The Influences of Lucifer and Ahriman
GA 191
15 November 1919, Dornach
Lecture IV
We have heard that the human soul was once endowed with a kind of primeval wisdom, that this wisdom gradually faded away and is now no longer accessible. Consequently with respect to their knowledge, people feel thrown back more and more upon what is presented to them by physical existence. By “knowledge” I do not mean only science in the accepted sense, but the knowledge that is consciously applied by the soul in the ordinary affairs of life.
The question will naturally arise: how did this ancient wisdom actually come into being? Here I must touch upon a new aspect of matters we have often considered from other angles.
Let us look back to the time when human beings began in the real sense to be citizens of the earth, when as beings of soul and spirit they came down to the earth, surrounded themselves with its forces and became earthly beings. If human beings had simply descended to the earth with the qualities inherent in their own nature, evolution would have taken quite a different course through the various epochs of culture. But having made the descent, human beings would have been obliged to establish a relationship with the surrounding world, to acquire earthly knowledge—I will not say through clairvoyance in the proper sense—but through instincts imbued with a certain measure of clairvoyance. The acquisition of this earthly knowledge would have been a very slow and gradual process and for long ages people would have remained ineffectual, childish beings. By our own time they would, it is true, have succeeded in developing a constitution of soul and body compatible with humanness, but they would never have reached the spiritual heights they have actually attained. That they were able to achieve this evolution in a way other than by passing through all the stages of childhood is due to the intervention in earthly evolution of the luciferic beings. We know from recent lectures that the Lucifer individuality himself incarnated in Asia in a certain epoch of pre-Christian times, and that the original pagan wisdom to which many historical data bear witness proceeded from this being. But the luciferic beings have from the very beginning been associated in some way with the evolution of humanity.
I beg you earnestly—although I know that such requests are of little avail-not to adopt a philistine attitude when mention is made of luciferic beings. Even among anthroposophists there is still the tendency to say: “That is certainly luciferic. At all costs let us avoid it, reject it!” But these things have to be considered in many different aspects and it must always be remembered that the whole of the old pagan wisdom emanated from a luciferic source. The subject is one that calls for deep and serious study.
The farther back we go in the evolution of humanity, the more do we find certain individuals who through the qualities attained in earlier incarnations were sufficiently mature to apprehend the treasures of wisdom possessed by the luciferic beings. Think, for example, of the seven Holy Rishis of ancient India. When Indians interpreted the wisdom of the Holy Rishis, they knew, if they had been initiated into these things, that the teachers of the Rishis were luciferic beings. For what the luciferic beings brought with them into earth evolution was, above all, the world of thought, of intellectualistic thought pervading culture, the world of reason in the highest sense of the word—the world of wisdom. And going back to the primeval origins of human existence, we find that the sources of pagan wisdom always lie with luciferic beings.
It may be asked: How is this possible? We must realize that human beings would have remained children had they not received from the Mysteries the constant instruction that emanated from luciferic beings. Those who possessed the knowledge and the inherited, primeval wisdom wherewith to foster the progress and education of humankind were not—like a modern philistine—fearful of receiving this wisdom from luciferic sources. They took upon themselves the obligation incumbent upon everyone to whom luciferic beings impart knowledge from spiritual realms. The obligation—for so it may be called, although such words do not always convey the exact meaning—was to use this luciferic, cosmic wisdom rightly, for the good of earth evolution. The difference between the “good” wisdom and the purely luciferic wisdom—which so far as content is concerned is exactly the same—is that the “good” wisdom is in hands other than those of the luciferic beings. That is the essential point. It is not a question of there being one wisdom that can be neatly packed away in some chamber of the soul and make a person virtuous! The wisdom of worlds is uniform, the only difference being whether it is in the hands of wise people who use it for good, whether it is in the hands of the Angeloi or Archangeloi, or whether it is in the hands of Lucifer and his hosts. In olden times the wisdom needed for the progress of humanity could be obtained only from a luciferic source; hence the initiates were obliged to receive it from that source and at the same time to take upon themselves the obligation not to yield to the aspirations of the luciferic beings.
Lucifer's intention was to convey the wisdom to humanity in such a way that it would induce people to abandon the path of earth evolution and take a path leading to a super-earthly sphere, a sphere aloof from the earth. The luciferic beings inculcated their wisdom into human beings but their desire was that it would make them turn away from the earth, without passing through earthly evolution. Lucifer wants to abandon the earth to its fate, to win humankind for a kingdom alien to the kingdom of Christ.
The sages of olden time who received the primeval wisdom from the hands of Lucifer had, as I said, to pledge themselves not to yield to his wishes but to use the wisdom for the good of earth evolution. And that, in essence, was what was accomplished through the pre-Christian Mysteries. If it be asked what it was that humanity received through these Mysteries, through the influence of the luciferic beings who, in postAtlantean times, still inspired certain personalities like the Rishis of India and sent their messengers to the earth—the answer is that human beings received the rudiments of what has developed in the course of evolution into the faculties of speech and of thinking. Speaking and thinking are, in their origins, luciferic, but were drawn away from the grip of Lucifer by the sages of old. If you are really intent upon fleeing, from Lucifer, then you must make up your minds to be dumb in the future, and not to think!
These things are part of the initiation science which must gradually come within the ken of humanity, although on account of the kind of education that has now been current for centuries in the civilized world, people shrink from such truths. The caricatured figure of Lucifer and Ahriman—the medieval devil—is constantly before their minds and they have been allowed to grow up in this philistine atmosphere for so long that even today they shudder at the thought of approaching treasures of wisdom that are intimately and deeply connected with evolution. It is much pleasanter to say: “If I protect myself from the devil, if I give myself to Christ with the simple-heartedness of a child, I shall be blessed, and my soul will find salvation.” But in its deep foundations, human life is by no means such a simple matter. And it is essential for the future of human evolution that these things we are now discussing shall not be withheld. It must be known that the art of speaking and the art of thinking have become part of evolution only because they were received through the mediation of Lucifer. The luciferic element can still be observed in thinking. Speech, which has for long ages been differentiated and adapted to earthly needs, has already been assailed by Ahriman. It is he who has brought about different tongues on earth. Whereas the luciferic tendency is always toward unification, the fundamental tendency of the ahrimanic principle is differentiation. What would thinking be if it were not luciferic?
If thinking were not luciferic, human beings on the earth would be like one whose thought was utterly non-luciferic, namely Goethe. Goethe was one of those who, in a certain respect, deliberately set out to confront and defy the luciferic powers. That, however, makes it essential to keep constant hold of the concrete, individual reality. The moment you generalize or unify—at that moment you are nearing luciferic thinking. If you were to contemplate each human individual, each single plant, each single animal, each single stone in itself alone, having in mind the one, single object, not classifying into genera and species, not generalizing in your thought—then you would be little prone to luciferic thinking. But anyone who was to attempt such a thing, even as a child, would never get beyond the lowest class in any modern school.
The fact of the matter is that the universal thinking implicit in pagan wisdom has gradually been exhausted. The human constitution is such that this luciferic principle of unification can no longer be of much real service to people on earth. This has been counteracted by the fact that the God-created nature of the human being has followed in the wake of earth evolution, has become related to, allied with the earth. And because this is so, through their own inherent nature, people are less allied with the luciferic element which always tends to draw them away from the earth.
But woe betide if humanity were simply to draw away from the luciferic element without putting something different in its place. That would bring nothing but evil. For then human beings would grow together with the earth, that is to say with the particular territory on earth where they are born; and cultural life would become completely specialized, completely differentiated. We can already see this tendency developing. It has taken root most markedly since the beginning of the nineteenth century; but the tendency to split up into smaller groups has been all too apparent as a result of the catastrophic world war. Chauvinism is more and more gaining the upper hand until it will finally lead people to split up to such an extent that at last a group will embrace only one single human being! Things could come to the point where individual human beings would again split into right and left, and be at war within themselves; left would be at loggerheads with right. Such tendencies are even now evident in the evolution of humankind. To combat this, a counterweight must be created; and this counterweight can only be created if, like the old wisdom inherent in paganism, a new wisdom, acquired by the free resolve and will of human beings, is infused into earthly culture. This new wisdom must again be Initiation wisdom.
And here we come to a chapter that must not be withheld from modern knowledge If, in the future, people were to do nothing themselves toward acquiring a new wisdom, then, without their consciousness, the whole of culture would become ahrimanic, and it would be easy for the influences issuing from Ahriman's incarnation to permeate all civilization on the earth. Precautions must therefore be taken in regard to the streams by which the ahrimanic form of culture is furthered. What would be the result if people were to follow the strong inclination they have today to let things drift on as they are, without understanding and guiding into right channels those streams which lead to an ahrimanic culture? As soon as Ahriman incarnates at the destined time in the West, the whole of culture would be impregnated with his forces. What else would come in his train? Through certain stupendous acts he would bring to humanity all the clairvoyant knowledge which until then can be acquired only by dint of intense labor and effort. People could live on as materialists, they could eat and drink—as much as may be left after the war!—and there would be no need for any spiritual efforts. The ahrimanic streams would continue their unimpeded course. When Ahriman incarnates in the West at the appointed time, he would establish a great occult school for the practice of magic arts of the greatest grandeur, and what otherwise can be acquired only by strenuous effort would be poured over humankind.
Let it never be imagined that Ahriman will appear as a kind of hoaxer, playing mischievous tricks on human beings. No, indeed! Lovers of ease who refuse to have anything to do with spiritual science would fall prey to his magic, for by means of these stupendous magic arts he would be able to make great numbers of human beings into seers—but in such a way that the clairvoyance of each individual would be strictly differentiated. What one person would see, a second and a third would not see. Confusion would prevail and in spite of being made receptive to clairvoyant wisdom, people would inevitably fall into strife on account of the sheer diversity of their visions. Ultimately, however, they would all be satisfied with their own particular vision, for each of them would be able to see into the spiritual world. In this way all culture on the earth would fall prey to Ahriman. Human beings would succumb to Ahriman simply through not having acquired by their own efforts what Ahriman is ready and able to give them. No more evil advice could be given than to say: “Stay just as you are! Ahriman will make all of you clairvoyant if you so desire. And you will desire it because Ahriman's power will be very great.” But the result would be the establishment of Ahriman's kingdom on earth and the overthrow of everything achieved hitherto by human culture; all the disastrous tendencies unconsciously cherished by humankind today would take effect.
Our concern is that the wisdom of the future—a clairvoyant wisdom—shall be rescued from the clutches of Ahriman. Again let it be repeated that there is only one book of wisdom, not two kinds of wisdom. The issue is whether this wisdom is in the hands of Ahriman or of Christ. It cannot come into the hands of Christ unless people fight for it. And they can only fight for it by telling themselves that by their own efforts they must assimilate the content of spiritual science before the time of Ahriman s appearance on earth.
That, you see, is the cosmic task of spiritual science. It consists in preventing knowledge from becoming—or remaining ahrimanic. A good way of playing into Ahriman s hands is to exclude everything of the nature of knowledge from denominational religion and to insist that simple faith is enough. If people cling to this simple faith, they condemn their soul to stagnation and then the wisdom that must be rescued from Ahriman cannot find entry. The point is not whether people do or do not simply receive the wisdom of the future but whether they work upon it; and those who do must take upon themselves the solemn duty of saving earthly culture for Christ, just as the ancient Rishis and initiates pledged themselves not to yield to Lucifer's proviso that humankind be enticed away from the earth.
The root of the matter is that for the wisdom of the future too, a struggle is necessary, a struggle similar to that waged against Lucifer by the ancient initiates through whose intermediary the faculties of speech and of thinking were transmitted to humanity. Just as it devolved upon the initiates of the primeval wisdom to wrest from Lucifer that which has become human reason, human intellect, so the insight which is to develop in the future into the inner realities of things must be wrested from the ahrimanic powers. Such are the issues—and these issues play strongly into life itself.
I recently read some notes written shortly before his death by one who was a friend of the anthroposophical movement. He had been wounded in the war and lay for a long time in hospital where, in the course of the operations performed on him, he had many a glimpse into the spiritual world. The last lines he wrote contain a remarkable passage, describing a vision which came to him not long before his death. In this last experience, the atmosphere around him became, as he expresses it, like dense granite, weighing upon his soul. Such an impression can be understood in the light of the knowledge that we have to battle for the wisdom of the future; for the ahrimanic powers do not allow this wisdom to be wrested from them without a struggle. Let it not be thought that wisdom can be attained through blissful visions. Real wisdom has to be acquired “in travail and suffering.” What I have just told you about the dying man is a very good picture of such suffering, for in this struggle for the wisdom of the future, one of the most frequent experiences is that the world is pressing in upon us, as though the air had suddenly frozen into granite. It is possible to know why this is so. We have only to remember that it is the endeavor of the ahrimanic powers to reduce the earth to a state of complete rigidification. Their victory would be won if they succeeded in bringing earth, water, and air into this rigidified state. Were that to happen, the earth could not again acquire the Saturn warmth from which it proceeded and which must be regained in the Vulcan epoch; and to prevent this is the aim of the ahrimanic powers. A trend which has an important bearing on this is the lack of enthusiasm in human souls at the present time for the content of spiritual science. If this lack of enthusiasm were to persist, the first impulse toward the rigidification of the earth would emanate from human souls themselves, from their apathy, their indolence and love of ease. If you reflect that this rigidification is the aim of the Ahrimanic powers, you will not be surprised that compression, the feeling that life is becoming granite-like, is one of the experiences that must be undergone in the struggle for the wisdom of the future.
But remember that people today can prepare themselves to look into the spiritual world by apprehending with their healthy human reason what spiritual science has to offer. The effort applied in study that lets itself be guided by healthy human reason can be part of the struggle which leads eventually to vision of the spiritual world. Many tendencies will have to be overcome, but for people of today the fundamental difficulty is that when they want to understand spiritual science they have to battle against their own granite-like skulls. If the human skull were less hard, less granite-like, spiritual science would be far more widely accepted at the present time. Infinitely more effective than any philistine avoidance of the ahrimanic powers would be to battle against Ahriman through sincere, genuine study of the content of spiritual science. For then human beings would gradually come to perceive spiritually the danger that must otherwise befall the earth physically, of being rigidified into granite-like density.
And so it must be emphasized that the wisdom of the future can be attained only through privations, travail, and pain; it must be attained by enduring the attendant sufferings of body and soul for the sake of the salvation of human evolution. Therefore the unwavering principle should be never to let oneself be deterred by suffering from the pursuit of this wisdom. So far as the external life of humankind is concerned, what is needed is that in the future the danger of the frozen rigidification—which, to begin with, would manifest in the moral sphere—shall be removed from the earth. But this can happen only if people envisage spiritually, feel inwardly and counter with their will, what would otherwise become physical reality.
At bottom, it is simply due to faint heartedness that people today are unwilling to approach spiritual science. They are not conscious of this, but it is so, nevertheless; they are fearful of the difficulties that will have to be encountered on every hand. When people come to spiritual science they so often speak of the need for “upliftment.” By this they usually mean a sense of comfort and inner well-being. But that cannot be offered, for it would simply lull them into stupor and draw them away from the light they need. What is essential is that from now onward, knowledge of the driving forces of evolution must not be withheld from humankind. It must be realized that in very truth the human being is balanced as it were between the luciferic and the ahrimanic powers, and that the Christ has become a companion of human beings, leading them, first away from the battle with Lucifer, and then into the battle with Ahriman.
The evolution of humanity must be understood in the light of these facts. One who presents secrets of cosmic existence in the way that must be done in spiritual science is often laughed to scorn, for example about the use of the principle of the number seven—as you will find in my book Theosophy. But you will notice that people do not laugh when the rainbow is described as sevenfold, or the scale—tonic, second, third, and so on, up to the octave which is a repetition of the tonic. In the physical world these things are accepted, but not when it comes to the spiritual. What must be regained here is something that was implicit in the old pagan wisdom. A last glimmer of this pagan wisdom in regard to a matter like the principle of the number seven is to be found in the Pythagorean school—which was actually a Mystery school. You can read about Pythagoras today in any text book; but you will never find any understanding of the reason why he based the world order on number. The reason was because in the ancient wisdom everything was based on number. And a last glimmer of insight into the wisdom contained in numbers still survived when Pythagoras founded his school. Other branches of the ancient wisdom survived much longer, some indeed until the sixth and seventh centuries of the Christian era. Up to that time many true things about the higher worlds are said in the sphere of what is called natural philosophy. And then, gradually, this primeval intelligence in humankind ran dry—if I may use this expression.
Let us picture some orthodox representative of modern learning sitting in a corner and saying: “What nonsense these anthroposophists talk! What do they mean by asserting that the primeval wisdom has run dry? Wonderful, epoch-making results have been achieved, above all during the last few centuries, and are still being achieved. There may have been a temporary halt in 1914, but at any rate up to then marvels were accomplished!” But if you look candidly and without bias at what has been achieved most recently, you will arrive at the following conclusion. Admittedly, masses of notes have been collected—masses of scientific and historical data. This kind of collecting has become the fashion. Countless experiments have been made and described. But now ask yourselves: Are there any fundamentally new ideas in all that this modern age has produced? New ideas, new conceptions were given by individual spirits like Goethe but Goethe has not been understood. If you study recent findings of natural science or historical research, it will be clear to you that, with respect to ideas, there is nothing new. Certainly, Darwin made journeys, described many things he saw on these journeys and gathered it all into an idea. But if you grasp the idea of evolution in its details, as idea, you will find it in the Greek philosopher Anaxagoras. So too you will find the fundamental principles of modern natural science in Aristotle-that is to say in the pre-Christian era. These ideas are treasures of the primeval wisdom—springing from a luciferic source. But the primeval wisdom has run dry, and something new in the form of insight into the spiritual world must be attained. A certain willingness on the part of humanity is necessary to undertake the labor entailed by really new ideas. And humankind today is sorely in need of new ideas, especially concerning the realm and the life of the soul. Fundamentally, all that science tells us in regard to the soul amounts to nothing more than a collection of words. What is taught in the lecture halls about thinking, feeling, and willing is simply a matter of words thrown out spasmodically. It amounts to little more than the sounds of the words. There is hardly the beginning of an attempt to take seriously anything that is really new.
In this connection one may have curious experiences! Some time ago I was invited to speak to a “Schopenhauer Society” in Dresden. I thought to myself: Yes—a Schopenhauer society—that must surely be something out of the ordinary! So I tried to show how the contrast between sleeping and waking, between waking up and going to sleep is to be understood in the psychological sense, how the soul is involved. I spoke of something I have recently mentioned to you, namely, that a zero-point is there at the moments of falling asleep and waking up, that sleep is not merely a cessation of the waking state, but bears the same relation to the waking state as debts bear to assets.
If you were to search through modern psychology you would not find the slightest trace of any attempt to get to the root of these far-reaching matters. After the lecture, in a “discussion” as it was called, certain learned members of the audience got up to speak. One of these philosophers made a really splendid statement, to the following effect. He said: “What we have been hearing could not possibly be a concern of serious science. Serious science has other, very different matters with which to occupy itself. We can know nothing of what has just been put before us so plausibly; none of it is a concern of human cognition. Moreover we have known it all for a long time.” In other words, therefore: what we cannot know is something with which we have long been familiar!
Now contradictions do exist, but contradictions of this kind exist only in the heads of present-day scholars! If someone says that certain things cannot be known, that they are not objects of human cognition—well and good, that is his opinion. But if he says in the same breath that he has known all about them for a long time, then there is an obvious contradiction. Erudite scholars of today often have a habit of placing two diametrically opposite opinions side by side in this way.
This kind of thinking has a great deal to do with the present situation. An individual—thanks to the Divine Powers and also, be it remembered, to Lucifer and Ahriman—is often able to form a fairly sound judgment of these things; but when it comes to presenting them to the world—that is a different matter altogether. Many people are willing to embark upon the study of spiritual science provided they find a society of rather sectarian tendencies in which they can take refuge. But when they have to face the world and present something of which the world itself possesses evidence, everything is apt to go up in smoke and they become veritable philistines. And then Ahriman's progress is greatly furthered.
Fünfzehnter Vortrag
Gestern habe ich Sie darauf aufmerksam gemacht, wie eine Art von Urwissen, von Urweisheit im Besitze der menschlichen Seele war, und wie diese Urweisheit bis in unsere Zeiten herein gewissermaßen versickert ist, nach und nach aufgebraucht worden ist, so daß die Menschen über die zivilisierte Erde hin mit ihrem Wissen, mit ihrer Erkenntnis mehr und mehr sich angewiesen fühlen auf dasjenige, was ihnen wird aus dem physischen Dasein heraus. Unter Wissen und Erkenntnis verstehe ich hier nicht bloß das, was «Wissenschaft» ist, sondern das, was im Bewußtsein in den Seelen auch für das gewöhnliche Leben vorhanden ist.
Nun entsteht ja auf dem Boden der Geisteswissenschaft natürlich zunächst die Frage: Wie ist denn eigentlich dieses Urwissen der Menschheit zustande gekommen? — Da muß ich von neuen Gesichtspunkten aus auf Dinge hinweisen, die wir ja von anderer Seite her schon mannigfaltig besprochen haben.
Blicken wir zurück zu dem Zeitpunkt, da der Mensch anfing, eigentlicher Erdenbürger zu werden, da der Mensch herabstieg seinem geistig-seelischen Wesen nach auf die eigentliche Erde, sich umkleidete mit den Kräften der Erde und irdisches Wesen in irdischer Sphäre wurde. Wenn alles nur so gewesen wäre, daß der Mensch mit den Vorbedingungen, die in seinem eigenen Wesen lagen, auf die Erde herabgestiegen wäre, so würde die Menschheit sich ganz anders entwickeln müssen, als sie sich in Wirklichkeit durch die verschiedenen Kulturepochen hindurch entwickelt hat. Die Menschen hätten schon damals ausgehen müssen von einer gewissen Beziehung zur Umwelt. Sie hätten sich erwerben müssen aus, ich möchte nicht gerade sagen, hellseherischen, aber etwas hellseherischen Instinkten heraus, Erdenerkenntnis. Diese Erdenerkenntnis hätten sie sich sehr langsam erwerben können. Sie würden lange Zeit ungeschickte, kindliche Wesen geblieben sein. Sie würden sich allerdings bis in unsere Zeit herein heraufgearbeitet haben bis zu einer gewissen menschheitlichen Seelen- und Leibesverfassung, aber sie würden keineswegs zu derjenigen geistigen Höhe gekommen sein, zu der sie gekommen sind. Daß sie sich anders als durch die verschiedenen Kindheitsstufen hindurch entwickeln konnten, das ist dem Umstande zu verdanken, daß in die Erdenentwickelung hinein sich verflochten haben diejenigen Wesenheiten, die wir immer genannt haben die luziferischen Wesenheiten. Jetzt, seit neuerer Zeit wissen wir ja auch, daß eine Luziferindividualität selbst sich in einem gewissen Zeitpunkt der vorchristlichen Zeitrechnung in Asien inkarniert hat, und daß von dieser luziferischen Wesenheit die heidnische Urweisheit, namentlich diejenige, die noch zu bemerken ist auf dem Boden der historischen Tatsachen, ausgegangen ist. Aber im Spiel, möchte ich sagen, der Menschheitsentwickelung waren immer die luziferischen Wesenheiten dabei. Nun möchte ich Sie ganz ernstlich bitten — obwohl ich weiß, wie wenig solche Bitten eigentlich nützen -, wenn von luziferischer Wesenheit gesprochen wird, nicht an dieses Denken über luziferische Wesenheit mit voller Spießigkeit, mit voller Philistrosität heranzutreten. Denn es herrscht heute noch vielfach auch unter denjenigen, die sich zur anthroposophischen Bewegung bekennen, die Neigung, zu sagen - ich habe öfter von dieser Neigung gesprochen -: Ja, das ist ja luziferisch, um Gottes willen, nur nicht dem sich nahen, nur das ja von sich weisen! — Es handelt sich darum, daß alle diese Dinge von den verschiedensten Gesichtspunkten aus beurteilt werden müssen, und daß streng ins Auge zu fassen ist, daß eben die ganze heidnische Urweisheit von luziferischer Quelle ausgegangen ist. Aber es muß studiert werden, wie das eigentlich sich vollzogen hat. Und je weiter wir zurückgehen in der Menschheitsentwickelung, desto mehr finden wir gewisse Menschen, die durch ihre in ihren Reinkarnationen gelegenen Vorbedingungen dazu reif waren, sich bekanntzumachen mit denjenigen Weistümern, die im Besitze der luziferischen Wesenheiten sind. Wir sprechen ja zum Beispiel von den sieben heiligen Rishis der Inder. So wie der Inder selbst immer, wenn er aus seiner Weisheit heraus gesprochen hat, aufgefaßt hat die Weisheit der sieben heiligen Rishis, wußte er, insofern er ein Eingeweihter war in diese Dinge, daß die eigentlichen Lehrer der Rishis luziferische Wesenheiten waren. Denn dasjenige, was die luziferischen Wesenheiten in die Erdenentwickelung mitgebracht haben, in die sie, wie gesagt, sich hineinverflochten haben, das ist vor allen Dingen alles dasjenige, was die die menschliche Kultur durchsetzende Gedankenwelt, die intellektualistische Gedankenwelt, die im besten Sinne des Wortes vernünftige Welt, die Weisheitswelt, immer war. Gerade wenn man an den Menschheitsursprung zurückgeht, dann findet man, daß die Quellen für die heidnischen Weistümer immer in luziferischen Wesenheiten zu suchen sind.
Man kann fragen: Ja, wie ist denn so etwas eigentlich möglich? — Da muß man sich klar darüber sein, daß ja der Mensch eben hätte kindlich bleiben müssen, wenn er nicht fortdauernd den aus den Mysterien heraus kommenden Unterricht von allerlei luziferischen Wesenheiten hätte bekommen können. Das Wesentliche ist, daß diejenigen, die zum Fortschritt, zur Heranbildung der Menschheit das nötige Wissen, die nötige Weisheit haben mußten, eben die Erb- und Urweisheit, sich nicht wie ein moderner Philister scheuten, diese Weisheit zu empfangen vom luziferischen Elemente, sondern daß sie auch alles das auf sich nahmen, was der Mensch auf sich nehmen muß, wenn er solchen Unterricht aus Geistessphären von luziferischen Wesenheiten erhält. Da mußte der Mensch vor allen Dingen auf sich nehmen — man könnte es Verpflichtung nennen, obwohl natürlich solche Worte nicht immer ganz genau das Wesen der Sache ausdrücken können diese luziferische Weisheit, die ja Weltenweisheit ist, [im Dienste der Erdenentwickelung als gute Weisheit zu gebrauchen]. Der Unterschied zwischen der guten Weisheit und der luziferischen Weisheit besteht ja darin, daß die gute Weisheit in anderen Händen ist, und die luziferische Weisheit, die inhaltlich dieselbe ist, in luziferischen Händen; der Inhalt ist ganz derselbe. Das ist dasjenige, um was es sich handelt. Es handelt sich nicht darum, daß es eine Weisheit gibt, die man sich so hübsch in seine Seelenkammer einpökeln kann, damit man dann dadurch ein guter Mensch wird, sondern es handelt sich darum, daß die Weisheit zwar eine einheitliche ist in der Welt, daß der Unterschied nur der ist, daß sie zum Beispiel in den Händen der weisen Menschen, die sie gut verwalten, oder in den Händen der Angeloi, Archangeloi und so weiter, oder aber in den Händen Luzifers sein kann. Von anderer Seite her war in den alten Zeiten für den Menschheitsfortschritt die Weisheit nicht zu erlangen. So mußten die Eingeweihten der alten Zeiten sie aus den luziferischen Händen entgegennehmen, und sie mußten eben die Verpflichtung eingehen, nicht den anderen Aspirationen der luziferischen Wesenheiten zu verfallen.
Es war die Absicht Luzifers, die Weisheit der Menschheit zu überliefern, um sie dadurch dazu zu bringen, den Weg der Erdenentwickelung nicht auf sich zu nehmen, sondern die Bahn der Entwickelung in einer überirdischen Sphäre, in einer der Erde entrückten Sphäre durchzumachen. Also wenn ich schematisch zeichnen soll, so möchte ich sagen: Wenn dies die Erdoberfläche ist (siehe Zeichnung, weiß), so hätte der Mensch auf der Erdoberfläche diesen Weg durchzumachen (rot), wenn er hier die Erde betritt.
Die luziferischen Wesenheiten impfen dem Menschen ihre Weisheit ein, aber sie wollen, daß er dadurch von der Erde abzweigt und nicht die Erdenentwickelung durchmacht. Die Erde will Luzifer ihrem Schicksal überlassen, von den Menschen unbevölkert sein lassen; er will die Menschheit für ein besonderes, dem Christus-Reiche fremdes Reich gewinnen.
Die Weisen der alten Zeiten, die die Urweisheit aus Luzifers Händen empfangen haben, die mußten also die Verpflichtung übernehmen, nicht dem Luzifer nachzugeben, sondern seine Weisheit zu empfangen, aber sie im Dienste der Erdenentwickelung zu gebrauchen. Das ist es, was im wesentlichen durch die Mysterien der vorchristlichen Zeiten ja auch geleistet worden ist. Und wenn man frägt, was eigentlich die Menschheit bekommen hat durch diese Mysterien der vorchristlichen Zeiten, durch den Einfluß der luziferischen Wesenheiten, die zuerst, also noch in der nachatlantischen Zeit, inspirierten gewisse Persönlichkeiten, die Rishis der Inder, und dann selbst ihren Sendboten auf die Erde schickten, wie ich Ihnen angedeutet habe, so ist es alles dasjenige, was die Menschen aufgebracht haben seit ihrer Entwickelung an Fähigkeit des Sprechens und an Fähigkeit des Denkens. Denn Sprechen und Denken sind ursprünglich durchaus luziferischer Natur, nur daß diese Künste gewissermaßen dem Luzifer entlistet worden sind von den Weisen der Urzeit. Wenn Sie Luzifer fliehen wollen, dann müssen Sie sich entschließen, in der Zukunft stumm zu sein und nicht zu denken!
Diese Dinge gehören eben zu jener Initiationswissenschaft, die nach und nach die Menschheit erfahren muß, trotzdem die jahrhundertealte Philistererziehung der zivilisierten Welt die Menschen zurückbeben läßt vor diesen Wahrheiten. Man hat ja so lange dieses karikierte Abbild von Luzifer und Ahriman, das der mittelalterliche Teufel zugleich ist, den Menschen vorgehalten. Man hat die Menschen so lange in einer philisterhaften Atmosphäre aufwachsen lassen, daß sie diese Weistümer, die aber mit der Entwickelung der Menschheit innig zusammenhängen, heute immer noch eigentlich nur mit Schaudern aufnehmen, denn es ist ja den Menschen so furchtbar angenehm, wenn sie sagen können: Vor dem Teufel hüte ich mich, dem Christus gebe ich mich gefangen in kindlicher Einfalt, dann werde ich selig, dann bin ich mit meiner Seele unter allen Umständen gerettet. — So leicht in seinen Untergründen ist das Menschenleben eben nicht. Es handelt sich durchaus darum, daß für die Zukunft der Menschheitsentwickelung diese Dinge, von denen wir jetzt reden, der Menschheit nicht vorenthalten werden dürfen. Denn es muß gewußt werden, daß gerade die Kunst des Sprechens und die Kunst des Denkens etwas ist, was in diese Erdenentwickelung nur hat hereinkommen können dadurch, daß der Mensch es auf dem Umwege durch die luziferische Vermittlung erhalten hat. Ich möchte sagen: Sie können heute noch Ihrem Denken das luziferische Element anmerken. Über die Sprachen, die ja seit langem differenziert der Erde angepaßt sind, ist Ahriman bereits hergefallen, der die Differenzierung bewirkt hat, der die einheitliche Sprache in die differenzierte Erdensprache heruntergebildet hat. Während Luzifer immer die Tendenz der Vereinheitlichung hat, ist das ahrimanische Prinzip von der Tendenz durchdrungen, zu differenzieren. Wie wäre denn das Denken, wenn es nicht luziferisch wäre?
Ja, sehen Sie, wenn das Denken nicht luziferisch wäre, dann würden die meisten Menschen der Erde, alle diejenigen, die nicht luziferisch denken, so denken, wie einer derjenigen Menschen, der am wenigsten luziferisch dachte; das ist Goethe. Goethe gehört zu denjenigen Menschen, die am wenigsten luziferisch dachten, die in einer gewissen Beziehung darauf ausgingen, den luziferischen Mächten kühn ins Angesicht zu schauen. Das aber macht notwendig, sich möglichst ans konkrete Einzelne zu halten. In dem Augenblick, wo man generalisiert, wo man vereinheitlicht, naht man sich schon dem luziferischen Denken. Wenn Sie jeden einzelnen Menschen, jedes einzelne Tier, jede einzelne Pflanze, jeden einzelnen Stein für sich betrachten würden, mit Ihrem Denken nur das einzelne Objekt ins Auge fassen würden, nicht Gattungen und Arten bilden würden, nicht generalisieren würden, nicht vereinheitlichen würden im Denken, dann würden Sie allerdings wenig von luziferischem Denken aufnehmen. Aber wer das schon als Kind machen würde, würde ja heute in allen Schulen gleich in der ersten Klasse durchfallen! Darum kann es sich also gar nicht handeln. Es geht heute darum, einzusehen, daß das allgemeine Denken, dasjenige Denken, das insbesondere im heidnischen Wesen heimisch war, nach und nach überhaupt versiegt. Die Menschen sind nicht mehr so veranlagt, daß dieses luziferische Element der Vereinheitlichung ihnen viel Nutzen stiften kann auf der Erde. Dafür sorgt eben der Umstand, daß die gottgeschaffene menschliche Natur allmählich nachgekommen ist in der Entwickelung, mit der Erde, mit dem Irdischen verwandt geworden ist. Dadurch, daß der Mensch mit dem Irdischen verwandt geworden ist, dadurch ist er heute weniger verwandt — schon durch sein Naturell selber mit dem luziferischen Element, das ihn eigentlich von der Erde abbringen will.
Aber es wäre schlimm, wenn der Mensch nur von dem luziferischen Elemente abkommen würde und nichts anderes an die Stelle treten würde. Es wäre sehr, sehr schlimm. Denn dann würde der Mensch ganz mit der Erde, das heißt mit dem einzelnen Erdenterritorium, auf dem er geboren wird, zusammenwachsen. Er würde sich in seiner Kultur vollständig spezifizieren, vollständig differenzieren. Wir sehen ja heute diese Tendenz sich herausentwickeln. Besonders veranlagt war die Sache schon seit dem Beginne des 19. Jahrhunderts; aber wir sehen heute, wie aus der Weltkriegskatastrophe die Tendenz sich herausentwickelt, sich in immer kleinere und kleinere Gruppen zu spalten. Der Volkschauvinismus nimmt immer mehr und mehr überhand, bis er dazu führen wird, daß sich die Menschen in immer kleinere und kleinere Gruppen spalten, so daß schließlich die Gruppe zuletzt nur einen einzelnen Menschen umfassen könnte. Dann könnte es dahin kommen, daß die einzelnen Menschen auch in einen linken und rechten sich spalten würden, und in einen Krieg mit sich selbst kommen könnten, wo sich der rechte Mensch mit dem linken in den Haaren liegt. Viele Anlagen dazu zeigen sich ja auch heute schon in der Entwickelung der Menschheit. Dem muß eben das Gegengewicht geschaffen werden. Und dieses Gegengewicht kann nur geschaffen werden dadurch, daß ebenso wie eine Urweisheit die heidnische Kultur durchdrang und durchsetzte, auch eine neue Weisheit, doch nun aus freiem Menschenwillen heraus, errungen wird, eine neue Weisheit der Erdenkultur überliefert werden wird. Diese neue Weisheit muß wiederum eine Initiationsweisheit sein. Diese neue Weisheit muß wiederum über das hinausgehen, was nur im einzelnen gewonnen werden kann.
Und hier kommen wir zu jenem Kapitel, das auch dem heutigen Menschen nicht vorenthalten werden darf. Wenn der Mensch gegen die Zukunft hin nichts tun würde, um eine neue Weisheit selbst zu erringen, dann würden in unterbewußten Tiefen der Menschennatur die Dinge vorgehen, die ich Ihnen ja zum Teil schon geschildert habe, nämlich die Ahrimanisierung der ganzen Menschheitskultur. Die Menschbeitskultur würde ahrimanisiert werden, und es würde dann jener Inkarnation des Ahriman, von der ich Ihnen gesprochen habe, ein leichtes sein, mit ihrem eigenen Wesen die Erdenkultur zu durchdringen. Deshalb muß eben vorgebaut werden in bezug auf alle die Strömungen, die die ahrimanische Kultur fördern.
Was würde nun aber eintreten, wenn zum Beispiel die Menschen so blieben, wie sie heute gute Neigung haben zu sein, wenn sie also die zu Ahriman hinführenden Strömungen nicht in der Weise auffassen, durchschauen und dadurch in das richtige Geleise führen würden, wie wir das neulich besprochen haben? Dann würde eben, sobald Ahriman in dem bestimmten Zeitpunkte sich in der westlichen Welt inkarniert, die Menschheitskultur ganz ahrimanisiert werden. Was würde Ahriman bringen? Ahriman würde den Menschen durch die grandiosesten Künste alles dasjenige bringen, was bis dahin nur mit großer Mühe und Anstrengung erworben werden kann an hellseherischem Wissen, wie es hier gemeint ist. Denken Sie sich, wie unendlich bequem das sein würde! Die Menschen würden gar nichts zu tun brauchen. Sie würden materialistisch hinleben können, sie würden essen und trinken können, so viel eben nach der Kriegskatastrophe da ist, und würden sich nicht zu kümmern brauchen um irgendein Geistesstreben. Die Ahrimanströmungen würden ihren «schönen, guten» Verlauf nehmen. Wenn im richtigen Zeitpunkt Ahriman in der westlichen Welt inkarniert wird, würde er eine große Geheimschule gründen, in dieser Geheimschule würden die grandiosesten Zauberkünste getrieben werden, und über die Menschheit würde ausgegossen werden alles dasjenige, was sonst nur mit Mühe zu erwerben ist.
Man darf sich wiederum nicht philiströs vorstellen, daß Ahriman, wenn er herunterkommt, eine Art von «Krampus» ist, der den Menschen allen möglichen Schabernack antut. O nein, alle die Bequemlinge, die heute sagen: Wir wollen nichts von Geisteswissenschaft wissen -, die würden seinem Zauber verfallen, denn er würde in grandiosester Weise die Menschen in großen Mengen durch Zauberkünste zu Hellsehern machen können. Nur würde er allerdings die Menschen so zu Hellsehern machen, daß der einzelne Mensch furchtbar hellsichtig würde, aber ganz differenziert: Dasjenige, was der eine sehen würde, würde der andere nicht sehen, nicht ein dritter! Die Menschen würden alle durcheinanderkommen, und trotzdem sie ein Fundament von hellseherischer Weisheit empfangen würden, würden sie nur in Streit und Hader kommen können, denn die Gesichte der verschiedenen Menschen wären die verschiedensten. Schließlich aber würden die Menschen mit ihren Gesichten sehr zufrieden sein, denn sie würden ja ein jeder in die geistige Welt hineinsehen können. Die Folge davon würde aber wiederum sein, daß alles, was Erdenkultur ist, dem Ahriman verfiele! Die Menschheit würde dem Ahriman verfallen, einfach dadurch, daß sie sich nicht selbst angeeignet hat, was ihr dann Ahriman geben würde. Das wäre der allerschlechteste Rat, den man den Menschen geben könnte, wenn man ihnen sagte: Bleibt nur, wie ihr seid! Ahriman wird euch ja alle hellsehend machen, wenn ihr es wollt. Und ihr werdet es wollen, denn Ahriman wird eine große Macht haben! - Aber die Folge davon würde sein, daß auf der Erde das Ahrimanreich errichtet würde, daß die ganze Erde verahrimanisiert würde, daß da gewissermaßen zugrunde gehen würde, was bisher von der Menschenkultur erarbeitet worden ist. Erfüllen würde sich alles dasjenige, was im Grunde in unbewußter Tendenz die gegenwärtige Menschheit ja eigentlich heillos will.
Dasjenige, um was es sich handelt, ist nun dieses: Gerade diejenige Zukunftsweisheit, die hellsichtiger Art ist, diese Zukunftsweisheit, die muß wiederum dem Ahriman abgenommen werden. Man kann sagen: Es ist nur es Buch, nicht zwei Weisheiten — ea Buch. — Es handelt sich nur darum, ob Ahriman das Buch hat oder Christus. Christus kann es nicht haben, ohne daß die Menschheit dafür kämpft. Und die Menschheit kann nur dadurch dafür kämpfen, daß sie sich sagt, sie müsse bis zu demjenigen Zeitpunkte, in dem Ahriman auf der Erde erscheint, durch eigene Anstrengung diesen Inhalt der geistigen Wissenschaft errungen haben.
Sehen Sie, das ist die kosmische Arbeit der Geisteswissenschaft. Die kosmische Arbeit der Geisteswissenschaft besteht ja darinnen, daß das Wissen der Zukunft nicht ahrimanisch werde beziehungsweise bleibe. Es ist eine gute Methode, dem Ahriman in die Hände zu arbeiten, wenn man von der Bekenntnisteligion alles, was Wissen ist, ausschließt, wenn man immer wieder und wiederum betont, nur der schlichte Glaube mache alles. Wenn man bei diesem schlichten Glauben stehenbleibt, dann verdammt man sich eben in die Seelendumpfheit und Seelenstumpfheit, und dann dringt nicht die Weisheit herein, die dem Ahriman gewissermaßen abgenommen werden soll. Also es handelt sich nicht darum, daß die Menschheit einfach die Zukunftsweisheit empfange, sondern darum, daß die Menschheit diese Zukunftsweisheit sich erarbeite, und daß diejenigen, die sie erarbeiten, die Verpflichtung übernehmen, die Erdenkultur zu retten; die Erdenkultur für Christus zu retten, so wie die alten Rishis und Eingeweihten die Verpflichtung übernommen hatten, nicht nachzugeben dem Ansinnen Luzifers, die Menschheit von der Erde hinwegzuführen..
Was ist denn nun eigentlich das zunächst für das menschliche Empfinden Wesentliche dieser Sache? Das Wesentliche dieser Sache ist, daB auch für die Zukunftsweisheit ein ähnlicher Kampf notwendig ist, wie er geleistet werden mußte von den uralten Eingeweihten, die den Menschen die Sprache und die Fähigkeit zu denken vermittelt haben, wie er geleistet werden mußte gegen Luzifer. Wie diese Initiierten der Urweisheit dem Luzifer dasjenige abringen mußten, was menschlicher Verstand geworden ist, so muß dasjenige, was Einsicht in das innere Wesen der Dinge in der Zukunft sein soll, abgerungen werden den ahrimanischen Mächten. Diese Dinge spielen stark zwischen den Zeilen des Lebens, und sie spielen schon auch in das Leben herein.
Ich las neulich eine Aufzeichnung, die ein Freund der anthroposophischen Bewegung kurz vor seinem Tode geschrieben hat. Er ist im Kriege verwundet worden und hat noch längere Zeit im Lazarett gelegen, wo er während der Operationen, die an ihm vorgenommen worden sind, manche Einblicke in die geistige Welt gewonnen hat. Die letzten Zeilen aber, die er hinterlassen hat, enthalten eine merkwürdige Stelle. Sie enthalten eine Schauung, in welcher er schildert, was er kurz vor dem Tode erlebt hat. Und zum letzten, was er erlebt hat, gehört, daß ihm alles dasjenige, was sich wie der Luftkreis ausbreitet um ihn herum wie er sich ausdrückt, «graniten» wird, ganz dicht, steinern wird; graniten wird, wie schwerer Granit sich auf die Seele legt. Solch einen Eindruck muß man verstehen. Und man kann ihn verstehen, wenn man weiß, daß zu kämpfen ist um dasjenige, was Zukunftsweisheit ist; denn die ahrimanischen Mächte lassen sich diese Zukunftsweisheit nicht so ohne weiteres entringen. Man darf nicht glauben, daß man in wollüstigen Visionen Weisheit erhoffen kann. Wirkliche Weisheit muß, wie ich neulich auch im öffentlichen Vortrage sagte, «in Leiden erworben werden». Und von jenen Leiden ist das, was ich Ihnen eben von einem Sterbenden mitgeteilt habe, eigentlich ein recht gutes Bild. Denn in dem Ringen um die Zuakunftsweisheit ist eines der häufigsten Erlebnisse gerade dieses, daß die Welt um einen herum drückt, wie wenn die Luft plötzlich zu Granit erstarren würde. Man kann wissen, warum diese Dinge so sind. Man braucht ja nur zu bedenken, daß es das Bestreben der ahrimanischen Mächte ist, die Erde zum völligen Erstarren zu bringen. Sie würden ihr Spiel gewonnen haben, sobald es ihnen gelungen wäre, alles dasjenige, was Erde, Wasser, Luft ist, zum völligen Erstarren gebracht zu haben. Dann würde die Erde sich nicht wiederum zurückentwickeln können zu jener Wärme, aus der sie sich seit der Saturnzeit her entwickelt hat. Diese Wärme soll sie ja wiederum erreichen in der Vulkanzeit. Das zu verhindern, ist das Streben der ahrimanischen Mächte. Und eine wichtige Entscheidung läge schon darin, wenn in der Gegenwart die Menschenseelen etwa nicht erglühen könnten für das, was der geistige Inhalt der Geisteswissenschaft ist. Denn der erste Anstoß zum Erstarren der Erde würde dann gegeben werden von menschlichen Seelen, von der Lässigkeit und Faulheit und Bequemlichkeit der menschlichen Seelen. Wenn Sie bedenken, daß in diesem Erstarren das eigentliche Ziel der ahrimanischen Mächte liegt, dann wird es Ihnen nicht auffällig sein, daß jenes Zusammenpressen, jenes Granitenwerden des Lebens zu den Erlebnissen gehört, die im Kampfe um die Zukunftsweisheit durchgemacht werden müssen.
Bedenken Sie doch nur, daß die Menschen sich vorbereiten können in der Gegenwart, hineinzuschauen in die geistige Welt, indem sie zunächst durch ihren gesunden Menschenverstand auffassen dasjenige, was Geisteswissenschaft bringen will. Die Anstrengung, die dem Studium dargebracht wird, das durch den gesunden Menschenverstand sich leiten läßt, das kann etwas sein von dem Ringen, das dann hineinführt in das Empfangen von Schauungen aus der geistigen Welt. Da wird eben manches überwunden werden müssen. Für die heutigen Menschen wird ja die Sache auch zunächst nur deshalb so schwer, weil sie, wenn sie die Geisteswissenschaft verstehen wollen, gegen ihre eigenen granitenen Schädel kämpfen müssen. Wenn nicht diese granitene Härte des eigenen menschlichen Schädels vorhanden wäre, würde ja Geisteswissenschaft viel mehr angenommen werden in der Gegenwart. Viel gescheiter als alles philiströse Perhorreszieren der ahrimanischen Mächte wäre ein solches Bekämpfen des Ahriman, das allerdings nicht philiströs sein kann, und das in einem aufrichtigen, ehrlichen Studium geisteswissenschaftlicher Inhalte besteht. Dann würde nach und nach von den Menschen geistig dasjenige erschaut und empfunden werden, was sonst physisch über die Erde hereintreten muß: Die Erstarrung, das Granitenwerden.
So muß hingewiesen werden darauf, daß es wirklich tief wahr ist, daß die Zukunftsweisheit nur errungen werden kann unter Entbehrungen, Leiden und Schmerzen, daß sie aber zum Heile der Menschheitsentwickelung errungen werden muß im Ertragen der entsprechenden körperlichen und seelischen Leiden. Daher sollte jeder eigentlich das sich zum Grundsatze machen, daß das In-Leiden-Erringen der Weisheit ihn niemals abhalten sollte von dem Verfolgen dieser Weisheit. Was die Menschheit für das äußere Leben braucht, das ist, daß in Zukunft die Gefahr der Erdenerstarrung, des Frostigwerdens, das zuerst in der moralischen Welt eintreten würde, der Erde weggenommen werde. Das kann aber nur dadurch sein, daß die Menschen im Geiste nach und nach alles das sich vorstellen und auch innerlich empfinden und mit ihrem Willen dagegenrennen, was sonst äußerliche physische Wirklichkeit werden würde.
Daher kommt es auch, daß im Grunde genommen eigentlich nur die Feigheit in der Gegenwart schuld daran ist, daß die Menschen nicht an die Geisteswissenschaft heran wollen. Sie bringen es sich allerdings nicht zum Bewußtsein; aber es ist eben so, daß Furcht und Feigheit vor dem, was als Schwieriges ihrem Streben sich entgegenlagert, von ihnen zu ertragen ist. Wie oft hört man immer wieder und wiederum, daß Leute, die in einen anthroposophischen Zweig gehen, Erhebung suchen. Unter einer Erhebung verstehen die Leute oft eine innere seelische Wollust. Die kann nicht geboten werden, denn die würde gerade die Menschen in Dumpfheit einhüllen und sie von dem Lichte, das sie brauchen, entfernen. Das Wesentliche ist, daß gegen die nächste Zukunft, von dieser Gegenwart an, den Menschen nicht vorenthalten werden darf, welches die eigentlich treibenden Kräfte der Menschheitsevolution sind. Die Menschen müssen wissen, wie in der Tat das Menschenwesen in einer Art von Gleichgewichtszustand sich befindet zwischen den luziferischen und den ahrimanischen Mächten, und wie die Christus-Wesenheit wirklich eine Art Genosse der Menschen geworden ist: erst aus dem luziferischen Kampf heraus, dann in den ahrimanischen Kampf hinein.
Im Lichte dieser Tatsachen muß die Menschheitsevolution überhaupt gesehen werden. Wer heute die Weltgeheimnisse so darstellt, wie es geschehen muß in der Geisteswissenschaft, der wird gerade wegen wesentlicher Dinge zuweilen arg verspottet. Namentlich wenn man heute gezwungen ist, wie ich es zum Beispiel machen mußte in meinem Buche «Theosophie», immer wieder und wiederum nach der Siebenzahl der Dinge zu schildern, dann spotten die Leute über dieses Schildern nach der Siebenzahl. Ich will morgen über einen solchen Spott, der wiederum dargebracht worden ist, noch sprechen. Aber wenn man den Regenbogen in sieben Farben teilt oder die Oktave, die Tonskalen in die Prim, Sekund, Terz und so weiter teilt, und die Oktave dann die Wiederholung ist der Prim, dann spotten die Leute nicht mehr! Im Physischen nehmen die Leute diese Sachen hin, aber im Geistigen darf das nicht sein! Was da wiederum errungen werden muß, war einmal ein Bestandteil der heidnischen Urweisheit. Und ein letztes Flimmern dieser heidnischen Urweisheit in bezug auf so etwas wie die Siebenzahl sehen wir in der Pythagoreer-Schule, die eigentlich ein Mysterium war. Sie können überall in den Schulbüchern heute über Py/bagoras lesen, werden aber nirgends Verständnis dafür finden, warum Pythagoras die Weltenordnung auf die Zahl gebaut hat. Das war aus dem Grunde, weil die Urweisheit alles auf die Zahl gebaut hat. Aber der letzte Funke der Einsicht gerade in die Zahlenweisheit war noch vorhanden, als Pythagoras seine Schule begründete. Andere Glieder der Urweisheit sind länger geblieben; manches hat sich sogar erhalten bis in die Zeiten des 16., 17. Jahrhunderts herein. So hören wir zum Beispiel noch manches physikalisch Vernünftige bis in das 15., 16. Jahrhundert herein von dem oder jenem erzählen mit Bezug auf die höheren Welten. Dann versiegt allmählich, wenn ich so sagen darf, der Urverstand der Menschheit.
Denken wir uns einmal, es lauerte da in einer Ecke irgendwo ein richtiger Vertreter der Gegenwartsbildung und würde sagen: Nun, was lassen sich diese Anthroposophen denn für Zeug vorreden? Wir haben doch so herrliche Errungenschaften in der neuesten Zeit! Was soll denn das heißen, daß da gesagt wird, die Urweisheit sei versiegt? Wir haben ja alles mögliche Große, Gewaltige bekommen, gerade in den letzten Jahrhunderten und bis in unsere Tage herein, vielleicht schließen die Menschen mit 1914 ab, aber immerhin, bis 1914 haben wir so Herrliches bekommen. — Wenn Sie aber unbefangen hinsehen auf das, was wir in der neuesten Zeit bekommen haben, so werden Sie zu dem folgenden Resultat kommen. Gewiß, die Menschen haben allerlei naturwissenschaftliche, naturbeschreibende und geschichtliche Notizen gesammelt. Das Sammeln ist ja insbesondere Mode geworden. Sie haben auch mancherlei Experimente gemacht und diese beschrieben. Aber wenn Sie nun fragen: Ist denn eigentlich in alldem, was ja gerade die neueste Zeit gebracht hat, etwas Neues an Ideen, an Begriffen? — Einzelne verlorene Geister wie Goethe haben an Ideen, an Begriffen etwas Neues gebracht; aber Goethe ist ja nicht verstanden worden. Gehen Sie durch dasjenige, was zum Beispiel in der Naturwissenschaft oder gar in der neuesten geschichtlichen Wissenschaft spielt, da werden Sie finden: Was da an Ideen spielt, das ist nicht neu. Gewiß, Darwin hat Reisen gemacht, hat vieles beschrieben, was er auf Reisen gesehen hat, hat dann zusammengefaßt, was er gesehen hat und hat es in eine Idee gebracht. Aber wenn Sie die Evolutionsidee bis in die kleinsten Einzelheiten hinein als Idee auffassen, so finden Sie sie schon bei dem Griechen Anaxagoras. Und so finden Sie die wichtigsten Ideen, die heute die Naturwissenschaft hat, bei Aristoteles, also schon in der vorchristlichen Zeit. Und diese Ideen sind Schatz der Urweisheit, luziferischer Quell. Nur muß eben nach und nach dasjenige, was diese Urweisheit ist, versiegen, und Neues, in Form von Einsichten in die geistige Welt, muß errungen werden. Es bedarf dazu einer gewissen Willigkeit der Menschen, diejenigen Dinge hinzunehmen, die unmittelbar losarbeiten auf wirkliche neue Ideen. Und neue Ideen braucht die gegenwärtige Menschheit namentlich in bezug auf das Seelische. Was vom Seelischen heute wissenschaftlich an die Menschen herangebracht wird, das sind ja im Grunde genommen nur noch Worte. Wenn in den gewöhnlichen Schulsälen in gelehrter Art von Wille, von Gedanken, von Gefühlen gesprochen wird, so hat man es eigentlich nur noch mit Worten zu tun, die die Leute wie in einem Kaleidoskop herumwerfen. Aber es sind im Grunde genommen ausgepreßte Worte, der Klang der Worte. Die Menschen gehen gar nicht darauf aus, im Ernste dasjenige zu nehmen, was heute auf Neues hinarbeitet.
In dieser Beziehung macht man ja wirklich eigentümliche Erfahrungen. Ich wurde zum Beispiel in Dresden vor einiger Zeit eingeladen, in einer Schopenhauer-Gesellschaft zu sprechen. Eine SchopenhauerGesellschaft - ich dachte mir, da muß es etwas ganz Besonderes geben. Und so habe ich denn versucht, darzustellen, wie psychologisch, seelisch aufzufassen ist der Gegensatz zwischen Schlafen und Wachen, Aufwachen und Einschlafen. Ich habe darauf aufmerksam gemacht, was ich Ihnen auch neulich einmal erwähnt habe, daß ja der Nullpunkt zunächst nur im Aufwachen und Einschlafen da ist, daß der Schlaf nicht bloß ein Aufhören des Wachens ist, sondern sich verhält zu dem Wachen wie Schulden zu Vermögen.
Wenn Sie nach so etwas suchen würden in der gegenwärtigen Psychologie, so würden Sie auch nicht einmal den Ansatz dazu finden, diese weittragenden Dinge anzufassen. Es haben sich dann in einer sogenannten Diskussion einige Leute erhoben, die gelehrt waren, das heißt einige Philosophen. Einer davon hat unter anderem die schöne Urteilsfolge zustande gebracht, die ich etwa in der folgenden Weise charakterisieren könnte. Er sagte: Was wir da gehört haben, das alles ist ja nichts, was man wirklich mit einer ernsten Wissenschaft erringen möchte. Die ernste Wissenschaft muß sich mit ganz anderen Dingen befassen. Das hat nichts zu tun mit dem, was wir wissen wollen, denn wenn man die Sache bei Licht betrachtet, so waren das durchaus nicht neue Wahrheiten, sondern etwas, was uns längst bekannt ist. — Also: Dasjenige, was wir gar nicht wissen wollen und was gar nicht Inhalt unserer Wissenschaft ist, das sei etwas Altbekanntes!
Nun, es gibt in der Wirklichkeit Widersprüche, aber Widersprüche dieser Art gibt es nur in den Köpfen der gegenwärtigen Gelehrten. Wenn einer sagt: Die Dinge könne man nicht wissen, sie seien nicht Gegenstand des menschlichen Wissens — gut. Wenn einer aber zu gleicher Zeit sagt, die Dinge seien ihm längst bekannt, dann ist das ein offenbarer Widerspruch! Eine solche Zusammenstellung von zwei Urteilen ist oftmals einem gegenwärtigen Gelehrtenkopf ganz geläufig.
Aber an diesem Denken hängt auch dasjenige, um was es sich in der Gegenwart handelt. Denn der Weg ist weit, weit zwischen dem, daß schließlich der einzelne, der ja immer noch dank der göttlichen Mächte und dank - verzeihen Sie — Luzifer und Ahriman nicht ganz töricht ist, und dem Vertreten dieser Dinge vor der Welt. Der einzelne sieht manches ein von diesen Dingen und bildet sich manchmal bei sich ein gar nicht ungesundes Urteil; aber von diesem Punkte bis dahin, vor der Welt die Sache in entsprechender Weise zu behandeln, ist der Weg weit, recht, recht weit. Und für viele liegt die Sache doch so, daß sie auf der einen Seite ganz gern in die Geisteswissenschaft untertauchen, wenn sich da eine Gesellschaft mehr sektenartiger Art bildet, in der sie untertauchen können. Wenn sie aber dann wiederum vor der Welt stehen und in der Welt etwas von dem vorstellen sollen, wozu die Welt ihre Dokumente, ihre Zeugnisse gibt, dann raucht die Sache wiederum aus; dann sind sie brave Bürger des braven Philisterlandes. Das aber fördert ganz entschieden die Schritte Ahrimans.
Fifteenth Lecture
Yesterday I drew your attention to how a kind of primordial knowledge, primordial wisdom, was possessed by the human soul, and how this primordial wisdom has, so to speak, seeped away into our times, has been gradually used up, so that people throughout civilized Earth feel increasingly dependent on what they derive from their physical existence for their knowledge and understanding. By knowledge and understanding, I do not mean here merely what is called “science,” but what is present in the consciousness of souls even for ordinary life.
Now, on the basis of spiritual science, the question naturally arises: How did this original knowledge of humanity actually come into being? — Here I must point out, from new points of view, things that we have already discussed in many ways from other angles.
Let us look back to the time when human beings began to become actual inhabitants of the earth, when they descended with their spiritual and soul nature onto the actual earth, clothed themselves in the forces of the earth, and became earthly beings in the earthly sphere. If everything had been simply that human beings descended to the earth with the preconditions that lay in their own nature, then humanity would have had to develop quite differently from the way it actually did through the various cultural epochs. Even then, human beings would have had to start from a certain relationship with their environment. They would have had to acquire knowledge of the earth out of, I would not say clairvoyant, but somewhat clairvoyant instincts. They would have been able to acquire this knowledge of the earth very slowly. They would have remained clumsy, childlike beings for a long time. They would, however, have worked their way up to a certain human state of soul and body by the time we reached our present age, but they would by no means have attained the spiritual height they have attained. The fact that they were able to develop differently than through the various stages of childhood is due to the circumstance that those beings whom we have always called the Luciferic beings became intertwined in the development of the earth. Now, since more recent times, we also know that a Lucifer individuality incarnated in Asia at a certain point in the pre-Christian era, and that the pagan wisdom of old, especially that which can still be observed on the basis of historical facts, originated from this Luciferic being. But I would say that the Luciferic beings have always been involved in the development of humanity. Now I would like to ask you very seriously — although I know how little such requests actually help — when speaking of Luciferic beings, not to approach this subject with complete narrow-mindedness and philistinism. For even today, there is still a widespread tendency, even among those who profess to belong to the anthroposophical movement, to say — I have often spoken of this tendency —: Yes, that is Luciferic, for God's sake, just don't go near it, just reject it! The point is that all these things must be judged from the most diverse points of view, and that it must be strictly taken into account that the entire pagan wisdom of old originated from Luciferic sources. But we must study how this actually came about. And the further back we go in human evolution, the more we find certain people who, through their preconditions in their previous lives, were ready to become acquainted with the wisdom possessed by the Luciferic beings. We speak, for example, of the seven holy Rishis of India. Just as the Indian himself, whenever he spoke from his wisdom, understood the wisdom of the seven holy Rishis, he knew, insofar as he was initiated into these things, that the actual teachers of the Rishis were Luciferic beings. For what the Luciferic beings brought into the evolution of the earth, into which they interwove themselves, as I have said, is above all that which has always been the world of thought permeating human culture, the intellectual world of thought, the world of reason in the best sense of the word, the world of wisdom. Especially when one goes back to the origins of humanity, one finds that the sources of pagan customs are always to be found in Luciferic beings.
One might ask: How is such a thing actually possible? It must be clearly understood that human beings would have remained childlike if they had not been able to receive the teachings of all kinds of Luciferic beings coming out of the mysteries. The essential point is that those who had to possess the necessary knowledge and wisdom for the progress and development of humanity, namely, the inherited and primordial wisdom, did not shy away like modern philistines from receiving this wisdom from the Luciferic element, but took upon themselves everything that human beings must take upon themselves when receiving such teaching from the spiritual spheres of Luciferic beings. Above all, human beings had to take upon themselves—one could call it an obligation, although such words cannot always express the essence of the matter precisely—this Luciferic wisdom, which is indeed world wisdom, [to use it as good wisdom in the service of Earth's development]. The difference between good wisdom and Luciferic wisdom is that good wisdom is in other hands, and Luciferic wisdom, which is the same in content, is in Luciferic hands; the content is exactly the same. That is what it is all about. It is not a matter of there being a wisdom that one can so nicely pickle in one's soul chamber in order to become a good person, but rather that wisdom is indeed uniform in the world, that the only difference is that it can be, for example, in the hands of wise people who administer it well, or in the hands of the Angeloi, Archangeloi, and so on, or in the hands of Lucifer. From another point of view, wisdom was not attainable for the progress of humanity in ancient times. So the initiates of ancient times had to receive it from Lucifer's hands, and they had to undertake the obligation not to succumb to the other aspirations of the Luciferic beings.
It was Lucifer's intention to hand over wisdom to humanity in order to prevent it from taking the path of earthly development, but rather to make it follow the path of development in a super-earthly sphere, in a sphere removed from the earth. So if I were to draw a diagram, I would say: If this is the surface of the earth (see diagram, white), then human beings would have to follow this path (red) when they enter the earth.
The Luciferic beings instill their wisdom in man, but they want him to stray from the earth and not go through earthly development. Lucifer wants to abandon the earth to its fate, to leave it unpopulated by humans; he wants to win over humanity for a special kingdom that is foreign to the kingdom of Christ.
The wise men of ancient times, who received the primordial wisdom from Lucifer's hands, had to take on the obligation not to give in to Lucifer, but to receive his wisdom and use it in the service of Earth's development. This is essentially what was achieved through the mysteries of pre-Christian times. And if one asks what humanity actually gained through these mysteries of pre-Christian times, through the influence of the Luciferic beings who first, that is, still in the post-Atlantean period, inspired certain personalities, the Rishis of India, and then sent their messengers to Earth, as I have indicated to you, it is everything that human beings have brought forth since their development of the ability to speak and think. For speaking and thinking are originally of a thoroughly Luciferic nature, except that these arts were, so to speak, taken away from Lucifer by the wise men of primeval times. If you want to flee from Lucifer, then you must resolve to be mute and not to think in the future!
These things belong to the science of initiation, which humanity must gradually learn, even though centuries of philistine education in the civilized world cause people to recoil from these truths. For so long, people have been presented with this caricatured image of Lucifer and Ahriman, who is also the devil of the Middle Ages. People have been allowed to grow up in such a philistine atmosphere for so long that they still regard these rites, which are so intimately connected with the development of humanity, with nothing but horror, because it is so terribly pleasant for people to be able to say: I guard myself against the devil, I surrender myself to Christ in childlike simplicity, then I will be saved, then my soul will be saved under all circumstances. — Human life is not so simple in its depths. It is absolutely essential for the future of human development that the things we are now talking about must not be withheld from humanity. For it must be known that the art of speaking and the art of thinking are something that could only enter into this earthly evolution because human beings received them indirectly through Lucifer's mediation. I would like to say that you can still recognize the Luciferic element in your thinking today. Ahriman has already attacked the languages, which have long been differentiated and adapted to the earth, causing differentiation and degrading the unified language into the differentiated languages of the earth. While Lucifer always has a tendency toward unification, the Ahrimanic principle is permeated by a tendency to differentiate. What would thinking be like if it were not Luciferic?
Yes, you see, if thinking were not Luciferic, then most people on earth, all those who do not think Luciferically, would think like one of those people who thought least Luciferically; that is Goethe. Goethe belongs to those people who thought least Luciferically, who in a certain sense set out to look boldly into the face of the Luciferic powers. But that makes it necessary to stick as closely as possible to concrete details. The moment one generalises, the moment one unifies, one is already approaching Luciferic thinking. If you were to consider every single human being, every single animal, every single plant, every single stone for itself, if you were to focus your thinking solely on the individual object, if you were not to form genera and species, if you were not to generalize, if you were not to unify in your thinking, then you would indeed absorb very little of Luciferic thinking. But anyone who did that as a child would fail in the first grade of every school today! That is therefore not what this is about. What is important today is to realize that general thinking, the kind of thinking that was particularly at home in the pagan nature, is gradually drying up altogether. People are no longer so predisposed that this Luciferic element of unification can be of much use to them on earth. This is ensured by the fact that the human nature created by God has gradually come into line with its development and has become related to the earth, to the earthly. Through becoming related to the earthly, human beings today are less related — already through their very nature — to the Luciferic element that actually wants to lead them away from the earth.
But it would be terrible if man were to depart from the Luciferic element and nothing else were to take its place. It would be very, very terrible. For then man would grow together completely with the earth, that is, with the individual territory of the earth on which he is born. He would become completely specialized in his culture, completely differentiated. We see this tendency developing today. This tendency has been particularly pronounced since the beginning of the 19th century, but today we see how the catastrophe of the World War has given rise to a tendency to split into ever smaller and smaller groups. National chauvinism is gaining more and more ground until it will lead to people splitting into ever smaller and smaller groups, so that in the end the group could comprise only a single person. Then it could come to pass that individuals would also split into left and right, and could come into war with themselves, where the right-wing person would be at loggerheads with the left-wing person. Many tendencies in this direction are already evident today in the development of humanity. A counterweight must be created to this. And this counterweight can only be created by means of a new wisdom, just as a primordial wisdom permeated and prevailed in pagan culture, but now achieved out of the free will of human beings, a new wisdom of earthly culture will be handed down. This new wisdom must in turn be an initiatory wisdom. This new wisdom must in turn go beyond what can be gained only individually.
And here we come to the chapter that must not be withheld from people today. If people did nothing toward the future to attain a new wisdom themselves, then things would happen in the subconscious depths of human nature that I have already described to you in part, namely, the Ahrimanization of the entire human culture. Human culture would become Ahrimanized, and it would then be easy for the incarnation of Ahriman, of which I have spoken to you, to permeate earthly culture with its own nature. That is why we must take precautions against all the currents that promote Ahrimanic culture.
But what would happen if, for example, people remained as they are today, with their good inclinations, if they did not perceive and see through the currents leading to Ahriman and thereby guide them into the right channel, as we discussed recently? Then, as soon as Ahriman incarnates in the Western world at the appointed time, human culture would become completely Ahrimanic. What would Ahriman bring? Through the most magnificent arts, Ahriman would bring to human beings everything that until then could only be acquired with great effort and struggle in terms of clairvoyant knowledge, as meant here. Imagine how infinitely convenient that would be! People would not need to do anything. They would be able to live materialistically, they would be able to eat and drink as much as there is after the catastrophe of war, and they would not need to concern themselves with any spiritual striving. The Ahriman currents would take their “beautiful, good” course. If Ahriman were to incarnate in the Western world at the right moment, he would found a great secret school, where the most magnificent magic would be practiced, and all that is otherwise difficult to acquire would be poured out upon humanity.
Again, one must not imagine in a philistine way that when Ahriman comes down, he is a kind of “Krampus” who plays all kinds of tricks on people. Oh no, all the comfort-seekers who say today: We want nothing to do with spiritual science — would fall under his spell, for he would be able to turn large numbers of people into clairvoyants in the most magnificent way through magic. However, he would only make people clairvoyant in such a way that each individual would become terribly clairvoyant, but in a very differentiated way: what one person would see, another would not see, nor would a third! People would all become confused, and even though they would receive a foundation of clairvoyant wisdom, they would only be able to come into conflict and strife, because the visions of different people would be very different. Ultimately, however, people would be very satisfied with their visions, because each of them would be able to see into the spiritual world. The consequence of this, however, would be that everything that is earthly culture would fall into the hands of Ahriman! Humanity would fall into the hands of Ahriman simply because it had not appropriated for itself what Ahriman would then give it. That would be the worst advice one could give to people if one told them: Just stay as you are! Ahriman will make you all clairvoyant if you want him to. And you will want him to, because Ahriman will have great power! But the consequence of this would be that the kingdom of Ahriman would be established on earth, that the whole earth would be Ahrimanized, that everything that has been achieved by human culture would, in a sense, be destroyed. Everything that, in its unconscious tendency, the present human race actually wants would be fulfilled.
What is at stake here is this: it is precisely this clairvoyant wisdom about the future that must be taken away from Ahriman. One could say: there is only one book, not two wisdoms — one book. — The only question is whether Ahriman has the book or Christ. Christ cannot have it without humanity fighting for it. And humanity can only fight for it by telling itself that it must, through its own efforts, have attained the content of spiritual science by the time Ahriman appears on earth.
You see, that is the cosmic work of spiritual science. The cosmic work of spiritual science consists in ensuring that the knowledge of the future does not become or remain Ahrimanic. It is a good method of playing into the hands of Ahriman to exclude all knowledge from the religion of confession, to emphasize again and again that only simple faith makes everything. If you remain with this simple faith, then you condemn yourself to dullness and stupidity of soul, and then the wisdom that is to be taken away from Ahriman, so to speak, cannot penetrate. So it is not a question of humanity simply receiving wisdom about the future, but of humanity working out this wisdom about the future, and of those who work it out take on the obligation to save the Earth's culture, to save the Earth's culture for Christ, just as the ancient rishis and initiates took on the obligation not to give in to Lucifer's demand to lead humanity away from the Earth.
What, then, is the essence of this matter as it initially appears to human perception? The essence of this matter is that a similar struggle is necessary for future wisdom as had to be waged by the ancient initiates who gave human beings language and the ability to think, as it had to be waged against Lucifer. Just as these initiates of ancient wisdom had to wrest from Lucifer what has become human understanding, so must what is to be insight into the inner nature of things in the future be wrested from the Ahrimanic forces. These things play strongly between the lines of life, and they are already playing into life.
I recently read a note written by a friend of the anthroposophical movement shortly before his death. He had been wounded in the war and spent a long time in a military hospital, where he gained many insights into the spiritual world during the operations he underwent. But the last lines he left behind contain a remarkable passage. They contain a vision in which he describes what he experienced shortly before his death. And one of the last things he experienced was that everything that spread around him like a circle of air, as he put it, became “granite,” completely dense, stony; granite, like heavy granite weighing down on the soul. One must understand such an impression. And one can understand it if one knows that there is a struggle for what is future wisdom; for the Ahrimanic forces will not allow this future wisdom to be snatched away from them so easily. One must not believe that wisdom can be hoped for in voluptuous visions. Real wisdom, as I said recently in a public lecture, must be “gained through suffering.” And what I have just told you about a dying man is actually a very good picture of that suffering. For in the struggle for wisdom about the future, one of the most common experiences is precisely this: that the world presses in on you as if the air were suddenly turning to granite. One can know why these things are so. One need only consider that it is the striving of the Ahrimanic forces to bring the earth to complete stagnation. They would have won their game as soon as they succeeded in bringing everything that is earth, water, and air to complete stagnation. Then the earth would not be able to develop back to the warmth from which it has developed since the Saturn era. It is supposed to reach this warmth again in the volcanic era. The Ahrimanic forces strive to prevent this. And an important decision would already lie in whether human souls in the present could not glow for what is the spiritual content of spiritual science. For the first impetus for the Earth to become rigid would then be given by human souls, by the indolence, laziness, and complacency of human souls. If you consider that this stagnation is the actual goal of the Ahrimanic forces, then it will not strike you as odd that this compression, this hardening of life, is one of the experiences that must be undergone in the struggle for future wisdom.
Just consider that human beings can prepare themselves in the present to look into the spiritual world by first grasping with their common sense what spiritual science has to offer. The effort put into studying, guided by common sense, can be part of the struggle that leads to receiving visions from the spiritual world. Some things will have to be overcome. For people today, the matter is so difficult at first simply because, if they want to understand spiritual science, they have to fight against their own granite skulls. If this granite hardness of the human skull did not exist, spiritual science would be much more widely accepted today. Much smarter than all the philistine condemnation of the Ahrimanic forces would be to fight Ahriman in a way that isn't philistine, but consists of sincere, honest study of spiritual science. Then, little by little, people would see and feel spiritually what otherwise has to come in physically through the Earth: the solidification, the becoming granite.
It must therefore be pointed out that it is truly profoundly true that wisdom about the future can only be attained through deprivation, suffering, and pain, but that it must be attained for the good of human evolution by enduring the corresponding physical and spiritual suffering. Therefore, everyone should make it a principle that the suffering involved in gaining wisdom should never deter them from pursuing this wisdom. What humanity needs for its outer life is that in the future the danger of the Earth becoming rigid and frozen, which would first occur in the moral world, be removed from the Earth. But this can only be achieved if people gradually imagine everything in their minds, feel it inwardly, and use their will to counteract what would otherwise become external physical reality.
This is also why, when it comes down to it, it is really only cowardice in the present that is to blame for people's unwillingness to approach spiritual science. They are not conscious of this, but it is precisely the case that they have to endure fear and cowardice in the face of what stands in the way of their striving as something difficult. How often do we hear again and again that people who join an anthroposophical branch are seeking elevation? By elevation, people often mean an inner spiritual pleasure. This cannot be offered, because it would envelop people in dullness and remove them from the light they need. The essential thing is that, from this present moment onwards, people must not be deprived of what are the actual driving forces of human evolution. People need to know how human beings are actually in a kind of balance between the Luciferic and Ahrimanic forces, and how the Christ Being has really become a kind of companion to humans: first out of the Luciferic struggle, then into the Ahrimanic struggle.
Human evolution must be seen in the light of these facts. Anyone who presents the secrets of the world today as they must be presented in spiritual science is sometimes severely ridiculed precisely because of essential things. Namely, when one is compelled today, as I had to do in my book Theosophy, to describe things again and again according to the number seven, people mock this description according to the number seven. Tomorrow I will speak about such mockery, which has been offered once again. But when one divides the rainbow into seven colors, or the octave, the tone scales into the prime, second, third, and so on, and the octave is then the repetition of the prime, people no longer mock! In the physical realm, people accept these things, but in the spiritual realm, this is not allowed! What must be achieved here was once part of the pagan wisdom of old. And we see a last glimmer of this pagan wisdom in relation to something like the number seven in the Pythagorean school, which was actually a mystery. You can read about Pythagoras everywhere in school textbooks today, but nowhere will you find an understanding of why Pythagoras based the world order on numbers. The reason was that the ancient wisdom based everything on numbers. But the last spark of insight into the wisdom of numbers was still present when Pythagoras founded his school. Other elements of the ancient wisdom remained longer; some even survived into the 16th and 17th centuries. For example, we still hear many physically reasonable things from the 15th and 16th centuries about the higher worlds. Then, if I may say so, the original understanding of humanity gradually dried up.
Let us imagine that a true representative of contemporary thinking was lurking in a corner somewhere and said: Well, what kind of nonsense are these anthroposophists talking about? We have such wonderful achievements in recent times! What does it mean to say that the original wisdom has dried up? We have received all kinds of great and powerful things, especially in the last few centuries and up to the present day. Perhaps people will draw a line under 1914, but at least until 1914 we received such wonderful things. — But if you take an unbiased look at what we have gained in recent times, you will come to the following conclusion. Certainly, people have collected all kinds of scientific, descriptive, and historical notes. Collecting has become particularly fashionable. They have also carried out various experiments and described them. But if you now ask: Is there actually anything new in terms of ideas or concepts in all that the most recent times have brought? — Individual lost spirits such as Goethe brought something new in terms of ideas and concepts; but Goethe was not understood. Go through what is happening, for example, in natural science or even in the most recent historical science, and you will find: The ideas at work there are not new. Certainly, Darwin traveled, described much of what he saw on his travels, then summarized what he saw and turned it into an idea. But if you take the idea of evolution down to the smallest details as an idea, you will find it already in the Greek Anaxagoras. And so you will find the most important ideas that natural science has today in Aristotle, that is, already in pre-Christian times. And these ideas are a treasure trove of ancient wisdom, a Luciferic source. But little by little, this ancient wisdom must dry up, and something new must be gained in the form of insights into the spiritual world. This requires a certain willingness on the part of human beings to accept those things that immediately give rise to truly new ideas. And the present human race needs new ideas, especially in relation to the soul. What is presented to people today as science about the soul is, in essence, nothing more than words. When people talk in a scholarly way about will, thoughts, and feelings in ordinary schoolrooms, they are really only dealing with words that people throw around like in a kaleidoscope. But these are basically just empty words, the sound of words. People are not seriously interested in taking seriously what is working toward something new today.
In this regard, one really does have peculiar experiences. For example, some time ago I was invited to speak at a Schopenhauer society in Dresden. A Schopenhauer society—I thought to myself, there must be something very special about that. And so I tried to explain how the contrast between sleeping and waking, waking up and falling asleep can be understood psychologically and spiritually. I pointed out what I mentioned to you recently, that the zero point is initially only present in waking up and falling asleep, that sleep is not merely a cessation of waking, but relates to waking as debt relates to assets.
If you were to look for something like this in contemporary psychology, you would not even find the slightest hint of these far-reaching ideas. In a so-called discussion, a few learned people, that is, a few philosophers, rose to their feet. One of them came up with the following beautiful sequence of judgments, which I could characterize in the following way. He said: What we have heard here is not really something that serious science would want to achieve. Serious science must concern itself with entirely different things. This has nothing to do with what we want to know, because when you look at it in the light of day, these were by no means new truths, but something we have known for a long time. — So: What we do not want to know and what is not the subject of our science is something that is already well known!
Well, there are contradictions in reality, but contradictions of this kind exist only in the minds of contemporary scholars. If someone says: Things cannot be known, they are not the object of human knowledge — fine. But if someone says at the same time that things have long been known to him, then that is an obvious contradiction! Such a combination of two judgments is often quite common to the minds of contemporary scholars.
But this way of thinking also determines what is at stake in the present. For there is a long, long way between the fact that the individual, who is still not entirely foolish thanks to the divine powers and thanks — forgive me — to Lucifer and Ahriman, and the representation of these things before the world. The individual sees some of these things and sometimes forms a judgment that is not at all unhealthy; but from this point to treating the matter in an appropriate manner before the world, the path is long, very long indeed. And for many, the situation is such that, on the one hand, they are quite happy to immerse themselves in spiritual science when a more sectarian society forms in which they can immerse themselves. But when they then stand before the world and are supposed to present something of what the world provides as its documents and testimonies, the matter evaporates again; then they are good citizens of the good philistine country. But this definitely promotes the steps of Ahriman.