The Rudolf Steiner Archive

Farewell Speech

Ladies and gentlemen!

[ 1 ] Following the moving remarks that have just been made, allow me to offer a few words of welcome and thanks to conclude this Summer School event.

[ 2 ] When I look back on that time in Penmaenmawr, I can say that I must regard it as a period of profound satisfaction. It was precisely this summer school that provided the opportunity to present anthroposophy here in England on a broader scale and over a longer period of time, allowing it to stand on its own as anthroposophy. And that, above all, is what fills me with deep satisfaction.

[ 3 ] Especially within our anthroposophical context, we must not underestimate the ideas that give rise to an initiative. The idea that gave rise to this Summer School was developed by Mr. Dunlop when I visited him during his illness—he had already mentioned this during my last visit to London. At that time, he was completely absorbed by the thought of incorporating into the diverse body of work—which has, after all, been accomplished in such a commendable way for anthroposophy—something that would present to the world the very core of the anthroposophical movement as such. And he told me at the time that it was his particular idea to use such a summer school to present to the world what anthroposophy can offer in terms of content through the spoken word, as well as what has emerged from it through eurythmy. And he expressed a third idea, the realization of which, of course, was not immediately possible, because it was too ambitious for external implementation at the outset. But it has nevertheless been a source of satisfaction for us to realize in Penmaenmawr precisely that which is central to anthroposophy—that which stands on its own as anthroposophy—and that which has, I might say, grown so intimately out of anthroposophy—eurythmy—and to bring these to the fore in their own right.

[ 4 ] This is not to suggest that the significance of the various movements that otherwise grow out of anthroposophy should be underestimated. But, ladies and gentlemen, anyone who can examine more deeply the interrelationships within the human soul, and especially the connections that arise between a movement such as anthroposophy and what can emerge from it in the world, it is clear that these other movements can only have a corresponding effect in the world if the central core of anthroposophy truly comes to the fore.

[ 5 ] Believe me, my esteemed audience, the educational movement in all its aspects is truly very, very close to my heart. But never—perhaps precisely because it is so dear to my heart—could I assure anyone that this educational movement, as it has grown out of anthroposophy, could be fully understood on its own through inner truth, let alone that by first winning over an audience for what has developed as pedagogy, as a system of education that has grown out of anthroposophy, might somehow lead to anthroposophy.

[ 6 ] The opposite, in the truest sense of the word, must be the correct approach: that it is precisely through anthroposophy itself, through the cultivation of anthroposophy in its most central areas, that a true understanding of what has grown out of anthroposophy—namely, the educational movement so vital to the world—will emerge. That is why Mr. Dunlop spoke so profoundly from my heart at the time when he said that, before fostering the offshoot movements, we must above all else prioritize that which must surely be the source of everything: anthroposophy. Nevertheless, I would prefer to have a different name for anthroposophy every eight days, so that the public does not get fixated on the name instead of inquiring into the substance. But that is not possible, of course, because of the letterhead and other logistical difficulties. And precisely when I recall that conversation, I must say: Anyone who is as deeply involved in the spiritual science movement as I am can give what they are capable of giving when they do not need to impose it on the world in any way—when, so to speak, they are allowed to give it because it is demanded of them, because it is demanded of them in the right way.

[ 7 ] In fact, this law should be much more widely recognized: true occult spiritual science can only be given if it is sought—if it is sought in the right way. And it was sought in the right way back then.

[ 8 ] And so I may say: It is my opinion that this Summer School in Penmaenmawr in particular can be a tremendous source of inspiration for the entire anthroposophical movement and its branches in England. That is why we can look back with such satisfaction on the time we were able to spend here in Penmaenmawr. And I would like to express, on behalf of Dr. Steiner and myself, our deepest and most heartfelt thanks to Mr. Dunlop and to those who worked with him to make it possible to present the very essence of anthroposophy—and eurythmy, which grew out of it—to such a warm and appreciative audience as the one gathered here today. And we are no less grateful to this audience—and here, too, I speak on behalf of Dr. Steiner—for their attentive and supportive engagement with the subject. It is of extraordinary significance to be able to speak, on the one hand, about what we are striving to draw from the sources of spiritual scientific knowledge, for this is, after all, what should speak most deeply to the human heart and soul at the present time. On the other hand, however, we live in a time in which all manner of signs clearly show how desperately modern civilization needs a spiritual impetus, and how ill-suited the traditions handed down from ancient times are to moving civilization forward in a fruitful way. It would regress if it could not gain a new spiritual impetus. And it must be said: When the opportunity arises, within a context such as the one described here, to point out precisely what our times require, this fills me with the deepest satisfaction.

[ 9 ] This morning, for example, I had to point out how civilization itself is threatened by a kind of occult captivity, and—more than one might think—it is precisely the entire spiritual life of our time that faces the danger of this occult captivity. We can point to this danger everywhere. This morning I mentioned the speech that Oliver Lodge recently gave in England at a very significant gathering. I mentioned how this very speech shows that longings exist even in the most abstract of sciences—longings that, while remaining in the subconscious, lead, when properly understood and arising from the right attitude, to what—in all modesty—spiritual science is truly able to offer. And when we pursue such matters, we can see everywhere what the message of spiritual science must be in such a case.

[ 10 ] You see, it is indeed a significant phenomenon that this remarkable book—written by Oliver Lodge about his son’s soul after his death, under the title Raymond, or Life and Death—has emerged precisely from a way of thinking and a mindset that is deeply rooted in the most orthodox modern science. I need only mention the fact; it is well known here. The story is that Oliver Lodge’s son, who had died in the war, was able to make himself known through mediumship and say things that touched the deeply grieved father’s soul profoundly.

[ 11 ] When the brochure by the distinguished Oliver Lodge about Raymond Lodge was published, the world was astonished; for in it, with immense erudition—truly drawn from the most conscientious, precise, and modern thinking—Oliver Lodge pointed to the mental, to the spiritual world. An immense body of material had been compiled to demonstrate how, through mediumship, one can truly enter into the spiritual life of the world using methods and approaches similar to those of modern natural science. What was particularly striking to the world was the fact that, through mediumistic channels, it was possible to speak about a photograph taken on the battlefield in France by Raymond Lodge and his colleagues. Two photographs had been taken in succession of Raymond Lodge and his comrades-in-arms; and as photographers often do with the second shot, they had him turn his face slightly differently, lift his chin a bit higher, and so on. These photographs were such that no one in England could have known about them, for by the time word of them reached England, Raymond had already died.

[ 12 ] As Oliver Lodge reports, through a medium, the spirit of Raymond Lodge spoke to him and the other family members; he spoke of these photographs, which no one here in England had seen; they did not arrive here until three weeks later. Everything proved to be true, down to the slightest detail regarding the session and posture. What could be more astonishing than this! What could be more astonishing than the fact that, through mediumship, something is described with the claim that it is the soul of the deceased describing something that was not yet known in England and only arrived later? |

[ 13 ] Nevertheless, a terrible error crept in precisely on this point. Anyone well-versed in this field knows that, under certain circumstances, there are certainly possibilities for precognition. What the group gathered with the medium at that time saw—as they focused their eyes on the images that only arrived later in England—could have been foreseen by the medium without the soul of the deceased being taken into account at all—a premonition, albeit an extraordinarily subtle and intimate one, but a premonition nonetheless. One really need not be merely a modern scientist to approach the revelations of the spiritual world with the proper critical eye. Everything that emerges in this field—even this excellent, serious, and precise work by Oliver Lodge—tends to lead away from a genuine grasp of the spiritual world rather than toward it. The habits of thinking and research adopted today from the natural sciences are such that, even when investigating the spiritual realm, one wants to proceed as one is accustomed to doing in the laboratory—that is, to take every step guided by the material. But this approach does not lead into the spiritual realm. Only purely spiritual paths, such as those described here, lead into the spiritual realm. And the person who believes they can enter the spiritual realm through such mediumistic means does indeed enter it—but into that spiritual realm which unfolds on the physical plane, in the physical world. For it was a foreshadowing of two things that took place in the physical world; what has been described is only seemingly something projected down from the spiritual world. Certainly, the physical world is permeated everywhere by the spiritual, but one is mistaken about the relationship between the earthly world and the super-earthly world if one does not have the opportunity to turn toward genuine, authentic spiritual research. And so it is with what I mentioned this morning: this desire to derive everything solely from scientific thought, as is customary today, and to permit only what comes from scientific thought—that is what builds the walls of occult imprisonment. And within these occult prisons, experiments are then conducted that in truth go completely astray; for they do not represent the truth, but rather terrible errors that lead us further away from the truths—especially when the hearts are so deeply involved, as is the case here with what is written in the book about Raymond Lodge. And we must—because in the realm where the spirit begins to speak, such a strong echo comes from our hearts; because our hearts speak along so strongly; because what can easily be mere human prejudice creeps into our hearts—we must employ every means to ensure there is no possibility of being surrounded by the spiritual walls of occult imprisonment.

[ 14 ] I would not even mention these things here if the grave seriousness of the times did not actually demand it. And the gravity of the times does demand it. For one thing is true: humanity needs to take a decisive step toward the spiritual.

[ 15 ] I have been asked many questions during the course of this summer course. Some questions could not be fully answered, not because the subject matter was too difficult, but simply because the time has not yet fully come in humanity’s development when one can speak quite freely about certain things. This is particularly true when questions are asked about the spiritual relationships between individual nations. I have also been asked how the spiritual world views the fact that one nation conquers another and makes it dependent on itself.

[ 16 ] Oh, the humanities could, of course, provide quite a bit of insight into such questions. But the time is truly not yet right—believe me, my esteemed audience—to speak about these matters with complete impartiality. For even today, people do not yet fully grasp the ultimate implications of those truths that begin, for example, like this: One need only ask oneself whether the external aspect is really always the only one when one nation has made another dependent on it in a physical sense, in the material affairs of the world. And one does not always see how the nation that has made the other materially dependent on itself has itself become spiritually dependent on the one that made it materially dependent. But this is only the beginning of truths that must also become widely known throughout the entire civilized world. And we can attain that universal understanding of such matters—which can then also take on their full significance in practical life—by no other means than by truly having the inner courage to engage with the actual spiritual truths.

[ 17 ] And so, ultimately, the question is this: Are there, after all, individuals in the world today who possess higher truths in some way, who convey these truths to the world in some manner, and who may be connected to one another?

[ 18 ] I have already pointed out that it does not depend solely on certain individuals sending truths out into the world, but that it also depends on the extent to which the world is willing to receive these truths. I have alluded to various obstacles that exist today and that might be expressed something like this: The Bodhisattva is already waiting; but first a sufficiently large number of people must make themselves capable of understanding him. And when the question arises as to whether those who have spiritual truths to share with the world actually communicate these truths to humanity, one may say: The mere fact that something is printed in block letters on paper does not in itself mean anything. I would just like to mention that today much can be written in printed letters on paper that reveals the deepest wisdom and insights. It always depends on whether this wisdom and these insights are actually understood. And there are many means of understanding; there are also many means of understanding that can be applied. But, my esteemed audience, communication among people who have something to say from higher worlds “was easier in the time when words were spoken from sacred sites, such as the druidic circles found here, and when the thought waves emanating from such sites as they traveled through the world did not encounter the waves of wireless telegraphy.”

[ 19 ] Once again, this is not meant to be a reactionary criticism of wireless telegraphy, for example. It is, of course, a material blessing for humanity. But the point is that when spiritual messages are truly to travel across the world, stronger forces are needed at a time when spiritual waves encounter the waves of wireless telegraphy than at a time when this is not yet the case. If only people would grasp the basic concepts, the fundamental, profound truth that precisely in our time—when, for the benefit of humanity, our material culture has reached such heights as it has—it is all the more necessary that the spiritual inscribe itself with great intensity, with powerful intensity, into the hearts of people and spread from the hearts of people.

[ 20 ] There was truly a wonderful, great opportunity for this here. For we lived, as it were, in an atmosphere that still radiated something truly marvelous in those ancient sanctuaries here—and I was also able to draw attention to this during the course of the lectures. That is why it was a fortunate choice to select this very place, where, in a certain sense, what once existed in Central and Northern Europe—before the Mystery of Golgotha spread throughout the world, what preceded the Mystery of Golgotha, but which then initially found no continuation as Christianity —as I described this morning—came up from the south. In a certain sense, it is still waiting.

[ 21 ] For, my esteemed audience, when one ascends to that admirable solitude where these stone circles stand, one can still encounter the tangible echoes of that which once exerted a powerful influence here in the northern regions of Europe. And there was much in that current of power back then that can no longer exist today, because human souls must progress and, given today’s advancements, could not endure it—it would hinder their freedom. Thus, precisely because what was once explored from the sacred mysteries through the deepest occult knowledge has gradually passed into cosmic memory—which hovers like luminous clouds around the hollows of the mountain peaks where these sanctuaries are located— it is precisely through this that this special atmosphere has spread over everything that can be accomplished here for a new spiritual life. These are indeed the things that, in the deepest sense, call for Dr. Steiner’s and my most heartfelt thanks for the fact that, through the efforts of Mr. Dunlop, Mrs. Merry, and others, we are able to inscribe this Penmaenmawr undertaking into the very fabric of the anthroposophical movement.

[ 22 ] It has already been beautifully mentioned here how many people contributed, both on stage and behind the scenes, to making all of this possible, and just as my deepest thanks are extended to all of you, my esteemed audience, for the wonderful attention you have shown at such a beautiful center for anthroposophy, eurythmy, and so on, so too do these thanks truly go to all those who prepared this event so beautifully and then carried it forward in such a wonderful way during the Summer School Days themselves. As I’ve already mentioned: Anyone who knows how much effort must be expended to bring something like this to fruition—anyone who has often been there themselves—is indeed able to judge these things well. And, you see, they also know something else: Those who were around me in earlier times and had to prepare such things themselves always sent their hides first to those factories where leather is tanned—because, after all, you can’t really satisfy everyone most of the time. You can’t please everyone; you’re bound to take your share of blows afterward anyway. And so it’s good to have a tanned hide ready for those days—especially for all those who work behind the scenes and have set the whole thing up.

[ 23 ] The anthroposophical movement truly grew out of humble beginnings, my dear friends here today. I recently referred in Dornach to the time—it is now 21 or slightly more years behind us—when the anthroposophical movement was launched within the theosophical movement through the journal Lucifer-Gnosis. It did not cease publication; rather, the workload simply piled up to such an extent that it could not be continued. It had a subscriber base that was by no means merely sufficient but outstanding, precisely at the moment when I could no longer continue it. But with it, the anthroposophical movement began on a very small scale. So to speak, the majority of Lucifer-Gnosis was written by me; then I had to drive to the print shop myself to make the corrections there; then we received the issues, and Dr. Steiner and I tied the cross-bands around them, wrote the addresses on them ourselves—we didn’t even have printed addresses, nor did we have a typewriter—then each of us took a laundry basket, placed the issues inside, and carried them to the post office. The anthroposophical movement began on a small scale. Even when giving lectures, one couldn’t count on having such elegant, wonderful rooms as we have here. I once gave a lecture in a room where I had to be careful that my legs didn’t fall into the holes in the floor with every step as I walked through the hall, since the floor was full of holes. That’s why I wasn’t at all surprised that it rained in here again these past few days—I’d almost say, as a reminder—because here in the Stadthalle, the ceiling also has holes. When you compare these things as they are now with the beginnings of the anthroposophical movement, they really do seem like times of celebration compared to what couldn’t yet exist in such a solemn manner. I’m not at all ashamed to say that, for example, in Berlin we once—because we couldn’t secure another venue on the days assigned to us and for various other reasons I can’t go into here—had to give a lecture in a room partitioned off from us by a so-called “Spanish wall”; behind it, beer glasses clinked, for behind it was a beer bar. And once, when they couldn’t give us that hall, they told us: “This hall is occupied with more important matters today; go to the only room we have left”—which was, in fact, something between a cellar and a stable. So the anthroposophical movement has certainly had to struggle through. And that is why it knows how to be grateful, insofar as it lives in the hearts of people. And you will understand that what has happened here in recent days deserves our full appreciation.

[ 24 ] In these words of thanks, I would like to express the deep, heartfelt satisfaction I feel at this moment regarding these days in Penmaenmawr. In closing, I would just like to say: It is, of course, always a bit of a burden when I am to work for anthroposophy here in England, since the audience has to spend twice as much time at the lectures because everything has to be translated. Yet, from a certain point of view, I do not even mind it—namely, from the point of view that it has revealed something that is, in essence, quite extraordinary: it has demonstrated Mr. Kaufmann’s excellent skill as a translator. He will now have to translate what I am saying again, and I ask him, as always, not to omit these last words; otherwise, I threaten him that I will ask Dr. Baravalle to translate them. I would also like to express my gratitude to Mr. Kaufmann for what he has once again accomplished in such a dedicated manner, even though he nearly fell ill because he did not bring his winter coat here, where winter coats are truly necessary. He has tirelessly taken on this work, and as I know for certain, to the deepest satisfaction of the audience. Above all, he deserves our most heartfelt thanks, for I must say: What would I do if Mr. Kaufmann were not here to convey what I so very much wanted to convey to you? And so, on behalf of Dr. Steiner and myself, let me express our most heartfelt thanks—and I believe I have justified this—to Mr. Dunlop, Mrs. Merry, Mr. Kaufmann, and everyone else who contributed both on stage and behind the scenes, here at the conclusion of this undertaking. And let it also be assured that the memory of what we were able to experience here in Penmaenmawr will be a truly deep, heartfelt, and ever-vivid one.

[ 25 ] With these words, which are meant to bind us together for the future—since we have been gathered here, as I believe, in a harmony sanctified by our shared historical memories—I would like to conclude my greeting and express my gratitude for these wonderful days in Penmaenmawr.