The Rudolf Steiner Archive

First Lecture

[ 1 ] It gives me deep satisfaction that karma has brought us together this evening so that we may share a few words during these serious times. Above all, however, let us take this moment to remember those who are out there, sacrificing their courage, their lives, and their blood for the challenges that these extraordinary times present to humanity. Let us direct our loving, imploring thoughts first and foremost to those who have often sat with us in our shared reflections and who now stand outside, directly participating in the great events that are unfolding, bringing the karma of peoples and individuals to fruition. First and foremost to these who are connected to us, and then, in a broader sense, to all the others. Let us then, in a certain way, look ahead to the closer bonds and the farthest bonds that we otherwise seek within the realm of our spiritual current—bonds that are forged from every soul to every soul called upon by these great events. Thus, let us also direct our loving, imploring thoughts toward those who stand out in the field, and as a sign that we are connected to them, let us rise from our seats and commemorate them with the following words:

Spirits of your souls, watchful guardians,
May your wings carry
The imploring love of our souls
To the earthly people entrusted to your care,
So that, united with your power,
Our plea may shine forth in aid
To the souls it lovingly seeks!

[ 2 ] And we send out our loving thoughts to you, that He may be with you, the Helper, the Christ whom we seek, the Christ who must call upon the souls of our time to seek harmony amid disharmony, so that He may surely lead those souls whom He must cause to suffer to the redemption they need, that the purpose laid out for human and national karma may be fulfilled: With you, O souls, we wish to be united in the sign that connects us to the solitary Earth Spirit, the Christ.

[ 3 ] One could have foreseen long ago what has now seemingly come upon—one must surely say—humanity on Earth so unexpectedly. It has come about so unexpectedly because, one might well say, occult causes have also played a part in this event—causes that have actually only been gradually revealing themselves since June 28. Indeed, it is precisely in our time that one can truly see how there is always something new to discover in relation to the spiritual worlds. I can really only hint at what I mean here in a few words. When I returned from Sweden in July after the Norrköping lecture series, I had to draw the attention of someone who is, in a certain sense, connected to current events to how the Sarajevo incident had revealed quite remarkable consequences for the occultist, how it was an external symptom, and how strangely different this deceased person’s behavior was compared to that of all other deceased individuals previously observed in the occult realm. And so, in fact, what then broke out on the outer physical plane with such terrifyingly rapid steps in the last days of July and the first days of August actually unfolded quite quickly in the occult background of earthly events. But it has certainly also given rise, in the souls of those who have been distant from spiritual life in recent times, to many premonitions and certain feelings regarding a spiritual world—regarding the existence of a spiritual world. The experiences that humanity is now going through are, one might say, immense and incomparable.

[ 4 ] If, my dear friends, I may first address a few words to you, let it be this: I would like to build upon certain remarks that have been made time and again in recent years within our spiritual scientific reflections. What, then, is the significance of the connection with the spiritual life in the depths of the soul that we seek? It is meant to give us certainty and inner strength—certainty that, amid all the changes of the times and the vicissitudes of events, there is something firm to which we can hold fast. And in times such as these, something else should be able to enter our souls—the belief in the invincibility of the spiritual life and its mission—and we should learn to connect this belief in the victory and triumph of the spirit with the outward events of the day.

[ 5 ] In the first days of August, as the storms of declarations of war gradually swept in from what one might call all corners of the world, I was reminded of words that had been spoken recently—words that can take deep root in one’s mind at a time like this, and which, in essence, really do bring home what I have just said. A few weeks before the outbreak of war, an important figure said the following at a significant event: “We are on the friendliest of terms with all the powers. We had a falling out after the press hysteria broke out in Russia this spring and found an echo in the German and Viennese newspapers; press hype should be disregarded, and we must hold fast to our long-standing friendly, neighborly relations.” — A remark that also gives pause was made in June: “The general easing of tensions has made progress”—and another remark from the same speech: “Negotiations with England have not yet been concluded, but are being conducted in the friendly spirit that otherwise prevails in our relations with Great Britain.” — Just think: now! Let us consider how changeable, in the physical world, is what people believe today, and what they will be compelled to witness in the coming weeks as events unfold. Let us bring to mind the surging, the turmoil, the wavering, and the storms of events on the physical plane; let us bring to mind how necessary this surging and storming is. One might say: What can be believed today may no longer prove true tomorrow. How necessary it is, in the midst of these storms, to have something certain and steadfast that is true today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and throughout all eternity! What is true in this way is the truth of the Spirit, of the Spirit’s mission, which permeates the development of humanity.

[ 6 ] I would like to mention the following—not because it is something personal, but because it truly spoke to the soul in a symptomatic and symbolic way: As you know, the first volume of my work *The Riddles of Philosophy* was published in July. The second volume had been printed up to page 206 when the war broke out. It was the transition of thought from the French philosophers Boutroux and Bergson to the German philosopher Preuß—a reference to how Bergson develops an idea, somewhat carelessly glossing over it—which had previously been articulated with powerful thoroughness by the unknown, solitary thinker Preuß, who foreshadowed our theosophical worldview in the last third of the 19th century. I, too, seek to do justice to this solitary thinker. Now it so happened at that time that the printing had to be interrupted; it had to be continued later; it came to a halt with the transition from France to Germany. War broke out. I really had to regard the blank pages on the sheets that were two-thirds printed as a symbol of what had been unfolding between Western Europe and Central Europe—the very path my account was taking.

[ 7 ] And there are other things as well that might strike one as symbolic. I would also like to recall our building project in Dornach, which had indeed progressed to a certain extent, though not as far as we would have liked. Perhaps some of our friends know how strongly it was emphasized—as long as it made sense in light of the facts at hand—how strongly it was emphasized, not only as a heartfelt wish of mine but as an obvious necessity, that the building should be completed by August 1 of this year. Perhaps we might now try to consider whether it would not have made sense, in light of what has now come to pass, if the construction had been completed precisely on August 1. In light of the facts, of course, there was no fighting against something that looked like a mere wish, and among the various issues—which I do not wish to discuss today—that were to be resolved with the construction, there was indeed the matter of solving the acoustic problem for a larger space through greater resonance. It was during the days of July, when the building was already encased in formwork, that one could, upon speaking a few words at a certain spot, get a first sense that this acoustic problem would indeed be successfully resolved once the building was finished. At certain spots, one could hear the resonance manifesting exactly as the occult calculations for that location had predicted, and so we may expect that the spoken word and music will truly sound as they are meant to. It was a kind of ideal—even back in August—to hear within the building the word that was to be spoken by the Spirit. — The first thing our friends heard in our building was the echo of the cannons thundering in the immediate vicinity on the battlefields of Alsace. Thus, the space for which we had, in a certain sense, prayed for the echo of words dedicated to the Spirit, was first a witness to the thunder of cannon fire resounding not far away. Other friends of ours had, also in a certain sense symbolically, seen something we had anticipated as our great ideal. We had expected that the news of the light of the Spirit, of the spiritual worlds, might resound—that this light of the spiritual worlds would come to the fore. On several nights, the glow from the Istein Fort was seen, stretching far and wide, and for four minutes its light penetrated and permeated our building: the sound and light of the events of the present!

[ 8 ] But other thoughts and feelings could also pass through the soul. On July 26, I had spoken to our friends about a few matters concerning our project, and had briefly alluded to the serious times that are peering in through our windows. And I must say: I could only read with tears in my eyes the letter that one of our younger friends wrote shortly thereafter to his mother, who had been present on July 26. Immediately afterward, he was drafted, moved to his Austrian homeland, and precisely through the strength of the spiritual life that he—he is still a fairly young member—drew from our endeavors, he also gained the strength to fulfill, in the most beautiful, I would say, the holiest and purest sense, the role to which karma has placed him.

[ 9 ] And once again, it was someone else—who had been there on July 26—who wrote to me himself as he set out for the Serbian theater of war, filled with feelings that were nourished, on the one hand, by the confidence flowing from faith in victory and the triumphant spirit, and, on the other hand, by the vol! enthusiastic feelings about directly participating in the events of our time from the vantage point where he was stationed.

[ 10 ] Truly, my dear friends, in those days one could feel souls growing, souls maturing, and it was beautiful, it was magnificent, speaking to our hearts, when we were allowed to see that all the sensations and feelings that had found their way into the souls of our friends over the years were also proving capable of guiding people to the right place in the right way in today’s difficult situation.

[ 11 ] When we speak of the certainty one is to gain through contemplation of the spirit and the spiritual being, the sense of this certainty is intimately connected with our motto, which is modeled after and echoes a saying by Goethe: “Wisdom lies only in truth.” Among the great hopes one may harbor in light of current events is this: that everything connected with the statement “Wisdom lies only in truth”—that everything—will be imprinted upon humanity precisely through these great, painful, and deeply moving trials. Everything connected with the words “Wisdom lies only in truth” must take root deeper and ever deeper within people, and much has already been accomplished by the great Teacher—who speaks through His bullets—in overcoming materialism. |

[ 12 ] Shortly before the outbreak of the war, I read the following words written by a respected journalist: “Despite Mr. Liebknecht’s rebuke, I stand by my opinion that those who govern responsibly are not only entitled but also obligated to deny the truth and assert falsehoods.” This right, this duty of those guided by collective morality, is limited by two conditions: The untruth must not be demonstrably false, nor must it be contrary to the interests of the state. — Let us keep this statement in mind alongside the motto we chose when we founded the Anthroposophical Society: “Wisdom is found only in truth”! Much will fall into place, for quite different sentiments have already taken root in the souls of those who sense the gravity of the present situation.

[ 13 ] How often, my dear friends, have we heard the following words spoken on our soil: “It is not only what happens on the outer, physical plane that is reality; rather, people’s thoughts are a greater reality—a force, a power that acts.” But let us admit it, for it is the truth: such things have only been spoken in a setting imbued with a spiritual current. Now, during the rather complicated journey I had to undertake, a magazine dated September 1, 1914, fell into my hands. It contains a very beautiful essay by a soldier, Robert Michel, who wrote down his thoughts while in the field. The essay beautifully describes how the mobilization was announced and how he and his comrades set out, as it were, into the unknown. Of particular significance to us are the final words: “But every single person left behind in the Monarchy has a duty to offer support to the best of their ability until the victorious outcome is decided. All the kind words, heartfelt cheers, and blessings we received as we set out bolstered our confidence. They were sparks that were not lost. This boost of spiritual strength must continue to be bestowed upon the army, and the will to victory must radiate from each and every one of us to the fighters on the front lines. Therefore, let no one rush ahead of the decisive battle that is brewing in the north. Those who must watch idly as the army and the Reich exert their immense strength should strive to contribute their small part through the path of spiritual strength. Those whom God hears, let them pray—those who cannot pray, let them gather all their thoughts and willpower into a fervent desire for victory—and those who can do nothing else, let them clench their fists and say: “We must win, we must win.” In this way, even the weakest will have contributed to the victory.”

[ 14 ] The soldier who marches off to the battlefield sends back words from the field that echo what has often been said in the realm of spiritual life: Those who cannot pray should gather their thoughts and willpower into a fervent desire for victory. — Faith in the Spirit—we now see it standing at the beginning of this immense event.

[ 15 ] We need not harbor any illusions. Some things may look quite different in the near future, but there will also come times that will bring to fruition what is to be hinted at in a few words. The course of world events must unfold; what is meant to happen will happen. It sometimes happens in a very remarkable way, as the wills of human beings are guided step by step, so that one can see how, stage by stage—truly in no other way than an educator would do—the directions toward which they will later proceed are instilled into their souls. One truly need only look at a brief span of time to see the spiritual powers that extend beyond human strength, working pedagogically for the great progress of humanity.

[ 16 ] It is now time to consider an idea that may seem obvious but is not always taken into account. 1866: German brothers stood against German brothers, Germans against Germans. Not even a decade had passed—1870/71: one part of the German people had to follow a major event in which the other part could not participate. One of my professors at the University of Vienna often repeated the words that touched my heart deeply at the time: We Germans in Austria must be aware that what has happened is our fate, not our fault—that we were not allowed to take part in a momentous event. — Now is the time when the two parts—which first stood as adversaries, then apart from one another—stand united, as if forged together by an iron power.

[ 17 ] It is no coincidence; it is significant, important—it did not take a century to pass this great teaching down to all subsequent generations: Humanity’s progress, what the spiritual hierarchies desire for humanity, must come to pass; but it can happen in the most diverse ways. By a certain point in time, something very specific must be achieved. Let us assume—not because what I am about to say is necessarily true—that by 1950 a certain measure of willingness to sacrifice, capacity for love, selflessness, and the fight against selfishness must have been bestowed upon humanity. Let us assume that what must happen—what the signs of the times demand—must be achieved by 1950. On the one hand, this happens by speaking to people’s hearts, by trusting in the power of the word, by the force that holds human destinies in its hands seeking to approach human individualities in a spiritual way, and striving to bring them to a point where the Spirit can work upon them. But the other Teacher must often step in—the second Teacher, who speaks through living proofs. And how we have seen its successes! What a vast amount of sacrifice, love for humanity, and selflessness has been generated in an astonishingly short time in our age of materialism, when the great Teacher appeared— war—which, on the one hand, is so terrible, yet on the other hand embodies what leads to what is called in occultism the “iron necessities” that must occur in order to achieve a specific goal in a particular age of human development. Rivers of blood are shed, precious lives wither away, and others are snatched from physical life in an instant when struck by an enemy bullet. All of this is taking place on such a vast scale in our time. What is all this? It is a great sacrifice, my dear friends, an immense sacrifice offered on the altar of the entire development of humanity. On the one hand is that which is to penetrate human development—that which must be given to humanity so that humanity may progress—and on the other hand is the necessity of the sacrifice.

[ 18 ] It was infinitely meaningful for me to witness how deeply connected, even beyond death, are the souls of those who are now directly participating in these great events. One could often see how those who had been struck down by enemy bullets, having been taken up into the spiritual worlds but not yet fully awakened to their great individualities, were still connected to what was happening down below. I do not know if you can empathize with what it means to witness how, behind the warrior on the battlefield who is still fighting, the psychic personality of the one who has already met his death watches over him protectively, remaining with the one who is still bound to the physical plane. This is one of my occult experiences that I cannot really compare to anything else. Unawakened warriors who fought down there, who have passed through death, remain connected to the event and are, as it were, like a second personality behind the one who is still fighting down on the physical plane. Even in the spiritual worlds, there are things that can instill confidence in our hearts, even if that confidence does not come easily.

[ 19 ] Anyone who considers what percentage of humanity is fighting one another today, anyone who considers that we are only at the beginning—this event has lasted only a few weeks—and what immense loss of human life these few weeks have cost, might begin to waver and think: What will become of us if this has to go on for a long time? — And while this often distressed me—it can be distressing—the thought that “What is right will come to pass, that which is predestined by the spiritual worlds, will come to pass” lifted my spirits. And when one has the certainty that not only the living are fighting, but also the dead remain connected to their destinies, then there will always be forces at work. Other thoughts came to me during these times. Our society unites, in a common spiritual current, members of the most diverse races and peoples who are today hostile toward one another. That, too, calls for much comfort! We look back on a time quite unlike our own, a time that has little in common with it—the time described to us in the Bhagavad Gita, a time when the old, often-described social conditions of humanity still prevailed, when people still lived in small circles bound by blood ties. The transition from this era of kinship to the era in which kinsmen are at war is described in the Bhagavad Gita, where the Great Spirit points out to Arjuna: “There indeed stand your brothers, and here you stand; you will fight one another, though the same blood flows in your veins; but there is a way to achieve balance in the spirit.” — From that which should not fight one another arises that which does fight: this, too, is one of the iron necessities essential to human development! The spirit bridges the gap when brother stands against brother as an enemy, when that which stands in disharmony with one another develops. This era is unlike our own. We are taking the opposite path within our spiritual current. We seek to gather together once more what was scattered throughout the world, and members of the most diverse nations embrace one another again in brotherhood, becoming brothers within our ranks. Now we see how one comes over from France, having left another behind, how he joins the German army and must expect to face in battle the other whom he left behind as an anthroposophical friend. It is the opposite situation: the scattered members of humanity are finding their way back to one another in the spirit, and we will find our way if we truly and earnestly understand the spirit of truth and take it to heart. We simply must seek the paths.

[ 20 ] I’d like to say that we Germans have a hard time finding our bearings—perhaps the hardest of all! It may sound strange to you that I say this, but we really do have a hard time; we have a hard time for this reason—without wanting to boast about it—because we always find it difficult to justify ourselves, because it is easier for us to do justice to others than to ourselves. It is difficult for us for this reason: because it will not yet be very easy for present-day humanity—especially not at the present time—to survey, as it were, with the right objective, unbiased, and serene gaze, all that has often been alluded to in our spiritual science, and which is also found in the lectures on national souls. It will be necessary for all who embrace spiritual life in the genuine, true sense of our time to learn to understand how these national souls—the genuine, true national souls—form a kind of chorus by already living together in harmony. But one must find one’s way to their essence, and that can only be done in the spirit.

[ 21 ] It is truly not the right time, in the present, to draw attention to the feelings and and sensations that speak from the depths of the soul, but I would like to draw your attention to something else: namely, that we may have a way to find, through a secret dialogue—an intimate, inner dialogue—with the spirit of the people to whom we belong, the path that our souls should follow in the right way. I can only advise that, if you can find a few minutes—especially at this time—you use the following formula to find your bearings in the current global situation:

O Spirit of my earthly realm!
Reveal the light of your age

[ 22 ] Why “age”? We use the term “age” when referring to spiritual beings, whereas for earthly beings we would say “the light of your being.” Age is to the spirit what beings are to the earthly realm.

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

[ 23 ] There we find the path to the national spirit to which we belong, and the path from this national spirit to the dialogue between the national spirit and Christ, who is the teacher of all national spirits. And when they come together in this Christ, the national spirits will come together in the right way, since all these national spirits, which guide the peoples correctly—as can be gleaned from the book *The Spiritual Guidance of Man and Humanity*—regard Christ as their Teacher.

[ 24 ] Many times I had to hope that what had been reported was not true at all—that in a representative assembly of the East, the Duma, at the end of a speech in which the ruler had called on his people to take part in the war, the final words spoken were: “The God of Russia is great!” — It would be terrible if the words had been spoken in this way: an unconscious invocation of the Spirit, whose character one can imagine when the invocation refers to a limited territory, rather than to the Spirit who is so closely linked to the destiny of humanity that even those who stand as enemies against one another place themselves in His service, seeking their own salvation along with the salvation of humanity. When Christ leads a people, he leads them in such a way that, through their own salvation, they seek the salvation of humanity. We are right to invoke the national spirit to which we are intimately connected, so that we look up to see how it, in turn, speaks with Christ; through the national spirit, we speak with Christ. Through this, many thoughts will be prepared that are to remain in the spiritual atmosphere of humanity until the times when a significant war is followed by a significant peace.

[ 25 ] It is a sacrifice, I said, that is offered on the altar of humanity, and it is holy blood that flows down upon our Earth, blood that bears witness to the fact that those who now, in this struggle of nations, ascend with their souls from the physical world into the spiritual worlds, will return again in future incarnations to be vital links in the spiritual progress of humanity—a sacrifice, a great sacrifice! What is happening now must happen this way; and anyone who wishes to look back to past times, as it were, to search for the very first causes, must look back to the time of the Punic Wars in the 3rd century B.C., when the Roman general—as can be read in history—used the boarding bridges to achieve his first significant success. Today, we are also confronted with what was the first event to take place in this war. Future historiography will prove this; it is difficult to go into these matters in detail.

[ 26 ] Other events take us back to the times when the Romans battled the Germanic tribes, when the fate of humanity was decided for many millennia. And then comes the third great event—our own—which will truly have the same significance as the Punic Wars did back then; though naturally small in scope compared to today’s global events, their qualitative significance still resonates into our time. Just as the great, destiny-shaping events that followed the Migration Period repeat themselves in a certain way—an entire cycle of human history is encompassed by this timeframe—and just as what had to happen back then in Rome came to pass, so that the form of the human —as it was in the 3rd century before the event at Golgotha—transitioned into the later form, so that this form of the “I” might, through the Romans, find the path it had to find for all that has happened since then—so today the form of the “I,” which will be the defining one in the next cycle of human history, must be placed in a similar way within a struggle of nations. This goes to the very depths of humanity’s impulses.

[ 27 ] But then, when we are connected to what we have been pursuing together in spirit for years, we can carry within us the faith in the victory and the triumphant nature of the Spirit. Then we will face whatever comes with this faith, knowing that what happens is guided by the higher hierarchies and will follow its course. It is up to us, however, to walk this path in the right way. We do this, however, when we find the right way to observe our karma, when we do not shy away from the tasks that this momentous time presents to us. And while we have much to thank spiritual science for, one thing should take precedence: that spiritual science sharpens our spirit and our vision, enabling us to ensure that we are in the right place and doing the right thing precisely through our own personality. The more we do this objectively and impersonally, without having anything else in mind, the more spiritual science has sharpened our vision and made our hearts receptive; the more we will understand the language that is now being spoken to us in these serious times.

[ 28 ] One of the insights given by the Spirit in this time—which can already be shared here with our friends—is this one, which brings to mind the significance of witnessing the suffering that we can now see in such abundance, such abundance. The pain in people’s souls that is being generated in our times is immense; the sacrifices demanded are immense; and our willingness to sacrifice and our receptivity to the pain of others must also be immense. Christ has risen for many only when we understand him in such a way that we know: for another, there can be no pain that is not also our own pain; for wherever it has occurred, it is our own pain. As long as we are capable of seeing pain in another that we do not feel as our own, Christ has not yet fully entered the world. The pain in another must not elude us! This ideal is heavy, great, and vast; but the ideal of Christ is also heavy, great, and vast. It is fulfilled when the wound we bear does not burn more intensely than the one the other person bears. That is why it is good to prepare ourselves to intervene helpfully with the following words, which we direct to a community or to another person who is suffering: |

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 capable only of feeling suffering.

[ 29 ] Let us try to truly feel the meaning of these words. While the first passage will help us grasp the connection with the spirit of the people, these lines will imbue us with the attitude that allows us to relive the suffering of humanity—the suffering of a human community—within our own being, and to do everything we are permitted to do in the true Christian spirit. May we do so in this time, imbued above all with the attitude of the Spirit!

[ 30 ] The wound inflicted by the bullet, my dear anthroposophical friends, would not heal were it not for the healing powers present in the wondrous microcosm that is the human organism. It is good that our branches practice wound dressing, as is currently being done here by our dear friend Dr. Peipers. It is good because we may easily find ourselves in a situation where we need to apply these skills. But we must also know, when we approach such a task, that the spirit is a reality, and that what we do to help while dressing a wound—whether for this or that injury, this or that affliction—has a greater effect when we are present with the spirit in the right way than when we are not. So that, when we approach what constitutes a wound to the human organism, we may associate the right thoughts with it, let us reflect:

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

[ 31 ] For in this blood, which flows from the wound, lies the sign that behind it are forces that are the healing powers of the wound.

Source of blood,
Work within the source,
Active muscle
Stimulate the germs,

[ 32 ] the cells that die once the bullet has passed through. Send positive thoughts to the person applying a bandage to help their fellow human being:

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

[ 33 ] Let this attitude flow through our souls; let it fill our entire being. When we help our fellow human beings, then, my dear friends, the Spirit will assist us in providing the physical help that we, as physical human beings, are able to offer. And let us, as individuals, often think of the individual who stands outside in an exposed place; let us, when we begin our gatherings, think of those who stand outside our circle, working out in the field. The formula for this—which I myself addressed at the beginning to those standing in the field—can be directed by the individual toward the individual:

Spirit of your soul, active guardian,
May your wings bring
My soul’s imploring love
To the earthly human entrusted to your care,
So that, united with your power,
My plea may shine with help
Upon the soul that lovingly seeks it!

[ 34 ] If someone wants to direct their thoughts to several or many people who are standing outside, they say:

Spirits of your souls, watchful guardians,
May your wings bring
My soul’s imploring love
To earthly beings entrusted to your care,
So that, united with your power,
My plea may shine forth in aid
To the souls it lovingly seeks!

[ 35 ] The great events now unfolding will be a lesson in love and selflessness. And we hope they will also serve as a lesson for the spiritual worlds! Then the great sacrifices—the immense sacrifices—that people make with their blood will have been offered on the altar of the spiritual beings, and that which can be so painful to witness directly will serve to ensure that humanity’s great goals are achieved. The more we imbue ourselves with these sentiments, the more thoughts will be present when, after the war, a great peace is established.

[ 36 ] The 20th century is destined to transform many aspects of the course of events and the order of human affairs. And what has already been achieved in the wake of this first great event will spare humanity from having to repeat it in the future. “Victory and the triumph of spiritual life” is a phrase that has often found its way into our hearts during these times. Let us try to understand how we have become witnesses to an event that is destined to be decisive not just for a short time but for the development of the entire human spirit—for a long, long time! And let us strive, out of this sense of gravity, to muster the love and selflessness that will guide us to take our place in the right place, to the best of our strength and ability. Our karma will surely guide us in this. And let those who cannot intervene to help at this moment not lose heart. What matters is that we also conserve our strength for what will still have to happen for many in the future, so that we may recognize at the right moment that our karma is calling us. Then what one, as a follower of spiritual science at this very moment, would like to say to oneself may come to pass: that through what is happening in the outer world, it will become ever more and more evident how the beings, forces, and impulses of will from the spiritual world flow into human minds, human souls, and human hearts from all world events. May the bond that arises from all we experience—whether sorrow or pain—be forged between the human soul and the divine spirits who bring about, govern, and guide the destiny of the human soul. And may human souls find this point. May the human soul find what is meant when our formula states: “May the human soul, endowed with the Christ, find through striving:

In the choir of the spheres of peace
You, resounding with praise and power
Of the Christian—devoted human spirit!

[ 37 ] Well, my dear friends, perhaps we cannot be present everywhere to fight, perhaps we cannot do everywhere what we would like to do in accordance with our ideals, but to participate in this great event in the spirit intended by the words just spoken—that will be possible for all of us. In many places, in the most diverse of places, we may be in our own places—one here, another there; but wherever we happen to be—because every person is in their own place, no matter to which human community they belong—that is the place where love is to take effect, where the power that comes to us from love is to be felt; that is the place where pain, suffering, and misery call upon people to act, to think, and to participate—the place where we truly feel how we should be connected in the depths of our hearts with the other person toward whom we should look, because he protects his own and our shared most sacred treasures by sacrificing his courage and his very life. Therefore, once again—as at the beginning, so at the end—let our thoughts be directed toward those who, as just stated, are at the center of the events of our time:

Spirits of your souls, watchful guardians,
May your wings carry
The imploring love of our souls
To the earthly people entrusted to your care,
So that, united with your power,
Our plea may shine forth in aid
To the souls it lovingly seeks!

[ 38 ] May the Spirit whom we seek—whom we seek through our science, whom we seek with our hearts, and whom our spiritual movement seeks to serve—be our guide. But may He also be the guide of all humanity, for those among humankind whom He guides will not merely pursue their own goal, but will set their sights on the goal of all humanity and follow it.

[ 39 ] The people who know how to trust in Christ will find the right path. With this hope in our hearts, my dear friends, we have strived throughout the years as we journey toward this Christ. May the time that has now dawned be a time of trial for us—one that we will pass—and may we bind the teaching of the Spirit so closely to our souls that it may be our helper in times of trial, that it may become for us a strength that is not limited to ourselves but has extended to all of humanity! May the Spirit that leads us upward to Christ may help us to penetrate this living, cosmic-earthly Christ, so that we may always direct our thoughts in the right way toward those who stand outside, where the destinies of nations and humanity are decided, so that the right Spirit may help them—the Spirit that so wisely guides the development of humanity that this development may ultimately bring salvation and blessing to all of humanity on earth! May we do whatever we can to ensure that those whose most sacred sacrificial blood now saturates the earth—once they are called to intervene as vital links in the further course of Earth’s development—may descend in such a way that, from what has happened on Earth itself, something meets them in the spiritual progress of physical Earth’s development, from which they may discern: Truly, it was worth shedding blood for this Earth, which brings forth such things!

[ 40 ] All those who cannot immediately go out to shed their blood should bear in mind that they must work in such a way that the Spirit permeates the development of the Earth; that they must do everything so that such a Spirit may permeate the development of the Earth; so that those who have shed their most sacred sacrificial blood may find something worthy of the blood they have shed. Then, if we cooperate in this way with the development of the Earth, even those of us who do not go directly to the front will conduct ourselves in such a way that we can look at the situation with a clear conscience and need not be ashamed. If we were not to do this, truly our eyelids might not quite allow us to see clearly, if on the one hand we feel that we belong to our time, yet do not find the strength within us to be worthy of belonging to this time. Spiritual science will bear a certain hallmark if it can help to give people precisely this strength—strength, on the one hand, that sustains those who have shed their blood, but strength that it must also give to those who must help in other ways—each in their own place.

[ 41 ] And so spiritual science will be able to say: I was a means of giving humanity the opportunity to pass a great test. Then spiritual science will have achieved its divine goal.

[ 42 ] With these simple words, I would like to conclude this evening, my dear friends, which I was so happy to be able to share with you.