Supplements to Member Lectures
GA 246
7 December 1907, Stuttgart
Translated by Steiner Online Library
8. Golgotha and the Hardening of the Earth
End of the presentation or Q&A session
[ 1 ] There is a connection between this hardening of the Earth and the crucifixion, even if it is not a simple one. When we speak of the hardening of the rock, we have been dealing only with this realm. We must realize that the event at Golgotha—the crucifixion—is connected to all the processes of the Earth’s development. If someone had been able to observe the course of Earth’s development over millennia from another star—not merely as a physical body, but as a spiritual being—then they would have seen that the Earth’s astral body undergoes certain transformations that could be traced through various currents and colors. 4,000 years before Christ, 100 years before him, and 100 years after Christ, [the Earth’s astral body] is not the same; it is in a state of constant transformation, and with it everything physical, which, after all, arises from the astral. But never has this transformation been as profound as at the time when the Mystery of Golgotha took place!
[ 2 ] This single event—the flow of blood from the wounds—is at the same time the greatest cosmic upheaval in earthly existence. It will not become apparent to every individual until the distant future. Human beings will gradually come to realize its significance as they relive it. The initiate’s body becomes as hard as a piece of wood, and this happens amid torture!
[ 3 ] Let us recall what is said about human evolution. The “I” works within the astral body, thereby giving rise to the Spirit-Self. The “I” works within the etheric body, thereby giving rise to the Life-Spirit—Buddhi. The “I” works within the physical body, thereby giving rise to the Spirit-Man, or Atma.
[ 4 ] After experiencing Christ, a person learns that, at this stage of development, working into the etheric body means [feeling compassion for] the suffering of the Earth. This became, so to speak, an event in the most eminent sense during the historic event on Golgotha. There, the dying Christ suddenly felt all the suffering of the Earth.