Imprisoned in the Spiritual Void - Irene Diet The Riddle of the Relation between World-Knowledge and Self-Knowledge in Rudolf Steiner's Work
’n Important !refator" #ote$ %This book has been written for those who seek a path of knowledge in the nthroposoph" of Rudolf Steiner& It will not offer offer a reaffirmation of eisting opinions( and for this reason we would would point out the following$ If etra)ts from the works works of two authors are fo)used upon( our intention is n either to harm these authors nor to gi*e them a degree of attention attention that is perhaps unwarranted& #o( our aim is rather rather to show that the path of knowledge we seek )an re)ei*e spe)ial stimulus from a stud" of ob+e)ts whi)h pro*e to be untrue& ’,nl" in this sense %)an the following pages be understood&
’This spiritual stream is to be nthroposophi)al be)ause through it one is to re)ogni.e more and more how the human being being )an )ome to self-knowledge within himself& The human being )annot )ome to self-knowledge( a nthropos )annot )ome to knowledge of anthropos( man )annot )ome to the knowledge of man so long as this human hu man being regards that whi)h he is )alled upon to do within his own soul as if it were a matter taking pla)e between between him and nature and re/uiring no effort& That we behold the world plunged in 0a"a( this is a situation brought about for us b" the 1ods( this is a fa)t that )on)erns our souls( a matter that re/uires higher self-knowledge( this is a matter that the human being must )ome to know within his own humanit"( this is a /uestion for nthroposoph" 2&&&&3%’ %Rudolf Steiner on 4st 5anuar" 4647&
’nthroposoph" has its might" might" task through the *oi)e *oi)e of the human heart itself& It is nothing other than the longing longing of the human being of the present present da"& It will li*e( li*e( of ne)essit"( be)ause it is the human longing longing of the present time& This( m" dear friends( friends( is what nthroposoph" wills wills to be& It )orresponds to that that whi)h the human most ardentl" longs for( for his outer and his inner eisten)e& % Rudolf Steiner on 46th 5anuar" 4689&
’In the nthroposophi)al So)iet" far too little attention is paid to the fa)t that nthroposoph" is not meant to be a gre" theor"( but something that trul" li*es& What trul" li*es - that is its essential being: and if it is m a d e into a gre" theor"( then it is is often b" no means a b e t t er ( but a w o r s e theor" than than others& ;ut it it onl" be)omes a theor" if it is m a d e into one( if it is
killed& T h i s is still appre)iated far too little - that nthroposoph" is is not +ust a different world-*iew world-*iew from the others( but that it n e e d s t o b e r e ) e i * e d i n a d i f f e r e n t w a " & ,ne re)ogni.es re)ogni.es and eperien)es its its essential being onl" through this different wa" of re)ei*ing it& %Rudolf Steiner on 4
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%’=oreword%’ %That something must pass through the 'nothing' in order to be born anew( is easier ea sier to understand as an idea than to li*e li*e through dire)tl"& nd thus it happens that those those who eperien)e’ %the +ourne" into nothingness - into death - will also( in their feeling( be able to eperien)e the situation in whi)h nthroposoph" now finds itself( as hopeless and irre*ersible& irre*ersible& The turning awa" from from Rudolf Steiner( a trend represented e*er more openl" in offi)ial /uarters of the nthroposophi)al So)iet"( the rapid de)line in the sale of his books( not to speak of the remarkable staging of the >hristmas >onferen)e 8<<8( in whi)h totalitarian rather than nthroposophi)al tenden)ies seem to be )oming to the fore( all this )ould lead one to to lose either one's )ourage or the ne)essar" distan)e from e*ents& distan)e whi)h alone is able able to dire)t the ga.e to the pla)e when)e the spirit wea*es - and this perhaps more strongl" than before& ,ne )an eperien)e how this ga.e( instead of turning more )learl" and )on)entratedl" to Rudolf Steiner's nthroposoph" itself( wanders off - for eample to the )onstitutional or statutor" /uestion whi)h has been left b" the 1oetheanum( with so powerful effe)t( in a state of )onfusion( leading to the belief that a So)iet" )an repla)e what )an arise onl" onl" through the de*elopment of ea)h indi*idual& =or nthroposoph" is( in the first pla)e( nothing other than a path of knowledge: a path of knowledge( howe*er( that ea)h indi*idual has to work out /uite alone with and within himself& ;ut now we )an obser*e a d"ing( a de)line( a dissolution of what up till now has been a))epted as the nthroposoph" of Rudolf Steiner( a downhill trend whi)h seems to be alien to the nature of nthroposoph"& nthroposoph"& ;ut there is no phenomenon whi)h )ould be inimi)al to nthroposoph" - the indi*idual's path of knowledge - ’apart from the re+e)tion of knowledge( as a free free a)t of the indi*idual&% ?*er" situation( howe*er
hopeless it ma" seem( bears within it the possibilit" of being the starting-point of su)h a path& Indeed( the situations situations eperien)ed as the the most dramati)( the most diffi)ult diffi)ult and the most hopeless bear within themsel*es the greatest potential for su)h a new beginning& ;ut for for this to be so( one thing is ne)essar"$ knowledge( ’self-knowledge%( ’self-knowledge%( must reall" be sought& =or one's /uite personal personal sense of sho)k in fa)e of the situation in whi)h Rudolf Steiner's nthroposoph" finds itself - does it not also arise through the fa)t that I must ask m"self$ m"self$ to what etent ’am I( too%( a part of this phenomenon@ n inward brooding will( will( of )ourse( not bring bring an answer to this /uestion& #o( I must first bring about a )ogniti*e pro)ess whi)h )reates for m e the possibilit" of ’obser*ing % m" own a)ti*it"& This )ogniti*e pro)ess will will need to be set in motion b" means of ob+e)ts whi)h ha*e( for the present( pla)ed themsel*es outside me$ in the world whi)h I belie*e m"self to )onfront as an eternal realit"& nd here I will dis)o*er dis)o*er that( in )ognition( I meet not onl" the other( other( but also m"self& In the tet that follows follows we will tr" to des)ribe how( when su)h an a n attempt is made( the pi)ture( and also the )ounter-pi)ture( appears of what Rudolf Steiner's nthroposoph" might be in its essential nature&
;erlin( Ath 0ar)h 8<<7
’4& ;etween Intelle)tualism Intelle)tualism and Spiritual rbitrariness$ the Dilemma of the nthroposophist in our Time %n obser*er of the nthroposophi)al s)ene at the beginning of the 84st )entur" en)ounters two main tenden)ies whi)h seem to )ontradi)t one another( and whi)h also )ontinuall" - and more or less openl" - *iew one another in terms of re+e)tion and disappro*al& ,n the one hand( there are the more traditional traditional nthroposophists who see their prin)ipal task in referring to Rudolf Steiner( / uoting him a great deal( and in whom the impulse to remain as )lose as a s possible to the spiritual tea)her is most apparent& These nthroposophists nthroposophists make the )ontent of what the" belie*e the" ha*e ha*e found in Rudolf Steiner's work work into the )ontent )ontent of their own thoughts& In )ontrast to these there is( in)reasingl"( a group of people who also see themsel*es as nthroposophists and also refer to Rudolf Steiner( but who dire)tl" or indire)tl" a))use the first group of ha*ing failed fa iled to grasp what is the most essential thing in nthroposoph"$ namel"( the independent stri*ing to attain knowledge( but abo*e all ’dire)t eperien)e( %of spiritual spiritual realities& This group of people people feels in the approa)h followed b" the first something rigidified and dogmati) whi)h onl" has intelle)tual +ustifi)ation and )annot lead to an eperien)e of the spiritual world& world& The others oppose the tenden)" of those who( pro)eeding on the basis of Rudolf Steiner's work( seek wa"s of their own - generall" in)luding in their work forms of meditation and pra)ti)e whi)h are borrowed from outside nthroposoph" - with the a))usation that( in so doing( the" are lea*ing behind what is the essential element in Rudolf Steiner's work$ namel"( ’Rudolf Steiner's work&% Though it is eas" to see that ea)h of these two dire)tions is +ustified( +ustified( it is )lear that neither the one nor the other is able to deal properl" with( and do full +usti)e to( the
work of Rudolf Steiner& Steiner& The wa" to his work should lie somewhere between between these two positions& between whi)h has so far pro*ed pro*ed to be - as we see see from present-da" de*elopments - *er" elusi*e& Knowledge and li*ing eperien)e( eperien)e( thinking and empiri)al eperien)e seem seem to be mutuall" e)lusi*e& e)lusi*e& Bow is this possible@ possible@ In order to eplore this /uestion( in the tet that follows we will look more )losel"( with the help of eamples( at ea)h of the two forms in whi)h nthroposoph" shows itself toda"& These eamples )ould be substituted b" man" others( and were )hosen onl" be)ause in ea)h of them one of the two tenden)ies )omes to epression with parti)ular )larit"& ’;iograph" and Ci*ing ?perien)e of the Spirit %In 4666 5ostein Saether( a #orwegian Waldorf s)hool tea)her and painter( published a ’Karmi) autobiograph"%( in whi)h he des)ribes( in a ddition to numerous past in)arnations( his life in the present( a nd abo*e all the path whi)h led him to the knowledge of his his past in)arnations& ’243 %Be himself )hara)teri.es his book as an ’indi*idual a))ount of karmi) and supersensible eperien)es( whose purpose is to make known the )hara)ter of m" personal personal path of )ognition%& ’283 ’283 %ll aspe)ts of this /uest - so 5ostein Saether tells us - are influen)ed in an ongoing wa" b" the nthroposoph" of Rudolf Steiner& Indeed( for him the the results of this /uest ha*e ’arisen out of% and ’for% ’for% the ’nthroposophi)al ’nthroposophi)al world%& nd he sees his spe)ial task arising from the fa)t that the Bigh S)hool for Spiritual S)ien)e - whose task is spiritual resear)h - ’has so far had ha d onl" one spiritual resear)her$ namel"( Rudolf Steiner himself( who died A9 "ears ago 2&&&&3 We nthroposophists might tr"( in *iew of this fa)t( to eperien)e what is a sense of shame& I must tell "ou that( in fa)e of this situation( I am ashamed& If after Steiner there were to be no more spiritual resear)hers( this would )ertainl" not )orrespond to his intention& With this book I would like to see whether it is possible toda" not onl" to speak in an indire)t and general wa" on this theme % 2karma resear)h - I&D&3 ’with the help of Steiner /uotations( but to speak indi*iduall" and dire)tl" about eperien)es of m" own( %so Saether )ontinues( who with these words )hara)teri.es himself as a )lassi)al representati*e of one of the abo*e-des)ribed groupings within the nthroposophi)al )ommunit"& ,n e*er" page of his ’Karmi) autobiograph"% it is e*ident that 5ostein Saether's aim is not to )on*e" )on*e" a theor"( an idea or an inner pi)ture& #o( he wishes to tell tell ’about life itself %- his present life( and of the endea*ours whi)h were to lead him to a knowledge of his past in)arnations& ))ording to su)h a *iew *iew the starting-point )an onl" be the work one does’ %on the e*ents of one's present biograph"( whi)h( of )ourse( - and we would stress this fa)t epli)itl" here - are not present in the state of ’being eperien)ed here and now& %The eperien)e itself is past: what remains is onl" the ’memories% of what one eperien)ed& ;ut it is b" means of these memories that the the )ogniti*e pro)esses should be awakened( whi)h lead one ba)k into an eperien)e of one's past life& If we wish to enter into into the basi) gesture of Saether's a)ti*it" whi)h )onsists )onsists in making his own biograph" into an ob+e)t of obser*ation and )ognition( we must first re)reate this gesture within within oursel*es - in thought& gain( this )an onl" be done( done( of )ourse( with the aid of a tet in whi)h 5ostein Saether des)ribes his own efforts and eperien)es&
E Right at the beginning of the )hapter )on)erning his ’spiritual breakthrough( %5ostein Saether des)ribes the moment when what he )alls ’Rudolf Steiner's karma eer)ise of 4648 % led him to the first ’eperien)es of imagination%$ ’273 %’=rom 466F onwards I started to )arr" out this biographi)al karma-eer)ise with more rigour than before& I took two )hara)teristi) eamples from ea)h se*en-"ear period and sele)ted them in ad*an)e& I followed these memories inwardl" in re*erse se/uen)e in mural-like formations& I did not find it ne)essar" to imagine ea)h e*ent in ba)kward motion( as in the dail" re*iew eer)ise& What was important( so it seemed to me then( was that the se/uen)e of memories should be meditated one after the other( ea)h in its real flow in time& When I )ould no longer rea)h ba)k to m" first "ears of infan)" with the help of memories of m" own( I tried to )reate( b" means of ea)t phantas"( inner thoughts and pi)tures rea)hing ba)k to the moment of )on)eption& I tried to eperien)e m"self rising abo*e the pla)e of m" birth and ho*ering o*er the Sunndal mountains& Then )ame the moment in meditation when I knew I must not fall asleep or lose m" )on)entration( but wanted to bring about a state of )omplete emptiness( free of thought and pi)ture-)ontent& 0" 'I'-)ons)iousness had to be maintained& Bere I had had for man" "ears the most *aried eperien)es of the imperfe)tion of m" own soul-for)es& 2&&&&&3 ,ne afternoon in September 466F - while I was in Gmea( sitting on a simple( green wooden )hair in m" white guest-room( with its green and pea)h-blossom )oloured fabri)s and a pie)e of bla)k furniture %’2H3 %’ - I followed m" own biograph" ba)kwards in time to the first )hildhood memor"( whi)h I des)ribed at the beginning of this book( and was tr"ing to )on)entrate the inner for)e of m" 'I' ba)k towards m" birth& ,n pre*ious o))asions I had ob*iousl" been too passi*e& fter these efforts I tried to ho*er( without thought or feeling( in a mood of nothingness & Then there was a *er" gentle inner +erking sensation( and I thought I was waking up in m" e*er"da" )ons)iousness& Instead( there followed an awakening into a li*ing and mo*ing world of pi)tures( whi)h I wanted to see as an imagination& I found m"self in the midst of pro)esses whi)h I re)ogni.ed at on)e as something belonging to me& I was able to eperien)e m" thinking of toda" as 'I'-presen)e( and simultaneousl" with this I )ould also follow the e*ents of that time with the )orresponding thoughts( feelings and a)tions of that time&% In the wa" thus )hara)teri.ed 5ostein Saether )ame to remember his twel*e pre*ious in)arnations( whi)h he des)ribes in his book& What is a)tuall" happening here@ E To begin with( we will ’not% refer ba)k to the eer)ise gi*en b" Rudolf Steiner in earl" 4648( and whi)h 5ostein Saether took as the basis for his meditati*e work& =or our aim is not to )ompare /uotations 2those in 5ostein Saether's book with those from the shorthand reports of Rudolf Steiner's le)tures3( but our intention is to sense what is the gesture of Saether's a)ti*it" in its will-dire)tion( in its *er" d"nami)& Cet us first pla)e at the fo)us of our in/uir" the point des)ribed and eperien)ed b" 5ostein Saether as a break& Whilst( starting with the e*ents of his re)ent biograph"(
he takes hold of memories in re*erse se/uen)e and meditates them( this pro)ess be)omes impossible at a )ertain point$ namel"( where his memor" )eases to be of an" use to him& This applies to the e*ents whi)h lie before the third "ear$ to these e*ents the normal e*er"da" )ons)iousness of the modern human being has no a))ess& ;ut as 5ostein Saether has to take as his starting-point his e*er"da" )ons)iousness - an awakening on a higher plane onl" happens to him at the moment when he )rosses the threshold of time and finds himself in another life - the first diffi)ult" arises$ Bow )an he repla)e the missing memories@ 5ostein Saether mentions the epedient whi)h he dares to use at this point$ he meditates pi)tures whi)h( in his own words( ha*e sprung from an ea)t phantas"& These pi)tures( whi)h rea)h ba)k not onl" to birth but e*en to the moment of )on)eption( were of his own making& ,ne of them he des)ribes in the following words$ ’I tried to eperien)e m"self rising abo*e m" pla)e of birth and ho*ering o*er the Sunndal mountains& % t this point( if not sooner( the /uestion arises$ In what relation do phantas"-pi)tures of this kind stand to the pi)tures whi)h Saether reall" remembers@ What is the differen)e between his memories and the phantas"-pi)tures( and what is their similarit"@ re there not /uite definite inner )on)eptions underl"ing both pi)ture forms - inner )on)eptions whi)h we should eamine and get to the root of@ ;ut before we look more )losel" at these ba)kground elements we will turn to the other form in whi)h that whi)h )laims to ha*e sprung from Rudolf Steiner's nthroposoph" )omes to epression in our time& ’Working with Rudolf Steiner's ;ooks and Ce)tures %Sergei !rokofieff( of Russian birth( and one of the most prominent of toda"'s li*ing nthroposophists( appears( in ea)h one of his numerous and )ompendious books( to be unusuall" well-*ersed in the )omplete works of Rudolf Steiner$ whole pages are de*oted to /uotations( either word-for-word or indire)t( from Steiner's thoughts& !rokofieff's main aim is - and all his books bear witness to this - to )reate a kind of s"nthesis of Rudolf Steiner's work& The /uotations and thoughts whi)h he brings together on a gi*en sub+e)t are alwa"s drawn from different writings( and espe)iall" le)tures( and are an epression of the attempt to present a summar" and an interpretation of this work in its fundamental elements& 5ust as we did with 5ostein Saether( we will now listen to Sergei !rokofieff's own words& The following /uote is taken from the book on ’The Bea*enl" Sophia and the ;eing of nthroposoph"%( in whi)h he attempts to des)ribe the )oming into being and the working of the spiritual being to whom he feels profoundl" indebted$ namel"( the ;eing nthroposophia& - ?tended passages from the )hapter on ’Sophia and the r)hangel 0i)hael% will be /uoted here& ’2F3 %The singling out of a passage whi)h( to make matters worse( is then interrupted in )ertain pla)es( ma" of )ourse seem problemati)& ;ut as we are )on)erned - +ust as in the )ase of the /uestions arising in relation to the work of 5ostein Saether - less about the so-)alled )orre)tness of the )ontent of what is said ’2A3%( than about the wa" in whi)h !rokofieff approa)hes the theme( the presenting of etra)ts ma" also seem +ustified& In )ontrast to the tet of Saether we are not )on)erned here with the des)ription of an eer)ise and the eperien)es it has brought& Saether has himself des)ribed( in the se)tion /uoted earlier( the soul-gesture with whi)h he works& ;ut in !rokofieff's tet the gesture whi)h underlies his endea*ours is less apparent& It has to be found in the reading of
it& Thus one should tr" ’to obser*e the inner eperien)es whi)h arise in the soul as one is reading this tet& %=or it is this obser*ation - and this alone - whi)h )an pro*ide us with insight into !rokofieff's approa)h& To enable this to happen( howe*er( it is ne)essar" to /uote a longer passage& ;ut work of this kind has as a pre)ondition the la"ing aside of all s"mpath" and antipath" - i&e& of that element of feeling whi)h stands in the wa" of a deeper penetration( as it belie*es it has the answer in ad*an)e& If this is attempted one )an obser*e that( underl"ing the feelings of s"mpath" and antipath"( there are /uite spe)ial for)es whi)h are themsel*es )onsumed at the moment when these feelings arise& If( howe*er( one forestalls this transformation of the for)es underl"ing the feelings of s"mpath" and antipath"( then these *er" for)es )an be espe)iall" helpful for the pro)ess of )ognition& Indeed( one )an eperien)e how( in the holding ba)k of s"mpath" and antipath"( a kind of soul organ )omes into being& ;ut this organ is in its essential nature )onne)ted with the ob+e)t whi)h would normall" ha*e )aused these feelings to arise& nd thus it )an be of spe)ial help towards an understanding of ’these %/uestions& - ;ut now( ba)k to !rokofieff's tet$ ’s was alread" des)ribed abo*e( we ha*e in the earthl" de*elopment of philosoph" - seen from an o))ult standpoint - a re*elation of the law of the Sun( that is( an epression of the )ombined working of the spirits of Wisdom( the K"riotetes( with the r)hangeloi( +ust as was the )ase on the ,ld Sun& Therefore 0i)hael( as the mightiest son of Sophia( had the task of sending the fruits of this )ombined working - whi)h one )an also des)ribe as a working of the Bea*enl" Sophia in our )osmos - down to the ?arth& 'Be was among the r)hangels(' said Rudolf Steiner( 'inasmu)h as the" inhabit the Sun( the most outstanding& Be was the spirit who not onl" sent the ph"si)aletheri) solar ra"s down from the Sun( but who sent( within the ph"si)al-etheri) solar ra"s ( the i n s p i r i n g i n t e l l e ) t u a l i t " down to the ?arth&&&&&&&&nd the dire)tl" i m p l e m e n t i n g spirit( who sent intelle)tualit" down in a spiritual wa" to the ?arth( that is 0i)hael' %’23 %’- that is to sa"( 'dire)tl" implementing' what the Bea*enl" Sophia )reati*el" a))omplishes in our )osmos( from the heights to the depths out of the sphere of wisdom& This helps us also to understand wh" Rudolf Steiner in another )onne)tion writes of 0i)hael as a )osmi) spirit who i n t h e r i g h t w a " )arries the past 2the law of the Sun3 into the present ?arth e*olution$ ',ne will then n o t onl" en*isage an obser*ing and an eperien)ing of the present world( but also what 0i)hael )on*e"s - a p a s t world )ondition( a world )ondition whi)h 0i)hael )arries into the present through his being and his deeds&' %’263 %’nd 'the wa" in whi)h 0i)hael brings the past into effe)t in human life in the present( is kept in a))ordan)e with right spiritual progress in the world( in that it )ontains nothing Cu)iferi)&' 2&&&& &3 We re)all the working together - )hara)teri.ed in a lmost the same words - of the spirits of Wisdom with the r)hangels on the ,ld Sun( when the substan)e of wisdom that had been poured forth b" the former in an e a r l i e r period( was preser*ed b" the r)hai and passed on at a l a t e r period to the r)hangeloi& Thus 0i)hael is in our )osmos that hierar)hi)al spirit who( from the beginning of ?arth de*elopment( sends down to humanit" the )osmi) intelligen)e( the )reati*e
world-thoughts of the hierar)hies( the substan)e of the Bea*enl" Sophia( from out of the Sun-sphere in the form of the spiritual light of )osmi) wisdom( whi)h awakens a higher )ons)iousness& s the leading Sun-r)hangel( he beholds at the turning-point of time the departure of the >hrist from the Sun and his pro)ess of union with the ?arth& Thus the highest ;eing of our entire )osmos lea*es that sphere to whi)h 0i)hael belongs and whi)h he ser*es& Whereupon the 0"ster" of 1olgotha is a))omplished on the ?arth( - %whi)h at first remains unknown to the human being& In order( howe*er( that this e*ent )an be eperien)ed in full )ons)iousness( ’0i)hael on the Sun makes the de)ision( in imitation of the >hrist( whom he has ser*ed from the primal beginnings as the '>ountenan)e of the Sun-spirit'( to sa)rifi)e to earthl" humanit"( with whi)h the >hrist ;eing has from now on united himself( the most pre)ious substan)e( whi)h he had hitherto administered in the spiritual )osmos at the bidding of the Bea*enl" Sophia$ the s u b s t a n ) e o f t h e ) o s m i ) I n t e l l i g e n ) e & nd thus this thought-substan)e is poured like a spiritual golden shower on to the ?arth through the )ourse of the first )enturies of the >hristian era& 2&&&&&&&3 Bumanit" entered this new phase of de*elopment from around the eighth )entur" after >hrist& In the same period the )osmi) intelligen)e of 0i)hael rea)hed the ?arth( and the supersensible being we are )onsidering here %2the ;eing nthroposophia as the "oungest )onstituent member of the Bea*enl" Sophia - I&D&3 ’')aught humanit" up' in its own de*elopment in the intelle)tual or mind-soul& ,ne )an sa" that the supersensible ;eing forms( within this hea*enl"-earthl" pro)ess( a kind of )hali)e for humanit"( and the intelligen)e of 0i)hael fills this with its substan)e& 2&&&&&&&3 %The ’free life of thought in the )ons)iousness-soul of modern times )an onl" be attained b" the human being b" *irtue of the fa)t that( sin)e the 4HthJ4Fth )entur"( the )osmi) intelligen)e of 0i)hael has been poured into general human de*elopment& It has now be)ome earthl"( and has be)ome man's own possession entirel"& This )an onl" happen( howe*er( through the fa)t that its earthl" bearer - the supersensible ;eing %2nthroposophia - I&D&3 - ’guides it into human )ons)iousness b" uniting her own )ons)iousness-soul with the )ons)iousness-soul of the indi*idual human being: in other words$ through the fa)t that she a))omplished what Rudolf Steiner )hara)teri.ed as a passage of this ;eing( the "oungest )onstituent member of the Sophia( t h r o u g h t h e h u m a n b e i n g ( through his )ons)iousness-soul& She 'has entered into the human being'( entered 'the human soul': for se*eral )enturies she has been 'so inwardl" united &&&&& with the human soul'( she had 'passed through the human soul( through the essential being of man': %’24<3 %’she passed through him in the period from the 4HthJ4Fth )entur" onwards( u p to our own time( and poured into his soul( out of the )hali)e she bore( the )osmi) intelligen)e that had be)ome earthl"& 2&&&&3 ll this signifies as it were the )ompletion of the pro)ess of the spirtual-histori)al )ommunion of the human being( thanks to whi)h self-)ons)iousness full" awakens for the first time( whereb" he is permitted to ad*an)e in )ons)iousness and freedom towards the reali.ation of his true mission on ?arth& This ) o m m u n i o n i n t h o u g h t we )an pi)ture to oursel*es as an imagination of the loft" spiritual ;eing of whom we are speaking in this book( who at the behest of the Bea*enl" Sophia nourishes the )ons)iousness-soul of earthl" man with substan)e from the supersensible )hali)e whi)h is filled with the )osmi) intelligen)e of 0i)hael& With this
)ommunion the seeds are laid in him( of the new fa)ult" of eperien)ing the spiritual worlds in full )ons)iousness& nd with this is opened up to humanit" toda" the path of Sophia( who leads us to the true knowledge of the >hrist& This )ommunion in thought( whi)h took pla)e on the deep foundation of mankind's de*elopment( was at first per)ei*ed onl" un)ons)iousl"& =urther de*elopment( howe*er( re/uires that it be raised to )ons)iousness& nd the first human being who a))omplished this - i&e& who was able to raise this fundamental eperien)e of the modern age into his full" wakeful )ons)iousness( was Rudolf Steiner& s earl" as 4A he summed up the essen)e of this pro)ess in the words$ ';e)oming aware of the idea in realit" is the true )ommunion of the human being&' %’2443 %’Thus Rudolf Steiner was the first to re)ei*e from the spiritual )hali)e the )ommunion of thought of the 0i)haeli) intelligen)e( whi)h was poured out for him in the higher worlds b" the Bea*enl" Sophia through the supersensible beings who ser*e her& In this histori) moment all that had taken pla)e un)ons)iousl" in humanit" through the entire modern age( was )on)entrated in one human being who( in his indi*idual life( showed mankind as a whole this path in its ar)het"pal form& The )onse/uen)e of this was that Rudolf Steiner was the first representati*e and messenger of the Bea*enl" Sophia on ?arth( the leader of mankind in the )ons)iousness-soul epo)h on the path of Sophia to a true knowledge of >hrist in the higher worlds& % E The tet +ust /uoted seems at first diffi)ult to grasp& This is the first eperien)e to )onfront the reader: a )ertain struggle to understand what is written there& What might a))ount for this@ - If I read the tet again with this /uestion in mind( I will noti)e$ it is a )ertain )ompleit" in the senten)e-stru)ture and the des)riptions( but /uite espe)iall" the wealth of 'information' )ontained in the tet( whi)h makes it so diffi)ult& In the fi*e-and-a-half pages alone of the )hapter ’Sophia and the r)hangel 0i)hael %thoughts are presented from eight different writings and le)tures of Rudolf Steiner ’2483 - %/uite apart from the )onne)tions drawn b" !rokofieff from a le)ture or a writing of Rudolf Steiner( but without him referring to it in the tet /uoted here& ’2473% ;efore we look more )losel" at the wa" !rokofieff brings together elements drawn from the work of Rudolf Steiner( the first thing we reali.e is that this tet - in )ontrast to the tets of Rudolf Steiner - has not arisen as an original impulse& The thoughts and pi)tures are built up on what !rokofieff has read in Steiner's work& ;ut within the tet we ha*e /uoted one )an obser*e a kind of 'break': and in fa)t !rokofieff does not speak e)lusi*el" of what he has found in Rudolf Steiner( for at the end of the tet he writes about Rudolf Steiner himself& Thus( while in the first part he brings together what he has found in Rudolf Steiner( and stands beside Rudolf Steiner( at the end of the tet Rudolf Steiner is in)luded in the pi)ture whi)h !rokofieff - su)h is the )laim he makes himself - has taken o*er from Rudolf Steiner and painted in his own words& nd this he does in the following wa"$ The ’)ommunion in thought % of the human being( whi)h )onsists in the pro)ess whereb" - so !rokofieff eplains in his stri*ing to interpret the work of Rudolf Steiner the spiritual ;eing nthroposophia ’nourishes the )ons)iousness-soul of earthl" man b" means of a supersensible )hali)e that is filled with the )osmi) intelligen)e of 0i)hael( %was at first onl" ’per)ei*ed un)ons)iousl"%& ;ut Rudolf Steiner had - as
the first human being to do so - raised this pro)ess$ ’the nourishing of earthl" man from a supersensible )hali)e % into his ’full" wakeful )ons)iousness& %This was the reason wh" - so !rokofieff )ontinues - Rudolf Steiner be)ame the ’first representati*e and messenger of the Bea*enl" Sophia on ?arth& % With this thought( whi)h is to be /uestioned here( not as to its )orre)tness( but as to its pla)e within the tet( !rokofieff is no longer looking at what ma" ha*e )ome to him from Rudolf Steiner( but at the one from whom he re)ei*ed it$ namel"( Rudolf Steiner himself& This means( howe*er( that - pro)eeding from Rudolf Steiner's tets - he must ha*e seen more than is at first apparent in this tet& n"one is free( of )ourse( to write about what he has drawn from Rudolf Steiner( and is e/uall" free to write about what he himself thinks about Rudolf Steiner& ;ut the absolute pre)ondition( so it seems to me( is that the person who is doing this should be full" aware of the distin)tion& =or it is not the same at all( whether I tr" to )on*e" what ’Rudolf Steiner % said( or what ’I %)on)lude from it& This distin)tion( howe*er( is not drawn here& nd thus the /uestion arises( to what etent the 'break' we ha*e eperien)ed is a)tuall" present in !rokofieff's tet( or in other words$ )ould this 'break' not be the element that leads us to the )entral )ore of the tet@ ;ut this /uestion( whi)h is similar to the one that arose for us in our stud" of 5ostein Saether's work( must be set to one side at this point$ both ha*e arisen out of an obser*ation whi)h relates to the outer form of the tets& Were we to follow them up now( something would emerge whi)h( instead of initiating a )ogniti*e pro)ess( would be more like a form of ’argumentation&% ;ut we are not looking for arguments - for as the" are essentiall" dependent on the standpoint of the person who wishes to argue( the" )ould *er" easil" be found both in support of( and to )hallenge( the work of Saether and !rokofieff& Su)h an approa)h would not get us an" further& The obser*ation of a - perhaps onl" apparent - 'break' in 5ostein Saether's and Sergei !rokofieff's presentation will be set aside for the present( but not forgotten& =or should this phenomenon be en)ountered again - but this time as the result of a deeper penetration of the tet in thought and feeling - this would indi)ate that it springs dire)tl" from the ba)kground out of whi)h the tets h a*e arisen&
’II& Illusion or Realit"@ nthroposoph" and ?*er"da" >ons)iousness %’The uest for the 1atewa" to the 'I' %#ow that( for the present( we ha*e postponed the /uestion )on)erning the real a nd the imagined memories meditated b" 5ostein Saether( we will return to his meditations( but this time in another wa"& Cet us ask( instead of ’what%$ ’how% did Saether a)tuall" meditate@ 5ostein Saether des)ribes how he fo)usses inwardl" on the two ’)hara)teristi) eamples % )hosen from ea)h se*en-"ear period of his present life( in ’mural-like formations%( and in re*erse - not to the etent that ea)h e*ent is meditated ba)kwards - but the se/uen)e of e*ents itself& That is to sa"( he begins with the latest and most immediatel" rele*ant( and works ba)k to to the e*ents of his )hildhood( or those of his )on)eption& s a result of this ba)kward +ourne" he awakens then( after a moment of nothingness( in a past life&
s Saether mentions( this soul eer)ise is m eant to resemble the one gi*en b" Rudolf Steiner as what is known as the 'RLM)ks)hau' or dail" re*iew$ here a )ertain o))urren)e - the )ourse of e*ents through a whole da" - is li*ed through again ba)kwards( right down to its single details& This li*ing through again re/uires that one wrests oneself out of one's e*er"da" mental pi)turing$ the stairs I went up I must now go down again ba)kwards( with the same d"nami)( onl" imagined in re*erse& This eer)ise ser*es to strengthen and liberate soul-for)es: and thu s /uite basi) )on)eptions su)h as that of the )onne)tion between )ause and effe)t are( as it were( turned inside-out& With 5ostein Saether( howe*er( this eperien)ing ba)kwards( whi)h is onl" )arried through with respe)t to the eternal )ourse of the e*ents( but not to its inner d"nami)( has a different task& Bis words )on)erning the ’inner thrust of the 'I'( %whi)h he tries to )on)entrate further ba)k ’in the dire)tion of birth % make it /uite )lear$ his aim is to unroll time ba)k into the past& ?*en if Saether remains unaware of it - his eer)ise shows( if we think it through to the end( that in his endea*our he is working on the basis of a ’/uite definite )on)eption of the nature of time%& Time appears to Saether's mind as a )ontinuousl" flowing( /uantitati*e phenomenon( as a kind of in)line whi)h one )an slide down ba)kwards when - as before birth - one enters the supersensible world& ;ut where does su)h a )on)eption of time originate@ ?*en in /uite normal soul-life one )an obser*e how time loses the linear e*enness of its flow( how short )an seem long( and long )an seem short( moments )an be an eternit" and man" "ears )an *anish into insignifi)an)e& This alwa"s happens when time is not measured( but is obser*ed in its relation to the life of soul& lso the wa" in whi)h /uite ordinar" memories arise( shows that it is not a ba)kward-flowing time whi)h )alls up these memories( but rather a /uite spe)ifi) e*ent whi)h )arries within it something of the past and is able to pla)e itself in an essential - i&e& /ualitati*e relation to this element of the past& Where( then( does 5ostein Saether get his )on)eption of time as a linear flow( whi)h is able to un*eil memories through being tra*elled through ba)kwards@ What is inherent in su)h a )on)ept of time( whi)h he e*en etends into pre-birth eisten)e with its independen)e from the ph"si)al senseper)eptible bod"@ Cet us look again at the wa" he in)ludes in the meditation the moment of his birth and e*en that of )on)eption& Bere( we de)ided earlier on( he must surel" repla)e his memories with something else$ with pi)tures whi)h )ontain the image of how( still in a disembodied state( he is ho*ering o*er the pla)e where he was about to be born& The fa)t that he is attempting to eperien)e this from a bird's e"e *iew shows that behind this image there is "et another$ namel"( that of ’spa)e& %>orresponding to the idea of time eperien)ed as a linear flow 2albeit a ba)kward flow3( there is the image of his own being( )on)entrated in a spatial point and at that time still disembodied and therefore supersensible in nature& nd this as "et dis)arnate being des)ended - so 5ostein Saether suggests - at the moment of birth on to the ?arth and into its bod"( +ust like a bird that settles into its nest after a long flight& We re)ogni.e that 5ostein Saether is meditating pi)tures whi)h belong to his /uite ordinar" *isual imagination( with its )orresponden)e to the laws of the ph"si)al( sense- per)eptible world& ;efore we eamine more )losel" the soul-pro)esses whi)h are brought about through 5ostein Saether's endea*ours( let us turn ba)k to the work of Sergei !rokofieff - as the approa)hes taken b" both authors seem to stand in a /uite definite relation to one
another& Sin)e( in this )ase too( we ha*e put to one side the 'break' that is present in the tet( the original and most fundamental /uestion that )an be asked again stands in the fo)us of our attention& ;ut this /uestion relates to the )ontent and the form of the ’thoughts % a)ti*ated b" Sergei !rokofieff in )onne)tion with what he has read in Rudolf Steiner& ;" wa" of introdu)tion the following should be said$ Rudolf Steiner's nthroposoph" )omes towards the human being in the same wa" as all the other ob+e)ts of the eternal world& Regardless of how( or what( I am going to feel or think about what has been written$ in the first instan)e it is a number of printed letters whi)h( in the pro)ess of seeing 2per)ei*ing3( ha*e to be read and thought through& nd in addition we must re)ogni.e that this nthroposoph" has as its )ontent( abo*e all( world happenings$ a world happening whi)h des)ribes the )oming into being of man& This - and parti)ularl" its )osmi) aspe)ts - is what !rokofieff now takes up as his theme&’
%’The uest for the 1atewa" to the World%’ %While 5ostein Saether fo)usses on his own biograph"( Sergei !rokofieff's interest is )on)erned with the world( as it be)omes a))essible to him through work with the tets of Rudolf Steiner& This is one differen)e that we )an re)ogni.e between the two tets& ;ut there is another$ !rokofieff des)ribes in the passage we ha*e sele)ted( not ’how % he )ame to spiritual eperien)es( but ’his tet is itself intended to be a des)ription of su)h an eperien)e%& What we are seeking must be dis)ernible in the wa" !rokofieff des)ribes the )onne)tions whi)h he ha s drawn from Rudolf Steiner's nthroposoph"& The essential thing is not - as it is with 5ostein Saether - his own relation to the meditation he is engaged in( but it is rather the )onne)tion whi)h - *ia the medium of the tet - arises between him and us( his readers& In this there is repeated ea)tl" the relation established b" !rokofieff to the realities he des)ribes& If( as I read !rokofieff's lines( I obser*e the position I adopt in the pro)ess( or in other words$ the relation whi)h arises between me - the reader - and the tet( then I will noti)e that this tet works upon me like a des)ription& I eperien)e - together with !rokofieff - how he is looking( as it were( from outside at what he is speaking about& nd within all that he is looking at( ;eings are at work$ !rokofieff )alls them following Rudolf Steiner - spirits of Wisdom( r)hangels( 0i)hael( >hrist( Sophia( nthroposophia& If the tet is now read through again( from the standpoint of how these ;eings are des)ribed( then it strikes us that these des)riptions are asso)iated with ’mo*ement%& Thus 0i)hael$ his ’sending down %of the fruits of the )ombined working of the spirits of =orm and the r)hangels( on to the ?arth: his ’)arr"ing o*er %of laws of the past into present ?arth e*olution: his ’beholding% of the departure of >hrist from the Sun: and( abo*e all( his ’sa)rifi)ing % of the )osmi) intelligen)e( whi)h pours like a shower of golden rain’ %on to the ?arth& ,r the deeds of other ;eings$ >hrist's ’departing% from the Sun: the ’)at)hing up %of humanit" in its de*elopment in the intelle)tual and mind-soul b" the ;eing nthroposophia: the ’entering in( passing through %and ’self-outpouring %of this ;eing through and into the human soul et)& - Sending down( )arr"ing in( looking on( departing( pouring( )at)hing up( entering in( passing through - su)h are the *erbs in !rokofieff's tet( whi)h lend the tet a )ertain mo*ement( for the simple reason that the" are *erbs of mo*ement&
t this point one might imagine that Rudolf Steiner used similar *erbs to )hara)teri.e the deeds of these higher ;eings& So let us look( in its original form( at a passage to whi)h !rokofieff dire)tl" refers& In a le)ture held in rnheim on 46th 5ul" 4689 ’2493%( following on his des)ription of the 0i)hael age of the 1reek )ultural period( Rudolf Steiner spoke these words$ ’Then the age of 0i)hael was followed b" that of ,riphiel& The r)hangel ,riphiel be)ame regent& The 0"ster" of 1olgotha took pla)e& Those human souls who had )ons)iousl"( under the rulership of 0i)hael in the age of leander( parti)ipated in the deeds of whi)h I ha*e spoken: the" were( at the beginning of the >hristian era( gathered within the Sun around the ar)hangeli) ;eing 0i)hael( who now with respe)t to the ?arth had passed on his rulership to ,riphiel( but who in the sphere of the Sun was now eperien)ing( together with those who were to ser*e him as human souls( the departure of >hrist from the Sun& nd this is one of the e*ents whi)h we must bear in mind$ that those human souls who are )onne)ted with the nthroposophi)al mo*ement behold the following$ We are united with 0i)hael on the Sun: the >hrist( who until then had sent his impulses from the Sun to the ?arth( he departs from the Sun in order to unite with the ?arth-de*elopmentN Oes( +ust think of this deepl" signifi)ant( super-earthl"( )osmi) e*ent( of this parti)ular sight beheld b" those human souls who were then gathered as ngeloi-ser*ants around 0i)hael( after he had ended his rulership on the ?arth( and who as it were within the region of the Sun were eperien)ing how the >hrist was departing from the Sun( in order to unite his destin" with the destin" of earthl" humanit"& Be is going from usN that was the might" eperien)e& Buman souls re)ei*e their *arious dire)tions not( indeed( from the ?arth alone: the" re)ei*e them also in the life between death and a new birth& So it was for all those who had parti)ipated in the leander age& great and might" impulse arose( from the )osmi)( world-histori)al moment when these souls saw how >hrist was departing from the Sun& nd for them there was )larit" with regard to the fa)t$ now the )osmi) Intelligen)e is passing graduall" from the )osmos to the ?arth& nd 0i)hael and those around him saw( as it were( how graduall" all that had on)e flowed as intelligen)e from the )osmos( was des)ending to the ?arth& %What eperien)es are e*oked b" these words@ Cet us imagine how Rudolf Steiner( on a summer's da" in 4689( is standing before a group of people( and how this group of people )omes graduall" to the feeling$ When Rudolf Steiner speaks here of >hrist and of 0i)hael( when Rudolf Steiner relates to >hrist and to 0i)hael in su)h a wa" that he is as it were ga.ing down with them on to the ?arth: "es( indeed( then Rudolf Steiner is not merel" speaking about >hrist and 0i)hael( he is speaking about me( about me /uite personall"( and about us( who are sitting here together listening to himN The spe)ial feelings that must ha*e gripped the listeners at that time( )an still be eperien)ed b" us toda"& The eperien)e of the departure( of being left behind( and the riddle )onne)ted with this - ’Wh" is h e lea*ing us@% - be)omes so ali*e through the words of Rudolf Steiner( that the impulse whi)h is asso)iated with this eperien)e( as it were( awakens in the soul anew& Bere one )an sense$ neither the 'being forsaken' nor the riddle )onne)ted with this is something
that is past& ,n the )ontrar"$ these are eperien)es whi)h are )entral to m" present relationship to spiritual s)ien)e and Rudolf SteinerN Cet us look again at !rokofieff's tet$ ’s the leading Sun-r)hangel( he %20i)hael - I&D&3 ’beholds at the turning-point of time the departure of the >hrist from the Sun and his uniting with the ?arth& The highest ;eing of our entire )osmos thus lea*es that sphere to whi)h 0i)hael belongs and whi)h he ser*es& Then the 0"ster" of 1olgotha takes pla)e on the ?arth( %In this tet too there are mo*ements$ departing( uniting( and abo*e all lea*ing behind( in whi)h was )ontained the fundamental soul-gesture of the words of Rudolf Steiner whi)h we ha*e +ust /uoted& In Sergei !rokofieff( howe*er( these words stand in a li*ing relationship neither to the person who is speaking them( nor to those to whom the" are addressed: sin)e the" are not eperien)ed in a li*ing wa" b" the author( the" )annot be li*ingl" eperien)ed b" the reader( either& =or we ha*e here to do neither with mo*ements that are )alled forth b" m" feelings( nor with mo*ements that arise from m" effort in the a)ti*it" of thinking& In )ontrast to the words of Rudolf Steiner( !rokofieff's words arouse no inner eperien)e in the reader: instead( onl" pi)torial representations of mo*ements are e*oked& nd( )uriousl" enough( in nearl" e*er" )ase we ha*e to do with inner representations whi)h point to mo*ements ’of a spatial nature%& If I obser*e m"self as I read the tet of !rokofieff( I )an dis)o*er that( neither through the des)ription of the ;eings( nor through the mo*ements as)ribed to them( )an soul /ualities )ome to be eperien)ed in a li*ing wa": nowhere( as I read( does the feeling arise that I ha*e to do with an"thing more than pi)tures whi)h stir neither m" thinking nor m" feeling& !i)tures that remain outside m" life of soul - +ust like an" o))urren)e that remains eternal be)ause it is n ot ensouled& ’ E %In )ontrast to Sergei !rokofieff( 5ostein Saether's starting-point is his own /uite personal memories( and he pla)es these memories before him in su)h a wa" that he retains the fo)al point of his 'I'-eperien)e( but looks at the pi)tures as though from outside& Gnderl"ing his endea*ours there are /uite definite ideas of spa)e and time( of laws of rein)arnation and in)arnation( whi)h )orrespond to the habits of inner pi)turing that belong to life in the ph"si)al sense-world& The will-)harged )ondensing of these images he has built up of himself( and of his relation to a world that lies outside him( leads to an ’awakening in a li*ing and mo*ing world of pi)tures%( whi)h he understands ’as an imagination%( and in whi)h he redis)o*ers the twel*e in)arnations des)ribed b" him& The starting-point for Sergei !rokofieff is a wide-ranging( repeated reading of Rudolf Steiner's works& Be then sets the pi)tures and thoughts he has found - after the" ha*e been brought into an at least eternal mo*ement with the help of )ertain )on)eptions drawn from ph"si)al( spatial eperien)e - before him in su)h a wa" that the" )an be looked at( as it were ob+e)ti*el"& While the independen)e from his personal eperien)es( of the pi)tures meditated b" !rokofieff( is a feature distinguishing him from Saether( the attempt to pro+e)t the pi)tures outside oneself a nd sur*e" them as a tableau is )ommon to them both& The out)ome of !rokofieff's endea*our - similar to that of 5ostein Saether - is a kind of awakening in a world of pi)tures( whereb"
!rokofieff has had for man" "ears the impulse to fill hundreds of pages des)ribing them& While Saether does not let go of the fo)al point of his 'I'-eperien)e( there arises under the pen of !rokofieff a world whi)h )ontains )on)epts used b" Rudolf Steiner( but in whi)h the li*ing soul-spiritual eperien)e )entral to Rudolf Steiner's work is no longer to be found& ;ut in both )ases a world of pi)tures )on+ured forth b" one's own biograph" or b" the work of Rudolf Steiner takes on a life of its own& What sort of life of its own is this( and in what relation does it stand to the eperien)es of Ima gination( of whi)h Rudolf Steiner so often spoke@ In order to pursue this /uestion we must turn again to the endea*ours of 5ostein Saether and Sergei !rokofieff( whereb" at this point we would stress again that we a re speaking not of the two personalities( but of what the" embod"& Saether and !rokofieff are onl" of interest here insofar as the" ea)h bring to epression with spe)ial )larit" a parti)ular stream within the nthroposophi)al mo*ement& ;ut the" )ould also be substituted b" others&
’III& >aught in the Snare of Self-Indulgen)e$ Inner Thought-!i)tures as a Spiritual !rison % ’The Image of the 'I'% Ba*ing established that 5ostein Saether meditates inner pi)tures whi)h a re rooted in the eperien)e of spa)e and time that is bound to the ph"si)al sense-world( while !rokofieff des)ribes ;eings from the tets of Rudolf Steiner whi)h a re mobile onl" eternall"( be)ause the" ha*e lost their soul-spiritual substan)e( we now turn again to the tets of both authors& Cet us now tr" to enter more deepl" into the ’/ualit" %of the inner pi)tures des)ribed b" Saether and !rokofieff& =irst we will look at two memories whi)h 5ostein Saether has des)ribed and whi)h he must ha*e meditated& ’24H3% ’0" first memor" rea)hes ba)k to a time shortl" before I was three "ears old(% Saether tells us&’ I was lifted b" m" father through a hole in the bedroom )eiling up into the loft( where a bo stood )ontaining his man" tools& I was supposed to fet)h a s)rewdri*er& I see m"self standing there( with the s)rewdri*er in m" hand( s)reaming be)ause I did not want to go down again to m" parents( who were waiting for me with outstret)hed arms& I wanted to sta" up there( look further into the bo( and stare at the light that was shining in through a tin" window& %nd another memor"( from a somewhat later date$ ’ ,n one o))asion( when we were still li*ing in the )arpentr" workshop( I was following m" mother to the big house where she had something to do in the apartment&& ;e)ause of the building work under wa" we had to go out b" the )ellar stairs& When she had another +ob to do in the )ellar laundr" I pla"ed with something in the semi-darkness& =or a while I was pla"ing b" m"self& Then suddenl" I noti)ed that I was alone in the dark )ellar& I went to the outside door( it was lo)ked& I started to )all out '0umm"N' ;ut m" mother didn't )ome& ,nl" after I
had )ried for an 'etremel" long' time and h ad wet m"self( did she appear and ask what I was doing all alone in the )ellar& %Whilst the first memor" has )hara)teristi)s that indi)ate /uite )learl" that it must( at least in part( ha*e been told to 5ostein Saether b" his parents - the epli)itl" mentioned ga.e dire)ted to himself( or details in the stor" su)h as s)rewdri*er and tool-bo( for whi)h a two-"ear-old )an ha*e no )on)ept - the se)ond memor" tells mainl" of the fear that had o*er)ome him& Bere we )an see$ whether the memor"-tableau meditated b" Saether )onsist of phantas" pi)tures( or memories of his own or of other people - the" alwa"s pro)eed from the )entral point whi)h he eperien)es himself to be in relation to what he feels does not belong to him& The basi) eperien)e a))ording to whi)h the 'I' is the inner realit" whi)h )onfronts the 'not-I' or the 'world' as a rea lit" eternal to it( is alwa"s maintained b" Saether& To this basi) eperien)e there )orresponds the )on)eption of spa)e whi)h pro)eeds from a )entral( point-like eperien)e of self( whi)h is )onfronted b" e*er" other self - indeed( b" the whole world - as peripher"& This )on)eption of spa)e is that of ph"si)al sense-eperien)e& Bere the human being eperien)es himself - in)arnated in his bod" - as o))up"ing a )entral point 2the )ons)iousness of himself3 and working from within outwards& ;ut spa)e too( +ust like time( has a soul-moral dimension$ if e&g& a person on whom I ha*e infli)ted pain responds b" infli)ting pain on me( then I will eperien)e how something of m"self )omes towards me from outside in an altered form& Regardless of whether 5ostein Saether sees himself ho*ering o*er the Sunndal mountains or whether he is looking on at himself as his parents stret)hed out their arms epe)tantl" towards him( the ’moral perspe)ti*e %alwa"s remains the same$ it is the perspe)ti*e of the eperien)ing 'I' in e*er"da" )ons)iousness& This mode of eperien)e( whi)h does not )onfront itself in self-obser*ation( e)ludes all that streams from other human beings into one's own being& In other words( the people )onne)ted with me do not penetrate m" eperien)e in su)h a wa" that I feel$ something of what )omes towards me from without as m" destin"( has so mu)h to do with me( that I must regard it as part of m"self&’ The pi)tures whi)h 5ostein Saether meditates and whi)h form the material for his karma resear)h( are deri*ed from his /uite ordinar" memories& The" are memories whi)h )onstitute what he sees as his 'I'& ;ut the inner pi)tures( as the" li*e in our unrefle)ted e*er"da" )ons)iousness( ha*e the )hara)teristi) that the" bear the stamp of the indi*idual /ualities( or rather limitations( of our personalit"& nd memories are therefore nothing more than inner pi)tures of this kind( brought into being b" the sub+e)ti*e nature of the personalit" in /uestion& ’Thus 5ostein Saether deepens and meditates the mental pi)tures that he makes of himself& %?*er" other person( if he wanted to build up memor"-tableau of 5ostein Saether( would )hoose different eperien)es& If we think( for eample( - +ust b" wa" of a thought-eperiment - of someone who had stood in a painful relation to 5ostein Saether& This person would ha*e a memor" of the same eperien)e whi)h would be the dire)t opposite of 5ostein Saether's& While Saether would perhaps meditate his inabilit" to understand this person( the )entral fo)us for the latter person would be the pain arising from this la)k of understanding&
5ostein Saether meditates - and thereb" reinfor)es - a single aspe)t of his eperien)e$ namel"( the one that dire)tl" mirrors his personalit"& Instead of etending and o*er)oming the narrowness of his own point of *iew( this narrowness be)omes the lens whi)h makes what )orresponds to this narrowness appear in an un)ommonl" enlarged form&
’Rudolf Steiner's nthroposoph" as a 0ental Representation%’ %Sergei !rokofieff des)ribes - as the fruit of his stud" of Rudolf Steiner's nthroposoph" - the working together of different spiritual beings( as a result of whi)h ’nthroposoph"% )ame on to the ?arth& In order reall" to get to the bottom of his wa" of working( ea)h one of his thoughts and ea)h of his pi)tures would need to be eamined to the point where the sour)e from whi)h he draws )ould be )ited in e*er" )ase& ,ne would thus ha*e to retra)e the path trodden b" !rokofieff( in order to dis)o*er in detail the pro)edure he has followed& This is impossible( howe*er& #o reader )ould bear su)h an undertaking$ not simpl" that one would ha*e to keep /uoting page after page( e*en this would onl" be meaningful - if we are to remain true to the ideal we ha*e set oursel*es here - if the /uite )on)rete spiritual 'spa)e' out of whi)h Rudolf Steiner spoke or wrote in ea)h indi*idual )ase( is first )larified& Bere we will approa)h the task differentl"$ We propose to find pre)isel" ’those %elements in Sergei !rokofieff's work whi)h re*eal( as it were( ’in one point %the essen)e of what we are seeking& These elements )an onl" be)ome *isible through a broad o*er*iew( and b" means of a kind of tou)hing or feeling in thought& =irst of all( the thought-flow in !rokofieff's work must be dis)erned& =or man" readers it ma" be a help if the pro)ess whi)h is des)ribed b" !rokofieff in *er" )ompli)ated terms is here summari.ed in a form that is simplified to the etent that the basi) /ualities of the pi)tures he des)ribes are brought into relief in their thought-)ontet& ;ut e*en if a reader were to ob+e)t that !rokofieff epressed more )learl" himself what he meant to sa"( this would not affe)t the in/uir" that follows& E 0i)hael( the most important of the r)hangels and the ’mightiest Son of Sophia%( who belongs for her own part to the spirits of Wisdom 2K"riotetes3( had the task of ’sending down to the ?arth the fruits of the )ombined working % of the spirits of Wisdom and the r)hangels$ namel"( the )osmi) intelligen)e& Bowe*er( he did this ’in the right wa"%( be)ause the temporal dela" whi)h underlies his working had( alread" on the ,ld Sun( )hara)teri.ed the working together of the spirits of Wisdom and the r)hangels$ lread" at that time the substan)e of wisdom that had been ’poured out %b" the K"riotetes ’at an e a r l i e r stage( had been preser*ed b" the r)hai and passed on the r)hangeloi at a l a t e r time&% fter 0i)hael had beheld the departure of >hrist from the Sun( he took the ’de)ision( in imitation of >hrist( 2&&&&3 to sa)rifi)e to earthl" humanit" the most pre)ious substan)e that he had administered hitherto in the spiritual )osmos at the behest of the Bea*enl" Sophia$ the s u b s t a n ) e o f t h e > o s m i ) I n t e l l i g e n ) e & %The ’"oungest )onstituent member of the Bea*enl" Sophia%( the ;eing Sophia( meanwhile entered the indi*idual soul-members( and formed a kind of ’)hali)e for the
whole of mankind %whi)h ’the intelligen)e of 0i)hael 2&&&&&3 fills with its substan)e& %,nl" in this wa" did the human being )ome to the ’free life of thought in the )ons)iousness-soul of modern times& %This ’thought-)ommunion of 0an %the’)ulmination %of his ’spiritual-histori)al )ommunion %thus )onsists in the pro)ess whereb" the ;eing nthroposophia ’at the behest of the Bea*enl" Sophia nourishes the )ons)iousness-soul of earthl" man from a supersensible )hali)e whi)h is filled with the )osmi) intelligen)e of 0i)hael& %Bowe*er( ’this thought-)ommunion 2&&&&3 is at first onl" per)ei*ed un)ons)iousl"& %,nl" Rudolf Steiner was able ’to raise into his full" wakeful )ons)iousness this fundamental eperien)e of modern times& %Thus he was ’the first %to re)ei*e ’the thought-)ommunion of the 0i)haeli) intelligen)e% whi)h was bestowed upon him b" nthroposophia& This( therefore( made Rudolf Steiner the ’first representati*e and messenger of the Bea*enl" Sophia on the ?arth&% E If one immerses oneself in the thought-flow of Sergei !rokofieff - without drawing on an" of the knowledge one ma" ha*e gathered from the work of Rudolf Steiner - there are two pla)es where an une*enness )an be dete)ted$ une*enness in the thoughtstru)ture of the tet itself& =irst we are stru)k b" the fa)t that !rokofieff atta)hes great signifi)an)e to the )oin)iden)e of 0i)hael's sending to the ?arth the spiritual substan)e that arose through the working together with the Bea*enl" Sophia( with the same temporal dela" with whi)h on)e - so Rudolf Steiner tells us - the spirits of Wisdom had re)ei*ed the sa)rifi)e of the r)hai with temporal dela"& Bowe*er( it is not )lear from the tet wh" this is of an" signifi)an)e: thoughts are standing here net to one another with no )onne)tion& The onl" reason *isible from the tet for a )onne)tion between the two fa)ts( is that S ergei !rokofieff had been reminded b" the e*ent des)ribed b" Rudolf Steiner( of something he had read before in Rudolf Steiner's works& In this wa" Rudolf Steiner( or rather$ what !rokofieff thinks he has found in Rudolf Steiner( be)omes for !rokofieff the thought-glue whi)h would otherwise be missing& This is also a point in !rokofieff's work whi)h of itself demands that one go ba)k to Rudolf Steiner& The se)ond thing to strike an unpre+udi)ed thinking is where !rokofieff speaks of a ’thought )ommunion of 0an%( whi)h had been ’at first per)ei*ed un)ons)iousl"& %;ut how )an a ’thought %)ommunion( whi)h is said b" !rokofieff to ha*e a))ompanied the entr" of 0i)hael's intelligen)e into the )ons)iousness-soul( remain un)ons)ious@ ,r epressed in other words$ What part is pla"ed b" the ;eing nthroposophia who as though in a )osmi) pro)ess - entered the human soul( and is said b" !rokofieff to ha*e brought with her the 0i)haeli) intelligen)e@ nd what part is pla"ed b" ’the human being himself%( and therewith Rudolf Steiner@ -’ %;ut( for the present( let us turn to the first thing that )aught our attention$ the dela"ed working of 0i)hael& E There are two pla)es in the work of Rudolf Steiner to whi)h !rokofieff refers here& =irst( statements made b" him in the ;erlin le)ture-)")le of 4644 on ’?*olution from the Standpoint of the True%( ’24F3% whi)h lead !rokofieff to speak repeatedl" in his
book( of a law of the Sun& The pro)ess referred to b" !rokofieff as the law of the Sun is des)ribed b" Rudolf Steiner as that whereb" in an earlier - i&e& the Sun in)arnation of the ?arth ’24A3 %a relationship of a /uite definite kind had emerged between ;eings& Rudolf Steiner des)ribes how at that time the spirits of Wisdom 2K"riotetes3( as the" beheld a sublime deed of sa)rifi)e( poured out their own soulsubstan)e 2the ’great *irtue of gi*ing%3( whi)h was( howe*er( at first a))epted b" noone& In other words( the a)t of gi*ing found at first no immediate reponse of taking& nd so this gi*ing of the spirits of Wisdom is( so to speak( preser*ed in time( sin)e those spirits who bring the gi*ing to fulfilment through a taking onl" )ome into being in the gi*ing of the spirits of Wisdom themsel*es$ namel"( the r)hangeloi& ’243% Rudolf Steiner des)ribes how the r)hangels now ’ do not keep for themsel*es what the" re)ei*e from the spirits of Wisdom( but radiate it ba)k( +ust as a mirror radiates ba)k its image& 2&&&&&3 ?*er"thing is irradiated with light& ;ut what do the" %2the spirits of Wisdom - I&D&3 ’re)ei*e ba)k from those who( as the" re)ei*e( radiate ba)k %2the r)hangels I&D&3’@ Their own being be)ame( as the" sa)rifi)ed it( a gift to the ma)ro)osm( where it was their inner being& #ow it radiates ba)k$ their own being )omes to meet them from outside& The" see their own being dispersed through the entire world and radiated ba)k from the outside( as light& as the mirror refle)tion of their own being& Inner and outer are the two opposites whi)h )onfront us now& The earlier and later is metamorphosed and be)omes su)h that it )hanged into inner and outer& 'Spa)e' is bornN 2&&&&3% This pro)ess whi)h !rokofieff )alls the law of the Sun( is thus the birth of spa)e( whi)h arises as a result of the transformation of the )ontrast between earlier and later& This means that the inner aspe)t of their own being( whi)h also appears as the earlier( now streams towards the spirits of Wisdom from the outside& ;ut the later be)ame this outer through the mirroring of the inner in the outer& Their own inner spa)e thus appears to these spirits - dela"ed in time - as an outer mirrorrefle)tionN Bere it be)omes )lear wh" Rudolf Steiner had prefa)ed his le)tures on ’?*olution from the Standpoint of the True %with the following words as a kind of leitmotif$ ’=or what happened in the past is still )ontinuing toda"& What took pla)e in the Saturn period is not something that onl" happened then( but it is still going on( onl" it is o*erlaid( made in*isible( b" what is around the human being eternall" toda" on the ph"si)al plane& %’2463 %Thus Rudolf Steiner is des)ribing happenings )onne)ted with the )osmi) e*olution of our ?arth( in whi)h soul-gestures be)ome *isible in their essential( ar)het"pal )hara)terN Did we not meet +ust now the /uestion about pre)isel" ’this %)osmi) gesture@ Were we not asking the /uestion about the )onne)tion between m" inner being and that whi)h )omes to me from outside through other people( as m" destin"@ =or !rokofieff( howe*er( the essential aspe)t of the pro)ess des)ribed b" him as the law of the Sun lies( not in this mirroring between within and without( but in the
’dela"% whi)h o))urs between the a)t of gi*ing of the spirits of Wisdom( and that of taking b" the r)hangels& nd this he )onne)ts with what he has read in an essa" whi)h forms part of the ’nthroposophi)al Ceading Thoughts& %’28<3%’ %=rom this he /uotes the following words$ ’,ne will then en*isage n o t onl" obser*ation and eperien)e of the present world( but also that whi)h is mediated b" 0i)hael( a p a s t world )ondition( a world )ondition whi)h 0i)hael )arries o*er into the present through his ;eing and deeds& %nd ’the wa" in whi)h 0i)hael brings the past to bear in human life in the present( is in keeping with the right spiritual progress of the world( whi)h )ontains nothing of a Cu)iferi) nature& %These two senten)es alread" gi*e us a sense that Rudolf Steiner is speaking here out of a /uite different spiritual spa)e - one )ould also sa" out of a different spiritual )olouring or tone - than in the le)tures )onsidered abo*e’& %We must therefore tr" to de*elop a mood of soul whi)h is able to )ome )loser to the essa"s and arti)les that ha*e be)ome known under the heading ’nthroposophi)al Ceading Thoughts%& The densit" and the intensit" of these writings( )omposed in the last months of his life( and whi)h de*elop( or rather unfold( in /uite distin)t rh"thms( the relati*el" short senten)es whi)h seem like a )ontinuous meditation( make the m"sterious riddle underl"ing Rudolf Steiner's entire work espe)iall" palpable& 5ust in these ’nthroposophi)al Ceading Thoughts %an" reader will be able to find turns of phrase( senten)es or paragraphs in whi)h it be)omes )lear$ if I read the tets in the wa" I read those of other authors( I will not understand them& =or this reason one )an onl" indi)ate from what depths the two senten)es /uoted abo*e arose at a )ertain point in the tets written b" Rudolf Steiner on his si)k-bed shortl" before his death& n" attempt to sa" something about these words is bound to be inade/uate( and to remain so( in *iew of the fa)t that the" ha*e arisen out of a spiritual organism( whi)h )an onl" be a ’li*ing% one if it is thought and eperien)ed in its totalit"& We will therefore in no wa" repla)e( through what is said here( what )an onl" happen in stud" of the works of Rudolf Steiner himself& ;ut if( ne*ertheless( we enter more deepl" into the /uestion raised for us b" !rokofieff$ what kind of ’past world )ondition %is it( that 0i)hael ’)arries o*er into the present through his ;eing and his deeds%@ - then we will reali.e that with this /uestion the ’)entral pro)ess %is tou)hed u pon( whi)h )onstitutes the spiritual organism of the ’nthroposophi)al Ceading Thoughts %)reated b" Rudolf Steiner& nd this is a sign that we )an pursue further the path on whi)h we ha*e set out& E The idea of a past world )ondition whi)h 0i)hael )arries o*er into the present arises and unfolds within the ’nthroposophi)al Ceading Thoughts %from a )ertain point onwards& ’2843 %nd it appears - at the *arious stages of its de*elopment - )ontinuall" anew& The essa" from whi)h !rokofieff /uotes begins as follows$ ’Whoe*er( with earnest feeling( takes up into his refle)tion the inner beholding% ’of 0i)hael's being and his deeds( will )ome to a right understanding of how a world that
is not di*ine being( or re*elation( or a)ti*it"( but whi)h is the finished w o r k of the 1ods must be taken b" the human being& %’2883% Bere we ha*e the unusual standpoint out of whi)h a large part of the essa"s arose( that are )olle)ted in the ’nthroposophi)al Ceading Thoughts%$ namel"( the des)ription( not of the human being's eperien)e( but that of ’the 1ods as the" behold the human being&% ,r( in other words( Rudolf Steiner des)ribes how the world )hanges - as a result of the )hanging relationship of man towards the world& In the same measure as the human being's eperien)e and immediate sense of oneness with the di*ine ;eing dissol*es( the world of di*ine ;eing be)omes a world of ’re*elation%( and then of ’effe)ti*e a)ti*it"% of the di*ine-spiritual& Toda"( howe*er( in the age of the world-*iews of modern s)ien)e( the world is nothing more than the ’finished work %of the 1ods& nd it is into this 'work'-world( into the world of the present( that 0i)hael )arries o*er a past world-)ondition$ that of di*ine-spiritual being& ’In this solar-di*ine( but not li*ing( di*ine world li*es the human being& ;ut he has( as a result of the working upon him of 0i)hael( retained as man the )onne)tion with ;eing of the di*ine-spiritual& Be li*es as a 1od-permeated being in a world not permeated with the di*ine& %’2873 %What is( then( this di*ine-spiritual whi)h 0i)hael )arries o*er into the present@ - =or human beings of earlier times thoughts were not )onne)tions whi)h he thought( but his eperien)e and the eperien)e of the thinking of the 1ods was one& Be himself was li*ing thinking of the 1ods& What 0i)hael bears into the present is this$ the possibilit" not onl" to think( but to ’li*e in thinking%& ;ut this is nothing other than nthroposoph"( whi)h is the reason wh" Rudolf Steiner( in the essa" introdu)ing the des)riptions of the 0i)hael-working( sa"s the following$ ’ In the nthroposophi)al So)iet" far too little heed is paid to the fa)t that nthroposoph" is meant to be not a gre" theor"( but true life& True life - that is its essential nature: and if it is m a d e into a gre" theor"( then it is often not a b e t t e r ( but a w o r s e theor" than the others& ;ut it onl" be)omes a theor" when it is made into one( when it is killed& This is heeded far too little - that nthroposoph" is not onl" a different world-*iew from the others( but that it m u s t a l s o b e r e ) e i * e d d i f f e r e n t l " & ,ne re)ogni.es and eperien)es its essential nature onl" in this other wa" of re)ei*ing it& %’2893 E% Sergei !rokofieff )onne)ts - through the stringing together of /u otations from the work of Rudolf Steiner - elements whi)h( in the wa" in whi)h he does this( do not belong together& The appearan)e( mentioned b" Rudolf Steiner( of a past world-)ondition in a present one( through the deed of 0i)hael( )annot be brought into su)h a dire)t )onne)tion with the pro)ess in the ,ld Sun des)ribed in the le)tures of 4644& In the le)tures of 4644 we are told how o*er against an inner realm - the being of the spirits of Wisdom - a mirror-image is pla)ed as an eternal element& This too o))urs with a
temporal dela"( and appears at least outwardl" to resemble the deed of 0i)hael& #e*ertheless( the pro)ess in*ol*ed is pre)isel" the opposite& In the le)tures of 4644 the ’birth% of the separation of inner and outer is des)ribed& ;ut in the essa"s brought together under the heading ’nthroposophi)al Ceading Thoughts%( to whi)h !rokofieff refers in the se)ond instan)e( Rudolf Steiner was de*eloping the idea of the’life in thinking%( whi)h has be)ome possible through the deed of 0i)hael& This( howe*er( does not approa)h the human being from without in the manner of a mirror-image( but is rather a pro)ess whi)h u nfolds in the innermost being of man himself& It is thus the ea)t opposite of what has +ust been des)ribed( for the outer - the world - be)omes( in the moment when it is thought b" the human being( his inner realit"& Whereas - b" means of mirroring pro)esses su)h as were des)ribed b" Rudolf Steiner in )onne)tion with e*ents on the ,ld Sun - the outer stands o*er against the inner( and thus the first step of a separation takes pla)e( the deed of 0i)hael means the opposite$ when 0i)hael ’)arries o*er a past world)ondition 2&&&&3 into the present( %the world enters the human being again& ’ %The separation of inner and outer is o*er)ome( )a n)elled( through the life in thinking whi)h has now be)ome possible& Thus !rokofieff brings two opposite world-pro)esses - the separation between inner and outer and the o*er)oming of this separation - as though into a single breath( and in )omplete unawareness of what he is doing& ;ut we )an go still further$ if the human being reall" ’thinks %what Rudolf Steiner ga*e in his ’nthroposophi)al Ceading Thoughts%( he )reates a new world( a new outer realit" - but in his inner world& s the outer be)omes inner( so the inner also be)omes outer& The ideas of Rudolf Steiner wrongl" brought together b" !rokofieff - the )onne)tion between inner and outer( and the appearan)e in the present of an element of the past - are( in the end( )onne)ted together again& E Bowe*er( !rokofieff does not rea)h this le*el of thought-formation: he remains at the stage of mirroring thought-shadows in a )ompletel" eternal fashion& nd thus he does in pra)ti)e ea)tl" what he des)ribes$ Instead of ’thinking% he )hanges the thoughts he has found in Rudolf Steiner into 2mirror-3 image-like representations& Be grasps the ideas whi)h )onstitute Rudolf Steiner's work( not from their innermost essen)e and in thinking( but )onne)ts those things together whi)h - a))ording to the wa" he reads Rudolf Steiner - resemble ea)h other eternall"& Be brings senten)es and and pi)tures into a mutual relation( to the etent that the" show ’him% a similar outer surfa)e& This surfa)e( howe*er( )orresponds to the inner representations whi)h he has made of the )ontent of Rudolf Steiner's nthroposoph"& Su)h inner representations alwa"s bear the imprint of the idios"n)ra)ies( or rather limitations( of the personalit" who forms them& The" are fied( immobile and lifeless( and )an onl" be dissol*ed again in the a)t of ’thinking%& =or onl" in thinking )an one break through one's own limits: onl" then do we o*er)ome the separate being whi)h )onstitutes our personalit"& Thus Sergei !rokofieff des)ribes - instead of raising himself abo*e his personal limitations - inner representations of his own( whi)h he has made( not of himself like 5ostein Saether( but of Rudolf Steiner's nthroposoph"& 5ust as with Saether this narrow perspe)ti*e( whi)h is his own /uite personal narrowness( be)omes the lens whi)h makes what )orresponds to this narrowness appear in an enlarged
form& nd interestingl" enough this narrowness is to be found ea)tl" at the pla)e where we broke open !rokofieff's se/uen)e of pi)tures$ na mel"( in the purel" formal( lifeless and eternali.ed stringing together of thought-shadows( in whi)h his own inner representations are mirrored& s !rokofieff - together with man" others - mirrors in a purel" eternal wa" the withered thought-husks from Rudolf Steiner's work( these thought-husks be)ome a kind of thought-image prison& 0i)hael( >hrist( Bea*enl" Sophia and nthroposophia$ these are words that pla)e themsel*es in front of the ;eings whi)h Rudolf Steiner wished to point to b" means of these words& ;e)ause the" are not thought as idea( in the wa" the" appear in Rudolf Steiner( the" resemble the new )eiling paintings in the 1reat Ball of the 1oetheanum$ these pi)tures too throw the obser*er ba)k on )li)hPQs( whi)h the )ontents of nthroposoph" ha*e in the meantime be)ome& If we now step ba)k from what we ha*e been doing( something be)omes *isible whi)h might at first seem paradoi)al$ ;oth 5ostein Saether and Sergei !rokofieff ha*e in a )ertain wa" be)ome our helpers in the /uest for knowledge( sin)e we eperien)ed in the writings of both authors how( at the moment when we take hold of their statements with our thinking( the essen)e of what we are seeking be)omes *isible& This( howe*er( is an eperien)e that re)urs )ontinuall"$ whene*er we penetrate ’with our thinking% into the )ounter-pi)ture( what )onstitutes the true pi)ture is re*ealed as though from the essential )ore of being of the other side& Tets su)h as those of 5ostein Saether or Sergei !rokofieff )an thus be)ome helpers to us in our /uest for knowledge( if we onl" begin to take these tets reall" seriousl"&
’
IV& The 0irroring or ,*er)oming of Self@ nthroposophists at the >rossroads% ’Bow the World ppears in the 'I' %,ur in*estigations so far ha*e shown that 5ostein Saether and Sergei !rokofieff meditate inner thought pi)tures whi)h the" ha*e made either of themsel*es or of Rudolf Steiner's nthroposoph"& Saether( instead of eperien)ing how( as he sur*e"s his own biograph"( that whi)h formed his selfhood in the first pla)e( is opened up for him - namel"( the world( the meeting with other human beings - he )onsolidates still further the narrow spa)e of his selfhood through the work on his own biograph"& nd !rokofieff( instead of eperien)ing how in his thinking of Rudolf Steiner's words the" lose their )hara)ter of mental representations through be)oming ’li*ing inner eperien)e%( these words are to su)h a degree hardened into eternali.ed images( that the" risk assuming a )li)hPQ )hara)ter whi)h borders on the ludi)rous& In both authors( howe*er( the personal narrowness is in)reased further( be)ause it is not at all per)ei*ed as narrowness&
If we now look again at 5ostein Saether's endea*ours( the /uestion arises$ What happens to the mental representations of himself - i&e& with his own mirror-image - at the moment when he )ondenses and meditates these pi)tures with the determination and resol*e we ha*e mentioned abo*e@ The in)reasing’ rigour %with whi)h he works( the ’I-)ons)iousness% whi)h had to be upheld( and /uite parti)ularl" the ’inner thrust of the 'I'% whi)h he )on)entrated ’in the dire)tion of birth %- all this points to a determined( etremel" goal-oriented approa)h( a st"le of meditation whi)h aims to a)hie*e )on)rete results& ;ut the image in parti)ular( of the ’inner thrust of the 'I'%( probabl" arose from the fa)t that this will is sustained b" the )ons)iousness of a goal( +ust as it is dire)ted outwards from the )entral point of Saether's personalit"& There is no /uestion that a strong( )on)entrated will is alwa"s needed for work of a spirit and soul nature& ,nl" a will of this kind is able to form( for the fine( ephemeral and subtle eperien)es( the *esselin whi)h these )an be gathered and )ondensed& ;ut this will is not the one with whi)h we ha*e to do in e*er"da" life& - The will with whi)h one )an approa)h the supersensible must first of all ha*e rid itself of all tra)es of self-will& ’28H3% It is open( it waits to see what will de*elop and it is abo*e all free of the desire to impose itself& 5ostein Saether( howe*er( )arries a )ertain ambition into his meditati*e work: he has not freed himself from the stri*ing for su))ess& ’28F3 %s a result we see the sub+e)ti*e( personalit"-bound inner representations of Saether both in what he meditates( and in how he does it& It is not onl" that his memories retain the perspe)ti*e from whi)h the" were eperien)ed( thereb" e)luding from the outset an" peripheral *iew( and with it the eperien)es that another person )an ha*e of him& >orresponding to this standpoint that is oriented from within outwards( there is the )learl" goal-oriented will with whi)h he )arries out his eer)ises( and whi)h e)ludes the abilit" to ’wait %for spiritual eperien)es( a /ualit" often stressed b" Rudolf Steiner& This will also has its starting-point in the sub+e)ti*e inner sphere of his e*er"da" personalit"& nd "et 5ostein Saether epressl" and repeatedl" states that he based his meditation on the indi)ations gi*en b" Rudolf Steiner in 4648 in )onne)tion with the /uestions of rein)arnation and karma& It was( he sa"s( these eer)ises whi)h( when he started to ’)arr" them out with more rigour than before%( helped h im to his karmi) *ision& - ;ut what is the nature of this eer)ise( pre)isel"@ - s alwa"s it is ad*isable to read Rudolf Steiner's statements in the original& ’28A3 %;ut in order to bring out with full )larit" the differen)e between the eer)ises Rudolf Steiner ga*e a nd those )arried out b" 5ostein Saether( we will at least pro*ide some indi)ation of the dire)tion gi*en b" this eer)ise to one's inner soul-work& E ,n 5anuar" 87rd 4648 Rudolf Steiner begins his des)ription of the soul-eer)ise with the following words$ ’ The first step one )an take is to pra)tise the usual form of self-knowledge a little( where the human being looks ba)k on his own life and asks himself$ what sort of person was I in m" life@ Was I someone with a strong tenden)" to refle)tion( a person who refle)ts inwardl"( or was I someone who was alwa"s more fond of the sensations of the eternal world( someone who liked or disliked this or that in life@
Was I a person who liked reading( but not mathemati)s( who liked hitting other )hildren( but didn't like being hit himself@ ,r was I perhaps a )hild who was alwa"s a 'sitting target' and who was ne*er smart enough to see to it that the others were hit@% This inner stepping ba)k and looking at what is alread" a))essible to ordinar" selfknowledge is( in a se)ond stage( intensified a s one ’pla)es before the soul in full )larit" all that one didn't reall" want to do& =or eample( whether "ou were a son who would ha*e liked to be a poet( but whose father de)ided "ou should be a )raftsman( and "ou had to be a )raftsman although "ou ne*er reall" wanted this: "ou be)ame a )raftsman although "ou would ha*e preferred to be a poet& %’283 % #ot’ two )hara)teristi) eamples from ea)h se*en-"ear period%( as 5ostein Saether would ha*e it( are meant to be )hosen( but rather eamples )onne)ted with the phenomena and the e*ents whi)h went against the grain( whi)h were painful( whi)h )ontradi)ted "our own wishes and pre)on)eptions( things that tormented "ou& ’Thus( %Rudolf Steiner )ontinued( ’there is demanded of a person who wishes to rea)h through to the )entral )ore of his being( something that people in our time s)ar)el" e*er do& ,ur present time is not in the least in)lined to "earn in an" wa" for an"thing resembling what is re/uired here: for in our time human beings a)tuall" stri*e most of all( when the" refle)t upon themsel*es( to find themsel*es absolutel" right( +ust as the" are&% The eer)ises gi*en b" Rudolf Steiner aim not to reinfor)e( but to transform( the image whi)h I ha*e built up of m"self& This image( so long as it remains untransformed( alwa"s )orresponds to m" inner 2bearing the stamp of a )ertain bodil"-soul-spiritual )onstitution3 and outer 2the e*ents of one's biograph"3 destin"& The" )an therefore - if not worked upon - onl" refle)t what )onstitutes +ust this one parti)ular destin"& ,nl" b" means of a thorough transformation of one's world of inner representations )an the wa" be found to a beholding of that being who embodies the )onne)tion that eists between the different earthl" li*es of one and the same indi*idualit"& nd signifi)antl"( the painful( unpleasant e*ents ha*e a mu)h greater power to raise one abo*e the narrow( personal standpoint( than the +o"ful and pleasant ones& In order to bring about an essential transformation of m" image2s3 of m"self( the memor" of unpleasant e*ents is( of )ourse( not suffi)ient& =or now it is ne)essar" to enter into the ’d"nami) %that li*es in su)h painful memories( ’through the pro)ess of re*ersing them%& The will eperien)ed in the e*ents( whi)h was felt to be an eternal will that is alien or e*en hostile towards me( must now be re-eperien)ed as though it were m" own& ’ 2&&&&&3 nd one must now tr" to enter )ompletel"( in a li*ing wa"( into a highl" remarkable thought-pi)ture$ ll that one did not a)tuall" want and will( to a)tuall" want and will this with great intensit"N To pla)e intensi*el" before one's soul the following$ Bow would "ou a)tuall" be if "ou had heartil"( ardentl" wished for all that "ou did not a)tuall" wish for( those things that went against the grain in "our life@
In so doing one must in a )ertain wa" e)lude what one has managed to o*er)ome& =or the most important thing is that one wishes for those things( or imagines that one fer*entl" wishes for those things( one did not wish for( or in relation to whi)h one was not able to assert one's wishes effe)ti*el": so that in one's feelings and one's thoughts one )reates for oneself a being( of whom one )an ha*e the idea that one has ne*er been 2like3 it until now& nd now one should imagine that one has been this being( with all for)efulness( with all intensit"& If one imagines this( if one su))eeds in identif"ing with this being whi)h one has as it were )onstru)ted for oneself in this wa"( then one has made an essential step on the path of gaining knowledge of the )ore of one's inner soul being& =or in +ust this pi)ture whi)h one )an make of one's own personalit" in the wa" des)ribed( something will dawn whi)h one is not in one's present in)arnation( but whi)h one has brought into the present in)arnation& Its deeper being will dawn as one )ontemplates the pi)ture one )onstru)ts in this wa"&% If one does this eer)ise again and again( then what one pi)tures to oneself inwardl" begins to undergo a transformation& ’ pro)ess o))urs similar to the following$ someone is tr"ing to re)all a name( and tries and tries and it is 'on the tip of his tongue'( and then he sa"s$ #uss ------baumer -( but he has the feeling that this is not right( and then for reasons whi)h he )annot full" grasp( the )orre)t name o))urs to him dire)tl" afterwards $ sa"( #ussdorfer& %’2863% In a wa" similar to that whereb"( after one has begun tr"ing or sear)hing( one finds the )orrest name at last( so this )onstru)ted thought-man( as Rudolf Steiner )alls him( will begin to re*eal something of what )onstitutes the true( the essential )ore of the human being& E ?*er"thing would seem to indi)ate that the untransformed images of himself whi)h 5ostein Saether meditates( shoot down into that part of his being with whi)h he works and from whi)h he draws$ that of his unpurified self-will& nd it is this self-will whi)h mirrors these images ba)k to him in man" different fa)ets& Thus arise the pi)tures of his supposed past in)arnations( whi)h )ould ha*e to do with phenomena like those in a hall of distorting mirrors in a fairground$ an alread" mirrored( distorted mirror-image is mirrored "et again man" times b" *ariousl" positioned( distorted and blurred mirrors& n"one who has tried something like this will ha*e dis)o*ered$ although - altered be"ond belief b" the mirrors - one still re)ogni.es oneself in them 2’I found m"self in the midst of pro)esses whi)h I immediatel" re)ogni.ed as something belonging to me( %sa"s 5ostein Saether3( one ne*ertheless loses all orientation in this lab"rinth of mirrored mirror-images& Indeed( one )an no longer find the wa" out&& This phenomenon a))ounts for the enormous speed with whi)h 5ostein Saether found his supposed past in)arnations$ ’in the )ourse of autumn 466F(% so he sa"s(’ %he had su))eeded in ’witnessing life-motifs of twel*e in)arnations altogether( whi)h I
re)ogni.ed as being m" own pre*ious in)arnations& %’27<3 %;ut the meditati*e breakthrough des)ribed in detail abo*e had not begun until autumn 466F& ’2743 %The man" different mirrorings of his own mirror-image arose( therefore - and this lies in the nature of su)h phenomena - in the shortest )on)ei*able time& In the )ase of the eer)ises gi*en b" Rudolf Steiner( whi)h are meant to lead ’to a dire)t( real beholding of that being in man whi)h goes through the repeated earthli*es( %’2783 %we ha*e to do with more than '+ust' eer)ises whi)h )an gi*e insight into past in)arnations& The soul-eer)ises re)ommended b" Rudolf Steiner seem to ha*e more to do with something that will influen)e the destin" of human beings in)reasingl" in the future$ namel"( the feeling that m" true 'I' has less to do with the part of the world I eperien)e as )ontained w ithin m" bod"( than with the part that )omes towards me from outside this bodil" nature& If I )onfront m"self as an obser*er it is eas" to see - as though in a first step towards this insight - that e*er" other human being has at least as mu)h to do with me as I ha*e m"self This insight into life and destin" )onne)tions gi*es a right basis to the following words of Rudolf Steiner( spoken in Dorna)h on 8Ath De)ember 464( ’2773 %$ ’ 2&&&&&3 The real 'I' )omes to a standstill when we are born& What we eperien)e as our 'I' is onl" a mirror-image of our 'I'& It is onl" something that the 'I' from before birth )reates in us as a refle)tion& It is indeed so( that we eperien)e onl" a mirrorrefle)tion of the 'I': we eperien)e something of the real 'I' onl" indire)tl"& What the ps")hologists( the so-)alled soul-resear)hers( speak of as the 'I' is onl" a refle)tion: it stands in the same relation to the real 'I' as the image "ou see in a mirror is related to "ou& 2&&&&&3 The human being eperien)es indire)tl" something of his 'I'( when he enters into relation with other people and karma takes its )ourse& When we en)ounter another human being and something takes pla)e between us and the other( whi)h is part of our karma( then something of the impulse of the true 'I' enters into us& What in us we )all 'I'( what we refer to with this word( this is onl" a mirror-refle)tion& nd it +ust in this wa" that the human being is brought to maturit" during our Hth post-tlantean epo)h( that through the Hth period this 'I' is onl" eperien)ed b" him as a refle)tion& 2&&&&3 ,nl"( he will eperien)e it differentl" than he would wish toda"N Toda" the human being would like to des)ribe his 'I'( whi)h he onl" eperien)es a s a mirror-refle)tion( altogether differentl" from what will present itself to him as su)h in the )oming( sith period& Those m"sti)al fan)ies whi)h people still ha*e$ that through inner brooding the" will find their true 'I' - whi)h the" e*en )all the di*ine 'I' N - human beings will indulge in su)h fan)ies less often in the future& =or the" will ha*e to get used to seeing their own 'I' onl" in the outer world& The strange phenomenon will arise that e*er" other person who meets us and has something to do with us( has more to do with us( has more to do with our 'I' than what is en)losed in our skin& Thus the human being is mo*ing towards the so)ial age( where in the future he will sa" to himself$ m" 'self' is )ontained in all those who meet me from the world outside: it is least of all inside& I re)ei*e( while I am li*ing as a ph"si)al human being between birth and death( m" 'self' from all possible sour)es - onl" not at all from what is en)losed within m" skin&
This( paradoi)al as it ma" seem( is being prepared for indire)tl"( through the fa)t that human beings are learning in a small wa" to feel how there is a)tuall" etremel" little )ontained in what the" )all their 'I'( in this mirror-refle)tion& I re)entl" spoke of how one )an get to the truth b" re*iewing one's biograph" dispassionatel" and asking oneself what one owes to this or that person from one's birth onwards& ,ne will thus graduall" see one's identit" dissol*ed in the influen)es that )ome from others: one will find etraordinaril" little in what one has to see as one's a)tual 'I' whi)h( as I said before( is onl" a mirror-refle)tion& % ’ %nd on De)ember 8th 4689$ ’The human being of toda" onl" has the mirror-image of the true 'I'( he has something of the true 'I' ra"ing in( when he )omes into )onta)t with other human beings: the other person( who is )onne)ted with him karmi)all" or in some other wa"( gi*es him something real& If one were to epress it radi)all" - it is a )hara)teristi) of human beings in modern times - $ we are inwardl" hollow with respe)t to the realit" of our 'I'& We are all inwardl" hollow( and we ought a)tuall" to admit this to oursel*es 2&&&&&&3 %The eperien)e of the fa)t that the will that is )onne)ted with m" true being( the will whi)h( as it shapes m" destin"( edu)ates me( is to be sought not inside me( but outside me - in the world - opens the gatewa" whi)h leads out of the pi)ture world that is mirrored ba)k to itself& ;ut at the threshold of this gatewa" something )an be di*ined( of what lies on the other side& ’Bow the 'I' ppears in Rudolf Steiner's nthroposoph"% Reading the tet of Sergei !rokofieff we )ame upon two passages whi)h - be)ause of the un)lear elements in them - )hallenged us to look into them more ea)tl"& We first dis)o*ered that !rokofieff brings together the 'husks' of thoughts whi)h he has drawn from the work of Rudolf Steiner( but whi)h( in the wa" he attempts this( do not belong together at all& While he mirrors( as it were( from the outside the )onne)tions deri*ed from that sour)e( the essential )ore of the senten)es /uoted from Rudolf Steiner lies in what !rokofieff omits to do$ namel"( not +ust to mirror thoughts( but to think them and )onne)t with them in a li*ing wa"& The se)ond passage that stru)k us( howe*er( is the one where !rokofieff speaks of a ’thought )ommunion of the human being%( whi)h is ’at first per)ei*ed onl" un)ons)iousl"& %Bow a thought )ommunion )an remain un)ons)ious( and what rLEle is pla"ed in this )osmi) e*ent b" its being taken hold of )ons)iousl" b" the human being - these are the /uestions that arise at this point& Sin)e( for !rokofieff( the first human being to think the ’thought )ommunion % was Rudolf Steiner( it was he who thereb" be)ame the ’first messenger %on ?arth - of both the Bea*enl" Sophia and her "oungest )onstituent member( nthroposophia& Thus we )an also ask this /uestion in the following wa"$ Who is the ;eing nthroposophia@ nd$ Who is Rudolf Steiner@ E ?arlier in our dis)ussion the /uestion arose )on)erning the pla)e of Rudolf Steiner in the )onfiguration of !rokofieff's thoughts& t the beginning of our in/uir" into the
spiritual ba)kground of the endea*ours of 5ostein Saether( a 'break' had be)ome apparent in the tets of both authors$ Saether spoke at first of real memories( but then of memories that needed to be repla)ed b" inner representations: !rokofieff des)ribed a )osmi) pro)ess on the basis of what he had read in Rudolf Steiner( but then without pointing out the differen)e - he wrote a bout the pla)e of Rudolf Steiner himself in the pro)ess& In both )ases - Saether as well as !rokofieff - the same /uestion now returns in a new form& This phenomenon whi)h we set to one side initiall" and whi)h appears again in a deeper )onne)tion( indi)ates that( alread" on the surfa)e - at the point in the pro)ess that shows itself most )learl" - something has be)ome *isible of what belongs to its innermost being& It is a /uite spe)ifi) le)ture of Rudolf Steiner that Sergei !rokofieff mentions more than 4 times in his book ’The Bea*enl" Sophia an d the ;eing nthroposophia%$ the le)ture of 7rd =ebruar" 4647( held b" Rudolf Steiner on the o))asion of the first )onstitution-forming 1eneral 0eeting of the newl"-founded nthroposophi)al So)iet" in ;erlin& ’2793 %In the etra)t /uoted abo*e from !rokofieff's book there are parts of senten)es from this le)ture( whi)h will now be /uoted in the form in whi)h the" are gi*en b" !rokofieff$ The ’free life of thought in the )ons)iousness-soul of the modern age(% sa"s !rokofieff( ’)an onl" be attained b" the human being through the pro)ess whereb"( sin)e the 4HthJ4F )entur"( the )osmi) intelligen)e is poured into general human de*elopment( whi)h has now be)ome earthl" and has be)ome entirel" the possession of the human being& This )an onl" happen through the fa)t that its earthl" bearer - the supersensible ;eing %2nthroposophia - I&D&3 ’guides it into human )ons)iousness through uniting her own )ons)iousness-soul with the )ons)iousness-soul of the indi*idual human being: in other words$ through bringing about what Rudolf Steiner )hara)teri.ed as a passing of this ;eing( the "oungest )onstituent member of the Sophia( t h r o u g h t h e h u m a n b e i n g ( through his )ons)iousness-soul& She has 'entered into the human being'( has entered 'the human soul': for a few )enturies she 'had been united so inwardl" &&&&&&& with the human soul'( she had 'passed through the human soul( through the being of man' %:’27H3%’ she passed through him in the period from the 4HthJ4Fth )entur" up to our own time and poured into his soul( from the )hali)e she bore( the )osmi) intelligen)e that had be)ome human& %Cet us first see how the thought /uoted b" !rokofieff appears in Rudolf Steiner's own words$ ’27F3 %’What must be de*eloped@ % Rudolf Steiner asks in his le)ture of =eb& 7rd 4647& ’What must be de*eloped is( that a 'Sophia' should again be ob*iousl" present( but$ the human being must relate this Sophia to his )ons)iousness-soul( he must bring her into dire)t )onne)tion with the human being& This happens in the period of the )ons)iousness-soul& Thus this Sophia has be)ome the ;eing who eplains the human being& fter she has entered the human being she must take with her the being of man( with whom she was so inwardl" )onne)ted that so wonderful a lo*e-
poem )ould be )omposed to her( as was written b" Dante& She will be released again( but she will take with her what the human being is& nd she will pla)e herself( ob+e)ti*el" - now not +ust as 'Sophia'( but as 'nthroposophia' - as that Sophia who( ha*ing passed through the human soul( took hold of this being of man( bears it within herself hen)eforth( and pla)es herself before the )ogni.ing human being( +ust as on)e Sophia( the ob+e)ti*e ;eing( li*ed among the 1reeks& 2&&&&&3% These few senten)es alone make it )lear that we ha*e to do with thoughts whi)h belong to a /uite )on)rete )ontet$ thus Rudolf Steiner mentions a lo*e-poem of Dante whi)h must somehow be )onne)ted to what he then sa"s about the human being( Sophia and nthroposophia& nd indeed( if one reads in its entiret" the original le)ture of Rudolf Steiner whi)h( in)identall"( bears the title ’The ;eing nthroposophia%( one will dis)o*er$ a large part of this le)ture is de*oted to a des)ription of this lo*e-relationship whi)h the poet Dante had entered into with a being( and to whom he dedi)ated the following lines$ ’When I behold her( the breath of !aradise% ’Seems to waft about me gentl": Co*e itself gi*es to her this smile( nd what her e"e )on*e"s( is not a lie& %’27A3 %This *erse( /uoted b" Rudolf Steiner fi*e times in his le)ture( is a kind of garment( in whi)h his statements about the ;eing nthroposophia are )lothed$ with the same soul-inwardness as when Dante is des)ribing his relation to his ;elo*ed - the Cad" !hilosoph" -( Rudolf Steiner's le)ture is deli*ered with the same inwardness of soul& This /ualit" is maintained almost throughout: onl" at the end does a )hange take pla)e - a transformation whi)h one might feel to be as m"sterious as the appearan)e of a )oloured and unfolding bloom at the end of a plant that has grown steadil" and )ontinuousl" upwards& ;ut this bloom appears in the form of a )ompletel" new idea& !rokofieff's /uotation fragments are taken from this bloom& If one lets first the le)ture of Rudolf Steiner and then the etra)t from !rokofieff's book work upon one( then the feeling )an arise$ the senten)e parts /uoted b" !rokofieff are like single petals( torn out and tattered$ not onl" that the" /ui)kl" wither - their origin( too( is hardl" dis)ernible& #either the form of the plant( nor that of the bloom - not e*en that of the petals - )an be re)ogni.ed& ;ut interestingl" enough( the *er" wa" in whi)h !rokofieff in)orporates into his tet the /uoted senten)es of Rudolf Steiner )on)erning the ;eing of nthroposophia( leads us dire)tl" to this ;eing herself& In a le)ture on 4th September 464H( Rudolf Steiner )hara)teri.ed the ’ordinar" thinking of the ph"si)al plane( %whi)h is maintained b" those who ’with a )ertain ease and la)k of effort - want to enter the o))ult world%$ ’273 % ’Oou see( it is so diffi)ult to battle in this area with human abstra)tness: for when "ou ha*e taken hold of this mobilit" of thought( "ou will also grasp that a mobile thought )annot arise here or there in a hapha.ard manner& =or eample( "ou )annot find a land )reature in the water: "ou )annot a))ustom a bird( whi)h is made for the air( to li*ing deep down in the water& If "ou are interested in what is li*ing "ou ha*e no alternati*e but to ad+ust to the thought that "ou )annot take it out of its element& This needs to be taken into a))ount& I on)e tried in a /uite rigorous
wa" in a limited field - I alwa"s tr" to do things in this wa"( but I onl" want now to bring it as an eample with a *er" important thought( to illustrate b" means of an eample how things need to be if one takes seriousl" the inner life of thinking( %so Rudolf Steiner )ontinues& nd then he des)ribes how( in his le)tures on ’The Spiritual 1uidan)e of 0ankind %’2763 %at a )ertain point he drew attention to the m"ster" of the two 5esus )hildren& ’ #ow look how this /uestion is dealt with there& We ha*e a le)ture-)")le whi)h begins in a )ertain wa"& ttention is drawn to the wa" the human being )an a)/uire )ertain insights if he tries to dire)t his ga.e towards these things& The whole thing is gi*en a )ertain shape& Then it goes on& #ow the part pla"ed b" the hierar)hies in human progress is des)ribed 2&&&&&3( then in a )ertain )onne)tion( at a /uite spe)ifi) point( referen)e is made to the two 5esus )hildren& This belongs to a dis)ussion of the two 5esus )hildren( that it ha ppens at a )ertain pla)e in the presentation& nd an"one who sa"s$ Wh" )an't "ou take this dis)ussion of the two 5esus )hildren out of its )ontet( and present it eoteri)all" in this isolated form@ Su)h a person is asking the same as one who sa"s$ Wh" must the hand be +ust here on m" arm( on this part of m" bod"@ Be might e*en sa"$ Wh" is the hand not growing on one's knee@ !erhaps it )ould +ust as well be there& Be does not understand the whole organism as a li*ing being: he thinks the hand )ould also be somewhere else( "ou see@ The hand )an be nowhere else but on the armN Thus in this )onne)tion the thought of the two 5esus )hildren )annot be at a different pla)e 2&&&&&3 %;ut if one eperien)es how it belongs integrall" ’to the dis)ussion of the two 5esus )hildren( that this happens at a )ertain pla)e in the presentation%( then one's feeling )an )ome )loser to what the word of Rudolf Steiner is ’in its essential nature%& If this feeling arises( then it )an be a sign pointing to the fa)t that the soul-)olouring( the fundamental soul-gesture( has been found whi)h )orresponds to the word& Then one dis)o*ers that the spiritual substan)e of Rudolf Steiner imprints itself not onl" on the )ontent of his le)tures and books& ,n the )ontrar"$ when the organ for per)eption of the tets of Rudolf Steiner awakens( one )a n eperien)e how behind 2or rather$ in3 the words of Rudolf Steiner there is reall" a being whose flesh and blood )onsists not 2onl"3 of )ontent( but of rh"thms( gestures& mo*ements( of mathemati)al-geometri)al forms and musi)al harmonies& n"one who thinks that - without eperien)ing these )onne)tions - he )ould take out isolated aspe)ts( shows - so Rudolf Steiner sa"s in the le)ture /uoted abo*e - that he has to do not with li*ing beings but with thought ma)hines& ’ Thus a person who does something like that - tearing su)h a thing out of its )ontet and putting it in an impossible )onne)tion - has demonstrated that he is not familiar in the least degree with the being whose fire and warmth ha*e permeated our entire spiritual-s)ientifi) stream from its *er" beginning( be)ause he tries to treat the spiritual( too( a))ording to the /uite normal materialisti) formula& 2&&&&3 In this wa" one )omes to nothing less than that one di*es down into the
element of life with one's thinking( while otherwise one is li*ing in what is dead& ,ne di*es down into the element of life& %’29<3 %
E
If an en)ounter with the words of Rudolf Steiner 2and thereb" with Rudolf Steiner himself3 were not at the same time an en)ounter with a li*ing being( then it would reall" be possible to reprodu)e his statements in simplified and abridged form( without the loss of an"thing essential& ;ut( obser*ing oneself as one reads( it is eas" to eperien)e the differen)e between the thought-pro)esses of Rudolf Steiner in their wea*ing and their mo*ement in /uite distin)t rh"thms and forms( and the attempts to take o*er these thoughts with no understanding of the for)e that mo*es them& In the first )ase we di*e down into the life-for)e of the spirit( in the se)ond )ase we eperien)e how this life-for)e is deadened b" the intelle)t& nd we are left with the impression of ha*ing to do onl" with eternali.ed and emptied shells& ,ne )an tr" to eperien)e in the tets of Rudolf Steiner the harmonies whi)h not onl" li*e in the flow of the thoughts( but also affe)t the wa" a thought arises and passes awa" again& ,ne )an tr" to listen in to the single sounds( the double sounds and the rh"thmi) repetitions( whi)h approa)h and die out again( a ppear anew and flow together as in a s"mphon"( onl" to be transformed into a new *ariation on the same theme& Then one will eperien)e how these elements whi)h resemble musi)alrh"thmi)al motifs and mathemati)al-geometri) forms belong +ust as mu)h - if not more strongl" still - to the supersensible element of ;eing )on)erning whi)h 2and out of whi)h3 Rudolf Steiner writes and speaks( a s the )ontent of his thoughts epressed through the words& Then one will be able to feel how( in Rudolf Steiner's work through the eperien)e of mo*ement( form and sound - one )an en)ounter the formati*e laws of the spiritual world itself& If( b" )ontrast( one is obli*ious to the element that is li*ing and organi)( that grows in itself( be)omes and passes awa"( then the thought-images remain( whi)h the intelle)t puts together out of the words of Rudolf Steiner& These thought-images( howe*er( represent to themsel*es the essential being inherent in Rudolf Steiner's words( in su)h a wa" that these words themsel*es are di*ested of being( be)ome bereft of being& ’Thus a person who does something like that - tearing su)h a thing out of its )ontet and putting it in an impossible )onne)tion( has demonstrated that he is not familiar in the least degree with the being whose fire and warmth ha*e permeated our entire spiritual-s)ientifi) stream from the *er" beginning( % so Rudolf Steiner sa"s in the le)ture alread" /uoted& Who is this ;eing( who in this wa" )an be smothered o*er and buried under rubble( and thus etinguished@’ % With this /uestion we tou)h upon the )entral ner*e of our relation to the nthroposoph" of Rudolf Steiner& It *ibrates in e*er" one of his words and is then eperien)ed all the more )learl" as a /uestion( the more distin)tl" the li*ing and essential being of these words is per)ei*ed& ,nl" when one )an feel that the )onne)tions between the words( senten)es( pi)tures and thoughts are ’life-streams %life-streams whi)h are )entral to that being w ho is the reason wh" I work at all with
the tets of Rudolf Steiner( onl" then will these tets o))up" the pla)e that a))ords with their signifi)an)e& ;" this we do not mean to sa" that it is impossible to make statements about the )ontent of nthroposoph"& If this were so( Rudolf Steiner would not ha*e )ommuni)ated these )ontents( he )ould reall" ha*e limited himself to the earl" philosophi)al works& Instead of this one )ould assume that his man" le)tures are attempts to awaken the fa)ult" in us that is able to per)ei*e the m"sterious relation that eists between the )ontent of his ideas a nd the ’wa" in whi)h% the" )ome to epression& This relation )an be eperien)ed in su)h a wa" that the )ontents themsel*es )ome to life in the form of their epression( and are thus able to respond to the /uite )on)rete /uestions we ha*e to ask in fa)e of /uite )on)rete situations in the world toda"& Thus the need is to eperien)e the ’organism of the idea %whi)h is integral to the tets of Rudolf Steiner& Su)h an organism does not rest upon the laws of formal-logi)al thought( but rather on those that are akin to the laws of organi) growth& If our attention is guided to the formati*e power of the ideas( whi)h is the power of thinking( a transformation of Rudolf Steiner's tets )an be eperien)ed$ with the stri*ing reall" to ’think %the words )ontained in them( all )ontent( all memor" of a )ontent( and e*er" pi)ture of it( disappears entirel" of itself& Indeed( it is as though the )ontents( in one's effort to think them( in one's endea*our to grasp the thoughts( were to )onsume themsel*es( as though the" were to burn up in the will that thinks them& nd it is in this )ombustion pro)ess that a gatewa" seems to open up in the wall that hitherto separated us from these words& E Sergei !rokofieff des)ribes the destin" of the ;eing nthroposophia as an e*ent that he *iews from without( rather as he would a tree that stands before his window& t a )ertain point in his des)ription he 'wea*es in' words of Rudolf Steiner whi)h ha*e been etra)ted from a li*ing organism( and thus builds u p a phantom stru)ture - out of the dead )omponents whi)h belonged to a li*ing being& It is a strange pro)ess indeed$ the phantom-like( apparent resurre)tion of Rudolf Steiner's nthroposoph" out of the semi-de)omposed remains of what one has torn from this being& Sergei !rokofieff )an be *iewed as a )lassi) representati*e of those who ’with a )ertain ease and la)k of effort wish to enter the o))ult world%( and thus retain the ’ordinar" thinking of the ph"si)al plane%& Be pra)tises a form of materialisti) o))ultism( of a kind( namel"( that unfolds not on the le*el of spiritist sPQan)es( )ard-reading or astrolog"( but b" wa" of an eternali.ed - be)ause alienated from thinking itself - work with Rudolf Steiner's nthroposoph"& To the etent that this materialisti) o))ultism pretends to work from the *er" highest standpoint and tries - unre)ogni.ed b" man" people - to drag this highest element down into its depths( this form of materialisti) o))ultism must be looked upon as being the most dan gerous and ha*ing the most disturbing impli)ations for the future& nd signifi)antl"( this form of materialisti) o))ultism laun)hes its atta)k espe)iall" at the pla)e where one )an begin to grasp wh" Rudolf Steiner( and his nthroposoph"( )ame into the world at all at the beginning of the 8 |
sheer in)omprehensibilit" of the ideas )ontained in it( whi)h I now tr" with the utmost effort to think( brings about ea)tl" what Rudolf Steiner goes on to des)ribe at the end of this le)ture$ namel"( the re*ersal( the turning inside-out of e*er"thing& This re*ersal( whi)h )onsists in the pro)ess whereb" that whi)h on)e appeared as something eternal to me in the form of nthroposoph"( shows itself to be ’what I m"self am%( rea)hes its )lima in Rudolf Steiner's le)ture with the following words$ ’What we take in through nthroposoph" is our own essential being( whi)h first )ame wafting towards man( as Sophia( as !hilosophia( to show herself as a hea*enl" 1oddess( to whom he )ould enter into a personal relationship that was reall" li*ing& This he will pro+e)t outside himself again( he will re)ogni.e in her the mirror-refle)tion of his own being( he will pla)e it before himself as the result of true self-knowledge in nthroposoph"& We )an )alml" wait until the world will wish to test how deepl" grounded - right down to e*er" detail - is that whi)h we ha*e to sa"& =or that is the essential nature of nthroposoph"( that its own true being )onsists in what is the true being of man& nd that is the essential nature of her a)ti*it"$ that the human being re)ei*es what he himself is - in Theosoph" or nthroposoph" - ( and must pla)e it before himself( be)ause he must pra)tise selfknowledge& %If we step ba)k from what has happened in our stud" so far( we )an see the following$ if the inner thought-pi)tures whi)h I ha*e of m"self are strengthened b" o))ult means( pi)ture-se/uen)es appear whi)h take on a life of their own( and in this life of their own mirror m" selfhood& Instead of o*er)oming this selfhood( whi)h is )onne)ted with m" personal *iew of m" life( it - that is m" own being( separated from the world - is )onsolidated in its separateness& There arises something that shuts itself off from the world-whole( sin)e it is as little )onne)ted with the world as it is with what )onstitutes m" true 'I'& - This we had to dis)o*er( as it were on the first step of our +ourne"& The se)ond step led us to an obser*ation of the relationship I )an establish to the world( as a part of whi)h Rudolf Steiner's nthroposoph" first appears& If this relationship does not li*e within a thinking of a kind that is )ontinuall" freeing itself from the mental pi)tures that )onstitute m" relation to nthroposoph"( if m" thinking does not 'burn up' these pi)tures( something arises like a mirror-image of this dead( rigidified thinking( a kind of prison of mental imager" whi)h bars m" wa" to the foundations out of whi)h the ideas of Rudolf Steiner's nthroposoph" grow& Instead of entering the spirit-world( a prison of inner pi)tures arises in whi)h the separated selfhood mirrors itself in the empt" shells whi)h the words and senten)es of Rudolf Steiner ha*e now be)ome& gain( something falls out of the stream of de*elopment: again( rigidified and self-)ontained de)isions separate themsel*es off( and are no longer able to be part of the be)oming of the world and of man& The true signature of Rudolf Steiner's )oming( howe*er( is entirel" different& ’Bis %work has to do with a pro)ess whi)h is the ea)t opposite of what we ha*e +ust des)ribed&
’V& World-knowledge - Self-knowledge !endulum-swing to ;reak down the ;arrier&
%’
World-knowledge - Self-knowledge$ =rom the one to the other Swings soul-longing in its /uestioning& If often solution to the riddles of eisten)e Seems to be heralded( bringing )onsolation( ,ut of the solution is born Oet another( a new riddle of eisten)e& ;ut if( instead of seeking in world-knowledge =or the grounds of world-eisten)e( nd instead of seeking in the grounds of self =or the eternal being of man( Conging seeks in world-widths - selfhood nd in the self - the uni*erse( She does not attain the goals of knowledge( ;ut paths will open up to her Into the life of knowledge-seeking( ;earing the soul( raising the spirit( !ointing the wa" to the worlds& %’2943%
))ording to the pi)tures of the genesis in the ,ld Testament( two trees were growing in !aradise - the tree of knowledge of good and e*il( and the tree of life& ’nd the Cord 1od )ommanded the man( sa"ing( ,f e*er" tree of the garden thou ma"est freel" eat$ ;ut of the tree of the knowledge of good and e*il( thou shalt not eat of it$ for in the da" that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surel" die& %’2983%’ %;ut it is the fruit of this tree - the apple - whi)h the serpent tempts man to eat& #ow the human being is epelled from !aradise$ ’ nd the Cord 1od said( ;ehold( the man is be)ome as one of us( to know good and e*il$ and now( lest he put forth his hand( and take also of the tree of life( and eat( and li*e for e*er&&&&&&% in order to pre*ent what has been forbidden to man( now that he has eaten of the tree of knowledge of good and e*il( he must depart from !aradise& The first )onse/uen)es of the eating of the apple is the opening of the e"e$ dam and ?*e see themsel*es - in their nakedness& With the awakening of the senses there begins the pro)ess of what we )all self-awareness( a self-awareness whi)h is )onne)ted with the fa)t that a )ontrast arises between 'I' and 'world'$ dam and ?*e hide in the 1arden of ?den when the" be)ome aware of their nakedness& =or from now on the bod" is eperien)ed as a sheath within whi)h that li*es whi)h en)ounters the world all that eists outside the bod"& The pi)tures of the ,ld Testament gi*e one a sense for the following$ It is our e"es( our abilit" to see( whi)h stands at the origin of our self)ons)iousness& The )ons)iousness of m" own 'I' awakens at the moment when m" oneness with the 'world' breaks apart& !er)eption and )ons)iousness of self therefore mean epulsion( e)lusion from !aradise( and therewith the impossibilit" of ’li*ing %in
the eternal& =or from now on it is forbidden to the human being to eat of the fruits of the tree of life$ be)oming aware of oneself and of one's being 'other' in relation to the world brings death& E The eperien)e that 'I' am something other than the 'world' is the e*er-re)urring( fundamental eperien)e of the human being toda"( an eperien)e to whi)h the tets of Rudolf Steiner refer( +ust as mu)h as the" seek to raise one abo*e it& nd from this eperien)e there also arises the eperien)e of a separation between 'inner' and 'outer'$ While e*er"da" )ons)iousness eperien)es the 'I'( like a )entral point( a s the the 'inner'( the 'world' is *iewed as the )ir)umferen)e( the 'outer'( the peripher"& ;ut not onl" do 'I' and the 'world' break apart into a dualit"( our a))ess to them is gi*en *ia two different paths& Indeed( the fa)t that the differen)e between 'I' and the 'world' is eperien)ed at all( is due to our spe)ial form of )ognition - as Rudolf Steiner has fre/uentl" pointed out$ obser*ation and thinking are two a)ti*ities that are separate from one another& I first obser*e something( in order then to a)ti*ate thoughts about what I ha*e obser*ed& gain a separation arises between 'inner' and 'outer'$ whilst the per)eption of the tree seems to )ome to me from the tree itself( i&e& from the outside( I eperien)e the thinking about the tree as something that o))urs within m"self& While the per)eption of the world is )onne)ted with m" sense-organs - e"es( nose( ears( mouth et)& - whi)h are dire)ted outwards( I eperien)e m" thinking as bound to m" brain& ;ut this is )losed off b" the )ranium from the outer world& !er)eption and thinking thus appear to be two separate and distin)t a)ti*ities( whi)h o))ur at different pla)es and different times( and whi)h I )onne)t together through the pro)ess whereb" I de*elop inner thought pi)tures& =or these pi)tures are m" 'bridge'( enabling me to refle)t upon what I ha*e obser*ed and( from the standpoint thus a)hie*ed( to obser*e anew& simple refle)tion shows$ If per)eption and thinking w ere to take pla)e( instead( in a single( undi*ided and unified a)t( the world-)ontent would stand before me like an open book - e*er" being would arise in me so dire)tl" and )ompletel"( that I would not onl" be unable to ask /uestions about it( but would not eperien)e its 'otherness' at all& Cet us imagine what a being would eperien)e( before whom the world-)ontent were to re*eal itself - not broken up into different steps - but as it were at a single glan)e& This a)t - whi)h would o))ur dire)tl" and be free of an" element of doubt would lea*e no room for the obser*er to de*elop further to a self-obser*er& The obser*er would be and would remain a world-obser*er - without knowledge of this( howe*er( be)ause no-one and nothing would )ause him to shift the obser*ation form the world to himself& ,nl" in the opening of the e"es did dam and ?*e see that the" were naked& It is our spe)ial human )onstitution that tears apart obser*ation and thinking( and thereb" )reates the basis for the eperien)e that 'I' stand o*er against another - the world& ;ut this 'I'-eperien)e( owing to the fa)t that it is based on a separation between 'I' and 'world'( also )arries within it un)ertaint"( not-knowing and untruth& Indeed( in a )ertain wa" one )an e*en sa" that it is our /uestions( our errors and our doubts whi)h awaken that being in oursel*es who is )ons)ious of his otherness in
relation to the world& ,r( in other words$ it is our inabilit" to understand( that brings us into being& nd thus another riddle is added to that of the distin)tion between 'I' and 'world'$ I eperien)e that the fa)tor that ga*e rise to the )ons)iousness of m" 'I' is also that whi)h bars m" wa" to this 'I'( and e/uall" to the 'world' whi)h stands o*er a gainst the 'I'& I )an dire)t m" attention to them( but I )annot reall" approa)h the m"ster" of the one or the other& =or I eperien)e again and again how I form inner thought-pi)tures but inner thought-pi)tures whi)h ha*e )ontinuall" - and e*er" step forward in knowledge shows me this - to be o*erturned and )reated anew& #one of the thought-pi)tures whi)h I a)/uire on the paths of knowledge initiall" a))essible to me( pro*es to be something that I would not need to o*er)ome& part from the one( perhaps( whi)h I ha*e +ust formed and whi)h )ontains within it the /uestion$ Who is this other 'I'( who is able to bring that one to epression( and who not onl" eperien)es how 'I' and 'world' are distin)t from one another( but also that he 2this 'other I'3 is not able to penetrate the truth of this 'I'( or the truth of the world@ Who is this 'I'( who must be wiser and stronger than the one that has not "et be)ome )ons)ious of its own limits@ ’2993 %
E
5ust as 'I' and 'world' appear separatel"( +ust as 'obser*ation' and 'thinking' are two different a)ts( so 'life' and 'knowledge' are also distin)t from one another& dam and ?*e( who had eaten of the tree of knowledge of good and e*il( are forbidden to eat of the tree of life& ;ut this means$ no life )omes into our knowing( and no knowledge )omes into our li*ing& ,r epressed differentl"$ the knower forgets his li*ing eperien)e 2?rleben3 in his knowledge of the world: the one who is immersed in li*ing eperien)e 2der ?rlebende3 forgets knowledge in his eperien)e of himself 2Selbst?rleben3& 'I' and world( obser*ation and thinking( )ognition and life( knowledge and belief - e*er"where the same separation di*ides what is a)tuall" ,ne( and )reates a gulf that appears insuperable& ;ut we find a )orresponden)e to this 'gulf' in the two so pre*alent wa"s of )ulti*ating nthroposoph"( whi)h ha*e been )onsidered in this book& s we ha*e seen( neither of these forms reall" does +usti)e to nthroposoph"& #either the more traditional approa)h( whereb" Rudolf Steiner is read and /uoted( but not thought in su)h a wa" that in the thinking of what is being read( one )an also eperien)e what has been written: nor the form whi)h regards itself as more up-todate( in whi)h first and foremost spiritual eperien)es of one's own are sought( whereb" Rudolf Steiner is *iewed as no more than a stimulus - neither of these two wa"s of entering the so-)alled spiritual world leads out of the ha bits of mental pi)turing that belong to e*er"da" )ons)iousness& Indeed( one )ould e*en sa"$ the" reinfor)e the semblan)e in whi)h this e*er"da" )ons)iousness is trapped: the" add to it a further semblan)e( whi)h in)reases the illusion still further& nd if these thoughtpi)tures - with the one who produ)es these pi)tures failing to be)ome aware of their limitations - are densified still further b" means of soul-eer)ises like meditation and )on)entration( and are ')harged' with will( then a me)hanism sets in whi)h is *irtuall" identi)al with 5esuitism$ the inner pi)tures of the 'I' 2su)h as are pre*alent in modern ps")holog" or rein)arnation therap"3( and likewise those of the 'world' 2su)h as those
in the s)ien)es toda"( but whi)h )an also be )ulti*ated b" people who ha*e drawn their ideas from Rudolf Steiner's nthroposoph"3 fall ba)k upon themsel*es( mirrored( distorted and reinfor)ed in their semblan)e )hara)ter& Instead of imaginations arising( pi)tures are eperien)ed whi)h stem from the unpurified astral realm whi)h forms that world-sphere known in o))ultism as the eighth sphere& ’29H3 %The inner thought-pi)tures whi)h ha*e been led b" o))ult means to the threshold of sub-nature reinfor)e the barrier whi)h separates us from our own true being and e/uall" from the being of the world( and whi)h )onstitutes the 2inwardl" pi)tured3 separation between 'I' and 'world'& Thought-pi)tures of this kind do not penetrate behind the mirror( but break against it - i&e& against the untruthful egoit" of their )reators& The barrier reinfor)ed in this wa" is the wall of a soul-prison( whi)h regards emptiness of spirit as spirit-fullness& It is the ,ut 2of the loser in a game - Trans&3( whi)h the life of soul has brought upon itself& ;ut here we would stress again$ it was phenomena on the wa" to su)h dead-ends that helped us to be)ome guides on the wa"& =or it lies in the nature of what is untrue( that - if it is taken hold of b" thinking - it )an itself be)ome a re*elation of the true& Indeed( it makes steps in )ognition possible( whi)h would ha*e remained impossible without the eperien)e of the untrue& This is the reason wh" the modern human being needs the untrue for his )ogniti*e a)ti*it": it is like the ground on whi)h he )an stand and on whi)h he )an de*elop the knowledge he must stri*e to attain& ’29F3 %To this etent the untrue )an be like a sa)rifi)e( whi)h those who 2must3 ser*e untruth render for the sake of the truth& E The )onne)tion between world-knowledge and self-knowledge etends through the entire work of Rudolf Steiner& ,r in other words$ the thought of the )onne)tion between 'I' and 'world' is integral to Rudolf Steiner's nthroposoph"& =or the a)t of thinking - as we tried to show - is itself the unit" of both& The outer 2the 'world'3 be)omes( in thinking( inner 2the 'I'3: an inner( that )an again be)ome a new world& This happens( howe*er( when one stands o*er against thinking as an obser*er( and( in 'thinking obser*ing' and 'obser*ing thinking' one is +ust as mu)h in the things as one is standing o*er against them& ;ut the wa" to this goes *ia the words of Rudolf Steiner( whi)h must be seen as the edu)ators of our e*er"da" )ons)iousness$ edu)ators of our self-)ons)iousness and of our world-)ons)iousness( in e/ual measure& Towards the end of his life Rudolf Steiner de*eloped - in the ’nthroposophi)al Ceading Thoughts % whi)h we ha*e alread" mentioned - a thought-pi)ture in whi)h the )onne)tion between world-knowledge and self-knowledge is shown in a spe)ial wa"& ’29A3 % Bere it be)omes )lear that it )an be( in the first pla)e( elements that ha*e simpl" to be thought whi)h )an make what has grown rigid( mobile again& Rudolf Steiner shows$ In the mental pi)tures of the world( of the world outside me( I find m"self again when I be)ome )ons)ious of the fa)t that 'I'( as soon as I think( am present in m" thoughts about the world& This is the one aspe)t& nd if I refle)t upon how I eperien)e m"self( I )an feel how the world shapes this eperien)e of mine$ the meeting with those human beings who ha*e made me into what I ha*e now be)ome& The e*er"da" )ons)iousness( )onfronting itself in )omplete honest"( thus loses first the
'world' in its beholding of the world 2through its eperien)e of the 'I' in the a)t of thinking about the 'world'3( and then the 'I' in its beholding of self 2through feeling the 'world' in the will( whi)h as an eternal pro)ess )onstitutes m" biograph"3& ;ut this is onl" the first step& =or if I feel how( in the will( whi)h )omes towards me from the 'world'( there li*es m" own 'destin"-will'( I find m"self again in the world: and if I eperien)e how the world arises anew in thinking( I find the 'world' again in m" 'I': a world( howe*er( that is of the spirit& This world is free of alread"-formed thoughtpi)tures: it is pure for)e and will of thinking( pure spiritual )reati*it" and a)ti*it"& nd thus I )an begin to eperien)e how the inner world whi)h I pi)ture to m"self 2m" supposed 'I'3 be)omes a true outer world( and the outer world I pi)ture to m"self 2the supposed 'world'3 be)omes a true inner world - the inner world of spirit whi)h( in its deepest inwardness( is the all-en)ompassing 'outwardness'& If I begin to enter into this pendulum-swing between 'I' and 'world' the other I is resurre)ted - the one whi)h first per)ei*ed the limits of the 'I'( and w hi)h then is able to know and to li*ingl" eperien)e both its own being and the being of the world$ the I 0 that is world& This( howe*er( is the true signature of Rudolf Steiner's )oming to the world&
’=ootnotes$%’ % ’243 %Saether( 5ostein( ’Wandeln unter unsi)htbaren 0ens)hen& ?ine karmis)he utobiographie( %Stuttgart 4666& =or a )riti)al anal"sis of Saether see also Diet( Irene( ’Die entgeistigte Wieder*erkL rperung& Kommentare .u angebli)hen Karma- und Reinkarnationsers)heinungen unserer eit( %DLMbendorf 8<<8& ’283 %Ibid& p& 44 ff& ll /uotes are taken from the Introdu)tion& ’273 %Ibid& p& 44H f& This is the onl"( and de)isi*e( pla)e where Saether des)ribes the so-)alled Karma-eer)ises of Rudolf Steiner whi)h he pra)tised& The few omitted senten)es )ontain thoughts not dire)tl" related to our theme& ’293 %Sunndal mountains and Gmea$ geographi)al lo)ations in #orwa"& ’2H3 %1reen( white( pea)h-blossom and bla)k - these are the )olour /ualities des)ribed b" Rudolf Steiner as image )olours& ,ne wonders wh" Saether introdu)es these )olours here& ’2F3 %In$ !rokofieff( Sergei( ’The Bea*enl" Sophia and the ;eing nthroposophia& %’2A3 %This has been done in detail b" others$ Berbert Wimbauer in$ ’Der =all !rokofieff%( 1ross 0al)hau 466H( and Irina 1ordienko( in$ ’Sergei ,& !rokofieff - 0"th or Realit"@( %;asel 8<<4& ’23 %Steiner( R&( Ce)ture of 46&A&4689( in$ 1 89<& ll emphasis in the tet( also in Rudolf Steiner's words( is that of S& !rokofieff&
’263 %Steiner( R&( ?ssa" ’The 0i)hael->hrist ?perien)e of 0an%( #o*ember 8nd 4689( in 1 8F& ’24<3 %Steiner( R&( Ce)ture of 7&8&4647( in$ ’The ;eing of nthroposoph"& %Two single le)tures( Dorna)h 466& ’2443 %Steiner( R&( ’The !hilosoph" of Spiritual )ti*it" 2=reedom3%( 1 4& ’2483 %#ot all are )ontained in the etra)t /uoted here& ’2473 %Bere !rokofieff is basing his statements on material that he has shown in pre*ious )hapters to be drawn from Rudolf Steiner& We would stress that !rokofieff is not one of those who omit to gi*e su)h referen)es& ’2493 %1 89<& ’24H3% Saether( 5&( ’Wandeln%( op&)it&( p& 77 and 7H& ’24F3 %In$ 1 478& lthough we )annot look further into these le)tures at this point the reader )an stud" them himself - we would make the following )omment$ in these le)tures Rudolf Steiner des)ribes the e*olution of the )osmos in su)h words and pi)tures( that e*er" phase of this e*olution )an be re-)reated as a li*ing souleperien)e& ’24A3 %s one )an read in Rudolf Steiner's ’n ,utline of ,))ult S)ien)e %21 473( the ?arth was transformed se*eral times before it passed o*er into its present state& ’243 %>f& Steiner( R&( Ce)ture of A&44&4644( in$ 1 478& ’2463 %Steiner( R&( Ce)ture of 74&4<&4644( in$ ibid& ’28<3 %’The 0i)hael->hrist ?perien)e of 0an( %written on 6th #o*ember 4689( in$ 1 8F& ’2843 %Starting with the ?ssa" ’The ;eginning of the 0i)hael ge%( of 4A&&4689( in$ ibid&( p& H6ff& ’2883 %Ibid&( p& 4<4&
’2873 %Ibid&( p& 6F
’2893 %Ibid&( p& HFf&
’28H3 %The little book of 0abel >ollins ’Cight on the !ath%( to whi)h Rudolf Steiner fre/uentl" referred( )an be regarded as a manual for the training of these fa)ulties& With regard to the first tea)hing Kill out mbition >ollins said the following$ ’mbition is the first )urse( the great tempter of the man who is rising abo*e his fellows& It is the simplest form of looking for reward& 2&&&&&&&3 The pure artist who works for the lo*e of his work is sometimes more firml" planted on the right road than the o))ultist who fan)ies he has remo*ed his interest from self( but who has in realit" onl"
enlarged the limits of eperien)e and desire and transferred his interest to the things whi)h )on)ern his larger sphere of life&% ’28F3 %Saether tells how he meditated for se*eral hours ea)h da"& Bow this )ame about he des)ribes as follows$ ’0" epe)tations for the future in the A<'s and <'s when( filled with hope( I was li*ing m" wa" into the )ulminating e*ents of the 8ulture%( 1 47H& ’283 %Steiner( R&( Ce)ture of 87&4&4648( in$ ibid& 7<&4&4648( op& )it& ’27<3 %Ibid&( p&49A&
’2743 %Ibid&( p&49F&
’2863 %Steiner( R&( Ce)ture of
’2783 %Steiner( R&( Ce)ture of 87&4&4648( ibid&
’2773 %In$ Steiner( R&( ’Bow )an 0ankind =ind the >hrist@ %1 4A& ’2793 %In$ Steiner( R&( ’The ;eing of nthroposoph"& % Two single le)tures$ a publi) le)ture in ?berfeld on 89&4&4688( and a le)ture at the first 1eneral 0eeting of the nthroposophi)al So)iet" in ;erlin on 7rd =eb& 4647& ’27H3 %Steiner( R&( Ce)ture of 7&8&4647( op& )it& ’27F3 %It will o))ur to the attenti*e reader that the senten)e fragments whi)h !rokofieff has supposedl" taken from Rudolf Steiner( were not spoken b" the latter in this wa"& ’27A3 %=rom Dante lighieri$ ’Il >on*ito 2Il >on*i*io3( %’273 %In$ 1 4F9& ?mphasis I&D&
’2763 %1 4H&
’29<3 %Ibid&
’2943 %Written b" Rudolf Steiner in the 1olden ;ook of the =ree Students of ;erne& ;erne( 8 | |
’2973 %1enesis 7( *erse 88&
