Four Mystery Plays
GA 14
The Portal of Initiation
Scene 7
The domain of spirit: a scene of various coloured crystal rocks and a few trees. Maria, Philia, Astrid, Luna; the child; Johannes, first at a distance, then coming nearer; Theodora; lastly Benedictus.
Maria:
My sisters who of old
So oft my helpers were;
In this hour help me too
That Ether of the worlds
May quiver in itself;
Resound in harmony,
And thus resounding reach
And permeate a soul
With knowledge that is true.
I now can see the signs
Which guide us to our work;
For your work must to-day
Unite itself with mine.
Johannes who doth strive
Must be by our designs
To real existence raised.
Within the temple walls
The brethren counsel took
How they should raise him up
From depths to heights of light;
From us they do expect
To fill the soul with power
For such high spirit flight.
From breadths of space shalt thou,
My Philia, win for me
Clear essence of the light;
And fill thyself with all
The charm of sound which wells
From soul-creating power.
That thou mayst give to me
Gifts gathered by thyself
From out the spirit's depths.
Then can I weave for him
Their perfect harmonies
In the soul-stirring dance
And rhythm of the spheres.
And thou, my Astrid,
Dear image of my spirit,
Shalt cause within the light
The power of shade to grow
That colours may shine forth.
To formless harmonies
Thou shalt give shape, and thus
World-substance, weaving life,
May sound upon its way.
So I can give to man
When he doth seek therefor
A spirit consciousness.
And thou, strong Luna, too,
So firm in thine own self;
E'en like the living sap
Hid deep within the tree,
To these thy sister's gifts
Do then unite thine own.
Impress thyself thereon
That he who seeks may find
True wisdom's surety.
Philia:
I will myself imbue
With clearest rays of light
From cosmic spaces wide.
I will breathe deep within
Sound-substance that gives life
From distant ether-bounds,
Dear sister, that thou may'st
Succeed in this thy work.
Astrid:
Through all the streaming light
I will weave darkness in
To cloud its radiant beam.
I will make dense and thick
The living life of sound;
That glowing it may sound
And sounding it may glow,
Dear sister, that thou may'st
Direct the soul-life's rays.
Luna:
Soul substance will I warm,
Life's ether harden too.
That they may thus condense
And may thus feel themselves
As living in themselves
And powerful to create,
Dear sister, that thou may'st
Prove wisdom's certainty
To mankind's seeking soul.
Maria:
From Philia's realm
Shall stream forth delight;
And transforming powers
Of Undines arouse
The sensitive soul.
That he who is roused
May feel all the mirth
And feel all the woe
In cosmic domains.
From Astrid's close web
Love's joy shall come forth.
The Sylphs' airy life
Shall rouse in the soul
Self-sacrifice true;
That consecrate man
May rouse to new life
Souls laden with grief,
Souls yearning for joy.
From Luna's domain
Shall firmness stream forth.
And Fire-Beings' might
Shall form for the soul
Security's strength.
That he who doth know
May find his own self
In weaving of souls
And life of the worlds.
Philia:
From cosmic spirits I
Will beg their being's light
The soul-sense to enchant,
The sound too of their words
To charm the spirit's ear;
That he, whose wakening nears,
May raise himself aloft
Upon the paths of soul
Unto celestial heights.
Astrid:
The love-streams will I guide
That fill the world with warmth
Unto the heart of man Who is initiate;
That thus he may bring down
Into his work on earth
The grace of Heaven, and give
The joy of holy rite
Unto the sons of men.
Luna:
From primal powers will I
For might and courage pray
And lay them deep within
The human seeker's heart:
That so trust in himself
May guide him through his life,
Then shall he feel secure
In his own self, and pluck
Each moment's ripened fruit
And draw the seeds therefrom
For all eternity.
Maria:
With you, my sisters, joined in noble work
I shall succeed in what I long to do.
But hark! There rises to our world of light
The cry of him who hath been sorely tried.
(Johannes appears.)
Johannes:
'Tis thou, Maria! Then my suffering
Hath at the last born richest fruit for me.
It hath withdrawn me from the phantom shape
Which I at first did make out of myself,
And which then held me fast, a prisoner.
Pain do I thank for thus enabling me
To reach thee o'er the pathways of the soul.
Maria:
And what then was the path that led thee here?
Johannes:
I felt myself from bonds of sense released:
My sight was freed from that close barrier,
Which hid all but the present from mine eyes.
Quite otherwise I viewed the life of one
I knew on earth, and looked beyond the space
Bound by the present moment's narrow ring.
Capesius, whom with the eyes of sense
In his old age I saw—this man
The spirit placed before my soul a youth;
As first he entered on life's thorny path
Full of those dreams of hope, which ofttimes brought
A group of faithful hearers to his feet.
And Strader, also could I see e'en thus
As he appeared in earthly life when young,
E'er he had full outgrown his cloistered youth:
And I could see what he might once have been,
If he had followed out in that same way
The goal he set before himself of old.
And only those who in their earthly life
Are filled already with the spirit's power
Appear unchanged within the spirit-realms.
Both Dame Felicia and good Felix too
Had kept the forms in which they lived on earth,
When I beheld them with my spirit's sight.
And then my guides showed kindness unto me,
And spake of gifts which shall one day be mine
When I can reach to wisdom's lofty heights.
And many things besides have I beheld
With spirit-organs which sense-sight at first
Had shown to me in its own narrow way.
And judgment's all-illuminating light
Irradiated this new world of mine.
But whether I lived in some shadowy dream,
Or whether spirit-truth surrounded me
Already, I could not as yet decide.
Whether my spirit-sight was really stirred
By other things, or whether mine own self
Expanded into some world of its own,
I knew not. Then didst thou appear thyself;
Not as thou seemest at the present time,
Nor as the past beheld thee; nay—I saw
Thee as thou art in spirit evermore.
Not human was thy nature: in thy soul
Clear could I recognize the spirit-light,
Which worked not as man clothed in flesh doth work.
As spirit did it act, that strives to do
Such work as in eternity hath root.
And only now, when I dare stand complete
In spirit nigh thee, doth the full light glow.
In thee my sight of sense already grasped
Reality so fast, that certainty
Doth meet me even here in spirit-realms
And well I know that now before me stands
No phantom shape. 'Tis thy true character
In which I met thee yonder, and in which
'Tis now permitted me to meet thee here.
Theodora:
I feel compelled to speak. A glow of light
From out thy brow, Maria, upward mounts.
This glow takes shape, and grows to human form.
It is a man with spirit deep imbued,
And other men do gather round his feet.
I gaze into dim times, long passed away
On that good man who rose from out thy head:
His eyes do shine with perfect peace of soul;
And deep true feeling glows in every line
And feature of his noble countenance.
A woman facing him mine eye doth see,
Who listens with devotion to the words
Proceeding from his mouth; which words I hear,
And thus they sound: ‘Ye have unto your gods
Looked up with awed devotion until now.
These gods I love, as ye love them yourselves.
They did present unto your thought its power,
And planted courage in your heart; but yet
Their gifts spring from a higher spirit still.’
I see how rage doth spread amongst the throng
At this man's words. I hear their mad wild cries:
‘Kill him; for he desires to take from us
The gifts the gods have given to our race.’
But unconcernedly the man speaks on.
He tells now of that God in human form,
Who did descend to earth and conquer death.
He tells of Christ; and as his words flow on
The souls around grow calm and pacified.
One only of the heathen hearts resists,
And swears it will wreak vengeance on the man.
I recognize this heart; it beats again
In yonder child, that nestles at thy side.
The messenger of Christ speaks to it thus:
‘Thy fate doth not permit thee to draw nigh
In this life; but I shall wait patiently,
For thy path leads thee to me in the end.’
The woman who doth stand before the man
Falls at his feet and feels herself transformed.
A soul prays to the God in human form;
A heart doth love God's messenger on earth.
(Johannes sinks upon his knees before Maria.)
Maria:
Johannes, that which dawneth in thy mind
Thou shalt awaken to full consciousness.
E'en now within thee hath thy memory
Wrenched itself free from fetterings of sense.
Thou hast found me, and thou hast felt thyself,
As we were joined in former life on earth.
Thou wast the woman whom the seeress saw,
For so didst thou lie prostrate at my feet,
When I as messenger of Christ did come
Unto thy tribe in days long since gone by.
What in Hibernia's consecrated shrines
Was then entrusted to me by that God,
Who dwelt in human form, and did become
A conqueror o'er all the powers of death,
I had to bring to tribes, in whom still lived
A soul that brought a willing sacrifice
To mighty Odin, and with sorrow thought
Upon the death of Balder, god of light.
The power, which from that message grew in thee,
Attracted thee to me from the first day
Thine eyes of sense beheld me in this life.
And since it strove so mightily in us,
And yet remained unrecognized by both,
It wove into our life those sufferings,
Which we o'ercame. Yet in that pain itself
There lay the power to guide us on our way
To spirit-realms, where we might recognize
And know in very truth each other's soul.
Intolerably did thy pain increase
Through all the men who thronged thee round about,
With whom by fate's decree thou art conjoined.
Hence was the revelation of their selves
Able so fiercely to convulse thine heart.
These men hath Karma gathered round thee now,
To wake in thee the power that once did urge
Thee on the path of life, which selfsame power
Hath thus far roused thee, that, from body freed,
Thou couldst ascend into the spirit-world.
Thou standest nearest to my soul, since thou
Hast kept through pain thy steadfast faith in me.
And therefore hath it fallen to my lot
That consecration to complete in thee,
To which thou owest this thy spirit-light.
The brethren, who within the temple serve,
Have wakened sight in thee; yet canst thou know
That what thou seest is very truth indeed,
Only when thou dost find in spirit-realms
A being, unto whom in worlds of sense
Thou wast united in thine inmost soul.
And that this being might thus meet thee here,
Before thee did the brethren send me out.
And this did prove the hardest of thy tests,
When I was summoned here to wait for thee.
Our leader, Benedictus, did I ask
To solve for me the riddle of my life,
That seemed to be so cruel and unkind;
And blessedness streamed from his every word,
Telling of his own mission and of mine.
He told me of the spirit I must serve
With all the power which I have found in me.
And at his words it seemed to me as though,
All in a moment clearest spirit-light
Streamed through and through my soul, and suffering
Was changed to joyous blessedness; one thought
Alone then filled my soul;—he gave me light,
Yea, light, that gave to me the power of sight;—
And in that thought there lived the firm resolve
To this same spirit to devote myself
And make me ready for the sacrifice
Which in due time would draw me near to him.
This thought did generate the highest power:
It gave wings to my soul and wafted me
Into that realm where thou hast found me now.
In that same moment when I felt released
From my sense body, I was free to turn—
My spirit's eye upon thee, and I saw
Not only thee, Johannes, standing there;
I saw the woman too, that followed me
In ancient times; and had bound close to mine
Her destiny. E'en thus was spirit-truth
Revealed to me in spirit-realms through thee,
Who in the world of sense already wast
Made one with me in inmost consciousness.
So did I gain this spirit-certainty
And was endowed to give it unto thee.
Sending a ray of highest, tenderest love
To Benedictus, I went on before;
And he hath given unto thee the power
To follow me into the spirit-spheres.
(Benedictus appears.)
Benedictus:
Ye here have found yourselves in spirit-realms;
And so it is permitted unto me
To stand once more beside you in these realms.
I could confer the power that urged you here,
But I could not conduct you here myself.
Thus reads the law, which I must needs obey:—
Ye must through your own selves first gain the eye
Of spirit, which doth here make visible
My spirit to you. Ye have just begun
E'en now the path of spirit-pilgrimage.
Henceforth indeed upon the plane of sense
Endowed with novel powers shall ye both stand,
And with the spirit in your hearts unsealed
The cause of human progress shall ye serve,
For Fate itself hath so united you,
That ye together may unfold the powers
Which needs must serve divine creative work.
And as ye journey on the path of souls
Wisdom will teach you that the loftiest tasks
May be achieved for the weal of men
When souls that gave each other spirit certainty
Unite in faith to do salvation's work.
My spirit-guidance hath united you
To realize each other: now do ye
Unite yourselves to do the spirit's work.
May powers that dwell within this realm confer
On you through these my lips this Word of strength:—
‘The weaving essence of the light streams forth
From man to man to fill all worlds with truth.
The grace of love spreads warmth from soul to soul
To work out bliss eternal for all worlds.
And spirit-messengers come forth to wed
Man's works of love and grace to cosmic aims.
And when the man who finds himself in man
Can wed these twain, there doth stream forth on earth
True spirit-light from his warm loving soul.’
Siebentes Bild
(Das Gebiet des Geistes.)
(Maria, Philia, Astrid, Luna, Kind; Johannes, erst von ferne, dann näherkommend;
Theodora, zuletzt Benedictus.)
Maria:
Ihr, meine Schwestern, die ihr
So oft mir Helferinnen wart,
Seid mir es auch in dieser Stunde,
Daß ich den Weltenäther
In sich erbeben lasse.
Er soll harmonisch klingen
Und klingend eine Seele
Durchdringen mit Erkenntnis.
Ich kann die Zeichen schauen,
Die uns zur Arbeit lenken.
Es soll sich euer Werk
Mit meinem Werke einen.
Johannes, der Strebende,
Er soll durch unser Schaffen
Zum wahren Sein erhoben werden.
Die Brüder in dem Tempel,
Sie hielten Rat,
Wie sie ihn aus den Tiefen
In lichte Höhen führen sollen.
Von uns erwarten sie,
Daß wir in seiner Seele heben
Die Kraft zum Höhenfluge.
Du, meine Philia, so sauge
Des Lichtes klares Wesen
Aus Raumesweiten,
Erfülle dich mit Klangesreiz
Aus schaffender Seelenmacht,
Daß du mir reichen kannst
Die Gaben, die du sammelst
Aus Geistesgründen.
Ich kann sie weben dann
In den erregenden Sphärenreigen.
Und du auch, Astrid, meines Geistes
Geliebtes Spiegelbild,
Erzeuge Dunkelkraft
Im fliessenden Licht,
Daß es in Farben scheine. ‒
Und gliedre Klangeswesenheit;
Daß webender Weltenstoff
Ertönend lebe.
So kann ich Geistesfühlen
Vertrauen suchendem Menschensinn.
Und du, o starke Luna,
Die du befestigt im Innern bist,
Dem Lebensmarke gleich,
Das in des Baumes Mitte wächst,
Vereine mit der Schwestern Gaben
Das Abbild deiner Eigenheit,
Daß Wissens Sicherheit
Dem Seelensucher werde.
Philia:
Ich will erfüllen mich
Mit klarstem Lichtessein
Aus Weltenweiten.
Ich will eratmen mir
Belebenden Klangesstoff
Aus Ätherfernen,
Daß dir, geliebte Schwester,
Das Werk gelingen kann.
Astrid:
Ich will verweben
Erstrahlend Licht
Mit dämpfender Finsternis,
Ich will verdichten
Das Klangesleben.
Es soll erglitzernd klingen,
Es soll erklingend glitzern,
Daß du, geliebte Schwester,
Die Seelenstrahlen lenken kannst.
Luna:
Ich will erwärmen Seelenstoff
Und will erhärten Lebensäther.
Sie sollen sich verdichten,
Sie sollen sich erfühlen,
Und in sich selber seiend
Sich schaffend halten,
Daß du, geliebte Schwester,
Der suchenden Menschenseele
Des Wissens Sicherheit erzeugen kannst.
Maria:
Aus Philias Bereichen
Soll strömen Freudesinn;
Und Nixen Wechselkräfte,
Sie mögen öffnen
Der Seele Reizbarkeit,
Daß der Erweckte
Erleben kann
Der Welten Lust,
Der Welten Weh. –
Aus Astrids Weben
Soll werden Liebelust;
Der Sylphen wehend Leben,
Es soll erregen
Der Seele Opfertrieb,
Daß der Geweihte
Erquicken kann
Die Leidbeladenen,
Die Glück Erflehenden. –
Aus Luna’s Kraft
Soll strömen Festigkeit.
Der Feuerwesen Macht,
Sie kann erschaffen
Der Seele Sicherheit;
Auf daß der Wissende
Sich finden kann
Im Seelenweben,
Im Weltenleben.
Philia:
Ich will erbitten von Weltengeistern,
Daß ihres Wesens Licht
Entzücke Seelensinn,
Und ihrer Worte Klang
Beglücke Geistgehör;
Auf daß sich hebe
Der zu Erweckende
Auf Seelenwegen
In Himmelshöhen.
Astrid:
Ich will die Liebesströme,
Die Welt erwarmenden,
Zu Herzen leiten
Dem Geweihten;
Auf daß er bringen kann
Des Himmels Güte
Dem Erdenwirken,
Und Weihestimmung
Den Menschenkindern.
Luna:
Ich will von Urgewalten
Erflehen Mut und Kraft
Und sie dem Suchenden
In Herzenstiefen legen;
Auf daß Vertrauen
Zum eignen Selbst
Ihn durch das Leben
Geleiten kann.
Er soll sich sicher
In sich dann selber fühlen.
Er soll von Augenblicken
Die reifen Früchte pflücken
Und Saaten ihnen entlocken
Für Ewigkeiten.
Maria:
Mit euch, ihr Schwestern,
Vereint zu edlem Werk,
Wird mir gelingen,
Was ich ersehne.
Es dringt der Ruf
Des schwer Geprüften
In unsre Lichteswelt.
(Johannes erscheint.)
Johannes:
O Maria, du bist es!
Es hat mein Leid
Mir reiche Frucht gebracht.
Es hat dem Wahngebilde mich entrückt,
Das ich aus mir erst selbst gemacht
Und das mich dann gefangen hielt.
Dem Schmerz verdank ich es,
Daß ich auf Seelenbahnen
Zu dir gelangen konnte.
Maria:
Wie war der Weg,
Der dich hierhergeführt?
Johannes:
Ich fühlte mich entronnen
Den Sinnesfesseln.
Befreit ward dann mein Blick
Von jenen Schranken,
Die ihm die Gegenwart umschliessen.
Ich konnte andres schauen
In eines Menschen Leben,
Als was ein Augenblick
In engstem Kreise zeigt.
Capesius, den mir das Sinnensehen
In seinen ältern Jahren hat gewiesen,
Ihn hat der Geist
Als Jüngling vor die Seele mir gerückt,
Wo er, von Hoffnungsträumen voll,
Dem Leben erst entgegengeht,
Das immer wieder ihm gebracht
Die treue Hörerschar.
Und Strader, der noch jung
Im Erdendasein steht,
Dem Klosterleben kaum entwachsen,
Ich konnt ihn sehen so,
Wie er einst werden müsste,
Wenn er das Ziel
In solcher Art verfolgte,
Wie er bisher es dachte.
Und jene Menschen nur,
Die geisterfüllt im Erdenfeld schon sind,
Sie schienen unverwandelt
Im Geistgebiet.
Behalten hatten Vater Felix
Und Mutter Felicia
Die Erdenformen sich,
Als meines Geistes Auge sie erblickte.
Und dann erwiesen meine Führer
Mir ihre Gunst und sprachen
Von Gaben, die mir werden sollen,
Wenn ich erreichen kann
Erhabne Wissenshöhen.
Und vieles hab ich noch gesehn
Mit meinen Geistorganen,
Was erst die Sinne mir gezeigt
Auf ihre enge Art.
Und klärend Urteilslicht erstrahlte
In meiner neuen Welt.
Doch ob ein Traum mir dämmerte,
Ob Geisteswirklichkeit mich schon umgab,
Ich konnte es noch nicht entscheiden.
Ob meine Geistesschau berührt
Von andern Dingen ward,
Ob ich das eigne Selbst
Mir nur zu einer Welt erweitert,
Ich wußt’ es nicht.
Und dann erschienst du selbst.
Nicht wie in dieser Zeit du bist,
Nicht wie Vergangenheit dich sah,
Nein, so erblickt’ ich dich,
Wie ewig du im Geiste stehst.
Nicht menschlich war dein Wesen;
Den Geist in deiner Seele,
Ihn konnt ich klar erkennen.
Er tat nicht, was ein Mensch
In einem Sinnenleibe tut.
Er handelt’ wie ein Geist,
Der Werken Dasein geben will,
Die in den Ewigkeiten wurzeln.
Und jetzt erst, da vor dir
Im Geist ich stehen darf,
Erstrahlt mir volles Licht.
In dir hat schon mein Sinnensehn
Die Wirklichkeit so fest ergriffen,
Daß mir Gewißheit ist
Auch hier im Geisterland:
Es steht kein Zauberbild vor mir.
Es ist die wahre Wesenheit,
In der ich dir begegnet dort,
In der ich hier dich treffen darf.
Theodora:
Es drängt zu sprechen mich.
Aus deiner Stirn, Maria,
Entsteigt ein Lichtesschein.
Der Schein gestaltet sich.
Er wird zur Menschenform.
Er ist ein geisterfüllter Mann.
Und andre Menschen sammeln sich um ihn.
Ich schau in lang entschwundne Zeit.
Und jener fromme Mann,
Der deinem Haupt entstiegen ist,
Er strahlt aus seinen Augen
Die reinste Seelenruhe,
Und Innigkeit erglimmt
Aus seinen edlen Zügen.
Vor ihm erblickt mein Auge
Ein Weib, das in Ergebenheit
Den Worten lauscht,
Die aus des Mannes Munde kommen.
Ich hör die Worte.
Sie klingen so:
Ihr habt zu euren Göttern
In Ehrfurcht aufgeschaut.
Ich liebe diese Götter,
Wie ihr sie selber liebt.
Sie schenkten eurem Denken Kraft,
Sie pflanzten Mut in eure Herzen.
Doch stammen ihre Gaben
Aus einem höhern Geisteswesen.
‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒
Ich schau, wie wilden Sinn erregte,
Was jener Mann den Leuten sagt’.
Ich kann die Rufe hören:
O tötet ihn; er will uns rauben,
Was Götter uns gegeben.
Es spricht der Mann gelassen weiter.
Er redet von dem Menschengotte,
Der zu der Erde niederstieg,
Und der den Tod besiegte:
Von Christus redet er.
Und wie er weiterspricht,
Da sänftigen sich die Seelen,
Es widersteht nur eins der Heidenherzen.
Das schwört dem Manne Rache.
Ich kann erkennen dieses Herz;
In jenem Kinde schlägt es wieder,
Das sich an deine Seite schmiegt.
Es spricht zu ihm der Christusbote:
Dein Schicksal will es nicht,
Daß du mir nahst in diesem Leben;
Doch warte ich geduldig,
Dein Weg, er führt dich doch zu mir.
Das Weib, das vor dem Manne steht,
Es fällt zu dessen Füssen;
Verwandelt fühlt es sich.
Es betet eine Seele zu dem Menschengotte;
Es liebt ein Herz den Gottesboten.
(Johannes sinkt auf die Knie vor Maria.)
Maria:
Johannes, was dir dämmert,
Zum Vollbewußtsein sollst du es erwecken.
Gedächtnis rang sich eben
In dir von Sinnesfesseln los.
Du hast empfunden mich,
Du hast erfühlet dich,
Wie wir im vorigen Erdensein vereint.
Das Weib, von dem die Weise sprach,
Du warst es selbst.
So lagst du mir zu Füssen,
Als ich dereinst als Christusbote
Zu deinem Stamme kam.
Was in Hybernias geweihten Stätten
Vertraut mir ward von jenem Gotte,
Der in dem Menschen wohnte
Und Sieger wurde über Todesmächte:
Ich durfte dies zu Völkern bringen,
In welchen noch lebendig war
Die Seele, die dem starken Odin
Die frohen Opfer brachte,
Und an den lichten Balder
Mit Trauer denken mußte.
Dich zog vom ersten Tage,
Da mich dein Sinnesauge sah in diesem Leben,
Die Kraft zu mir, die damals dir
Aus jener Botschaft wuchs.
Und weil sie mächtig wirkte
Und unbewußt doch blieb uns beiden,
Verwob sie unserm Dasein
Die Leiden, die wir durchgerungen.
Doch lag im Leiden selbst die Macht,
Zu führen uns in Geistesreiche,
Wo wir uns wahrhaft kennen lernen.
Es stieg dein Schmerz zum Übermass
Durch vieler Menschen Gegenwart.
Du bist verbunden ihnen durch die Schicksalsmacht.
So konnte ihres Wesens Offenbarung
Dein Herz so stark erschüttern.
Es hat sie Karma jetzt um dich versammelt,
Um eine Kraft in dir zu wecken,
Die deinem Leben vorwärts half.
Und diese Kraft hat dich durchrüttelt,
Daß du befreit vom Leib
In Geisteswelten steigen konntest.
Am nächsten stehst du meiner Seele,
Der du in Schmerzen Treue hast bewahrt;
Darum ist mir das Los gefallen,
Die Weihe zu vollenden,
Der du das Geisteslicht verdankst.
Es haben dich erweckt zum Schauen
Die Brüder, die im Tempel Dienste tun.
Doch kannst du nur erkennen,
Daß Wahrheit dies Geschaute ist,
Wenn du im Geisterlande wiederfindest
Ein Wesen, dem du schon in Sinneswelten
Im tiefsten Sein verbunden bist.
Daß dir dies Wesen hier entgegentreten kann,
Entsandten mich die Brüder dir voraus.
Es war die schwerste deiner Proben,
Als ich hierher gerufen ward.
Ich bat den Führer, Benedictus,
Zu lösen mir
Das Rätsel meines Lebens,
Das grausam mir erschien.
Und Seligkeit entströmte seinen Worten,
Als er von seiner Sendung sprach und meiner.
Er sprach mir von dem Geiste, dessen Dienst
Die Kraft in mir gewidmet solle sein.
Es war bei seinen Worten mir, als ob
In einem Augenblicke mir das hellste Geisteslicht
Die Seele ganz durchstrahlte, und Leid
In Seligkeit beglückend sich gewandelt hätte.
Und ein Gedanke nur erfüllte mir die Seele:
Er gab mir Licht ‒
Ja, Licht, das mir die Kraft des Sehens schenkte.
Es war der Wille, der in dem Gedanken lebte:
Mich hinzugeben ganz dem Geist
Und fähig für das Opfer mich zu machen,
Das mich ihm nahe bringen könnte.
Es hatte der Gedanke höchste Kraft.
Er gab der Seele Schwingen und entrückte mich
In dieses Reich, in dem du mich gefunden.
In jenem Augenblick, da ich mich frei
Vom Sinnenleibe fühlte, konnte ich
Das Geistesauge auf dich richten.
Ich hatte nicht Johannes nur vor mir;
Ich sah das Weib, das mir gefolgt
In alten Zeiten war, und sein Geschick
An meines enge hat gebunden.
So ward mir Geisteswahrheit hier durch dich,
Der mir in Sinnesweiten schon
Im tiefsten Sein verbunden ist.
Ich hatte mir erworben Geistessicherheit
Und ward befähigt, sie zu geben dir.
Zu Benedictus sendend einen Strahl
Der höchsten Liebe ging ich dir voran.
Und Er hat dir die Kraft verliehn,
Zu folgen mir in Geistersphären.
Benedictus (erscheinend):
Ihr habt euch selbst
Gefunden hier im Geistgebiet.
So darf auch ich
An eurer Seite wieder sein.
Ich durfte euch die Kraft verleihn,
Die euch hierher getrieben,
Doch konnt’ ich euch
Nicht selbst geleiten.
So will es das Gesetz,
Dem ich gehorchen muß.
Ihr mußtet, durch euch selbst,
Erwerben erst das Geistesauge,
Das mich auch hier
Euch sichtbar macht.
Es hat der Weg der Geistespilgerschaft
Für euch nun erst begonnen.
Ihr werdet jetzt im Sinnensein
Mit neuen Kräften stehen
Und mit dem Geiste,
Der euch erschlossen ist,
Dem Menschenwerden dienen können.
Es hat das Schicksal euch verbunden,
Vereint die Kräfte zu entfalten,
Die gutem Schaffen dienen müssen.
Und wandelnd auf dem Seelenpfade,
Wird euch die Weisheit selber lehren,
Daß Höchstes kann geleistet werden,
Wenn Seelen, die sich Geistessicherheit verliehn,
In Treue sich zum Weltenheile binden.
Die Geistesführung einte zur Erkenntnis euch,
Nun eint euch selbst zum Geisteswirken.
Die Mächte dieses Reiches geben euch
Durch meinen Mund das Wort der Kraft:
Des Lichtes webend Wesen, es erstrahlt
Von Mensch zu Mensch,
Zu füllen alle Welt mit Wahrheit.
Der Liebe Segen, er erwarmet
Die Seele an der Seele,
Zu wirken aller Welten Seligkeit.
Und Geistesboten, sie vermählen
Der Menschen Segenswerke
Mit Weltenzielen;
Und wenn vermählen kann die beiden
Der Mensch, der sich im Menschen findet,
Erstrahlet Geisteslicht durch Seelenwärme.
(Vorhang.)
Scene Seven
(The realm of the spirit.)
(Mary, Philia, Astrid, Luna, Child; John, first from afar, then approaching; Theodora, finally Benedictus.)
Mary:
You, my sisters, who have
So often been my helpers,
Be so also in this hour,
That I may cause the world ether
To vibrate within itself.
It shall sound harmoniously
And, sounding, penetrate a soul
With knowledge.
I can see the signs
That guide us to our work.
Your work shall unite
With mine.
John, the striving one,
Through our work
Shall be raised to true being.
The brothers in the temple
Held counsel
How they should lead him from the depths
To light-filled heights.
They expect us
To lift in his soul
The power to fly high.
You, my Philia, soak up
The clear essence of light
From the vastness of space,
Fill yourself with the thrill of sound
From the creative power of the soul,
So that you may give me
The gifts you gather
From the depths of the spirit.
I can then weave them
Into the exhilarating dance of the spheres.
And you too, Astrid, beloved reflection
Of my spirit,
Generate dark power
In flowing light,
That it may shine in colors. ‒
And articulate sound essence;
That weaving world substance
May live resoundingly.
So I can give spiritual feelings
To human minds seeking trust.
And you, O strong Luna,
Who are fortified within,
Like the mark of life,
That grows in the center of the tree,
Unite with your sister's gifts
The image of your uniqueness,
That the certainty of knowledge
Become the soul seeker.
Philia:
I want to fulfill myself
With the clearest light being
From worlds far away.
I want to breathe in
Invigorating sound matter
From distant ethers,
So that you, beloved sister,
May succeed in her work.
Astrid:
I want to weave
Radiant light
With dampening darkness,
I want to condense
The life of sound.
It should sound glittering,
It should glitter resoundingly,
So that you, beloved sister,
May guide the rays of the soul.
Luna:
I want to warm the substance of the soul
And harden the ether of life.
They shall condense,
They shall feel,
And being within themselves
Keep creating themselves,
So that you, beloved sister,
Can create certainty of knowledge
For the searching human soul.
Maria:
From Philia's realms
May joy flow;
And the changing powers of the nymphs,
May they open
The soul's sensitivity,
So that the awakened
May experience
The world's joy,
The world's sorrow. –
From Astrid's weaving
There shall come the joy of love;
The sylphs' flowing life,
It shall arouse
The soul's sacrificial impulse,
That the consecrated
May refresh
Those burdened with suffering,
Those who yearn for happiness. –
From Luna's power
Shall flow steadfastness.
The power of the fire beings,
It can create
The soul's security;
So that the knowledgeable
May find themselves
In the weaving of souls,
In the life of the world.
Philia:
I will ask the spirits of the world
That the light of their being
May delight the soul's senses,
And the sound of their words
May delight the spirit's ear;
So that he who is to be awakened
May rise
On soul paths
To heavenly heights.
Astrid:
I will guide the streams of love,
Which warm the world,
To the heart
To the consecrated one;
So that he may bring
The goodness of heaven
To the workings of earth,
And a spirit of consecration
To the children of man.
Luna:
I want to implore the elemental forces
For courage and strength
And place them in the depths of the heart
In the depths of their hearts;
So that trust
In their own self
May guide them through life
And lead them.
They shall feel secure
Within themselves.
They shall pick
The ripe fruits of moments
And draw seeds from them
For eternity.
Mary:
With you, my sisters,
United in noble work,
I will succeed
In what I long for.
The cry
Of the sorely tested
Penetrates our world of light.
(Johannes appears.)
John:
O Mary, it is you!
My suffering
Has brought me rich fruit.
It has removed me from the delusion
That I myself created
And that then held me captive.
I owe it to the pain
That I was able to reach you
On the paths of the soul.
Mary:
What was the path
That led you here?
John:
I felt myself freed
From the shackles of the senses.
My gaze was then freed
From those barriers
That enclose the present.
I could see other things
In a person's life
Than what a moment
Shows in the narrowest circle.
Capesius, whom my clairvoyance
Has shown me in his older years,
The spirit brought him
Before my soul as a young man,
Where, full of hopeful dreams,
He first encounters life,
Which again and again brings him
The faithful crowd of listeners.
And Strader, who is still young
In earthly existence,
Barely outgrown monastic life,
I could see him as
He would once become,
If he pursued the goal
In such a way,
As he had thought until now.
And only those people
Who are already spirit-filled in the earthly realm,
They seemed unchanged
In the spiritual realm.
Father Felix
And Mother Felicia
Had retained their earthly forms
When the eye of my spirit beheld them.
And then my guides
Showed me their favor and spoke
Of gifts that would be mine
If I can reach
Sublime heights of knowledge.
And I have seen much more
With my spiritual organs,
What the senses first showed me
In their limited way.
And clarifying light of judgment shone
In my new world.
But whether a dream dawned on me,
Whether spiritual reality already surrounded me,
I could not yet decide.
Whether my spiritual vision was touched
By other things,
Whether I expanded my own self
Only to one world,
I did not know.
And then you yourself appeared.
Not as you are in this time,
Not as the past saw you,
No, I saw you
As you stand eternally in spirit.
Your being was not human;
The spirit in your soul,
I could clearly recognize it.
It did not do what a human
In a sensual body.
He acted like a spirit,
Who wants to give life to works,
That are rooted in eternity.
And only now, as I stand before you
In spirit,
Does full light shine upon me.
In you, my sensual vision
Has already grasped reality so firmly,
That I am certain
Even here in the spirit world:
There is no magical image before me.
It is the true essence,
In which I met you there,
In which I may meet you here.
Theodora:
I feel compelled to speak.
From your forehead, Mary,
A light shines forth.
The light takes shape.
It becomes human form.
It is a spirit-filled man.
And other people gather around him.
I look back to a time long past.
And that pious man,
Who has emerged from your head,
His eyes radiate
The purest peace of mind,
And sincerity glows
From his noble features.
Before him, my eyes behold
A woman who listens devoutly
To the words
That come from the man's mouth.
I hear the words.
They sound like this:
You have looked up to your gods
In reverence.
I love these gods,
As you yourselves love them.
They gave strength to your thinking,
They planted courage in your hearts.
But their gifts
Come from a higher spirit.
‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒
I see how wildly excited
What that man says to the people.
I can hear the cries:
O kill him; he wants to rob us
Of what the gods have given us.
The man continues to speak calmly.
He speaks of the human god
Who descended to earth
And defeated death:
He speaks of Christ.
And as he continues to speak,
The souls are appeased,
Only one of the heathen hearts resists.
It swears revenge on the man.
I can recognize this heart;
It beats again in that child,
That nestles at your side.
The messenger of Christ speaks to him:
Your fate does not will it,
That you come near me in this life;
But I wait patiently,
Your path will lead you to me.
The woman who stands before the man,
Falls at his feet;
She feels transformed.
A soul prays to the human god;
A heart loves the messenger of God.
(John sinks to his knees before Mary.)
Mary:
John, what dawns upon you,
You shall awaken to full consciousness.
Memory has just wrested itself
From the bonds of the senses within you.
You have sensed me,
You have felt yourself,
How we were united in our previous earthly existence.
The woman of whom the sage spoke,
It was you yourself.
So you lay at my feet,
When I once came as Christ's messenger
To your tribe.
What in Hybernia's sacred places
Was entrusted to me by that God,
Who dwelt in man
And became victorious over the powers of death:
I was allowed to bring this to peoples
In whom there was still alive
The soul that brought joyful sacrifices
To the mighty Odin
And had to think of the bright Balder
With sorrow.
From the very first day,
When your mind's eye saw me in this life,
The power drew you to me, which then grew for you
From that message.
And because it had a powerful effect
And yet remained unconscious to both of us,
It wove into our existence
The sufferings we endured.
But in the suffering itself lay the power
To lead us into realms of spirit,
Where we truly get to know each other.
Your pain rose to excess
Through the presence of many people.
You are connected to them by the power of fate.
So the revelation of their nature
Could shake your heart so strongly.
Karma has now gathered them around you,
To awaken a power within you,
That helped your life move forward.
And this power has shaken you,
So that, freed from the body,
You could ascend into spiritual worlds.
You are closest to my soul,
You who have remained faithful in pain;
That is why I have been given the task
Of completing the consecration,
To whom you owe the light of the spirit.
The brothers who serve in the temple
Have awakened you to see.
But you can only recognize
That what you see is truth,
When you find again in the spirit realm
A being to whom you are already connected in the worlds of the senses
In the deepest being.
That this being can meet you here,
The brothers sent me ahead of you.
It was the hardest of your trials,
When I was called here.
I asked the guide, Benedictus,
To solve for me
The riddle of my life,
Which seemed cruel to me.
And bliss flowed from his words,
When he spoke of his mission and mine.
He spoke to me of the spirit whose service
The power within me should be devoted to.
His words made me feel as if
In an instant, the brightest light of the spirit
Had completely illuminated my soul, and suffering
Had been transformed into blissful happiness.
And only one thought filled my soul:
He gave me light—
Yes, light that gave me the power of sight.
It was the will that lived in the thought:
To devote myself entirely to the spirit
And make myself capable of the sacrifice
That could bring me close to him.
The thought had supreme power.
It gave wings to my soul and carried me away
To this realm where you found me.
In that moment, when I felt free
From the body of the senses, I was able
To turn the eye of my mind to you.
I did not have only John before me;
I saw the woman who had followed me
In ancient times, and whose fate
Was bound to mine.
Thus I attained spiritual truth here through you,
Who are already connected to me in the realms of the senses
In the deepest being.
I had acquired spiritual certainty
And was enabled to give it to you.
Sending a ray to Benedictus
Of the highest love, I went before you.
And He has given you the strength
To follow me into spiritual realms.
Benedictus (appearing):
You have found yourselves
Here in the spiritual realm.
So I too may
Be at your side again.
I was allowed to give you the strength
That drove you here,
But I could not
Guide you myself.
Such is the law,
Which I must obey.
You had to acquire, through yourselves,
First the spiritual eye,
Which also makes me visible to you here.
The path of spiritual pilgrimage
Has only just begun for you.
You will now stand in your sense of being
With new powers
And with the spirit
Which is open to you,
You will be able to serve humanity.
Fate has bound you together,
To develop the powers
That must serve good works.
And walking on the path of the soul,
Wisdom itself will teach you
That the highest can be achieved,
When souls who have granted themselves spiritual certainty,
Bind themselves in faith to the world's salvation.
Spiritual guidance united you in knowledge,
Now unite yourselves in spiritual action.
The powers of this realm give you
Through my mouth the word of power:
Weaving beings of light, it shines
From person to person,
To fill the whole world with truth.
The blessing of love, it warms
The soul to the soul,
To work the bliss of all worlds.
And spiritual messengers, they unite
The works of blessing of mankind
With the goals of the worlds;
And when the two can be united
By the human being who finds himself in mankind,
The light of the spirit shines through the warmth of the soul.
(Curtain.)