The Rudolf Steiner Archive

The first lectures on spiritual science in Munich were given by Rudolf Steiner in November 1904 at the invitation of the two leaders of the later Munich main branch, Sophie Stinde (1853-1915) and her friend Pauline Gräfin von Kalckreuth (1856-1929). Sophie Stinde, sister of the then well-known writer Julius Stinde and a talented landscape painter herself, from that point on put all her strength into the service of Rudolf Steiner's movement; in his own words, in a truly “exemplary” way. “There is so much,” he said at her cremation ceremony, ”when the path of spiritual work is taken, which must be placed in human hands, of which one can be sure that they will carry it out in such a way that one might not even be able to carry it out oneself... And Sophie Stinde was one of those people who helped in the most vigorous way when action was needed (Ulm, November 22, 1915, in library no. 261 “Unsere Toten” [Our Dead]).

In this way, Sophie Stinde not only built up the actual Munich work, but she also became - renouncing the practice of art she loved - the main bearer of the organizational burden for the large Munich events: the Munich Congress in 19 07 - to whose art exhibition some of her landscape paintings also belonged - and the summer festival events that emerged from it, held annually from 1909 to 1913, with the premieres of Rudolf Steiner's mystery dramas. In this context, however, she was also the “first” to have the “bold” idea of tackling the realization of the central building, in accordance with Marie Steiner's statement. She created the necessary documentation to enable the project to be developed, and thus became the founder and first chairwoman of the Munich and then the Dornach building association.

When Rudolf Steiner spoke at the building site in Dornach for the first time since her death, he said that it was only through her deep artistic sense that she, who was “most intimately connected” to the building, was able to “unfold the will that then spreads and takes hold of many, the will for development that finds expression in this our building.” Sophie Stinde was among the very first to whom the idea of this building arose, and one can feel that we would hardly have found the way to this building from our Munich mystery thoughts if her strong will had not been at the starting point of the idea of this building.” And continuing, he said: ”Her place in the outer physical world will be empty in the future. But for those who have learned to understand her, the idea of exemplary, dedicated, sacrificial work within our ranks will emanate from this place. And this idea must live in particular in the rooms under the double dome, in the rooms in which Sophie Stinde's soul already worked during her earthly incarnation as her co-work. If we grasp our relationship to her in the right sense, it will be impossible to turn our gaze to our forms without feeling connected to her, who turned her gaze first and foremost to him to whom she dedicated her own work and in whom Sophie Stinde's soul will continue to work.” (Dornach, December 26, 1915, in Bibl. No. 261 ‘Our Dead.’)

The following chronicle illustrates how Rudolf Steiner, together with Marie von Sivers and the Munich friends, carefully prepared the 1907 congress over a long period of time in order to inaugurate the renewal of the mysteries in the modern Rosicrucian sense, in the spirit of harmonizing science, art and religion. The dates, however, mark only the most essential points in the context of the congress preparations. In between, Rudolf Steiner constantly traveled all over Germany to give lectures at various locations.

June 1906
The 1907 congress is to take place in Germany.

This was decided at the third congress of the Federation of European Sections in Paris on June 3-5, 1906.

June / July 1906
Marie von Sivers' initiative to combine the congress with a mystery play

Marie von Sivers had already conceived the idea of staging a mystery play at the congress while she was still in Paris, as can be seen from the letter to Schur dated July 18, 1906, quoted below: “The Sacred Drama of Eleusis” in Edouard Schure's reconstruction. Schure had just met Rudolf Steiner and Marie von Sivers in person for the first time in Paris, after Marie von Sivers had already corresponded with him for seven years. It was through him that she had become aware of Theosophy and had thus met Rudolf Steiner in Berlin in 1900. Marie von Sivers wrote the letter quoted below from Landin in Mark Brandenburg, where she was staying with Rudolf Steiner and a few other friends for a short rest. Sophie Stinde, who had been appointed secretary of the congress, and Countess Kalckreuth, who had been appointed treasurer, also came there to “discuss the affairs of the Munich Congress with Dr. Steiner and Fräulein von Sivers.” The easiest opportunity for this is there... There will be a winter full of exhausting work. Pentecost is very early next year.” (Sophie Stinde to Ludwig Kleeberg, July 5, 1906.

Marie von Sivers to Edouard Schuré, from Landin, July 18, 1906: ¹

”... If the inn near your house still exists, it would be nice to see you again and rest a little in your surroundings. Then you could talk to Dr. Steiner instead of asking him questions in writing. And we could talk about staging your mystery drama. For example, the Persephone scene with the choir of nymphs in the chapter on Plato is a very beautiful prelude to the Eleusinian mystery. We have a member in Stuttgart who is very earnest and very musical.² Perhaps Theosophy will inspire him to compose the choruses. They would deserve it..."

September 1906
The Eleusis performance is discussed again with Schuré.

Rudolf Steiner and Marie von Sivers stay with Schuré in Barr in Alsace for five days.

”... Stimulating conversations took place during the walks to the ruins of old castles, to Mont St. Odile, to the Heidenmauer. It was there that I, moving from a review of the time of the Druid mysteries to the Greeks, dared to ask Schur& the question that Dr. Steiner, as far as he was concerned, had already answered in the affirmative: whether we might dare to present his drama of Eleusis at the congress to be held in Munich next year. Schure was very pleasantly surprised...

October 1906
The time and place of the conference and its form are officially announced.

At the general assembly of the German Section in Berlin on October 21, 1906, Rudolf Steiner announced the proposal to hold the congress in Munich for “purely practical reasons,” since “only there” were the suitable forces available “for the long and demanding work.” Pentecost seemed the most appropriate time.

In answer to a question about the organization, he replied that all previous congresses should be seen as “experiments”. The task of the German Section should be to bring everything into “intimate harmony”, so that works of art, music and speech interact with the rest of the arrangements in a way that evokes a particular mood and resonates with it, striving to “evoke the ancient mysteries”, which is why the performance of a mystery play is planned.

October / November 1906
The exact congress schedule is drawn up and the necessary rooms are rented. The mystery play is to be performed by members of the society under the direction of Rudolf Steiner.

From October 27 to November 6, 1906, Rudolf Steiner gave three public lectures in Munich and a cycle of eight lectures for members of the Society. Marie von Sivers reported on it Edouard Schuré:

"We have just returned from Munich, where Dr. Steiner gave one of his cycles entitled ‘Theosophy as Illustrated by the Gospel of John’. It was magnificent. During the twelve days we were there, we also drafted the plan for the congress and rented the halls. They are to our taste – dignified, spacious, well-proportioned and free of ornamentation, so the decoration will be our responsibility. We can try to approach the idea of a temple. The stage is also large, and we will be far enough away from the audience to achieve the illusion of mystery, which is very important to us. Now we would like to ask you for permission to perform “The Sacred Drama of Eleusis”, not with actors, but by distributing the roles among members of our society. Dr. Steiner does not want any 'theater routine'; he will be our director and open up the deeper meaning of our roles for us. Since he can do everything, he will be able to do that too. He will also know how to select those who have special abilities for certain roles with a sure eye. I believe that you are not taking much of a risk, especially since the performance will not be public. Only members of the Theosophical Society will be present and the newspapers will not interfere. Only in the event of an unexpected success could one consider repeating the performance in public, provided you agree.

Now, as you said yourself, some changes would have to be made and then the finished translation given to the composer. So we have to get to work right away, because the congress is taking place at Whitsun (on May 19). Sometimes, when you take things in hand with energy and goodwill, the stars come to your aid. They inspire us and send us the good spirits. Who knows whether such an undertaking, carried out with courage and faith, might not open the door to greater successes. If you are not active yourself, you cannot expect others to take risks. Of course, you have to be prepared for a huge task. If you refuse, Dr. Steiner himself will write something in the spirit of the ancient mysteries, because we value mystery; but we would very much like yours.

It is true that Dr. Steiner wants to give me the role of Demeter, and that frightened me. I would have chosen Persephone rather than the mother of the gods. But Dr. Steiner says that this mother must have something of a nun about her and that even my mouth is particularly suitable for this role, but not for that of Persephone. I can't exactly be the one to resist; I just think that I now have the most difficult role and at the same time the one on which most depends. Above all, the scene between Zeus and Demeter would have to be changed, because it is not written for profane people, and perhaps the narration of Hecate, when she announces the will of Zeus to Demeter, would also have to be retouched a little, because in German the things are immediately much rougher.

Perhaps one could also string together individual scenes with living pictures or pantomimes, interrupted by music. In the big scenes, the choruses of the nymphs, the blessed and the mystics must alternate beautifully with the spoken word.

Of course you are overworked, I know that. But maybe the genius of the drama will take hold of you and you will succeed in combining it into a whole, which is created in individual parts.

I often return in thought to the peaceful valley of the Vosges, where we found such warm and understanding hospitality. I hope to see you and Madame Schure in Munich... If you only knew how Dr. Steiner has to work! I don't think anything like it has ever happened before...

December 1906 to February 1907
The congress program is printed and sent out.

December 8: Rudolf Steiner writes to Marie von Sivers from Stuttgart: “What about your translation of the Eleusinian Mysteries? We need to have it soon... At the beginning of January we must be able to send out the congress programs. So we will probably have to be in Munich then.

December 11th and 12th: Rudolf Steiner gives lectures in Munich.

December 20, 1906 and January 4, 1907: Rudolf Steiner and Marie von Sivers make a private stopover in Munich on a short vacation to Venice.

January 13: Marie von Sivers writes to Edouard Schuré:

”... I understand your horror at the thought of our undertaking. I share your fear, only I have the impression that there is a necessity here. It is as if it had to happen. For us, it is a sword of Damocles hanging over the Congress, because we have now linked it in an organic way with a mystery play, and all the coincidences and potential misfortunes that threaten this performance also threaten our Congress. But we have to stick our necks out and take on the burden, without, however, losing sight of the stars. The composer has not yet said his last word, but the idea inspires him. He is now in the process of reading the work. It is Mr. Stavenhagen in Munich...

January 21: Letter from Rudolf Steiner to Marie von Sivers in Erlangen regarding the congress program.³

”... I am sending you the congress program. I have now finished it in a state that can be sent to the printer... Please have it printed immediately and exactly according to the manuscript...

I escaped for a few hours here in Erlangen today. I couldn't get off anywhere on the way from Karlsruhe to Nuremberg, and if I had been in Nuremberg this morning, you probably wouldn't have received this urgent congress matter either. Because wherever it is, the people are always there.

Please give the printer a copy of the Congress Program from last year so that he doesn't make an impossible size. And impress upon him that he should really make the text in two columns – facing each other – German-English, as it is in the manuscript.

Key passages from the program text:

The intention of the congress program is to express a unified theosophical idea. Since the theosophical worldview represents an ideal of the 'future, it is self-evident that such an idea cannot be fully expressed in the present. But perhaps it can be achieved through the organization and distribution of what is to be presented that in the whole of the congress the Theosophical guiding principles: concentration and clarity of ideas, and in particular the Theosophical mood: calm and inner composure, are expressed.

The content of the events should include: lectures in the field of the Theosophical world view, artistic performances, purely social gatherings.

The artistic performances should be chosen from the fields of visual, musical and poetic art in such a way that the individual pieces combine with the Theosophical world view to form a harmonious whole. Therefore, an attempt should also be made in one of the events to present a mystery in a dramatic way.

Essays and lectures

These will, in accordance with the practice of the congresses to date, cover:

1. All matters relating to brotherhood and the great goals of society.

2. Religion, mysticism, philosophy and science.

Including:
a) comparative religious studies,
b) mythology,
c) folklore,
d) art history,
e) historical, etc.

3. administration, propaganda, etc.

4. occultism.

The papers should be in the hands of the Secretary of the Congress by April 10. They can be written in any of the languages of the federated sections.

The visual arts

The intention is to link everything that is to be presented in this field with the entire event to create a harmonious whole. Therefore, an exhibition will not take place in a separate room, but in the spacious and pleasant congress ballroom itself. And in the choice of the works of art to be exhibited, as well as in the decorative connecting elements, a harmony is to be created that will provide a basic mood for the rest of the room. Therefore, from the fields of fine art and arts and crafts, only those achievements will be considered that fit into the framework thus defined. However, the underlying idea will be so broad that it will encompass many things.

Music

The musical performances will be in keeping with the other events and, where possible, at least in spirit, related to the Theosophical world view. They will also take place in the congress hall itself.

The Poetic Arts

These are to be emphasized through recitations and a stage presentation with a mystery play character. It is to be hoped that the efforts of the German committee will succeed in overcoming the great difficulties that this part of the program in particular will present. But it would still be desirable if, even on a modest scale, it could be shown how the Theosophical world view is able to invigorate the artistic.

The important thing about all these events is to express that 'Theosophy must not remain just a sum of theoretical views, but can be transformed into something that can be perceived by the senses and that is in keeping with the mood. In this way, it must indeed have a fertilizing effect on the rest of culture.

January 25-26, 1907: Rudolf Steiner returns to Munich for two public lectures.

February 17: Death of the founding president of the Theosophical Society, Henry Steel Olcott.

February 25: Rudolf Steiner writes to Marie von Sivers in this context:

“... However things turn out, everything will be fatal for the T. S. [Theosophical Society], but not unfavorable for the spiritual movement. Even the decline of the T. S. as such must not frighten us in any way...” (Library Assn. Nr. 262, page 106).

March 17-19: Rudolf Steiner is in Munich again and gives lectures.

April/May 1907
The rehearsal period in Munich and the design of the hall

April 6: Rudolf Steiner and Marie von Sivers arrive in Munich. In between, Rudolf Steiner travels alone to Berlin for a short time to arrange the necessary matters for the upcoming election of the new president of the T.S.¹ On April 29, he returns to Munich. During the six-week stay, work continues non-stop on the performance of the drama and the decoration of the rooms. Marie von Sivers translates the drama into prose, which Rudolf Steiner then sets to free rhythms. He distributes the roles, directs and the scenery and costumes are also made according to his specifications. He supervises the decoration of the hall, draws sketches for the planetary seals, sculpts the capitals for the planetary seals for the actual congress program, and so on.

May 18-21, 1907 (Whitsun)
The congress as an attempt to renew Western mystery

The conference, with approximately 600 participants, was opened at 10 o'clock on May 18 by Rudolf Steiner, who was serving as the president of the conference. Annie Besant, as honorary president, spoke after the various general secretaries. During the artistic evening event, Marie von Sivers recited the Ariel scene from Goethe's Faust, Part J.

On Pentecost Sunday, May 19, Rudolf Steiner will give his first congress lecture “The Initiation of the Rosicrucian” in the morning; in the afternoon at 5 p.m., the “Sacred Drama of Eleusis” will be performed, a mystery by Edouard Schur with music by Bernhard Stavenhagen.

The following overview was enclosed with the program:

Short summary of Edouard Schuré's Sacred Drama of Eleusis

Presented at the Congress of the Federation of European Sections of the Theosophical Society on May 19, 1907.

1. Prologue: Persephone is admonished by her mother Demeter not to let Eros move her to pluck the seductive Narcisse, but to weave at the veil of the world, in which the destinies of the world down to chaos are incorporated, but not yet the conscious life of men. The nymphs act as a warning element, they seek to persuade Persephone to fulfill the vow. Eros appears as a seducer. Persephone plucks the Narcisse of “desire” and can thus be stolen by Pluto.

Act 1, Scene 1. Demeter appears before Hecate, lamenting her pain and asking about her daughter's whereabouts. After she has heard that she has been abducted by Pluto, she wants to know where she can live among a free people and give herself over entirely to her grief. Hecate directs her to Eleusis, where the king has just died. In order to enter there unrecognized, she is transformed by Hecate into an old beggar woman.

2nd scene. Metanira, the widow of the deceased king of Eleusis, is surrounded by her three daughters, who are mourning their father's death; but she herself is only concerned that her son Triptolem should persuade the people to elect him as his father's successor. He does not want to obtain the crown by persuasion, but only to have it if the people choose him without influence. (Act 3.) Then Demeter enters (Act 4) in the guise of an old beggar woman. She is well received by the daughters and by Triptolemus, but sharply rejected by Metanira. Since Demeter (Act 5) speaks to Triptolemus alone, sparks become visible under her robe. She tells Triptolem about the loss of her daughter, and he promises to descend into the underworld to bring her back. Demeter recognizes his great nature and says that she wants to make him “the most divine of heroes”. She touches him, causing a light to appear. Metanira rushes up (Act 6), cursing Demeter, who then reveals herself and ordains Triptolem as the future priest of sacrifice at Eleusis. Metanira, however, is expelled from the sanctuary. She therefore curses Triptolem.

Act 2. Pluto on the throne, next to Persephone. He wants to persuade her to drink from his goblet the fruit of the pomegranate. Lamenting shadows appear before Persephone, who is tossed to and fro by her fate. They want to prevent Persephone from enjoying the fruit. A chorus of demons wants to seduce her to do so. Triptolemus appears (Act 3) with Hecate to fetch Persephone.

Act 3. Zeus laments the fate of Persephone and Triptolemus, who is now also imprisoned by Pluto. He says that only Dionysus in a new form could accomplish the work of liberation. Demeter appears. Zeus tells her that a new Dionysus must arise to liberate the damned, and that this can only come about through his, Zeus', fire combined with Demeter's light. At first, Demeter does not want to accomplish this work because she does not want the Dionysus in his new form to be torn apart again by the wild Titans. But Zeus says: this Dionysus will be stronger. Demeter sinks into sleep. From her dream, the new Dionysus is created in union with the power of Zeus. Before he appears, a “choir of invisible blessed ones” solemnly proclaims the mystery of becoming. Then Triptolemus and Pythagoras appear in a chariot drawn by fiery dragons. Persephone recognizes in Dionysus the god with whom she has always been united through longing, Dionysus in Persephone the sister to whom he belongs for all eternity. Zeus sends Triptolem as an initiated priest to Eleusis. A choir of invisible heroes speaks of the secret of initiation.

The choruses are:

Nymphs:
O Persephone! O virgin!
Heaven's chaste bride
In thy veil thou weavest
The gods' bright forms
Earth's vain delusion
Be ever far from thee!
Truth's pure radiance
Only shine for thine eye!
In the empyrean lives for you
Dionysus, the consort,
Chosen by heaven itself
Like a distant sun's chaste ray
His kiss touches you only.
From your breath he lives,
In his light you breathe —
There is no greater good
To be found in the wide universe.
Do not think of that.
Withdraw from
the vain question.

Do not search further!
Escape dangers,
threatening to humans
and also to the gods.

O divine maiden!
It is only a dream,
but it becomes a being when When guilty desire
Weaves the veil further,
Calls it into your soul.
In radiance must fade
Heaven's bliss for you,
When the promise of salvation
Sounds in vain,
Forget what Eros unchaste
May reveal to you.

Unhappy one, stop.

Beware, Petsephone,
disaster can easily
arise from magic.

Choir of invisible demons in Tartarus

Persephones Besieger,
Dem großen Pluto,
Ihm sei Ehre!
Hell rejoices
At your wedding feast.
In a thousand bonfires
Tartarus glows.
Until now,
Earth's children escaped him
In their innocence.
They were too easy
For the realm of darkness.
But now, possessed by
the goddess of the heights,
in countless numbers
we shall conquer them for ourselves.
For they will draw
the errors of their lives
and the beauty of their forms
into our realm.
This must be populated
with vain shadows,
You Stryges, Harpies
You monsters, rejoice
In the tree of lies.
Glory to Pluto!
Hell trembles with joy
And will hold
Its prey
The dark Tartarus.

Forget, forget,
You shall drink
From this chalice
And give us
The drink to
Drink the strength of life
We desire
From this chalice!
It burns in us
Hell's thirst,
It alone
Can quench it.

Choir of Shadows

You see only souls in us
Bowed down by the power of misfortune,
Wandering on this shore,
We implore

Salvation, O Queen
From you, asking you

To lead us up
Into Elysium's fields.

Do not drink, Persephone,
The red blood
In the black chalice.
And let us rise
From Hekates' darkness,
Into the Elysian realm.

Choir of the Invisible Blessed

When in the realm of dreams the spirits float
The goddess of all earthly fertility,
Then powers of creation stream through the universe,
The fervor of the gods spiritualizes the world
And people tremble to the depths of their souls.
Creation struggles out of the twilight of the senses.
New divine beings come into existence.
Men shall bow in reverence
When the holy reign of the spirits is revealed.
Forms without number stream into life
When the eye of the god sends a glance
Into the immeasurable realm of space.
Worlds germinate out of nothingness into being,
They sink out of being into nothingness,
And thus create the gods' days,
As light and darkness do for men.
But you, seed of the abyss, you souls,
Who see yourselves scattered in the realm of the dead,
The control that was previously lacking to you shall
be given into your own hands! The fiery hearth from which you once arose, was hidden from your soul until now...It will now reveal itself to you! The power of the Mother of the Gods will give life to what the Father of the Gods forms. And from the living form shall arise The new God, the strong light bearer.
And you shall receive him in your souls,
So that from his power can change,
What was mortal in you, into immortal being.

Choir of Invisible Heroes

You witnesses of deeply hidden science!
What lies at the world's deepest bottom, In the depths of the heart as a secret treasure
This sanctuary must still be closed,
Like a gem that rests in the rock.
To carry the pure ray of wisdom into the world
Is the seer's high duty,
But to betray where it lies,<
May only he who wants to lose it,

Monday, May 20: Rudolf Steiner gives his second congress lecture “Planetary Evolution and Human Evolution”.

Tuesday, May 21: Rudolf Steiner speaks about educational issues in the morning and about the hall design in the afternoon. In the evening, the congress concludes with musical performances and closing speeches.

May/June 1907

Marie von Sivers reports to Edouard Schuré on the performance of his mystery

A vivid impression of the performance and the work problems is conveyed by what Marie von Sivers reported to Edouard Schuré, who had not come to Munich himself:

"Munich, May 26, 1907. This is the first day on which I have had a few quiet hours in my room; soon people will be flocking in, but I will try to give you, if not an aperçu, then at least a few scraps of information. My long silence before the congress was most painful to me. I did not dare to ask you to come, because if the event had failed, you would have experienced embarrassing moments and undertaken a long journey with hardships to receive unpleasant impressions. And then, until the last moment, we really did not know if we would make it. The obstacles were very great. You have to bear in mind that the actors came from different cities and were only able to come together very late. One of two ladies whom we regarded as our stars and who promised to be excellent in the roles of Persephone and Hecate had to leave to care for a sister-in-law in Brussels who had suddenly gone mad. ; the other became mentally ill herself, and for a week we had her here without being able to send her to her mother, from whom she inherited the illness and from whom she was tormented throughout her life. Finally, she had to be taken to a mental hospital; it was truly a catastrophe. So the chances of the performance being a success had become very slim. After much hesitation, we decided to try a very poor young girl who has an extremely difficult life and seems quite hopeless in moments of despondency because she lacks energy. She then sits down, puts her hands in her lap and says, “I can't do it to myself.” Fortunately, she could “offer” herself the role of Persephone. That had been the question. Then the spark that had once lain dormant in her was ignited, and she became happier every day. Her voice, which was initially very weak and always slid down into her chest, grew stronger every day; but it was only in the last week that we could be sure that she would be understood. Even now, this young girl is still completely transfigured and she still has the airs and graces of a princess. These days will have been the most beautiful of her life. On the whole, the rehearsals were a source of delight and harmony for many. We always had quite a number of listeners who could never get enough and who liked the play so much that they would have liked to hear it every day. The nymphs and the phantoms were very eager, but gave us a lot to do. All these people had never acted before. Except for Triptolem, who is a professional actor but a member of the company, and me, who used to perform in amateur theaters, none of our people had ever seen the limelight. Enthusiasm replaced everything. Metanira was disappointing. The one who was supposed to play this role had to take on the role of Hecate, and the new actress, a very clever lady, showed no understanding of the stage at all. The role of Triptolemus had initially been entrusted to a young man who really wanted to act, a very pleasant fellow who looked like an ephebe, but so bleak in his gestures and so incapable of any kind of upturn in his speech that for a while we thought we would have to give up on the whole thing because of him, until the actor who was originally supposed to play Pluto arrived and replaced him with some success. Dionysos was a delightful young girl, half Italian, half Polish, who was the last to arrive and initially spoke with an accent that made us jump. She was nice, but extremely clumsy, and the final apotheosis was in danger of falling through because of her. So we had to work with her intensively every day and teach her the essence of German pronunciation. As a result, my voice, already exhausted by a cough and constant speaking during rehearsals, was in such a state that during the last week I was completely hoarse and feared that I would not be able to speak at the performance, especially since I had no opportunity to take care of myself and withdraw from all my other obligations. Apart from my duties as secretary of the German Section and of the Congress Bureau, we had to organize, just for this performance: two painting studios (for the scenery), a tailor's studio (even the costumes were all made by our members according to Dr. Steiner's specifications), and finally two further studios where our painters worked on the decoration of the hall (of the later Temple, based on drawings by Dr. Steiner). There was a flurry of activity like an anthill – feverish haste everywhere, because people only plunged into the big expenses when they were really sure – more or less – that they could play.“

”May 28. Mr. Stavenhagen (who, by the way, is not Dutch) only finished his music three days before the performance and he didn't even make it to the planned final chorus. The music was beautiful, though; I don't know what the foreigners thought of it, but the Germans thought it was “like the harmony of the spheres”. And the acting company also thought it was very beautiful: dignified, strong and ethereal – thoroughly religious.

I believe that it was beneficial for the poetry not to be mixed with music. The beautiful preludes created a mood of religious contemplation; then the word alone prevailed and the idea could emerge all the more clearly.

The Germans were truly enthusiastic; they did not make banal compliments, but they were deeply moved by the drama itself and urgently requested a repeat performance; however, this was not possible. The foreigners were more critical and reserved, but as you yourself suspected, a large number of them came with hostile feelings, determined to resist the progressive spirit, to treat with irony what went beyond their understanding, and to reject anything they considered unorthodox. But it was strange to observe how gradually their resistance diminished, and some were finally moved. The Blechs and Mr. Pascal ³ will certainly never give up their reserved attitude, but the latter is at the end of his , and the Blechs are extremely narrow-minded; I also think that it has made a strange impression on them that we emphasize the importance of your work so strongly, while they have probably passed it by through their English education. Their feelings are therefore very mixed.

You were right to recognize Dr. Steiner's hand in the translation. I don't know why Mr. Sauerwein ⁴ told you that it was mine. Incidentally, I don't know Mr. Sauerwein and have never seen him. Mr. Steiner spoke to me about him as a theosophist whom he once met in Vienna, who was at the congress on the day of the performance and who is known to you. Since he went to Paris, he asked him to greet you from us. Perhaps Mr. Sauerwein saw the two works that I translated on the book table and concluded that I am also the translator of The Sacred Drama.

I did the prose translation and only here, over the last month, has Mr. Steiner set to work to bring it into rhythms. With what difficulties! He was constantly interrupted, constantly called upon. He would leave, come back for five minutes, continue his poetic work, and then leave again, called by someone else. He worked in all the arts and crafts, and instructed everyone: painters, sculptors, musicians, carpenters, upholsterers, actors, seamstresses, theater workers, electricians. If he had had the necessary materials and workers at his disposal, he would have achieved something fabulous in a short time: the temple of the future. As it was, he could only sketch out ideas, but they will have a fertilizing effect.

With all of this, the final scenes of the drama could only be completed in a moment that already seemed highly critical to me. I had faith that they would make it, but I didn't want to rely on it; it would have been foolhardy. It would have pleased and frightened me at the same time if you had written that you were coming, but I didn't dare encourage you to do so. One does not want to challenge the protecting spirits, but only cautiously ask for their help. What has amazed me most is that I have found my voice again for the performance – as calmly and confidently as if it had never been tormented by coughing and exhausted by tiredness."

"Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe, June 17, 1907. I... deeply regret not having sent you these sheets written in Munich, which I believed I would still be able to supplement in full detail. But every day brought something unexpected. For the cycle by Dr. Steiner in Munich, ⁵ About two hundred people had stayed, who simply blew us away. It was very difficult to leave. During the last days, we had ten people waiting to be received at nine o'clock in the evening. If we take the morning train, as in this case, we pack our bags between two and six o'clock in the morning without going to bed. Mr. Steiner then went directly from the train to a public lecture in Leipzig, and another followed the next day... On the morning of June 15, we had to take the train to Kassel, where a two-week cycle is now taking place....

^{6With the title “Theosophy and Rosicrucianism”, contained in Library No. 100 “Human Evolution and Christ Consciousness”.}

The Munich Congress as the starting point for the separation from the Theosophical Society

Rudolf Steiner's esoteric and artistic design of the Munich Congress also had a strong impact on social history. From the point of view of social life, it meant a large-scale attempt by Rudolf Steiner to place the Western-Christian-Rosicrucian esotericism, which he had advocated from the very beginning, in the international context of the 'Theosophical Society'. However, as he describes in his 'Autobiography' (see page 33 of this volume), this was rejected by the non-German Theosophists. This 'inner attitude' was the 'real' reason why the Anthroposophical Society could not continue as 'a part' of the Theosophical Society.

Due to the decline of the Theosophical Society, which Rudolf Steiner had already foreseen at the time, he had a long conversation with the new president, Annie Besant, during the congress, with Marie von Sivers as interpreter. Marie von Sivers later reported that in this conversation Rudolf Steiner had tried to point out to Annie Besant “in a warmly respectful but deeply insistent way” many things in this context and at the same time explain to her that from now on he was obliged to base his “own esoteric work, independently of hers, entirely on the soil of Western Christian mysticism”. She listened to this in silence.⁷ Rudolf Steiner himself once commented on this conversation to the effect that “Annie Besant said in Munich in 1907, in front of a witness [Marie von Sivers] who is always willing to testify to it, that she was not competent in relation to Christianity. And so, at that time, she ceded the movement to me, so to speak, insofar as Christianity was to be incorporated.” ⁸

Annie Besant wrote to the German Theosophist Wilhelm Huebbe-Schleiden on June 7, 1907, shortly after her return from Munich to London, in the context of this conversation: ⁹ “Dear Dr. Hübbe-Schleiden, Dr. Steiner's occult training is very different from ours. He does not know the Eastern way and therefore cannot teach it. He teaches the Christian Rosicrucian way, which is a help for some people, but it is different from ours. He has his own school and is also responsible for it. I consider him a very good teacher in his own direction and a man with real insights. He and I work in perfect friendship and harmony, but in different directions. Always your Annie Besant.” In reality, this ‘friendship and harmony’ was by no means as ‘perfect’ as Annie Besant expressed it in this letter. In the course of the following years, this became more and more apparent, until in 1912/13 the German Section of the Theosophical Society transformed itself into the independent Anthroposophical Society.

H.W.

• 1. Marie von Sivers and Edouard Schuré corresponded with each other in French. Translation by Robert Friedenthal.
• 2. Adolf Arenson, who did not write the music for the Eleusinian drama, but did write the music for Rudolf Steiner's four mystery dramas from 1910 to 1913.
• 3. This congress program must have been sent out soon afterwards. For the conference itself, Rudolf Steiner designed a different “programme booklet that was given to the visitors.” Pages 193-201 and Plate I of this booklet are reproduced in facsimile.
• 1. Immediately before the Munich Congress, H.S. Olcott's successor was elected. Annie Besant was elected.
• 3. Prominent French Theosophists.
• 4. Jules Sauerwein, who translated, among other works, “Secret Science”.
• 5. 22 May to 6 June 1907, announced in the Congress Program as “A Course on Theosophy according to the method of the Rose-Cross», printed under the title «The Theosophy of the Rose-Cross», Library No. 99.
• 7. Marie Steiner, Foreword to “Study Material from the Meetings of the Circle of Thirty, Stuttgart 1922/23”, private reproduction . Dornach 1947.
• 8. Rudolf Steiner, Address Berlin December 14, 1911, intended for Bibl.-Nr. 251; also contained in excerpts in “Aus dem Leben von Marie Steiner-von Sivers, Biographische Beiträge und eine Bibliographie” by Hella Wiesberger, Domach 1956.
• 9. The original letter in English is reproduced in facsimile in Emil Bock, “Rudolf Steiner, Studien zu seinem Lebensgang und Lebenswerk”, Stuttgart 1961.

Memorial notes by Eugenie von Bredow

Necessity for the esotericist to understand the plan that humanity is unconsciously working out under the guidance of the white lodge.

The humanity of the earth is its center, that which is important in this world. On many other worlds other entities are at work and the people of those worlds are like our higher animals. The people of the earth have been given the planet by the gods and are, so to speak, reshaping it. At first their development takes place on the plane of the sensuous - in the broadest sense of this word. For this it was necessary to train their intelligence so that logical thinking would unite people into one humanity.

The Atlanteans could not yet think; they were guided by the gods. The Aryans must become masters of their world from within themselves. Intellectually, the unity that excludes different views has already been achieved. There are no different views on the construction of a steam engine or the like. Science and its products, the harnessing of the forces of nature, the means of transportation have united the different races and nations into a single entity. Five thousand years ago: what a difference, for example, between the products of the Chinese and European peoples. Today, a certain bridge has been established even between these dying peoples and the Occident. A bishop of Bremen writes about the customs in the Mark in the 11th and 12th centuries, how animals were slaughtered and horse's blood drunk in religious cults. This was in eastern Germany, while cities were already flourishing in the west. $uch contrasts side by side would be impossible today.

However, mankind has only just begun to harness the forces of nature. This will change completely in the near future and into the next millennia. People will draw out the forces in the flowing water and make them useful to themselves, they will catch the powerful forces that lie in the sun's rays through powerful mirrors and know how to make them useful to themselves; they will learn to control the forces in the earth's interior that are now being triggered by volcanic eruptions and that originate from a powerful spiritual being in the earth's interior; the most marvelous machines will be devised by men to put all these triggered forces at the service of mankind, indeed they will get the magnetic power of the whole earth under their control, for the earth is but a great magnet whose south pole is at the north pole and whose north pole is at the south pole. Now they can only guide their ships by this force. When the changes of the earth were necessary in ancient times, the forces of the gods tilted the axis of the earth; in times to come, mankind will be able to turn the axis. The formation of the intelligence and logic of mankind is thus taking place more and more and brings about the unity of mankind in the sensual field.

The formation of the moral was first made possible by the gods through the ethical teachings of all the great religions. But a time must come when men will recognize the law of good as clearly as they do today the laws of logic. What is good and what is true in the spiritual realm can then no longer be a matter of opinion, as it is still expressed today by the various religions, by the formation of parliaments to resolve this or that legal issue. When people become aware that there is a good, a moral, which is as definite and clear as a mathematical theorem, then people will also have united in this area to form a humanity which has a completely different physiognomy from the humanity of today.

The fourth master, Christian Rosenkreutz, founded the Rosicrucian Order in order to lead people to this knowledge of morality, to reveal its laws to mankind, so that a multitude of people working consciously out of themselves in this field would arise. The different intellectual training of the West requires different teachings. In the East, the spiritual teachings given to the Indians by the ancient Rishi had a strong influence on the people. Christian Rosenkreutz and his seven disciples laid the foundation for the knowledge of the law of morality, so that it would not resonate in people as given by the religions, but so that the law, recognized as such, would awaken to individual life in each person. The truth in the areas of morality, morality and goodness should arise in people as something that is recognized and felt.

The work of the esoteric schools is to initiate this unity that binds people together into one humanity.

No explanations of this mantram have been handed down from the Theosophical working context. But in the lecture Leipzig, October 13, 1906, the following remarks were made that relate to the content of the mantram:

I spoke to you earlier about the fact that forces lie dormant in every human being that can be developed and that elevate him to a higher level of existence. Just as the physical world is perceived through physical organs, so the supersensible world can be perceived through supersensible organs. At that time, the means by which man can make himself see were given, albeit in fragments. Today, in order to lead over to our subject, we want to mention certain means that are used in inner schooling.

At each stage, new instructions are to be followed. What is discussed today is not enough on its own, but it is part of the process. On the path to becoming a disciple, an instruction is given that aims to help people develop a very specific relationship with the supersensible world, a moral relationship. At the first stage, the human being must realize that just as he is a sentient being, so too are animals sentient beings. However, just as the human being has an individual soul, so the animal groups have a generic soul. Thus, all lions, all sharks, all frogs, and so on together have a soul. In other words, while the human being has the soul within, the animal souls, which are, as it were, the psychic connecting threads of the animals, extend into the astral world, and there are the community souls of the animal groups. When a person is hurt, he feels it alone. But if you hurt the lion, the group soul, which does not live on the physical plane but on the astral plane, feels it.

The training is now aimed at developing a relationship, a relationship of feeling, with the animal souls on the astral plane. Here is an example of this: in some areas, the ancient Germans revered the horse. They planted a horse skull as a symbol on their houses. The choice of such a symbol shows that they had a very specific relationship with the horse. Where did this come from? The horse only came into being at a very specific time. In the middle of the Atlantean era, this species of animal appeared, of course, little by little. This coincided with the development of wisdom. Even if man did not make this particularly clear to himself in terms, he had a comparatively attraction to the horse like the lover to the beloved. Even today, the Arab has a special relationship with his horse. Some indications can be found in mythology. Thus, the cleverness of Odysseus devised a wooden horse. In this sense, man will develop a feeling for the generic soul of the various animals. When this becomes conscious, then the relationship to the astral plane begins to emerge.

In this way, a moral relationship with the plant world can also arise. The occultist not only sees the beauty of the plant, but also feels something like a smiling or sad countenance. There is a great deal to be gained from this moral feeling. If you develop such a moral relationship, you will enter into a relationship with the lower region of the Devachan plan.

You can also develop a fine sense for the dead stone world. Rocks have a group soul on the Devachan plan, just as animals have a group soul on the astral plan. The souls of minerals live in Devachan. That is why they are not accessible to humans. Just as the fly that walks over our hand has no idea that there is a soul behind it, so people do not know that stones have souls.

If stones have souls, then you will also understand how a moral relationship with them can arise. A human or animal body has desires, passions and instincts. The body of a plant has no more desires, but it still has instincts. The body of a stone has neither desire nor instinct, and so it presents us with an ideal for human beings, in that our instincts should be spiritualized. And in the distant future this will be achieved: human beings will have bodies without desires or instincts. One day man will be like a diamond; he will no longer have inner urges, but these will then be outwardly controlled.

The stone already represents this chastity today; it is desireless matter. The occult disciple must already now develop this desirelessness within himself. In this sense, the stone is above animal, plant and human. An old Rosicrucian formula begins with the words: “I have laid the eternal creative word in the stone.” Chaste and virginal, the stone preserves this creative word in the depths of physical existence.

If one can develop such a feeling for the stone into a spiritual experience, one becomes clairvoyant in the highest parts of Devachan.

Strakosch Sanatorium Wiesneck 15.2.57

Buchenbach im Breisgau

Dear Mr. Bock!

From the fact that I am writing from Wiesneck, you will be able to conclude that many things have turned out quite differently than we expected. We came here on July 31, stayed in the so-called country house, which is furnished for convalescents, and hoped to regain our strength by Michaelmas so that we could then resume our normal life in Dornach. But in August, Frau Strakosch suffered a dangerous relapse. We suddenly had to move to the actual sanatorium, where we are still today, because the periods of improvement were followed by repeated relapses. As a result, I was unable to carry out my intended visit to Stuttgart to see you. In December and early January, little went well, but fortunately Ms. Strakosch has been getting a little stronger in the last few weeks. However, we will probably have to stay here for some time. Given these facts, you can well imagine that I am still a little upset. We hope that you were able to recover properly in the Black Forest and we wish you – unfortunately belatedly, but all the more sincerely for it – all the best for your health and your work. In view of the tragic events in society, your work is now more important than ever. Will friends in Germany finally wake up and take positive action?

And now to the subject of the F.M. and M.Ac. – I would like to proceed in the order of your letter.

The 5th degree was that of the “Knights of the Rose Cross”. – I have only ever met Michael Bauer in the fourth degree. From the very beginning, there were 9 (nine) degrees in the M.Ae.. The number of 33 degrees is based - as Rudolf Steiner told me - on the fact that the F. M. could not read occult correctly. Because two threes 3 3 must be read 3x3 = 9! This simplifies the question. In the M.Ae. the first three degrees - symbolic degrees - (they corresponded to my view) were called the “II. class”. When one was initiated into these degrees, the answer to the question of the Dweller of the Threshold, “Have all the conditions been fulfilled?” was: “The Great Master has granted a dispensation.” From the 4th degree onwards, we knew that one had to have occult abilities. Therefore, there were only a few members of these degrees. There were about 12 in the 5th degree; Marie Steiner was the only one in the 6th degree. It was called the Kadosh or Avenger degree.

What you mean by the transition from black to red in connection with the 5th degree is not clear to me. I only experienced during each practice of the ritual how at a certain word of the so-called “Rosicrucian conclusion” the black curtains fell and the walls lit up in red.

I never heard of an analogy between the degrees of the M.Ac. and those of the outer F. M.; it may never have been mentioned, because Rudolf Steiner soon said that we were now on our own. (In terms of meaning, I no longer remember the wording.) The degrees of the FM did not apply in the M.Ac. I knew personalities who had reached high degrees in the FM, but in the M.Ae. they had to start from the bottom. We were also not allowed to call ourselves or identify ourselves as “Freemasons” in relation to the FM.

We had only three altars. At the altar of the East, Rudolf Steiner always stood as the “master”; Marie von Sivers was always at his left. The other altars were occupied by personalities from the respective cities.

There was no mention of a transition from compass to straight edge in my case. I only know that in the formula spoken in the ritual from the first degree onwards, only the brothers of the past, the present and the future are mentioned, and that the first are referred to as: “We take compass and straight edge in our hands...”

I do not want to give up hope that I will be able to talk to you about these and other things one day. In a strange way, two rhythms overlap in Mrs. Strakosch's and my life. As you know from volume 1 of my “Life Paths” ($. 35), Rudolf Steiner invited me in March 1908 to work for anthroposophy, that is 49 = 7 x 7 years, and for 33 years this work has been developing within the form that Rudolf Steiner gave it at the Christmas Conference.

Ms. Strakosch and I thank you very much for your kind wishes and send you our warmest regards,

Alexander Strakosch

Speaking exoterically, theosophy is a knowledge. What we esoterics learn in exoteric lectures we should take into our feeling, willing and thinking in such a way that we can then pour it out again into exoteric life. That's esoteric work. And what happens through the same? How can we carry a quite simple theosophical truth directly into life, for instance, the one about going to sleep and waking up, where the physical and etheric bodies remain behind on going to sleep, while the ego and astral body go into the spiritual worlds?

A primitive man used to receive prayers that he said in the evening before going to sleep, and in the morning after waking up, and that was good, for he strengthened his soul with spiritual forces as he prepared his soul for higher worlds, and after he left them, he again permeated his soul with higher forces, and as it were, sucked out soul forces from spiritual worlds.

The mineral, plant and animal kingdoms below man are permeated with spiritual forces that always become renewed; the same is true of the four elements fire, water, air, and earth. Things are different with men. If a man doesn't connect himself with these spiritual forces, he doesn't' receive them. If he goes to sleep without preparation he doesn't get any forces in the worlds he enters then. No matter how learned, scientific and high-ranking a materialist is, if he goes into spiritual worlds unprepared in the evening, he stands far below a simple primitive man who has already connected himself with them through his prayer. Man has increasingly forgotten prayer in our materialistic age with its very admirable scientific achievements. He goes to sleep and wakes up with his everyday thoughts. But what does he do thereby? Something happens through this omission. He kills some of the spiritual life and forces on the physical plane each time.

A man goes into spiritual worlds unconsciously. For instance, if he went to sleep at 11 p.m. unprepared and awakened at 12 in spiritual worlds, he wouldn't know his way around; he'd have the feeling that he was spread out over endless spaces and that he had lost his center. He would be in ecstasy or “beside himself” in the real sense of the word. In ancient Druidic mysteries this ecstasy was artificially induced to let a pupil experience higher worlds consciously. But 12 helpers had to stand at his side so that the pupil didn't lose his ego; they poured the whole power of their pure egos into him. That's how much power was necessary to prevent this dissolution.

This Druidic initiation was the outer way, whereas the inner one was followed in ancient Egyptian mysteries. There the candidate for initiation had to look for the path through the lower astral world for three to five days, that is, to climb into his own interior, and 12 pure priests had to stand beside him, to prevent his lower drives, desires and passions from overpowering him—that slumbered deep in his nature and would otherwise have worked themselves out in the course of his incarnations.

Unheard of vices would have been awakened in him if the 12 priests hadn't protected him from this through their purity. These two paths wouldn't be possible today, for a modern would rebel against such interventions in his ego and against being treated like a child with respect to his drives, desires and passions.

The Rosicrucian school combines both paths in it and also leaves a man completely free. Through the meditations he's given he must himself acquire the forces that helpers used to give him. An esoteric increases the spiritual forces that are necessary for mankind through this work on himself. He combats the desolation that will arise through the terrible materialism in which men have simply forgotten their connection with spiritual worlds and have forgotten how they can get forces out of them for themselves. When souls become ever more desolate, empty and despairing it'll be the task of esoterics to let their spiritual forces work in a living way. They'll maintain their soul's cheerful equilibrium in spite of all blows of destiny and thereby let happiness stream into the rest of mankind to ease their soul pains as torture, as a result of the attainments of materialistic science. Moderns have found many means to anesthetize physical pains to make them disappear. But they haven't really disappeared that way. Exoteric science tells us that no force is lost, and the force of pain doesn't get lost either—it just has an effect in other regions. The pains come back as soul agony. Men will have to go through strong soul pains, and esoterics will then use the spiritual forces that they bring down from the heights to ease these sufferings. Be it ever so unconsciously, each of us resolved to ease mankind's sufferings when we set out on an esoteric path.

Our occult exercises are supposed to bring us to imaginative knowledge. Not so long ago they had imaginations that could be understood by any pupil without further explanation. Today such imaginations must be explained in words, because very few esoterics would be able to understand them by themselves. An imagination will now be given here that's useful for any esoteric who has the feeling that he's not making any progress in spite of his efforts. The pupil should imagine that his teacher or master is standing before him in the shape of Moses, and that the latter asks him: “So you'd like to know why you're not getting ahead on the esoteric path?” “Yes.” “I'll tell you why. It's because you worship the golden calf.” Then the pupil sees the golden calf next to Moses. The latter lets fire come up from the earth that consumes the golden calf and turns it to powder. He throws this powder into some clear water and gives the mixture to the pupil to drink. A few centuries ago any esoteric would have been able to understand this image. Now it must be explained as follows.

When we go back in our memory, we get to a point where our memories stop and ego-consciousness began. What lies before that is what we made out of ourselves in previous incarnations and brought into this one. That's the golden calf that we worship without realizing it—our sheath nature.

The pupil should now replace the image of the golden calf with the image of what he was as a child, before he had an ego-consciousness. He becomes fully aware that what he feels is his ego is just a Luciferic effect. For, ordinary consciousness is based on memory and memory is a Luciferic force, since it's Lucifer's task to carry the past over into the present. If one strips oneself of what one has through ego-consciousness, then what remains is what we've brought with us from other earth lives.

Some people may feel that it's hard to have to think of themselves like that, but we won't be prepared to meet the Guardian of the Threshold without strict concepts like that.

Then the pupil should imagine that fire burns the child's form that he is; he's become a little bigger since then, but basically he's still the same sheath man that the child was, except that the illusion of an ego has been added. He sees how the form turns to powder, and this becomes a strong awareness that all parts of these physical, etheric and astral sheaths must become as indifferent to him as a pile of ashes, as indifferent as clay is for a sculptor before he's made something out of it. He must think away his physical body and its outer shape, his etheric body with its memory, his astral body with its sympathies and antipathies—or think that they are a pile of ashes.

One might not be able to put this into practice right away. It doesn't mean that one should suddenly hug someone one disliked, but when we carry out this imagination as an exercises, we must be able to get rid of all antipathies.

And the powder is thrown into the pure water of divine substance, the way it was before the Luciferic force worked on it. This is how the sheath nature is to be sacrificed and the divine substance is to be given back. But an esoteric also arrives at the insight that everything that's now only a pile of dust for him was formed out of the spirit. His body's shape was sculpted by the spirit, the spirit made him into what he now is as a form. And we should take what the spirit has made out of us back into ourselves. We should drink the water again in which the dust was dissolved. Then we have it pure, after the golden calf was burned, pulverized and dissolved. If we do this, we'll feel that a whole place in us seems to become empty; it's the place where the ego usually is—we feel that this is getting empty. When one can either become a Buddhist and go into a region for which a man should feel that he's too worthy—into nirvana, into an extraterrestrial sphere. Or one can arrive at a new awareness of the Christ impulse and can feel it stream into the place of our ego that has become empty.

Christ would never have been able to come to earth among the Hebrew people if Moses hadn't destroyed the golden calf, thrown it into water, and given it to Israel's children to drink. This doesn't mean that one should do this imagination every day—but maybe every 3 or 4 weeks. It's basically just another clarification of our Rosicrucian verse.

My dear sisters and brothers! If we heed and do everything that's been given till now in the Mystery dramas and esoteric lessons, if we really do all of this in complete devotion, then we can already get very, very far into high spiritual worlds. Moderns don't need anything more to get into very high spiritual worlds. We must live entirely in meditation, concentration and contemplation, and leave everything else outside. One can only attain something by sticking strictly to the prescribed rules. Meditation time must be looked upon as something beautiful and elevated in our esoteric life. During meditation one should first immerse oneself completely in the content of the exercises. So one must empty the soul of all everyday thoughts and feelings and must live in the content of the given exercises. And then make the consciousness devoid of content—also of the meditation material – and listen while one is awake. It's true that this is quite difficult. Some say that they hear their blood pulsing, and that this disturbs them. That's all right—let them hear the blood pulse. Then they'll sense the life in blood and thereby become aware of a piece of inner life.

Exoteric life takes place in the world of cognition. We know something because we confront an object, look at it and make mental images of it. This changes the moment we meditate. Through meditation we enter another world where we have our ideas, thoughts and concepts before us, outside us: we know that we're connected with them. But we can't get rid of them, we run after them. Thoughts ascend from the soul's depths. We see beings like carnivorous animals that devour them. We connect ourselves completely with the thoughts, etc. So we experience things here, whereas in exoteric life we know them. In meditation we're in a world of experience. We shouldn't immediately make ideas about what approaches us in this world. We should just open ourselves, listen and feel what wants to stream into our soul. This develops the lotus flowers so that they can become active. Further on we arrive at the world of bliss or shapes. But only one who has prepared himself for this world experiences it as a world of bliss. For an immature person it's full of terrifying things and it tears him apart. For him love turns into hate there, beautiful into ugly and he now likes what was disgusting to him before, and so on. Everything is in reverse. One only becomes really mature enough for a correct experience of this world of shapes if one goes through a training in self-discipline. What did the Gods do to protect us from an experience of this world of shapes before we're mature? They gave us pleasure, the enjoyment of creative activity here in the physical world. The beauty that we feel in a work of art, in a Raphael, in a Leonardo, such as were shown in scene three of Guardian of the Threshold isn't the permanent thing, also not the art work itself, but what's eternal is the spiritual part—what went on in the artist's soul as he worked, from which the work of art was created.

What is God in maya? What has to be said now must sound rather paradoxical. God is not what we experience in the spring in up-building forces, in shooting, sprouting things, in all beautiful and luminous things—God is real and active where we see destructive powers of nature; God is in autumn storms, in all shattering, disintegrating and crushing things. It sounds horrible and shocking, but it's a fact: God is most active in all destructive and disintegrating things. We're given pleasure from work with physical things to protect us from entering the world of shapes, of bliss too soon. In waking day consciousness we're separated from it as by a thin layer of ice. While we're in esoteric training we shouldn't bring these esoteric teachings into exoteric life or want to regulate exoteric life in accordance with these teachings. That could only lead to folly. Our education in exoteric life must result from exoteric pedagogical principles. One could set it up as an ideal that esoteric life should run completely independently. We must preserve absolute equanimity with respect to spiritual experiences, just as we should remain calm in everyday life with respect to all events, ideas, etc., so that we don't get excited or upset. One attains this equanimity by reverently thinking, feeling and living oneself into the three mantras, It thinks me—It works me—It weaves me, by letting these 3 sentences go through one's soul over and over again. And then we'll also understand our rosicrucian verse in the right way:

Ex Deo nascimur
In Christo morimur
Per Spiritum Sanctum reviviscimus.

The four plays here produced in an English translation in two volumes, are perhaps best described as Christian Mystery Plays. They are intended to represent the experiences of the soul during initiation; or in other words, the psychic development of man up to the moment when he is able to pierce the veil and see into the beyond. Through this vision he is then able to discover his real self and carry into effect the cryptic injunction graven on the old Greek temples Γνωθι σεαυτόν, know thyself. At a later stage he comes to ‘realize’ himself, and finally learns the true significance of the Second Advent of our Lord. This process is known as the ‘Rosicrucian’ initiation—an initiation specially adapted to modern days—the time and manner of which depend on the individual nature and circumstances of each person.

The four plays form one continuous series, and the characters portrayed are of quite an ordinary kind except that they take more than the usual interest in spiritual matters, their first desire being so to improve their own mental and moral state as to make then able to benefit their fellows.

We find amongst them many types—the occult leader and the seeress who explains the coming of Christ. We are shown the spiritual development of an artist, a scientist, a philosopher, a historian, a mystic, and a man of the world; and we hear too the scoffing cynicism of the materialist Fox. We are led to realize how the characters are connected on the physical as well as the spiritual plane; and we learn also about the nature of elementals and the twin forces of hindrance known as Lucifer and Ahriman; the former of whom may be described as an embodiment of the spiritual impulse to action, an impulse always necessary but often distorted to bring about self-glorification rather than the ambition to do good; the latter as an embodiment of an influence which seeks to materialize everything, thus hindering true spiritual growth and freedom. These two influences are given to man that he may gain free will by having perfect liberty to guide them in the one direction or in the other.

With regard to the writing and production of the plays, Doctor Steiner's habit is to write a play whilst the rehearsals are actually in progress, finishing it a few days before the first public performance, and the first play was written and acted in this manner in August, 1910, the second in August, 1911, the third in August, 1912, and the fourth in August, 1913. It was not until then that the complete key to the development of the characters was attainable. The last play explains the progress of the other three, and, following out the hint given in the second play by the account of the previous incarnation in the Middle Ages, traces the characters right back to their earlier incarnation in ancient Egypt.

The plays were performed in Munich every summer under the personal direction of the author and were acted by men and women of several nationalities—all students of his teaching. The audiences numbered some two thousand and were composed entirely of his followers.

In 1913, owing to the difficulties and expense incurred each year in securing an appropriate theatre, his supporters acquired a plot of ground in Munich, and plans were designed for a theatre of their own, but the Munich authorities after much prevarication and delay finally prohibited its building.

Because of this, and because of the hostility which his writings and lectures had aroused in other parts of Germany, Doctor Steiner was led to set up his theatre in Switzerland at the little village of Dornach—not far from Bâle. Here a theatre is being built in accordance with his own designs and it is hoped that the plays will be performed there regularly as soon as the edifice is complete.

In conclusion I should like to express my gratitude to my friends and fellow students R. T. Gladstone, M.A., Cantab, and S. M, K. Gandell, M.A., Oxon, for their most valuable help in the very difficult task of translating the plays into English verse. Only a translator can appreciate the difficulties involved in preserving both the sense and rhythm of the original, and it is no exaggeration to say that without their aid the production of these works in English would not have been possible at the present time.

I would also like to take this occasion of thanking Doctor Steiner himself for permitting me to attend the rehearsals and assist in the performances of the plays. It was a great privilege and pleasure for which I can never feel sufficiently grateful. And last, but not least, I have to thank him for his ever kind and patient attention to all my questions on the subject of these plays and of spiritual science in general.

H. COLLISON.

New York, 1919.