rises from their seats.

Dr. Steiner: “This documents that the members of the German Section who are gathered here consider themselves excluded from the Theosophical Society.

The German Section as it existed since its founding has hereby ceased to exist, and all functions of the German Section have ceased. And now it will become clear who wants to belong to us and who does not want to belong. We are now in a freer position, even if it fills us with pain.

I now ask our friends from outside the country who do not belong to the German Section to gather here with me tomorrow afternoon for a short meeting.

The next thing we have to discuss, because we have to give an account to our friends, is that we have to give a friendly report on the membership movement.

Mr. Ahner: “I am astonished that there are people here who do not belong to the German Section; I thought this meeting was only for members of the German Section.

Dr. Steiner: “You obviously have never attended a general meeting outside of the German Section, otherwise you would know that all general meetings, in whatever section they may be held, are open to all members of the Theosophical Society. This has always been the case.

Mr. Ahner: ”I beg your pardon.

Ms. von Sivers: “The number of members is 2489 compared to 2318 last year; 330 have newly joined, 132 have left or can no longer be found and have therefore been deleted, 6 have transferred to other sections, 14 have died, and 7 are in doubt. 3 new branches have been established: Augsburg, Erfurt, Hamburg II. The number of branches is 54, the number of centers is 4, and 1 center is dubious.

Mr. Seiler: “The cash report is as follows”:

Income:
Cash balance 1910/11 1446.68 marks
Foundation deeds 30,
Entry fees 1700, contributions 7781.37
Voluntary contributions 37.10
Interest 322.20
Income 11,317.35
Expenses 11,291.46
Cash balance on
August 31, 1912 25.89

Expenses:
Bureau expenses and fees 3030.70
Rent account (halls for general meeting, audiences) 1410.
Account of communications 1076.30
Postage, telegrams etc. 484.30
Expenses of various kinds 376.15
Business expenses, wages, etc. 1541.89
Adyar headquarters 1576.24
Section congress dues —,—
Printed matter 27,—
Transfer to bank account 1768.88
Expenses 11291.46 Marks

Balance of assets
Cash balance as of August 31, 1912: 25.89 marks
Balance at the bank: 3789.33
Movables: 457.65
Total assets as of August 31, 1912: 4272.87 marks

Mr. Tessmar, as auditor, reports that he and Ms. Motzkus have duly examined the books and found them to be in order.

Dr. Steiner: “Does anyone wish to speak about these reports? Since this is not the case, I ask that our friends be granted discharge.

(The discharge is granted.

Dr. Steiner: “We now come to the third point, the discussion of pending matters. Does anyone wish to speak on this? Since this is not the case, we come to the fourth point, proposals from the floor.

The first proposal is as follows:

To the Executive and the members of the
German Section of the

After the undersigned had become aware that the name of the Besant Lodge, originally founded in Berlin, had been abolished and that the same association had been given a different name, they decided to found a new lodge with several like-minded people to uphold the spirit of the principles originally prevailing in the Theosophical Society and represented by Mrs. Besant. The request to join the German Section was rejected by the Section's General Secretary, Dr. Steiner, on the grounds that the members of this new lodge belonged to the Order of the Star in the East, which he described as a “sect.” This was a purely personal opinion, which cannot possibly be decisive in such an important theosophical matter, because one could just as easily

right one could just as well make the same assertion about the “Anthroposophical Society.” In order to make the founding of the lodge in question possible, we were forced to seek affiliation with Adyar, which was readily granted to us. Nevertheless, this was only a way out for us, driven by necessity, and we cannot quietly accept the insulting, completely unfounded rejection of long-standing and completely blameless members who were always seriously endeavoring to work for the spread of the genuine theosophical spirit, nor the insulting exclusion from a community to which we belonged for so long, for the same meaningless reasons. Where is the principle of tolerance that is always mentioned first in Theosophy? We believe that it should not only respect different religious beliefs, but also allow freedom of thought in every respect, especially when it comes to such a high ethical task as that pursued by the Order of the Star in the East through its preparation for the appearance of a future world judge, as admitted by almost all religions. We believe that the equality of all world views, which is guaranteed to new members when they join the “Society”, must be upheld here if it is not to become an empty phrase and bring down the reputation of the “German Section”. We must therefore protest most strongly against the treatment we have received and ask the esteemed General Assembly for its support, so that we may be granted the right to affiliate our lodge to the German Section.

Berlin, January 6, 1913. The board of the Besant Lodge in Berlin.

[Rudolf Steiner:] “The application is signed: The board of the Besant Lodge in Berlin. I do not know the names of the board members of this branch. The second application reads:”

Proposal to the General Assembly of the
German Section (National Society) of the
Theosophical Society in Berlin in February 1913.

The undersigned propose that the General Assembly resolve:

1. The van Leer proposal adopted by the Ninth General Assembly on October 30, 1910 (Mitteilungen, Cologne, XI, page 8), according to which, in addition to the signatures of two guarantors for the admission of a new member, the third signature of the chairman of the relevant section branch is also required, is hereby repealed. 2. Furthermore, it is determined that the requirement of prior participation in a preparatory course for the admission of a member to the Society, which has been in use to date, shall no longer be applied. In the future, as in the other branches of the Society, acceptance of the purposes of the Society shall suffice for admission as a member of the German Section, without regard to the beliefs or other views of the applicant.

3. The amendment to $ 8 of the Section Statutes adopted by the Seventh General Assembly on October 26, 1908 (Mitteilungen, Cologne, VIII, page 7), according to which every member of the Executive Board who had been in office for seven years has become the non-removable holder of that office for life, is hereby repealed. From now on, the board shall be re-elected every three years at the general assembly.

Oberloschwitz - Weißer Hirsch, Jan. 7, 1913.
Hermann Ahner
Chairman of the Lodge of the Grail in Dresden,
currently Mitt. Schreiberhau i. Rsgb., Jan. 9, 13.

Hugo Höppener-Fidus, Dresden, January 11, 1913.
Rudolf Schaefer,
member of the Lodge zum Gral.

Reasons for this proposal:

1. The requirement of a third signature for the admission of a new member is an amendment to §§ 28 and 29 of the general statutes of the society. A section is not authorized to change these; it has even been explicitly stated in § 37 that the statutes of a section or national society must not contradict the statutes of the overall society ('not conflict'). In § 28, the signature of two members as guarantors is required for the admission of a new member. In § 29, the issuing of the membership diploma is then prescribed without further request. This intention is particularly strongly expressed by the word 'shall' used in the paragraph, instead of 'will', in accordance with the general rules of English legal practice.

2. and 3.: The measures to be derogated by this have the express purpose of establishing certain teachings in the Section in such a way that they, like the creed of a religious community, are required of the members of the Section. This purpose has been expressly emphasized as the motive for the introduction of these measures; this is authentically reported in the “Mitteilungen, Cologne, VIIL,

pages 6-7 and XI, page 8. These measures have always proven effective for this purpose, as world history teaches us. But it is precisely the purpose of the Theosophical Society to overcome the necessity for such measures and to make its members so spiritually independent that they can accept the esoteric truths and represent them rationally without such organizational protection. Such measures also contradict the main purpose of the Society: to form a core for the brotherhood of humanity without distinction of faith.

[Rudolf Steiner:] “The proposal is signed: Ahner, Oberloschwitz; Hugo Höppner-Fidus; Rudolph Schäfer.

I must point out that if this is correct, that every person who comes forward should be accepted without scrutiny, I would never have accepted the office of General Secretary, but would have suggested that a signature machine be purchased for the purpose. These proposals are also irrelevant, and the proposers must be referred to the fact that they now have to turn to the instance that is now being created, to those people who are willing to meet the unjustified demands of Adyar. Therefore, these proposals are to be addressed to the upcoming German section of the Society.

The next item we have to discuss is a proposal from Dr. Bachem, Frankfurt am Main. I am obliged to bring this matter before this forum because it is a purely human one.

(Letter from Dr. Bachem)

To the Theosophical Society, German Section;
for the attention of the Secretary General,
Dr. Rudolf Steiner, Berlin.

I hereby submit the following proposals to the Eleventh General Assembly:

1. The damages suffered by the Rödelheim foundation of [Fräulein] M. Stenzel, the former chairwoman of the “Goethe branch of the Theosophical Society in Frankfurt a.M., are to be compensated

a) by the funds of the German Section of the Theosophical Society

b) through a collection organized by the Secretary General within the Society.

2. The justification for proposal 1 is to be read at the General Assembly.

21.1.1913, Dr. Max Bachem, Frankfurt a.M., Finkenhofstraße 46.

Justification of the motion of Dr. med. Bachem, Frankfurt a.M., for the eleventh General Assembly of the Theosophical Society, German Section.

At the beginning of its founding, Miss M. Stenzel approached various members of the “Goethe branch” to vouch for the liabilities that had arisen. Mr. Roggenberg, deputy telegraph director, deposited 3,000 marks as a guarantee for the rent and committed himself to the rent, so Ms. Jahn and Dr. Bachem endorsed Stenzel's bill of exchange, which was used to pay for the furniture.

When Dr. Bachem was asked, he was told that this favor was a mere formality and that he would never have anything to do with the bills of exchange. He was also told that if Dr. Bachem were to be called upon to honor the bills, he would receive furniture in return.

The guarantees mentioned were taken over because [Fräulein] Stenzel stated that the Rödelheim foundation enjoyed the support and approval of Dr. Steiner. Director Roggenberg has lost 3,300 marks in cash.

In spring 1912, Dr. Bachem received a bill of exchange for almost 4,000 marks; [Fräulein] Stenzel and Frau Jahn, who had also been summoned, did not appear in court; Dr. Bachem agreed to a settlement under which he had to pay the bill of exchange in installments of 200 to 250 marks per month.

When Dr. Bachem tried to obtain furniture in the amount of his payments, he received nothing.

He had to interrupt his practice for a month in October 1912 due to illness, was then no longer able to make the payments, and was summoned to take an oath of disclosure on January 14, 1913, which [Fräulein] Stenzel and Frau Jahn had already taken.

His marital situation was largely destroyed by this affair, and his medical career was also severely hampered as a result.

During his last visit to Frankfurt am Main, Dr. Steiner stated that the injured parties should be compensated in the requested manner. Several letters from Dr. Bachem to Dr. Steiner on this matter remained unanswered; only once did he receive a letter from a lady who told him – allegedly on Dr. Steiner's orders – that Dr. Steiner would write to Dr. Bachem from his trip to Finland.

This appears to have been another case of abuse in the name of Dr. Steiner, as this letter never arrived.

Dr. Bachem's previous cash expenditure amounts to approximately 1950 Marks; he has been sentenced to pay 2792.40 Marks plus costs, and so on, and is expected to be sued this spring for a bill of exchange amounting to 8000 Marks.

January 21, 1913, Dr. Max Bachem, Frankfurt a.M.

[Rudolf Steiner:] “In addition to this letter, a letter arrived on the last day from Director Roggenberg, in which he states that he is very annoyed that Dr. Bachem is making this request and that he certainly does not want my name to be associated with this matter.

As for the matter itself, it must be said that there can be no question of Burg Rödelheim ever having been installed with my consent. It is a purely private matter for Fräulein Stenzel and has nothing to do with the Theosophical Society or with Section matters. Miss Stenzel has explained the matter. But so few of us are connected with this matter that I myself only learned of the completed foundation through the printed matter that Miss Stenzel sent out at the time. I must categorically refuse to have had anything to do with the matter before the explanation. In Frankfurt, I only said that it would be highly desirable, if possible, to compensate our Theosophical friends who have been so badly treated. Does anyone wish to speak on this matter?"

Mr. Arenson: “Dear Friends! This case that has just been presented is indeed quite distressing, but I would like to put something else forward. This case is also typical, and we should see from it what conclusions can be drawn from carelessly tossed words, how in all such cases Dr. Steiner's name is dragged into it, and how people can be found everywhere who go along with it in some way. I would now like to ask you to make a decision to the effect that we regret the harm done to our friends, but that the assembly is not in a position to grant any kind of compensation, since the former

German Section is not at all the cause of such compensation. I would like to submit my request as follows: The meeting regrets that this has taken place. But it cannot be held responsible for compensation in any way.

Dr. Steiner: “Does anyone else wish to speak on this matter?”

Mr. Daeglau: “Perhaps it would be good to point out to our Theosophical friends that this example can be a very good lesson. It is often said how necessary it is to bring Theosophy into real life. Here an attempt has been made out of enthusiasm. This example shows that goodwill alone is not enough. Those who want to do something like this must also really know practical life in order to realize the Theosophical teachings in it. Anyone who has had the opportunity, as a businessman or as someone familiar with business, to observe this undertaking from the very beginning must have felt a pang of pain in their heart when they considered the consequences, when they saw what was being prepared. Enthusiasm alone is not enough, and it is not enough to rely on the fact that, as a theosophist, you are dealing with people who understand more about life than the entrepreneur himself. The person who wants to start a business is easily inclined to listen in and interpret the knowledge and opinions of others favorably. He undertakes it without having enough knowledge and makes mistake after mistake. But if the venture fails, he believes that all the cleverer people are also responsible for it. Let us continue to apply Theosophy to practical life, but let us also be practitioners and not just enthusiasts."

Mr. Lippelt: ‘Two members have fallen on hard times. I would like to appeal to the Society in general for help. A collection could be organized.’

Dr. Steiner: “Does anyone else wish to speak? If not, Mr. Arenson will now read out his formulated request.

Mr. Arenson: ”The present assembly expresses its regret to Dr. Bachem that he has suffered damage in the manner described as a result of the Rödelheim-based company. However, it is not in a position to take any steps in the matter that could lead to the coverage of the debts he has contracted."

Dr. Steiner: ”It is really extremely difficult in such a case. If, on the one hand, Dr. Bachem has suffered damage, the situation is such that one would really like to help, but there is no end in sight to these things. Because it is not possible that if some theosophist decides to establish something here or there, and others let themselves be talked into it, and lose their money in the process, that the Theosophical Society as such can be held liable in any way. In principle, I must admit that it is difficult to understand how Dr. Bachem can sign bills of exchange and be told that this is only a formality and that he would never have anything to do with the bills. It is well-meaning, but really too careless to be told that signing bills of exchange is a mere formality. Of course, if a number of members want to do something about it, that would be very nice, but for us to do it as a whole, that really doesn't seem possible. So I ask those in favor of the Arenson motion to raise their hands.

(The request is accepted.)

Dr. Steiner: “We come to the next point. Reports of the branches. Does anyone wish to speak?”

Mrs. Dr. Grosheintz: “I just want to ask, what about the charter of the individual lodges?”

Dr. Steiner: “The question is settled. It would have been complicated if we had waited for each lodge to be asked to recognize the new General Secretary and to belong to Adyar: it is simpler, the members no longer consider themselves members of the German Section of the Theosophical Society. This is, after all, the truth. It is in the interest of the members to consider themselves as having been expelled from the section. Of course, each lodge can report to the new general secretary of the German section. A new charter (certificate of incorporation) will then be issued by the new Secretary General, who will be appointed, and those who wish to continue to belong to the Theosophical Society Adyar will have to join this new German Section or Adyar directly. In either case, they would no longer have anything to do with our movement, to which I am attached, because we want to work without being subject to the most nonsensical accusations. Those who want to have something to do with us should confess that faithfully, and those who do not want to do that can join the new German Section or Adyar. That is what it will be about in the future. The German Section and all its functions have ceased to exist. I have already explained at the opening of this friendly gathering that it was only with great pain that I and all those who understand the situation have seen what had to happen. It has happened because we considered it our duty to belong to the Theosophical Society, and we had to see with deep pain that this has been made impossible for us.

Our work has produced many things, and hardly a day has gone by recently when we have not been confronted with the obstacles and difficulties that have to be overcome when it comes to bringing a spiritual movement into the world honestly, sincerely and purely.

Let me mention one more purely symptomatic point, not to harp on trifles but to show how it is possible to arrive at a sound and healthy judgment despite constantly hearing such expressions: Everyone strives for the truth, but one cannot always know whether one is on the path of truth. But the one who seriously wants to can know in many cases what is truth and what is not truth. Anyone reading the “Message of Peace” will find that the quotations are all inaccurate. But to say that everyone strives for the truth, in such a case means that one does not want to see things as they really are. And if one does not want to see them, then one cannot understand them either. If the person who has quoted incorrectly says that he has added the word “only” to make the matter clear, then the answer is one that the author of the refutation has given very very cleverly: whether it serves to clarify if one says instead of: “My friend went on the ice and put on warm gloves,” “my friend went on the ice and just put on warm gloves.” (Great hilarity.) Clarifications are of this kind.

It would be desirable to open your eyes and see what it is actually about. For example, an announcement from a bookshop appeared with the words:

Dr. Steiner has already made a start in Germany, but the plutocratic-autocratic direction he represents is not suitable for promoting today's spiritual and social progress in an all-round way because of its one-sidedness. Therefore, a contemporary popular form had to be found that would make it possible for those treasures to be made available to the public in an undogmatic, freely accessible way and without clerical paternalism. These Rosicrucian lesson letters provide a conclusive overall picture of Rosicrucian research and world view. The beginnings of their development are to be found on German soil. They were further elaborated in the etheric atmosphere of California, which was much more favorable for Rosicrucian research.

It is necessary to be attentive, to open your eyes and not always be asleep as a theosophist. It would be advisable to see what has actually been developed in California. But I want to show you that you can draw the right conclusions if you want to by reading a letter to me from someone who is opening his eyes:

'Dear Sir, May I dare to approach you with one or even more than one question? First of all, I must mention that I am here for a short visit and that I live in Salina, Kansas, US. There, some time ago, two friends and I had a book sent to us that had been recommended by the Esoteric Library in Washington, D.C.; the book is called “Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception on Christian Occult Science by Max Heindel. In the preface, we noticed the peculiar way in which Mr. M. H. refers to the name of Dr. Rudolf Steiner, whose teachings are similar in the main lines of his teachings, etc., etc. - In short, the preface prompted me and later my friends to read your book 'Theosophy' and 'Initiation and its Results'. It is a mystery to us how it is that whole sentences in 'Cosmo-Conception' can be compared almost word for word with those contained in your books, and so we thought: 'Did that Mr. Max Heindel borrow the teaching that he is trying to spread in America, but mainly in California, from you?'

This is a letter from someone who looks at the facts and comes to a judgment. I only had to reply to him with the fact that Max Heindel lived among us under a name other than [Grasshoff] and listened to and copied many of my lectures and cycles. And it is indeed the case that in Germany, initially, a certain direction was established, and then, in a rather strange way, Max Heindel found a form that was “in keeping with the times...” (see above). Then the gentleman in question left and put something together from lectures of mine and presented it as something new.

We are learning some rather strange things. On the one hand, our work is presented here as plutocratic, as autocratic and as one-sided, and in the etheric atmosphere of California it is passed on as having matured and changed. Perhaps it will even come to the point that Max Heindel is simply translated into German, and then they will campaign against me with things that are my own. ... Therefore, I ask you to take a closer look at these things.

It was truly a martyrdom to work in the Theosophical Society, and it is also quite difficult to work when the co-workers do not take an interest in what is going on. It is then quite difficult to advance the matter.

It must be emphasized that we were faced with the fact that, for reasons of spiritual cleanliness, we were unable to join a movement, such as the Krishnamurti movement. And one must look at The Star of the East in such a way that a little boy is the head of this 'Star of the East', and if we wanted to have anything to do with this 'Star of the East', we would be sinning against the present spiritual current of our time. The father of the two boys has brought an action against Mrs. Besant to get his sons back. Anyone who is aware of the issues involved and who, out of their sense of truth, has nothing to do with the so-called 'Star of the East', can simply say in such a case: nonsensical demands become impossible demands. For I would like to know the person who, without delusion, has seriously examined the whole Krishnamurti affair and can still be a member of this Star of the East. That one could tolerate this alliance in a society seeking truth is impossible. But it is also impossible, in this case, to speak of tolerance or anything similar.

Even if, on the one hand, it causes us the deepest pain that we can no longer work within a society that has become dear to us, the truth, whatever the world may say, is this: We cannot help but stand on the ground of truth, in the face of which there is no playful skirmishing, no playful concepts. There are no different opinions about the fact that someone uses false quotations, that two letters do not match. Anyone who still speaks of the fact that one cannot decide does not want to stand on the ground of truth.

If we want to make progress, we can only do so on the basis of unvarnished truth, and we will be glad that in the future we will never again be confused with those who spread objective untruths and all kinds of nonsense. We will try to move forward. Those who join us in this way will find the way with us. But those who, even today, still find it easy to tell Adyar instead of the others that things could have been done either way, can only be told to support Adyar. But we only want to stand on the ground that has already been characterized as the ground of truth and truthfulness. There can be no other! And if anyone likes, they can use playful words to tell us that we are to blame for what has happened. In good conscience, we answer with the words that we are allowed to quote: Here we stand, we could not have done otherwise, the spirits of the world, the divine spirits, may help us. And so it may continue.”

We will begin to-day by turning our thoughts to the event known as Pentecost. I said in the first lecture that clairvoyant research may first of all be directed to this event, for as we look back into the past it presents itself as a kind of awakening, experienced on the day commemorated in the Whitsun Festival, by those who are generally known as the Apostles or Disciples of Christ Jesus. It is not easy to form clear and precise pictures of all these undoubtedly strange phenomena. And if we want to think truly about the matter we shall have to call up from deep down in our souls, many things we have learned from previous studies of Theosophy. It seemed to the Apostles that they were like men who had awakened, feeling at the moment of waking that they had been living for a long time in an unusual state of consciousness. In very truth it was a kind of awakening from a deep sleep, a wonderful, dream-filled sleep ... remember that I am speaking of how it was experienced by the Apostles themselves ... a sleep of such a kind that at the same time a man carries out all the affairs of everyday life and goes about just like a normal person, so that those with whom he comes into contact do not notice at all that he is in a different state of consciousness. The moment came when it seemed to the Apostles as if they had been living for a long time, for many, many days, in a kind of dream from which they woke at this time of Pentecost; and the awakening itself was a strange experience. The Apostles felt as if there had actually descended upon them from the Cosmos, something which could only be called the Substance of the all-prevailing Love. They felt as if they had been quickened from on high by the all-prevailing Love and awakened from the condition of dream into which they had fallen. It seemed to them as if they had been wakened to life by the primal force of Love pervading and warming the Cosmos, as if this primal force of Love had come down into the soul of each one of them. And to others who could observe them and hear how they were speaking now, they seemed altogether strange. The others knew that they were men who until now had lived in extraordinary simplicity, a few of whom had, it is true, behaved somewhat strangely during recent days, as if lost in dream. This they knew. But now it seemed to the people as if these men had been transformed, as if their very souls had been made new; they seemed to have lost all narrowness, all selfishness in life, to have acquired largeness of heart, an all-embracing tolerance and a deep understanding for everything that is human on the earth. Moreover they were able to express themselves in such a way that everyone present could understand them. It was felt that they could look into every heart, could read the deepest, innermost secrets of the soul and so were able to bring consolation to every single individual, to say to him exactly what he needed. It was naturally amazing that such transformation could take place in a number of men. But these men themselves in whom the transformation had come about, who had been awakened by the Spirit of Cosmic Love, now felt within them a new understanding of what had, it is true, come to pass in intimate connection with their own souls, but which they had not previously grasped. Now, at this moment, there dawned in their souls an understanding of what had actually transpired on Golgotha.

And when we look into the innermost soul of one of these Apostles, into the soul of him who is called Peter in the other Gospels, it is revealed to clairvoyant sight as it gazes backwards into the past, that his normal earthly consciousness completely ceased to function from the moment referred to in the other Gospels as the Denial. He beheld this scene of the Denial, how he had been asked whether he knew the Galilean; and now he knew that at that moment he had denied any such connection because his normal consciousness was beginning to fade and an abnormal condition to set in—a kind of dream condition indicating a withdrawal into an altogether different world. Peter's experience was like that of a man who when he wakes in the morning remembers the last events of the previous evening. Thus did Peter remember the scene usually known as the Denial, the triple Denial before the cock had crowed twice. And then, like outspreading night, the intermediate condition came upon his consciousness. But this intermediate condition was filled, not with mere dream-pictures but with pictures representing a kind of higher consciousness, an experience of things belonging to the world of pure Spirit. And all that had happened, all that Peter had as it were slept through since that time arose before his soul like a vision. Above all he was now able to gaze at that event of which it can truly be said that he had slept through it, because for a full understanding of this event the quickening by the all-prevailing Cosmic Love was necessary. Now there came before the eyes of Peter the pictures of the Mystery of Golgotha, as we, looking backwards with clairvoyant consciousness, can again evoke them if the conditions necessary for such vision are induced.

Frankly, it is with a feeling altogether unparalleled that one makes the decision to put into words what is revealed when one gazes into the consciousness of Peter and of the others who had gathered together at that Whitsun Festival. The decision to speak of these things can only be fraught with holy awe. One is almost overpowered by the consciousness of treading on the most sacred soil of human vision when one puts into words what is here revealed to the eyes of the soul. Nevertheless for certain inner reasons it seems necessary to speak of these things in our time, while realising that in ages other than our own and yet to come, they will find more understanding than is possible now. For in order to comprehend many a thing that will have to be said on this occasion, the human soul will have to break free from much that has been and will be instilled into it, quite inevitably, by the culture of the times.

To begin with, there arises before the gaze of clairvoyance something that seems like an affront against the conceptions of modern science. Nevertheless I feel compelled to put into words what presents itself here to the eyes of soul—as far as I am able to do so. I cannot help it if what has to be said finds its way to inadequately prepared hearts and souls and if the whole thing is mooted as untenable in face of the scientific views by which the present age is entirely dominated. The gaze of clairvoyance lights, to begin with, upon a picture that represents an actual happening, one that is hinted at in other Gospels too, but is a particularly striking spectacle when one sees it emerging from the myriad pictures arising before the backward-turned eye of vision. This clairvoyant gaze actually beholds a kind of darkening of the earth. And one feels, as it were in aftermath, that deeply significant moment when, as in a solar eclipse, the physical sun was darkened over the land of Palestine, over the place of Golgotha. And one has the impression, which vision schooled in the sense of Spiritual Science can still confirm when an actual, physical eclipse of the sun casts shadow over the land: that to the eyes of soul the whole environment of man looks quite different during the time of an eclipse. I shall refrain from dealing with the spectacle presented during a solar eclipse and with all those things that are the creations of human artifice and technique. To be able to endure the spectacle of those demonic powers and entities which during an eclipse of the sun rise out of the creations of art-forsaken, technical science, requires great courage and the realisation that all these things were inevitable. I do not propose, however, to go further into this particular matter but merely draw attention to the fact that a vision, at other times only to be reached after very difficult meditation, lights up and reveals that during a solar eclipse all plant-life, all animal life, every butterfly, take on quite a different appearance. It is an experience that in the very deepest sense brings the conviction of how intimately a certain form of cosmic-spiritual life belonging to the sun and having its physical body in the visible sun, is connected with life on the earth. And when the physical radiance is darkened by the intervening moon, this is different from when, during the night, the sun is merely not shining. The spectacle of the earth around us is quite different during an eclipse of the sun from what it is during an ordinary night. During an eclipse of the sun one feels the group-souls of the plants and of the animals lighting up ... all the physical embodiments of the animals and plants seem to pass into shadow, while the group-souls become radiant. All this presents itself very vividly when the backward-turned gaze of seership contemplates that moment in the earth's evolution when the Mystery of Golgotha took place. And then comes an experience which may be described by saying: one learns to read what this remarkable phenomenon of nature perceived in the Cosmos really signifies! I cannot help it if—in defiance of all contemporary materialism—I am obliged to read in the occult script at this particular point in the earth's evolution, a purely natural event, one that has also occurred, of course, both before and since, and to speak of the direct impression it makes. It is like opening a book and reading the script ... one feels when this event is there before one that what one should read comes out of the very script itself. This cosmic script compels one with a kind of necessity to read something that mankind must come to know. It appears before one like a word inscribed in the Cosmos, like a sign in the Cosmos. And when one opens the soul to it, what is it that one reads?

In the lecture yesterday I spoke of how by the time of Greek culture, mankind had evolved to the point where, in Plato and Aristotle, a very high development of the human soul, a very high level of intellectuality had been attained. In many respects the intellectual knowledge attained by Plato or Aristotle has never since been surpassed. Intellectuality in mankind there reached a certain zenith. A vast store of knowledge had been acquired. And if one pictures this intellectual knowledge to which humanity had attained, which at the time of the Mystery of Golgotha had been spread abroad by wandering preachers far and wide over Greece and Italy, if one pictures how this knowledge had spread in a way incomprehensible to-day—then it is possible to receive the impression which seems to be like a reading of that occult script out in the Cosmos. And when clairvoyant consciousness has been mustered, one realises: all this knowledge, gathered and garnered by humanity in pre-Christian times, has its symbol in the moon, as for earthly sight it passes through the Cosmos. The moon is the symbol, because for all higher stages of human cognition this knowledge has acted, not as a light-bringer or solver of riddles, but rather as a bringer of darkness, just as the moon darkens the sun during a solar eclipse. That is what one reads. All the knowledge existing at that time shed darkness, not illumination, upon the riddle of the universe. And as a seer one feels the higher, truly spiritual regions of the world darkened by the intellectual achievements of antiquity which placed themselves like a screen in front of the real knowledge, just as the moon screens the sun during a solar eclipse. And the external event becomes a symbolic expression of the fact that human evolution had reached a stage where the knowledge born of man's own mind placed itself in front of the higher knowledge, like the moon before the sun during an eclipse. In that eclipse of the sun one feels the darkening of the sun of humanity in earthly evolution, engraved into the Cosmos in a stupendous sign of the occult script. I have said that the modern scientific mind may take this as an affront, because it has no understanding of the sovereign power of the Spirit in the universe. I do not want to speak of miracles in the ordinary sense of the word, of any infraction of the laws of nature, but I cannot do otherwise than convey to you how one can read that darkening of the sun—read with the eyes of soul what it is that this happening of nature expresses. With the moon-knowledge, darkness crept over the higher message of the sun.

And then there actually comes before the clairvoyant consciousness, the picture of the Cross raised on Golgotha, of the body of Jesus hanging upon it between the two thieves; the picture, too, of the body being taken down from the Cross and laid in the grave ... And here I will add that the more one tries to prevent it, the more forcibly does it present itself. And now comes a second mighty sign, whereby again there is written into the Cosmos something that one must read in order to discern it as a symbol of what has actually transpired in the evolution of humanity. One contemplates the picture of Jesus taken down from the Cross and laid in the grave, and then, while the gaze of the soul is thus directed, one has the experience of being shaken through and through by an earthquake which spread through that region.

One day, perhaps, people will understand—in the scientific sense too—more about the connection between that darkening of the sun and the earthquake, for certain theories which are already current in the world, but somewhat haphazardly, indicate that there is a connection between solar eclipses and earthquakes, and even fire-damp in mines. That earthquake followed upon the eclipse of the sun. It shook the grave in which the body of Jesus had been laid, and the stone covering it was wrenched away; a fissure was rent in the earth and the corpse was received into it. Another tremor caused the fissure to close again over the corpse. And when the people came in the morning the grave was empty, for the dead body of Jesus had been received into the earth. The stone, however, still lay where it had been hurled.—Once again let us follow the sequence of pictures! Jesus dies on the Cross of Golgotha. Darkness breaks in upon the earth. The corpse of Jesus is laid into the grave. A tremor shakes the land and the corpse is received into the earth. The fissure caused by the tremor closes; the stone is hurled aside. These are all actual happenings. I cannot describe them in any other way. Let those who wish to approach these things from the basis of natural science form what opinion they like, bring forward all kinds of contrary arguments: what the gaze of clairvoyance perceives is as I have described it. And if anyone were to say: it is impossible that from the Cosmos there should be set up, as it were in a mighty language of signs, a symbol of something New having entered into the evolution of mankind; if anyone were to say: the Divine Powers do not write into the earth in such signs a happening like an eclipse of the sun and an earthquake ... then I could only answer: You believe in all sincerity that such things are impossible. Nevertheless they actually happened. I can imagine someone like Ernest Renan, the author of that strange work, The Life of Jesus, saying that such things are incredible, because one only believes in what can at any time be re-confirmed by experiment. But this thought is not tenable ... for would a man like Renan not believe, let us say, in the Ice Age, although that cannot be confirmed by experiment? It is quite impossible to reconstruct the conditions prevailing in the Ice Age and yet all scientists believe in it. Equally impossible is it that this unique cosmic sign can ever appear again to men—yet for all that, the sign was there.

We can only be led to these events when, as seers, we find the way to them as I have indicated, when we sink in deepest contemplation into the soul of Peter or of one of the other Apostles who at the time of Pentecost felt themselves quickened by the all-prevailing Cosmic Love. Only when we contemplate the souls of those men and discern the nature of their experiences, is it possible in this indirect way to gaze at the Cross raised on Golgotha, to behold the darkening of the earth at that time and the subsequent earthquake. It is not denied that in the external sense this darkening and earthquake were ordinary happenings of nature, but one who having induced the requisite conditions in his soul, follows and reads these events with clairvoyant sight, will be emphatic that they were as I have described them. For in the consciousness of Peter, what I have now described was, in very truth, an experience that crystallised out of the long sleep. Among the manifold pictures crossing Peter's consciousness, those of the Cross raised on Golgotha, the darkening and the earthquake, for example, stood out in vivid relief. These experiences were for Peter the first result of the quickening by the Cosmic Love at Pentecost. And he now knew something he had not really known before: that the event of Golgotha had taken place and that the body on the Cross was the very same body with which he had often gone about together in life. Now he knew that Jesus had died on the Cross, that this dying was in reality a birth: the birth of that Spirit outpoured as the all-prevailing Cosmic Love into the souls of the Disciples assembled at Pentecost. Peter felt it as a ray of the primordial, aeonic Love ... born when Jesus died on the Cross. And this stupendous truth sank down into Peter's soul: It is only illusion that on the Cross a death took place. This death, preceded as it had been by infinite suffering, was in truth the birth of the ray now penetrating the soul. The all-prevailing Cosmic Love which had previously been present everywhere outside and around the earth, had, with the death of Jesus, been born into the earth. In the abstract, such words seem facile, but one must for a moment actually be transported into the soul of Peter to realise what he experienced then for the first time: When Jesus of Nazareth died on the Cross, at that moment there was born for the earth something that was previously to be found only in the Cosmos. The death of Jesus of Nazareth was the birth of the Cosmic Love within the sphere of the earth.

This is, so to speak, the first knowledge we are able to read from the Fifth Gospel. What I have now been describing begins with what is called in the New Testament the coming, or the outpouring, of the Spirit. The nature and character of the souls of the Apostles at that time did not make it possible for them to participate in the real sense in this event of the death of Jesus of Nazareth otherwise than in an abnormal state of consciousness.

To Peter, as also to John and James, there came, inevitably, the remembrance of another moment in their lives, the moment that can only be revealed to us in all its majesty by the Fifth Gospel. He with whom they had gone about on earth had led them out to the mount and had bidden them: Watch! And they had fallen asleep. The condition which spread with greater and greater intensity over their souls had already then set in. Their normal consciousness faded, they sank into the sleep which lasted beyond the time of Golgotha; and from this sleep the experiences I have been trying in halting words to describe, shone forth. Peter, John and James were inevitably reminded of how they had fallen into this condition of sleep and now, as they looked back, the vision lit up of the mighty events which had transpired around the earthly body of Him with whom they had gone about together. And gradually ... as submerged dreams rise up into the consciousness of men ... gradually the Apostles became conscious of what had transpired during those past days. During those days they had not experienced these happenings in their normal consciousness. What now came into their ken had lain deep down in their souls, submerged as it were for the whole of the period between the event of Golgotha and Pentecost. This period seemed to them to have been one of deepest sleep—above all through the days between the event known as the Ascension, and Pentecost. As they looked backwards, the whole period—day by day—between the Mystery of Golgotha and the Ascension of Christ Jesus into heaven, came before their souls. They had lived through it all but only now did they become conscious of it—and in a strange and mysterious way. Forgive me if I here interpose a personal remark. I must confess that I myself was amazed in the highest degree when I became aware of the manner in which all that the Apostles had lived through between the time of the Mystery of Golgotha and the Ascension rose up into their consciousness. It is indeed remarkable.

Pictures like these came before the souls of the Apostles: You were together with the Being who has been born on the Cross, you were with Him in very truth ... Just as on waking in the morning the remembrance of a dream might tell one: during the night you were with this or that person! ... But what is so remarkable is how the particular events came up into the Apostles' consciousness. Over and over again they were compelled to ask themselves: Who, then, is that Being with Whom we have been together? And time after time they did not know who He was. They knew with certainty that they had gone about with Him, but they did not recognise Him in the Form which had then been before them and which now, after they had been quickened by the all-prevailing Cosmic Love, appeared to them in a picture. They saw themselves going about after the Mystery of Golgotha with Him whom we call the Christ. And they saw, too, how He had taught and instructed them from the realm of the Spirit. They came to realise that for forty days they had gone about with this Being who upon the Cross had been born, that this Being—the All-prevailing Love itself born out of the Cosmos into the world—had been their Teacher, but that they had not been mature enough to understand His words; they realised that they had been obliged to receive His teachings with the subconscious forces of their souls, that they had gone about with the Christ like sleep-walkers, unable to understand with their ordinary minds what this Being imparted to them. During these forty days they had listened to Him with a kind of consciousness quite unfamiliar to them and which now, at Pentecost, became alive in them for the first time. They had listened to Him like sleep-walkers. This Being had come to them as their spiritual Teacher and had instructed them in mysteries which it was only possible for them to understand because He transported them into quite a different state of consciousness. Therefore not until now did they realise that they had gone about with Christ, with the Risen Christ. It was only now that they recognised what had really happened to them. And how did they recognise that this was the very same Being with whom they had gone about in the body, before the Mystery of Golgotha? This can be described in the following way:—

Let us suppose that now, after the event of Pentecost, a picture of this kind came before the soul of one of the Apostles. He saw how he had gone about with the Risen One. But he did not recognise this Being. Then another picture interposed itself, a picture which, mingling with the purely spiritual picture, represented an experience actually undergone by the Apostles in the presence of Christ Jesus before the Mystery of Golgotha. There was a scene where they felt that they were being taught by Christ Jesus about the Mystery of the Spirit. But they did not recognise Him, they merely saw themselves in the presence of this spiritual Being. And in order that they might recognise Him, this picture, while still intact, merged into the picture of the Last Supper—an experience they had shared with Christ Jesus. Try to envisage in all reality that as the super-sensible experience with the Risen One lit up in the consciousness of an Apostle, there—working as it were in the background—was the picture of the Last Supper. Then the Apostles knew that He with whom they had gone about in the body was the very same Being who was teaching them now—in the quite different Form in which He appeared after the Mystery of Golgotha. Remembrances from the state of consciousness that had been like a sleep were interwoven with the memory-pictures of events preceding the onset of this sleep. The Apostles experienced this as if two pictures were superimposed: one picture was of their experiences after the Mystery of Golgotha and another of the time before their consciousness had clouded. Then they realised that these two Beings belonged together: the Risen One and He with whom, a relatively short time before, they had gone about together in the body. And now they said to themselves: Before we were awakened by the all-prevailing Cosmic Love, we were as if transported from our ordinary consciousness. And Christ, the Risen One, was with us. All unknowing, we were taken up into His Kingdom; He went about with us, revealed to us the mysteries of His Kingdom of which we are now becoming conscious as if we had once experienced them in dream.—That is what causes amazement: the invariable coincidence of one picture of an experience of the Apostles with Christ after the Mystery of Golgotha with a picture of a happening which before the Mystery of Golgotha they had actually lived through in their normal consciousness while together in the physical body with Christ Jesus.

A beginning has thus been made to impart what can be read in the so-called Fifth Gospel. And at the end of this first communication to-day it may be allowable for me to add a few additional and necessary words. In an occult sense I feel it my duty to speak about these things now. What I want to say is the following. I know well that we are living in a time when many things are being prepared for the near future of mankind on earth, and that within our Anthroposophical Society—as it has now become—we must feel ourselves as those in whom an inkling is dawning that something essential for the future has to be made ready in the souls of men. I know that times will come when it will be possible to speak of these matters in a way quite other than present conditions allow. For we are all of us children of the age. But a time will come in the near future when it will be possible to speak with greater precision, when a great deal that can at present only be of the nature of indication may perhaps be discerned with far, far greater exactitude in the spiritual chronicle of World-Becoming. Improbable as it seems to the modern mind, such a time will come. For this reason it is a certain matter of duty to speak about these things to-day by way of preparation. And although I have had to overcome a certain reluctance in speaking as I have done, this was outweighed by the duty to the preparation that must be made in our time. This was what led me to speak on this subject to you here. When I speak of having overcome reluctance, please take this exactly as it is meant. I ask explicitly that what I have to say on this occasion shall be taken merely as a kind of stimulus, as something which in the future it will be possible to express much more adequately and with greater precision. You will better understand what I mean by “overcoming reluctance” if you will allow me not to withhold a personal remark. I know full well that in the spiritual research to which I have devoted myself, many things can only be extracted with the very greatest difficulty and effort from the spiritual record of the world's happenings—particularly things of this nature! And I myself should not be in the least surprised if the word “indication” which I have used in connection with them were to prove to have still weightier and wider implications than need to be attributed to it now. I do not say—most emphatically I do not say—that I am already in a position to say with all precision what presents itself in the spiritual script. For particularly in my own case I am aware of all kinds of difficulties and of the labour required when it is a question of drawing from the Akasha Chronicle pictures relating to Christianity. It costs me great effort to make these pictures sufficiently concrete to be able to fix them and I regard it, so to speak, as my karma that the duty is imposed upon me to say what I have now brought myself to say. For without any doubt it would cost me less effort if, as in the case of many of our contemporaries, circumstances in my early youth had enabled me to have a genuinely Christian education. I had no such education. I grew up in an entirely free-thinking environment. My own education was of a purely scientific character. And that is why it costs me great effort to discover these things of which it is my duty to speak. This personal reference may be justified for two reasons.—One is that with an utter lack of probity, an absurd story [It had been alleged by Annie Besant that Dr. Steiner had been educated by the Jesuits.] has been sent broadcast through the world about my having been connected with certain Catholic influences. There is not a single word of truth in this. And it is easy to judge the pass to which things have come in what calls itself Theosophy nowadays when such dishonest statements and rumours emanate from its soil. As, however, we cannot ignore them but must confront them with the truth, this personal reference is justified. Just because of my remoteness from Christianity when I was young, I feel all the freer from bias in regard to it; I believe that the Spirit has led me to Christianity and to the Christ. Especially in this domain I think I have a certain right to claim freedom from bias and prejudice. Perhaps—in this particular epoch of world-history—more reliance can be placed upon the words of a man who has come from a scientific education, who in his youth stood at a distance from Christianity, than upon the words of someone who has been connected with Christianity since early childhood. If you ponder these words you will realise that they indicate something of what lives within me when I speak of the mysteries which I will designate as the mysteries of the Fifth Gospel.

Preliminary discussion in the glass house

Friedrich Rittelmeyer greets Rudolf Steiner: We have come here to ask you to help us so that we can help humanity in the right way. We come to you with complete trust, with as much trust as one can have in a person. This trust is not based on some kind of romanticized feelings, but on the clear experience that we ourselves have already had with what has been spiritually revealed through you, an experience that deeply obliges us, since it has become our duty not to withhold it from humanity and to do as much as is within our weak powers to pass it on, because we expect a great deal from it for humanity.

The group that is coming to you today is smaller, much smaller than the group that was here a year ago. Hardly a third of those who were here then have returned. A few new people have joined us. Some have left, and their departure is particularly painful for us. But in us who are here, there lives the most urgent desire and the firm resolve to do as much as we can to move our cause forward quickly and powerfully.

Some of our friends, many of those you see here, have already sought to work during the summer months, and some of them have succeeded in getting together a group of sixty to eighty people, whom they can hope to form the core of the future community. It has already been said of some of us that we can look to the future without too much concern.

We have just returned from a conference in Breitbrunn, where we discussed a number of issues on the basis of the pointers you gave us. And we can say that there is hardly one among us for whom this conference did not bring great satisfaction. We closed the conference by joining hands as a circle of people determined to step into the world, who have decided to use their lives and their full strength for the cause we represent together, and who want to work together to realize what we want to bring into the world: a real Christian community. We have pledged ourselves to accept the decision in Dornach and to continue to place the cause above our personal needs in the future.

And so we come before you and ask you with all our hearts: Please bless us inwardly and outwardly, so that in view of the seriousness of the world situation and in view of the great spiritual that wants to enter the world through you, a community of people may come into the world that will truly be able to help humanity.

Rudolf Steiner: My dear Dr. Rittelmeyer, dear friends! In response to the words that have just been addressed to me regarding the great cause for which you are gathering here in Dornach and for which you wish to work, I would like to begin by warmly replying with the following: From the very beginning, when this movement of yours revealed itself to me, I was keenly aware of the seriousness with which this movement of yours must proceed. Now I could say, my dear friends, thank you for the trust you have just expressed. But I think that at this moment that would not be the right word at all. I would like to say something else. I would like to say this: that in the face of such facts, which perhaps include what you now want to bring into the world, personal trust is obviously not really necessary. Personal trust would be a relatively weak basis. What must come to humanity is trust in the cause in which you now want to help, and this cause is an extraordinarily decisive one for the development of humanity.

You see, my dear friends, I am now coming from Oxford, which, I might say, gives a very definite aspect to the present spiritual situation of humanity. When one lives in Oxford for a while, one has the feeling that one is in a world surrounded by a kind of wall. Within this wall there is a lively spiritual life, but it is closed off to a certain extent from the actual present by this wall. The young people who are educated there are then sent out into the world with an education that has a strong religious slant; they are sent out into the world with an education that, I might say, is not of this time, that actually still incorporates religious impulses of the past into a world that needs new religious impulses. At Oxford I had to speak about completely different topics, but I had to use an image that simply came to me through life itself on an insignificant occasion. A friend was showing us around the various colleges, a friend who is a Fellow of Oxford. It is customary there that on such occasions people have to put on their robes and their berets; all those who have once graduated from Oxford have to do so for the rest of their lives. Afterwards, we met our friend on the street; he was still wearing his robe and beret. In my next lecture, I had to use an image to explain something about public education. This image came to me all by itself: What would be – I said this in the lecture, as I say it now – what would be if I had wanted to write a letter to him immediately after I had met our friend in his Oxford gown and with his Oxford beret? If I wanted to be true to myself, I would not have known whether to write 750 BC or 1250 AD. In any case, it would not have occurred to me to write the date of the present day if I wanted to remain true to myself. But that is precisely the case with Oxford intellectual life; Oxford intellectual life is an extraordinarily serious one, but one that sometimes actually reminds one of medieval intellectual life or even of the time before Christ's birth.

Here on the continent, or even in Central Europe, to mention just one example, it would take an extraordinarily difficult decision to give a lecture in a church. In Oxford, when I was invited to give a lecture in the chapel [of Manchester College] on a Sunday, it was quite natural for me that it should be given inside the church. Through direct experience, one gets a strong impression of how serious English intellectual life once was, when one sees how these things, even today, are still inspiring, and have been preserved, albeit in a transformed form, into the present day. On the other hand, one also gets the strong impression of how necessary a new impulse is, because the old impulses have indeed been exhausted. In Central Europe in particular, the old impulses have basically not found such an intensive continuation as in England, for example, where there is still a strong religious influence in the whole culture. In Central Europe, of course, intellectual life has been 'de-religiousized' among those who, as people of the present, feel imbued with the culture of the time. It is more difficult to take for granted than it seems today that a book like Mauthner's “History of Atheism” could be published in the immediate present. I would consider it possible that a similar book would be published in France, but I consider it out of the question that someone in England would write such a book about the history of atheism, because the old traditions still live on there.

I just want to say that it is a serious matter to start the renewal of religious life in Central Europe. Especially in countries where traditions are still more alive - in the whole of the West, probably as far as America - this necessity will not be felt so keenly. Only here, where we are standing on soil that is truly religious, can the need for a new impulse be felt intensely enough. This illustrates my statement that from the very beginning I have felt the seriousness of your aims bearing, as it were, upon me also. And now that we are coming to some kind of conclusion regarding the immediate beginning of your work, we must all imbue ourselves with this consciousness.

First of all, we really must work towards completely getting away from this trust, for which I am indeed very grateful to you, but which is a personal trust, and towards developing a real trust in the matter. As theologians, you all have more opportunity to do this than other people in the present day who are involved in intellectual life. After all, a theologian must have some feeling for intellectual life, otherwise he would be a personification of untruth. If one has some feeling for intellectual life as such, then one must also find the bridge over to what must arise in the immediate present as intellectual life. It is a sum total of perceptions and feelings and attitudes from which we must now begin our work, and it is these feelings and perceptions and attitudes that I wanted to point out to you first. We must indeed begin our work in all modesty, because at first it will be a much-challenged work, we must be aware of that. And the less you have the faith to go about this work unimpeded, the better it will be in the end. The more you prepare for obstacles and hurdles, the better it will be. And so, in response to the kind words just spoken by Dr. Rittelmeyer, I can only say: I will do everything in my power to ensure that our meeting here can be the starting point for the active engagement demanded by the spirit of the times by all of you who have decided to do so.

I think we should organize things so that we have a kind of preliminary discussion today and start our actual work tomorrow. Now, in connection with the words spoken by Dr. Rittelmeyer and in view of what I myself have said, I feel obliged to mention as the first point that which, in my opinion, has changed our situation extremely drastically: the resignation of Dr. Geyer from our movement. Dr. Geyer addressed a letter to me in which he first explained his intentions in more personal terms and also described his personal relationship with me. I would like to mention from the outset that I naturally take every word Dr. Geyer has spoken as something that is received with all love and respect and that, for my part, not the slightest change can occur in the personal relationship with him. So I would like to say that all of this personal stuff is something we really don't need to talk about, because I want to feel the nuance he mentions in his letter as my own too. But with regard to the movement, the situation changes in such a drastic way that we must be aware of this fact. Isn't it true that the mere fact that Dr. Geyer's name has been mentioned many times when this religious renewal movement has become known, not least in the sense that he, who does not belong to the Anthroposophical Society, has entered has come out in favor of this religious revival, was precisely the circumstance that in many places a certain degree of trust had been placed in this religious revival movement, and because Dr. Geyer, in his old age, has decided to join this movement. All this, together with the fact that this fact of the resignation will now be spread everywhere in the most active way, will present us with a very serious situation. At the beginning of such a movement, this means something. Dr. Rittelmeyer also spoke of other people who resigned. That may be very painful, but it does not mean the same, since Dr. Geyer was on the Central Committee for all the preparatory work. This does mean, however, that each of you must ask yourselves the question in your hearts: what is it, objectively speaking, that has prevented Pastor Geyer – leaving aside all personal reasons – from abandoning his decision to go with this movement once he had made it?

It is important for you to consider the degree of objectivity of such a decision. Your own sense of security within the movement will depend on the thoughts you entertain and the feelings you develop in the wake of the fact that one of the movement's leaders has just resigned at the decisive moment. This says nothing about personal matters, nothing about the fact that someone may now love Dr. Geyer less than before and the like. Apart from all personal considerations, however, it is important to realize: what can dissuade a determined man from his decision at this decisive moment? Because answering this question is at the same time an inner experience that must occupy us on the way to the goal that you have set yourself, my dear friends. You will have to mature your own certainty by addressing this question with all your strength and objectivity.

Perhaps it would be necessary to say a few words today about why some of the personalities who were there at the beginning of the movement are not here today. That will be part of the preliminary discussions, along with everything that is on your minds. Now, perhaps, we want to agree on the things to be discussed so that we can really start work tomorrow.

Emil Bock briefly reports on the activities of the individual members of the circle. [His remarks were not stenographed.]

Rudolf Steiner: We only need guidelines so that you call to mind that which should really stand before your consciousness.

A participant: {Remarks not recorded in shorthand.]

Rudolf Steiner: Can one also speak of spiritual failures? I do not mean so much failures that the friends themselves accuse themselves of in their work, but rather the failures that would lie in a lack of receptivity.

Various participants report on the situation in Duisburg and Erfurt, in particular.

Rudolf Steiner: What considerations governed the selection in Breitbrunn?

Friedrich Rittelmeyer answers. (The stenographer did not write down the answer.)

Rudolf Steiner: Is there nothing to say about Dr. Geyer's resignation?

Friedrich Rittelmeyer: I expect that Dr. Geyer will continue to work for the movement even if someone from our circle approaches him in this regard. We would still benefit from him even in this form, provided that Dr. Steiner has no decisive objections.

Rudolf Steiner: I have no decisive objections, because I really do not want to exert any decisive influence on such decisions in this area either, but rather to maintain the position I have had in relation to the movement from the very beginning: to give what can be given from the spiritual world and not to influence the constitution in any other way than by advising. That is the best thing for the cause itself. But even if one can certainly agree that such a letter could be addressed to Dr. Geyer, the important question remains as to what objective obstacles there could be for Dr. Geyer, apart from these subjective personal ones, which one can certainly understand. These subjective obstacles, that he cannot make himself a cultural authority and the like, are not so extraordinarily important; one can cope with such things if one looks at the movement with the intensity and seriousness that is necessary for it. But what is important is the objective inner position on the question: What can prevent him, in your opinion?

Friedrich Rittelmeyer suspects that what is keeping Dr. Geyer from coming with us lies in the current of the times and will confront us from many sides in the near future. Rudolf Steiner: You are touching on the objective side, which is important for the impulse. When you say that we will encounter this in various people, that is important, and it is all the more important to be very clear about it.

Friedrich Rittelmeyer and Emil Bock report on their recent perceptions regarding Dr. Geyer. [The remarks were not written down in shorthand.]

Rudolf Steiner: What is necessary for all of you is to realize – this may sound trivial compared to what you have made your motto – that a renewal of religious life as such is necessary. A renewal of religious life! If religious life is to be renewed, then it is first and foremost necessary to realize the source of the irreligiousness of many contemporary religious denominations. When these two gentlemen came to see me at the very beginning of this movement, there was an undertone that we do not actually have a religious life among those on whom you rely first, that religious life is no longer a reality. |

It is first and foremost necessary for religious life to enter into the inner being of the human personality. As you can see now with Pastor Geyer, this awareness is no longer present. Overcoming this state of mind, which you find in Pastor Geyer, that means the first step in religious life. If someone cannot rise above the point where he comes to terms with this personal impossibility of representing the spiritual, then this is a degree of irreligiousness that is precisely an important factor in our present spiritual life. Then, in the case of those personalities to whom you have referred, there is such animosity against religious life as such. What you said about this longing to experience the spiritual as something non-sensuous, but not wanting to express it in the garments - whereby the practical can still be discussed - that is actually not a representation of the spiritual, but a fight against it. That is basically what has most strongly diverted mankind from the spiritual, that gradually the representation of the spiritual has become only an abstraction, a matter of doctrine, a matter of theory, a matter in which one shrinks from having more than a few symbols at most. As soon as one comes to the realization that this is still a representation of the spiritual that wants to reveal itself, and takes offense at the fact that the spirit, when it comes to light, wants to be creative, we are dealing with an irreligious element.

Theology does not have to deal with religion at all. It can be a theory about God and everything that is associated with God; it can also appear extremely hearty, but it is not religion. Theology can be very irreligious; and that is what I mean, and that must be said clearly and without fear, that Dr. Geyer is resigning from this movement because he did not take everything as seriously as religion, as is necessary for all of you to take the matter seriously. That is the objective element, quite apart from his personality. He cannot give himself up; that is the objective reason why he cannot go along with the movement. If you look at it that way, it becomes extraordinarily characteristic when he talks about the ten years] that he is older than Dr. Rittelmeyer. Because if you have a religious feeling, you don't say, these ten years make up what prevents me from participating in the movement, but you say: I know better that this movement is necessary, because I am ten years older; I am the oldest, therefore I also know best what is necessary. - That would be said religiously. I would like us to get the matter completely away from the person. Quite apart from the fact that Dr. Geyer is someone we all love and will continue to love, it is necessary to feel that we take religious life as such very seriously today, that we take it as a substance, that we grasp religious life within its substance. I would appreciate it if you would speak up to clarify. Various people present express their views on what they think may have led Dr. Geyer to take this step. Among other things, the following is said:

Perhaps in what led Dr. Geyer to his decision there is something of a conception of the freedom of the human personality that has not penetrated into the religious sphere. If one orients oneself more according to the intellect, one believes that one is not free in relation to that in which one engages, that one accomplishes, while clothed in cultic garments.

Rudolf Steiner: To pick out just one thing: if you look at it objectively, the matter of vestments is quite unrelated to the sense of freedom. Both the vestment question and the other matters of ritual are intimately connected with the way in which the human being grows into the spiritual and with the revelation of the spiritual in the world. Now, apart from the fact that, with regard to the robes that Pastor Geyer will wear in church in the future, he cannot say that he is free in them either. There is no question of that. We are not at all free with regard to our robes. But we can disregard that entirely, because it is insignificant.

Of course, one can err in the details, but on the whole, the aim is to give the cultus those contents that are as closely related to the human being as the human skin is to the physical body. After all, nothing imaginary is worn, but rather what the person has on him anyway when he acts in the right feeling. What I mean is, the astral body has very specific figures and colorations when a person is in the mood to perform a religious sacrifice, and this is expressed in the vestments. So to rebel against the garb would be the same as saying, I want a blue skin instead of the flesh. This has nothing to do with personal freedom. If one understands the cultic properly, one must think quite differently about these things at all, and one cannot have a subjective aversion. That one prefers to wear a tailcoat rather than a surplice, one cannot assert, because that makes no sense.

Friedrich Rittelmeyer: We have spoken in Breitbrunn about the fact that we have the feeling that everything so far that has not worked as a cult in the world was a kind of religious game compared to what strives to work with the spirit into the outer world.

Rudolf Steiner: It is important to create a real religious feeling, in contrast to those who talk a lot in passive performances, but who do not lead a religious life. What you said is correct, but it must be said in the form: absorbing and teaching anthroposophy can be completely irreligious. Finding anthroposophy in the soul already has a religious character. One can take in anthroposophy with one's intellect, one can certainly do that, but it does not need to be a religion. What many theologians today take in and teach, in whatever color, has nothing to do with religion. I think we can calmly regard this as an objective difficulty. I believe that we will have to experience these difficulties in some form. One can have the feeling that as soon as one goes to people, one stands outside the fruit, one points to the shell of a nut, but one does not stand inside the kernel of the nut. One cannot properly pass on what one has found within oneself as religious. I hope that we here in Dornach will finally break through the shell of the nut and get to the kernel, otherwise everything will die down again.

Then we may discuss a few external matters. When would you prefer me to speak to you in your meetings?

Friedrich Rittelmeyer: We are entirely at your disposal.

Rudolf Steiner: Then perhaps it would be best to decide from day to day, so let us say tomorrow at four or half past three. Tomorrow morning we have a reception over in the big building, so it would be less easy in the morning. We could consider the morning for the other days. The main thing would be to be clear about the time. Perhaps there are other things to be decided?

Friedrich Rittelmeyer: Do you have any further questions or suggestions for us?

Rudolf Steiner: I would have preferred it if you would tell me what you expect.

Emil Bock: I would like to say first of all that our group is actually very keen to really achieve a constitution for our cause, to be allowed to make a start on our work. So that we actually do not have the expectation in the foreground, as far as we can see, that we get a lot of theory, but that we are all attuned to the fact that the first deed happens to us from the whole course of events that we have to bring into the world. And then, after the conversations that we were recently able to have, we have already made some preparations. We have tried to prepare things and have found that we still need a lot more detailed information so that things can be done right. We want to accept from you, with heartfelt gratitude, whatever theory and support we can get, as far as we are allowed to. If I may say something about this, it is that in our work we are confronted with completely new fields of science everywhere. For example, we have come to the conclusion that in order to truly understand what we see on the garment, we need a whole cultic chemistry that will enlighten us about the nature of matter and how it is transformed. The meaning of the cultic colors... [gap in the stenographer's text]. A cultic physics will have to tell us what happens through the transformation in the course of the year. This has become clear to us from the question of clothing, that we still have a great deal to work through and that we have to say how cultic is actually present throughout the history of civilization. So that we are actually hungry for a great deal of material that brings us close to history, religious history, and the history of civilization, which has a cultic and imaginative relationship to the question of clothing.

In their pastoral work, all our friends have certainly thought about what we were told last fall in very brief references to pastoral psychiatry. We are facing very difficult challenges that we are not up to because we still lack this very new kind of theology. We still understand the Bible too poorly, and we would like to hear as much as possible and get advice on how we can develop these large areas of theology. That is what goes into the theoretical. First of all, it is important to us that we start practically. If the doctor has time, we would like him to tell us everything that can serve as an incentive and a tool for our own work. A myriad of questions have been raised that we would like to ask.

Rudolf Steiner: Yes, these questions must of course be dealt with. The first thing I have to do, what I would like to do with you tomorrow, is to first of all establish the spiritual constitution of your community as such. I do not mean what the community is in the broader sense, but the community of priests. I must speak to you about what this community of priests will mean, how it should be constituted, how it should give itself self-awareness, because the reality depends on this community of priests being self-aware, in order to truly become the bearer of a spiritual consciousness of the present. Without this, a renewal of religious life will not be possible. This is lacking in all newer spiritual movements, which are aggregates that live on earth and are not constituted by the spiritual world. This will be the first thing we will talk about tomorrow in terms of what should actually happen. We do not need to talk about these things theoretically; you have to understand them in a very practical way. It will be a matter of awakening the spirit within us to a ritual act, I would like to say, if I may use the prosaic expression, that we demonstrate how a ritual act should take place. We want to start in this direction.

On the other hand, the external organization of the community, which is also necessary for us, will have to take the form of a discussion, because here we are dealing with extremely important and decisive matters. But the point is that we can only move forward or backward with human reasons, for example, what could still be done to really preserve the community, that would be the dry prose. Because now the house in Stuttgart has been started to be built and yet the possibility of continuing the construction is lacking.

Friedrich Rittelmeyer: The money is there. The house in Stuttgart is paid for, as far as it is built. What is still needed will come.

Rudolf Steiner: Others, such as Mr. Leinhas, will also have a say in this. It is only so far as it goes to a certain point, but no further.

Friedrich Rittelmeyer: The question of how to obtain the vestments and implements is a very tricky one. We all want to get to the cult as soon as possible. We have been pushing for it since the summer, so that it does not come to that only in the last few days. If we have to approach the matter, it is our wish that we do so as soon as possible, because only then will we feel fully immersed in it.

Rudolf Steiner: It will be done. Of course, you only have to take up the cult in the way it can only be meant: with complete seriousness.

Friedrich Rittelmeyer: We celebrated the sacrifice together every day in Breitbrunn. There is a great desire among us that it could also be done every day here. And if it could be done in a better form.

Rudolf Steiner: You mean that someone celebrated the service?

Friedrich Rittelmeyer: Read it, that's all we could do.

Rudolf Steiner: We will gather here at half past three.

Accompanying words by Marie Steiner on the publication of Rudolf Steiner's report in “Was in der Anthroposophischen Gesellschaft vorgeht” (What is happening in the Anthroposophical Society) No. 1922/1944:

It may be of historical interest to include here the report that Dr. Steiner himself gave orally about the congress. The reproduction of this report that appeared in the “Mitteilungen” of 1909 is quite accurate. It takes us back to the time when the dispute with the leaders of the Theosophical Society began. These leaders were trying to push back the Christian esoteric current of Western occultism by founding the “Star of the East” soon after and proclaiming Krishnamurti as the reincarnated savior. Instead of another report, the lecture that Dr. Rudolf Steiner gave at the Berlin branch about the Budapest Congress will be presented here. Dr. Steiner said something along the following lines:

Rudolf Steiner's report:

Since the Munich Congress, there has been a change in the way these meetings are held. Previously, the convention was held every year. Since the Munich Congress, after a discussion that had already taken place following the Congress in Paris, a change has occurred. Since that time, these congresses have been held every two years. Accordingly, a period of two years has also elapsed between the Munich and the Budapest Congresses. The next congress will be in Turin in 1911 and will be organized by our Italian Section.

Above all, with regard to the last Budapest Congress, it must be mentioned that we were able to experience the enthusiasm and strong theosophical idealism of our Hungarian friends and Society members. The Hungarian Section is one of the youngest sections to have been founded within Europe. We were able to experience the effort and dedication with which our Hungarian friends had approached this event. Within the Theosophical Society, there was truly a sense of what one might call an image, a reflection of what is known by someone who is somewhat familiar with Hungarian conditions. The Hungarian nation is rightly considered hospitable, and it was this quality, in an eminently national view, that particularly struck us at this congress.

In Budapest, a start was made on what was sought in Munich and what, to a certain extent, can be called the “harmonization” of the external environment and what takes place in the theosophical heart. We began to do this at the time – and a further implementation of this idea is shown by our Berlin lodge room – to express symbolically in the surrounding space what moves our hearts. For it does matter what thought forms are stimulated from outside, namely from the space from which Theosophical thoughts are to be experienced and moved from within.

The Hungarians, however, found a substitute by decorating the hall with symbolic works of art. Those members who are not officials of the Society – the latter are occupied with administrative work during the congress – were able to admire the most diverse symbolic pictures on the walls, especially those by Hungarian artists, during their leisure moments. I would like to emphasize in particular that this decoration of the hall showed how this nation is inwardly disposed to combine a certain primeval element of feeling and imagination with a sensuality that has emerged from a deep merging with European conditions, and how interesting things come to light as a result, especially in symbolic painting. A cycle of pictures, such as the one by Alexander Nagy, which symbolically represented the search for happiness and tried to show how the person born into the world first desires everything around him, namely the happiness of the human heart; then further, how the human heart, in search of happiness, goes through the most diverse experiences that the outside world can offer, how it experiences what is going on in the world of wealth and poverty, how it comes to see that happiness cannot be achieved on a journey through life if it is not sought in love for the other beings who live with us; and finally, how happiness can never be found for the single heart that only wants to live for itself. Similarly, in a symbolic way, many ideas are expressed in images that fill the soul with tragedy. This is especially true in the serious, thoughtful pictures by [Belé Takéch].

Of particular importance was the photographic reproduction of a large-scale work of art by one of our members from the Scandinavian Section: Frank [Heyman]. He has a curious way of creating art. I had already encountered this way of creating under much more favorable circumstances; at the time when I was able to visit the creative artist in his studio. On one of my journeys, which I had to make in the interest of theosophy, I also came through Gothenburg, got to know Heyman personally and was led by him to his studio near Gothenburg. This is located on a hill. On all sides, you have a wonderful panorama in front of you. You can hardly imagine a more inspiring landscape than the one that is visible in the round.

There are basically quite a few, but enormous, colossal works of art by Frank Heyman. There are figures that may make an impression on the realistic sense of our time, which could perhaps be characterized with the following words: “What kind of crazy painter is this?” You see some colossal figures in which the head looks like a prismatic, but not regularly shaped figure. Hands, gestures, in short, the whole figure is shaped in the most diverse ways, angular, angular.

This figure makes a different impression on the occultist. He immediately has the impression: this is something that has been sensed from a higher world. If one knows the actual secrets of the human etheric body, if one knows how this etheric body stands as a force body behind the physical body, and knows how is expressed in the physical body, a very definite movement takes place in the etheric body, and one has the impression that the artist created out of the forces of the etheric body and expressed his supersensible experiences in these forms.

In this way he attempted to show how the human soul develops and, one might say, how the etheric body functions in this development. The basic feeling one has when confronted with his works of art is as if he were asking himself the question: “What am I?” And when this question trembles through the whole human being, then the etheric body enters into a regularity that Frank Heyman has beautifully expressed in his works. What he thus represents are the simple geometric forms of the, as it were, crystallized etheric body.

A second picture embodies the question of the human being immersed in himself: “What am I?”. One feels the emanation of the feeling of 'peace' in the form. Here, too, the ether currents are expressed in the sculpture. So we are not dealing with representations of the physical body in the sculptures of our friend Heyman, but with the fact that he crystallizes what is going on in the etheric body into the plastic substance. In this way, the whole inner life of the human being is depicted, right up to the moment when he looks up to the divine. It is fair to say what I suggested in Budapest in a short address about these works of art: the Theosophical movement will flourish and thrive all the more, not only on the part of the teachers, but from all sides, the currents of life flow from their impulses. Much is done when currents of life flow from Theosophy to art in this way.

Not only would a railway carriage have been needed to transport these not very numerous but colossal works of art from Gothenburg in Sweden to Budapest. This transport could not be arranged, and so visitors had to make do with smaller photographs of the works of art.

But it is my hope that as the Theosophical movement grows stronger and stronger and the culture of the time becomes more and more receptive to it, our friend Frank Heyman will once again become of the greatest importance to it as an artist. That is just to point out the type of decoration of the spacious hall that was available to us.

It was particularly noteworthy that the European sections had all come to this congress, which could also be seen from the fact that a wide variety of European languages could be heard from the podium during the welcoming address by the General Secretaries.

One could feel satisfaction at how, although perhaps only a very few could physically understand the speaker at the moment when the most diverse languages were being spoken, the Theosophical movement is an element that will gradually develop a language that goes from heart to heart, from soul to soul, creating understanding between different nations.

In addition to the older sections – Scandinavian, French, Dutch, English, Italian, German, Finnish (the latter represented by our friend Selander, who we are pleased to have with us today) – we now have two new sections in Europe: Russian and Czech. There was also a representative from Bulgaria. So there was no lack of languages when the General Secretaries gave their welcoming addresses.

It was significant that Mrs. Besant, President of the Theosophical Society, was able to preside over the Congress in person and thus be with us once again. On the evening of May 28, the Congress members had gathered for a casual welcome.

In her first address on Sunday, May 29, Mrs. Besant spoke in particular about the place of the Theosophical movement in the intellectual life of the present time. She showed how the Theosophical movement fits into our present intellectual life. She gave a broad overview of the development of humanity, especially in the last three cultural epochs up to our own era. She showed how man has gradually developed out of the past cultural epochs, the third, the fourth of the post-Atlantic period and out of our fifth epoch, and how then in our time the theosophical movement in particular must be placed in the whole of this spiritual life, how through the theosophical movement in our time this spiritual life must take on a special impetus, a special impact. It was a significant speech, because it was able to show how the theosophical knowledge of human history is indeed not just there to satisfy the curiosity of this or that person, but to point out our place in the spiritual development of humanity. It is not a matter of learning theory: the individual races and sub-races develop in this or that way – but rather, it is a matter of recognizing our own place in the present time.

Just as new impulses have come in earlier epochs to give new impetus, so we live entirely in a time in which the great ideas of the theosophical movement – brotherhood, reincarnation and karma – are to take hold in the hearts and minds of those people who gather within the Theosophical Society to truly help bring about a kind of future culture.

It was of particular importance that Mrs. Besant emphasized the necessity of grasping our place in the spiritual development of humanity, given the many different opinions within the Theosophical movement. She emphasized that it is truly not important whether we belong to this or that direction or current, but that these different currents within the Theosophical Society, so that they flow together into humanity in a common stream of spirit, which is essentially characterized by the fact that those who belong to it are aware that the correct grasp and feeling of the ideas of brotherhood, reincarnation and karma is what the realization of a corresponding future depends on.

It would be going much too far if I were to expand on the individual ideas here, in the way that Mrs. Besant has done. How we should think about these ideas was something I myself hinted at in the last meeting that was held here before our departure for the Budapest Congress.

It may be useful, instead of dwelling mainly on words, to write a few notes in our soul, so to speak, about the spirit that has been consciously sought in this, our last congress. It is good to touch on these things from time to time. There has been much talk of the diversity of teachings and opinions and the different ways of presenting knowledge in our and other circles of the Theosophical Society. One often hears here and there in Europe: What should one adhere to? Mrs. Besant teaches this, Dr. Steiner that, and so on. If one only considers the externals, then it cannot be denied that there may be some semblance of justification for this claim here or there. Now, however, the view should actually gain more and more ground within the Theosophical movement that it is truly much better if the rich, varied, occult life of the higher worlds is presented from as many sides as possible. Can anyone wish that the wisdom be contained in the two volumes of H. P. Blavatsky's “Secret Doctrine” and that in all places of the world where there is Theosophy, work be done only on the basis of this Secret Doctrine, and only photographs of what is contained therein be given? The Theosophical movement is something that should be present in people as a living life. We are right to say that Theosophy did not come into the world through this or that book, nor through this or that sum of dogmas. Theosophy comes from those high individualities whom we call the “Masters of Wisdom and Harmony of Feelings,” because they have opened the sources of spiritual life that can flow into people from there. It is natural that what flows in is written in books from time to time, and an enormous amount of such wisdom has been written in “Secret Doctrine.” For example, the Dzyan stanzas and the letters of the masters are parts that are far from being fully understood, parts that will be long to be drawn upon, parts that are among the greatest revelations in human development. But we must be clear that it is not even that which matters, but rather that this living spiritual life has been flowing into the theosophical movement ever since that time.

And now I ask you: if someone wants to paint a tree, how do they do it? They sit down, paint it from a certain side and then show you the picture. Indeed, only someone who shows what is going on in the spiritual world in a book or through spoken words can do that. In “Secret Doctrine” you have also shown nothing more than a certain amount of wisdom, from a certain point of view. Just as you can now sit on a different side and paint the tree from a different perspective, so too can the spiritual image be illuminated from a different side. Take a picture of the tree that is painted from a certain side. What would you say if another painter showed the tree in his picture, shaped and illuminated somewhat differently, and said, “This is this same tree, only seen from the other side”? Would you say, “That is not the tree, because otherwise it would have to have the same shape and lighting as that one?” It is more or less the same with “Secret Doctrine”, and it is not at all necessary to merely photograph the wisdom as it is written in “Secret Doctrine”. Get to know the tree by having it painted from different sides, if you do not yet know it yourself. The possibility of speaking about the spiritual world from the most diverse aspects is given by the fact that the “Masters of Wisdom and of the Harmony of Sensations” have allowed their power to flow into our movement, and that these inflows continue.

But why is one picture more painted from one side and the other more from the other side? This does not depend on chance or arbitrariness, but on necessity. It depends on the fact that from the most diverse places in the world, from the most diverse cultural currents and movements, other needs for the spiritual world exist. This must be taken into account. The form of the presentation depends not only on the one who presents, but also on what his task, his mission is. The right thing must be done in terms of the presentation; that is what matters.

Although, on superficial examination, one could say that Misses Besant says this and Dr. Steiner says that with regard to the form of presentation, it was good that it was emphasized at this congress that it does not matter whether everyone speaks exactly like the other, but that the different occult sources in the Theosophical Society can be found and that they can flow together.

We can use another image to characterize the spirit that was sought: the spirit of harmony. You may know that tunnels are dug from both sides, and that if they are dug in the right way, they meet in the middle. This can and should also be the case in the work of the Theosophical Society. It will therefore be good if that which has more of an oriental character, that is, more of the character of the early days of our movement and the “Secret Doctrine” as its basis, works towards this union, just as Western occultism, whose sources were not yet open at the time, is doing today.

Of course, when speaking of Blavatsky's Theosophy, one should not speak of Indian Theosophy. It will be my task in Munich, on the occasion of my next lecture cycle there, to show what the real form of what can be called Indian Theosophy is. In Blavatsky's teaching, there is very little that could be called Indian teaching. Those who are familiar with Blavatsky's doctrine will know that it contains much from Egyptian, Babylonian, and Chaldean teachings, and that it is not at all specifically Indian theosophy. It is an abuse to speak of Indian theosophy as opposed to what is being done here. It is merely a matter of the fact that at the time when H. P. Blavatsky had to work, the Western sources had not yet been opened, and that these have more to say about some things than the Eastern sources. We do not hold it against the Eastern sources if they cannot provide satisfactory information about certain things. One must understand that. The question arises again and again: “Why do you say something different from oriental theosophy?” If one were to see what this other thing is like, one would no longer be able to ask this question. Just see how it is. For example, we give that deep interpretation of H. P. Blavatsky about the legend of Buddha, which tells us that he perished because of the consumption of pork. The interpretation is namely that he revealed too much of his teaching and consequently ended karmically tragically. We admit what is positive and - this must be emphasized - that nothing is missing in the Western teaching that is positive in the Eastern teaching. Nothing is denied, everything is said “Yes”. But when the oriental occultists say, “Which occultist has ever heard that an initiatic writing like the Apocalypse was given under thunder and lightning?” the western occultists answer: every western occultist knows what is meant by that. And we have to say that we, as Western occultists, have a mission of addition, of expansion, with regard to the Oriental teachings. One has to distinguish between what has been so far and what the expansion and the addition mean. Then one will already understand how two such directions relate to each other, which have recently been presented as antagonistic.

It is particularly important here in the West to emphasize what is called the principle of development, the principle of development in our physical world, the principle of development in the higher world.

Mrs. Besant gave a very beautiful lecture, I say it openly, of great intuition and deep feeling, entitled: “The Christ - who is he?” In this lecture one can see that there is not disharmony but harmony between Eastern and Western life, if one only wants to look at the matter in the right way. This lecture on the second day of the congress was preceded by one of mine: “From Buddha to Christ”. You all know the details of this lecture, except for one thing that may not have been mentioned here and that refers to the three great names that are mentioned within Rose-Cross Theosophy as particularly worthy of veneration. There were three great names throughout the Middle Ages. These three names were also known to those who represented a dogmatic church. They often demanded of their orthodox followers the formula, which was a formula of curse: “I curse Scythianos, I curse Zaratas, I curse the Boddha.” These three individualities were loaded with curse in medieval culture when one wanted to document that one was a Christian.

Christian Rosicrucianism recognizes these three figures as exalted luminaries. We will talk more about Scythianos later. Zaratas is a great teacher of the Western initiation. He was none other than Zarathustra, who reappeared in various disciples, in Hermes and Moses, and finally in the sixth century BC as Nazaratos. He was one of the great inspirers of the Rosicrucian wisdom. Buddha was also counted among the great individuals. The individual contributions they had to give were then combined into an overall contribution for the development of humanity, and thus the great impulse could be given, which we call the Rosicrucian impulse. Now, in my lecture “From Buddha to Christ,” I had to emphasize, to stress, that what I said here before my departure for Budapest, about the connection between Zarathustra and Christ, about the seven Rishis who came over from the Atlantean period, etc., was not to be included in the lecture. In her lecture “The Christ - Who is He?” Miss Besant also said something that applies to the presentation of such insights as I have hinted at. She emphasized that when approaching such questions, one must be clear that there is agreement among all occultists with regard to the basic principle, but that it is natural and an obvious truth that every occultist is obliged to present things as they present themselves to him, that he is obliged to show what he can show through his level of development. Miss Besant emphasized that the appropriate inner development is achieved through the mystical path, through the path that has been characterized here in the most diverse ways, that has the most diverse stages, and so on.

When one considers what is experienced by the personality of the occultist, the various stages of the ascent, then there can be no other difference between one occultist and another than that one is somewhat more or less developed than the other. But in what is right, there can be no difference, just as when climbing a mountain, if two people together reach the same peak, there may be a difference in the view. The same applies to occultists if their lives are true to life. Mrs. Besant started from that and showed that the occultist who wants to be serious and work in the world has to cross a certain boundary, a boundary that is very easily resented by our ordinary public. For example, there are many people who believe in reincarnation, believe that human individuality can be re-embodied. But if you then come and point out to them that this or that individuality appeared at this time in this personality, at that time in that one, and so on, then people take offense at it, even though they believe in re-embodiment. For such specific details as I had to give about the re-embodiments of Zarathustra, a certain limit must be exceeded, and it is questionable how many people are still willing to go along with it.

There is indeed - and this was also emphasized by Mrs. Besant - only one true story and that is the one written in the Akasha Chronicle. He who is able to read the Akasha Chronicle - which, however, only a higher, spiritual eye is able to decipher - can state the true story. But then we must also allow the one who is to describe reality to cross this boundary.

Mrs. Besant then continued: Now it is quite natural and self-evident that each of us can only decipher this difficult-to-decipher chronicle of the Akasha world according to our own level of development. But nevertheless, it is true that in the essential features, everything definitely strives towards a great unity. Every occultist will recognize what we call the “Great Lodge of the Masters of Wisdom and of the Harmony of Sensations”. These Masters of the Wisdom are available to those who are knowledgeable in the occult. It is true that the Masters of the Wisdom live outside in the world and have the opportunity to reach that strange place called Shamballa, which also plays an important role in the Orientalist doctrine. Miss Besant emphasized that those whom we call the “Masters of the Wisdom and of the Harmony of Feelings” can communicate through their relationship to this mysterious place called Shamballa.

But then we must again be clear that anyone who engages with occult teachings should not be offended by names, that they should not confuse the name with the thing. Confusing the name with the thing can easily occur when certain names are associated with particular sensations and feelings in certain areas. Therefore, Mrs. Besant emphasized that such a confusion of name and thing should not occur when speaking on the one hand of Buddha and Bodhisattva, on the other hand of Christ. Above all, we must bear in mind that when we speak of Bodhisattva, we do not mean an individuality, but an office. There are names for offices and names for individuals. Every human being has a name for himself. But then there are also names like emperor and king. However, we must not confuse the name given to an individuality with that individuality itself.

I would ask you to bear in mind that I am not giving a lecture in the strict sense about Misses Besant's lecture, but that I am freely linking my own ideas to Misses Besant's arguments.

You will remember that in the many lectures I have given here this winter, it was emphasized how the “spirits of personality” have a completely different role on Saturn and grow into a completely different office on Earth. It is the same with what is called a Bodhisattva. This is an office that the individuality enters when it is ready for it. So we can fully understand when Mrs. Besant said that the individuality that appeared as Buddha had previously passed through the most diverse stages of development, that it had matured and matured and at a certain point in its development had become a bodhisattva. Just as in a worldly career one can become a member of the government council and so on over time, so the various individualities pass through these offices.

Now, I have always emphasized that, for example, the entity about which the “Seven Holy Rishis” say that it is beyond their sphere is basically the same as the Christ. This entity is also the same one that has outshone the various bodhisattvas, has worked in them and through them. What I have to teach is that this entity, which was beyond the sphere of the rishis, which inspired Zarathustra, which poured its truths into the beings we call bodhisattva, embodied itself in a very specific and much more appropriate way than before in the Jesus of Nazareth for the last three years of his life, so that we can definitely say: Christ was also connected with humanity before the Palestinian event; he is progressing in development. The earlier epochs were necessary for him to become what he is in our epoch. One can also say that the essence was already present in the cosmos in the past and has worked through various messengers. One can also emphasize that the same essence has always been there.

Oriental teaching, the whole spirit of the Orient is analytical. From the various embodiments of man, rising to the whole, to unity, that is the way of the Orient. The Occident's task is to develop the synthetic mind. What is the nature of the being that has developed as Ahura Mazdao? What are the various factors that it has developed? How has revelation always come to us differently? Understanding these questions, the goals of development, the great moments in development, that is what matters in the Occident. But if someone comes and says, “Here is a plant,” Goethean thoughts can be particularly well developed here. “When the leaves change, they become flowers; the petals are transformed stem leaves...” is not enough; one must also show how a green stem leaf can become a red petal. Thus, the Occidental does not deny anything of the Oriental, but adds something by characterizing the factors whereby stem leaves become petals. It is the same with Christ if one simply says that He was there before. The combination of the synthetic method with the analytical method is desired in all science, and it can also be had in full harmony within the theosophical spiritual current. There is absolutely nothing that could disturb the harmony of the Theosophical Society if the oriental analytical spirit is added to what must be added: the occidental synthetic spirit. Because the Theosophical Society is living life and not the reproduction of dogmas, I myself cannot find what could be called a contradiction between any of its directions, disharmony. This harmony must be based on some deep foundation that creates a stream that can absorb the waters of various sources. It must be based on this foundation, not on parrot-like repetition of dogmas. We will still learn many things in this direction as the Theosophical movement grows into its mission. The Theosophical Society will always bring something new. We have the certainty that the Masters of Wisdom watch over the Theosophical movement. If one were to be surprised and immediately speak of heresy when something new comes, then the Theosophical movement would be worse than earlier similar ones. And yet, unfortunately, the search for heresy in our time is actually more common than in any other time. Mrs. Besant regards the Christ as the Entity that revealed Itself in Jesus of Nazareth (more about this later) and as the Entity that is destined to show the way for what is now forming as a new cultural germ. In this lecture, she also pointed out that this Entity will continue to work in a more intimate context when humanity has reached a certain point in its development. There may be contradictions in the external indications, but one can fully agree that the Christ will come again, and that He will be recognized by those who are prepared for it. But one should emphasize being prepared rather than the Second Coming. It could easily be the case that people have the Christ but do not recognize him, even if he were among them for more than three years. It depends on developing the ability of recognition more and more. Wait and patiently develop the ability to recognize him. Pointing to a specific time is basically a disservice to humanity. Therefore, it is better to emphasize the means that lead to the recognition of Christ.

I wanted to give a few notes to show what the spirit was that was sought at this Budapest Congress. Therefore, the unity of work should be emphasized, even though the occult sources are of the most diverse kinds. It will be all the better the longer this unity and harmony of work is maintained within the Theosophical Society. We must be quite clear about this. The Budapest Congress has only given the participants the opportunity to be able to say, when they leave this congress, that there really is the best will and the best prospect of working in full harmony; and one should not fall into the trap of wanting to state differences. 'Those who prefer the name Bodhisattva – to which Miss Besant professes to adhere – will present the matter differently from those who consider the name Christ to be more appropriate. We therefore want to be in harmony among ourselves and in harmony with the Theosophical movement.

We can describe this harmony as a gratifying fact. As a symptom of the fact that the will to work together, to work in harmony, currently outweighs all other divergent tendencies, I would like to mention the following fact: Some of my books have been translated into different languages, and Mrs. Besant, in her character as president of the Theosophical Society and as chair of the Society's General Council, felt moved to award me the Subba Row Medal, once donated by our dear president Olcott, for the best writing recently published in the theosophical movement. As Mrs. Besant emphasized, this medal has been awarded to H. P. Blavatsky, then to Mr. Mead, and finally to Mrs. Besant herself. The first time Mrs. Besant, as president of the Theosophical Society, had the opportunity to award it, she gave it to me. I mention this fact not for my own sake, but as a symptom of the will to work together in harmony in the Theosophical Society. I may say that I particularly look at the name when it comes to the Subba Row Medal, which I also emphasized at the Budapest Congress. Those who know me will know that I have long regarded Subba Row as a spirit working from direct spiritual realization. It is very nice that this special medal has been donated in his honor. Please consider what I have said not in relation to me, but in relation to the entire German Section. What belongs to me belongs to the German Section.

Now I would like to characterize the course of the congress further. Perhaps one or the other will say that I am a poor reporter who wants pedantic details. To this I would like to say that I do not want to give a report, as the newspapers tend to deliver, but the intellectual facts. I would like to mention that our Hungarian friends have also ensured that the necessity of that school of thought, which is cultivated in the ranks of the Theosophical movement, has been brought into a bright light. They could not have done this better than by presenting us with a significant work of Hungarian drama, “The Tragedy of Man” by Emerich Madách, in a special theater performance. This work is something that had to be presented to the Theosophists at some point. We can learn an enormous amount from this tragedy by Madách. If I were to digress further from what some people call reporting, I would have to tell you something about what is called the Hungarian spirit, which is characteristically expressed in this “tragedy of man”. But I don't want to go that far; I just want to make a few comments about the work and its relation to the Theosophical movement. This Madách is indeed an interesting personality. He lived his life in a time when Hungary went through a lot. He was born in 1823 as the scion of an old Hungarian noble family and died in 1864. He lived through the times when Magyars tried to become independent through the revolution of 1848. He lived through the entire repercussion of this revolution, the defeat of Hungary by Austria, until the great Hungarian statesman Deak found a way to create a configuration in the Austrian state that resulted in the coexistence of the Austrian and Hungarian countries in their present form. This formation of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy is quite complicated and a further explanation would be too far-fetched here. Madách participated with all his soul in this Hungarian development and died in 1864, shortly after another attempt had been made to establish centralization, which failed, whereupon - albeit after Madách's death - the Austro-Hungarian dualism was created.

Madách began writing political articles early on, and from this you can see that he was involved in the affairs of his nation. He was one of those Magyars who stood up for the development of Magyar independence, for conditions that were only partially achieved under Ferenc Deák. He felt it deeply as a disgrace done to his nation that under the so-called Bach regime, Germanization was carried out and Magyar identity in Hungary was completely ignored. Madách personally had an unpleasant encounter with Austrian reaction. He did not personally take part in the 1848 revolution, but out of a big and beautiful heart he took in a refugee who had been involved and had sought shelter on Madách's estate.

At the beginning of the 1850s, Madách married in a way that can only be described as eminently happy. Then, in Hungary, a persecution of those who had participated in the revolution began. When it was discovered that Madách had sheltered a refugee – the refugee was no longer found – he was put on trial and thrown into prison. In prison, he wrote wonderfully tender poems. He knew nothing of his homeland, no news reached him. But there is a note of hope in his poems, that he would find again those from whom he had been snatched, and especially the one he loved so much, his wife. It was a great disappointment for him that his wife of all people had been unfaithful to him during the time of his imprisonment, so that he had to separate from her afterwards. Thus Madách had to endure external and internal pain. That is why he so severely criticized the conditions of his time; and one might say that he expressed everything that had been deposited in Madách's soul in the form of terrible, quite painful living conditions in his “Tragedy of Man”. Thus we see how this tragedy is imbued with the feeling one has when traveling across the wide plains of the Great Hungarian Plain, where one senses infinity but finds no real point of rest. The way he portrays the “tragedy of man” is very characteristic of a personality who was born in our time, and indeed from an elemental people. We see how creation is presented to us, how it is released from the hand of the Father-God. After the Father-God has been praised by his serving spirits for the glory he has put into the work, Lucifer confronts him and emphasizes: “I am as old as you; you could not have created in your way without the negative principle, which always opposed and shaped that which is in development into fixed forms. Without this you could not have created. We then see how man appears within Paradise as Adam and Eve; we see how God gives Lucifer two trees, especially the tree of knowledge. It is beautifully illustrated how Adam and Eve partake of the tree of knowledge, how they are then expelled from Paradise and are now cast out into the world, where they must fend for themselves. Adam and Eve are faced with the necessity of creating and working with their own hands and thus making their way in the world. Then Lucifer reappears. Adam, who has the urge to know what will actually become of this world in which he is placed, is lulled by Lucifer into a dream in which he is shown in images of overwhelming grandeur what man has gone through in the past and still has to go through in the future. First, ancient Egypt appears; Adam as Pharaoh, with slaves all around him. The wife of one of the slaves is Eve. The full tragedy of this epoch of humanity appears before Adam's soul. He senses the terrible destiny expressed in the words: millions for one, one for millions. His soul rushes away from this image and sees itself transported to a later epoch. Adam is embodied again in Miltiades in ancient Athens. Miltiades has just accomplished a great and glorious deed; in his wife he finds the reincarnated Eve, who teaches her son the virtues of the father. Around him a demagogic mass. He is accused of treason, condemned and dragged to death. Further on, Adam encounters in a dream a later period of Roman emperorship. There he is presented to us as he lived in the Roman imperial era. A scene of a terrible kind. Adam had sought power as a pharaoh; as Miltiades he had seen how insubstantial everything is, had gone through the great disappointments that a people's benefactor can go through as a result of betraying his people. Now he wants to live a life of debauchery, to have evil in all its possible forms. He is presented to us in a revelling company, Eve as a prostitute. Outside, a man who has died of the plague is carried past; a prostitute presses a kiss on his lips. All life and activity is a terrible presumptuousness. And it is at this time that the apostle Peter's speech takes place. We see ourselves at the beginning of the spread of Christianity. Among those who had seen the prostitute kiss the body was Peter. He stepped forward and said: “You are breathing the plague, you insolent one.” Then Peter spoke further words that illuminate the matter like lightning:

"You cowardly generation, you wretched brood!
As long as luck and joy smile on you, like
Flies in the sun, you are insolent,
Brazenly trampling on God and virtue;
But when danger knocks at your door,
God's mighty finger touches you,
you cower in cowardice and despair, do you not feel how heavily heaven's punishment already weighs upon you? Just look around you, the city is deserted, rough strangers tread the golden crops, all order is dissolved, no one commands and no one Obey. With heads held high, Through silent places of peace, robbery and murder, Horror, pale worry behind them. And heaven, earth, the whole world fails you In these hardships, compassion, help you. Isn't it true that you, with a ravenous rush of mind, Can't lull that solemn voice, That stirs all the depths of your soul
And urges you in vain to a better goal? Not true, you feel no satisfaction,
Only disgust does lust awaken in your heart?
You look around anxiously, your lips stammer...
In vain, you lack faith in your old gods
faith in your old gods, they have turned to stone.
(At this moment, the statues of the gods crumble into dust).
Their image crumbles into dust, and never
will you find a new deity that
would rise from the ashes, purifying you.
Just look around you, what is raging in the city
more devastating than the plague? Innumerable rise from their soft pillow, to populate the deserts of Thebais with wild anchorites, seeking what could still arouse their dull senses, might lift them up. You will, O degenerate generation, disappear without a trace from the scene of this world.“

”The image crumbles into dust,” that is the flash of lightning that Peter's speech brings to this period.

Adam also turns away from this image, to the Crusades. Here he sees how Christianity is embodied in external forms. Then he sees himself as Kepler, surrounded by the vanity of the court. Then he comes to us in the French Revolution as Danton; Eve as the sister of the Marquis.

He rushes away from this image, comes to London and sees himself in the time when materialism is emerging, the idea of freedom is gaining ground and people want to redeem the world through it. He also turns away from this picture and comes to a different situation, where people live only for utility, where they stand next to each other only as numbers, so to speak, where everything that has warmth has fled, and only thought chimeras remain. Finally, at the last picture, at the end of the earth's time, the remaining people are like Eskimos, half-wild. This is how the advanced, their becoming, their power present themselves to him; as such, he sees them as “monstrous creatures” walking through the worlds in the future.

When he wakes up, he wants to kill himself. Now comes the point to which I actually want to draw attention, because it shows the necessity of theosophical development in our time. After the dream, Eve confesses to Adam that she feels [like] a mother. He is completely overjoyed and now hears himself say: I will not continue to research what lies before us, in the natural-law becoming; I will be satisfied with living on in the species. And in fact, what is given to man here as a kind of teaching is: Do not search, man, trust in what is given to you... It is contained in the words spoken by the Lord:

"Do not search for the secret that your
longing eyes, the benevolent hand of God
has favorably veiled with a wise mind.
For if you saw that your soul
is only temporarily sheltered on earth,
And eternal life awaits you in the beyond,
it would no longer be a virtue to suffer there.
And when you see again, your soul When the burden of your existence weighs you down,
You are carried by the elation of infinity
. And should this feeling of pride ever lead you astray,
Set limits to the span of your life span
And greatness of soul and virtue will be preserved.

In “The Tragedy of Man” we have a work of real greatness. But there is also a sense of sadness that is only possible for a personality who has experienced such deep pain as Madách, and who was thus predestined to create the work in this way. What would be possible if man could solve the riddles of the world to a certain extent, could answer the question: “What will become of evolution?” The best minds have come to pessimism because they have not found an answer. And now I ask: in the face of such a question, as it arises from the beautiful, magnificent, powerful, but unsatisfying poetry, has not the most beautiful answer become: theosophy? Does not the poet Madách prove the necessity of theosophy in our time when he says: “What would it be, if we were to look at the aimlessness and lack of value of existence?” And now, with the theosophical worldview, we not only look into the depths that go down to the Eskimos, but we also see how humanity will rise to ever higher levels of development, to higher spiritual spheres.

Imagine the significance that would have been accorded to Madách if, at a time when he was able to grasp it, his poetic soul had been confronted with what had been given to humanity in the last third of the nineteenth century. It would have been something for which he would have bled, and he wrote his play with his heart's blood.

I would like to mention a few more points regarding the congress.

If we compare this Budapest Congress with previous ones, we notice that there has been a tremendous shift in thinking and perception regarding the relationship between theosophy and science. In particular, this shift has become apparent through our seven years of German work and the help of our scientific collaborators, who have contributed significantly to this transformation of the relationship between theosophy and science.

Dr. Unger gave a lecture on “Theosophy as a Life Force,” in which he showed how, if one thinks in a scientific spirit, one will find the same attitude towards the recognition of experience in Theosophy as in the other sciences. He showed how much faith and authority must be placed in the other, even the natural sciences, just as much as, for example, when a theosophical community listens to someone who can research the occult world and professes what he has to communicate from his research. Our friend Dr. Unger gave a beautiful discussion of theosophy and science in his lecture.

Then our friend Dr. Peipers showed in two lectures, accompanied by slides, how what is taught by the theosophical movement proves to be practical in science. He explained how occult anatomy and occult medicine are the corresponding sciences of our time that must first be put back on a sound footing. I would have to say a lot if I wanted to share more details about the work of our very hard-working colleague, Dr. Peipers.

Finally, I would like to say that not much has come of the various discussions that have been initiated. There was little interest in discussing the issues raised, in particular:

1. whether a journal should be established in the most important languages spoken within the Theosophical movement and in Esperanto, and

2. whether schools should be founded in which suitable Theosophical speakers can be trained.

I probably do not need to say that I did not participate in these discussions, since you all know that I do not expect much from discussions.

Then Mrs. Wolfram – Leipzig – spoke about the occult reasons for the saga of “Tristan and Isolde”.

The Congress was followed by two public lectures, one by Mrs. Besant on “Ways into the Spiritual World” and one by me on “The Western Ways of Initiation”. These public lectures were exceptionally well attended.

On the whole, I was only able to characterize the spirit of our gathering in Budapest. It was satisfying for us that the Theosophists of Europe met again, even if only a small number of them.

I.

Very early on, I was drawn to Kant. Between the ages of fifteen and sixteen, I studied Kant very intensively, and before I went to university in Vienna, I studied Kant's orthodox successors very intensively, from the beginning of the 19th century, who have been completely forgotten by the official history of science in Germany and are hardly ever mentioned anymore. Then I began to study Fichte and Schelling in depth. During this time—and this already is related to external occult influences—the idea of time became completely clear to me. This realization had no connection with my studies and was derived entirely from occult life. It was the realization that there is a backward-going evolution that interferes with the forward-going one—the occult-astral. This realization is the condition for spiritual vision.¹

Then came the acquaintance with the agent of the Masters.

Then an intensive study of Hegel.

Then the study of more recent philosophy as it developed in Germany from the 1850s, particularly of so-called epistemology in all its ramifications.

My childhood passed without anyone outwardly intending to do so, so that I never encountered a person with a superstition; and when someone around me spoke of things of superstition, it was never without a strongly emphasized rejection. I did get to know the church cultus, as I was drafted into the cultic acts as a so-called altar boy, but nowhere, not even with the priests did I get to know any true piety and religiosity. Instead, certain dark sides of the Catholic clergy kept coming to my attention.

I did not meet the Master immediately.², but first one of his emissaries,³ who was completely initiated into the secrets of the effectiveness of all plants and their connection with the cosmos and with human nature. For him, dealing with the spirits of nature was something natural, which he presented without enthusiasm, but which aroused all the more enthusiasm.

My official studies were directed towards mathematics, chemistry, physics, zoology, botany, mineralogy and geology. These studies offered a much more secure foundation for a spiritual world view than, for example, history or literature, which, in the absence of a specific method and also without significant prospects in the German scientific community at the time, were left without a secure footing.

During my first years at university in Vienna, I met Karl Julius Schröer. At first, I attended his lectures on the history of German literature since Goethe's first appearance, on Goethe and Schiller, on the history of German literature in the 19th century, on Goethe's “Faust”. I also took part in his “exercises in oral presentation and written presentation”. This was a unique college course based on the model of Uhland's institution at the University of Tübingen.⁴ Schröer came from German language research, had conducted significant studies on German dialects in Austria, he was a researcher in the style of the Brothers Grimm and in literary research, an admirer of Gervinus. He was previously director of the Viennese Protestant schools. He is the son of the poet and extraordinarily meritorious pedagogue Christian Oeser. At the time I got to know him, he was turning entirely to Goethe. He has written a widely read commentary o n Goethe's Faust and on Goethe's other dramas as well. He completed his studies at the German universities of Leipzig, Halle and Berlin before the decline of German idealism. He was a living embodiment of the noble German education. The person was attracted to him. I soon became friends with him and was then often in his house. With him it was like an idealistic oasis in the dry materialistic German educational desert. In the external life, this time was filled with the nationality struggles in Austria. Schröer himself was far removed from the natural sciences.

But I myself had been working on Goethe's scientific studies since the beginning of 1880.

Then Joseph Kürschner founded the comprehensive work Deutsche Nationalliteratur (German National Literature), for which Schröer edited the Goethean dramas with introductions and commentaries. Kürschner entrusted me with the edition of Goethe's scientific writings on Schröer's recommendation.

Schröer wrote a preface for it, through which he introduced me to the literary public.

Within this collection, I wrote introductions to Goethe's botany, zoology, geology and color theory.

Anyone reading these introductions will already be able to find the theosophical ideas in the guise of a philosophical idealism.

It also includes an examination of Haeckel.

My 1886 work is a philosophical supplement to this: Epistemologie.

Then I was introduced to the circles of Viennese theological professors through my acquaintance with the Austrian poetess M. E. delle Grazie, who had a paternal friend in Professor Laurenz Müllner. Marie Eugenie delle Grazie has written a great epic “Robespierre” and a drama “Shadow”.

At the end of the 1880s, I became an editor at the Deutsche Wochenschrift in Vienna for a short time. This gave me the opportunity to study the national psyche of the various Austrian nationalities in depth. The guiding thread for an intellectual cultural policy had to be found.

In all of this, there was no question of publicly promoting occult ideas. And the occult powers behind me gave me only one piece of advice: “All in the guise of idealistic philosophy”.

At the same time, I had more than fifteen years of experience as an educator and private teacher.

My first contact with Viennese theosophical circles at the end of the 1880s had no lasting external effect.

During my last months in Vienna, I wrote my little pamphlet Goethe as the Father of a New Aesthetic.

Then I was called to the then newly established Goethe and Schiller Archives in Weimar to edit Goethe's scientific writings. I did not have an official position at this archive; I was merely a contributor to the great “Sophie Edition” of Goethe's works.

My next goal was to provide the foundation of my world view, purely philosophically. This took place in the two works:

Truth and Science and Philosophy of Spiritual Activity.

The Goethe and Schiller Archives were visited by a large number of scholars and literary figures, as well as other personalities from Germany and abroad. I got to know some of these personalities better because I soon became friends with the director of the Goethe and Schiller Archives, Prof. Bernhard Suphan, and visited his house a lot. Suphan invited me to many private visits that he received from visitors to the archive. It was on one of these occasions that I met Treitschke.

I formed a deeper friendship with the German mythologist Ludwig Laistner, author of Riddle of the Sphinx, who died soon after.

I had repeated conversations with Herman Grimm, who told me a lot about his uncompleted work, a History of German Imagination.

Then came the Nietzsche period. Shortly before, I had even written about Nietzsche in a hostile sense.

My occult powers indicated to me that I should subtly allow the current of thought to flow in the direction of the truly spiritual. One does not arrive at knowledge by wanting to impose one's own point of view absolutely, but rather by immersing oneself in foreign currents of thought.

Thus I wrote my book on Nietzsche by placing myself entirely in Nietzsche's point of view. It is perhaps for this very reason the most objective book on Nietzsche in Germany. Nietzsche as an anti-Wagnerian and an anti-Christian is also fully represented.

For some time I was now considered the most unconditional “Nietzschean”.

At that time the “Society for Ethical Culture” was founded in Germany. This society wanted a morality with complete indifference to all world views—A complete construct and an educational hazard. I wrote a pointed article against this foundation in the weekly Die Zukunft.

The result was sharp replies. And my previous study of Nietzsche led to the publication of a pamphlet against me:

Nietzsche-Narren (Nietzsche Fool).

The occult point of view demands: “No unnecessary polemics” and “Avoid defending yourself where you can”.

I calmly wrote my book, Goethes Weltanschauung (Goethe's World View), which marked the end of my Weimar period.

Immediately after my article in Zukunft, Haeckel contacted me. Two weeks later, he wrote an article in Zukunft in which he publicly acknowledged my point of view that ethics can only arise on the basis of a worldview.

Not long after that was Haeckel's 60th birthday, which was celebrated as a great festivity in Jena. Haeckel's friends invited me. That was the first time I saw Haeckel. His personality is enchanting. In person, he is the complete opposite of the tone of his writings. If Haeckel had ever studied philosophy, in which he was not just a dilettante but a child, he would certainly have drawn the highest spiritualistic conclusions from his epoch-making phylogenetic studies.

Now, despite all of German philosophy and despite all of the other German education, Haeckel's phylogenetic thought is the most significant achievement of German intellectual life in the second half of the nineteenth century. And there is no better scientific foundation of occultism than Haeckel's teaching. Haeckel's teaching is great, but Haeckel is the worst commentator on his teaching. It is not by showing Haeckel's contemporaries his weaknesses that one benefits culture, but by presenting to them the greatness of Haeckel's phylogenetic ideas. I did this in the two volumes of my:

Welt- und Lebensanschauungen im 19. Jahrhundert (World and Life Views in the 19th Century), which are also dedicated to Haeckel, and in my small work: Haeckel and his opponents.

In Haeckel's phylogeny, only the time of the German intellectual life actually lives; philosophy is in a state of the most desolate infertility, theology is a hypocritical fabric that is not remotely aware of its untruthfulness, and the sciences, despite the great empirical upsurge, have fallen into the most barren philosophical ignorance.

From 1890 to 1897 I was in Weimar.

In 1897 I went to Berlin as editor of the Magazine for Literature. The writings Welt- und Lebensanschauungen im 19. Jahrhundert (World and Life Views in the 19th Century) and Haeckel und seine Gegner (Haeckel and his Opponents) already belong to the Berlin period.

My next task was to bring an intellectual current to bear in literature. I placed the Magazin für Literatur at the service of this task. It was a long-established organ that had existed since 1832 and had gone through the most diverse phases.

I led it gently and slowly into esoteric directions. Carefully but clearly: by writing an essay for the 150th anniversary of Goethe's birth:

Goethe's Secret Revelation.

which only reflected what I had already hinted at in a public lecture in Vienna about Goethe's fairy tale of the “green snake and the beautiful lily”.

It was only natural that a circle of readers should gradually gather around the trend I had inaugurated in the Magazin. They did gather, but not quickly enough for the publisher to see any financial prospects in the venture. I wanted to give a literary trend in young literature an intellectual foundation, and I was actually in the most lively contact with the most promising representatives of this trend. But on the one hand I was abandoned; on the other hand, this direction soon either sank into insignificance or into naturalism.

Meanwhile, contact with the working class had already been established. I had become a teacher at the Berlin Workers' Education School. I taught history and natural science. My thoroughly idealistic method of teaching history and my way of teaching soon became both appealing and understandable to the workers. My audience grew. I was called to give a lecture almost every evening.

Then the time came when I was able to say, in agreement with the occult forces behind me:

you have philosophically laid the foundation of the world view,
you have shown an understanding of the currents of time by treating them as only a complete adept could treat them;
no one will be able to say: this occultist speaks of the spiritual world because he does not know the philosophical and scientific achievements of the time.

I had now also reached my fortieth year, before the onset of which, in the sense of the masters, no one is allowed to publicly appear as a teacher of occultism.⁵ (Whenever someone teaches earlier, this is an error).

Now I was able to devote myself publicly to Theosophy. The next consequence was that, at the urging of certain leaders of German socialism, a general assembly of the Workers' Educational School was convened to decide between Marxism and me. But the ostracism did not decide against me. At the general assembly, it was decided with all of them against only four votes to keep me as a teacher.

But intimidation from the leaders caused me to resign after three months. In order not to compromise themselves, they wrapped the matter up in the pretext that I was too busy with the Theosophical movement to have enough time for the labor school in.

From the very beginning of my theosophical work, Miss v. Sivers was at my side. She also personally witnessed the last phases of my relationship with the Berlin working class.

II.

Christian Rosenkreutz went to the Orient in the first half of the fifteenth century to find the balance between the initiation of the East and that of the West.⁶ One consequence of this was the definitive establishment of the Rosicrucians in the West after his return. In this form, Rosicrucianism was to be the top secret school for the preparation of what esotericism would have to take on publicly as its task at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, when external natural science would have come to a preliminary solution to certain problems.

Christian Rosenkreutz described these problems as follows:

1) The discovery of spectral analysis, whereby the material constitution of the Cosmos was brought to light.
2) The introduction of material evolution into the science of the organic.
3) The realization of the fact of a state of consciousness other than the ordinary one through the recognition of hypnotism and suggestion.

Only when these material discoveries have been fully assimilated by science, should certain Rosicrucian principles be passed on from the realm of esoteric science to the public.

For the time being, the Christian-mystical initiation was given to the West in the form in which it was given by the initiator, the “Unknown from the Oberland”. ⁷ erfloss in St. Victor, Meister Eckhart, Tauler, etc.

The initiation of Manes is seen as a “higher degree” within this entire stream.⁸ In 1459, Christian Rosenkreutz also received his initiation: it consists in the true knowledge of the function of evil. This initiation, with its underlying reasons, must remain hidden from the masses for a long time to come. For wherever even the smallest ray of light from it has found its way into literature, it has wrought disaster, as through the noble Guyau, whose disciple was Friedrich Nietzsche.

III.

FYI: It cannot be said directly in this form yet.⁹

The Theosophical Society was founded in New York in 1875 by H. P. Blavatsky and H. S. Olcott. This first foundation had a distinctly Western character. And also the writing “Isis Unveiled”, in which Blavatsky published a great many occult truths, has a distinctly Western character. However, it must be said that the great truths communicated in this writing are often distorted and caricatured. It is as if a harmonious countenance were to appear completely distorted in a convex mirror. The things said in Isis are true, but the way in which they are said is an irregular reflection of the truth. This is due to the fact that the truths themselves are inspired by the great initiates of the West, who are also the initiators of Rosicrucian wisdom. The distortion stems from the inappropriate way in which these truths were absorbed by the soul of H. P. Blavatsky. For the educated world, this very fact should have been proof of the higher source of inspiration for these truths. For no one could have had these truths through themselves, and yet presented them in such a distorted way. Because the initiators of the West saw how little chance they had of the flow of spiritual wisdom into humanity in this way, they decided to drop the matter in this form for the time being. But once the gate was open, Blavatsky's soul was prepared to receive spiritual wisdom. The eastern initiators were able to take hold of it. These eastern initiators initially had the very best of intentions. They saw how humanity was heading towards the terrible danger of a complete materialization of the way of thinking through Anglo-Americanism. They, the Eastern Initiators, wanted to instill their form of anciently preserved spiritual knowledge into the Western world. Under the influence of this current, the Theosophical Society took on an Eastern character, and under the same influence, Sinnett's “Esoteric Buddhism” and Blavatsky's “Secret Doctrine” were inspired. But both became distortions of the truth again. Sinnett's work distorts the high revelations of the initiators through an inadequate philosophical intellectualism carried into it, and Blavatsky's “Secret Doctrine” through their own chaotic soul.

The result of this was that the initiators, including the Eastern ones, increasingly withdrew their influence from the official Theosophical Society, and that this became a playground for all kinds of occult powers that distorted the high cause. There was a brief episode in which Annie Besant, through her pure, lofty way of thinking and living, came into the initiators' current. But this little episode came to an end when Annie Besant surrendered to the influence of certain Indians who, under the influence of German philosophers in particular, developed a grotesque intellectualism, which they interpreted wrongly. That was the situation when I myself was faced with the necessity of joining the Theosophical Society. It had been founded by true initiates and therefore, although subsequent events have given it a certain imperfection, it is for the time being an instrument for the spiritual life of the present. Its beneficial further development in Western countries depends entirely on the extent to which it proves capable of incorporating the principle of Western initiation under its influence. For the Eastern initiations must necessarily leave untouched the Christ principle as the central cosmic factor of evolution. Without this principle, however, the theosophical movement would have to remain without a decisive influence on Western cultures, which have the Christ life at their starting point. The revelations of Oriental initiation would have to present themselves in the West as a sect alongside living culture. They could only hope to succeed in evolution if they eradicated the Christ principle from Western culture. But this would be identical with extinguishing the very purpose of the earth, which lies in the knowledge and realization of the intentions of the living Christ. To reveal this in its full wisdom, beauty and truth is the deepest goal of Rosicrucianism. Regarding the value of Eastern wisdom as a subject of study, only the opinion can exist that this study is of the highest value because the Western peoples have lost the sense of esotericism, but the Eastern peoples have retained it. But regarding the introduction of the right esotericism in the West, there should also only be the opinion that this can only be the Rosicrucian-Christian one, because it also gave birth to Western life, and because by losing it, humanity would deny the meaning and purpose of the Earth. Only in this esotericism can the harmony of science and religion flourish, while any fusion of Western knowledge with Eastern esotericism can only produce such barren bastards as Sinnett's “Esoteric Buddhism” is. One can schematically represent the correct path:

Original revelation -> Evolution through Indian Esotericism -> Christ -> split between Modern scientific materialism AND Esoteric Rosicrucianism -> Synthesis: productive modern Theosophy

the incorrect, of which Sinnett's “Esoteric Buddhism” and Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine are examples:

Original revelation -> Synthesis of Evolution through Indian Esotericism AND Modern scientific materialism of which the Eastern world has not participated = Blavatsky and Sinnett.

Appendix to Part I

From the introduction by Edouard Schuré to his French translation of Rudolf Steiner's work Christianity as Mystical Fact (1908) ¹⁰

At the age of fifteen [eighteen], Rudolf Steiner made the acquaintance of a knowledgeable plant expert who was temporarily staying in his area. What was special about this person was that he not only knew the species, the families and the life of the plants down to the smallest details, but also their secret properties. It was as if he had spent his whole life in conversation with the unconscious and fleeting soul of plants and flowers. He had the gift of seeing the living principle of plants, the etheric body, and what is called in occultism the elemental beings of the plant kingdom. He spoke of it as if it were the most ordinary and natural thing. The calm and sober scientific tone of his conversation only increased the young man's curiosity and admiration. He later learned that this strange man was an emissary of the Master, whom he did not yet know, but who was to become his real initiator and who was already watching over him from afar.

What the whimsical botanist with the second sight had told him, young Steiner found to be entirely consistent with the logic of things. It only confirmed an inner feeling that he had had for a long time and that imposed itself more and more on his mind as the basic law and basis of the great universe: namely, the law of dual currents, which constitutes the movement of the world itself and which could be called the ebb and flow of the life of the universe.

We are all familiar with and aware of the outward current of evolution, which draws all beings of heaven and earth with it, stars, plants, animals, humans, and allows them to move forward into an infinite future, without our being aware of the original force that restlessly propels them forward. However, there is now a countercurrent in the universe that moves in the opposite direction and constantly intervenes in the first current. This is the current of involution, through which the principles, forces, entities and souls that come from the invisible world and the region of the eternal constantly penetrate into the visible reality. No evolution of the material would be comprehensible without this constant involution of the spirit, without this occult astral current, which, with its hierarchy of powerful entities, is the great inspirer of all life. Thus the spirit, which contains the future in its germ, involves itself in matter; matter, which receives the spirit, evolves towards the future. Thus, while we blindly walk towards an unknown future, this future consciously comes towards us, sinking into the course of the world and of man. Such is the dual movement of time, the exhalation and inhalation of the world soul, which comes from eternity and returns to eternity.

From the age of eighteen, the young Steiner had an intuitive sense of this dual current, which is the condition for all spiritual knowledge. The principle of the two currents had revealed itself to him through an involuntary and direct vision of things. From that moment on, he had an undeniable perception of secret powers at work behind and through him to guide him. He listened to what these powers said and followed their beckoning, for he felt himself in deep harmony with them.

However, these kinds of perceptions formed a world of their own in his spiritual life. They were truths for him, appearing as something so deep, mysterious and sacred that he could not imagine ever expressing them in words. He nourished his soul with them as from a divine source, but to let a drop of it flow out would have seemed like a desecration to him.

Alongside this inward, contemplative life, his intellectual and philosophical mind developed most vividly. From the age of 15 to 16, Rudolf Steiner had studied Kant, Fichte and Schelling in depth. When he came to Vienna a few years later, he was enthusiastic about Hegel, whose transcendental idealism leads to the limits of occultism. However, speculative philosophy could not satisfy him. His positive spirit demanded the solid basis that the observational sciences could provide. He therefore studied mathematics, chemistry, mineralogy, botany and zoology in depth. “These studies,” he says, “provide a much more secure basis for a spiritual world view than history and literature. The latter, lacking precise methods, were at that time unable to throw any significant light on the great field of German science.” Full of interest in everything he encountered, enthusiastic about art and poetry, Steiner nevertheless did not neglect the study of literary history. In this field, the literary historian Julius Schröer became an excellent guide for him. He was an outstanding scholar in the tradition of the Brothers Grimm who, above all, strove to cultivate in his students the art of free speech and written expression. The young student owed his extensive literary education to this important man. “In the wilderness of contemporary materialism,” Steiner says, “his house was an oasis of idealism for me.”

Nevertheless, this was not yet the master he was seeking. Amidst the most diverse studies and intensive meditations, he was only able to recognize fragments of the actual structure of the universe; but his innate intuition prevented him from doubting the divine source of things and a spiritual beyond. It is a characteristic sign of this extraordinary man that he never had to go through the crises of doubt and despair that mystics and thinkers on the threshold of a final conviction usually experience. However, he felt that the real light that illuminates and permeates everything had not yet come to him. The youth besieged him with their urgent problems. How should he arrange his life? The sphinx of fate lay before him. How would he solve the question she put to him?

At nineteen, the young neophyte met his guide - the master - an encounter he had long anticipated.

It is a fact confirmed by occult tradition and experience that those who are inspired by a disinterested yearning for the higher truth find a master who initiates them at the appropriate moment, that is, when they are ripe for it. “Knock and it will be opened to you,” says Jesus. This is true for all things, but especially for the truth. But the desire must be as ardent as a flame, as pure as crystal in a soul.

Rudolf Steiner's master was one of those powerful people who live unknown to the world under the mask of some bourgeois profession to fulfill a mission that only their peers in the Brotherhood of “Masters of Renunciation” know. They have no visible effect on human events. The incognito is the condition of their effectiveness, which thereby gains all the more strength. For they awaken, prepare and guide those who act in the open. For the Master, Rudolf Steiner did not have to do much to complete the first, spontaneous initiation of his disciple. He only had to show him how to make use of his own nature to provide him with everything he needed. In a luminous way, he showed him the connection between the external and the secret sciences, the religions and the spiritual forces that are currently contesting the leadership of humanity, as well as the age of the occult tradition that holds the threads of history in its hand, ties them, breaks them and ties them again over the centuries. He quickly led him through the various stages of the inner discipline in order to achieve conscious and rational clairvoyance. In just a few months, the student had been introduced to the incomparable depth and beauty of the esoteric synthesis through oral instruction. Rudolf Steiner had already outlined his spiritual mission: “To combine science with religion, to bring God into science and nature into religion, and thereby to fertilize art and life anew.” But how to approach this tremendous and audacious task? How could he conquer or rather tame and convert the great enemy, modern materialistic science, comparable to a huge armored dragon with a great treasure hoarded? How can we succeed in taming the dragon of modern science to harness it to the chariot of spiritual truth? Above all, how can we conquer the bull of public opinion?

Rudolf Steiner's master was hardly like this. He had none of this deep, almost feminine sensitivity, which, while not excluding energy, turns every touch into an emotional experience and immediately transforms the suffering of another into personal pain. He was a masculine spirit, a natural-born ruler who only looked at the species and for whom individuals hardly mattered. He spared neither himself nor others. His will was like a cannonball that, once it has left the barrel, shoots directly towards its target, sweeping away everything in its path. To his student's concerned questions, he replied something along the lines of:

"If you want to fight the enemy, you must first understand him. You can only conquer the dragon by putting on its skin. You have to take the bull by the horns. You will find your weapons and your comrades-in-arms in the greatest adversity. I have shown you who you are; now go – and be yourself!” ²

Rudolf Steiner knew the language of the masters well enough to sense the difficult path that this command imposed on him; however, he also understood that it was the only means to reach the goal. He obeyed and set out on his journey.

• 1. Cf. Schuré's remarks on p.28; Rudolf Steiner's autobiographical lecture Berlin, February 4, 1913 in “Beiträge zur Rudolf Steiner Gesamtausgabe” No. 83/84; Lecture Dornach June 14, 1923 in “The History and the Conditions of the Anthroposophical Movement in Relation to the Anthroposophical Society” in GA 258; also Hella Wiesberger “The Biographical Moment of the Discovery of the Concept of Time” and “The Concept of Time as the ‘Basic Nerve’ of the Beginning of Anthroposophical Research” in “Beiträge zur Rudolf Steiner Gesamtausgabe” Nr. 49/50, S. 15-28. Then came the study of more recent philosophy as it had developed in Germany since the 1950s, especially so-called epistemology in all its ramifications.
• 2. Further details not known.
• 3. Felix Koguzki (Vienna 1833-1909 Trumau). Cf. the autobiographical lecture Berlin, February 4, 1913 in “Beiträge zur Rudolf Steiner Gesamtausgabe” No. 83, as well as “Mein Lebensgang”, GA 28. Furthermore, Emil Bock “Rudolf Steiner. Studies on his life and work, Stuttgart 1961.
• 4. Cf. Rudolf Steiner's biography of Ludwig Uhland (1787-1862, Tübingen). (section “Politics and Research. University Professor”) in GA 33.
• 5. Näheres in «Zur Geschichte und aus den Inhalten der ersten Abteilung der Esoterischen Schule 1904-1914», GA 264.
• 6. Cf. Rudolf Steiner, “The Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosencreutz” in GA 35 “Philosophy and Anthroposophy 1904-1918”; also in “The Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz anno 1459”, translated into modern German by Walter Weber, Stuttgart 1957 and Basel 1978. Cf. also “Esoteric Christianity and the Spiritual Guidance of Humanity”, GA 130.
• 7. Cf. Rudolf Steiner, “Mysticism at the Dawn of Modern Spiritual Life and Its Relationship to the Modern Worldview” (1901), GA 7; Basel, November 23, 1907 in “Aus den Inhalten der esoterischen Stunden” GA 266/1; “Zur Geschichte und aus den Inhalten der ersten Abteilung der Esoterischen Schule 1904-1914”, GA 264, p. 230.
• 8. Cf. Lecture Berlin, November 11, 1904 in “The Legend of the Temple and the Golden Legend” GA 93.
• 9. Regarding the whole of Section III cf. “The Occult Movement in the Nineteenth Century and its Relation to World Culture”, CW 254; lecture Helsingfors 11 April 1912 in “The Connection of the Human Being with the Elementary World. Kalewala - Olaf Åsteson - Russian folklore. 9
• 10. The complete introduction by Schuré can be found in “Beiträge zur Rudolf Steiner Gesamtausgabe”, issue no. 42.
• 2. This statement is confirmed by Marie Steiner in the preface to the two lectures she published in 1947 under the title “The Christ Impulse in Historical Development” (Der Christusimpuls im historischen Werdegang): “Lugano, September 17, 1911 and Locarno, September 19, 1911,” now in CW 130. Her preface can be found in Marie Steiner, Collected Writings, Volume I, 'The Anthroposophy of Rudolf Steiner', Dornach 1967. In it he states that Rudolf Steiner deliberately set himself the task of 'making himself all the objections that the critical materialist brings to the revelations of the spirit, and to spare nothing that would in the slightest deviate from this line. He called this 'crawling into the dragon's skin'

It is not without significance to observe in the anthroposophic movement itself, particularly amongst those first people who began, as one might say, by being just an ordinary audience, how the ground had, so to speak, to be conquered for Christianity. For the theosophic movement, in its association with Blavatsky's special personality, started out in every way from an anti-christian orientation.

This anti-christian orientation, which I mentioned in connection with the same phenomenon in a very different person, Friedrich Nietzsche, is one which I should like to examine a little in a clearer light before going further.

We must be quite clear ... it follows, indeed, from all the various studies which, in our circles more especially, have been directed to the Mystery of Golgotha ... we must be quite clear that the Mystery of Golgotha intervened as a fact in the evolution of mankind on earth. It must be taken, in the first place, as a fact. And if you go back to my book, Christianity as Mystical Fact, and the treatment of the subject there, you will find already the attempt made there to examine the whole Mystery-life of ancient times with a view to the various impulses entering into it; and then to show how the different forces at work in the different, individual mysteries all came together in one, met in a harmony, and thereby made it possible for that which first, in the Mysteries, came before men so to speak in veiled form, to be then displayed openly before all men as an historic fact. So that in the Mystery of Golgotha we have the culmination in an external fact of the total essence of the ancient Mysteries. And then, that the whole stream of mankind's evolution became necessarily changed through the influences that came into it from the Mystery of Golgotha.—This is what I tried to show in this particular book.

Now, as I have often pointed out, at the time when the Mystery of Golgotha was enacted as a fact, there were still in existence remnants of the ancient Mystery-Wisdom. And by aid of these remnants of ancient Mystery-Wisdom, which passed on into the Gospels, as I described in the book,—it was possible for men to approach this Unique Event, which first really gives the Earth's evolution its meaning. The methods of knowledge which they needed to understand the Mystery of Golgotha could be taken from the ancient Mysteries. Rut it must be noted at the same time, that the whole life of the Mysteries is disappearing,—disappearing in the sense in which in old times it had existed and found its crown and culmination in the Mystery of Golgotha. And I pointed out too, that really, in the fourth century after Christ, all those impulses vanish, which mankind could still receive direct from the ancient way of knowledge, and that of this ancient way of knowledge there only remains more or less a tradition; so that here or there it is possible—for particular persons, for peculiar individuals, to bring these traditions again to life; but a continuous stream of evolution, such as the Mysteries presented in the old days, has ceased. And so all means, really, of under-standing the Mystery of Golgotha is lost.

The tradition continued to maintain itself. There were the Gospels,—at first kept secret by the ecclesiastical community, and then made public to the people in the various countries. There were the ritual observances. It was possible, during the further course of human history in the West, to keep the Mystery of Golgotha alive, so to speak, in remembrance. But the possibility of thus keeping it alive ceased with the moment when, in the fifth post-atlantean century, intellectualism came on the scene, with all that I spoke of yesterday as modern education. At this time there entered into mankind a science of natural objects,—a science which, were it only to evolve further the same methods as it has done hitherto, could never possibly lead to a comprehension of the spiritual world. To do so, these scientific methods require to be further extended: they require the extension they receive through anthroposophy. Rut if one stopped short at these natural science methods in their mere beginnings, as introduced by Copernicus, Galileo and the rest, then, in the picture of the natural world, as so seen, there was no place for the Mystery of Golgotha.

Now only just consider what this means. In none of the ancient religions was there any cleft between the Knowledge of the World and what we may call the Knowledge of God. Worldly learning, profane learning, flowed over quite in course of nature into theology. In all the heathen religions there is this unity between the way in which they explain the natural world, and in which they then mount up in their explanation of the natural world, to a comprehension of the divine one, of the manifold. divinity that works through the medium of the natural world, ‘Forces of nature,’ forces of the abstract kind, such as we have to-day, such as are generally accepted on the compulsion of scientific authority,—such ‘forces of nature’ were not what people had in those days. They had live beings, beings of the natural world, who guided, who directed, the various phenomenon of nature; beings to whom one could build a bridge across from that which is in the human soul itself. So that in the old religions, there was nowhere that split, which exists between what is the modern science of the natural world, and what is supposed to be a comprehension of the spiritual and divine one.

Now Anthroposophy will never make any pretension that it is going, itself, to establish the grounds of religion. But although religion must be always something that rests upon itself and forms in itself an independent stream in the spiritual life of mankind; yet, on the other hand, man's nature simply demands that there should be an accordance between what is knowledge and what is religion. The human mind must be able to pass over from knowledge to religion without having to jump a gulf; and it must again be able to pass over from religion to knowledge, without having to jump a gulf. But the whole form and character assumed by modern knowledge renders this impossible. And this modern knowledge has become very thoroughly popularized, and dominates the mass of mankind with tremendous authority. In this way no bridge is possible between knowledge of this kind and the life of religion;—above all, it is not possible to proceed from scientific knowledge to the nature of the Christ. Ever more and more, as modern science attempted to approach the nature of the Christ, it has scattered it to dust, dispelled and lost it.

Well, if you consider all this, you will then be able to understand what I am going to say, not now about Blavatsky, but about that very different person, Nietzsche.—In Nietzsche we have a person who has grown up out of a Protestant parsonage in Central Europe,—not only the son of religious-minded people in the usual sense, but the son of a parochial clergyman. He goes through all the modern schooling; first, as a boy at a classical school. But since he was not what Schiller calls a ‘bread-and-butter scholar,’ but a ‘lover of learning’, ... you know the sharp distinction made by Schiller in his inaugural address between the bread-and-butter scholar and the lover of learning ... so Nietzsche's interest widens out over everything that is knowable by the methods of the present age. And so he arrives consciently and in a very uncompromising way at that split-in-two, to which all modernly educated minds really come, but come unconsciently, because they delude themselves, because they spread a haze over it. He arrives at a tone of mind which I might describe somewhat as follows:—

He says:—Here we have a modern education. This modern education nowhere works on in a straight line to any clear account of the Christ-Jesus, without jumping a gap on the road. And now, stuck into the midst of this modern education which has grown up, we have something which has remained left over as Christianity, and which talks in words that no longer bear any relation whatever to the various forms of statement, the terms of description, derived from modern scientific knowledge. And he starts by saying to himself very definitely: If one in any way proposes to come to a real relation with modern scientific knowledge, and still at the same time to preserve inwardly any sort of lingering feeling for what is traditionally told about the Christ,—then one will need to be a liar. He puts this to himself; and then he makes his decision. He decides for modern education; and thereby arrives at a complete and uncompromising denunciation of all that he knows of Christianity.

More scathing words were never uttered about Christianity than those uttered by Nietzsche, the clergyman's son. And he feels it, with really, I might say, his whole man. One need only take such an expression of his as this,—I am simply quoting; I am, of course, not advocating what Nietzsche says; I am quoting it only—but one need only take such an expression as this, where he says: Whatever a modern theologian holds to be true is certainly false. One might indeed make this a direct criterion of truth.—One may know what is false—according to Nietzsche's view,—from what a modern theologian calls true. That is pretty much his definition, one of Nietzsche's definitions, as regards Truth. He decides, moreover, that the whole of modern philosophy has too much theological blood in its veins. And then he formulates his tremendous denunciation of Christianity, which is of course, a blasphemy, but at any rate an honest blasphemy, and therefore more deserving of consideration than the dishonesties so common in this field to-day. And this is the point which one must keep in sight: that a person like Nietzsche, who for once was in earnest in the attempt to comprehend the Mystery of Golgotha, was not able to do so with the means that exist,—not even by means of the Gospels as they exist.

We have now in our Anthroposophy interpretations of all the four Gospels. And what emerges from the Gospels as the result of such interpretation is emphatically rejected the theologians of all the churches. But Nietzsche in that day did not possess it. It is the most difficult thing in the world, my dear friends, for a scientific mind (and almost all people at the present day may be said in this sense to have, however primitively, scientific minds), to attain possession of the Mystery of Golgotha. What is needed in order to do so?

To attain to this Mystery of Golgotha, what is needed, is not a renewal of the ancient form of Mysteries, but the discovery of a quite new form of Mystery. The rediscovery of the spiritual world in a completely new form,—this is what is necessary. For, through the old Mysteries, not excepting the Gnosis, the Mystery of Golgotha could only be uttered haltingly and brokenly. Men's minds grasped it haltingly and brokenly. And this halting, broken utterance must to-day be raised to speech.

It was this urgent need to raise the old halting utterance to speech which was at work in the many homeless souls of whom I am speaking in these lectures. With Nietzsche it went so far as a definite and drastic—not denial only—but appalling denunciation of Christianity.

Blavatsky, too, drew her impulse mainly from the life of the old Mysteries. And, truly speaking, if one takes the whole of Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine, one cannot but see in it a sort of resurrection of the old Mysteries,—in the main nothing new. The most important part of what one finds revealed in the works of Blavatsky is simply a resurrection of the old Mysteries, a resurrection of the know-ledge through which in the old Mysteries men had become acquainted with the divine spirit-world.

But all of these Mysteries are only able to comprehend what is a preparation for the Christ. The people, who, at the time when Christianity began, were still in a way con-versant with the old Mysteries and their impulses,—these persons had a positive ground still, from which to approach the Unique Event of Golgotha. So that down, in fact, to the fourth century, there were people who still could approach the Event of Golgotha on positive ground. They were still able in a real sense to comprehend the Greek Fathers of the Church, in whom there are everywhere connections with the old Mysteries, and who—rightly understood—speak in quite a different key from the later Fathers of the Latin Church.

Within what dawned upon Blavatsky's vision there lay the ancient wisdom, which sees the natural world and spirit-world in one. And much as a soul, one might say, before the Mystery of Golgotha, beheld the world of Nature and Spirit, so Blavatsky beheld it now again. That way,—she said to herself—lies the Divine and Spiritual; that way a vista opens up for men into the region of divine spirit. And from this aspect she then turned her eyes upon what modern tradition and the modern creeds say about Christ-Jesus.

The Gospels, of course, she had no means of understanding as they are understood in Anthroposophy: and the understanding that is brought to them from elsewhere was not of a kind that could approach what Blavatsky had to offer in the way of spiritual knowledge. Hence her contempt for all that was said about the Mystery of Golgotha in the outside world. She said to herself, as it were: ‘What all these people say about the Mystery of Golgotha is on a far lower level than the sublime wisdom transmitted by the ancient Mysteries. And so the Christian God too must be on a lower level than what they had in the ancient Mysteries.’

The fault lay not with the Christian God; the fault lay with the ways in which the Christian God was interpreted. Blavatsky simply did not know the Mystery of Golgotha in its essential being; she could only judge of it from what people were able to say about it. Such things must be regarded with perfect objectivity. For as a fact, from the time of the fourth century after Christ, when with the last remnants of Greek civilization the sun of the old Mysteries had set, Christianity was taken over and adopted by Romanism. Romanism had no power, from its external civilization, to open up any real road on into the spirit. And so Romanism simply yoked Christianity to an external impulse. And this Romanized Christianity was, in the main, the only one known to Nietzsche and Blavatsky.

One can understand then that the souls I described as homeless souls, who had gleams from their former earth-lives, and were principally concerned to find a way back into the spiritual world, took the first thing that presented itself. They wanted only to get into the spiritual world, even at the risk of doing without Christianity. Some link between their souls and the spiritual worlds,—that was what these people wanted.

And so one met with the people who at that time were groping their way towards the Anthroposophical Society.

Let us be quite clear, then, as to the position which Anthroposophy held towards these people, when it now came upon the scene,—towards these people who were homeless souls. They were, as we saw, questing souls, questioning souls; and the first thing necessary was to recognize: What are these souls asking? What are the questions stirring in their inmost depths?—And if now from the anthroposophic side a voice began to speak to these souls, it was because these souls were asking questions about things, to which Anthroposophy believed that it could give the answers. The other people of the present day have no questions; in them the questions are not there.

Anthroposophy, therefore, had no sort of call to go to the theosophists in search of knowledge. For Anthroposophy, Blavatsky's phenomenal appearance, and what had come into the world with it, was so far a fact of great importance. But what Anthroposophy had to consider, was not the knowledge that came from this quarter, but principally the need for learning to know the questions, the problems that were perplexing a number of souls.

One might have said, had. there been any possibility at that time of putting it plainly into words: As to what the leaders of the Theosophical Society have given the people, one doesn't need to concern oneself at all; one's concern is with what the people's souls are asking, what their souls want to know. And therefore these people were, after all, the right people in the first instance for Anthroposophy.

And in what form did the answers require to be worded?—Well, let us take the matter as positively, as matter-of-factly, as possible. Here were these questioning souls: one could plainly read their questions. They had the belief that they could arrive at an answer to their questions through the kind of thing which is found in Mrs. Besant's Ancient Wisdom: Now you can easily tell yourselves that it would have been obviously very foolish to say to these people that there are a number of things in this book, Ancient Wisdom, which are no longer appropriate to the modern age; for then one would have offered these souls nothing; one would only have taken something away from them. There could only be one course, and that was, really to answer their questions; whereas from the other side they got no proper answer. And the practical introduction to really answering was that, whilst Ancient Wisdom ranked at that time as a sort of canonical work amongst these people, I did not much trouble about this Ancient Wisdom, but wrote my book, Theosophy, and so gave an answer to the questions which I knew to be really asked. That was the positive answer; and beyond this there was no need to go. One had now to leave the people their perfect liberty of choice: Will you go on taking up Ancient Wisdom? or will you take up Theosophy?

In epochs of momentous decision, when world-history is being made, things do not lie so rationalistically, along straight lines of reasoning, as people are apt to conceive.

And so I could very well understand, when theosophists attended that other set of lectures on ‘Anthroposophy’, which I gave in those days, at the founding of the German Section, that these theosophists said the same thing as I have been pointing out to you here: ‘But that doesn't in the very least agree with what Mrs. Besant says!’ Of course it didn't agree, and couldn't agree! For the answer had to be one which proceeded from all that the mind of this age can give out of its deeper consciousness. And so it came about,—just to give for the moment the broader lines only,—that, as a fact, to begin with—down to about 1907—every step on behalf of Anthroposophy had to be conquered in opposition to the traditions of the Theosophical Society. The only people, to begin with, whom one could reach with these things, were the members of the Theosophical Society. Every step had to be conquered. And controversy at that time would have had no sense whatever; the only thing was to hope and build upon the alternative selection.

Matters went on by no means without internal obstacles. Everything—in my opinion at least—had its proper place, in which it must be done properly. In my Theosophy I went, I think, no single step beyond what it was possible at that period to give out for a number of people publicly. The wide circulation which the hook has found since then of itself shows that the supposition was a right one: Thus far one could go.

With the people who were more intently seeking, and had, accordingly, come into the stream set going by Blavatsky, with these people it was possible to go further. And with these one now had to make a beginning towards going further. I could give you any number of instances; but I will pick out just one, to show how, step by step, the attempt was made to get away from an old, bad tradition, and come to what was right for the present day, to the results of direct present-day research.

For instance, there was the description usually given in the Theosophical Society of the way Man travels through so-called kamaloca, after death. The description of this, as given by the leading people in the Theosophical Society could only be obviated in my Theosophy by my leaving the Time notion so far out of account in this book. In the circles inside the society, however, I tried to work with the right notions of time.

So it came about that I delivered lectures in various towns, amongst what was then the Dutch Section of the Theosophical Society, on the Life between Death and New Birth, and there for the first time, quite at the beginning of my activities, pointed out that it is really nonsense to conceive of it simply so, that if this, B D, is the life on earth from birth to death, that then the passage through kama-loca were simply a piece joined on, as it were, in one's consciousness. I showed, that time, here, must be conceived backwards; and I depicted the life of kama-loca as a living backwards, stage by stage, only three times as quick as the ordinary earth-life, or the life that was spent on earth: B ---------- D.

In outer life, of course, nobody to-day has any conception of this going on backwards as a reality, a reality in the spiritual field; for Time is simply conceived as a straight line from beginning to end; and a going on backwards is something of which people to-day form no notion whatever.

Now the theory was, amongst the leaders of the Theosophical Society, that they were renewing the teachings of the old wisdom. They took Blavatsky's book as a basis; and all sorts of writings came out, linked onto Blavatsky's book. But in these writings everything was presented to the mind in just the same way as things are conceived under the materialist world-conception of modern-times. And why?—Because they would have needed to become again knowing, not merely to renew the old knowledge, if they had wanted to find the truth of the matter.

The old things were for ever being quoted. Amongst other things always being quoted from Buddha and the old Oriental wisdom, was the Wheel of Births. Rut that a wheel is not of such a nature that one can draw a wheel as a straight line—, this the people did not reflect; and that one can only draw a wheel as running back into itself.

—There was no vitality in this revival of ancient wisdom, for the simple reason that there was no direct knowledge.

What was needed, in short, was: that something should be brought into the world by direct, living knowledge; and then this might also throw light upon the old, primeval wisdom.

And so one conclusion, from these first seven years especially of anthroposophic labour, amounted to this: that there were people who were ... well ... just as well pleased that there should not be any renovations, or,—as they called it,—‘innovations’ in the theosophic field; and who said: Oh, all that he says is just the same thing as the other! There's no difference! The differences are quite inessential! And so they were argued away. But this awful thing that I had, so to speak, ‘gone and done’ at the very beginning of my work in the Dutch Section of the Theosophical Society, when I lectured ‘from the life’ instead of simply rehearsing the doctrines contained in the canonical books of the Theosophical Society as the others did,—that was never forgotten! It never was forgotten. And those of you, who may perhaps go back in memory to those days in the growth of our movement, need only recall in the year 1907, when the Congress was held in Munich, at a time when we were still within the fold of the Theosophical Society, how the Dutch Theosophists turned up all primed and loaded, and were quite furious at this intrusion of a foreign body, as they felt it to be. They had no sense, that here a thing of the living present was matched against something merely of tradition,—they simply felt it to be a foreign body.

But something else could not fail to occur even then. And at that time the conversation took place in Munich between Mrs. Besant and myself, in which it was definitely settled that what I have to stand for, the Anthroposophy which I have to represent, would carry on its work in perfect independence, without any regard to anything else whatever that might play a part in the Theosophical Society. This was definitely settled, as a modus vivendi, so to speak, under which life could go on.

Even in those days, however, in the Theosophical Society, there were already dawning signs on the horizon of those absurdities by which it afterwards did for itself. For as a vehicle for a spiritual movement, the society to-day—despite the number of members still on its lists—may truly be said to have done for itself. Things, you know, may live on a long while as dead bodies, even after they are done for. But what was the Theosophical Society is to-day no longer living.

One thing, however, must be clearly understood: At the time when Anthroposophy first began its work, the Theosophical Society was full of a spiritual life, which, though traditional, nevertheless rested on sound bases, and was rich in material. What had come into the world through Blavatsky was there; and the people really lived in the things that had come into the world through Blavatsky.

Blavatsky had now, however, been dead for ten years past as regards earthly life. And one can but say of the tone in the Theosophical Society, that what lived on in it as a sequel of Blavatsky's influence and work was some-thing quite sound as a piece of historical culture, and could undoubtedly give the people something. Still, there were even then unmistakable germs of decay already present. The only question was, whether these germs of decay might not possibly be overcome; or whether they must inevitably lead to some kind of total discord between Anthroposophy and the old Theosophical Society.

Now one must say that amongst the tendencies that existed in the theosophic movement, even from the days of Blavatsky, there was one tendency in particular that was a terribly strong disintegrating element.

One must make a distinction, when considering the subject in the way I am doing now. One must make a clear distinction, between what was flung as spiritual information into the midst of modern life through the instrumentality of Blavatsky, and what was a result of the particular way in which Blavatsky was prompted to give out this information, out of her own person, in the manner I described. For in Blavatsky there was, to begin with, this particular kind of personality,—such as I described to you recently,—one who simply, having once been given, so to speak, an instigation from some quarter—through a betrayal, if you like,—then, out of her own person, as though in recollection of a previous life of incarnation on earth, and though only as a reawakening of an old wisdom, yet did bring wisdom into the world, and transmitted it in book-form to mankind.—This second fact one must keep quite distinct from the first. For this second fact, that Blavatsky was instigated in a particular way to what she did, introduced elements into the theosophic movement which were different from what they should have been if the theosophic movement was to be one of a purely spiritual character.

That it was not. For the fact of the matter was, that Blavatsky in the first instance received an instigation from a quarter of which I will say no more, and put forth, out of herself, what is in her Isis Unveiled; and that then, through all sorts of machinations, it came about that Blavatsky, the second time, was subjected to the influence of esoteric teachers from the Orient; and behind these there was a certain tendency of a political-cultural kind and egoistic in character. From the very first, there lay an orientalist policy of a one-sided character in what it was now hoped to obtain in a roundabout way by means of Blavatsky. Within it all lay the tendency to show the materialistic West, how far superior the spiritual knowledge of the East is to the materialism of the West. Within it was concealed the tendency to achieve, in the first place, a spiritual, but, more generally, any kind of dominion, an ‘empire’ of some kind, of the Orient over the Occident: And this was to be done, in the first place, by indoctrinating the spirituality or unspirituality of the West with the traditions of Eastern wisdom.—Hence came what I might call that shifting of the axis which took place, from the altogether-European of Isis Unveiled, to the altogether-Oriental of Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine.

There was every variety of factor here at work; but one of the factors was this one, that wanted, namely, to join India on to Asia and so create an Indo-Asiatic Empire with the assistance of Russia. And so this ‘Doctrine’ of Blavatsky's was inoculated with the Indian vein, in order, in this way, to conquer the West spiritually.

Now this, you see, is a one-sided vein, egoistic,—nationally egoistic. And this one-sided vein was there from the very beginning. It met one directly with symptomatic significance. The first lecture I ever heard from Mrs. Besant was on ‘Theosophy and Imperialism’. And when one inwardly tried to answer the question: Does really the main impulse of this lecture lie in the continuation-line of the strictly spiritual element in Blavatsky? or does the main impulse of this lecture lie in the continuation-line of what went along with it;—then one could only say: the latter.

With Mrs. Annie Besant it was often the case, that she said things of which she by no means knew the ultimate grounds. She took up the cudgels for something or other of which the ultimate grounds were unknown to her; she was ignorant of the connections that lay at their root. But if you read this lecture, ‘Theosophy and Imperialism’ (which is printed), and read it understandingly, with all that lies underneath it, you will then see for yourselves, that, supposing there were somebody who wanted to split India off from England,—to split it off in a certain sense spiritually after a spiritual fashion,—a good way of taking the first unobtrusive step, would be with a tendency such as there was in this lecture.

This was always the beginning of the end with all such spiritual streams and spiritual societies, that they began to mix up one-sided political interests with their own sphere. Whereas a spiritual movement—above all to-day—can only possibly pursue its course through the world, and it is indeed, to-day, one of the most vital life conditions for a spiritual movement that would lead to real, actual spirituality, that it should be universally human, wholly and undividedly human. And everything else, which is not wholly and universally human, which sets out in any way to split the body of mankind, is from the first an element of destruction in any spiritual movement that would lead to the real spirit-world.

Just consider how deep one strikes with all such things into the sub-conscious regions of man's being. And hence it is one of the life-conditions of any such spiritual movement,—for instance, such as the anthroposophical movement, too, would be,—that there should be at least an earnest, honest endeavour to get beyond all partial, sectional interests in mankind, and really to rise to the universal interests of all mankind. And therein lay the ruin of the theosophic movement, that from the beginning it had an element of that kind in it. On occasion, as we know, this kind of element is quite capable of reversing steam: later, during the Great War, this opposite tendency turned very anglo-chauvinist. Rut this very circumstance should make it perfectly clear, that it is quite impossible successfully to cultivate a real spiritual movement, so long as there is some kind of sectionalism which one is not pre-pared to leave behind one.

Amongst the external dangers, therefore, which beset the anthroposophic movement to-day, there is this especially: That people in the present age, which is wandering astray in nationalisms on all sides, have yet so little courage to get beyond these nationalisms.

What then lies at the root of a one-sidedness like that of which we were speaking?—At its root lies the desire to acquire power as a society through something else than simply the revelations of the spiritual source itself. And one can but say that whereas, at the turn of the century, there was still a fairly healthy sense in the Theosophical Society as regards conscious aspirations after power, this was by 1906 all gone, and there existed a strong ambition for power.

It is necessary, do you see, that one should clearly recognize this growth of the anthroposophical life out of universal human interests, common to the whole of mankind; and that one should clearly see, that it was only because the questioners were there, in the Theosophical Society, and because of this only, that Anthroposophy was obliged to take growth in the Theosophical Society, to take up its lodging there, one might say, for a while; since otherwise it had nowhere to lodge.

The first period—so to speak—was scarcely over, when, as you know, the whole impossibility of the theosophical movement for Western life demonstrated itself quite peculiarly in the question of the Christ. For what with Blavatsky was in the main a theory,—although a theory that rested on emotions,—namely, the depreciation of Christianity, was afterwards carried in the theosophic movement to such a very practical depreciation of Christianity, as the education of a boy in whom they said they were going to train-up the soul of the re-arisen Christ.

One could hardly conceive anything more nonsensical. And yet an Order was founded amongst the Theosophical Society for the promotion of this Christ-Birth in a boy, who really, as one might say, was already there.

And now it very soon came to the perfection of nonsense.—With all such things, of course, there very soon come muddles which border terribly close on falsehoods. In 1911, then, there was to be a Congress of the Theosophical Society in Genoa. The things leading to this nonsense were already in full bloom, and it was necessary for me to announce as my lecture for this Genoa Congress From Buddha to Christ. It must then necessarily have come to a clear and pregnant settlement of relations; for the things, that were everywhere going about, would then necessarily have come to a head. But, lo and behold! the Genoa Congress was cancelled.—Of course excuses can be found for all such things. The reasons that were alleged all looked really uncommonly like excuses.

And so the anthroposophic movement may be said to have entered on its second period, pursuing its own straight course; which originally began, as I said, with my delivering a lecture, quite at the beginning, to a non-theosophical public, of whom only one single person remains, (who is still there!) and no more, although a number of persons attended the lecture at the time. Anyhow, the first lecture I delivered (it was a cycle of lectures, in fact) bore the title From Buddha to Christ. And in 1911 I proposed again to deliver the cycle From Buddha to Christ. That was the straight line. But the theosophical movement had got into a horrible zigzag.

Unless one takes the history of the anthroposophic movement seriously, and is not afraid to call these things by their right name, one will not be able to give the proper reply to the assertions continually being made about the relation of Anthroposophy to Theosophy by those surface triflers, who will not take the trouble to learn the real facts, and refuse to see, that Anthroposophy was from the very first a totally separate and distinct thing, but that the answers, which Anthroposophy has the power to give, were naturally given to those people who happened to be asking the questions.

One may say, then, that down to the year 1914 was the second period of the anthroposophic movement. It really did nothing very particular—at least, so far as I was concerned—towards regulating relations with the theosophic movement. The Theosophical Society regulated relations by excluding the Anthroposophical one. But one was not affected by it. Seeing that from the first one had not been very greatly affected by being included, neither was one now very greatly affected by being excluded. One went on doing exactly the same as before. Being excluded made not the slightest change in what had gone on before, when one was included.

Look for yourselves at the way things went, and you will see that, except for the settlement of a few formalities, nothing whatever happened inside the anthroposophic movement itself down to the year 1914, but that everything that happened, happened on the side of the Theosophical Society.

I was invited in the first place to give lectures there. I did so; I gave anthroposophic lectures. And I went on doing so. The lectures for which I was originally invited are the same newly reprinted in my book, Mysticism at the Dawn of the New Age of Thought. And I then carried on further what is written in this Mysticism at the Dawn of the New Age of Thought, and developed it in a variety of directions.

By this same society, with the same views, I was then excluded, and of course, my followers, too. For one and the same thing I was first included, and afterwards excluded. Yes ... that is the fact of the matter. And no one can rightly understand the history of the anthroposophic movement, unless they keep plainly in sight as a fundamental fact, that as regards the relation to the theosophic movement, it made no difference whether one were in- or excluded.

This is something for you to reflect upon very thoroughly in self-recollection. I beg you to do so. And then, on the grounds of this, I should like tomorrow to give a sketch of the latest and most difficult phase, from 1914 until now, and then to go into various details again later, in the subsequent lectures.

We understand only the very smallest part of human history and of our own life if we consider it in its external aspect, I mean in that aspect which we see from the limited view-point of our earthly life between birth and death. It is impossible to comprehend the inner motives of history and life unless we turn our gaze to that spiritual background which underlies the outer, physical happenings. Men do indeed describe as history the events that take place in the physical world, and they often say that this world-history represents causes and effects. Thus they will approach the events of the second decade of the 20th century, describing them as the effects of events in the first decade and so forth. Yet how is so great an illusion possible? It is as though we saw a running stream of water throwing waves up on to the surface and tried to explain each successive wave as the result of the preceding one, whereas the forces bringing forth the waves are really penetrating upwards from below. So it is indeed. That which takes place at any point of historic evolution or of human life in general is moulded out of the spiritual world, and as to these events we can speak of causes and effects only to a very slight extent.

I will show you by a whole series of examples how we must include the spiritual events along with the external happenings in order to gain a true picture of what underlies the latter.

Our present age in its spiritual aspects is connected, as you know, with what is called in spiritual life, the dominion of Michael, and this dominion of Michael is connected in turn with what the Anthroposophical Movement in the deepest sense intends, with what this movement ought to be and do. Thus the events of which I shall speak are not unconnected, as we shall see next time, with the destiny, the karma of the Anthroposophical Society, and hence too with the karma of the great majority of the individual human beings who find themselves within this society.¹

Some of the things on which I shall touch this evening are already known to you from earlier lectures. But to-day I wish to consider from a certain point of view the known and the, as yet, unknown together. Since the Mystery of Golgotha we see a continuous stream of Christian evolution passing through the civilised world. I have often described the directions taken by this Christian evolution in the successive centuries. But it is also not be denied that many other influences entered into this stream of Christian evolution. For had this not been so, the civilisation of our present time could not be permeated by that intense materialism by which it is in fact permeated.

True, it cannot be denied that the Christian creeds and confessions themselves have contributed not a little to this materialism. Yet they have done so not out of truly Christian impulses but out of other impulses which entered the stream of Christian evolution from altogether different quarters.

Let us take a certain period—the 8th and the beginning of the 9th century A.D. We see the personality of Charlemagne, for instance, carrying Christianity in all directions among the non-Christian peoples who were still living in Europe at that time, though he does so by methods of which we with our present humanitarian ideas cannot always approve.

Now among the non-Christian people of that time those especially are interesting who were influenced by the streams that came over from Asia through northern Africa to Europe, proceeding from Arabism and Mohammedanism. In this connection we must understand Mohammedanism in the wider sense of the term.

Something over 500 years after the Mystery of Golgotha we see the rise of all the old elements of Arabian world-conception in Arabism, Mohammedanism and much that was connected with these. We see above all a rich and varied scholarship, but a scholarship that was given an unchristian shape. We see all this spread out of Asia by powerful and warlike campaigns through northern Africa to the west and south of Europe. Then gradually this stream dies away and is lost so far as the more outer world is concerned. But it by no means dies away in the inward development of the spiritual life. When the more external spread of Arabism into Europe is already dying out, we see this same Arabism continuing to spread in a more inward way. This is one of the places where we have to look from external history towards the spiritual background. You will remember what I said in our last lecture on karma, that in considering the successive earthly lives of individual human beings, we cannot draw conclusions from the external attitude and features of a man as to the nature of his former life on earth. It is the more deeply inward impulses that matter. Thus it is with the important personalities of history—it is the more inward impulses that matter.

We see the results of former civilisation-epochs carried into later ones by the personalities of history, i.e., by the human beings themselves, but we also see them changing in the process. And by studying the external aspect we may not immediately recognise these impulses in the new form in which a human being carries and expresses them in a new incarnation. Let us now consider a deeply inward stream of this kind.

When Charlemagne was spreading Christianity—if we may say so, in a somewhat primitive manner—in the then primitive civilisation of Europe, there lived in the East a personality who stood really on a far greater height of culture, I mean Haroun al Raschid.

At his court in Asia Minor, Haroun al Raschid gathered the most eminent spiritual and intellectual figures of his time. Illustrious was the court of Haroun al Raschid, and held in high esteem even by Charlemagne himself. Architecture, poetry, astrology, geography, history, anthropology—all of these were brilliantly represented by the most illustrious of men. Some of these men still carried in them much of the knowledge of ancient Initiation-Science.

Haroun al Raschid himself was an organiser in the grandest style. He was able to make a kind of universal academy of his court where the several departments of what the East at that time possessed in art and science were joined into a great organic whole. And side by side with him there stood above all one other personality, who truly bore within him the elements of ancient Initiation.

It is indeed not the case that an Initiate of a former incarnation must necessarily appear as an Initiate in a later. You may indeed raise the question, my dear friends, for it is suggested by many things that have been stated in these lectures: Were there not Initiates in ancient time? Where then have they gone? Have they not been reincarnated? Where are they to-day? Where were they in recent centuries? They were here indeed but we must bear in mind that one who was an Initiate in a former incarnation must above all make use in a later incarnation of that external bodily nature which the new age can provide. And the recent evolution of mankind provides no bodies so plastic, so soft and mobile that that which lived in such an individuality in a former incarnation can come to light in them directly. Thus the Initiates receive quite different tasks in which what they had in their former Initiation does indeed work unconsciously, in the power of the impulses they give, but does not appear in the outer form of the working of an Initiate.

Thus at the Court of Haroun al Raschid there lived a certain counsellor, a second organiser by his side, who possessed an extraordinarily deep insight, though it was not in that incarnation the direct insight of an Initiate. He rendered the very greatest service to Haroun al Raschid.

These two men, Haroun al Raschid and his counsellor, went through the gate of death, and having arrived yonder in the spiritual realm, they still witnessed as it were the final phases of the spread of Arabism, on the one hand through Africa to Spain and thence far into Europe, and on the other hand into Central Europe. They were great powers, these two individualities, and Haroun al Raschid did many things during that life contributing to the spread of Arabism here in the physical world.

Indeed Arabism had taken on a peculiar form at the court of Haroun al Raschid. It was a form proceeding in its turn from many and varied formations which art and science had received for a long time past in Asia. The last great wave of evolution towards Asia had gone forth from the preceding age of Michael. It was the Grecian spiritual life, the Grecian spirituality and artistic sense, synthesised in the community of Alexander the Great and Aristotle. The flower of the Grecian spiritual life had been carried across to Asia and Africa by Alexander the Great with extraordinary impetus and energy, yet at the same time in a way that was exemplary for the spreading of a spiritual impulse. All this was permeated with the spirit which found its scientific expression in Aristotelianism in Asia Minor and Africa. Thus we may say in general that the mind of Arabism and Orientalism was shaped and permeated by those impulses which ancient Greece brought forth in Aristotle and which were spread into the world so brilliantly by Alexander. We look back even several centuries before the Mystery of Golgotha. We look back to the campaigns of Alexander the Great where the treasures of wisdom to which I just referred were spread far and wide. And from that time throughout the centuries down to Haroun al Raschid who lived in the 8th century A.D., we find in Asia a mind and a receptiveness for Grecian spiritual life in its Aristotelian form. Nevertheless this spiritual life had taken on a peculiar shape there. Powerful as it was, magnificent and penetrating, deeply united with Arabism and permeating it, this Aristotelianism, this Alexandrianism that flourished at the court of Haroun al Raschid and was cultivated by him and his counsellor and those around them, nay more, that was even permeated there by ancient oriental wisdom of Initiation, it was not that genuine spiritual life which had been cultivated as between Aristotle and Alexander themselves, for example. It had taken on forms which were little inclined to enter into Christianity. Thus yonder in Asia we see a certain Aristotelianism and Alexandrianism, brilliantly cultivated under the aegis of Haroun al Raschid and his counsellor. It represented one pole of Aristotle, that pole which is averse to Christianity, which took on a spiritual form (above all a kind of Pantheism), but which by its very essence never would nor could unite with Christianity.

With this tendency of an ancient spiritual life that would not enter into Christianity, Haroun al Raschid and his counsellor went through the gate of death. And having gone through the gate of death, all their effort, all their longing, all their power was directed from the spiritual world to continue as it were to play a part in historic evolution in the spreading of the spiritual life of Arabism from Asia into Europe, thus continuing what had formerly been achieved by warlike and other methods. From the spiritual world after their death they sent down spiritual rays, as it were, intended to penetrate Europe in its spiritual life with Arabism.

Thus we see Haroun al Raschid taking the following spiritual line of development after his death, watching with interest all that took place for the spread of Arabism from Asia Minor through the South of Europe and through Spain—watching it and continuing it further. And correspondingly (for the human being living in the spiritual world partakes in a sense in what is here below in the physical)—the other man took a different path in the spiritual world which in its projection would appear as a more northerly line, from the Black Sea towards Middle Europe. Thus, we may turn and look upward to these two individualities, following them as it were in their spirit-wanderings which may indeed be thus projected down on to the physical plane.

Now you know how Aristotelianism, Alexandrianism, had spread and entered even historically into Christianity. In the 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and even into the 13th century, one of the most popular subjects of narrative everywhere in Europe was that connected with Alexander the Great. Thus we have the wonderful poem, the “Song of Alexander” by the priest Lamprecht, extolling the works of Alexander but connecting them everywhere with the spiritual world. He describes the education of Alexander, his life, his campaigns into Asia, and everywhere he brings out what was living spiritually in this earthly life of Alexander. For as we know, all earthly life is connected with spiritual things, only the ordinary consciousness does not see it. All these spiritual elements were contained in the medieval treatment of the subject. So too, Aristotelianism spread in Christian Europe even into scholasticism. We find Aristotelian concepts everywhere, only it is the other pole of Aristotelianism. Yonder in Asia it was in an Arabist form; here in Europe, in a Christian. The “Song of Alexander” is permeated through and through by a Christian spirit, and Aristotelianism too was cultivated in Europe in an essentially Christian form.

Nay more, we find this extraordinary process: the Christian doctors of the Church, their souls equipped with Aristotle, battling against those who had carried the other Aristotle across from Asia into Spain, spreading an unchristian doctrine. On all hands we see the conflict of Aristotelianism in the Christian fathers of the Church, we see it in the pictures that were painted in a later time, the Church fathers holding in their hand what they had gained from Aristotle, and treading under foot Averröes and the others who stood for their kind of Aristotelianism that had come through Alexandrianism into Europe. This was taking place externally. But at the same time, if we may describe it out of spiritual research, Haroun al Raschid and his counsellor lived on, having passed through the gate of death as I just indicated, and needless to say, Alexander and Aristotle themselves lived on. Once only they paid as it were a fleeting visit to the earth in the first Christian centuries in a district not without interest for the Anthroposophical Movement. Then they returned again into the spiritual world and they were together in the spiritual world at a certain time after Haroun al Raschid and his counsellor had left the physical plane once more. They themselves, the real individualities of Aristotle and Alexander, took different paths from Haroun al Raschid and his counsellor. For they went forward with the Christian evolution. They went westward with the evolution of Christianity.

And now the most important and essential events took place in the 9th century. And this is the extraordinary thing.

The event which from the spiritual world was of the greatest importance for the spiritual development in Europe, coincided in the super-sensible worlds with an external event in which it is by no means easy to recognise it. Nevertheless it coincided. In the very year A.D. 869 something of immense significance took place in the spiritual worlds, while down below the 8th Œcumenical Council was taking place in Constantinople where it was declared dogmatically that one must not say, if one would be a true Christian, that man consists of body, soul and spirit. Trichotomy, as it was called, was declared heretical. I have often referred to this fact before and expressed it in these words, that in the Council of A.D. 869 the spirit was abolished. Thenceforth one was bound to say: man consists of body and soul, and the soul has certain spiritual qualities. Now what took place in this way down below in Constantinople was the earthly projection of a spiritual event—an event which men do not recognise but which was of immense significance for European spiritual history, an event extending over many years, which can, however, be dated to this very year.

In the 9th century the time had already come when European humanity, even in its spiritual life, had altogether forgotten what had been quite familiar to the true Christians in the first Christian centuries, I mean that Christ was a Being who had formerly been in the Sun, whose life had been connected with the Sun, and who had then incarnated in the body of Jesus of Nazareth, as we have often described at this place. This knowledge was familiar to the earliest Christians, the knowledge of Christ as the Sun Being, as a Being connected with the cosmic world through His dwelling in the Sun before the Mystery of Golgotha: the Christ not only as the Sun Being but as the Being united with all the planetary existence that is connected with the Sun.

But this cosmic origin of the Christ Impulse was no longer known in the 9th century. The full greatness of the Christ Impulse had as it were been put aside. Nearer and nearer men approached what was called the purely human, that is to say, what takes place on the physical plane alone. They no longer explained in the Gospels that which points out into the Cosmos, but they took the content of the Gospels and told it like an earthly epic narrative. Really to understand what this change signified we must bear in mind that in the true evolution of mankind there was indeed a Christianity before Christ, before the Mystery of Golgotha. We must take in real earnestness such words as those of St. Augustine who declared: Christianity was always there, only those who were Christians before the Mystery of Golgotha were called by other names.

This saying is indeed only the outer expression of something of immense and deep significance. Everywhere in the true Mysteries, nay even in those places which though not in themselves the Mysteries, were permeated by knowledge and impulses from the Mysteries, there was indeed a Christianity before the Mystery of Golgotha. Only they spoke of the Christ Being as of a Being who is in the Sun, and whom one can behold and with whom one can work when through the wisdom of Initiation one has reached the point at which the real Sun life in its spiritual content is actually present to one.

Thus in the ancient Mysteries they spoke of the Christ who was to come. They spoke not of an earthly Christ who had lived or who was present on the earth, but they spoke of the Coming Christ who would be here in the future and whom they still sought for in the Sun.

Now even in later times such knowledge and tradition continued and entered into certain places which Christianity had not yet reached even in the centuries after the life of Christ.

During our recent stay in England during the Summer Course² at Torquay in the West of England, not far from the place³ where Arthur was with his followers once upon a time (we were able to visit this actual place), a result of spiritual research was given to me, pointing to a belated working of this kind in a pre-Christian Christianity. For at this place it had indeed been preserved into a far later time. The content of the King Arthur Legend referred to later times by a scholarship which is not at all scholarly in respect of the real facts, reaches back in reality into a very early epoch, and it is indeed a deep impression which one may receive when one stands at that place, looking down into the sea, even as once upon a time the Knights of the Round Table looked out upon the sea from there. Even to-day, if one is receptive to these things, one receives a very real impression which tells one what it was that the Knights of the Round Table of King Arthur did in their gigantic castle. The last relics of the castle, the crumbling stones, the latest witnesses to its existence, stand there to this day. Gigantic is the impression of this place of ruins, entirely broken down as it is, and from there one looks out into the ocean. It is a mountainous promontory with the sea on either side. The weather changes almost hour by hour. We look out into the sea and watch the glittering sunshine reflected in the water. Then the next moment there is wind and tempest. Looking with occult vision at what takes place there to this day, we receive a magnificent impression. There live and weave the elemental spirits evolving out of the activities of the light and air, and of the foaming waves of the sea that turn and beat upon the shore. The life and movement and interplay of these elemental spirits gives even to-day a vivid and direct impression of how the sun works in its own nature in the earth, and meets with that which grows forth from the earth below by way of powers and spirits of the Elements. There we receive even to-day the impression: such was the immediate original source of inspiration of the twelve who belonged to King Arthur. We see them standing there, these Knights of the Round Table, watching the play of the powers of light and air, water and earth, the elemental spirits. We see too how these elemental spirits were messengers to them, bringing to them the messages from sun and moon and stars which entered into the impulses of their work, especially in the more ancient time. And much of this was preserved through the centuries of the post-Christian time, even into the 9th century of which I was just speaking.

It was the task of the Order of King Arthur, founded in that region by the instructions of Merlin, to cultivate and civilise Europe at a time when all Europe in its spiritual life stood under the influence of the strangest elemental beings. More than will be believed to-day, the ancient life of Europe needs to be comprehended in this sense. We must see in it on all hands the working of elementary spiritual beings, right into the life of man.

The Arthurian life, as I said, goes back into pre-Christian times, and before the Gospel came there, even in its oldest forms, there lived in it the knowledge, at any rate the practical instinctive knowledge of Christ as the Sun Spirit, before the Mystery of Golgotha. And in all that the Knights of the Round Table of King Arthur did, this same Cosmic Christ was living, the Christ who though not under the name of Christ, was also living in the impetus with which Alexander the Great had carried the Grecian culture and spiritual life into Asia. There were, so to speak, later ‘campaigns of Alexander’ undertaken by the Knights of the Round Table of King Arthur into Europe, even as the real campaigns of Alexander had gone from Macedonia to Asia.

I mention this as an example, which could be investigated in the most recent times, to show how the worship of the sun, that is to say, the ancient worship of the Christ, was cultivated in such a place, though needless to say it was the Christ as He was for men before the Mystery of Golgotha. There all things were cosmic, even to the transition of the cosmos into the earthly Elements, the elemental spirits who lived in light and air and water and in the earth, for even in these there lived the cosmic forces. It was not possible at that time in the knowledge of these Elements to deny the cosmic principle that they contained. Thus even in the 9th century, in the paganism of Europe, there still lived much of the pre-Christian Christianity. That is the remarkable fact. Moreover even in that time the belated followers of European paganism understood the Cosmic Christ far more worthily and truly than those who received the Christ in the Christianity that was spread officially under that name. Strangely we can see the life around King Arthur radiate into the present time, continued even into our time, placed into the immediate present by the sudden power of destiny. Thus I beheld in seership a member of the Round Table of King Arthur, who lived the life of the Round Table in a very deep and intense way, though he stood a little aside from the others who were given more to the adventures of their knighthood. This was a knight who lived a rather contemplative life, though it was not like the Knighthood of the Grail, for this did not exist in Arthur's circle. What the knights did in the fulfilment of their tasks, which in accordance with that age were for the most part warlike campaigns, was called by the name ‘Adventure’ (Aventure). But there was one who stood out from among the others as I saw him, revealing a life truly wonderful in its inspiration. For we must imagine the knights going out on to the spur of land, seeing the wonderful play of clouds above, the waves beneath, the surging interplay of the one and the other, which gives a mighty and majestic impression to this very day. In all this they saw the Spiritual and were inspired with it, and this gave them their strength. But there was one among them who penetrated most deeply into this surging and foaming of the waves, with the spiritual beings wildly rising in the foam with their figures grotesque to earthly sight. He had a wonderful perception of the way in which the marvellously pure sun-influence played into the rest of nature, living and weaving in the spiritual life and movement of the surface of the ocean. He saw what lived in the light nature of the sun, borne up as it were by the watery atmosphere as we can see to this day, the sunlight approaching the trees and the spaces between the trees quite differently than in other regions, glittering back from between the trees, and playing often as in rainbow colours. Such a knight there was among them, one who had a peculiarly penetrating vision of these things. I was much concerned to follow his life into later time to see the individuality again. For just in this case something would needs enter into a later incarnation of a Christian life that was almost primitive and pagan, that was Christian only to the extent that I have just described. And this in fact was what appeared, for that Knight of the Round Table of King Arthur was born again as Arnold Böcklin. This riddle which had followed me for an immensely long time, can only be solved in connection with the Round Table of King Arthur.

Thus you see that we have a Christianity tangible with spiritual touch to this very day, a Christianity before the Mystery of Golgotha which shed its light even into the time that I have just outlined.

Now while the 8th Œcumenical Council was being held in Constantinople, the human beings who had gone through the gate of death, and who knew well what had been the Christianity before the Mystery of Golgotha, met together, if I may put it so, in a simultaneous heavenly council in which Aristotle, Alexander, Haroun al Raschid and his counsellor, and many of the circle of the Round Table of King Arthur, were foregathered.

There they were at pains to overcome the Arabism living in the individualities of Haroun al Raschid and the other—to overcome it by the Christian impulses that lived in the will of Alexander and Aristotle. But this did not succeed. The individualities were ill-adapted to it.

There was, however, another result of that heavenly council. Thenceforth the ancient Cosmic Christianity lived still more deeply in the human beings who came from the Round Table of King Arthur than in their former, more rough-and-ready attitudes as Knights of King Arthur. And in that council that was held above the earth, face to face with what was likely then to happen in the future, which they could foresee through the Michael power that was working with them, Alexander and Aristotle made their resolutions so to speak, resolving how the spiritual life in Europe was to receive the new impulses of a Christianised Aristotelianism. But Haroun al Raschid and his counsellor adhered to their old ways. Now it is of the greatest significance to trace the further development in European spiritual history of what had taken place in that heavenly council, if I may call it so. For looking at their further wanderings in the spiritual life, we find that the great organiser Haroun al Raschid who had lived so mightily on earth in the time of Charlemagne, returns again. He appears at a later time in the very midst of Christendom, but he has taken his Arabism with him through the life between death and a new birth. Nor need it be outwardly similar to the Arabic element in its outward configuration as it appears again in the physical world. It clothes itself in the new forms, the while in these new forms it still remains in essence the old, the Mohammedanism and Arabism. It appears again, active and effective in the European spiritual life, inasmuch as Haroun al Raschid is reincarnated in Francis Bacon of Verulam.

And it appears once more in a different way, even very strangely permeated with Christianity, inasmuch as Haroun al Raschid's counsellor is born again in Central Europe, and carries his influence far and wide in Europe as Amos Comenius. Much in the spiritual life of Europe took place in connection with what the resurrected spirits of the Court of Haroun al Raschid in these two human figures founded in Europe.

All this had first been prepared before it took place in actuality; for that which afterwards came forth in Francis Bacon and Comenius had been working spiritually from the spiritual world for a long time, and it had taken on the most intense forms as a result of the heavenly council of 869. And against it there now worked the other pole, the pole which had accepted Alexandrianism and Aristotelianism for the stream of Christianity. It was expressed in the most manifold influences which worked themselves out in lonely centres of cultivation of Christian spiritual life.

We recognise one such centre especially in the School of Chartres⁴ to which I have now often referred in the hearing of some though not of all who are present to-day. The School of Chartres which flourished especially in the 12th century, contained a mighty spiritual impulse. Sylvester of Chartres, Alanus ab Insulis and other spirits who taught like these two, or who were otherwise connected with the school, had very much in them of the ancient wisdom of Initiation. And though they themselves could not be called Initiates in the full and true sense of the word, nevertheless there was much within them of the old wisdom of Initiation. The books which they produced look like long catalogues of words, but at that time it was not possible to express in any other way what one wished to give in fullness of life in books. It had to be in the fullness of rhetoric as a kind of catalogue of words. He however who knows how to read will perceive very much in these books of what was taught in a most wonderful way to many pupils spiritually permeated by the great teachers of Chartres.

Truly a wonderful spiritual star shone over the spiritual life of Europe in that School of Chartres, where to this day there stand the wonderful architectural forms of the Cathedral, revealing most beautifully the work of many centuries. In other places too, this spiritual life was living. It was a spiritual life working in spiritual ways and giving an altogether different and more spiritual insight into nature than that which afterwards came to take its place. It is interesting to see the manifold ways in which that spiritual life rayed out. In France, in one place after another we can see how even in the teaching that was given, the spirit of Chartres lived on in the High Schools carried over into Southern France, and even into Italy. But it lived not only in the teachings, it lived on in an immediately spiritual way. Interesting it is how Brunetto Latini, having been an Ambassador in Spain during a certain time, returned to Florence, the city of his fathers, heard of its misfortune even from a distance, and thus suffered a powerful convulsion of his soul, to which was added a slight attack of sunstroke. In this bodily condition the human being is easily accessible to spiritual influences that work in a spiritual way. It is indeed well known how Brunetto Latini on his way to Florence experienced what was actually a kind of elementary initiation. Brunetto Latini became Dante's teacher, and the spirituality of the Commedia proceeds from the teachings which Brunetto Latini gave to his pupil Dante.

In all this there lives what was agreed supersensibly, if I may put it so, in the spiritual Council of 869. For the inspiration of the teachings of Chartres, the inspiration of Brunetto Latini, and even the inspiration of Dante, enabling cosmic things to live in Dante's poem—all these things are connected with the impulse that proceeded from that super-sensible Congress in the 9th century A.D.

We must see all these things together, the spiritual life of Europe from the old time of Alexander, in the time of the Mystery of Golgotha, in the time of the School of Chartres; and we shall see how we can trace it still farther into the later time. We must see in their mutual interplay that which takes place in the super-sensible and its shadowed image down here in the physical world. Then only do we really begin to understand what must be called the stream of Michael to-day, and what this stream of Michael to-day intends.

Then we can penetrate and see what is the will of the Anthroposophical Movement according to the stream of Michael. We shall say more of this in the next lectures.

• 1. See Rudolf Steiner, The Karmic Relationships of the Anthroposophical Movement, Volume III in this series.
• 2. True and False Paths in Spiritual Investigations (Anthroposophical Publishing Co.).
• 3. Tintagel, North Cornwall. See Cosmic Christianity and the Impulse of Michael, {also known as, Karmic Relationships: Esoteric Studies - Volume VIII – e.Ed} notably Lectures III and VI (Anthroposophical Publishing Co.).
• 4. See The Karmic Relationships of the Anthroposophical Movement.

INTRODUCTION

Rudolf Steiner's report in the weekly journal of the Anthroposophical Society, No. 25, June 29, 1924: "A number of younger members of our Society also participated in the agricultural course. At the end of the conference they still felt the need to gather together as a group. This took place during the early morning hours of June 17. In this gathering the younger friends spoke out of the depths of their hearts about their longing to approach—in their creative life and in their work—the insights out of the spiritual realm that unite the human being with the active forces of nature. It was an exchange out of the innermost soul of youth, wishing to move beyond fruitless materialism that does not unite with nature but rather separates man from her and condemns his work to fruitlessness. In this gathering I was allowed to point to paths on which this longing needs to move in order to arrive at a goal."

I.

The youth movement today is again searching for nature; anthroposophical youth is also searching for nature, but it is searching for the spirit in nature. This searching lives as a kind of call to the spirit in the hearts of those in this youth movement. This call to the spirit, however, was very little met in the civilizations stemming from earlier centuries, for humanity since the fifteenth century, through its particular world karma, had gradually to lose the spirit.

The spirit in nature can be lost most easily when one is already on the way to losing the spirit generally, for you must remember that death is the fundamental condition of nature's becoming. You must not forget that what is living, in order to exist, always needs the dead. You have only to think that in all living substance must be imbedded, as a bony or other form of scaffolding, that which was received out of the universe as the dead.

During our whole earthly life, therefore, we carry death within ourselves, in that we have to contain unliving, dead substance. We must have dead substance. It was known in ancient times that it is precisely this death element through which the living can gain revelations of the spiritual. From ancient Roman times there still resounds a phrase like, In sale sit sapienta (Wisdom rests in the salt.).

It was felt in the times when traditions of an ancient, instinctive clairvoyant wisdom still existed that in the dead salt, out of which the bones and other scaffolding are built, must be seen what differentiates the human being from other beings—those who, through the lack of such a lifeless scaffolding within, are unable to take into themselves enough spiritual light, sapienta (wisdom). We live again in a time of transition, however, in which the young person feels that even in nature around him he would find the death of the spirit if he were to approach this nature in the style of the last century, with the traditions of the last century.

Nature builds itself a wisdom-bearing crystal. This wisdom-bearing crystal can delight us when we wander out into nature. At the same time, however, we must be clear that the gods had to die—not an earthly death but the death of transformation, which means the transition into the unconscious—in order to be reborn in the light-reflecting forms of the crystal. Today, when we look out into what is dead, we must bring into our feeling again the fact that there, shining through to us, is the life of the gods that for thousands of years has lain unconscious in nature. We must find within our souls the possibility of sensing and feeling this light that can approach us from the sun, and also everywhere in nature, as the light of the gods, quickening our hearts.

Today let us try to feel this divine soul world, resting for thousands of years in all of the heaven-reflecting nature around us. The soul has much to search for here. The youth of today is searching for an ancient knowledge of humanity, the ancient knowledge that already in the period of ancient Saturn was connected with humanity and that, when the periods of Sun and Moon came, entered a kind of world sleep, a kind of resting consciousness, in order to form out of its own spirit-substance the foundation for earthly nature. The soul can only sense but cannot really penetrate through this earthly nature to the spirit, and thus earthly nature, even in summer, appears to the heart that feels young today like a snow-mantle of sparkling bright spirit crystals; yet it carries within itself death—which means unconsciousness—and challenges the soul to feel deep beneath this icy soul-mantle the fiery, living workings of the word, stemming from ancient times, radiating from the center of the earth out to earthly nature.

This appears complicated when expressed in this way, but it is actually very simple when it is sought for by youth today. When the call to nature sounds forth from somewhere, it arises from the souls of the youth. They wish to have a memory, a uniting with the divine source of everything earthly and starry, and this is what can be sensed when today's youth again searches for nature. In the searching of today's youth for nature and spirit there resides something of the deepest world karma, which actually can be comprehended only with great solemnity of soul.

Just think how in an earlier time—today we call it the time of Rousseau (we have a parallel back-to-nature movement in Germany in the Sturm und Drang period¹ that preceded Goethe and Schiller, though much wider circles than merely literary ones were involved)—let us think back to how the call to nature in this time sounded in an abstract, literary sort of way through broad areas of civilization. Just think of those warm, intense calls to nature issuing from the soul of Rousseau. Yes, many today will still be gripped if they listen to these calls. What has followed these calls to nature, however? "Nature, we want nature again," these young people were calling.

Goethe himself ominously called out in the cautious manner of the aged, "Nature! We are surrounded and embraced by her; unbidden and unwarned, she receives us into the circle of her dance." Goethe did not want to allow to enter consciousness what appeared as the call for nature among the Rousseauists. If we try to imagine ourselves as the Goethe of that time, how he felt in relation to nature and how he approached the calls of the others, we can still experience today something like a slight shiver running over us. We can feel the shudder he felt in encountering this call for nature. This call seemed to Goethe to be something that was itself unnatural, and he wanted to be received into the dancing circle of nature without being bidden; he felt that nature neither bids nor warns.

Then in the nineteenth century came the fulfillment of this call for nature. It was the knowledge, the so-called knowledge, of nature, the ever-resounding call for nature in the most rigid, materialistic sense, not only in relation to knowledge but in relation to all of life. A horrible fulfillment of Rousseauism thus emerged in the nineteenth century, as if a kingdom of demons began to snicker when the people around Rousseau and others were calling for nature, and then laughed with scorn when nature was allowed to approach humanity in an Ahrimanic form, in the most outward Ahrimanic form.

This is the background, and when we look into the middle ground the mood of tragic karma appears, a mood in which something lying deep in the souls of the youth today can be raised into full consciousness only with the greatest inner soul difficulties, something that since the end of Kali Yuga has been lying there dormant. This call to nature must be found again, the ancient working of the gods that is present in everything that in nature is earthly, watery, airy, and fiery and that above nature illumines and weaves and lives. This ancient spirit of nature must be found. But how can we avoid a rain of wild demons? How can we avoid what followed the call for nature in the nineteenth century like a shower of wild illusions? This must not happen. The twentieth century must not become a materialistic one! Thus the voice of karma calls in the souls of the young people today: if you allow the twentieth century to become as materialistic as the nineteenth century has been, you will have lost not only your own humanity but that which is human in the entire civilization. This is what one who is able to hear such voices can feel again and again in the most manifold ways, where circles of young people gather today. It is this that makes many members of these youth movements so certain in their vague feeling. You can experience these young souls as vague, uncertain, shifting from one path to the other—and at the same time there arises out of this uncertainty and vagueness a certainty, not yet completely light-filled but carrying a certain strength within itself.

This strength may not be broken, it must not be broken. Anthroposophy would like to contribute something toward this, because it believes that the concrete spirit can be perceived in all the particulars of life—in the roots of the plants, in the deeds of the light above the plants, and in the soul-blessing of warmth penetrating the plants—because it believes that what has been given to humanity as animality can be experienced as an admonishing call. It believes that there is much to be healed in this animality. The animals are on earth for the sake of the human being. In order to relate to the animals in the right way, as to all nature, it is necessary to sense and feel and finally even know in all nature the individual spiritual beings.

This can also be felt today if previously one has recognized the necessity not merely to speak in a general way about the spirit but to search for the working of the spirit right into the individual details of agricultural activities and other activities concerning nature. I therefore felt the deepest sympathy in my soul when you proposed that we exchange a few thoughts today.

(A discussion followed here.)

II.

You see, this is the situation. What is it that continually makes those who have already found their way into the anthroposophical spiritual movement feel somehow uncertain? What makes them believe that strong support must be sought in order to find the way to what they are seeking? The reason for this is actually that the young people, who feel with all their hearts that we must seek the path to the human being in a new way, different from what has come to us from the wisdom of past centuries, are again and again—mostly due to outer conditions—thrown back into the old tracks. It has not been possible for the soul to perceive clearly what, in our time since Kali Yuga, must be revealed only unclearly, to perceive the hidden seeking of humanity that is not openly revealed in our time: to find the way into nature out of "nature" itself, to find the way into the spirit out of the "spirit" itself.

Our dear friend, Dr. Ritter, spoke of how he had been a peasant's child and how he had grown out of this peasantry. This process of growing out of the peasantry could be experienced in its archetypal significance in a time that unfolded when people like you were not yet even lying in your cradles. This time of uncertainty had already begun. Basically, you see, the life of the peasant, as it has unfolded over the course of the centuries, is only a myth today. This life is actually quite different, regarding the soul, from natural science and the so-called civilization that has become so remote from all existence. The peasant was really more spiritual than today's scholars. In the 1860's and 70's it could already be sensed how a kind of living spirituality within the peasantry was slowly dying out.

It could often be seen how the peasants were seized by the impulse to send their sons to the university. This was already the first sign of such peasant abstractions, this idea that arose in the last third of the nineteenth century. This is already quite different from the way it was earlier with the peasantry, who truly lived in harmony with nature. Certainly the peasants' sons also studied then, but not in the same sense as later, not as they did in the last third of the nineteenth century. Looked at from the peasants' viewpoint, their sons did not study but became priests. To become a priest united one with the consciousness of the peasant. To become a priest united one with the consciousness through which the way to the spirit is sought. It was this search for the spirit that the peasant wanted when he put his son through educational institutions. In the last third of the nineteenth century, however, these educational institutions gradually became poor in spirit, empty of spirit. At the same time the consciousness of the peasant also changed: his son must attend the university—and in relation to this another experience arose. The son, who becomes a stranger to us, enters a totally different life; he no longer belongs to us.

One can only suggest these things, for they would be able to be understood correctly only in life. In the overall coarsening of life toward the end of the nineteenth century there arose within the peasantry a kind of aversion to, and sometimes even hatred for, everything spiritual. I still remember a charming picture from a peasant's calendar, which was surely conceived by a journalist but which arose out of the mood of the 1860's and 70's. In a certain region of Central Europe a peasants' union was founded. The peasants banded together, and the representative of such a peasant union, depicted in this picture with a tassel cap pulled far down over his ears, was saying, "No lawyer, no teacher, is allowed to enter this union of peasants." This was the consciousness, you see: it was no longer known what to do with learning in all areas, even the area of theology. It was felt to be very clever to exclude ordinary learning from this union.

This really expressed an outlook that, toward the end of the nineteenth century, produced human beings who actually were only "images." Human beings actually became mere images. There were no longer human beings walking on the earth; with a few exceptions there were only images. And when the turn of the century came, the civilized world was populated not by human beings but by images. The time came when what should have been truth was changed in a strange way into its opposite. At times it was painful to see the things that were presented as truths. The teaching arose that even encouraged over-population in individual regions. It was said that if many people were born it was a sign that all was going well—in this way the increase in population was encouraged. This increase in population was understood as expressing true progress. if you looked at the matter spiritually, however, you had to say that through the influence of such a world conception more and more souls came to the earth from the spiritual world really before their time—beings who actually were spiritually premature and basically did not find the earth. The human beings of the last third of the nineteenth century did not find the earth at all. They were on the earth without finding the content of their being, and they went about like appendages of their intellects. That was what was so horrible, that human beings walked about like appendages of their intellects, not like human beings!

The twentieth century thus began, in which numerous souls were born who in turn, as others previously had walked about as shadows, as images, estranged from nature, felt the deepest deprivation regarding these human images and had to seek again that which is truly human.

Every conceivable outer social institution has been retained, however, and young people experience this as a kind of soul-depressing influence. If we were already in a position, through anthroposophy, to form the outer life as we are able to awaken souls, many things would be quite different. It would not always be necessary to speak about anthroposophy needing now to become "concrete"; rather it would be experienced that anthroposophy would be able to become world-forming if outer powers were not trying to prevent it.

Just think how we develop today, especially how we develop in our youth. Yes, Dr. Ritter had the possibility in the course of his early development to experience such a great agricultural estate as Koefering, which still retained its spiritual nature, while all around it the world was wallowing in materialism. This is indeed a phenomenon. There will always be such phenomena, however, in which you will find an outer refuge for precisely what youth is seeking. Anthroposophy must be somewhat like this, standing in the background, because, in a different way, it is not the intellect that is striven for in anthroposophy; one does not study, but rather one becomes, in the best sense of the word, a "priest," if one wants to learn. And if one can look at this transition that has taken place so unusually rapidly—the transition from the old way of becoming a priest, which has become a lie, to this new way of becoming a priest—something quite special can be encountered. It is a very unusual path—what has taken place in Koefering, for example—which you will understand much better if I describe it to you so that you can comprehend it in your own way: it is the path from the anthroposophical formation of the estate owner's being to the anthroposophical formation of the whole estate.

We must learn to understand in our hearts what it is that transforms the merely intellectual conception of the spirit, which remains estranged from nature, into the spirit that has been truly worked for, which finds its path again into the world of facts concerning nature. Therefore I have tried in this course to find my words, as it were, out of actual experience. Today you can find the spirit in no other way than by finding the possibility of clothing it in words given by nature, and through this even the sensations will grow strong again. Just think, you transform what you are already able to know today—for the time of Michael is here—transform what apparently lives only iii ideas into real devotion. Then you will be on the best path. You are on the best path of all if you transform things into devotion. Just think what everything could become in that case! Meditating means to transform what one knows into devotion, to transform the single, concrete things. If you express such things, of course, as I have done many times, you lay yourself open to being called audacious.

Those who have become old in the twentieth century—not in a spiritual but in a conventional sense—will not experience the deep feeling man can have if he is compelled to look upon the human brain as something that has developed (though in a somewhat different direction) in the same way as dung. You must sense these penetrating forces in the human being, however: the brain forms itself like a dung heap. Feel how, in manuring, this dung substantiality is returned to the world-creating forces, so that the spirit can receive it there in a much higher sense than the human spirit can receive what is given to it as material substance from within.

Let us look now at this human being: he takes in outer material substance and has no inkling of what he is taking in with the plant, what he is taking in from outside with the cultivated plants. He is ignorant about what he takes in from outside. And now it begins to work within him through the power of the gods. It has already begun to work when he transforms what he takes in from outside into taste on the tongue. Of this process, by which things are transformed, he still retains something of mere sense experience. Then it leaves his consciousness, and a mighty, wisdom-filled process sets in. Everything is transformed within the human being, making it possible for us to be able to grasp the spirit. What we thus work over unconsciously finally ends up in the dung heap that fills our brain. Let us learn to think that as human beings we are urged to offer this dung to the world in the right way, that we do not use it in such a way as to want to transform compressed dung into little machines for children! It is mainly in this way that the human being of the present day uses his brain. He does not manure the fields of the spirit with his brain so that the spirit might work in them; he makes mechanisms out of everything. You see, you must know what the brain is intended for—to manure the fields of the spirit for the gods that come down to human beings—and you must thereby acquire the chaste reverence that can arise out of such an inward contemplation of these matters. If you thus learn to intimate what takes place in the unconscious and in the subconscious and then begin to take up nature, formed in accordance with the image of man, into your knowledge, thereby beholding nature really in connection with the dung, you can see how within nature—slowly, gradually—there rises into consciousness something that otherwise works unconsciously within the human being. Then you learn truly to renew out of yourself what has endured for a long time only as tradition, what was belief and, like so many things that had to be propagated out of the ancient clairvoyant age—still penetrated by nature—lives unintelligibly in Roman sayings such as, "Naturalia non turpia sunt" ("All things in nature are beautiful"). If they do not appear beautiful, it is only because man cannot see their beauty, cannot sense their fragrance.

Try once to bring together what has lived as the attitude in ancient times with what has lived as the attitude in recent times. Let us look at the whole realm of Western culture. A large part of how one imitates nature consists of the fact that one washes. Certainly it is very good to wash, but by the way in which washing is done in these European-American regions, everything that is nature is simply washed away. In this washing man anesthetizes himself. We may recall how in Egypt there was also a great deal of washing. The Egyptian process of washing was still something that later in Greece was forgotten and was recalled only when they spoke of catharsis.

All this gives us the consciousness that when we go out into nature, to the surface of the earth, we are deep in the belly of cosmic being. We may then also regain that feeling which I actually still experienced when, as a very small child, I associated with miners, not with coal-miners but with those mining for metals. There were still some among them who knew that if you descend into the earth you meet spiritual beings that you cannot find on the surface of the earth. You meet there the organs with which the earth dreams and thinks about the universe. With those people, thinking was still something that lived within the earth. They still knew that if you look up, you see abstract stars, but if you become acquainted with what lives beneath the earth, then you see in the universe something you could call pictures, but pictures that spring forth, that are truly living. Thus at the end of Kali Yuga a person lived in a hopelessly dead knowing, from which he began to grow into something more related to the realm of feeling. If we are able to do this, we will gradually free ourselves from the shackles with which our time has fettered the abstract human being.

Therefore I must indicate again and again what can unite you as young people in a very special, intense way. What unites you is that you say to yourselves the following. Anthroposophy appeared among people who developed out of the godless thinking in their surroundings. These people then met anthroposophy, but they abstracted anthroposophy also. So it happened that anthroposophy was well understood by the older people around the turn of the century, but in a somewhat abstract way. They actually understood anthroposophy, and it is not just chance but a karmically necessary phenomenon that in the history of our anthroposophical development there was a period in which people were coming to us who in some way or other had already retired, who had left the surrounding world and entered a retired existence. Now, what do you believe had to be experienced again and again if one were responsible for anthroposophy? As long as people were stuck in their professions they said, "I can probably be of more use to anthroposophy if I am not an anthroposophist. I feel quite connected to it, but I cannot be an anthroposophist." And so they came—and even then often in a strange, inward way—only when they had retired. We have seen many people come into these circles in this way, and we have lived through it as a kind of tragedy.

Then there came the time when these older members should have worked actively. The twentieth century began, then the very difficult time of the second decade of the twentieth century, when those in their late middle age should have been active. This failed to happen. Those in late middle age were somehow dangling between passing their doctoral examinations—and this could also happen with proletarians and peasants—and not yet having arrived at receiving their certificate of retirement. All of life just remained dangling; there was no sense of direction. Those within anthroposophy thought that deeds had to emanate out of anthroposophy.

Then the necessity arose to take up the question of the threefold social order, to create a threefold nature in the economic life, in life as such, where spirit-nature could have lived. And this also would have come about if the threefold social order had gripped people's hearts—but this failed to happen. One worked with people who were somehow dangling between their matriculation diplomas and retirement certificates. This is the tragedy of these people.

It was impossible to go further. And now there exists this abyss between those who have retired and those who no longer value such diplomas and retirement certificates, who no longer have much respect for the doctoral examinations but just take them as a matter of course and who no longer take pride in them as people did in the 1860's and 70's, when people thought that it was not possible to see an individual in his spirit- permeated blood but only hanging somewhere on the wall, framed as a diploma. Such an attitude is no longer present, and I am often led to think, when I meet the youth of today, of an old friend of mine. He was already in his late fifties when I met him, and he had attained a modicum of success in a small town. When he reached age sixty-four, he connected this old age in a strange way with his youth, for when he had been eighteen he had fallen in love with a girl and become engaged to her, and now in his old age he wanted to marry her. The church in which his birth had been registered, however, had burned down, and so he could not get the birth certificate anymore and had to forego his marriage; this was still the time when a person had to be recorded somewhere, and he had to show papers everywhere to prove that he existed. It did not matter then if one existed; it only mattered whether it was recorded somewhere that one existed! The youth today are no longer able to believe in the same way what a doctoral diploma stands for—what any kind of certificate stands for—because they no longer believe that the one who has written it really knows anything.

Then came the time when in the depths of these young souls, particularly among the proletarians, a warm, eager striving began to unfold. At the same time, however, this youth felt a tremendous abyss separating them from the older generation. This abyss truly exists in all those who at the beginning of the twentieth century were between age twenty-five and forty-eight. If at the turn of the century one was between twenty-five and forty-eight years of age, there was little chance of remaining human. One just appeared human outwardly, by virtue of one's clothes. Late middle age already formed a kind of abyss.

With the youth of today it does not amount to much when anthroposophy is transformed more and more into abstractions, when it is transformed into ideas, concepts, and even science. Now the young people who come want to experience, to live everything in deeds, in the true understanding of nature. One cannot remain with that, however. I would like to emphasize this especially strongly. It has been said that the sword of Michael has been forged, but this is connected with something else. It has to do with the fact that in the occult part of the world there remains what must be prepared of this sword of Michael, which is really to be carried, in the forging, to an altar that is not outwardly visible, that must lie beneath the earth, that really must lie beneath the earth.

To get to know the powers of nature beneath the earth leads to the understanding that the sword of Michael, as it is being forged, must be carried to an altar that lies beneath the earth. There it must be found by receptive souls. It depends on your help, on your contribution, for this sword of Michael to be found by more and more souls. And it is not enough for it to be forged; something is really achieved only when it is found. You must have the strong but at the same time the modest self-conviction as young people that you are karmically called upon to carry the sword of Michael out into the world, to search for it and find it. Then you will have received what you are searching for in gatherings such as the one today. Then you will also be able to recognize what I had to say to you about anthroposophy, about all the difficulties of those people who were dangling between their doctoral examinations and retirement certificates. And you will recognize it in a truly instinctive-pictorial way, so that the spirit of abstraction, that frightful Ahrimanic spirit, is not able to touch you too. Think in mighty pictures of the fact that two words have connected themselves with the striving of youth—words that in the nineteenth century were no longer understood. If one hears Wandervogel (Wander-bird) one wonders, does a well-traveled person today actually know what in ancient times this wandering was, what the wanderer was? We must return to a pictorial experience of the soul. Does the human being today still know what a person had to go through when meeting the birds, what Siegfried had to go through in order to understand the language of the birds? Wandervogel: Wotan, Siegfried—this is something that must be felt again, must be understood. One must first find the way from the abstract conception of Wandervogel to Wotan, who weaves in wind and clouds and waves of the earth-organism, to the hidden language of the birds, with which one must become acquainted by reviving in oneself the Siegfried-recollection and the Siegfried-sword, which was only the prophetic precursor of the sword of Michael.

The way must be found from the wanderer to Wotan, how with opened hearts one can believe again in the hidden language of the birds. You can feel this path from the Wandervogel to Wotan, to Siegfried, and if you can feel this deeply in your souls you will also find the possibility of experiencing nature and knowing about these things. And then if you are still able to dream a little, you will be able to live with the heavenly dreams in nature.

This is something that we should not reflect on a great deal at first but that we can sense and permeate with feeling. If you do this, you will form a community in accordance with your heart—a community in which step by step you will find what you are seeking. Let us keep this alive in our consciousness!

Let it fill our souls!

• 1. Sturm und Drang, (Storm and Stress), German literary movement of the late 18th century that exalted nature, feeling, and human individualism and sought to overthrow the Enlightenment cult of Rationalism. Goethe and Schiller began their careers as prominent members of the movement.

A great deal of course could still be added to all that I have touched upon in these lectures, but we shall endeavour today to conclude them with a summary of the whole subject.

The approach we have taken throughout these lectures raises an important issue: What is the attitude to Anthroposophy, to spiritual investigation as presented by Anthroposophy? What is the position in regard to the understanding of anthroposophical teachings seeing that few today can have immediate access to spiritual exercises and practices which enable them to perceive and test thoroughly for themselves the anthroposophical descriptions of other worlds? This is a question that lies close to the hearts of those who feel an urge and even a longing to take up Anthroposophy. But this question is always seen in a false light, and is the more likely to be misinterpreted precisely because they are unable to grasp the right procedures such as I have advocated in these lectures.

People may ask: what is the use of all these descriptions of the spiritual world if I cannot look into that world myself? I should like, therefore, to touch upon this question in my cursory analysis today.

It is not true to say that one cannot acquire an insight into anthroposophical teachings and an understanding of them unless one can investigate the spiritual world oneself. I t is essential to distinguish, especially at the present time, between the actual discovery of facts relating to the different worlds and the comprehension of those facts. This distinction will be clear to you when you recall that man, as we know him today, belongs in fact to different worlds and that his experiences are derived from different worlds. Man as he is constituted today acquires his stock of knowledge and his consciousness of everyday existence in the course of his day to day experiences. During his waking life this consciousness which was the starting-point of our enquiry gives him a certain perspective over a limited field, over that aspect of the world that is accessible to sense-observation, and which can be grasped and interpreted by means of the intellect which he has developed in the course of evolution.

With his understanding man penetrates in his dreams into this world concealed behind the phenomenal world, in a vague, indefinite way as I have already pointed out. In his psychic life man contacts the world through which he passes between death and rebirth only in dreamless sleep, where he is surrounded by spiritual darkness and where he lives out a life which normally he cannot recall.

Man knows three states of consciousness—waking, dreaming and deep sleep. But he does not live only in the worlds to which this threefold consciousness gives access, for he is a being whose kingdom has many mansions. His physical body lives in a different world from his etheric body, his etheric body again in a different world from his astral body and both live in different worlds from the Ego.

And this threefold consciousness—clear waking consciousness, dream consciousness and sleep consciousness (one would like to say absence of consciousness but one can only describe it as diminished consciousness)—belong to the Ego as it is today. And this Ego when it looks inwards has also three states of consciousness. When it looks outwards, it knows waking (day) consciousness, dream consciousness and sleep consciousness. When it looks inwards, it knows clear intellectual consciousness; a sentient consciousness, a sentient life, though this is far more opaque and dreamlike than one usually imagines; it knows als1˃ a sentient life and finally the dim, twilight will-consciousness that resembles the state of deep sleep. Normal consciousness can no more explain the origin of willing than it can explain the origin of sleep. When a man performs an act of will it is accompanied by a thought which is clear and lucid. He then shrouds this thought in feeling which is more indefinite. The thought that is imbued with feeling passes down into the limbs; the process cannot be experienced by normal consciousness. To the kind of investigation of which I spoke yesterday and the day before, willing presents the following picture: whilst a thought wills something in the head and is then transmitted to the whole body through feeling, so that a man wills in the whole of his body, something akin to a delicate, subtle and intimate process of combustion sets in meanwhile.

When man develops Initiate-consciousness he is able to experience this life of will which is subject to the influence of warmth, but it remains wholly subliminal to ordinary consciousness. This is merely one instance which shows how what lies in the subliminal consciousness can be raised to the level of Initiate-consciousness.

When the information in the book I mentioned yesterday is made progressively more accessible to the public, people will realize that when we contemplate with Initiate-consciousness an act of will performed by man, we have the impression that we are watching the lighting of a candle or even the kindling of a warmth-giving light. Just as we have in this instance a clear picture of the external phenomenon, so we shall be able to see the thought as it is precipitated into the will. We then say: the thought develops feeling and from feeling—it follows a downward direction in man—proceeds a sensation of warmth, a flame in man. And this flame wills; it is kindled by degrees. We can represent schematical1y this normal consciousness in the following way:

Now although, in order to investigate the spiritual world, we must of necessity direct our consciousness to that world which we seek to apprehend cognitively, none the less, if the fruits of our investigations are to be communicated honestly, the ideas communicated verbally must be expressed in the language of other forms of consciousness.

You can now understand, perhaps, that this is a twofold process. In the first place, for example, we investigate the world of the human organs as I explained yesterday. We investigate the phenomena in question by utilizing the emergent forces in man as he draws near to the spiritual world during the course of his life. We then discover the relevant facts as they are revealed to the understanding. And there are men in the world who are aware of these facts and who communicate them to the world. When they are imparted to the world by such men they can be comprehended by normal consciousness if we look at them with the necessary objectivity. In the course of human evolution there has always been a minority who devoted themselves to investigation of the facts relating to the spiritual world and who then communicated to others the fruits of their investigations.

Now one factor today militates against the acceptance of such knowledge, namely, that as a rule people grow up in a social environment and under an educational system that conditions their habitual responses to such an extent that they can believe only in the world of fact, in the sensory world, and the rational information derived from the world of the senses. This habit is so strongly ingrained that people are inclined to say: At the university there are graduate members of the teaching faculty who, in addition to teaching, investigate certain factual aspects of the phenomenal world or confirm the findings of other research workers in this field. Everyone accepts their findings. Even though one does not investigate the facts oneself, one still believes in them. This boundless credulity is reserved especially for modern science. People believe things which, to those who have insight, are not only problematical, but definitely untrue. This situation stems from centuries of education. I would like to point out that this form of education was unknown to men of earlier centuries. They were far more inclined to believe those who made researches into spiritual facts since they still preserved something of the old insight into, and participation in the spiritual world that was consistent with their will and feeling. Today people are strangers to such knowledge. They are accustomed to an outlook which on the Continent is more theoretical and in England and America more practical, and which has now become firmly established.

On the Continent there exist detailed theories about these matters whilst in England and America there is an instinctive feeling for them which is by no means easy to overcome. During the course of centuries mankind has become inured to a scientific outlook that is related to the phenomenal world and has come to accept the findings of astronomy, botany, zoology and medicine, for example, in the form in which they are presented in recognized schools or centres of learning. A chemist, for example, undertakes a piece of research in his laboratory. People have not the slightest understanding of the technique involved. The work is acclaimed and they unhesitatingly declare: “Here is truth, here is knowledge that makes no appeal to faith.” But what they call knowledge is, in effect, an act of faith.

And amongst the methods adopted for investigating the phenomenal world, for ascertaining the laws of the phenomenal world through the instrument of reason, not a single one gives the slightest information about the spiritual world. But there are few who can afford to dispense wholly with the spiritual world. Those who do so, are not honest with themselves, they persuade themselves into it. Mankind feels an imperious need to know something about the spiritual world. As yet men ignore those who can tell them something about the spiritual world as it is known today, but they are prepared to listen to historical traditions, to the teachings of the Bible and sacred scriptures of the East. They are interested in these traditional writings, because otherwise they cannot satisfy their need for some sort of relationship to a spiritual world. And in spite of the fact that both the Bible and the Eastern scriptures have been investigated only by individual Initiates, people claim that they reflect a different kind of outlook, which bears no relationship to the knowledge of the phenomenal world, scientific knowledge, and depends upon faith and appeals to faith. And so a rigid line of demarcation is set up between science and belief. Men refer science to the phenomenal world and belief to the spiritual world.

Amongst the theologians of the Evangelical Church on the Continent—not amongst the theologians of the Roman Catholic Church who have retained the old traditions, and who do not accept the dichotomy of the Evangelicals or the natural scientists—there exist innumerable theories showing that there are definite boundaries to knowledge and thereafter faith steps in. They are convinced there can be no other possibility.

England is less hag-ridden because theorizing is unpopular. Here the traditional attitude is, on the one hand, to listen to what science has to say, and, on the other hand, to live reverently—I will not go so far as to say sanctimoniously—in faith and to keep the two spheres rigidly apart.

For some time past, laymen and scholars have adopted this point of view. Newton laid the foundations of a theory of gravitation, i.e. of a conception of space which, by its very nature, excludes any possibility of a spiritual outlook. If the world were as Newton depicted it, it would be devoid of spirit. But no-one has the courage to admit it. One cannot imagine a divine-spiritual Presence that lives and moves and has its being in the Newtonian world.

But not only the devotees of these ideas ultimately accept a conception of space and time that excludes the spiritual, but also those who undertake independent research work. Newton offers an excellent example of the latter, for he not only laid the foundation of a world-outlook which excluded the spiritual, but at the same time in his interpretation of the Apocalypse he fully accepted the spiritual.

The links between knowledge of the phenomenal world and knowledge of the spiritual world have been severed. Today the theorists set out to give solid proof of this dichotomy and every effort is made to inoculate the thoughts and feelings of those who distrust theory with this idea, so that ultimately they become conditioned.

On the other hand, man's intelligence, power of comprehension and ideation, his capacity for ideas, have today reached a point where, if he keeps them under conscious control, he can grasp by reason, though he cannot investigate by reason, the teachings of Initiation Science.

It is essential that the following point of view should find wider acceptance: that investigations into the spiritual world must be undertaken by those who, in their present life on Earth are able to call upon forces from earlier incarnations, for it is these forces which release the necessary powers for spiritual investigation; and further, that the results of these investigations shall be accepted by increasing numbers of men and incorporated into ideas which are comprehensible; and that, when the results of spiritual research are accepted by healthy understanding, a way is prepared for these other men, by virtue of this understanding, to have real experience of the spiritual world. For I have often said that the healthiest way to enter the spiritual world is first of all to read about it or to assimilate what we are told about it.

If we accept these ideas, they become inwardly quickened and we attain not only to understanding, but also to clairvoyant vision in accordance with our karmic development. In this respect we must give serious thought to the idea of karma. Today man is not concerned with karma; he believes that just as we analyse sulphur in the laboratory, so we can analyse by laboratory techniques the origin of so-called trans-normal phenomena; and that, as with sulphur, we must subject the individual who manifests abnormal forms of knowledge to experimental tests.

But mineral sulphur has no karma. Only the sulphur associated with the human body has karma, for only human beings are subject to karma. We cannot assume that it is part of man's karma to be experimented upon in a laboratory which would be a necessary prerequisite if the investigations were to have any value.

For this reason we have need of Spiritual Science. It would first of all be necessary to enquire into the karmic conditions which enable us to gain knowledge of the spiritual world through the agency of another. I have explained this clearly at the end of the later editions of my book Theosophy. But mankind today is not yet ready to accept this idea, not from incapacity, but from conservatism; but it is of immense significance.

It is essential to realize that we must not immediately undertake investigations into the spiritual world; but on the other hand if we do not adopt undesirable practices, such as experimenting with karma when there is no karmic necessity, or with mediums whose procedure we do not understand; and if we rely upon the everyday consciousness, which is the right condition of consciousness for this world, then we will attain to a perfect understanding of the communications of Initiation Science. We are greatly mistaken if we imagine that we cannot have such an understanding without first being able to experience the spiritual world for ourselves. To say, “what avails the spiritual world, if I cannot experience it for myself?” is to encourage yet another of the errors commonly committed today. This is to commit one of the greatest, most dangerous and most obvious of errors and must be clearly recognized by those who are associated with a Movement such as the Anthroposophical Society.

Man's existence here on the physical plane is bound up with existence in other worlds. To the unprejudiced mind this can be explained by the fact that man's experiences, as seen in the light of total human experience, are such that, in relation to the most vital questions in life they meet with incomprehension on the part of the ordinary daily consciousness because they appear unrelated, whereas in certain instances they are in effect closely associated.

In this brief account, therefore, I should like first to speak of man's entrance into the physical world and his exit, of birth and death.

Birth and death, the two most momentous events of our life on Earth, appear to ordinary consciousness to be isolated phenomena. We associate all that precedes birth, all that is related to human incarnation, with the beginning of our life on Earth, and death with its end. They appear to be dissociated. But the spiritual investigator sees them drawing ever more closely together. For if we take the path leading to the Moon mysteries and woo the night into the day in the manner described yesterday, then we perceive how, during the processes of birth, the physical body and etheric body progressively grow and flourish: how they develop out of the germ, gradually assume human form, and how during earthly life their vitality progressively increases up to the age of thirty-five, when it gradually decreases and a decline sets in. This process, of course, can be observed externally. But he who follows the lunar path, which I described yesterday, perceives that whilst the cellular life of the physical and etheric bodies grows, develops and assumes embryonic form, another form of life, which in Anthroposophy we call the astral body and Ego, is subject to the forces of decay and death.

When we uncover the hidden recesses of life—I gave a concrete description of this yesterday—we become aware of the birth of the physical and etheric and the death of the astral and Ego. We perceive death interwoven with life, the winter of life allied to its springtime.

And again, when we observe man with Initiate-consciousness, we are aware that, as his body declines, there is a burgeoning of the Ego and the astral from the thirty-fifth year onwards. This burgeoning life is retarded by the presence of dying forces in the physical and etheric being. Nevertheless a definite renewal does take place. And so by means of spiritual investigation we come to recognize the presence of death in life and life in death. Thus we prepare ourselves to trace back that which is seen to be dying at the time of birth to its pre-earthly life where it is revealed in its full significance and greatness.

And because we perceive the gradual burgeoning of the astral and Ego within the declining etheric and physical (for they are imprisoned within the etheric and physical), we prepare ourselves to follow them into the spiritual world after their release from the physical and etheric bodies at the moment of death. Thus we see that birth and death are interrelated, whilst to ordinary consciousness they appear to be isolated events.

All this information which is revealed by spiritual investigation can be grasped by ordinary consciousness as I indicated in the first part of today's lecture. At the same time one must be prepared to abandon the demands of ordinary consciousness for factual or scientific proof.

I once knew a man who maintained that, just as a stone falls to the ground, so if I pick up a chair and let go, it also falls to the ground since everything is subject to gravitation. Wherefore if the Earth is not supported, as it is claimed, it must of necessity fall. But he failed to realize that objects must fall to the ground because they are subject to the gravitational pull of the Earth, that the Earth itself however moves freely in space like the stars which mutually support and attract one another.

Those who, like the modern scientist, demand that proof must be supported by the evidence of the senses resemble this man who believed that the Earth must fall unless it is firmly underpinned. Anthroposophical truths are like the stars which mutually support each other. People must be prepared to see the whole picture. And if they can do this by means of their normal understanding they will begin really to grasp anthroposophical ideas such as the interrelationship of birth and death.

Let us go a little further and take the case of the man who is well grounded in the principles of modern science, but whilst alert and receptive to anthroposophical ideas has not yet learned to take the whole man into consideration, but only the separate organs in the manner described yesterday.

Through this knowledge of the organs acquired in the course of Initiation we are not only aware of birth and death, but of something quite different. In the light of this knowledge of the organs, birth and death have lost their usual significance, for it is only the whole human being who dies, not his separate organs. The lungs, for example, cannot die. Science today dimly realizes that when the whole human being has died, his single organs can be animated to a certain extent. Irrespective of whether a man is buried or cremated, his separate organs do not die. The individual organs take their path into that sphere of the Cosmos to which each is related. Even if man is buried beneath the earth, every organ finds its way into the Cosmos through water, air or warmth, as the case may be. In reality they are dissolved, but they do not perish; only the whole human being perishes.

Death, then, can only have meaning in relation to the whole human being. In the animal the organs die, whereas in man they are dissolved into the Cosmos. They dissolve rapidly. Burial is the slower process, cremation the faster. We can follow the individual organs as they take their path towards the infinite, each towards its own sphere. They are not lost in infinity, but return in the form of the mighty cosmic being whom I described to you yesterday. Thus, as we observe the organs with Initiate-consciousness, we see what really befalls the organs at death, namely, this streaming out of the organs into those regions of the Cosmos to which they are severally related. The heart takes a different path from the lungs; the liver from lungs and heart. They are dispersed throughout the Cosmos. Then the Cosmic Man appears; we see him as he really is, integrated in the Cosmos. And in the vision of this Cosmic Man we become aware of what is the source of successive incarnations, for example. We need this vision which has its origin, not in the whole man, but in the perception of the several organs, in order to be able to recognize once more, clearly and distinctly, the karmic return of former Earth lives in the present life.

It is for this reason that those who approached the spiritual world through the Moon path, mystics, theosophists, and so on, perceived the strangest phenomena—human souls as they had lived on Earth, gods and spirits—but could neither recognize nor decide what they were, nor give any definite assurance whether they were in the presence of Alanus ab Insulis, Dante or Brunetto Latini. Sometimes the entities were given the most grotesque appellations. And they were unable to determine whether the incarnations they contacted were their own or other people's, or what they were.

Thus the spiritual world is associated with the realm of Moon consciousness that has been wooed into the day; then, under the influx of the Venus impulses, this vision is lost and we now behold the spiritual world in its totality, but without that clear definition which it should possess. It is in this realm that we first begin to realize man's situation in the world as a whole and his position as a cosmic being.

In this connection, however, we cannot escape a tragic realization. For if man were simply the complete physical man he appears to be here on Earth, what a virtuous, docile and noble being he would be! Just as little as we can investigate death with normal consciousness—we can always understand death in the sense already suggested—just as little can we discover by means of the ordinary consciousness why human beings, with their candid faces—and there is no denying they have candid faces—have a capacity for evil. It is not the whole man who can become evil. His outer tegument, the skin, as such is noble and good; but man becomes evil through his individual organs; in his organs lies the potentiality for evil.

And thus we come to recognize the relationship of the organs to their respective cosmic spheres and also from what spheres obsession with evil originates; for fundamentally, obsession is inherent in the slightest manifestation of evil.

Thus our knowledge of the total man reveals first, birth and death; secondly, a knowledge of his organization reveals his relationship to the Cosmos in health and disease, namely, evil.

And so we can only perceive spiritually that Figure who experienced the Mystery of Golgotha when we are able to behold Cosmic Man through human organology. For it was as Cosmic Man that Christ came from the Sun. Until that moment He was not earthly man. He approached the Earth in cosmic form. How can we expect to recognize Cosmic Man if we have not first prepared ourselves to understand Cosmic Man as he really is! It is precisely out of this understanding of the Cosmic Man that Christology can grow.

Thus you see how true paths lead into the spiritual world, to a knowledge of birth and death and of the relationship of the human organism to the Cosmos, to the recognition of evil and to knowledge of Christ, the Cosmic Man. All this can be understood, when it is presented in such a way that the various aspects are shown to support each other. And the best means of finding one's own way into the spiritual world is through understanding and by meditating upon what is understood. Other rules for meditation then serve as additional supports. This is the right path into the spiritual worlds for human beings today. On the other hand, all experimenting with other paths which fail to use and maintain the normal channels of consciousness, all experimenting with trance conditions such as mediumism, somnambulism, hypnotism and so on, all investigation into world-events that cannot be apprehended by a consciousness that is a travesty of modern natural science—all these are false paths, for they do not lead into the true spiritual world.

When man is sensitively aware of the findings of spiritual investigation, namely, that through knowledge of the organs the Cosmic Man returns, that this “return” can to some extent lead to an understanding of Christ when all that is disclosed to occult investigation and insight is admitted into the Initiate-consciousness and becomes an integral part of his sentient life, then, through feeling, the Divine manifests in the terrestrial. And this is the province of art.

Through feeling, art embodies half consciously that which man receives from the spiritual world along those paths of return of which I have spoken. In all ages, therefore, it was those who were predestined to do so by their karma, who clothed the spiritual in material form.

Our naturalistic art has abandoned the spiritual approach. Every high point in the history of art depicts the spiritual in sensuous form, or rather raises the material into the realm of the spiritual. Raphael is valued so highly because, to a greater degree than any other painter, he was able to clothe the spiritual in sensuous representation.

Now in the course of the history of art there existed a general movement which tended more to the plastic or graphic arts. Today we must once again inject new life into the plastic arts, for the immediacy of the original impulse was lost years ago.

For centuries the impulse towards music has been growing and expanding. Therefore the plastic arts have assumed a musical character to a greater or lesser extent. Music, which includes also the musical element in the arts of speech, is destined to be the art of the future.

The first Goetheanum at Dornach was conceived musically and for this reason its architecture, sculpture and painting met with so little understanding. And for the same reason, the second Goetheanum will also meet with little understanding because the element of music must be introduced into painting, sculpture and architecture, in accordance with man's future evolution.

The coming of the figure of Christ, the spiritually-living figure, which I referred to as the culminating point in human evolution, has been magnificently portrayed in Renaissance and pre-Renaissance painting, but in future will have to be expressed through music.

The urge to give a musical expression of the Christ Impulse already existed. It was anticipated in Richard Wagner and was ultimately responsible for the creation of Parsifal. But in Parsifal the introduction of the Christ Impulse into the phenomenal world where it seeks to give expression to the purest Christian spirit, has been given a mere symbolic indication, such as the appearance of the Dove and so on. The Communion has also been portrayed symbolically. The music of Parsifal fails to portray the real significance of the Christ Impulse in the Cosmos and the Earth.

Music is able to portray this Christ Impulse musically, in tones that are inwardly permeated with spirit. If music allows itself to be inspired by Spiritual Science, it will find ways of expressing the Christ Impulse, for it will reveal purely artistically and intuitively how the Christ Impulse in the Cosmos and the Earth can be awakened symphonically in tones.

To this end we only need to be able to deepen our experience of the sphere of the major third by an inner enrichment of musical experience that penetrates into the hidden depths of feeling. If we experience the sphere of the major third as something wholly enclosed within the inner being of man and if we then feel the sphere of the major fifth to have the characteristic of “enveloping,” so that, as we grow into the configuration of the fifth, we reach the boundary of the human and the cosmic, where the cosmic resounds into the sphere of the human and the human, consumed with longing, yearns to rush forth into the Cosmos, then, in the mystery enacted between the spheres of the major third and major fifth, we can experience musically something of the inner being of man that reaches out into the Cosmos.

And if we then succeed in setting free the dissonances of the seventh to echo cosmic life, where the dissonances express man's sentient experiences in the Cosmos as he journeys towards the various spiritual realms; and if we succeed in allowing the dissonances of the seventh to die away, so that through their dying fall they acquire a certain definition, then in their dying strains they are ultimately resolved in something which, to the musical ear, resembles a musical firmament.

If, then, having already given a subtle indication of the experience of the ‘minor’ with the ‘major,’ if, in the dying strains of the dissonances of the seventh, in this spontaneous re-creation of the dissonances into a totality, we find here a means of passing in an intensely minor mood from the dissonances of the seventh, from the near consonance of these diminishing dissonances to the sphere of the fifth in a minor mood, and from that point blend the sphere of the fifth with that of the minor third, then we shall have evoked in this way the musical experience of the Incarnation, and what is more, of the Incarnation of the Christ.

In feeling our way outwards into the sphere of the seventh, which to cosmic feeling is only apparently dissonant and that we fashion into a ‘firmament,’ in that it is seemingly supported by the octave, if we have grasped this with our feelings and retrace our steps in the manner already indicated and find how, in the embryonic form of the consonances of the minor third, there is a possibility of giving a musical representation of the Incarnation, then, when we retrace our steps to the major third in this sphere, the “Hallelujah” of the Christ can ring out from this musical configuration as pure music.

Then, within the configuration of the tones man will be able to conjure forth an immediate realization of the super-sensible and express it musically.

The Christ Impulse can be found in music. And the dissolution of the symphonic into near dissonance, as in Beethoven, can be redeemed by a return to the dominion of the cosmic in music. Bruckner attempted this within the narrow limits of a traditional framework. But his posthumous Symphony shows that he could not escape these limitations. On one hand we admire its greatness, but on the other hand we find a hesitant approach to the true elements of music, and a failure to achieve a full realization of these elements which can only be experienced in the way I have described, i.e. when we have made strides in the realm of pure music and discover therein the essence, the fundamental spirit which can conjure forth a world through tones.

Without doubt the musical development I have described will one day be achieved through anthroposophical inspiration if mankind does not sink into decadence; and ultimately—and this will depend entirely upon mankind—the true nature of the Christ Impulse will be revealed externally.

I wish to draw your attention to this because you will then realize that Anthroposophy seeks to permeate all aspects of life. This can be accomplished if man, for his part, finds the true path to anthroposophical experience and investigation. It will even come to ~ass that one day the realm of music shall echo the teachings of Anthroposophy and the Christian enigma shall be solved through music.

With these words I hope to have concluded what I could only indicate in these lectures, to indicate the purposes I had in view.

I should like to add, however, that I hope to have succeeded in awakening in your souls some recognition of anthroposophical truths; and that these truths will grow and multiply and fertilize ever wider fields of human life.

May this cycle of lectures be a small contribution to the far-reaching aim which Anthroposophy sets out to achieve.