The Reappearance of Christ in the Etheric
GA 118
18 April, 1910, Palermo
7. The Return of Christ
As we are meeting together here for the first time today, let us speak of some intimate concerns of our spiritual science. We will discuss what concerns the evolution of the human individuality at first in somewhat general terms and next time in detail. We can understand the life of a single individual only when we also know the epoch in which he lives. The human soul evolves through the ages, progressing from one incarnation to another. The soul's faculties today are not the same as in earlier times. Human faculties have reached the point today at which human beings can perceive the world of the senses and can think it through inwardly. Before this epoch it was completely different, because human souls still possessed a certain dreamlike clairvoyance, one could say.
At that time, a person would not have been able to develop his consciousness of self, of his I. The ancient, dreamlike clairvoyance had first to disappear; he had to be limited to the world of the senses to be able, by means of a growing capacity for discernment of physical appearances, to arrive at the consciousness of his own self. In the future, he will win back the clairvoyance he once had and will at the same time be able to hold onto his self-consciousness.
This evolution has proceeded slowly and continuously; nevertheless, we can indicate the exact moment when the conscious condition of physical, sensible perception began. It was the year 3101 before Christ's appearance on earth. Until that time, there existed a natural clairvoyance. Then it gradually began to disappear, and the dark epoch called the lesser Kali Yuga began, in which the human soul could no longer perceive the spiritual world.
Let us imagine now the state of human souls at the onset of that dark epoch. In remembering past epochs, the human soul might say, “I once could behold spiritual beings; I could see into at least a part of the world where the ancient Rishis and Zoroaster were teachers, and I could listen to those great leaders and masters of old; I could hear the great leaders who spoke to me from the wisdom that arises from the spiritual world.” This feeling, however, became ever weaker in those souls.
Three thousand years after the beginning of that dark epoch, a new possibility arose for a human being to unite himself with the spiritual world. This possibility lay in the fact that a person could achieve union with the spiritual world through his I; that is, it was possible for him to perceive the spiritual world even though human perception was limited to the senses. It was through the incarnation of Christ that this possibility arose. All other great world leaders incarnated in such a way that their spiritual being united with an astral body. When we attempt to understand the essence of the Bodhisattvas, we find that their spiritual portion, which worked on earth, raised itself into higher worlds and was linked only to the astral body. In Christ alone do we find a divine-spiritual being in direct connection with a physical body. This means that the I of Jesus abandoned his physical, etheric, and astral sheaths, and the Christ incarnated Himself as the I within those sheaths so that the I of every human being can have a connection with the Christ. Consequently, we see that in earlier ages the great leaders of humanity could be so perceived that one could reach an understanding of their bond with the spiritual world only through pictures. Now, however, in contrast, the whole biography of Christ consists of facts that could come to expression in the physical world. In other words, the Christ event can be grasped with our intellect, with our physical mind. God had to descend to the physical world because the human faculty for perception could no longer raise itself above the world of the physical senses. For this reason came the mighty prophecy of John the Baptist that the disposition of the human soul must change so that the kingdom of heaven can draw near.
In earlier times one could approach the kingdom of heaven to some degree through human clairvoyance. Now one had to find it in Christ Himself through the medium of the senses. In order that humanity should not lose its link with the spiritual world during the dark age of Kali Yuga, Christ had to descend to the physical plane. The Dark Age lasted more than 5,000 years. We are living in the important time of the end of Kali Yuga. Since 1899, the Dark Age, which began in 3101 BC, has already run its course, and since then certain faculties of soul have slowly begun to develop that have not yet been recognized by human science. In this twentieth century of ours, new faculties of the human soul will gradually evolve in a portion of humanity. Before the end of the century, for instance, it will be possible to perceive the human etheric body. Another faculty will be to look inward and behold, as if in a dream, the picture, the counterpart, of a deed one is about to perform. Certain persons endowed in a particular way will have still another experience. What Paul experienced at Damascus, which was a personal experience for him, will become common experience for a certain number of people.
One can perceive the significance of this event in the twentieth century from the following. Paul could learn about everything that had happened in Palestine without its changing him from Saul to Paul. His condition of soul was such that he could not be convinced that the Christ lived in the man from Nazareth. At the event of Damascus, he could say for the first time with his clairvoyant consciousness: Christ exists! The people who will experience the event of Damascus in the twentieth century will receive direct knowledge of Christ. They will not require documentary evidence in order to recognize Christ, but they will have direct knowledge, as is today possessed only by the initiates. All the faculties that today can be acquired by means of initiation will in the future be universal faculties of humanity. This condition of soul, this experiencing of soul, is called in esotericism the “second coming of Christ.” Christ will not be incarnated again in a physical body, but He will appear in an etheric body as in the street near Damascus.
Christ incarnated on the physical plane when humanity had become limited to the physical body. We can repeat today the words of John the Baptist, “Repent! for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (“Change the disposition of your soul so that your own faculties open the spiritual world to you.”) Human beings with etheric clairvoyance will thus behold the Christ appearing before them in an etheric body. The faculties I have just described are lying like seeds in the soul. In the future they will be developed, and one will be able to say that the destiny of a person lies to a certain extent in his own hands. When this etheric vision appears, however, it will be necessary for people to know the significance of these faculties. It will be impossible then to fall back into materialism as people do today. One will not be immediately aware of the faculties when they appear, and those who possess them will even be regarded as sick or deluded by fantasy. It is therefore the mission of spiritual science to prepare human beings for the understanding of such faculties. Communicating the fundamental wisdom (Ideale) of spiritual science thus is not optional but is a necessary measure for the evolution of humanity.
What we have said will often be repeated in the years to come, but it is vital that it be understood correctly. It is possible that materialistic tendencies will penetrate the Theosophical Society,6A short time later, the Theosophical Society in Adyar proclaimed the rebirth of Christ in the Indian boy, Krishnamurti. This was protested by Rudolf Steiner, and his dissent led to the exclusion of the German Section of the Society, of which Steiner was the General Secretary. even to the point that one will believe that Christ will take on a material body when He comes again. If this were to be the case, one could assert that humanity has made no progress at all in the last 2,000 years. Christ appeared 2,000 years ago in a physical body to be perceived by the physical senses. For future clairvoyance He will appear in an etheric body. By means of spiritual science we are preparing ourselves to understand the significant era ahead of us. To be anthroposophists, it is not enough to understand anthroposophy in a theoretical way; we must bring it to life within ourselves. It will be necessary to observe this great event with complete exactness. There will be ambitious persons who try, out of the materialistic direction of theosophy today, to profit for themselves by making believe that they are the Christ, and they will find people who believe them. For the true anthroposophist, it will be a test to arm himself against such attempts and, instead of debasing human feeling in such a way, to raise it up to the spiritual worlds. Those who understand anthroposophy in the right way will say to these false messiahs of the twentieth century: you have announced the appearance of Christ on the physical plane, but we know that Christ will manifest Himself only in an etheric form. True anthroposophists will await Christ's appearance to the higher senses. A person must, before his death, have understood the true significance of this second coming of Christ; then, in the life between death and a new birth, this understanding will open his spiritual senses. Those who will not have these faculties, who have not been able on earth to understand the significance of Christ's second coming, however, must await a new incarnation to be able to acquire this understanding on the physical plane.
We are living in an extremely important epoch. We must characterize the event of Christ's second coming, which will be perceived by clairvoyant human beings. We can characterize this event by directing our attention to the cosmos and by alluding to an event that is approaching in our own day. This event is the appearance of Halley's Comet which is also an important subject of study in Rosicrucian theosophy. The appearance of this comet is connected with events in the spiritual world. Just as the movements of the planets circling the sun correspond to the regular events in the evolution of humanity, so the appearance of a comet corresponds to an influence that runs counter to the regular events. Rosicrucian research has demonstrated that every comet exerts a particular influence on human evolutions.7Rudolf Steiner did not use the term “Rosicrucian” in direct connection with the Theosophical Society. It refers rather to a path of spiritual investigation appropriate for modern humanity and is not to be confused with today's self-proclaimed Rosicrucians. The present comet has as its particular influence an intense impulse toward materialism. Every time Halley's Comet has appeared, a new impulse toward materialism has taken place. Its appearance in 1759 corresponded with the epoch in which Voltaireanism was at its high point. The appearance in 1835 corresponded with the materialism of Moleschott, Büchner, and others. In the same way, in our time there will be a new impulse toward materialism, and the outer sign of this is the appearance of the comet. Those who let themselves be swayed by its influence will fall into the deepest materialism.
Today, not only this impulse exists, but there is also another influence, which is to raise humanity to spiritual heights. This will be observed by those who understand the signs of the times. In the macrocosm, the sign for this influence is the fact that the sun at the vernal equinox has entered the sign of Pisces, the Fish. At the time when Christ appeared, the sun was in the sign of Aries, the Ram. The sun began to enter this sign in about 800 BC and was well into Aries at the time of the event of Golgotha. Now the sun has been in the sign of Pisces for several centuries. In the near future it will have advanced so far in this sign that it will be the outer symbol for the appearance of Christ in the etheric body. You will see, therefore, that anthroposophy does not expound to the world theoretical teaching but rather that the signs of the times have given us the task of teaching anthroposophy. In the West this message has been foreseen for many centuries by those who call themselves Rosicrucians. Among the Rosicrucians, a Fifth Gospel is taught beside the four that are well known. It is through this spiritual gospel that the other four can be understood, and it will be given to a portion of humanity of the twentieth century, just as the others were given on the occasion of the physical appearance of Christ. Those adherents to the Rosicrucian movement who will have a clear consciousness will understand the significance of this Fifth Gospel for humanity.8Following this hint of a Fifth Gospel, Rudolf Steiner did not elaborate on it until 1913. He gave a lecture cycle in Oslo, Norway in October 1913 and in Cologne in December 1913. Some of these lectures were published in English in the volume, The Fifth Gospel, London, Rudolf Steiner Press, reprinted 1978.
If you will become attentive to Rosicrucian theosophy, your striving will be able to enter into the spirit of the progress of humanity, so that it will become possible to understand the Christ Who is to appear in a new form. The time is at hand when we will be able to recognize the Christ directly, even if, though this is unlikely, all the Gospels as printed documents should be lost.
One can speak about these things only in a circle where a preparation exists that has been acquired not only through theoretical learning but through continuous breathing of the air of our group life. In public lectures one must observe certain boundaries, but in this group we breathe such an air that these great truths could be spoken of tonight. Our souls, however, should not be satisfied merely with the expression of such truths in words but should gain from them the strength for daily work, a light that will stream daily into ordinary life, and a strength for the future. One must become wiser through truth, but one must also speak ever more courageously of the truth, as of a spiritual blood that we wish to allow to flow into our feeling and will.
Die Wiederkunft Christi
Heute, da wir zum ersten Mal hier vereint sind, werden wir von intimen Angelegenheiten unserer Geisteswissenschaft sprechen. Zuerst werden wir über Allgemeines sprechen und das nächste Mal über Einzelheiten, die die Entwickelung der menschlichen Individualität betreffen. Denn man versteht das Leben einer einzelnen Individualität nur, wenn man auch die Epoche kennt, in der sie gelebt hat. Die menschliche Seele entwickelt sich durch die Zeiten, indem sie von einer Inkarnation zur andern schreitet. Die Fähigkeiten der Seele von heute sind nicht dieselben wie in früheren Zeiten. Die Fähigkeiten sind heute an den Punkt gekommen, daß der Mensch die Sinneswelt wahrnehmen und in sich verarbeiten kann. Vor dieser Epoche, als die menschliche Seele noch eine gewisse Hellsichtigkeit besaß, die, man kann sagen, traumhaft war, war dies ganz anders.
In jener Epoche hätte der Mensch kein Selbstbewußtsein, kein IchBewußtsein entwickeln können. Das alte traumhafte Hellsehen mußte verschwinden, und der Mensch mußte auf die Welt der Sinne beschränkt werden, um - auf dem Weg des Unterscheidungsvermögens der physischen Erscheinungen - zum Bewußtsein seiner selbst zu gelangen. In Zukunft wird er das Hellsehen wieder gewinnen und wird gleichzeitig sein Selbstbewußtsein aufrechterhalten können.
Wenn auch die Entwickelung langsam und fortschreitend gewesen ist, so kann man doch genau den Zeitpunkt angeben, in welchem der Bewußtseinszustand der physisch-sinnlichen Wahrnehmung begonnen hat. Dies war das Jahr 3101 vor dem Erscheinen Christi auf Erden. Bis dahin war ein natürliches Hellsehen vorhanden. Dann verschwand es allmählich, und von da ab beginnt das dunkle Zeitalter, das kleine Kali Yuga, so genannt, da die menschliche Seele in dieser Epoche nicht mehr die geistige Welt wahrnehmen konnte.
Stellen wir uns nun die Lage der Seelen in den ersten Zeiten jener dunklen Epoche vor. Die menschliche Seele konnte in Erinnerung der vergangenen Epochen sagen: Ich konnte nach den geistigen Wesenheiten schauen, ich sah wenigstens einen Teil der Welt, in welcher die alten Rishis, der alte Zoroaster lehrten. Und ich konnte diesen großen Meistern, Führern lauschen, ich konnte diesen großen Fühern zuhören, die mir von der Weisheit sprachen, die aus der geistigen Welt entspringt. - Aber dieses Empfinden wurde immer schwächer in jenen Seelen.
3000 Jahre nach Beginn der dunkeln Epoche entstand die neue Möglichkeit der Verbindung des Menschen mit der geistigen Welt. Diese Möglichkeit bestand darin, daß der Mensch mit seinem Ich die Vereinigung mit der geistigen Welt erreichen konnte, das heißt, die Möglichkeit hatte, diese geistige Welt wahrzunehmen, trotzdem die menschliche Wahrnehmung auf die Sinne beschränkt war. Diese Möglichkeit entstand durch die Verkörperung des Christus. Alle andern großen Führerwesenheiten verkörperten sich so, daß ihre geistige Wesenheit mit dem Astralleib vereint war. Wenn wir uns bemühen, die Wesenheiten der Bodhisattvas zu verstehen, kommen wir dazu, daß ihr geistiger Teil, der auf der Erde wirkte, sich in die höheren Welten erhob und nur mit dem Astralleib vereint war. Nur beim Christus finden wir, daß sein göttlich-geistiges Wesen in direkter Verbindung mit einem physischen Leib ist, das heißt, das Ich des Jesus verläßt seine physische, ätherische und astralische Hülle und der Christus verkörpert sich als Ich da hinein, so daß das Ich eines jeden Menschen die Verbindung mit dem Christus haben kann. Infolgedessen sehen wir, daß in den ersten Epochen die großen Führer der Menschheit so wahrgenommen werden konnten, daß man nur durch Bilder an das Verständnis ihrer Verbundenheit mit der geistigen Welt herankommen konnte. Beim Christus dagegen setzt sich die ganze Biographie zusammen aus Tatsachen, die in der physischen Welt zum Ausdruck kommen können, das heißt, das Christus-Ereignis kann mit dem Intellekt, mit dem physischen Verstand begriffen werden.
Gott mußte auf den physischen Plan herabsteigen, weil die menschliche Wahrnehmungsfähigkeit sich nicht mehr über die Welt der physischen Sinne erheben konnte. Daher die große Prophezeiung von Johannes dem Täufer im Evangelium, daß die Seelenverfassung geändert werden muß, damit das Himmelreich uns nahekommen kann.
Früher konnte man sich durch das menschliche Hellsehen den Reichen des Himmels bis zu einem gewissen Grade nähern. Jetzt mußte man sie im Christus selbst finden mittels der Sinne. Damit während der finsteren Epoche des Kali Yuga die Menschheit ihre Verbindung mit der geistigen Welt nicht verliere, mußte diese auf den physischen Plan herabsteigen.
Das finstere Zeitalter erstreckte sich über 5000 Jahre. Wir leben daher in dem wichtigen Zeitpunkt des Endes des Kali Yuga. Seit 1899 ist die finstere Epoche, welche 3101 vor Christus begann, bereits abgelaufen, und seit diesem Zeitpunkt beginnen sich gewisse Fähigkeiten langsam zu entwickeln, die von der menschlichen Wissenschaft noch nicht erkannt worden sind. In unserem 20. Jahrhundert werden sich allmählich in einem Teil der Menschheit neue menschliche Seelenfähigkeiten entwickeln. Zum Beispiel wird es möglich sein, bevor das 20. Jahrhundert abgelaufen sein wird, den menschlichen Ätherleib wahrzunehmen. Eine andere Fähigkeit wird die sein, daß man, wenn man in sein Inneres schaut, wie im Traum das Bild, das Gegenbild einer Handlung wahrnimmt, die man vollziehen wird. Gewisse besonders dazu veranlagte Menschen werden noch eine andere Erfahrung machen. Was Paulus vor Damaskus erlebte und was für ihn eine persönliche Erfahrung war, das wird für eine gewisse Anzahl von Menschen allgemeine Erfahrung werden.
Die Bedeutung, welche dieses Ereignis im 20. Jahrhundert haben wird, kann man aus dem folgenden erkennen. Paulus konnte von allem, was sich in Palästina ereignet hat, wissen, ohne daß dies aus einem Saulus einen Paulus machen konnte. Sein Seelenzustand war ein solcher, daß er nicht überzeugt werden konnte, daß in dem Nazarener der Christus lebe. Erst das Ereignis von Damaskus sagte seinem hellseherischen Bewußtsein: Der Christus ist vorhanden.
Die Menschen, welche im 20. Jahrhundert das Ereignis von Damaskus erlebt haben werden, werden das direkte Wissen vom Christus bekommen, sie werden nicht notwendig haben, sich auf Dokumente zu stützen, um den Christus zu erkennen, sondern sie werden das direkte Wissen haben, wie es heute nur der Initiierte besitzt. Alle Fähigkeiten, die heute mittels der Initiation erworben werden, werden in Zukunft allgemeine Fähigkeiten der Menschheit sein. Dieser Zustand der Seele, dieses Seelenerleben, wird im Okkultismus die «Wiederkunft Christi» genannt. Der Christus wird nicht wieder in einem physischen Leib verkörpert sein, sondern er wird in einem ätherischen Leib erscheinen, wie auf der Straße nach Damaskus.
Der Christus hat sich auf dem physischen Plan inkarniert, als die Menschheit auf ihren physischen Körper beschränkt war. Wir können heute die Worte des Johannes-Evangeliums wiederholen: Ändert euren Sinn, damit eure Fähigkeiten sich der geistigen Welt erschließen.Denn Menschen mit ätherischem Hellsehen werden den Christus im ätherischen Körper vor sich sehen.
Die beschriebenen Fähigkeiten liegen jetzt als Samen in der Seele. In Zukunft werden sie entwickelt sein und man wird sagen können, daß das Schicksal des Menschen bis zu einem gewissen Sinn in seinen eigenen Händen liegt. Es wird notwendig sein, daß die Menschen, wenn diese Erscheinung auftritt, wissen, was diese Fähigkeiten bedeuten. Dann wird es für die Menschen unmöglich sein, wie jetzt, in den Materialismus zurückzufallen. Wenn diese Fähigkeiten in Erscheinung treten werden, wird man nicht gleich darauf achten. Die Menschen, welche diese Fähigkeiten besitzen, werden sogar als phantastisch und krank betrachtet werden. Die geisteswissenschaftliche Botschaft hat deshalb die Mission, die Menschen zum Verständnis solcher Fähigkeiten vorzubereiten. Es sind also die von der Geisteswissenschaft mitgeteilten Ideale nicht willkürlich, sondern ein notwendiges Mittel für die Entwickelung der Menschheit.
Was wir gesagt haben, wird in den zukünftigen Jahren noch öfter wiederholt werden, aber es ist notwendig, daß es richtig verstanden wird. Es ist möglich, daß die materialistischen Tendenzen in die Theosophische Gesellschaft eindringen, bis zu dem Punkt, daß man glauben wird, der Christus werde einen materiellen Körper annehmen, wenn er wiederkehre. Damit würde man bestätigen, daß die Menschheit während der letzten 2000 Jahre keinen Fortschritt gemacht hat. Christus erschien vor 2000 Jahren in einem physischen Körper für die physische Wahrnehmung. Für das zukünftige Hellsehen wird er im Ätherleib erscheinen. Wir bereiten uns mittels der Geisteswissenschaft vor, die bedeutende Epoche, die vor uns steht, zu verstehen. Um Theosoph zu sein, genügt es nicht, theoretisch die Theosophie zu verstehen, sondern man muß sie in sich leben. Es wird notwendig sein, dieses große Ereignis ganz exakt zu betrachten.
Es wird unternehmende Menschen geben, die aus der materialistischen Richtung der Theosophie versuchen werden, ihre Vorteile zu ziehen, und glauben zu machen, daß sie der Christus seien. Und sie werden Menschen finden, die ihnen Glauben schenken. Es wird eine Prüfung für die wirklichen Theosophen sein, sich gegen solche Versuchungen zu wappnen, und statt das menschliche Gefühl so zu erniedrigen, es emporzuheben zu den geistigen Welten. Die, welche in der richtigen Weise die Theosophie verstehen werden, sie werden diesen falschen Messiassen des 20. Jahrhunderts sagen: Ihr kündigt uns die Erscheinung des Christus auf dem physischen Plan an, aber wir wissen, daß der Christus sich nur als ätherische Erscheinung manifestieren wird. - Die wirklichen Theosophen werden das Erscheinen des Christus für die höheren Sinne erwarten. Der Mensch muß vor dem Tod die wahre Bedeutung der Wiederkehr Christi verstanden haben, dann wird dieses Verständnis ihm die geistigen Sinne durch das Leben zwischen Tod und neuer Geburt öffnen. Diejenigen aber, die nicht die Fähigkeit haben werden, die Bedeutung der Wiederkehr Christi auf Erden zu verstehen, müssen eine neue Verkörperung abwarten, um dieses Verständnis auf dem physischen Plan erwerben zu können.
Wir leben in einer sehr wichtigen Epoche. Wir müssen das Ereignis der Wiederkehr Christi, welche vom hellsehenden Menschen erlebt wird, charakterisieren. Wir können dieses Ereignis charakterisieren, indem wir unser Augenmerk nach dem Kosmos richten und indem wir hinweisen auf ein Ereignis, welches unseren Tagen nahesteht. Dieses Ereignis ist das Erscheinen des Halleyschen Kometen, welcher ebenfalls Objekt des Studiums der rosenkreuzerischen Theosophie ist. Das Erscheinen dieses Kometen hängt zusammen mit Ereignissen in der geistigen Welt. So wie die Bewegung der Planeten, die um die Sonne kreisen, regelmäßigen Ereignissen in der Evolution der Menschheit entsprechen, so entspricht das Erscheinen eines Kometen einem Einfluß, der hinzukommt zu den regelmäßigen Ereignissen. Die rosenkreuzerische Forschung hat erwiesen, daß jeder Komet einen besonderen Einfluß auf die menschliche Entwickelung ausübt. Der gegenwärtige Komet hat als besonderen Einfluß, daß er einen vertieften Impuls zum Materialismus ausübt. Jedesmal, wenn der Halleysche Komet erschienen ist, hat immer ein Impuls nach dem Materialismus hin stattgefunden. Sein Erscheinen 1759 entspricht der Epoche, als der Voltaireanismus auf seinem Höhepunkt war; das Erscheinen 1835 entspricht dem Materialismus des Moleschott, Büchner unter anderen. Jetzt wird man in derselben Weise einen neuen Impuls zum Materialismus hin haben, und das äußere Zeichen davon ist das Erscheinen des Kometen. Diejenigen Menschen, die sich von diesem Einfluß mitnehmen lassen, werden in den tiefsten Materialismus verfallen.
Heute existiert jedoch nicht nur dieser Impuls, sondern es gibt auch einen andern Einfluß, der die Menschheit zu geistigen Höhen erheben sollte. Das ist von denen, welche die Zeichen der Zeit verstehen, beobachtet worden. Im Makrokosmos ist das Zeichen für diesen Einfluß, daß die Sonne bei der Tagundnachtgleiche im Frühjahr eintritt in das Zeichen der Fische. Zur Zeit, als Christus erschien, trat die Sonne bei der Frühlings-Tagundnachtgleiche in das Zeichen des Widders. Ungefähr 800 Jahre vor Christus begann die Sonne in dieses Zeichen einzutreten und zur Zeit des Ereignisses von Golgatha war sie schon ein Stück eingetreten. Jetzt ist die Sonne schon seit Jahrhunderten ins Zeichen der Fische eingetreten. In nächster Zeit wird sie in diesem Zeichen so weit fortgeschritten sein, daß es das äußere Anzeichen für das Erscheinen des Christus im Ätherleib sein wird. Sie sehen also, daß die Anthroposophie nicht wie irgendeine theoretische Lehre der Welt verkündigt wird, sondern daß die Zeichen der Zeit uns die Aufgabe geben, Anthroposophie zu lehren. Diese Verkündigung ist im Westen schon seit vielen Jahrhunderten von denen, die sich Rosenkreuzer nennen, vorbereitet worden. Unter den Rosenkreuzern wurde neben den vier Evangelien ein fünftes gelehrt. Durch dieses geistige Evangelium können die andern vier verstanden werden und es wird einem Teil der Menschheit des 20. Jahrhunderts gegeben werden, ebenso wie jene, die anläßlich des Erscheinens des Christus gegeben worden sind. Die Anhänger der rosenkreuzerischen Bewegung, welche ein klares Bewußtsein haben werden, werden die Bedeutung dieses Evangeliums für die Menschheit verstehen.
Wenn Sie der rosenkreuzerischen Theosophie immer mehr Aufmerksamkeit zuwenden, wird Ihr Streben sich einleben können in den Fortschritt der Menschheit, damit sie fähig sein wird, zu verstehen den Christus, der in der neuen Form erscheint. Es wird die Zeit kommen, in der wir den Christus direkt erkennen werden können, auch wenn, was fast unmöglich ist, alle Dokumente der Evangelien verlorengegangen sein sollten.
Über diese Dinge kann man nur in einem Kreis sprechen, wo eine Vorbereitung vorhanden ist, die man nicht nur durch theoretisches Lernen erwirbt, sondern durch ein fortwährendes Atmen der Luft unserer Gruppen, während man in den öffentlichen Vorträgen gewisse Grenzen beachten muß. Aber da in dieser Gruppe eine solche Luft geatmet wird, konnte man heute abend von diesen großen Wahrheiten sprechen. Unsere Seele darf sich nicht nur begnügen mit dem Aussprechen solcher Wahrheiten in Worten, sondern muß in ihnen eine Kraft gewinnen für die tägliche Arbeit, ein Licht, das täglich ins gewöhnliche Leben ausstrahlt, und eine Kraft für die Zukunft.
Man muß weiser werden durch die Wahrheit, aber man muß auch immer mutiger von ihr sprechen, wie von einem geistigen Blut, von dem wir unser Gefühl und unsern Willen durchdringen lassen wollen.
Im nächsten internen Vortrag wird auf Dinge von besonderer Wichtigkeit hingewiesen werden.
The Return of Christ
Today, as we are gathered here together for the first time, we will speak about intimate matters of our spiritual science. First we will speak about general matters, and next time we will discuss details concerning the development of human individuality. For one can only understand the life of an individual if one also knows the epoch in which he or she lived. The human soul develops through the ages by passing from one incarnation to another. The abilities of the soul today are not the same as in earlier times. Today, these abilities have reached the point where human beings can perceive the sensory world and process it within themselves. Before this epoch, when the human soul still possessed a certain clairvoyance that was, so to speak, dreamlike, this was quite different.
In that epoch, human beings could not have developed self-consciousness or ego-consciousness. The old dreamlike clairvoyance had to disappear, and human beings had to be restricted to the world of the senses in order to attain consciousness of themselves through the discernment of physical phenomena. In the future, they will regain clairvoyance and at the same time be able to maintain their self-consciousness.
Even though the development has been slow and gradual, it is possible to pinpoint the exact moment when the state of consciousness of physical-sensory perception began. This was in the year 3101 before Christ appeared on Earth. Until then, natural clairvoyance existed. Then it gradually disappeared, and from then on the dark age began, the little Kali Yuga, so called because the human soul could no longer perceive the spiritual world in this epoch.
Let us now imagine the situation of souls in the early days of that dark epoch. The human soul could say, remembering past epochs: I could look at the spiritual beings, I saw at least part of the world in which the ancient Rishis, the ancient Zoroaster, taught. And I could listen to these great masters, these great leaders, who spoke to me of the wisdom that springs from the spiritual world. But this feeling grew weaker and weaker in those souls.
Three thousand years after the beginning of the dark age, a new possibility arose for humans to connect with the spiritual world. This possibility consisted in the fact that humans could achieve union with the spiritual world through their ego, that is, they had the possibility of perceiving this spiritual world even though human perception was limited to the senses. This possibility arose through the incarnation of Christ. All other great guiding beings incarnated in such a way that their spiritual essence was united with the astral body. If we try to understand the beings of the Bodhisattvas, we come to the conclusion that their spiritual part, which worked on earth, rose to the higher worlds and was united only with the astral body. Only in Christ do we find that his divine-spiritual being is in direct connection with a physical body, that is, the I of Jesus leaves his physical, etheric, and astral sheath, and Christ incarnates himself as the I into it, so that the I of every human being can have a connection with Christ. As a result, we see that in the early epochs, the great leaders of humanity could be perceived in such a way that only through images could one come to understand their connection with the spiritual world. With Christ, on the other hand, the entire biography is composed of facts that can be expressed in the physical world, that is, the Christ event can be understood with the intellect, with the physical mind.
God had to descend to the physical plane because human perception could no longer rise above the world of the physical senses. Hence the great prophecy of John the Baptist in the Gospel that the soul's constitution must be changed so that the kingdom of heaven can come near us.
In the past, through human clairvoyance, it was possible to approach the riches of heaven to a certain degree. Now it was necessary to find them in Christ himself through the senses. In order that humanity might not lose its connection with the spiritual world during the dark age of the Kali Yuga, the spiritual world had to descend to the physical plane.
The dark age lasted for 5,000 years. We are therefore living at the important moment of the end of the Kali Yuga. Since 1899, the dark age that began in 3101 BC has already come to an end, and since then certain abilities that have not yet been recognized by human science have slowly begun to develop. In our 20th century, new human soul abilities will gradually develop in part of humanity. For example, before the 20th century is over, it will be possible to perceive the human etheric body. Another ability will be that when one looks within oneself, one will perceive, as in a dream, the image, the counter-image of an action that one will perform. Certain people who are particularly predisposed to this will have yet another experience. What Paul experienced before Damascus, which was a personal experience for him, will become a general experience for a certain number of people.
The significance of this event in the 20th century can be seen from the following. Paul could have known everything that happened in Palestine without this turning Saul into Paul. His state of mind was such that he could not be convinced that Christ lived in the Nazarene. Only the event at Damascus told his clairvoyant consciousness: Christ is present.
Those who experience the event of Damascus in the 20th century will receive direct knowledge of Christ. They will not need to rely on documents to recognize Christ, but will have direct knowledge, as only the initiated have today. All the abilities acquired today through initiation will be general abilities of humanity in the future. This state of the soul, this soul experience, is called the “Second Coming of Christ” in occultism. Christ will not be incarnated again in a physical body, but will appear in an etheric body, as on the road to Damascus.
Christ incarnated on the physical plane when humanity was limited to its physical body. Today we can repeat the words of the Gospel of John: Change your thinking so that your abilities open up to the spiritual world. For people with etheric clairvoyance will see Christ in his etheric body before them.
The abilities described now lie as seeds in the soul. In the future, they will be developed, and it will be possible to say that human destiny lies, to a certain extent, in one's own hands. When this phenomenon occurs, it will be necessary for people to know what these abilities mean. Then it will be impossible for people to fall back into materialism as they do now. When these abilities appear, they will not be noticed immediately. People who possess these abilities will even be regarded as fanatical and sick. The spiritual scientific message therefore has the mission of preparing people to understand such abilities. The ideals communicated by spiritual science are therefore not arbitrary, but a necessary means for the development of humanity.
What we have said will be repeated more often in the years to come, but it is necessary that it be correctly understood. It is possible that materialistic tendencies will penetrate the Theosophical Society to the point where people will believe that Christ will take on a material body when he returns. This would confirm that humanity has made no progress during the last 2000 years. Christ appeared 2000 years ago in a physical body for physical perception. For future clairvoyance, he will appear in the etheric body. We are preparing ourselves through spiritual science to understand the significant epoch that lies ahead. To be a theosophist, it is not enough to understand theosophy theoretically; one must live it within oneself. It will be necessary to observe this great event very precisely.
There will be enterprising people who will try to take advantage of the materialistic direction of theosophy and make people believe that they are the Christ. And they will find people who will believe them. It will be a test for true theosophists to arm themselves against such temptations and, instead of degrading human feeling, to lift it up to the spiritual worlds. Those who understand theosophy in the right way will say to these false messiahs of the 20th century: You announce to us the appearance of Christ on the physical plane, but we know that Christ will only manifest as an etheric apparition. - The real Theosophists will await the appearance of Christ for the higher senses. Before death, man must have understood the true meaning of Christ's return, then this understanding will open the spiritual senses to him through the life between death and new birth. But those who do not have the ability to understand the meaning of Christ's return to earth must wait for a new incarnation in order to gain this understanding on the physical plane.
We live in a very important era. We must characterize the event of Christ's return, which will be experienced by clairvoyant people. We can characterize this event by turning our attention to the cosmos and pointing to an event that is close to our days. This event is the appearance of Halley's Comet, which is also the object of study in Rosicrucian theosophy. The appearance of this comet is connected with events in the spiritual world. Just as the movement of the planets orbiting the sun corresponds to regular events in the evolution of humanity, so the appearance of a comet corresponds to an influence that is added to the regular events. Rosicrucian research has proven that every comet exerts a special influence on human development. The current comet has the special influence of exerting a deepening impulse toward materialism. Every time Halley's Comet has appeared, there has always been an impulse toward materialism. Its appearance in 1759 corresponds to the era when Voltaireanism was at its height; its appearance in 1835 corresponds to the materialism of Moleschott, Büchner, and others. Now we will have a new impulse toward materialism in the same way, and the outward sign of this is the appearance of the comet. Those people who allow themselves to be carried away by this influence will fall into the deepest materialism.
Today, however, not only does this impulse exist, but there is also another influence that should lift humanity to spiritual heights. This has been observed by those who understand the signs of the times. In the macrocosm, the sign of this influence is that at the spring equinox, the sun enters the sign of Pisces. At the time when Christ appeared, the sun entered the sign of Aries at the spring equinox. Approximately 800 years before Christ, the sun began to enter this sign, and at the time of the events on Golgotha, it had already entered it to some extent. Now the sun has been in the sign of Pisces for centuries. In the near future, it will have progressed so far in this sign that it will be the outward sign of the appearance of Christ in the etheric body. You see, therefore, that anthroposophy is not proclaimed as just another theoretical doctrine of the world, but that the signs of the times give us the task of teaching anthroposophy. This proclamation has been prepared in the West for many centuries by those who call themselves Rosicrucians. Among the Rosicrucians, a fifth gospel was taught alongside the four Gospels. Through this spiritual gospel, the other four can be understood, and it will be given to a part of humanity in the 20th century, just as those given at the time of Christ's appearance were given. The followers of the Rosicrucian movement, who will have a clear consciousness, will understand the significance of this Gospel for humanity.
If you pay more and more attention to Rosicrucian theosophy, your striving will be able to take root in the progress of humanity, so that it will be able to understand the Christ who appears in the new form. The time will come when we will be able to recognize Christ directly, even if, which is almost impossible, all the documents of the Gospels should be lost.
These things can only be discussed in a circle where there is a preparation that is acquired not only through theoretical learning, but through constantly breathing the air of our groups, while certain limits must be observed in public lectures. But since such an atmosphere is breathed in this group, it was possible to speak of these great truths this evening. Our soul must not be content with merely uttering such truths in words, but must gain from them a strength for daily work, a light that radiates daily into ordinary life, and a strength for the future.
We must become wiser through the truth, but we must also speak of it more and more courageously, as of a spiritual blood through which we want our feelings and our will to be permeated.
In the next internal lecture, things of particular importance will be pointed out.