The Rudolf Steiner Archive

59. Apocalypse I: The Path of Knowledge—An Introduction to the Apocalypses

[ 1 ] These gatherings are intended to be truly intimate meetings of our Theosophical community. Those present should speak as much as possible. I believe this is the best way to facilitate a genuine discussion and a question-and-answer session among the group.

[ 2 ] I would like to speak about apocalypses because this topic is well-suited to guiding us deeper and deeper into the entire movement we call theosophy. When we speak about apocalypses, we will have to discuss all sorts of deeper, theosophical questions. Today, I will offer only a brief introduction to this topic. We will then also have the opportunity to discuss a wide variety of subjects.

[ 3 ] Of all the apocalypses, the best known is the Apocalypse of John, which appears at the end of the New Testament. There are, of course, a great many interpretations of this apocalypse. Anyone who delves into these interpretations will find that they often delve very deeply into theology; some, however, are also very superficial. I myself will attempt to introduce you to the Apocalypse of John—and then to other apocalypses as well—from a mystical perspective.

[ 4 ] One might perhaps ask why I am bringing up this topic. However, the audience should be aware that we will be delving deeply into theosophy; we will address profound theosophical questions, and we would hardly find the words if, in connection with this topic, the fundamental questions and goals were to be discussed in detail.

[ 5 ] When discussing a subject as lofty as the Apocalypse, it must be assumed that you are familiar with the fundamental concepts of theosophical knowledge and theosophical goals, and that you are convinced that theosophy has a rightful place in the world and that it is based not only on universal human values but also on sound scientific principles. One cannot speak of apocalypses if one still doubts whether Theosophy is superstition or true knowledge. One must be clear on this fundamental question. All the issues involved in laying the groundwork for Theosophy will be addressed. I will not only present the basic concepts of Theosophy, but the related questions will also be discussed. Thus, in speaking about apocalypses, I would like to assume that, in general, the foundation of the Theosophical worldview is already established.

[ 6 ] What does it mean to speak of apocalypses? First of all, I would simply like to note that an apocalypse is a very specific way of viewing the world. One sees the world in the form of an apocalypse. Anyone who is capable of articulating an apocalypse has reached a certain level of worldview. One can read the apocalypses of others and thereby gain insight into tremendously profound truths. However, one cannot articulate what is contained in an apocalypse without having reached a certain level of understanding. There have been apocalypses among all peoples and throughout all ages. We, too, in Theosophy, have apocalypses.

[ 7 ] Who, then, can speak in the Apocalypses? I will answer this question, and this will lead us deeper into the essence of the Apocalypses than any definition could. The path to knowledge is laid out for us; we are told how to attain knowledge and, through it, true spiritual effectiveness. You may have followed the steps one must take to enter and walk this path. You know that one must develop very specific qualities in order to attain that freedom of vision which removes from us what is merely perceived by the senses and allows us to glimpse the spiritual world. For this, it is necessary that a person learn to distinguish between the “eternal” and the “temporal” , that they direct their gaze not toward the temporal, not toward the transitory, but toward the eternal, toward what endures, and that they then transform their entire perception of the world around them—so that certain things which are immensely important to the everyday person become unimportant, while other things gain in importance. What the ordinary person considers important—such as the gratification of desires and everything dictated by our self-interest—must become unimportant. What must become important is what we envision as humanity’s eternal goal. We must have a sense for the ideal—for that which cannot be defined in terms of all manner of advantages, but rather by the realization that it is about humanity, for humanity’s sake. If we have a sense for the ideal, then we must also cultivate the ability to learn to love it. The ideal is immensely valuable. How many can look sincerely into their hearts and tell themselves that they truly and sincerely love the ideal, just as one loves a child or a beloved person? For this, the ideal is far too intangible for people. But the intangible—that which exists only in the spirit—is what we must learn to love.

[ 8 ] Another quality we must cultivate is “control of the mind.” We must not let our thoughts flow back and forth unchecked, but must practice controlling them so that we are able to hold onto a thought for as long as necessary to gain specific insights through it and to gain clarity in a specific way through it. People must realize that, as a rule, their thoughts control them. Controlling thoughts means mastering them. We must not allow ourselves to be carried away by this or that impulse into this or that action. We must maintain a steady course. We must control ourselves solely through the center within ourselves.

[ 9 ] The third is that we cultivate a certain equanimity toward the events of daily life, which usually cause people to be either overjoyed or deeply saddened. We must maintain a certain “equanimity” both toward the events that lift us to the heavens and toward those that plunge us into the deepest sorrow. Only when we navigate through these events with a balanced mindset can we find the path to judging things with discernment.

[ 10 ] Next, we must cultivate what we call “tolerance.” It is a word that is easy to say, but it means much more than people usually realize. How often in life do we pass judgment without asking why this or that person came to act in this or that way? We must always ask: How and why? We must not let ourselves be carried away by criticism. We must understand—understand everything to the fullest extent possible. When we cultivate this attitude, we enter a state of mind that kindles the life of insight within us. Do not believe that the mind has no influence on the life of knowledge. People today overestimate the one-sided intellect and underestimate the qualities that lie deeper in the soul. They do not believe at all that these are things that lead to knowledge. One can be a great scholar, one can possess great knowledge, and yet still lack the capacity for free judgment. A wise person would find it quite easy to feel superior to a child in its simplicity. But it would be entirely wrong to give in to that feeling. The wise person rejects the thought of being wiser than a child. Anyone who insists that they are more sensible or clever than others can never become wise. Whoever accepts another’s judgment with equanimity can become a wise person; he can learn to understand by setting himself aside and judging from the other’s perspective. The fact, however, that he understands the simple-minded—even if it is the simplest of things—is uplifting, is useful for true progress, and is made possible by immense tolerance.

[ 11 ] Another quality must then be developed, which in Theosophy is called “faith.” Anyone who believes they have reached the end of their understanding will not progress any further. The wise person must always put themselves in the frame of mind that they actually know very little and that every moment can teach them something entirely new, that every manifestation of life can be a revelation to them. Those who truly walk the path of knowledge take this so far that they say to themselves: In the next minute, I may learn something that overturns everything I have believed and assumed up to now. In everyday life, one will not take this to the extreme, but the moment one approaches anything in search of knowledge, one must truly go so far as to abandon faith in one’s previous knowledge. The wise person will never say, “That cannot be”—but will say, “Everything is possible.” - Therefore, I must never allow what I already know to influence my judgment regarding the possibility or impossibility of anything. The belief in the possibility of progressing toward ever-new revelations is a quality that the seeker must develop.

[ 12 ] Then there is a quality that arises of its own accord—a quality referred to as “objectivity” or “balance.” This helps us navigate the pitfalls of life, which condemn us to utter an apparent truth wherever we go. This balance is not merely the sum of everything else. Anyone who wishes to become wise must remain in balance; they must not allow themselves to be thrown off course.

[ 13 ] Once one has developed these qualities within oneself, the highest state attainable at this preliminary stage of development emerges—namely, that a person has the “longing” to be truly free.” Only a few people have the longing to be free; more or less everyone wants to be guided. But it is not the one who allows himself to be guided who can attain knowledge. Consider whether you are guided by yourself or by some external circumstance. The ideal we must strive for is that we undertake actions not in response to external circumstances, but solely in response to internal impulses. Then we have the will to be free—free from external circumstances. But one can become free only gradually, and not by resolving to become free, but by pouring into one’s soul as much as possible of what has sprung from freedom. If you concern yourself only with the things of everyday life, you will never be able to become free. You were born at a specific time in the nineteenth century. You have experienced the events that took place in the nineteenth century; you are influenced by all of that. And if you ask yourself what you think and feel, you will find that it depends on the fact that you were born in that very century. Imagine if you had been born in St. Petersburg or Budapest; you would have entirely different feelings and thoughts. It is precisely this that makes a person unfree. They are determined by what they experience in a specific place and at a specific time. Try, for once, to keep track of the thoughts that pass through your mind in a quarter of an hour, and see how much of that remains when you abstract them from place and time. What sets us free are inspired writings that can liberate us, if only for a moment, from everyday life. If you read Light on the Path by Mabel Collins, which seems so simple—no matter where or when you were born, even millennia ago—the sentences within it would always apply to you. Take any other book, by contrast—it is influenced by contemporary matters and does not transcend the horizon of the present. By immersing ourselves in inspired books, by devoting ourselves to things that transcend place and time, we gradually set ourselves free.

[ 14 ] The Theosophical Movement seeks to liberate humanity by speaking, with all-encompassing tolerance, of what can apply to all people at all times.

[ 15 ] This is what the seeker of the Path develops. Once he has developed these qualities to a certain degree, he becomes ready for what is called discipleship.

[ 16 ] Then comes the moment when he has a profound experience of immense significance: namely, from that moment on, he perceives impressions from the spiritual world—from a completely different world, a world that lies beyond our own, of which our world is merely the effect. He enters the spiritual world. He then views the world from the other side. For him, what we call space and time cease to exist. It makes no difference to him that he is living in this particular incarnation. He could just as well be living in another incarnation. He could have lived millennia ago—if he were to look at what he now sees, he would see it in exactly the same way; indeed, he could be living in the future, and yet he would experience everything in exactly the same way.

[ 17 ] This is the first stage of discipleship. Such a person is called a “homeless one”; he is set apart from the “Homav.” Consequently, he speaks of things that no longer refer to this or that place, this or that people, or this or that race, but rather to all races, all times, and all peoples.

[ 18 ] The first stage enables him to see only what lies immediately ahead. At this stage, he can perceive only what belongs to what is called a “root race.” The student thus sees what pertains to our present root race, going back to the time when the Atlanteans disappeared.

[ 19 ] Then begins the second stage of discipleship, which is attained not through theory, not through concepts and ideas, but through genuine insight; then he begins to know that reincarnation and karma are truths. The theosophical worldview, in fact, teaches that human beings do not live in this world just once, but many times; that they incarnate again and again; and that their actions are interconnected. Individual lives are linked by cause and effect. One can see this by observing life. It is also possible to arrive at this understanding theoretically. Many followers of Theosophy are still at the stage where they regard reincarnation and karma as true only as conceptual and intellectual insights. The second stage of discipleship, however, involves the knowledge of the truth of reincarnation and karma. The disciple does not merely surmise the truth of reincarnation and karma—he knows it.

[ 20 ] Now comes the third stage of discipleship. Reincarnation is not an eternal process. Before the middle of the Lemurian period, what we call reincarnation did not yet exist, and after the middle of the sixth root race, this form of reincarnation will cease again. A different form of life and reincarnation will then exist. Until the middle of the sixth root race, human beings will reincarnate. Reincarnation will then depend on the will of the individual; today it is independent of it. We can say that there is a first and a last moment—a first moment before reincarnation and a last moment after reincarnation. Before that, human beings did not incarnate, and afterward, they will no longer reincarnate. To look beyond the realm where reincarnation exists—that is the characteristic of the third stage of discipleship. This disciple, this chela on the third stage, is called a “swan.” When he gazes toward the First and the Last—that is, toward that which is higher than all reincarnation—then he is capable of writing apocalypses and speaking in apocalypses. What is written in any apocalypse originates first and foremost from such initiates who not only survey the period of reincarnation but gaze from the First to the Last. To show how humanity entered this cycle of reincarnation and how it will emerge from it—that is the task of every apocalypse. It must depict a distant past and a distant future, and in doing so, it also encompasses the present. In the Apocalypse of John, you will find the seven sub-races of our fifth root race described, for what is said about the seven churches refers to the seven sub-races of the fifth root race. The admonitions that John the Apocalyptic addresses to the churches are the admonitions that John the Chela calls out to the individual sub-races. Each subrace is associated with a very specific celestial constellation. Hence, there is mention of seven stars representing the seven angels: they guide the genii of the seven subraces. Then one is led to the First and the Last. The First is the human being who stands before reincarnation, and the Last is the one who still stands after overcoming reincarnation.

[ 21 ] John was in what is known as an “initiation veil.” He also says that he was in the Spirit. And what is revealed there is nothing other than the inspiration of a chela in the third degree of discipleship; it is an apocalypse of the swan. The Swan is the one who establishes the connection between the Most Highly Inspired and humanity. This is expressed in the most important legends.

[ 22 ] Thus, the student becomes homeless at the first stage. Those who have become swans can attain the higher revelations. These are the ones who enter our world, but whose names must not be asked, for they come from a world beyond. This is expressed in a grand, powerful allegory that also carries a deeply mystical meaning. It is a profound truth expressed in the legend of Lohengrin; through Lohengrin, who arrives with the swan, and who was thus a disciple—a chela—of the third degree. Great truths are found in him. Only those who understand the legend of Lohengrin can truly understand the world history of the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth centuries.

[ 23 ] Now I have explained to you where this comes from, who is capable of speaking apocalyptically, who can conceive of a picture of the world independent of space and time. We will still speak of the distant past, of the present, but also of the future. This will become clear when we discuss the Apocalypse as revealed through theosophy. There we will see what human beings can set as their great goal, because it truly is a great goal.

[ 24 ] From the Q&A

[ 25 ] The materialist says that we trace animality back to the stage where it became human, and now we are examining, at a certain higher level, the instinct that exists within human beings.

[ 26 ] But this is not based on knowledge; it is based on materialist dogma. One does not follow the laws of nature when one dogmatically limits these laws to a very specific point and says: “This far and no further.” One can only follow the laws if one understands them. One must combine the understanding of the laws with following them.

[ 27 ] An example of this: A religious person will not merely rely on saying, “I do not lie because it would be to my disadvantage or make me appear contemptible in the eyes of my fellow human beings.” Rather, they are convinced that lying has a deeper significance—that it is something that violates the divine order of the universe and that it entails its own punishment and consequences. When you uphold the truth, you are supporting the advancement of a certain development. If you portray events differently than they are, you are doing the same thing as if you were suppressing a plant seed: you are holding back a very specific direction of development. This does not seem so bad as long as you are not aware that one can also hold back spiritual growth. The occultist, however, therefore says: A lie is murder. What would have developed as a living being is killed by the lie.

[ 28 ] The division of the sexes is linked to birth and death.

[ 29 ] The second stage of discipleship dispels doubt and makes superstition impossible.

[ 30 ] The investigation of another person's reincarnation must be completely impersonal. If the researcher is asked, then he or she may agree to it.

[ 31 ] In response to the question of which student would be able to read the Akashic Records, I would like to say: Anyone who is ready to become a student can read the Akashic Records. There are two kinds of reading in the Akashic Records: The actual reading becomes possible as soon as one becomes a student. However, one must first have learned to spell. The Akashic Records cast mirror images into the astral plane. After all, they are located at the boundary between the rupa and arupa planes. One can, for example, find Caesar’s military campaign in the astral space as a mirror image of the records in the Akashic Records.