The Rudolf Steiner Archive

Third Lecture

[ 1 ] A day of remembrance such as the one we are observing today means something entirely different to members of the Theosophical Movement—who feel they belong to a spiritual movement—than a day of remembrance for other people, such as the passing of someone firmly rooted in our material culture. For us, such a day is also a day of union; for what would the Theosophical teaching be if it did not penetrate every fiber of our hearts and become our innermost sensation, our most immediate feeling? When a soul has separated from the physical body, it simply means that the innermost essence of a human being has entered into a different relationship with us. On this day, let us make this relationship with the founder of the Theosophical Movement particularly vivid within ourselves. Let us fill ourselves with a sense of kinship with the founder of our movement. Let us fully embrace the awareness that thoughts and feelings are invisible forces within our soul—that they are realities. Feelings are living forces. When we today connect all our thoughts with what the name “Helena Petrovna Blavatsky” embodies, when we are connected to the spirit that shed its earthly shell on May 8, 1891, then our feelings and thoughts are real forces and form a genuine spiritual bridge to another form of existence. Another world finds access to our souls through this bridge. For the person who can see, such thoughts and feelings are truly living rays—rays of spiritual light—that spring forth from the human being, unite at a single point, and can then meet with the spiritual being. Thus, such a solemn moment is a reality. When our soul, which dwells within our body, wishes to act on the physical plane, it must form a body for itself; it must organize the substances and forces in such a way that it can express itself through them. If the substances and forces of the soul were not in harmony, that soul could never manifest itself on the physical plane. Just as it is here on the physical plane, so it is with the spiritual beings on the higher planes. If we are to understand Helena Petrovna Blavatsky correctly, we must view her as someone whose every thought and aspiration is devoted to the proper progress of the Theosophical Movement. This has been the case ever since her soul detached itself from the physical body. She continues to work as a living entity even now within the Theosophical Movement. If she is to act, matter and forces must be made available to her. Where better to draw them than from the souls of those within the Theosophical Movement who understand this entity? Just as our soul draws upon the substances and forces on the physical plane, so does such a being draw upon the substances and forces of the souls in order to work through them. If those who are members of the Theosophical Movement were not to willingly place themselves at the disposal of this being, this being could not manifest itself on the physical plane. We must create within our own souls the places for reverence, love, and devotion, and thereby build the forces through which Helena Petrovna Blavatsky can work, just as our soul works through our physical body. We must realize that we are doing something real by loving and revering at this very moment. It is true that all the love and reverence flowing upward today toward the soul of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky are called upon as forces to connect with her.

[ 2 ] We must understand, first and foremost, what this particular figure means within our intellectual culture. The 19th century will one day be described in the history of humanity as the truly materialistic century. People of the 20th century cannot even begin to imagine how deeply the 19th century was entangled in materialism; this will only be possible later, when people have become spiritual again. Everything, including religious life, is permeated by materialism. Anyone who can look upon this development from higher planes knows that the 1840s marked a particular low point in spiritual life. Science, philosophy, and religion were gripped by materialism. It fell to the leaders of humanity to gradually allow a stream of spiritual life to flow into humanity. Much is implied by the statement that, within the broad sphere of spiritual life in Western culture, no one was found who was as well-suited as Helena Petrovna Blavatsky to channel the stream of spiritual life into the world—a stream intended to revitalize human life and pull it out of materialism. No matter what attacks against her are swirling around the world today, in the face of this one fact, the significance of all such attacks pales. For, among many other things, the Theosophical Movement must teach us a sense of positivity. We must cultivate the ability to see, above all, what is great in a person; in contrast, all those small lights kindled by criticism directed at such a personality may fade away. Just as certain things that contemporaries viewed with a critical eye have faded away in the case of other great personalities, so too will all of that fade away from her. But the great things she has accomplished will remain.

[ 3 ] Let us learn to regard people’s mistakes as their own concern, and let us learn to regard people’s actions as the concern of all humanity. Where people fall short is part of their karma; what they do is a matter for humanity. Let us learn not to worry about people’s faults; they must atone for them themselves. But let us learn to be grateful for their achievements, for the entire development of humanity depends on them.

[ 4 ] This year’s White Lotus Day—a day commemorating the soul’s liberation from the body and its ascent toward the heights in another form, like the lotus flower—is the first such day that we no longer observe in the company of Henry Steel Olcott, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky’s companion. He, too, has left the physical plane—he who stands as the great organizer, the shaping force. [An unintelligible sentence follows.] To him we direct our grateful, reverent, and love-filled thoughts; these thoughts will flow into the spiritual worlds, and we ourselves will gain strength through them. Thus, we shall continue the celebration on the other days of the year as well—by drawing upon the forces we have received, by sending out our thoughts as rays of light, and by applying these forces in the work we call the Theosophical Movement. We will only be working in her spirit if we are wholly free from dogma and sectarianism and devoted to the spiritual life. Helena Petrovna Blavatsky never demanded blind faith from anyone. What can be expected of her followers is that they allow themselves to be enriched by her spirituality. In what Helena Petrovna Blavatsky has bequeathed to the physical plane lies a source of spiritual power that will be so beneficial to us if we allow it to take living effect within us. We can allow ourselves to be enriched by the words, but the Spirit must come alive within us. One thing is certain about Helena Petrovna Blavatsky’s writings: only those who do not understand them can underestimate them. But whoever increasingly finds the key to the greatness within these works will become an ever greater admirer of them. That is the significance of these works: the more one delves into them, the greater an admirer one becomes. It is not the case that one might not see any errors in them; but whoever grasps the living essence knows, as they delve deeper and deeper into these works, that what is expressed there could only have come from the great spiritual beings who guide the world’s evolution today. Thus we must read Isis Unveiled, a book that truly contains the greatest truths, though sometimes distorted and caricatured, like a beautiful face reflected in a mirror that distorts its image.

[ 5 ] Anyone who wishes to adopt a purely critical mindset might say that it would be better not to present such a distorted image. But those who see the matter in its proper light will say to themselves: If someone places their limited mental faculties at the disposal of the spiritual powers that wish to reveal themselves, and knows that these powers can only provide a distorted image, yet that no one else is capable of doing better, then through this devotion they make a great sacrifice for the world. Every representation of the great truth is a distorted image. If one were to wait until the whole truth could come to light, one would have to wait a long time. Selfless are those who are willing to devote themselves and say: Let people tear me apart; I must present the truth as best I can. — This sacrifice—this supreme sacrifice of the intellect—is a far greater sacrifice than a moral one; a word so misused by a distorted conception of religion. It means the sacrifice of the intellect for the spiritual truth that is pouring in. If we do not sacrifice the intellect, we cannot serve the truth. When we look upon Helena Petrovna Blavatsky with gratitude, it is above all because she is, in the sense just described, a martyr among the great martyrs of truth. This is how one regards her when one gladly and willingly considers her a role model in the Theosophical Society. We know that we do not profane the day when we speak of the realms to which she lacked access.

[ 6 ] We are to speak about the spiritual current of the universe, which Helena Petrovna Blavatsky understood the least on the physical plane. We serve her best when we devote ourselves to that which she was unable to access. She would much prefer to find successors rather than mere parrots. Even if some things may seem to contradict her, we know that we are acting in her spirit; it is through this freedom that we honor her most of all.

[ 7 ] The transition to the Apocalypse is not contrived, nor is it far-fetched. For if we wish to understand Helena Petrovna Blavatsky’s mission in world history even more deeply, we must conceive of this development as consisting of two currents. The year 1841 marked the lowest point in spiritual life. In 1841, the opponents of spiritual life had their strongest foothold in human development. They were laying the groundwork for many of the things described in the Apocalypse as prophetic visions of the future. What is symbolized by the beast with the ram’s horns and the number 666, the beast with the seven heads, and so on, is being prepared by the forces that found their point of attack in human evolution in 1841. Those elemental beings who found a suitable environment for themselves at that time—those powers—have now taken possession of a large part of humanity and are exerting their influence there. Otherwise, the opposing forces expressed in the two beasts would not be present in humanity, dragging it down. In contrast, there is another path that leads upward. What is being accomplished today to facilitate this ascent is the preparation for all those who are to be sealed, who are entering the current of spiritual development. This current of spiritual life has created an instrument for itself in Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. We cannot understand our time unless we recognize this spiritual current as a profound necessity.

[ 8 ] We are in the fifth subrace of the fifth root race and are moving toward the sixth subrace and the seventh subrace, and then toward the sixth root race. What does it mean to say that we are moving toward these races? It means that for the person who desires it, the understanding of Christ is contained within the sixth period—whether it be the sixth period of the prophetically foretold sixth subrace or the sixth root race. There will be Christ-men there, the sealed ones; in the ages of future spirituality, the unlocking of human souls will take place. The fact that the five virgins have oil burning in their lamps, and that the Bridegroom finds illuminated souls, means that what is still hidden from humanity today will then be revealed to a portion of humanity. The book with seven seals will be unsealed for a large portion of humanity. The apocalyptic writer John intends to point toward this time; he intends to foretell this time through signs.

[ 9 ] One passage reads: “And a great sign appeared in heaven…” (Rev. 12:1). This means that in the Book of Revelation we are dealing with signs that represent the major phases of human development. It is up to us to decipher these signs. We recall that our current fifth root race was preceded by the Atlantean race, which perished in a flood. What will bring about the downfall of the fifth race? The fifth race has a special task: to bring the ego to full development. This selfishness will, at the same time, be the very thing that will lead to the downfall of the fifth root race. A small portion will survive into the era of the sixth great race. The majority of people will not yet have found the light within. And because selfishness is the fundamental driving force, a war of all against all will rage within this portion of humanity. Just as the Lemurian race perished through the forces of fire, and Atlantis through water, so too will the fifth race meet its downfall through the clashing of selfish forces and a war of all against all. This line of development will descend ever deeper; when it reaches its lowest point, all will rage against all. A small portion will escape this fate, just as happened during the downfall of the Atlantean race. It is up to each individual to find a connection with spiritual life in order to pass over to the sixth main race. Vast revolutions lie ahead for humanity, and this is what the Apocalypse describes.

[ 10 ] First, we are presented with seven letters to seven congregations. If people are to find the way to that great moment, they must have something to hold on to, something through which they can refine their seven human constitutional elements, so that they will be found ready when the great moment arrives. There are places on Earth where religious practices focus primarily on the development of the physical body. In other places, greater emphasis is placed on the development of the etheric body. In still other places, greater emphasis is placed on the development of the astral body or the “I.” There will also be an increasing number of places where special attention will be given to the development of the manas, or the buddhi, or the atma. One would not truly believe in reincarnation unless one said to oneself: If a person is born once in a place where primary attention is given to the physical body, then another time they will be born in a place where greater attention will be given to the other bodies, and so on.

[ 11 ] Seven letters are addressed to seven distinct geographical regions, in each of which special attention was given to one of the seven aspects of the human being. The first letter is addressed to the Ephesians. Among them, great emphasis was placed on the development of the physical body. Among the Phrygians in Smyrna, special attention was given to the etheric body, and in Pergamon to the astral body.

[ 12 ] Let us see why seven geographical regions, in relation to the seven members of the human being, represent specific modes of human development. Let us suppose that a person lives in a region where the physical body is primarily developed; if he then neglects his physical body, it will become a distorted image of what it should have become. If that which is meant to be brought to a certain degree of perfection is not developed, then something arises within him that prepares him for the dire consequences of human evolution.

[ 13 ] The first epistle is addressed to the church in Ephesus, the city dedicated to Diana. It emphasizes the beautiful form of the physical body. In what direction is the physical body evolving? We can understand this more and more clearly when we realize that the physical body must become increasingly purified and increasingly an expression of the etheric body, which in turn is an expression of the astral body, and that, in turn, is an expression of the I.

[ 14 ] Numbers played a major role in the ancient Pythagorean schools. Let us remember that in the Devachan world, as elsewhere, everything is ordered according to measure and number. What would it mean to seek the laws of nature if they were not already there? We weigh and measure the celestial bodies just as we do with substances on a smaller scale. We must combine this fact with another. Let us imagine this space filled with the sound patterns of a sublime musical composition—for example, the tones of the “Good Friday Magic.” This is the higher spiritual form of what a physicist would express to us in the numbers representing air vibrations. The spirit of these vibrations in the music flows through our souls. Now imagine these numbers heard by the ear of the spirit—then we have the music of the spheres. If a physicist were to record the vibrations of the air in numbers, he would be just as unable to record the “Good Friday Magic” as a mathematician is to record Pythagorean concepts in measures and numbers. Only the harmonies were expressed in the numbers. When the Pythagorean wishes to express the four components of the human being, they resonate together in the ratio of 1:3:7:12. This signifies that sound in which the four numbers resonate together like the four parts of the human being. The three tones—I, the tone of the Sun; II, the tone of the Moon; III, the tone of the Earth itself—resonate into the astral body.

Physical Body 12 Ephesus
Etheric Body 7 Smyrna
Astral Body 3 Pergamon
I 1
Spirit Self
Life Spirit
Spiritual Human

[ 15 ] What emanates from the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon resonates together within our astral body. But what emanates from the seven planets resonates within our etheric body. There is a sevenfold influence of the planets on the etheric body, corresponding to the seven tones: prime, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh—Saturn, Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus. These seven planets resonate within our etheric body. Twelve influences, emanating from the signs of the zodiac, resonate within the physical body. The seer perceives twelve fundamental tones on the Devachan plane. These influence our physical body. Everything that exists in the ego, the astral body, the etheric body, and the physical body resonates in tones.

One tone resonates within the ego,
three tones resonate within the astral body,
seven tones resonate within the etheric body,
and twelve tones resonate within the physical body.

[ 16 ] Together, these create harmony or disharmony.

[ 17 ] There is an expression in occultism: “12 becomes 7,” meaning that the physical body becomes increasingly similar to the etheric body. If the physical body resonates correctly, one can hear the 7 tones of the stars through the 12 tones. “Become such that the 12 becomes the 7, so that the 7 stars may appear”—this is what is said to the Ephesians, because there the physical body is particularly developed. They are to turn their gaze toward the 7 stars. We know that the development of Christianity signifies the transition from the old tribal communities to spiritual love, that the physical is to be separated from the spiritual. Those who tell us that, above all else, we must strive to ensure that the sensory and the elemental are given their due—they were called the Nicolaitans in those days; they were those who wanted to remain stuck in the material blood; hence the warning against Nicolaitanism. These Nicolaitans are the ones who will bring about the downfall.

[ 18 ] Opposite them are those who wish to transcend material development, those who seek the spiritual life. The letter concludes with the symbol of the Tree of Life: “Let anyone who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches: To the one who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna to eat...” (Rev. 2:17)

[ 19 ] The second letter is addressed to the congregation, which should take special care to nurture the etheric body. The etheric body must gradually be spiritualized into the spirit of life. Human beings now pass through birth and death; but later, this etheric body will become the life spirit; then it will have overcome death. The Sermon on the Mount states: “Blessed are those who beg for the Spirit, for they will find the kingdoms of heaven through themselves.” (Cf. Matt. 5:3) Those who beg for the Spirit are blessed; that is to say, the soul permeates their lives. Just as the physical body evolves upward among the Ephesians, so the etheric body evolves into the soul body in the second congregation. When they strive for this spiritualization, they are called “those who beg for the Spirit”; they beg for spiritualization through the enlivening of the etheric body. This is implied in the words: “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Rev. 2:10) Here, the development of the etheric body is clearly and unambiguously expressed.

[ 20 ] One of the greatest spiritual texts is the Apocalypse. There are hardly any great spiritual truths whose meaning cannot be found in the Apocalypse. The study of the Apocalypse itself is not unrelated to theosophical development.

[ 21 ] By understanding such a work, we are in fact inspired by the spirit that spoke through Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. What the Theosophical Movement seeks must appear to us like the sound of a trumpet sent out to humanity. The more we understand the Apocalypse, the more we understand the mission of our movement.