INTRODUCTION
(part 1)
In the year 1902, Rudolf Steiner definitely
resolved to become the Herald of Spiritual Science, and to
proclaim its message to a materialistic world; by so doing he
laid himself open to its scorn, ridicule, and enmity. The most
gifted and talented man of his time; one who shunned every mark
of approbation and willingly renounced every claim to the highest
worldly honours, which honours were within his easy reach. This
he did, in order that he might devote himself to the consummation
of a momentous forward movement, destined to lead mankind to a
reasoned and proper conception of spiritual verity. Thus might
the impulse given to thought and will, enable humanity to span
that dread abyss in which, even yet, Nietzsche (the great apostle
of consistent materialistic philosophy) must sink, and with him a
countless number of his lesser followers, who can find no way
whereby they may save themselves from spiritual
dissolution.
To such as these, Rudolf Steiner became at once
the saviour and the helper; it was for them and for mankind that
he decided upon this altruistic deed, which in itself implied a
bold courageous upward sweep in the path of human
progress.
This wholly unselfish action, however, called for
determination, inflexibility of will, and a moderate and rational
apprehension of spiritual reality, permeated throughout with a
profound sense of its fundamental substantiality. But here was no
worn-out intellectual faculty, no ecstasy, no mystic intoxication
with Eastern tinge — austere, resolute and calm, he went his
way, ever imparting spiritual enlightenment.
Rudolf Steiner made no concessions when offering
spiritual blessings; but on the other hand he never wearied of
expounding once again from the beginning, in each city where he
lectured, those basic principles upon which he built a solid
mental structure, to conform with the demands and claims arising
from modern intellectual power and discernment. While insisting
upon due and proper consideration, he freely acknowledged the
right to challenge and to question. He praised the achievements
of Natural Science, and recommended the employment of its methods
in the Science of the Spirit. He cursed the ignoramus and the
extreme Kantian line of thought, and refused to accede to limits
of knowledge already prescribed and confined.
No wonder that the hatred of the spiritual
despots of our time, tyrants in many and varied ways, was piled
mountain-high — for everywhere he brought that new animating,
revivifying life, which would yet become all-potent in the
future. He that would bring this life to humanity, must himself
endure martyrdom, and stand as if held fast between envy,
ill-will, and abuse, on the one hand — and insuperable inertia,
or fool-hardy levity, and immaturity on the other. In truth, — a
daily torment this bearing up against the ever-breaking waves of
an hostile, or an aid-imploring clinging humanity, always in
renewed and never ceasing exhausting activity. He who takes that
step which anticipates future progress in evolution must bring
upon himself such martyrdom; but the power, of love helps
enormously in carrying the burden, while the capacity for
endurance increases with the measure of the overflowing fullness
of work accomplished.
Berlin was the first radiating point from which
centre the lecture activities of Rudolf Steiner were spread
outwards. The discourses were to serve in opening up a way toward
the understanding of all that he purposed to present to the
world, under the title of Spiritual Science. That which he gave
in less detailed and isolated lectures in other towns in Germany,
could be dealt with here in the form of a compact course, having
the character of a systematic introduction to Spiritual Science;
it was also planned that part of these lectures should
periodically recur, even though the public could not be counted
upon to respond in large numbers.
I will now give a summary of these discourses
which were held at the ‘Architektenhaus’ (Hall of
Architecture) in Berlin; as they are of historical interest. We
commenced in a small hall, shortly however to pass on to one of
intermediate size, and from there to one still larger. During the
last year of the War, the Architektenhaus was commandeered by the
War Department, and then the lectures had to be held, partly in
the ‘Scharwenka-Saal’, and partly in the
‘Oberlicht-Saal’ of the ‘Philharmonie’
(Philharmonic Hall). When we at last came to the large hall of
this latter building, the ‘Köthener-Strasse’
(Koethener Street) had to be closed to wheeled traffic, because
of the enormous concourse of people. Here we found the opposing
factions so well organized, that it seemed as if preparations
might be afoot, with the object of bringing Rudolf Steiner's
public lecture activities to a premature and violent
conclusion.1
From the very beginning Rudolf Steiner had chosen
the word ‘Anthroposophy’, to designate the matter and
the theme which was his to impress upon the world; in public,
however, he generally used the more simple term, Spiritual
Science. After he had decided to give way, under the pressure of
Theosophical Circles, and to undertake the leadership of the
German Theosophical Society, he did all that lay within his power
to win back for the name of Theosophy, that esteem and respect of
which it was in danger of being deprived, owing to the want of
maturity of that body; and his endeavours in this direction were
clearly marked. It is a fact, that the burden thrust upon him due
to the misuse of this name, was increased by the regrettable
attitude, and the alienation of certain people; albeit these acts
were condemned by many friends. Rudolf Steiner shouldered every
burden which fate laid upon him, when by so doing he could serve
the spirit; he regarded only the task, and the love to labour,
and took no heed of the cold indifference of humanity.
As far back as the year 1900 he drew the
attention of various literary societies in Berlin to his efforts
in furthering the cause of spiritual revival; this he did, in the
beginning, through lectures upon Goethe's fairy-tale of
The
Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily. From October, 1901,
to March, 1902, he spoke concerning German Spiritual Life in
the Nineteenth Century. The impulse to thought thus created
was continued by means of a series of lectures during 1902 to
1903 entitled Zarathustra to Nietzsche, treating of the
evolution of man's spiritual life from the oldest times to the
present day. It was Zarathustra who gave the initial impulse to
that current of thought which urged humanity to call upon the
active power of the spirit, that through its aid it might strive
to overcome all that is material, and thus cause the physical
element to become subservient to its needs.
Rudolf Steiner drew attention to the task
allotted to German patriotism in the totality of human spiritual
evolution, as the bearer and upholder of the ‘Principle of
True Self’ (Ich-Prinzips), so deeply merged in all that is
of the spirit. He stated that the true ‘Ich’, the Ego
(endowed with the soul's achievements) must be made both the
receptacle and the radiating point of the divine essence. He
pointed to the hidden choked up stream of German spiritual life,
which although predisposed within itself, was thrust aside by a
materialistic culture, and the new imperial idea of Might and
Power. He recalled with sorrow and anxiety those words of
Nietzsche's — ‘Extirpation of the Spirit from Germany, in
favour of the Empire’, and declared that what Germany
awaits, and what it would so gladly welcome, is the beneficence
and the blessings of the Spirit. Already at that time Rudolf
Steiner spoke quite unequivocally regarding the necessity of
clearly differentiating between the Western and the Eastern
spiritual paths. Humanity owes, indeed, a great and inestimable
debt of gratitude to the Orient, for the gift of that wondrous
knowledge which has come to it from the East.
The Mystery of Golgotha forms a
‘Turning-Point’. Mankind with its eyes upon modernity
can never hark back to those conditions which were there before
that decisive juncture, that divine source of knowledge and of
upward progress; the world must learn to understand the need for
the transient darkness and the gloom.
It is during that period when, by slow degrees,
the personality is striving to cast aside its earthly factors and
to detach them from all that is real and of the spirit, that it
must learn to know itself, must grasp its essence; it dare not
become obdurate, and thus descend to dust and annihilation. The
very act of forcing a way through the material quality brings
about the moment when it shall realize it is once more upon the
further shore. Hence, the personality which has indeed made ready
to pass through death's portal and onward to resurrection, finds,
at last, that it is again in the true Ego, the veritable
‘I’ — a spiritually conscious and individualized
member of the cosmos — a part of the whole, and yet
‘I’. Once freed from all earthly nature, the material
element falls away, even as an amputated limb from the human
organism. When truly at one with the great cosmos it expands
beyond all previous limitations, outward into the realms of the
spirit. It was in order that such things might come to pass —
yes — that man's freedom and self-determination could be won by
effort and by travail, that the Mystery of Golgotha — God's own
sacrifice — was needful and must be consummated.
No power on earth can ignore this fact nor stem
the tide of evolution. Happenings which appear at first sight to
be hindrances and restraints, do but serve to aide us in our
onward progress. The power to differentiate between good and evil
is the first step toward man's freedom; the narrow confines
imposed upon him by materialism have placed him in the position
of being unable to grasp the meaning of this earthly life, and to
realize his true personality; but now he must rise above his
limited conceptions and the achievement lies in the province of
his conscious will. The Deity has, as it were, relinquished the
guidance, and the control. Man must decide whether the Divine
Will shall quicken within him or whether he shall give himself
over to disavowal and negation. Here, then, humanity comes upon a
new ‘Turning-Point’, and its present task is to make
ready, so that it may be met with open eyes, and not blindly and
in ignorance. Such was the work to which Rudolf Steiner found
himself committed.
In the Anglo-Indian theosophical movement there
was a certain risk attached to the revival of the Yoga-Exercises
by the uninitiated, for these were suited to another period, and
a differently constituted human organism. Again, in reviving the
mysticism of the Middle Ages lay a danger that there might be a
turning away from true life, and an increased egotism in a soul
which had yielded itself to selfishness. Both these currents of
thought failed to take into consideration the requirements of the
times and the laws of evolution. The future and the salvation of
humanity lies in the understanding of the real significance of
the Mystery of Golgotha, and in extending and strengthening the
power of human consciousness in order that it shall advance
beyond the narrow limits of man's present intellectual powers,
and not in its repression and constraint. Those who opened their
hearts to words such as these, were certainly not to be found
among the celebrities of science; they were modest, unassuming
people, knowing of no course which they might follow that was
suited to the times, and who, therefore, gave themselves over to
the study of Oriental Wisdom, in that form in which it was
presented by the Theosophical Society. These people approached
Rudolf Steiner with a request that he should become the teacher
and leader of their association; but he definitely declined to
consider their appeal. Never, so he said, would he do otherwise
than point out the difference between the two paths, and advocate
the necessity for the development of Western methods, suitable to
modern requirements. No longer can there be a mere reaching back,
in order to obtain primeval wisdom; forward progress must be made
with true regard to all that has been acquired since those
ancient times, through intellectual achievement, and must in
future follow that path marked by history, wherein the essentials
of development in the unfolding of the human spirit are clearly
indicated.
Although the wisdom of the East deserves our
warmest feelings of admiration and wonder, nevertheless, the
fundamental principle underlying its historical onward progress
does not appear as a vital factor; this element must now be
introduced by the West, to which task it should regard itself as
directly committed. The Mystery of Golgotha is the central point,
that mystery which is neither recognized nor understood by the
Orientals nor by the New-Theosophists. As far back as the Autumn
of 1900, I have heard such words from the lips of Rudolf Steiner,
when harassed by the importunity of ardent followers of the
Theosophical school of thought. Those who listened with
understanding, fully realized that here, indeed, was an
inflexible will, and the expression of an urgent historical need.
One could not help but wonder that people really existed, who
would attempt adverse argument and persuasion. It was, however,
on account of this attitude that Rudolf Steiner gave a course of
interesting lectures on Mysticism
at the Beginning of Modern Spiritual Life, which were
followed, in the Autumn of 1901, by others entitled
Christianity as a Mystical Fact.
Soon after the commencement of these discourses,
I had an opportunity of becoming acquainted with the most
distinguished among the Theosophical Leaders. I had joined the
Theosophical Society and was requested to undertake some special
work at Bologna, the representative of the Anglo-Indian movement
having founded a branch in Italy. In the spring of 1902, during a
period of three weeks, I translated from English into Italian the
lectures of the Indian Theosophist, Jinarajadasa, who has since
been nominated as the future President of the Theosophical
Society. While thus engaged, I frequently found it difficult to
write and to voice the ideas which I had to express, concepts
that were oft-times entirely at variance with my own inner
reasoned feelings. I stood aghast before the sentences, so
material was their essence and their spirit. At such times, my
thoughts would hark back to the words of Rudolf Steiner,
regarding the vital difference between Western and Eastern
mysticism; but I knew that the truth and the solution lay in the
Christ-Mystery, of which he had both inner knowledge and
understanding. Veritable primeval wisdom contains the heart and
principle; while in the ever onward progress of man's evolution
are found the metamorphoses — death and resurrection — where,
then, is the point of juncture? — IN THE CROSS — and it is
Rudolf Steiner who reveals its secret.
About this time a memorable incident occurred,
namely, the German Theosophists invited me to go to Berlin, in
order to take over the work of their retiring representative.
After some hesitation I decided to accede to their request.
Shortly after this event came the joyful news that Rudolf Steiner
had yielded to the pressure of the Theosophists, and had accepted
the directorate of a new section which was about to be formed;
this he had done, however, under the specific condition that he
should introduce into the movement that current of thought which
he himself advocated. There was indeed universal rejoicing; and
the General Secretary of the Theosophical Society in England — a
good German scholar — who highly esteemed Steiner's two works —
Mysticism
at the Beginning of Modern Spiritual Life and
Christianity as a Mystical Fact — expressed himself as
completely in accord with the new programme. This illustrious
scholar, Dr. Bertram Keightley, who is Professor at the
University of Lucknow, has since that time, become a member of
the Anthroposophical Society.
Thus it was that the work began, environed by the
activities of the Theosophical Society and undertaken with the
greatest loyalty in respect to that body. The subject matter of
the public lectures delivered at the Architektenhaus in Berlin in
1903 was as follows:
1903, |
19 March. |
Theosophy, and the onward progress of
Religion. (The Tower of Babel.) |
|
26 ‘’ |
The Cardinal Teachings of Theosophy. (Reincarnation and
Karma.) |
|
2 April. |
Theosophy, and the Modern Scientific Spirit. |
In the spring of 1904, also in the
Architektenhaus, Rudolf Steiner spoke concerning certain subjects
which contained within them the germ of his later pioneer work in
social and pedagogical spheres; these were included under the
title, Psychic Teachings in Theosophy, as follows:
1904, |
16 March. |
I. |
Body and Soul. How can we study the life of
the Soul? Religion, Science, and the Soul Question. |
|
23 ’’ |
II.
|
The Soul and Human Destiny. What are Desire and
Suffering? What is Destiny? Has man earned his fate? Optimism
and Pessimism. Genius and Insanity. |
|
30 ‘’ |
III. |
Soul and Spirit. Immortality. Hypnotism and Clairvoyance.
Spiritual Healing. Education in the light of Spiritual Cosmic
Conception. |
Another series of lectures took place in
Vereins Haus, at 118 William Street (Wilhelmstrasse),
Berlin; in these discourses Rudolf Steiner endeavoured to
throw light upon that border-land existing between the
perceptual and superperceptual worlds; a subject which
has claimed the attention of science and in which lie
concealed so many dangers for the uninitiated. The dates
and titles of these discourses are given below:
7 March. |
Theosophy and Somnambulism. |
11 April. |
The History of Spiritualism. |
9 May. |
The History of Hypnotism and Somnambulism. |
Regarding the above, I find among my
notes the following entry: ‘The two latter themes
were subsequently used as subject matter for lectures
which were held in the “Architektenhaus” from
April onwards, every second Monday in the month; a
further series which took place in the same building
during the autumn of 1904, were especially directed
towards the development and extension of the scientific
rudiments of Theosophy.' The subjects were:
1904, |
29 Sept. |
What does man find in Theosophy
to-day? |
|
6 Oct. |
Is Theosophy Unscientific? |
|
13 ‘’ |
The Elements of Theosophy I. |
|
20 ‘’ |
The Elements of Theosophy II. |
|
3 Nov. |
Theosophy and Tolstoi. |
|
10 ‘’ |
The Elements of Theosophy III. |
|
17 ‘’ |
The Elements of Theosophy IV. |
|
1 Dec. |
Theosophy and Nietzsche. |
|
3. ‘’ |
Is Theosophy Buddhist Propaganda? |
|
15. ‘’ |
The Elements of Theosophy V. |
In the spring of 1905 Rudolf Steiner set
forth and expounded his views before various Faculties;
his introductory lecture held on 4th May, was on
Schiller and the Present; those which followed
were:
1905, |
11 May. |
The Theological Faculty and
Theosophy. |
|
18 ‘’ |
The Juristic Faculty and Theosophy. |
|
25 ‘’ |
The Medical Faculty and Theosophy. |
|
8 June. |
The Philosophical Faculty and Theosophy. |
A series of lectures which were started
in October, 1905, commenced with ‘Haeckel,
“The Riddle of the Universe” and
Theosophy’. It was indeed essential that
Rudolf Steiner should take Haeckel as the starting-point
for these discourses, because he was of opinion that in
virtue of the outstanding nature of his achievements in
the sphere of natural science, Haeckel was worthy and
entitled to become a decisive spiritual power in our
present philosophical outlook, [would he but apprehend
and acknowledge the divine spirit latent within his works
— and at this point lay the parting of their ways
(Ed.)]. On the other hand, Steiner repudiated entirely
the claims made by the courageous and ingenious Haeckel,
who was already venturing to encroach and become active
in the domains of Philosophy, and the formation of world
opinion. Here must the bolt be shot and the mischief
averted. This Rudolf Steiner did with the greatest energy
and consistency, but it did not prevent him from
expressing himself in words conveying the warmest
appreciation whenever he could perceive the positive
element in Haeckel's works.
Never have I found this side of Rudolf
Steiner's nature rightly understood; people always seemed
wilfully to regard it as inconsistent that the same man
should at one time praise, and at another find fault; but
this he did with whole-hearted enthusiasm on the one
hand, or with merciless severity and logic on the other,
the while, however, he never allowed his personal
feelings to influence either his praise or his censure.
He rose above all such bias, and was ever delighted to
observe productive and creative capacity in others. He
enraptured those who heard him when he expressed his
approval through the warmth of his approbation; but, when
he made reference to that which was harmful and
pernicious, he evoked surprise by the unexpected keenness
and rigour of his demonstrations and reasoning. He ever
maintained the greatest affection for Ernest Haeckel, and
it was a delightful experience to be present when these
two met — the youthful freshness of Haeckel, his
elasticity of tread — the waving of the broad-brimmed,
wide-awake hat — his beaming childlike blue eyes — all
in one who judged by years, should have been already
numbered with the aged. Haeckel was no mere philosopher,
but a man of deeds with a penetrating flashing glance as
of one profoundly observant. He was ever moved by an
impetuous warmheartedness, his true being filled with
loving patience and tolerance; he was a factor in the
world's history, and his influence will continue to be
felt in days yet to come.
Notes for this
page:
1. This is no
exaggeration, for about this time, and at Munich, an
attempt was actually made upon his life by the Communist
Party. [Ed.]