The Rudolf Steiner Archive

4. How Can the Spiritual Distress of the Present Be Overcome?

[ 1 ] What we seek as truths of the humanities should not be a dead form of knowledge, but a living one—a form of knowledge that can truly take root in life, in all its aspects and at its most important junctures. It is only natural and to be expected that spiritual science is still often received in a rather abstract way today, and that through this abstractness with which spiritual science is received, one might even arrive at a kind of detached knowledge that initially proves to be of little benefit to life and that, in particular, gives people who have not yet become familiar with spiritual science the impression: What is the point of all this, after all, when one already knows that the human being consists of so many parts, that humanity has developed through various cultural epochs and will continue to develop—and so on. To people who believe they must be fully engaged in practical life in accordance with the demands of our time, spiritual science often seems quite unproductive. And indeed, it is often rendered unproductive even by those who already have some heart and interest in it today.

[ 2 ] Nevertheless, spiritual science itself, just as it is, is something infinitely alive, something that can come alive even in the most practical aspects of life and must also come alive over time. Today, let us use a specific example to clarify what I said in my introduction. Let us take something from our spiritual science—something we are all presumably familiar with, something well known to us—but which we want to use to show how, little by little, by viewing it in a life-affirming way, it becomes all the more alive.

[ 3 ] Most of us have likely heard many times—and have often let the thought sink deep into our souls—that our era was preceded by the so-called fourth post-Atlantean cultural epoch, in which the Greeks and Romans were the most significant peoples; but that the centuries that followed, up through the 14th, 15th centuries were still influenced by the impulses of this fourth post-Atlantean cultural period; and that since the 15th century we have been living in the fifth post-Atlantean cultural period, were born into our present incarnation during this period, and that people will continue to live in this cultural period for many centuries to come. We also know—and most of us, at least, have often allowed this to sink into our souls—that during the fourth post-Atlantean, the Greco-Roman cultural period, what was primarily developed in humanity through all that constituted external culture and external work was the so-called intellectual or emotional soul, and that the task now is to develop the consciousness soul.

[ 4 ] What does it mean to say that the consciousness soul is to be developed? Properly understood, what has just been presented in abstract form encompasses the destiny of our entire fifth post-Atlantean cultural epoch for humanity. The various peoples of this fifth post-Atlantean cultural period are to work together to give expression to the soul of consciousness. This truly manifests itself in all aspects and circumstances of life. If we observe life correctly, it confirms to us everywhere the truth that our time represents the full expression of the soul of consciousness. Human life as a whole was different in the preceding, Greco-Roman period. There, at the stage at which humanity stood in the post-Atlantean era, so to speak, the power of the intellect and the power of the soul were bestowed upon humanity. The intellect is something that encompasses many things. Today, this is no longer viewed with complete accuracy. The Greeks and Romans were dependent on their intellect within their souls in a different way than people in today’s fifth cultural epoch. The Greeks and Romans, so to speak, were born with the intellect—to the extent they needed it—already incorporated into their natural developmental makeup. It was very, very different. A person grew up, and as their natural faculties developed, their natural intellect grew along with them in a certain way. There was no need to train the natural intellect in the same way that is already necessary today and will become increasingly necessary in the fifth post-Atlantean epoch; it developed like a natural ability. And either it turned out that a person, in a given incarnation, possessed intellect simply by developing under natural conditions, or they did not. In the latter case, it was something pathological. But it was also something abnormal; it was not the norm.

[ 5 ] And the same was true of the human spirit. The spirit developed in a way that was appropriate for this fourth post-Atlantean epoch. When one person encountered another, they knew how—history tells us little about this, but it was indeed so—they knew how to attune themselves to the other person. This, in particular, marks a major difference between the people of earlier centuries—up through the 15th century—and the people of our present time. The people of those earlier centuries did not, I would say, pass each other by with such indifference as is often the case today. Today, when one person meets another, it often takes a long time to truly get to know one another. We have to get to know this or that about one another before we begin to trust each other, before we gain confidence. What today is only gained after a long period of interaction—and even then often not at all—was achieved in a single moment in earlier centuries, particularly during the Greco-Roman cultural period, when people met one another. How they could relate to one another through their individualities was quickly established; there was no need to spend so much time exchanging thoughts and feelings. Acquaintances were made swiftly, insofar as this acquaintance was beneficial for the two people—or even for several people who came together to form a community—whenever that was necessary. One person’s spirit had a much more profound spiritual influence on another’s. Just as today we can still correctly perceive the colors of plants through our senses—in the seventh post-Atlantean cultural period, this will no longer be possible so readily, but special circumstances will be necessary even to come to know nature— just as today one still comes to know plants at a glance, not only through closer interaction—through which one comes to know their more intimate aspects, but what the ordinary person learns about plants, they recognize at first glance—so it was also the case with people. But this approach was sufficient only for the simpler living conditions of that time. We must consider that this kind of emotional connection between people was quite appropriate for the fourth post-Atlantean epoch. For today, the world is encompassed by a very different network of emotional connections than it was back then. Just consider that the vast majority of human relationships in the fourth post-Atlantean epoch was based on personal encounters, and that whatever people had to settle among themselves was settled through these personal encounters. The art of printing, which has already shaped communication in an impersonal way up to the present day and will continue to do so more and more, belongs only to the fifth post-Atlantean epoch. And modern conditions of communication bring people together in such a way that, fundamentally speaking, relationships that form in an instant could not possibly be beneficial. Thus, through all these modern forms of communication, people encounter one another in the world in a much, much more impersonal way.

[ 6 ] Humanity, too, is organized accordingly; it no longer fully grasps a soul that acts with power, nor does it fully grasp a mind that acts with penetrating insight, but—shaped by the soul of consciousness— I would say, perceives something far more distinct, more individual, organized more toward egoism, toward human loneliness within one’s own body, than the intellectual or emotional soul ever were. Through the soul of consciousness, the human being is much more of an individual, a hermit wandering through the world, than he was through the soul of the intellect or the soul of feeling. And this has already become the most important characteristic of our time—and will become so more and more—that people will withdraw into themselves. The consciousness soul gives rise to a tendency to withdraw from the rest of humanity and to live a more isolated life. Consequently, it becomes more difficult to get to know others and become familiar with them by name; it first requires the process of a laborious getting-to-know-you phase in order to become familiar with the other person.

[ 7 ] What is the purpose of all this? We can best understand this by carefully considering a certain spiritual-scientific truth that tells us: The way we human beings come together in life today is not by chance—truly, not by chance. Our life paths bring us together with certain people, but not with others. And this is entirely due to the effects of each individual’s karma. For we have entered a period of human development that, in a certain sense, has brought the earlier karmic developments that people have undergone to a higher level. Just think how much less karma people had accumulated in the earliest days of Earth’s development! Every time we incarnate, new karma is formed. At first, people had to encounter one another on Earth in relationships where they had never been together before, and where they first had to forge new bonds. But gradually, through having incarnated time and again in this world, we have entered into such relationships that, as a rule, we do not encounter anyone with whom we have not experienced this or that in previous incarnations. We are brought together with other people through what we have experienced in previous incarnations. It may seem “coincidental” that this or that person meets another; in truth, all of this is based on previous incarnations, where we have already met, where the forces were generated that now bring us together again in a certain way.

[ 8 ] Now—and this is what must happen at our present time—the self-contained soul of consciousness can develop only if less attention is paid to what is currently taking place between people in the present than to what can take effect within, in solitude, that which arises within us as a result of earlier incarnations. In Greco-Roman times, it was still the case that when two people met, they were expected to make a mutual impression on one another, and this impression was supposed to have a powerful effect. Now, when we come together so that the consciousness soul—which is more isolated within the human being—can develop, the situation should be more like this: One person meets another; what emerges in one or the other as a result of past incarnations should play a greater role. This takes longer than getting to know one another immediately—I would say at first glance; it requires that people gradually, through feeling and instinct, bring to the surface what they have experienced together with the other person. This is precisely what we call for today: that we get to know one another, that our individualities first be smoothed out. For it is in this process of getting to know one another—this smoothing out of individualities—that the reminiscences and aftereffects of past incarnations rise up, still unconsciously and instinctively. And only when a person enters into a relationship with others more from within can the consciousness soul develop; whereas the intellectual and emotional souls develop more through the powerful process of getting to know one another in face-to-face encounters.

[ 9 ] This is how things are properly aligned with one another. And what I have just described to you is only just beginning for the fifth post-Atlantean epoch. As this fifth post-Atlantean epoch progresses, it will become increasingly difficult for people to establish the right relationship with one another, because establishing this right relationship requires the effort of inner development and inner activity. It has already begun; but what has begun will spread farther and farther and become more and more intense. How difficult it has already become today for people who are brought together by karma to understand one another immediately, because—perhaps due to other karmic circumstances—they cannot find the strength to instinctively recall all the relationships that stem from past incarnations! People are brought together and fall in love; this stems from certain effects of past incarnations. But other forces work against this when such a reminiscence arises; they drift apart again. And it is not only people who have met in this way in life who must test whether what arises within them is truly sufficient to establish a lasting relationship; it is also becoming increasingly difficult for sons and daughters to understand their fathers and mothers, increasingly difficult for parents to understand their children, and increasingly difficult for siblings to understand one another. Mutual understanding is becoming increasingly difficult because it is becoming more and more necessary for people to first allow what lies within them karmically to truly rise up from within.

[ 10 ] You can see what kind of negative perspective is opening up here over the fifth post-Atlantean epoch—difficulty in mutual understanding among people. But this requires that we look this condition of development squarely in the face, that we do not want to live dreamily in the dark; for this condition of development is absolutely necessary. If it were not the case that mutual understanding is difficult for humanity in the fifth post-Atlantean epoch, the consciousness soul would not be able to develop, and people would have to live more in community based on natural inclinations. Then the individuality of the consciousness soul would not be able to develop. So it must be this way; people must undergo this trial. But on the other hand, this must be clearly recognized, for it goes without saying that if only this negative aspect of the developmental conditions of the fifth post-Atlantean period were to come to the fore, war and strife would inevitably arise even in the smallest spheres of life among the fifth post-Atlantean humanity. Therefore, we instinctively perceive a certain set of needs emerging in this fifth post-Atlantean era, which, however, must take shape in an ever more conscious manner. And shaping them in an ever more conscious manner is one of the tasks of spiritual science for fifth post-Atlantean humanity.

[ 11 ] I need only mention one word, and it will immediately become clear to each of us how to find a remedy for the one direction that must necessarily arise—the difficulty of mutual understanding. I need only mention the word: In this fifth post-Atlantean epoch, a sense of social understanding must be awakened more and more—and consciously, because we live in the age of the conscious soul. This is what, in a word, sums up needs that were by no means present to the same degree in the fourth post-Atlantean epoch. Anyone who is able to study the structure of Greek civilization and the structure of Roman civilization correctly knows that individualism within these civilizations was not as deeply ingrained in humanity as it is now in European society—or indeed in American society, which is dependent on Europe. You will understand this particularly well if you compare human beings—and to make a comparison, one can take radical examples—with an animal species. Why does an animal species live together within certain boundaries? Precisely because it is predisposed to do so by its group soul, by its species soul. It is innate to animal species; this is a matter of course. Yet they cannot grow beyond it; they remain within it. Human beings must grow beyond it. Every single human being must develop individually, and especially in our present age of the consciousness soul, this individual development is one of the most important things. A hint of species-soul mentality still lingers over Greek and Roman culture. We still see human beings placed within a social order which, even if its structure and form were shaped more by moral forces, nevertheless possessed a firm structure. But these structures will be dissolved more and more in the fifth post-Atlantean epoch. This vestige of group soul life, which still prevailed in the fourth post-Atlantean epoch, no longer has any meaning for this fifth post-Atlantean epoch. Instead, however, a conscious social understanding must emerge—that is, everything that arises from a deeper understanding of true individual human being must come to the fore. It is spiritual science alone that will develop this true understanding. And as spiritual science develops more and more from the abstract into the concrete, into the living, a very special kind of—I would say—human studies, an awakening to human interest, will take hold within the circles that practice spiritual science. There will be those who have a particular aptitude for teaching their fellow human beings about how people have different temperaments, how people have different character traits, how one person with a certain temperament must be treated in one way, while another person with a certain character trait must be treated differently in relation to that temperament; there will be people who are particularly gifted in this regard, who will teach others who need to learn: Look at it more closely: There is this type of person, there is another type of person, and one must treat one person in one way and another person in another way. — Practical psychology, practical psychology of the soul, but also practical life studies will be pursued, and through this a genuine social understanding of human development will emerge.

[ 12 ] What, then, has emerged so far in terms of social understanding? So far, what has emerged are abstract ideals—the most diverse abstract ideals of the happiness of humanity and of nations—this or that form of socialism. If one truly wanted to introduce these social ideas, which arise here and there, into the world, one would first see how impossible it is to do so. What is at stake here is not, at first, the founding of societies or sects with specific programs, but rather the dissemination of human knowledge—practical knowledge of human nature—and specifically that kind of knowledge which enables us to correctly understand the developing, growing human being, to correctly understand the child, and to see how each child develops with its own individuality. Through this, we learn to position ourselves in life in such a way that, when karma brings us face to face with a person with whom we are meant to form a closer relationship of one kind or another, we can respond to the right karmic effects within us—so that we develop the right, lasting relationships, those relationships that can truly be the most fruitful for life. Practical knowledge of human nature, a practical concern for humanity—that is what matters. Today, humanity has not yet progressed very far in this area; it has advanced only very little. How do we judge a person today when we encounter them? We find them likable or unlikable. Go out into the world and see how, in most cases, this is the only judgment we make—or, if multiple judgments arise, how they are nevertheless entirely dominated by this single point of view: I find this person likable, I find that person unlikable; or: I find this aspect of them likable, I find that aspect of them unlikable. Preconceived notions! People imagine: this or that is how a person should actually be; and when they then see that he is different in this or that way, they pass judgment on him. Until this kind of feeling of sympathy or antipathy—arising from prejudices and from particular preferences one has regarding this or that human character—ceases, and until the attitude of accepting people as they are becomes widespread, no progress can be made in true, practical knowledge of human nature.

[ 13 ] Just think how often it happens today that when two people meet under certain circumstances, one of them immediately feels a sense of antipathy—he doesn’t like the other—and how everything he does toward that person is then viewed through the lens of that dislike. As a result, a karmic relationship is very often completely obliterated, led entirely astray, and must be worked through again until the next incarnation, when these people meet once more. Sympathies and antipathies are the greatest enemies of genuine social concern. This is very often overlooked. Those who understand what true social understanding entails for the further development of humanity observe—sometimes with a heavy heart—how teachers in schools act when, based on certain prejudices, they find one student more or less likable than another from the very beginning. This is often terrible; whereas the point is to accept everyone as they are and to make the very best of who they are.

[ 14 ] But this then extends into the institutions themselves. Our institutions, our social laws—which often terribly stifle the individuality of teachers—are such that, in reality, individuality cannot be addressed. A genuine understanding of spiritual science must take effect in such a way that practical psychology and practical anthropology are incorporated into the public interest. This is necessary for social understanding, in order to create, so to speak, the other pole within social understanding to counteract the growing difficulty of mutual understanding.

[ 15 ] This is precisely what must occur in the fifth post-Atlantean epoch so that humanity can fully develop the consciousness soul. People must put everything to the test, as it were, by having opposing forces stand in their way. In this way, feelings of sympathy and antipathy will truly spread, and only through the struggle—the conscious struggle against these superficial feelings of sympathy and antipathy—will the soul of consciousness be able to be truly born. Likewise, social understanding between people will be increasingly opposed by national sentiments and feelings, which, in essence, only gained the upper hand in the 19th century in the form in which they now exist, and which work in the most profound way against social understanding and genuine interest from person to person. And just as these national antagonisms—these national feelings of sympathy and antipathy—manifest themselves today, they constitute a severe, a terrible trial for humanity, because salvation can lie only in their being overcome. If the feelings of sympathy and antipathy arising from national sentiment were to continue to run rampant, as they have begun to do, then humanity would squander the development of the conscious soul. For national sentiments point in the opposite direction; they aim not to allow human beings to become independent, but to make them appear merely as a pale imitation, as a reflection of this or that group identity, this or that nationality.

[ 16 ] This is the first thing we must consider when we bring before our minds—in a practical way—the otherwise abstract statement that, in this fifth post-Atlantean epoch, the consciousness soul must develop in a special way.

[ 17 ] Something else must occur in this fifth post-Atlantean epoch if the consciousness soul is to truly unfold. That is, as human beings become more and more individual, a certain desolation—a true desolation of religious life—must set in if this religious life refuses to adapt to the fifth post-Atlantean epoch and instead insists on remaining as it was appropriate for the fourth post-Atlantean epoch. In the fourth post-Atlantean epoch, because human beings were still more inclined toward group solidarity, group religions had to emerge. A sense of the common—in dogmas, in religious principles, and in religious ideas—had to be, as it were, poured out over groups of people through a higher power. But because the urge toward individuality, driven by the consciousness soul, will grow stronger and stronger in the fifth post-Atlantean epoch, it will be the case that what is proclaimed from within the group religions will no longer penetrate the heart or the individuality of each soul. And people will simply not understand what comes from the group religions. In the fourth post-Atlantean epoch, it was still possible to teach people about Christ as a group; in the fifth post-Atlantean epoch, Christ is in fact already drawing into the individual souls. We all already carry Christ within us in the unconscious or subconscious. But he must first be brought to our understanding within ourselves. This does not happen by imposing fixed, rigid, ossified dogmas on people, but rather by striving to do everything that can help make Christ comprehensible to people from every angle—or, indeed, to promote religious understanding in a comprehensive and multifaceted way—so that everything capable of fostering this is genuinely pursued. Therefore, in this fifth post-Atlantean epoch, there must be ever-increasing tolerance, especially with regard to the ideas of religious life. And whereas in the fourth post-Atlantean epoch the situation was still such that those who worked for religion did so by imparting a certain number of dogmas and fixed tenets to their fellow human beings, this must become quite, quite different in the fifth post-Atlantean epoch. Here, the matter at hand is something entirely different. It is a matter of the fact that, precisely because people are becoming more and more individual, an attempt is being made to free oneself entirely from dogma and, free of dogma, to truly convey to others—based more on personal inner experience—what one can tell and describe to them, in such a way that their own free religious life of thought can develop individually within them. Dogmatic religions—the individual, fixed dogmas and denominations—will, in truth, kill off religious life in the fifth post-Atlantean epoch. Therefore, one truly begins to prepare for the fifth post-Atlantean epoch by helping people understand more and more: In the first centuries of Christianity, this was particularly suited to people; in the following centuries, something else took effect. But there are other religions. One tries to make the essence of other religions understandable; one tries to make various aspects of the conception of Christ understandable. In this way, one presents to each soul that which this soul can deepen. But one does not shape the soul itself; one allows it—especially in the religious sphere—its freedom of thought, so that this freedom of thought may unfold.

[ 18 ] Just as social understanding is necessary in the one respect I have characterized for the fifth post-Atlantean period, so too is freedom of thought in the realm of religion the fundamental condition for the development of the consciousness soul: social understanding in the realm of human coexistence—freedom of thought in the realm of religion and religious life.

[ 19 ] The fact that we are striving to understand religious life more and more deeply, to penetrate it, and that we can therefore understand one another even as each person develops their own religious life—this must be taken into account more and more, because it is a fundamental condition for the fifth post-Atlantean epoch, something that humanity must consciously attain through its own efforts. It is precisely in the Age of the Consciousness Soul that the Ahrimanic forces are once again launching their most intense assault against this freedom of thought, and we see how religious denominations everywhere view the very lifeblood of the spiritual-scientific worldview—the spread of freedom of thought—with hostility, and how many slanders against spiritual science gain ground for the simple reason that spiritual science seeks to engage with the birth of the consciousness soul with full, luminous understanding and does not wish to promote a religious life that is still built upon the propagation and fostering of the intellectual or emotional soul, as was the case in the fourth post-Atlantean epoch. The forms of Christianity were established in the fourth post-Atlantean epoch out of the needs of Greco-Roman culture. As church forms, they are already unsuitable—and will become increasingly so—for allowing the freedom of thought to emerge, which must emerge more and more.

[ 20 ] And at the very same time that the first seed of the need for freedom of thought—so to speak—began to stir within modern life, the opposing force immediately sprang into action in what one might call—although this term encompasses much that would need to be characterized in greater detail—the “Jesuitism” of the various religions. This was actually brought into being to offer the strongest resistance to freedom of thought, which is a vital necessity of the fifth post-Atlantean epoch. And it will become increasingly necessary to eradicate this Jesuitism—which stands in opposition to freedom of thought—in all areas during the fifth post-Atlantean epoch; for, radiating from religious life, freedom of thought must unfold more and more in all spheres of life. But since it must be acquired independently, humanity is, so to speak, placed in a trial, and the greatest difficulties arise everywhere. And these difficulties become all the greater because humanity in the fifth post-Atlantean epoch is precisely meant to develop clarity of consciousness, yet initially perceives this as uncomfortable and therefore numbs itself in many respects.

[ 21 ] Thus we see that there is a fierce struggle between the emergence of freedom of thought and the authority that has been at work since ancient times and continues to influence our era. And the numbing addiction to succumbing to delusions through belief in authority is very much present! In our time, belief in authority has grown immensely and become incredibly intense, and under its influence, a certain helplessness has developed in people when it comes to making judgments. In the fourth post-Atlantean epoch, human beings were endowed with sound judgment as a natural gift; now they must acquire it and develop it themselves. Belief in authority holds them back. But we are completely ensnared by belief in authority. Just think how helpless people seem in comparison to irrational animals! How many instincts does the animal possess that guide it in a way that is beneficial to it—even leading it back from illness to health in a healing way—and how much does modern humanity work against sound judgment in such areas. Here, modern humanity submits itself completely to authority. Modern humanity is not eager to form its own judgment regarding wholesome living conditions. Certainly, there are commendable efforts in all sorts of associations and the like. But all these efforts must become much, much more intense, and above all, it must be understood how we are increasingly moving away from a belief in authority and how entire theories are forming that, in turn, serve as the basis for attitudes designed to actually reinforce that belief in authority. In the fields of medicine and jurisprudence, but also in all other fields, people declare themselves from the outset to be incapable of acquiring an understanding and simply accept whatever science says. Given the complexity of modern life, this is, after all, understandable. But under the influence of such a force of authority, people become increasingly helpless, and systematically cultivating this force of authority—this mindset of authority—is, in fact, the principle of Jesuitism. And Jesuitism within the Catholic religion is merely a specialization of practices that occur just as frequently in other fields, where they simply go unnoticed. Jesuitism began, first of all, in the realm of church dogma, with the tendency to maintain the power of the papacy—which had carried over from the fourth post-Atlantean period into the fifth post-Atlantean period—for this fifth post-Atlantean period, for which it is no longer suitable. But the same Jesuit principle is gradually spreading to other areas of life. Today we are already seeing a form of Jesuitism emerge in the medical profession that is hardly any different from Jesuitism in the realm of dogmatic religion. We see how, out of a certain medical dogmatism, efforts are being made to increase the power of the medical profession. And this is the essence of Jesuit striving in various other fields as well. This will become stronger and stronger. People will be increasingly constrained by what authority imposes upon them. And the salvation of the fifth post-Atlantean epoch will consist in asserting, against these Ahrimanic forces of resistance—for that is what they are—the right of the consciousness soul that seeks to develop. But this can only happen if people—since they no longer possess natural intellect as naturally as their two arms, as was still comparatively the case in the fourth post-Atlantean period—truly wish to develop intellect and sound judgment. The development of the consciousness soul requires freedom of thought, but this freedom of thought can only flourish in a very specific aura, in a very specific atmosphere.

[ 22 ] I have pointed out to you the difficulties that exist in the fifth post-Atlantean epoch. For the fifth post-Atlantean epoch is moving toward a very specific direction of development: the development of the consciousness soul. But this soul of consciousness—precisely because it is meant to develop as a soul of consciousness—must face resistance; it must undergo trials. Thus we see that the fiercest resistance arises against both social understanding and freedom of thought. And people today do not even realize that these obstacles exist; for in the broadest circles, these obstacles are regarded precisely as the right thing—something that should not be counteracted, but rather something that should be cultivated in a very special way.

[ 23 ] There are, however, already many, many people who have an open heart and a deep understanding of the circumstances in which modern humanity finds itself, who have an open mind and a deep understanding of what is already evident today: how, as a result of human karmic conditions having entered the crisis just described, children are beginning to no longer understand their parents, parents their children, siblings one another, and peoples one another; there are already enough people today who face these circumstances—which are indeed necessary but can only function properly when imbued with understanding—with a bleeding heart. For the impulses for this new world activity must be consciously drawn from the very depths of the heart. What will arise of its own accord will be alienation among individuals. What must well up from the human heart is what must be consciously strived for. Every single soul faces difficulties in the fifth post-Atlantean epoch. For it is only through the overcoming of these difficulties that the trials will arise under which the consciousness soul can develop.

[ 24 ] Today, there are some who say: “Oh, I don’t feel like I know what to do with myself; I don’t know how to fit into the fabric of life.” — This stems from the fact that they have not yet found the right way to think clearly about the needs of the present time and about what it means to be a human being within it. For many people today, circumstances are already developing to the point of physical illness and physical instability. A proper understanding of this—that is what must be demanded more and more, and with ever-increasing intensity. What will wash over humanity—because it is necessary in the fifth post-Atlantean epoch—will be the danger of spiritual distress, spiritual distress in the specific nuance described in what has just been presented today. Many people see what I have described and feel that it is necessary—truly necessary—for people to attain, on the one hand, social understanding and, on the other hand, freedom of thought. But few—very few—are still inclined today to resort to the right means. For what is necessary for social understanding is often addressed with all sorts of idealistic-sounding platitudes. How much is written today about the necessity of treating the growing human being as an individual! What elaborate theories are devised in all manner of educational fields! That is not really what matters. As many positive descriptions as possible of how people truly develop—positive, I would say, natural histories of individual human development—that is what should be thoughtfully shared; wherever we can, we should recount how Person A, Person B, and Person C have developed, and lovingly engage with the development of a person unfolding before us. This is what is needed above all else: the study of life, the will to learn about life—not a program; for the theoretical program is the enemy of the fifth post-Atlantean cultural epoch.

[ 25 ] When societies emerge, they should—in accordance with the spirit of the fifth post-Atlantean cultural epoch—emerge in such a way that the people who come together in these societies are the main focus, and that what naturally arises from the mutual interaction of these positive individuals is allowed to unfold. Truly individual things will emerge if attention is paid to this. What is the usual practice today? One begins by drawing up bylaws. Certainly, that may be very fine; indeed, it may even be necessary, precisely because external circumstances demand bylaws. But we must be particularly clear in our field that all talk of programs and statutes is merely a concession to the world; that what is at stake must be individual coexistence, which arises from the positive human being; and that mutual understanding is what really matters. Then, by the fifth post-Atlantean epoch—for we have centuries ahead of us—the possibilities will arise for an understanding of individual development and of vibrant, life-affirming development to extend beyond the circle of those who already share this understanding, into the wider world, which today squeezes everything into paragraphs as if into Spanish boots—into paragraphs, laws, or anything else of that sort. That is why we see these seemingly salutary teachings popping up everywhere—from pulpits and other platforms where life is supposed to be taught. We see teachings appearing everywhere that are dripping with abstractions, in which all manner of ideas and ideals are presented to people. That cannot be the point; rather, the sole aim must be to penetrate concretely and with understanding into real life. How, then, can this be achieved?

[ 26 ] Quite naturally, and with every right, an objection will be raised to what has been said here: “But surely we cannot all learn to judge everything that emerges today from authoritative sources.” Just think—people will say—of everything someone who wants to become a doctor has to learn! It is only fair that he should learn it; but we certainly cannot learn all that, and on top of that, learn what everyone who wants to become a lawyer must learn, and on top of that, learn what everyone who wants to become a painter must learn, and so on. We simply cannot do that! — Certainly, we cannot do that; there’s no question about it; but we don’t need to be creative either—we just need to be capable of judgment. We must put ourselves in a position where we allow authority to be established, yet are able to evaluate that authority. We do not learn this, nor do we acquire it, by delving deeply into every single specialty, but rather by deriving the capacity for judgment from something that can comprehensively shape our intellect and our power of judgment. However, this can never come about through the mere factual knowledge of individual specialties, but rather through comprehensive spiritual knowledge.

[ 27 ] Spiritual science must be the central source of knowledge. For this spiritual science will not only shed light on the interrelationships in human development, but through the nature of its thinking, it will help us develop sound judgment—a judgment that today must be drawn from greater depths than was necessary during the Greco-Roman cultural epoch, the fourth post-Atlantean cultural period. The way of forming concepts and images—which differs from that of other sciences and is necessary for spiritual science—does not enable us to become an authority in this or that field, but rather to become capable of sound judgment. And why this is so, will become increasingly clear, for there are mysterious forces within the human soul, and these mysterious forces—these forces of the mysteries—bind the human soul to the spiritual world. Through this bond, which is formed between the human soul and the spiritual world as we engage with spiritual science, we are enabled to exercise sound judgment in specific cases when we are confronted with authority. We will not know what the authority knows; but when the authority knows something and acts in a particular way in a specific case, we will be able to judge it.

[ 28 ] We must particularly emphasize this as something that must be achieved through the humanities: that they not only instruct people, but also enable them to exercise judgment in this regard—that is, that they first give people the possibility of freedom of thought and foster independence of thought within them. Spiritual science does not make us physicians, but it enables us to assess what enters public life through the physician—provided we truly delve into spiritual science. Once people understand what I mean by these words, they will understand much, much more about the healing forces of the fifth post-Atlantean epoch. For there is a great, great deal of truth in what I actually mean when I say that spiritual science will, as it were, reshape human understanding, so that the human being becomes capable of judgment and liberates the power of reason from his soul life. Only through this can he truly attain freedom of thought.

[ 29 ] If I may speak figuratively for a moment, I would like to elaborate on this idea in a figurative, imaginative way. In spiritual science, we hear about the real spiritual world, the concrete spiritual world, and the elemental beings that surround us; we hear about the hierarchies, angels, archangels, and so on. For us, the world is populated with concrete spiritual content or with spiritual forces and spiritual beings. These beings, who live in the spiritual worlds, are not indifferent to the fact that we know about them! They were still more or less indifferent to this during the fourth post-Atlantean period, but in the fifth post-Atlantean period they are no longer indifferent; rather, it is as if something were being taken away from them in terms of spiritual nourishment when people here on Earth know nothing of them. The spiritual world is very much connected to the physical world here on Earth. You will understand this best if I tell you something that may still seem paradoxical to you now, but which is simply true. And even though we cannot say much yet today, certain truths must already be spoken today, because people should not live without these truths.

[ 30 ] You see, for the people who live here on Earth, it is a valid point of view to say: With the Mystery of Golgotha, the Christ entered earthly life, and He has been in earthly life ever since. And from a certain emotional perspective, one can regard Christ’s entry as a blessing of earthly life. But now let us take the perspective of the angels—and this perspective is not an invention of mine; it is what reveals itself to the true occult researcher as a reality—let us place ourselves in the perspective of the angels. They have experienced something different in their spiritual sphere: they have experienced the opposite! Christ has gone from their sphere to humanity; he has left their sphere. They must say to themselves: Christ has departed from our world through the Mystery of Golgotha. — They have reason to be just as sad about this as human beings may find it healing that Christ has come to them, insofar as human beings live in physical bodies. And this, too, is a valid line of thought; and anyone who truly knows the spiritual world knows that there is only one salvation for the angels—for whom what I have expressed is true—and that is that human beings down here on Earth, in their physical bodies, live with the Christ-thought, and the Christ-thought shines upward toward the angels like a light, has been shining upward like a light to the Angeloi ever since the Mystery of Golgotha. People say: Christ has taken up residence within us, and we can develop in such a way that Christ will live within us—“Not I, but Christ in me.” But the angels say: “Christ has departed from our inner being for our sphere, and He shines up to us like so many stars in the Christ-thought of individual human beings; there we recognize Him again; there He has been shining ever since the Mystery of Golgotha.” — There is a real connection between the spiritual world and the human world. And this real connection is also expressed in the fact that the spiritual beings who inhabit the spiritual world outside of us—that these spiritual beings can look upon the thoughts we form about their world with pleasure, satisfaction, and contentment. They can help us only if we are able to reflect on them; even if we have not yet reached the point where we can look into the spiritual world clairvoyantly, they can help us if we know about them. Help comes to us from the spiritual world because we study spiritual science. It is not merely the things we learn, the insights, but the beings of the higher hierarchies themselves who help us when we know about them. So when we face authorities in the fifth post-Atlantean period, it is beneficial for us to have behind us not merely our own human intellect, but also what the spiritual beings are able to work within our intellect—provided we are aware of them. They enable us to exercise judgment in the face of authority. The spiritual world helps us. We need it; we must know about it; we must consciously take it in. This is the third thing that must come about for the fifth post-Atlantean epoch.

[ 31 ] The first is a social understanding of humanity; the second is the attainment of freedom of thought; the third is living knowledge of the spiritual world through spiritual science. These three things must be the great, real ideals for the fifth post-Atlantean epoch. In the realm of social life, social understanding must emerge; in the realm of religious and other forms of spiritual coexistence, freedom of thought; and in the realm of knowledge, spiritual knowledge must emerge. Social understanding, freedom of thought, spiritual knowledge—these are the three great goals, the driving forces of the fifth post-Atlantean epoch. We must develop under these lights, for these are the right lights for our time. Some people feel intensely that something like this is necessary—namely, that a different kind of human coexistence must emerge, that new concepts must take hold. But the ultimate consequences elude either people’s good will or their understanding. We can see this precisely in the attitude some people hold toward the endeavors of spiritual science or anthroposophy. We need not even think of those who maliciously slander spiritual science, theosophy, or anthroposophy, or what for whatever reason is otherwise maliciously, antagonistically opposed to them; rather, we can think of sincere will—which is indeed abundantly present within present-day humanity—a sincere will that aims to create within humanity impulses that align with the true impulses of the fifth post-Atlantean epoch. Just consider: how many “reform” advocates are active in the most diverse fields, how many social pastors, social preachers of various kinds, and social preachers emerging from non-theological or non-religious circles. How all this manifests itself; how often it is inspired by the very, very best of intentions! It seeks to lead people toward something to which life is urging us in our time! Good will is abundant, and at this moment we want to look at what lies beneath that good will, not what lies beneath evil will. But as long as this good will remains merely in general platitudes—even if they are carried by the most ardent feelings—it is of no help unless the insight, which can come only from spiritual science, comes alive: that the three great, real ideals can be fulfilled: Social understanding—social knowledge of human nature—, freedom of thought, and spiritual knowledge. But people’s understanding of this has not even begun to take shape in the present day, except among the small group that has gathered within the spiritual scientific worldview.

[ 32 ] Today we can look back on many beautiful, noble insights in this regard. I would like to give you a sample of this, which came to me—as one might say, “by chance”—but which in reality was the result of karma: I simply found a little book in a store window and, moved by some impression the title made on me, bought it. It speaks of modern man—what he seeks, the influences under which he grows up; it describes how much there is in the modern world, in the modern external world, that fosters this modern man, that makes his life comfortable and easy, and how life, under the influence of certain conveniences brought about by modern steam power and electricity, is a pleasure; all of this is cited. But then one thing is deeply emphasized. It is emphasized how modern man has indeed entered into a more frenzied, more dynamic life than was the case in earlier times, yet how his life has become richer. All of this is emphasized with a certain joy, with a certain fervor; through descriptions of the more outstanding spiritual phenomena of recent times, it is shown how modern human beings are better off in contrast to the more dull, sad, instinct-driven life of earlier times. But then what I indicated earlier as the difficulties of the fifth post-Atlantean epoch is correctly described. Yet it is not recognized that this springs precisely from this characteristic of the fifth post-Atlantean epoch and its demand—the formation of the consciousness soul. It is not seen clearly and distinctly. That is what matters. But it is felt with an open heart. It is said: “Strange: in describing the inner educational process of our time, we were able to start from a sense of joy in life, a zest for existence. And yet, at the end of this section, we must speak of a profound, inner spiritual distress. What we experience here on a small scale is what our time is going through on a grand scale.” — By “on a small scale,” he means the place where he currently lives. — “An unparalleled cultural richness, a flowering of life in strength and beauty, the like of which is rarely seen in history; and yet, a spiritual anguish that is rising and seizing entire segments of the population.”

[ 33 ] And now, having truly come to this realization, the man explores various avenues intended not merely to remain stuck in a helpless description of the soul’s distress, but to find the right path so that the impulses of the new humanity can be guided in the proper way. Among these various things, he now also describes what he calls theosophy—how he came to know theosophy. Among the many opponents, we encounter one who is favorably disposed toward this theosophy, with the very best of intentions, with the desire to truly get to know it, who has also familiarized himself with it, and who is therefore worthy of our consideration. I am not bringing this up out of frivolity, but because it is truly very important and essential that we also concern ourselves with such positive connections between our spiritual science and external life.

[ 34 ] After discussing what mysticism—which does not quite reach the level of “mysticism”—seeks to achieve in terms of deepening life and alleviating the distress of the soul, the man says: “Alongside mysticism stands theosophy. There are some who see in it merely a phenomenon aimed at substituting surrogates for tried-and-true forces, or who find in it only a tendency toward syncretism and eclecticism”—that is, toward the synthesis of all manner of religious creeds and worldviews. Those who do not delve deeper into spiritual science speak of it as a means of reviving Gnosticism and so on; but this man goes a step further. He says, then: Those “who see in it only a tendency toward syncretism and eclecticism, in accordance with individual inclinations, and who lump it together with the less enlightened phenomena of contemporary life—superstition, spiritualism, clairvoyance, symbolism, and similar expressions of intellectual playfulness that appeal to people through their mysterious nature. But this is not the case. It is doing this movement an injustice if one refuses to acknowledge the deeply inner relationships and values expressed within it.” We are thus dealing with a well-meaning person. He says: “We must, at least within the circle gathered around Steiner, seek to understand it rather as a religious movement among our contemporaries—albeit not of an original nature, but rather of a syncretic kind, yet directed toward the very foundation of all life;” —I hope he will also come to address the question of originality, this man, given that he has so much goodwill—‘we may regard it as a movement aimed at satisfying people’s supersensory interests, and thus as a transcendence of the realism that clings to the sensible; we may recognize in it, above all, a movement that directs people toward self-reflection on the moral problems they face, and that aims at a process of inner rebirth arising from a painstaking focus on self-education;” — as I said, I am not reading this out of some silly sentiment; rather, given what is otherwise said about anthroposophy, it is by no means insignificant that we also become acquainted with such judgments: “One need only read Steiner’s book as an introduction to theosophy to realize with what seriousness people are here directed toward the work of their moral purification and self-perfection. Furthermore, in its speculation directed toward the supersensible, it is a reaction against materialism; however”—and now comes something to which I ask you to pay particular attention—“it easily loses touch with reality in the process and gets carried away by hypotheses, clairvoyant fantasies, and a realm of dreams, so that it no longer retains sufficient strength for the reality of individual and social life. But in any case, we want to—and must—recognize theosophy as a corrective phenomenon in the educational development of the present.”

[ 35 ] So, in essence, the only thing this man does not like is the ascent to spiritual knowledge—to concrete, real spiritual knowledge; that is to say, he wants what can spring from Theosophy—even in his own view—in terms of impulses for the moral perfection of humanity; but he does not yet realize that here, in the fifth post-Atlantean epoch, this can only come from true, concrete spiritual knowledge. He does not recognize the roots. He wants the fruits without the roots. He does not grasp the whole context. This man in particular is extraordinarily interesting because, as one can see, he has studied my book Theosophy with devotion, yet fails to see that one cannot exist without the other. He would like to cut off the head of this book and still keep the body; for he still regards this body as something valuable.

[ 36 ] This is what relates to what I described to you earlier. Such people already understand that social understanding and freedom of thought are necessary; but they are not yet willing to acknowledge that the third element—spiritual knowledge—must form the foundation for our fifth post-Atlantean epoch; that is the point they have not yet been able to reach. It is one of the most important tasks of the spiritual-scientific worldview movement to awaken understanding for this as well. People still often call the ascent into the spiritual worlds “fantastical”; they simply do not realize that the loss of knowledge of the spiritual worlds has precisely given rise to materialism and the associated lack of social understanding, as well as the materialistic way of life and materialistic outlook of modern times. We must study, especially among well-meaning people, how difficult it still is for people today to acknowledge the necessity of concrete spiritual worlds. Therefore, we must strive all the more to gain understanding for impulses such as those I have sought to discuss in today’s lecture.

[ 37 ] The little book I mentioned is titled The World of Ideas of the Educated: Problems and Tasks. As I said, it “happened” to fall into my hands, for it was published as early as 1914 in Hamburg by the Rauhes Haus agency, and it reproduces a lecture given by Professor Dr. Friedrich Mahling at the 37th Congress for the Inner Mission in Hamburg on September 23, 1913. I’m just surprised—as I said, it happened to catch my eye a few days ago in a bookstore window—that no one in our circle has mentioned anything specifically about this book; after all, since it was already published in 1914, one or the other of us might well have come across it. And it is actually necessary for us to pay attention today to the various threads that run back and forth between the most diverse fields. It would be necessary to address the one nuance—which, of course, one will encounter much more frequently—namely, the wild railing and mockery directed at our movement; but we can also address that when the most sincere understanding is sought, as in this case, where we can actually learn from it just what difficulties a person seeking the most sincere understanding still faces even today.

[ 38 ] I wanted to structure today’s lecture precisely to show what the three great ideals—the concrete ideals—for the fifth post-Atlantean epoch should be: a concrete, social understanding of humanity, freedom of thought, and spiritual knowledge. These three concrete ideals must provide the sciences with their future direction. They must purify and refine life, provide impetus for morality, and, to the greatest extent possible, serve as a guiding force, permeating life and fostering it within modern humanity. However, the first two requirements—social understanding and freedom of thought—cannot be fulfilled unless spiritual knowledge is added as the third, for the consciousness soul must be developed. This consciousness soul already has, as its highest stage, the spiritual self, which must be laid the foundation for in the sixth post-Atlantean cultural period. This cannot be developed unless that inner self-reliance of the human being—which is achieved through the unfolding of the soul of consciousness—is prepared. This is what we must take into account in our spiritual scientific endeavors: that what we recognize as abstract truths truly possesses within itself the magical power that need only be unleashed to shed bright light on all of life. And no matter where an individual stands in life—whether in this or that field of science, in this or that field of practical work, even the smallest of tasks—if they know how to bring to life in their own field what we take in as abstract truths during our gatherings, in the way it is meant to be, they will be contributing to the great tasks of our time. And then joy will enter the human soul—a joy that is not merely cheerful superficiality, but is at the same time linked to that seriousness which sustains life, which enhances our strength, which does not merely seek to let us enjoy life, but which makes us capable workers in life.

[ 39 ] In this sense, the three specific social and epistemological ideals mentioned will also be what gives the consciousness soul the ability to understand the Mystery of Golgotha in a new way during the fifth post-Atlantean epoch and to receive Christ; for we must forge a real connection with the spiritual worlds and come to know how they, too, relate to this central impulse of Earth’s evolution—the Christ impulse. This will only become the Christ impulse for us under the influence of the thoughts that flow from the spiritual world into earthly existence, because, since the Mystery of Golgotha, thoughts have been able to shine forth in human souls on Earth—thoughts that, as I have explained, shine upward like bright, comforting stars even toward the world of the Angeloi, who have lost Christ from their own sphere, only to see him shining back at them from the sphere of human thought.

[ 40 ] No, spiritual knowledge is not something that can be described as fantasy; spiritual knowledge is that which strives to find a way to influence the very reality from which the spiritual distress—which must necessarily be linked to the fifth post-Atlantean epoch—can be alleviated. That is what I wanted to speak to you about today. Hopefully we will see each other again in this city in the not-too-distant future. I hope that until then we will remain closely united in thought and continue to work here in the spirit of our movement.