The 40 days of Lent
The earth sinks from its original state
Is an abyss certain for the well-intentioned?
Earthly man has lost the heritage of eternity
The sick require healing
A leader must arise for the misguided
The light must shine for him in the darkness
The power of the senses must spiritually turn.1Lectures and Courses on Christian Religious Work II, Lecture 27, GA 343, 9 October 1921 p.m., Dornach, now available in both English and German.
February 21, 2026
Lent is the forty days before Holy Week and Easter, beginning on Ash Wednesday.2This calculation of the 40 days excludes Sundays. This season recognizes Christ Jesus fasting in the wilderness to develop the Logos within his human body. During Lent, we prepare both physically and spiritually for what lies ahead. Now that the candles of the holidays have been burned to ashes, "the power of the senses must spiritually turn" to kindle the fire of Christ within us. Christ Jesus lights the way.
A time of testing and preparation
As Rudolf Steiner explains, it was necessary for Jesus to retreat into the wilderness after his baptism to fully develop his super-sensible abilities.
After Jesus of Nazareth took the Christ-being into himself he had to go into the wilderness. There he had clairvoyant visions, which are described fairly accurately by the words of the clairvoyant Gospel writers. It could also be said that now the Christ-being was really bound to the three bodies of Jesus. That means that he descended from the spiritual world and became limited to the capacities of the three bodies. Therefore it would be false to think that Christ, because he belonged to a higher world from which he had descended, could now immediately envision that higher world. That is not the case. Whoever finds this incomprehensible should think again about what it means to be clairvoyant. You are all clairvoyant! All! There is not one here who is not clairvoyant. So why don't you all see clairvoyantly? Because you haven't developed the organs in order to use the forces which reside in all humans. It is not a question of having the capacities, but rather of being able to use them.3The Fifth Gospel, Volume II, Lecture II, GA 148, 18 December 1913, Cologne.
During this time of preparation, Christ Jesus was challenged by both Ahriman (satan) and Lucifer (the devil), as are all human beings. Steiner explains, โHe felt himself drawn to Ahriman and Lucifer, for it is against them that humanity must fight. Therefore the Christ-Being, who had never existed in a human body, departed into solitude to do battle with Ahriman and Lucifer.โ 4The Fifth Gospel, Lecture V, GA 148, 6 October 1913, Oslo. He was tempted three times.
1. By Lucifer
At that moment he sensed what that being was attempting in the language of visions โ what the Bible describes with the words: '๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ' โ ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ โ '๐๐๐ง ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ซ๐๐๐จ๐ ๐ง๐ข๐ณ๐ ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐.' If one is full of pride and arrogance and brings it into the spiritual world, one can own this world's kingdom of Lucifer because arrogance submerges everything else if everything except arrogance is left behind. [...]Then he recognized that figure as the one he had seen at the gates of the Essenes: Lucifer! Therefore he knew that now Lucifer was speaking to him, and he repulsed the attack. ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ข๐๐๐ซ.
2. By Ahriman & Lucifer
Then two beings came to attack him, and he had the impression which was more or less what the Bible describes. They said to him: '๐๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก, ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ก๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐.' In such a case consciousness of strength and courage should awaken in the human soul, but it can also make him a sensualist. Two figures stood before him. Because Jesus had had the impression that it was Lucifer and Ahriman who had flown away from the Essene gates, he now had the impression that within one of them was the same being whom the leper had encountered and who had presented himself as death. Because of these experiences he recognized Lucifer and Ahriman. [โฆ] He also repulsed this attack. ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ฎ๐๐ข๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ง.
3. By Ahriman Alone
Then Ahriman came again. A kind of temptation ensued. He said to Christ Jesus something similar to what the Bible describes: '๐๐๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ.' But now Jesus could not give a complete answer to what Ahriman demanded. [โฆ] If Christ was to help earthly humanity in the right way, he had to allow Ahriman to act. ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ง, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฅ, ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ก'๐ฌ ๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง. His work had to remain undefeated by Christ, not completely overcome. The Christ must accept the struggle with Ahriman until the end of earth evolution. Ahriman had to remain.
Steiner concludes:
We as humans can overcome the attacks of Lucifer and the attacks of Lucifer and Ahriman together. ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ก'๐ฌ ๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง. Therefore, Christ had to hold Ahriman in check, but allow him to stand alongside him. For this reason, Ahriman remained active during the three years that Christ worked in the body of Jesus of Nazareth, and he entered the soul of Judas and was decisive in the betrayal of Jesus. What happened through Judas is related to the temptation in the desert after the baptism in the Jordan.โ 3The Fifth Gospel, Volume II, Lecture II, GA 148, 18 December 1913, Cologne.
We too must continue to struggle against Ahrimanic forces until the end of earthโs evolution. Lent is an opportunity to practice and prepare for our own earthly challenges.
Fasting brings harmony between the universe and man.
Today, many people give up indulgences and fast to strengthen themselves again the worldly temptations of Lucifer and Ahriman. Traditionally, this is accomplished by eliminating sweets and other cravings or eliminating meals, possibly only having one meal per day. Indeed, Rudolf Steiner recommended fasting to counteract the destructive forces of the world.
The whole of waking life is a process destructive of the physical body. Illnesses are caused by excessive activity of the astral body. Eating to excess affords a stimulus to the astral body which re-acts in a disturbing way on the physical body. That is why fasting is laid down in certain religions. The effect of fasting is that the astral body, having greater quiet and less to do, partially detaches itself from the physical body. Its vibrations are modulated and communicate a regular rhythm to the etheric body. Rhythm is thus set going in the etheric body by means of fasting. Harmony is brought into life (etheric body) and form (physical body). In other words, harmony reigns between the universe and man.5An Esoteric Cosmology, Lecture XI, The Devachanic World (Heaven), GA 94, 7 June 1906, Paris.
Powerful forces of evil work against human spiritual evolution. Mardi Gras or โFat Tuesdayโ exemplifies this. People are tempted to gluttony, debauchery and drunkenness the day before the beginning of Lent and thereafter, at great cost, even for the "well intentioned".
[N]ow all civilized people have reached that stage so that alcohol is an unnecessary evil today. Through its use one loses the ability to get along with others and to understand them. Alcohol is especially harmful for esoterics since its use changes all developed higher forces into forces of the personal ego, repeatedly locks it into itself, and tears the astral body apart through the opposing streams of the higher and lower I forces. The principle through which everyone can consciously attain his individualization was brought through the coming of Christ to the earth. That's why Christ Jesus says: I am the true vine.
By consuming alcohol one prepares a fertile soil for hosts of spiritual beings, just as a dirty room gets filled with flies.6Esoteric Lessons, No. 39, GA 266, 13 Aug 13 1908, Stuttgart.
As the Lenten breviary verse above informs, we must now choose whether to sink further into the darkness of the material world or light the fire of the spirit within ourselves. We must either make ourselves into suitable raiments for the spirit or fall deeper into darkness. "The power of the senses must spiritually turn" to heal the sickness of the world and restore our heritage of eternity.