The Rudolf Steiner Archive

5. Rosicrucian Christianity II

[ 1 ] Today, it will be my task to tell you something about the work of Christian Rosenkreutz. This work began in the thirteenth century, continues to this day, and will last for all eternity. The first act of this work is, of course, what we spoke of yesterday regarding the initiation of Christian Rosenkreutz and what we heard about the events between the College of the Twelve and the Thirteenth. When Christian Rosenkreutz was reborn in the fourteenth century—and his incarnation at that time lasted more than a hundred years—his work consisted mainly of instructing the disciples of the Twelve. During this time, hardly anyone other than his Twelve came to know Christian Rosenkreutz. This is not to be understood as though Christian Rosenkreutz did not also move among other people, but simply that the other people did not recognize him. This has essentially remained the same to this day. But the etheric body of Christian Rosenkreutz was always active within the circle of the disciples, and its forces worked in ever-widening circles; and today, in fact, many people are already capable of being moved by the forces of this etheric body.

[ 2 ] Those whom Christian Rosenkreutz wishes to make his disciples are chosen by him in a peculiar way. This involves the chosen one having to pay attention to a specific event—or several events of this kind—in his life. This selection by Christian Rosenkreutz occurs when a person reaches a decisive turning point in their life, a karmic crisis. Let us assume, for example, that a person is about to commit an act that would lead to their death. Such acts can take many different forms. The person is walking a path that could become very dangerous for them, perhaps even leading them close to an abyss, without realizing it. It then happens that the person in question hears a voice perhaps just a few steps from the abyss: “Stop!”—so that they must stop, without knowing why. There could be a thousand similar cases. It should be noted, however, that this is only the external sign, but the most important sign of the external spiritual calling. Part of the inner calling is that the chosen one has engaged with something spiritual, such as theosophy or other spiritual science. The external event mentioned to you is a fact in the physical world, but it does not originate from a human voice. The event is always arranged in such a way that the person concerned knows very clearly that the voice came from the spiritual world. At first, there may be a belief that a person is hidden somewhere from whom the voice originates, but when the student is ready, he discovers that it was not a physical personality who intervened in his life. In short, the fact is that through this event the student knows with absolute certainty that there are messages from the spiritual world. Such events may occur once, or they may occur more frequently in human life. We must now understand the effect this has on the student’s mind. The student says to himself: By grace, I have been granted another life; the first was forfeited. — This new life, granted by grace, sheds light on the student’s entire future life. He has this distinct feeling, which can be expressed in the words: Without this Rosicrucian experience of mine, I would have died. The life that now follows would not have the same value without this event.

[ 3 ] It may happen, however, that a person has experienced this once or several times and yet does not immediately turn to theosophy or spiritual science. But the memory of such an experience may come to mind later. Many of those present here can examine their past lives and find that similar events have occurred in their lives. Such things are observed far too little today. We should realize that we pass by so many important events that we fail to observe. This is a hint regarding the nature of the calling of the higher disciples of Rosicrucianism.

[ 4 ] Either such an event will pass the person in question by without a trace, in which case the impression fades and they do not consider the experience important at all. Or suppose the person is attentive and does not consider the experience meaningless; then they might come to the realization: Actually, you were standing there facing a crisis, a karmic crisis; in fact, your life should have ended at that very moment—you had forfeited your life; it was only through something akin to a coincidence that you were saved. Since that hour, a second life has been grafted onto this first one, as it were. You must regard this second life as a gift to you, and you must behave accordingly.

[ 5 ] If such an experience triggers an inner feeling in a person that, from that moment on, they regard their life as a gift, this makes that person a follower of Christian Rosenkreutz today. For this is his way of calling such souls to him. And the one who can recall such an experience can say to himself: Christian Rosenkreutz has given me a sign from the spiritual world that I belong to his movement. Christian Rosenkreutz has added the possibility of such an experience to my karma. — That is the way Christian Rosenkreutz chooses his disciples. That is how he chooses his community. Whoever consciously experiences this says to themselves: A path has been shown to me; I must follow it and see to what extent I can place my powers in the service of Rosicrucianism. But those who have not understood the sign will join later, for once the sign has been given to someone, they will not be able to shake it off.

[ 6 ] The fact that a person can have an experience of the kind described stems from the fact that, in the period between their last death and their last birth, that person encountered Christian Rosenkreutz in the spiritual world. At that time, Christian Rosenkreutz chose us; he planted an impulse of will within us that now leads us to such experiences. This is the way in which spiritual connections are brought about.

[ 7 ] To delve further into the matter, let us discuss the difference between the teachings of Christian Rosenkreutz in earlier times and those of later times. These teachings used to be more scientific in nature; today they are more of a spiritual nature. For example, in the past people spoke more of natural processes and called this science alchemy, and insofar as these processes took place outside the Earth, they called this science astrology. Today we approach the subject from a more spiritual perspective. When we consider, for example, the successive post-Atlantean cultural epochs—the ancient Indian culture, the ancient Persian culture, the Egyptian-Chaldean-Assyrian-Babylonian culture, and the Greco-Roman culture—we gain insight into the nature of human soul development through this examination. The medieval Rosicrucian studied the natural processes, which he regarded as the earthly processes of nature. For example, he distinguished three different natural processes, which he regarded as the three great processes of nature.

[ 8 ] The first important process to be mentioned is the formation of salt. The medieval Rosicrucians called “salt” anything in nature that precipitates as a solid substance from a solution, settles, or falls out. But when the medieval Rosicrucians observed this formation of salt, their conception of it was quite different from that of people today. For the sight of such a process must have had the effect of a prayer in the soul of the person observing it, if they wished to perceive it as something they understood. The medieval Rosicrucian therefore sought to clarify for himself what must be taking place within his own soul if this salt formation were also to occur there. He thought: Human nature is constantly destroying itself through its drives and passions. Our life would be a continuous decomposition, a process of decay, if we were to surrender ourselves solely to desires and passions. And if a person truly wishes to protect themselves against this process of decay, they must continually devote themselves to pure thoughts that tend toward the spiritual. It was a matter of the higher development of their thoughts. The medieval Rosicrucian knew that if he did not combat his passions in one incarnation, he would be born into the next incarnation with a predisposition to illness; but that if he purified his passions, he would enter the next incarnation with a predisposition to health. The process of overcoming the forces leading to decay through spirituality—that is microcosmic salt formation. Thus we can understand how such a natural process could become the most devout prayer for the medieval Rosicrucian. In contemplating salt formation, the medieval Rosicrucians said to themselves with a sense of the purest piety: Here, divine-spiritual forces have been at work for thousands of years, just as pure thoughts are at work within me. I worship, behind the Maya of nature, the thoughts of the gods, the divine-spiritual beings. - The medieval Rosicrucian knew this, and he said to himself: If I allow myself to be inspired by nature to cherish such feelings, I make myself similar to the macrocosm. If I regard this process only from the outside, I separate myself from God; I fall away from the macrocosm. - This is how the medieval theosophist or Rosicrucian felt.

[ 9 ] Another experience was the process of dissolution: a natural process that could also lead the medieval Rosicrucian to prayer. The medieval Rosicrucian referred to anything capable of dissolving something else as mercury. Now the question arose again for the medieval Rosicrucian: What is the corresponding quality in the human soul? Which quality of the soul acts in the same way as mercury or Quicksilver does in nature? The medieval Rosicrucian knew that what corresponds to this Quicksilver in the soul signifies all forms of love within the soul. He distinguished between lower and higher processes of dissolution, just as there are lower and higher forms of love. And so the sight of the dissolution process once again became a devout prayer, and the medieval theosophist said to himself: The love of God outside has worked for millennia just as love works within me.

[ 10 ] For the medieval theosophist, the third important natural process was combustion—that which occurs when an external substance is consumed by flames. And once again, the medieval Rosicrucian sought the inner process corresponding to this combustion. He saw this inner process of the soul in fervent devotion to the Deity. And he called everything that can be consumed by flame “sulfur.” He saw in the stages of the Earth’s development a process of gradual purification, similar to a combustion process or a sulfur process. Just as he knew that one day the Earth would be purified by fire, so he saw in fervent devotion to the deity a process of combustion as well. In the Earth’s processes he saw the work of the gods, who look up to even higher gods. And so, imbued with great piety and deeply religious feelings, he said to himself at the sight of the combustion process: Now the gods are sacrificing to the higher gods. — And when the medieval theosophist himself brought about the combustion process in his laboratory, he felt: I am doing what the gods do when they sacrifice themselves to higher gods. - He considered himself worthy to proceed with such a process of combustion in his laboratory only when he felt imbued with such a spirit of sacrifice, when he himself felt within himself the desire to surrender himself sacrificially to the gods. The power of the flame filled the medieval theosophist with profound, deeply religious feelings, and he said to himself: “When I see the flame out there in the macrocosm, I perceive the thoughts, the love, and the spirit of sacrifice of the gods.”

[ 11 ] The medieval Rosicrucian carried out these processes himself in his laboratory, and as he observed the formation of salts, the dissolutions, and the combustions, he would always surrender to deeply religious feelings and sense a connection with all the forces of the macrocosm. These inner processes evoked in him: first, thoughts of the divine; second, love of the divine; third, service of sacrifice to the divine. And then this medieval Rosicrucian discovered that when he undertook a process of salt formation, such pure, purifying thoughts arose within him. During a process of dissolution, he felt inspired to love, was permeated by divine love; during the process of combustion, he felt stirred to sacrificial service, driven to sacrifice himself on the altar of the world.

[ 12 ] That was what the experimenter experienced. And if one had witnessed such an experiment as a clairvoyant, one would have perceived a change in the aura of the person conducting the experiment. The aura, which had been very mixed before the experiment—perhaps filled with desires and impulses to which the person had succumbed—became more monochromatic as a result of the experiment. First, in the experiment of salt formation, copper—pure thoughts of God—then, in the experiment of dissolution, silver—love of God—and finally, gleaming gold—love of divine sacrifice or service of divine sacrifice during combustion. And the alchemists then said that they had created the subjective copper, the subjective silver, and the subjective gold from the aura. And the result of this was that whoever had gone through such a process, whoever truly experienced such an experiment inwardly, became completely permeated by divine love. Thus a person permeated by purity, love, and a spirit of sacrifice emerged from it, and through this sacrificial service the medieval theosophers prepared a certain kind of clairvoyance. Thus the medieval theosophist was able to look into the way in which, behind the Maya, spiritual beings caused things to arise and pass away again. And through this he then also came to understand which forces of striving within the soul are beneficial to us and which are not. He came to know our own forces of generation and decay. In a moment of enlightenment, the medieval theosophist Heinrich Khunrath called this process the Law of Generation and Decay.

[ 13 ] By observing nature, the medieval theosophist came to understand the law of ascending and descending development. He expressed the knowledge he thereby acquired through certain symbols, imaginative images, and figures. It was a kind of imaginative insight. What was characterized yesterday as “The Secret Figures of the Rosicrucians” is a result of what has just been discussed.

[ 14 ] This is how the greatest alchemists worked from the fourteenth through the eighteenth centuries and even into the early nineteenth century. Nothing has been published about this truly moral, ethical, and intellectual work. What has been published about alchemy deals only with purely external experiments and was written only by those who practiced alchemy as an end in itself. The false alchemist sought to shape substances. In the experiments involving the combustion of substances, he saw only the gain of a material result. The true alchemist, however, attached no value whatsoever to the substance he ultimately obtained. What mattered to him were solely the inner soul experiences during the formation of the substance, the thoughts within him, and the experiences he held within himself. Hence, it was a strict law that the medieval theosophist, who produced gold and silver through his experiments, was never permitted to derive any personal gain from them. He was only allowed to give away the metals produced. People today no longer have the correct understanding of these experiments. They have no idea of what the experimenter could experience. The medieval theosophist could experience entire soul dramas in his laboratory; for example, when antimony was obtained, the experimenters saw very significant moral lessons in these processes.

[ 15 ] If these things had not happened back then, we would not be able to practice Rosicrucianism today in the spiritual-scientific sense. What the medieval Rosicrucian experienced in the sight of natural processes is a sacred natural science. What he experienced in terms of spiritual self-sacrifice, great joys, grand natural phenomena, as well as pain and sorrow, and uplifting and joyful events during the experiments he conducted—all of this had a redeeming and liberating effect on him. But all of this now lies in the innermost depths of the human being, everything that was placed there within him at that time.

[ 16 ] How, then, can we rediscover these hidden powers that once led to clairvoyance? We find them by studying spiritual science and by devoting ourselves entirely to the inner life of the soul through earnest meditation and concentration. Through such inner development, engaging with nature gradually becomes a service of sacrifice once more. To achieve this, people must pass through what we today call spiritual science. Thousands of people must devote themselves to spiritual science and lead an inner life so that, in the future, the spiritual truth behind nature can once again be perceived, and so that people may learn to understand the spiritual behind Maya once more. Then, in the future—even if initially only a small group—people will be able to experience the event of Paul on the road to Damascus and perceive the etheric Christ who comes supernaturally among humanity. But first, humanity must return to the spiritual vision of nature. Those who do not know the full inner meaning of the Rosicrucian work may believe that humanity is still at the same stage as it was two thousand years ago. Until this process—which is possible only through spiritual science—has been undergone, humanity will not attain spiritual vision. There are many people who are pious and good, who do not profess spiritual science, but who are, in essence, theosophists.

[ 17 ] Through the event at the baptism in the Jordan, when the Christ descended into the body of Jesus of Nazareth, and through the Mystery of Golgotha, humanity has become capable of seeing and experiencing the Christ later on—still within this millennium, from about 1930 onward—in his etheric body. Christ walked the earth in a physical body only once, and one must be able to understand this. The return of the Christ means: to behold the Christ supersensually in the etheric body. Therefore, everyone who wishes to follow the right course of development must acquire the ability to see with the spiritual eye. It would not be progress for humanity if the Christ were to appear once more in a physical body. The next time, he will reveal himself in the etheric body.

[ 18 ] What the various religious traditions had to offer has been compiled by Christian Rosenkreutz and the College of the Twelve. The effect of this will be to find, within the Christ Impulse, that which the individual religions have offered and that which their adherents have strived for and longed for. This will be the development of the next three millennia: to create and foster an understanding of this Christ Impulse. From the twentieth century onward, all religions will be united in the Rosicrucian Mystery. And this will be possible over the next three millennia because it will no longer be necessary to instruct humanity based on what the documents contain; rather, through the vision of Christ, they will learn to understand for themselves the event that Paul experienced before Damascus. Humanity will pass through the Paul event itself.

[ 19 ] Five thousand years after the Buddha’s enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, the Maitreya Buddha will appear—that is, approximately three thousand years from now. He will be the successor to Gautama Buddha. Among true occultists, there is no room for debate on this matter. Western and Eastern occultists agree on this. Two things are therefore certain:

[ 20 ] First, that the Christ could appear in a physical body only once, and that he will appear in the etheric body in the twentieth century. Great individualities will indeed emerge in the twentieth century, such as the Bodhisattva, the successor to Gautama Buddha, who will become the Maitreya Buddha in about three thousand years. But no true occultist will refer to any physically incarnated human being in the twentieth century as the Christ; no real occultist will expect the Christ to appear in a physical body in the twentieth century. Every real occultist will find such a claim to be erroneous. The Bodhisattva, however, will point specifically to the Christ.

[ 21 ] Secondly, the Bodhisattva who appeared as Jeshu ben Pandira will not appear as the Maitreya Buddha until three thousand years from now. The true occultists of India, in particular, would be horrified if anyone were to claim that the Maitreya Buddha could appear before then. However, there may also be occultists in India who are not true occultists, who speak of a Maitreya Buddha already incarnated for secondary purposes. A genuine devotion to Rosicrucian theosophy and true devotion to Christian Rosenkreutz can protect anyone from falling into these errors.

[ 22 ] All these things are presented in Rosicrucianism in such a way that they can be verified by reason. All these matters can be examined using common sense. Do not believe anything on authority alone; instead, consider everything I say merely as a suggestion and then examine it for yourself. I am quite confident that the more you examine these things, the more you will find Theosophy or Spiritual Science to be reasonable. The less belief in authority, the greater the understanding of Christian Rosenkreutz. We come to know Christian Rosenkreutz best when we truly immerse ourselves in his individuality and realize that the spirit of this Christian Rosenkreutz endures forever. And the more we draw closer to this great spirit, the more strength will come to us. From the etheric body of this great leader, who will always be there, we can hope for much strength and support when we ask this great leader for his help.

[ 23 ] We will also be able to understand the strange event of Christian Rosenkreutz’s illness if we immerse ourselves properly in spiritual scientific work. It was in the thirteenth century that this individual lived in a physical body so weakened as to be transparent, so that he lay as if dead for several days, and that during this time he absorbed the wisdom of the Twelve and also experienced the event at Damascus.

[ 24 ] May the spirit of true Rosicrucianism reign and inspire this branch in particular; then the great etheric body of Christian Rosenkreutz will be all the more effective here

[ 25 ] Let this mark the beginning of the branch’s work here, and may those gathered here do their utmost to support their fellow members in Neuchâtel and often send them good thoughts, so that the spirit of the branch founded here may endure forever. The more we draw closer to this noble cause and continue the work in this spirit, the faster we will reach our goal. I myself wish to remind you again and again of our great, promising work, and I ask the great leader of the West for his help. May this branch then be one of the building blocks of the temple we wish to erect. In the spirit of Christian Rosenkreutz we have opened this branch, and in the spirit of Christian Rosenkreutz we shall endeavor to continue the work.