The Rudolf Steiner Archive

First Lecture

[ 1 ] My dear friends, it is with a deeply moved heart that I am able to be among you for a while during these solemn hours and speak with you. But let our first thoughts be directed toward those dear friends who so often gathered here with us, and who are now called to the field where the fate of individuals and nations is being fought for in such a decisive manner. And that we may remember these friends with faithful love at this hour and send our thoughts to them—thoughts imbued with strength, so that they may be strengthened on the battlefield where they now stand—as a sign of this, let us rise from our seats for a moment!

Spirits of your souls, watchful guardians,
May your wings bring
The pleading love of our souls
To the earthly people entrusted to your care,
So that, united with your power,
Our plea may shine with help
Upon the souls it lovingly seeks.

[ 2 ] And let us call out to our friends that Christ, of whom we have spoken so often here, may be with them, strengthening them and reigning over them on the battlefield where the fates of individuals and nations are now being decided!

[ 3 ] My dear friends, you know that our original intention was to have the building—which we wish to erect as a beacon for the spiritual life of the modern age, as our souls envision it—completed by August of this year. Karma has willed it otherwise. And we had to submit to this karma, calmly, of course. For a while we thought that it might be precisely at this time that words might be spoken in this building about that confidence in the victory of spiritual life, of which we have become increasingly convinced through our Spiritual Science. Now, at this time, our building in Dornach near Basel is not—or was not—yet complete. But its outer shell stands there. The columns that were to support its domes, representing the spiritual heavenly worlds, are in their places and are connected to these symbols of the heavenly vault. Completion is still pending. It was in July, at a certain stage of our building, that I could sense that what I had been striving for would come to pass: that this building, too, would serve as proof that through form and composition, one can achieve truly good acoustics, a truly acoustic space. One was allowed, I say, to hope for that. For from the spots where I could test through words how the entire enclosure treats the sound, it sounded such that one can hope that the intention will be achieved, that it will also sound right in the right places. That the words dedicated to our spirit may thus resound in this space—that is our hope.

[ 4 ] The first sounds our friends working in Dornach heard were the echoes of the fire raging in our immediate vicinity, the rumblings of the initial upheavals of the grave events in which we now find ourselves. For our building overlooks that field in Upper Alsace, on whose borderlands facing Switzerland it stands. And it was not only the signals of the grave events of our time that could be heard; the fire of the cannons in Upper Alsace could also be seen from various points of our building. What happened there first spoke to us as an echo in our regions. As we met for our discussions in the midst of our work, the thought lived within us that from the grave events in which we live, a foundation of peace might arise for humanity, upon which the healing and blessings of human development might flourish.

[ 5 ] How such an event as the one we are now experiencing can sometimes break in, speaking symbolically to the individual! Perhaps some of you, my dear friends, hold in your hands the first volume of my book *The Riddles of Philosophy*, in which I sought to depict the course of humanity’s development in its search for the great mysteries of the world, in which I sought to depict the flow of thought through the hearts of individuals and peoples. The second volume, as you know, has not yet been published; but it is ready in print up to the thirteenth sheet. This thirteenth section deals, in the final pages that have been printed, with the philosophy of Boutroux and Bergson, and then moves on to Preuß, to address—as the last thing that was printed before the great event began—the aspect of German philosophical and scientific development that, in my view, is infinitely more profoundly moving than what the philosopher Bergson intends — in the German philosophical and scientific development. In this intellectual figure, Preuß, one finds with tremendous force what a scientist could say about spiritual life. Thus, in this thirteenth issue, there was a convergence of thoughts intended to address those that arose in Western Europe and those that sprang from the heart of Europe. My typesetting ends in the middle of a sentence, as if symbolically dividing the spiritual life of those people between whom a fierce struggle has now broken out on the physical plane—a struggle that moves us so deeply. And in the first days of August, I often found myself gazing at the blank pages of the sheet that remained unprinted, for that, too, acted as a strange symbol upon my soul.

[ 6 ] My dear friends, we are not living in a time when minor events in human life are being decided. However suddenly these events may have broken upon us, they are profoundly far-reaching and have arisen from a necessity equal to that which once shaped the destiny of Europe during the Migration Period through hard and arduous struggles. What is required of the adherent of Spiritual Science in these times is confidence in the victory and the victorious nature of spiritual life, and steadfastness in the belief that the world-guiding spirits will decide matters as is necessary for the salvation of humanity.

[ 7 ] Anyone who today needs comfort in the fact that people who were once close friends through Spiritual Science now stand opposed to one another in the fire should seek that comfort in the words that come to us from the Bhagavad Gita. They point us back to ancient times in human development, to a period when a later form of human life emerged from a primal, primitive state, in which—according to the spiritual laws we know—those who had previously lived as brothers with brothers and sisters with sisters were united. The transition had taken place to a different phase of human life, to an expansion of humanity, so that within that new order of humanity, those who knew themselves to be brothers stood facing one another in conflict. But the Spirit that runs through the development of humanity finds the right words to pour confidence, faith, and security into the souls that thus stand facing one another.

[ 8 ] Once again, we are living in times when people from all corners of the earth have come together through that spiritual current we call our own; people who, through their feelings and through what deeply connects them from the depths of their souls, call one another brothers and sisters. And once again, they must face one another. Humanity’s karma wills it so. But, my dear friends, we must have gained the certainty through what we have taken into our hearts and souls from our spiritual current, that the Spirit surging through human evolution will strengthen us and fill us with confidence in these stormy times, so that we may carry within us the faith that in the karma of the world the right thing will happen, that a struggle must take place, that blood must flow upon blood, so that what the Ruler of World Destiny intends to achieve with the human race on Earth may be attained. This, too, will be a blood of sacrifice, a holy blood of sacrifice! And those of our loved ones who will shed this sacrificial blood will become powerful helpers of humanity in the spiritual realms, working toward the most beautiful, the most noble goals. For the world spirits speak to us humans in many ways. They speak to us in the manner to which we are accustomed within our circles, through words drawn from our spiritual research and our spiritual outlook. But they also speak to us through the solemn signs of the thunder of war. And as much as it might be natural for some souls to look upon this with regret, realizing that even this language must be employed in the world’s guidance of humanity—souls touched by the spirit must be able to consider that such language is necessary in world karma. It is a language whose true meaning can only be understood in each individual case by future generations, who will be able to look back upon what has come to pass through the fact that their ancestors sacrificed their bodies, so that from this sacrifice on the battlefield the transfigured soul might soar up into the spiritual spheres for the salvation of humanity. And with this spark of spiritual emotion in our hearts, we can face with renewed strength all the worries, all the deep sorrows and griefs, but also all the hopes and all the confidence that events of such a serious nature as the present ones present and reveal before our physical eyes.

[ 9 ] My dear friends, on July 26, following a lecture in Dornach concerning the affairs of our building, I was able to address our friends gathered there with words that pointed to the serious times that lie ahead. Among the listeners on that July 26 were also those of our friends who were there at the time and who are now already out in the midst of serious, indeed the most serious, events. On that occasion, next to our building in Dornach—which is to become a spiritual observatory—I was able to impress these words upon the hearts of our friends: May that which we have acquired through our spiritual current and our spiritual attitude work within each and every one of us so that, in what is now to come, we may find the strength to stand confidently in that place in the world where destiny has placed us.

[ 10 ] There was evidence that our spiritual movement is capable of imparting strength—true strength—even in times such as these in which we now live, and in the grave circumstances in which we now find ourselves. And perhaps part of forging this strength is that those outside, with bullets whizzing past them, who must live amid the roar of war, may know that we remember them with faithful love, cherishing within ourselves all the thoughts meant to strengthen them, and feel a sense of belonging with them. What would become of our movement if it were not capable of sustaining the strength of the soul where that strength is subjected to the world’s severe trials! May the strength we have gained ourselves keep us firmly united with our dear friends who stand outside, and may this strength be so great that it becomes something in the spiritual world, so that the spirit we have sought to take into ourselves may itself become something in the workings of the world; and may the love that we know to be united with our spiritual striving prove particularly strong where our friends out there in the physical world have a sacred sacrifice to make!

[ 11 ] My dear friends, much will yet come to pass in the wake of what has now begun. But we have often spoken of the concept of powerful serenity. May it now be fulfilled in our souls. Let it not be the word of that complacent serenity that watches things unfold with indifference, but rather the word of that active serenity that seeks ways and means, and through faithful spiritual seeking also finds them—in order to do the right thing in the right place. Many times this August I had to ask myself whether it was right to keep our friends at our building site in Dornach, and whether some might not be able to accomplish something more significant elsewhere at this time. Yet it seems that it is good, that it is connected with certain forces the spirit needs in our times, that this building does not stand still. Thus, work on it continues faithfully even in these difficult times. Thus it shall be kept alive in the thought that it is meant to be a symbol of the right understanding of the great deeds taking place in our time, a symbol of the understanding that in all that happens in our time, the power of the Spirit must also be present. And we cherish the belief that all the friends who persevere in their duty in Dornach, because this seems to be their karma, will also be able to fulfill their role in all that will emerge of importance from the tremendously moving events in which we find ourselves, each in the place where karma places them. Let us try, my dear friends, as it appears to us according to what the day brings to our souls, what the day allows us to observe as our possible duty in this time—let us try to do all of this; let us try to fulfill every duty that we must regard as a duty of selfless love for humanity, as a duty of willingness to sacrifice in a time when so many sacrifices must be demanded of people. Let us participate in the service of sacrifice for the development of humanity in the manner in which it appears to be assigned to our powers by karma; let us help wherever we can. Let us seek out the opportunities where we are permitted to help, and let us not forget that we have taken into ourselves the conviction that the spirit possesses an effective tool in human aid, in human loving service.

[ 12 ] When our friends in Dornach also asked for some guidance on providing external aid, on administering first aid, not only was an attempt made to provide instruction in such bandaging within our building over the course of several hours—in case karma should one day call upon one of us to apply such knowledge—but it was also close to my heart to also speak to our friends the words which, arising from spiritual insight and felt in the helping, loving soul, can convey active spiritual love—from the binding hand, from the helping body—in a spiritual way—to the one who is to be helped. First, attention was drawn to how healing powers lie within the human organism itself, and how in the blood that flows from the wound, that which acts healingly upon the wound is simultaneously alive. And then it was said that it is good, when healing, to fill one’s heart toward the person in need of help with the words:

Source of blood,
Work within the source,
Active muscle
Stimulate the seeds,
Loving care
From a warming heart,
Be a healing breath.

[ 13 ] I believe I know that a soul filled with such a spirit is capable of giving a helping hand to those who wish to assist. And how could we not be convinced, after all that has passed through our souls over the years, that being filled with the Spirit of Christ in this time will grant us the ability to intervene in the right way wherever destiny demands it, wherever destiny places us. How often will we have the opportunity, in what the coming times may bring, to test whether we are imbued in the right way with the Christ, who works from our own hearts into the hearts of other people, who weaves the suffering, pain-bearing human being into a unity with ourselves. How often has it been said that part of the development of human souls into the spiritual worlds involves being able to connect one’s own feelings with the pain that lives within another. And precisely in those places where the events of our time will cause pain, there will often be a place for one or the other of us; there we will be able to test whether we are strong enough to connect the right feeling with the pain of the other, whether the pain that lives over there in the other soul can be our pain, our felt pain.

[ 14 ] Christ’s blood was shed on Golgotha so that humanity might gradually come to a point where the pain that lives in others does not elude us, but continues to weave itself within us. That is why we seek to strengthen the spirit implied here in our souls, especially in these times. This can be done with words like these, spoken as if to oneself, as often as possible in the thoughts that connect us to the gravity of this time, by addressing our fellow human beings in the first line. The words are:

As long as you feel the pain,
Which shuns me,
Christ remains unrecognized
Working within the fabric of the world.
For the spirit remains weak,
When, alone within its own body,
It is powerful only in the feeling of suffering.

[ 15 ] Yes, my dear friends, now is the time when every soul that has learned to look up to the spiritual world must direct imploring thoughts to the spirits by whom it feels protected, that these spirits may help guide us in the right way into this era. And we will sense what is right in our hearts, the right forces in our souls, when we turn to the spirit who is to guide us through our earthly incarnations to our own rightful place. And how can we know that our pleas are directed to the right spirit? We can sense it when we turn to this spirit in a way that is in accordance with the true Christ impulse.

[ 16 ] For the Spirit that guides us to what is right—of this we can be certain, my dear friends—is connected to Christ. It converses with Christ. He converses with Christ in the spiritual world in such a way that what is now being fought for, for which blood is now being shed, may bring about what is right for the salvation of humanity. In the spirit of Christ, we turn to the Spirit by whom we wish to be protected. Then it will be the right Spirit.

[ 17 ] What constitutes the essence of a spirit is referred to in the language of Spiritual Science as the age of a spirit. That is why this word appears in the formula about which I am now to speak to you. In this context, the word “age” means roughly the same as the essence of the spirit. For we have indeed learned to distinguish spirits according to their age. We speak of Luciferic and Ahrimanic spirits precisely in this sense, knowing that they develop, in an age that is not their own, what is appropriate for the world’s development in the correct age. Therefore, we speak of the age of a spirit when we speak of its essence. The formula that is now to be communicated is:

You, Spirit of my earthly realm,
Reveal the light of your age
To the soul gifted by Christ,
So that, striving, it may find
In the choir of the spheres of peace
You, resounding with praise and power
Of the human mind devoted to Christ.

[ 18 ] Yes, let us try to bring to fruition what has taken root in our souls in the course of our spiritual quest; let us try to make it so fruitful that we may hope to rise to the challenge of our trials. Let us try to demonstrate the belief that love is the soul of our spiritual quest at a time when love, love, love is necessary!

[ 19 ] My dear friends, this is what was close to my heart: to speak to your souls this very evening. May the love to which we have so often appealed take deep root within us. May we find the way to stand faithfully together in times of trial—both among ourselves and in solidarity with all the sacred treasures of humanity. This, my dear friends, I promise you: to connect this with my own feelings and, time and again, to unite my thoughts with yours in the days to come. And may it be granted to us, after experiencing the symbols spoken of in the opening words of this evening, after the sound of war has echoed in our Dornach building and the light of war has shone forth, may it be granted to us that in the near or distant future, in this building, the word of confidence in victory and the victorious nature of the spirit may be spoken, spoken in the awareness that this building, from its elevated position, looks down upon a humanity that, through the severe trials and the severe struggles of these times, has fought for and won a right, a good, the beautiful, and the true within the development of humanity. May the days of struggle unfold in such a way that, in the future days of peace, we may look back with satisfaction upon the sacrifices that these times have demanded.

[ 20 ] I hope that these words, which I have tried to speak this evening, will touch your souls with the same depth from which I believe they sprang. May they mean something to you in these times when so many of us have so much to endure. But may they also be for you what all those hearts—which are now filled with noble enthusiasm and joyful fighting spirit, so filled with this noble enthusiasm and this fighting spirit—may be, so that the spirits who know what is right will look upon these hearts with satisfaction. Let us fill ourselves with such sentiments, and we will have the opportunity to do what is right in the right place. This is what our spiritual work, which we have been striving to accomplish for years now, is meant to give us strength for, and may it give us strength.

[ 21 ] Farewell, my dear friends, in this spirit and with these heartfelt sentiments!