The Rudolf Steiner Archive

21. On Goethe's “The Mysteries”

[ 1 ] Medieval Christianity portrays the three wise men from the East as representatives of the three continents—Europe, Asia, and Africa. Just as such things are linked to great truths throughout esotericism, so too is the case with the illusion that one king is portrayed as a Moor, the second as a European, and the third as an Oriental. The three wise men from the East are connected to great cosmic truths. As we said fourteen days ago, theosophy will restore to humanity a direct sense of, and a correct understanding of, what happens over the course of a year, so that the changes will show us how our spirit harmonizes with cosmic events.

[ 2 ] Just as, when a human eye looks at us, we see in this not merely a physical movement, but rightly infer from the outward gaze of the eye the inner state of a human soul, so the theosophist is aware that in every clap of thunder and flash of lightning, in every breath of air, in the sunrise and sunset, one must seek only the physical expression of spiritual beings. And just as everyday events allow us to sense and feel the beings behind them, so too can the deeds of a divine spirit acting in accordance with divine law be recognized behind the regularly recurring phenomena of the year. We see how, beginning in spring, the power of the sun grows ever stronger; how the sun regains its strength from the shortest days onward; how it awakens the dormant life of the earth and causes it to sprout anew; how the power of the sun manifests itself in outward actions. From a certain day onward, the sun’s power begins to wane again, and the days grow ever shorter. When even the slightest physical force of the sun reaches us, life withdraws beneath the surface of the earth. Human beings can sense and experience that behind all the actions of outer nature lies the spiritual creative work of spiritual beings.

[ 3 ] As he delves even deeper, the teachings preserved within the Mysteries tell him that not only does this occur, but that as the sun’s power increases, the activity of the solar beings diminishes; that at the time when the sun’s outward power is at its weakest, another power begins to grow. At the shortest point of the year, another, spiritual force is at its strongest. When darkness is at its greatest, there is a light in the course of the year that then shines most brightly; the traditions of the Mysteries have always expressed this. The Christian festival of Christmas is connected to the profound wisdom of the world. All myths recount that at noon the gods sleep. There are regions where churches remain open all day long, but are closed only at noon; this is based on the same principle. What Christian humanity celebrates as Christmas can only be understood through the teachings of the Mysteries. The student was shown the sun and moon as they alternate in their normal course. They were specifically instructed that during the night, the earth itself veils the sunlight. At Christmas, the student is shown, in the deepest silence, a transparent Earth through which the sun can be seen. “Seeing the sun at midnight”—that is the ancient custom of Christmas. Those for whom matter is no obstacle can see the sun on the other side through the Earth—namely, the solar beings. In contrast to the tradition that the gods sleep at noon, the belief was that the gods are awake at midnight, for at midnight the spiritual light can best be seen. This was to be observed with special solemnity at Christmas. We can understand that this has had an effect right up to our time, since the celebration of Christmas has been moved to this time of year. Esoteric Christianity, too, sees the sun as a body, and just as human beings are not content to view the body merely in physical terms, so the Christian is aware that through the sun the body of a spiritual being becomes visible—and that Christ is the supreme among these spiritual beings.

[ 4 ] Now, the physical fact that the Moon reflects sunlight is an expression of a spiritual fact that lies behind the physical one. Even in the Hebrew era, it was said: Before the Christ force acts and creates within the Earth itself, it acts indirectly. The Jewish law before Christ was the spiritual background of the Moon. As long as the people of the Earth were immature and not ready to receive the Christ force, they had to receive the reflected light of the Moon. Through Moses we received the Law; the Law was spiritual sunlight reflected by the moon. Initiates could see the Christ force through the Earth at Christmas. With the coming of Christ into the Earth, the spiritual force of the sun united with the force of the Earth; this is the origin of the Christian Christmas festival. We celebrate the moment in Earth’s evolution when humanity became mature enough to receive the inner Sun; from now on, humanity should be able to see through the transparent Earth. What was once a mystery festival became the Christian Christmas. Now humanity is to perceive the Christ force even during the day and within the Earth, not just in the Sun. This says a great deal. People perceived the spiritual sunlight as reflected in various religions and worldviews. These religions and worldviews represent the three sages of the East. Now the time has come when the sun permeates the earth as a unified force, and when one should sense the fundamental force present in all religions.

[ 5 ] Here come the religions, guided by a star, the star of Christmas. Only the Magi are shown the transparent sun; it is itself the Star of Bethlehem and has led them to where Christ appears in the flesh. They bring gold—that is, their wisdom—which has taken on various forms; now the star is here to unite them. Frankincense is the symbol of veneration [of the one power] that brings peace [to all human deeds, opinions, and questions]; myrrh is the symbol of immortality, [representing the spiritual power of the sun]. By looking through the earth, the disciple gains the knowledge—the inner assurance—of the soul’s immortality. Furthermore, myrrh signifies resurrection and preservation. The setting of the Christmas festival on the shortest day is not arbitrary but an expression of human evolution—it has been shifted slightly. Christian tradition recognizes the profound reality underlying this. [At midday the gods sleep; at midnight the gods are awake.] The myth uses the figure of John to symbolize what acts externally and physically—namely, the physical power of the sun alongside the immediate power of Christ. [When the sun is at its strongest, the spirit is at its strongest.] John’s birthday is when the sun shines most brightly: “I must decrease, but he must increase.” [From summer toward winter, the physical power of the sun, like John, wanes, while the spiritual sun, like Christ, waxes.] Those who work in the spirit of the esoteric Christ have perceived this idea of peace and harmony.

[ 6 ] This poem is so profound; the deepest essence of Christianity—of esoteric Christianity—lies within it. A pilgrim is sent to the monastery on a special mission. Twelve individuals are gathered there, led by a Thirteenth. Brother Markus is guided through various regions, and his character is described to us. This is deeply significant; we are told what constitutes outer intellectual power, education, and training. After many wanderings, Brother Markus draws near to his goal. He strives for serious training in wisdom. [That lonely, strange wanderer does not possess the knowledge of the intellect, but he possesses wisdom that speaks as if from a child’s lips. Transformed knowledge speaks through him as wisdom. He speaks from the naive feeling of his wisdom, and it does indeed sound as if it came from the lips of a child.] Here we must again take reincarnation as our basis. A person who has learned much, much in a previous life—who possesses a world of ideas and conceptual content—is then reincarnated. The ideas do not need to appear in the form of ideas. He strives for serious training in wisdom. [His wisdom is matured and transformed knowledge from previous incarnations. In his current incarnation, he has not learned much that is new intellectually, but wisdom from previous lives has accumulated within him.] Now it is love, goodness, feeling,

[ 7 ] Brother Markus does not appear as a sage who has studied much, but as a mature sage who has learned in previous incarnations; whose wisdom has turned to gold. [At the entrance to the monastery he is entering, he comes across a strange symbol meant to symbolize the meaning of life: a cross entwined with red roses.] He sees the symbol of the cross, to which so many people profess their faith, entwined with roses. Note the wording in this sentence; it is a password of the Rosicrucians:

Who placed roses beside the cross?

[ 8 ] [This may suggest that Goethe was a Rosicrucian initiate. The cross symbolizes the three lower bodies of the human being: the physical, etheric, and astral bodies. In the course of his life, a human being is to overcome those qualities of these three bodies that have come to him from outside. A transformation of these qualities is to take place within him through his “I.”] By enabling his own “I” to say “I am” to itself, he transforms these three bodies. [For whoever lacks this process of dying and becoming remains merely a gloomy guest on the dark earth. The lower bodies are represented by the black cross.] Not by putting them to death, but by transforming them into tools of his “I”—purified, cleansed, and transformed into the powers of his own “I”—the human being transforms these lower forces and qualities. He puts to death what was originally within him and allows it to rise again as a young, fresh power—his higher “I,” which is the ruler over the lower forces. The bodies that have been put to death—the black cross—in the original Tree of Life that has been put to death, as three representatives and a fourth: sprouting life. [The four beams of the cross are made of the wood of the cypress, the cedar, the palm, and the olive tree, and they touch at one point.] The cypress is like the physical body, the palm is like the etheric body, and the cedar is like the astral body, which has been overcome; the olive tree, which permeates the three lower bodies as if with ointment, as if with oil, represents that which rejuvenates and gives birth anew.

[ 9 ] [Esoteric Christianity sees in the Rosary on the Cross the Christ Jesus, through whom the lower aspects of humanity are purified and raised to a higher level.] When a person beholds sprouting life, not yet permeated by passions. Still asleep, with only a dim awareness, it is the green of the plant. Where it rises up to the “I” in the astral body, where the “I” expresses itself, there the green sap of the plant becomes red blood. [Red blood, as the color of roses, is the symbol of the “I.” As long as the green plant sap still flows through the leaves, it reveals to us the pure, chaste plant substance. The permeation of the body with passions, desires, and instincts brings about the formation of red blood. In human beings, the pure plant substance has been permeated by desires and passions.] Thus has the human being earned his higher consciousness, through which he perceives as he does today: by permeating the plant substance with desires and passions. He will purify his “I” once more; he will reclaim the chastity of the plant. [Over time, the “I” must gradually restore the pure plant substance. Thus, through his red blood, the human being must, as it were, become pure plant substance once more. As long as this remains green, it lies dormant.] In the future, red blood will no longer be a source of drives and desires, but rather the expression of his higher “I.” [The red roses on the cross symbolize both the color of our blood and pure plant nature. It creates the myth-forming power in a manner similar to wisdom.] Through the power emanating from Christ, the “I” is guided upward so that it may once again become pure, chaste plant substance. In the red flower we behold the purified, cleansed “I.” There is a beautiful old myth: Just as the bee goes to the red rose to suck its nectar, so it went to Christ Jesus to suck from the wound. [The devil hates red roses most of all!] He wants the blood—in Faust. He hates the purified blood that has returned to the red rose.

[ 10 ] In this poem, we have united twelve representatives of various religious denominations into the great, leading brotherhood of humanity. [A thirteenth leads them, for he oversees and encompasses all the individual religious denominations], so that from here they may radiate out into the whole world. Just as the three kings come to Bethlehem in harmony, so the Twelve send their spiritual rays out into the world. And one leads them. Here we see the threefold higher nature of man, radiating from a single point.

[ 11 ] Markus is admitted to the monastery and, together with the eleven, they become twelve.

[ 12 ] [Brother Markus receives the deepest instruction in the monastery. The poem provides a characterization of the Thirteenth, the leader of the assembly.] The Thirteenth is portrayed in his essence as one who is exalted in his soul; within his heart, the various creeds of the world are in harmony. [At his birth, a star shone, symbolizing that spiritual sun which he had seen at his initiation. It is the same star that guided the Magi from the East at the birth of Jesus Christ.] A vulture descends and rests peacefully among the doves. Peace is the atmosphere that spread at the birth of this man. A peculiar legend is told about him in his youth: [Even as a boy, he overcame the water snake—that is, the lower nature of his being. In previous lives, he had acquired the powers necessary for this self-conquest. The water snake was coiled around his sister’s arm. This sister represents his etheric body, which is, after all, feminine in male beings] — You know that the etheric body is feminine in the male sex, that is, it is always of the opposite sex. The astral body wraps itself around this — the otter, the serpent — and he overcomes it as it coils around his sister — around his etheric body. The boy practices obedience in the outer world. He first submits to what his parents’ home demands, with a certain humility and devotion. He is now permitted to go out into the world, and ultimately, by virtue of his birthright, he is allowed to rise to the head of the order. [By virtue of his birthright, he has been placed at the head of his order, which is something deeply significant.] The Twelve represent the various religious denominations of humanity. Each of these [experiences a moment in its development when it knows it has come closest to the truth]. Each has something special to share, as it is particularly related to the Thirteenth. [In this respect, the Twelve are especially close to the Thirteenth.]

[ 13 ] At a crucial moment, Markus enters the monastery: The Thirteenth is preparing to leave the monastery to ascend to a higher level. [The Thirteenth of the Elders wishes to ascend to the highest realm of the Mystical. He no longer needs to undergo a physical incarnation. To this end, the twelve others must mature to the point where they can manage without the Thirteenth.]

[ 14 ] There are thirteen chairs in the hall, symbolizing the spiritual work of the Thirteen, and Brother Markus is led around them. The task of each one is symbolically depicted on a shield above the chair. Above the chair of the Thirteenth, the cross is entwined with roses. The Thirteenth, Humanus, is a mediator for harmony and peace, which are distinct in the world. The various religious denominations that are in conflict come together here on a higher plane, so that the power is not lost but flows out into the world. To the right and left of the chair is the fire-colored dragon. [The fire-colored dragon represents the lower astral nature that must be overcome; and the hand in the bear’s jaws signifies the human ego, which is entangled by the lower, destructive nature—a stage through which one must pass as a mystic.] We also find the meaning of this symbol in the Central European god of war, with his hand in the wolf’s jaws. This symbolizes the time when the Word was immersed in the inner being of humankind. The power of the Word through which humankind develops. Here [the profound meaning is expressed that work must be done]. For many look upon what is accomplished—which is more important than physical labor for the overall development of humankind. What is accomplished from the spiritual centers is invisible. The Twelve have experienced life’s joys and sorrows; now they are gathered for a different kind of work—another door is still concealed by a carpet. [The twelve men no longer work here in a physical sense, but in a higher spiritual way. Through their own perfection, they are simultaneously working toward the further development of humanity.]

[ 15 ] Markus has been admitted to the forecourt and is waiting to enter the innermost part. [Brother Markus has merely gained a glimpse into the astral realm, but there is an indication that, in due time, he will also come to know the spiritual world. At first, he saw only images and colors. The spiritual worlds, on the other hand, resound] in spiritual tones, in harmonies of the spheres. [After his sleep, he hears three beats interspersed with the gentle sound of a flute. This is to be regarded as a symbol of the harmony of the spheres. Furthermore, he senses the gradual awakening of the threefold higher nature of the human being. In this way, he is initiated so that he may ultimately become a member of the higher cosmic world himself. Only then does he truly feel accepted into the great sound of the spheres]; the birth of the higher human being through the power of the roses takes place, [symbolically represented by the three youths. They signify the birth of the three higher aspects of the human being. The Christ force lifts us humans up to the true Self as the highest stage of mystical-spiritual development]. The greatest bliss a human being can attain is Manas, Budhi, Atma. Through this, he becomes a participant in the great cosmic mysteries of the Earth’s evolution.

[ 16 ] Tonight, on New Year’s Eve, the brotherly greeting passes from soul to soul, from heart to heart, and if we allow ourselves to be moved by these impulses, it is a brotherly greeting that embodies something of the goals of the universal principle. One year after another passes in the steady flow of time. Reflections such as those we have today should fill us and remind us that it is not merely years that come and go, but that these are steps toward an ever-higher ascent for the individual and for all of humanity. We feel that this is not a repetition of the same thing, but rather an ascent toward goals within life—toward the true, genuine perfection of humanity. Let these reflections sink into our souls, and thus feel within ourselves the impulse of the genuine New Year’s greeting, which is struck within our souls by the Christ principle, as a greeting that embraces all of humanity.

[ 17 ] Let us help one another in humanity’s upward journey; let us greet one another at the turn of each new year. Let us work together, in theosophical brotherhood, to walk the path of humanity’s perfection. Then the sound of the New Year’s Eve bells will contain something of the harmony of the spheres. These are customs and traditions, and when we connect our souls to these traditions and let the greeting that passes from soul to soul resonate fraternally with the sound of the New Year’s Eve bells, we say: Let us be each other’s helpers as humanity climbs forward toward its highest goals.