The Rudolf Steiner Archive

41. The Spiritual Guidance of Humanity I

[ 1 ] I will have the privilege of speaking here over the next few days on a theosophical topic that I consider important: “The Spiritual Guidance of the Individual and of Humanity.” And at the request of our friends, I would like to preface these lectures at this time with a few words, which may serve as a sort of introduction or preface to the topic I am tasked with addressing.

[ 2 ] One of the tasks of the theosophist must surely be what can be called, in the broadest sense, the “longing for true self-knowledge.” For anyone who has delved even a little into theosophical life and theosophical conviction senses that from this self-knowledge must arise that comprehensive understanding of every human feeling and thought, of every other being, and that such an understanding must be inseparable from our entire theosophical movement. This is so easily misunderstood that within our German theosophical movement, the symbol that you know as the Sign of the Cross with the Roses shines before us. It is easy to harbor misunderstandings, especially toward that very spiritual, theosophical movement which, under this sign of the Rose Cross, seeks today to become part of the spiritual life of our time, to become part of human hearts and their feelings, and to become part of human will and its actions. It is easy to arrive at a misunderstanding on this ground, because it is exceedingly difficult for many—even well-meaning souls of the present—to grasp that this spiritual movement, which seeks to work under this symbol, is in fact inspired by all its principles and by its entire sensibility to understand, in the most tolerant manner possible, every human endeavor, any endeavor related to human conviction. It is true that this tolerance reigns somewhat deeply within the Rosicrucian movement itself, in the very depths of the souls who count themselves among its members, but it is, after all, an integral part of this movement. Consequently, you will easily find this movement misunderstood by those who confuse tolerance with one-sided tolerance directed solely against one’s own opinion, with tolerance toward one’s own principles and methods.

[ 3 ] People have a mental image of this tolerance as being incredibly easy, but it is one of the most difficult things for a person to achieve in the truest sense of the word. For it is all too easy to believe that anyone who says something different from what one says oneself is an opponent, and it is all too easy to confuse one’s own opinion with what is generally held to be true. Theosophical life, however, will flourish and bear the right fruits for the spiritual life of the future if it becomes a broad foundation upon which we meet—in deep spiritual understanding—not only with those who believe what we ourselves believe, but also with those who, under certain circumstances, due to their own experiences and their own life’s path, are compelled to perhaps even to seemingly advocate the opposite of what we ourselves advocate. And if an old morality, which in a certain sense is approaching the twilight of its existence, has found it easy to practice love and tolerance among those who share our thoughts and feelings, then theosophic life, in its truth, will increasingly radiate into the hearts of people that much deeper tolerance, which will enable us to find common ground—based on mutual understanding, mutual human inspiration, and human coexistence—even where we do not initially agree in our thoughts and feelings regarding the world.

[ 4 ] This also touches on a point that is important to address—important in light of our entire Theosophical Movement. For what is the first thing, so to speak, that confronts those who turn to this Theosophical Movement? What is he led to profess first? Although this profession of faith need not be a dogma among us, and although there may even be differences of opinion among us regarding this fundamental profession of faith, it may nevertheless be said: What, in the broadest sense, constitutes a general commitment from the very beginning when anyone approaches Theosophy is the commitment to the idea of repeated earthly lives and the carrying over of causes from one earthly life into the next. Reincarnation and karma are convictions that impose themselves upon us from the very start. But it is a long journey from the very first day these truths become our conviction until the day we can, even to some extent, place our entire life, our entire being, in the light of these ideas, these truths. A long time elapses between the day this conviction dawns on us and the day it can become a full-fledged reality in our soul.

[ 5 ] For example, we may find ourselves face to face with someone who treats us with scorn—perhaps even insults us; but since we may have long since embraced the teachings of reincarnation and karma, we might now ask: Who spoke that hurtful, insulting word that penetrated our ear and poured scorn into it? Who perhaps even [raised] their hand at that moment? — And we will then be able to say to ourselves: We did it ourselves! The hand is only seemingly the other person’s hand, for it is I myself who, through my past karma, have raised the other person’s hand against myself.

[ 6 ] This merely hints at how long the path can be from the abstract, theoretical belief in karma and reincarnation to the point where we understand how to view our entire life in the light of these ideas, where we truly feel God within our hearts in such a way that we perceive Him not only as our own higher self—who, so to speak, teaches us how human beings participate in the Divine with a spark of their being, but where we also learn to feel this higher self in such a way that it permeates us with a sense of complete responsibility—not only for what we do, but also for what we suffer—for the simple reason that what we suffer in one moment is merely the necessary consequence of what we have done in another moment.

[ 7 ] And now let us feel such a mindset flowing into our souls like the warm, fresh spiritual lifeblood of a new culture. Let us feel how new concepts of responsibility—and new concepts of love for humanity as well—are emerging, concepts that must take hold of our souls through theosophical life. Let us feel that it is no mere cliché when it is said that the Theosophical Movement arose in our time because humanity needs new moral impulses, new intellectual and spiritual impulses. And let us feel that a new revelation in the spiritual realm does not assert itself for humanity—and is meant to flow into our hearts and convictions through theosophical life—because of some arbitrary whim, but rather that it is meant to flow in because such a new spiritual revelation is necessary for those new moral impulses, for those new concepts of responsibility—indeed, of human destiny—such a new spiritual revelation is necessary.

[ 8 ] Then one probably feels immediately and vividly what coherent meaning there is in the world when the very same souls that inhabit the bodies gathered here today have, time and again in past eras, already been incarnated on this earth. In light of this, one must surely ask: Why again and again?

[ 9 ] And this meaning becomes clear to us because, through what theosophy teaches us, we come to understand how—every time we look out into the glories of the world through newly formed eyes in a new body—we recognize in the world—in sensory phenomena—the divine revelations; or that, through newly formed ears, we listen to what can reveal itself to us as divine in the world of sounds, and thereby learn to recognize how, each time in a new incarnation, we can and should experience something new on Earth as well. Then one probably also senses that there must be people, so to speak, who are driven by their karma to foretell, in a certain sense, what must gradually come to be grasped by all of humanity as the meaning of an age.

[ 10 ] From what can be grasped today within the ranks of the Theosophical Society and the Theosophical Movement through the revelations from the spiritual world, Theosophists should recognize that this must permeate the entirety of human culture, and that the souls who are living their lives in the world through their present bodies feel drawn to Theosophy because they sense the need to add this new element to what humanity has attained from the spiritual world throughout the various epochs. We must, however, realize that in every epoch we must, so to speak, understand anew the entire meaning of the mystery of the world, and that in every epoch we must approach in a new way that which can flow down to us through the revelations from the spiritual worlds.

[ 11 ] Our time is a very peculiar one. And although people often casually refer to any era as a time of transition, this phrase—which is otherwise often just a cliché—can nevertheless be applied to our time in the truest sense of the word. We are, in fact, moving toward a time in which people will have to experience many new things in relation to the entire evolution of our Earth. In many respects, people will have to start thinking in new ways. Yes, much of what is new is still understood today—one might say—in the old style and in the old sense. For many people who hear today what we are able to hear through humanity’s progress, it is impossible to truly grasp this new reality in a new way. Often, people lag behind the new revelations with their old concepts. Let us draw attention to just one example.

[ 12 ] It has been rightly emphasized time and again what an immense advance in human thought it represents that, for four centuries, people have been delving into the physical structure of the universe. On the one hand, the great achievements and successes of Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Giordano Bruno, and so on have rightly been highlighted. But on the other hand, I would like to recall a statement made by a very wise person, which goes something like this: “Now the ideas of Copernicus have led us out into the vastness of space, and it has been shown that things are as Giordano Bruno had imagined: that our Earth is a small celestial body among countless others in space. And on this Earth, it is said, the greatest drama—which forms the center of evolution, of the entire process of development—is said to have taken place, and we are supposed to be able to place the story of Jesus Christ at the very center of all evolution?! It could not—so they say—be that something of such importance to the entire world could be transplanted onto this small planet Earth, since we have come to realize that this Earth is merely one small planet among countless others in the cosmos!

[ 13 ] This is a thought that certainly seems obvious—so obvious, in fact, that it might be called extraordinarily clever and wise in our time, if one considers only the intellect— but a thought that fails to take into account the depth of spiritual feeling inherent in the fact that, from the perspective of Christianity, the origins of this event on Earth were not set in a royal palace or in any of the world’s places of splendor, but rather in a stable among poor shepherds. Not even that was enough for spiritual feeling—it did not merely place this event on Earth, but in a despised corner of the Earth. This then stands in stark contrast to the assertion that it would no longer be appropriate to “stage the greatest drama of world history in a provincial theater”—an expression that has been used—which seems very strange. But Christianity has a way of staging this greatest drama of world history not only in a provincial theater, but somewhere else entirely.

[ 14 ] We can see from this how difficult it is to approach things with the right, true feelings, and how much people will have to learn in order to discern which thoughts and feelings are appropriate for humanity’s development. We are heading toward turbulent times. This can be said of our present and the near future. For it is true: Much of the old has run its course, and the new is flowing in from the spiritual world into the development of humanity. And not because they wish it so, but because the history of human development compels it, those who know something of this human development speak of how our entire spiritual life will change over the course of the next few centuries, and that at the starting point of this change in our entire human spiritual life must stand the theosophical movement that truly understands itself—must stand in all humility, but with a genuine understanding of what is actually to take place for humanity over the course of the next few centuries. For just as it is true that people have only learned over time to view the structure of the world with their intellect in the way that Copernicus and Giordano Bruno, or Kepler and Galileo, were able to—just as people have only learned over the course of our last few centuries to interpret the world intellectually, and just as human souls once acquired their knowledge in an entirely different way—it is equally true that intellectual life in our time will be superseded for the human soul by a new, spiritual content. Already, human souls within human bodies are urging us to no longer view the world merely intellectually. And if there were not so much pressure from the materialistic currents of our time to suppress spiritual impulses, such souls—in whom one can literally sense a stormy yearning for spiritual content—would stand out even more; the spiritual stirrings within people, who are only waiting to look out into the cosmos and into existence in a different way than has been the case so far, would stand out much more.

[ 15 ] Chosen souls, to whom is bestowed what is called “grace,” often foresee in their minds—centuries in advance—what may later become a universal insight for humanity. I have often pointed out how something that a man filled with grace, Paul, once experienced in the event on the road to Damascus—as the entire impulse of the Christ event—which he experienced at that time as an individual, will gradually become the common heritage of the human soul. Just as Paul knew through a spiritual revelation who the Christ is and what the Christ has done, so too will people once again experience such knowledge, such insight. But now the time is immediately before us, lying right in the near future, when a number of people will experience something like a renewal of the Pauline Christ event. This is part of the evolution of our Earth: that spiritual eye which opened to Paul on the road to Damascus—the eye that looks into the spiritual worlds and draws from there the truth that Paul had never before believed to be anything other than what he had been told in Jerusalem about the Christ-Jesus event—many people will have this spiritual vision. That this event will occur is a historical necessity. This is what has truly been called the “Second Coming of Christ in the 20th Century.”

[ 16 ] Christ as an individual will be recognized as he revealed himself, drawing ever closer to the physical plane from the moment he appeared to Moses in the burning bush—as in a reflection, as he himself declares in the Gospel of John—until the moment he lived his three-year life on the physical plane: He will be recognized through these deeds of His as the focal point of Earth’s evolution.

[ 17 ] There is only one center of gravity in a system. You can support a scale at only one point if you want the weights on the left and right pan to show the correct readings, and as soon as you support the scale at multiple points, you would be violating the spatial laws of gravity. You need only one point—a center of gravity—for a system. That is why occultists of all ages, both ancient and modern, recognize that when the center of gravity of Earth’s evolution is spoken of in the true sense, this refers to Earth’s evolution turning toward that one point—the Mystery of Golgotha—and the ascent of human development once again from that point. It is true: It is extraordinarily difficult to recognize the true meaning of this Christ event—the Mystery of Golgotha—for the entire spiritual guidance of humanity. For this requires that all the feelings and judgments we bring with us from one worldview or another fall silent within us. We must regard Christian educational methods—which have prevailed in the West for many centuries—with the same detachment and objectivity as we do other religious educational methods of the world, if we wish to truly come to know what constitutes the spiritual focal point of Earth’s evolution. Consequently, we will see that over the next few decades, those who become the most passionate advocates of the spiritual focal point of human development in the West will actually be regarded as “bad Christians,” and the dominant religions of the West may even deny them the title of “Christian.” Even this single idea is immensely difficult to grasp: that Christ could only have been incarnated once, temporarily, for three years in a human body.

[ 18 ] Those who have familiarized themselves more closely with what the Rosicrucian initiation has to say about these matters know how complex the physical body of that Jesus of Nazareth must have been, in order for him to be able to accommodate within himself that mighty Individuality that is the Christ Individuality. We know that it was not a single human being who had to be born, but that two human beings had to be born for this purpose. The Gospel of Matthew tells us about one of them, and the Gospel of Luke about the other. We know that the Individuality embodied in the body of the boy Jesus, of whom the Gospel of Matthew speaks, had previously achieved great things in its evolution, and that this Individuality left that body at the age of twelve to take on another earthly body until the age of thirty and to advance further with different abilities in this other body. We know that, in this way, the personality known as Jesus of Nazareth had to embody everything that had previously been experienced in humanity—all that was great and mighty, and above all, humble—so that all of this might be present in a body capable of receiving that which, in the true sense, may be called the Christ.

[ 19 ] A deep understanding will be necessary to grasp the uniqueness of Christ—that is, what the occultists mean when they say: Just as in mechanics there can be only one center of gravity in a system, so too there can be only one event at Golgotha!

[ 20 ] A time that stands on the threshold of such momentous spiritual events—which can only be vaguely described at this point—is particularly well-suited to prompting us to turn inward. And among the many tasks that the true theosophist has within the Theosophical Movement today, this one is certainly among them: to turn inward to one’s own soul, to one’s own heart, in order to gain a little clarity about the fact that one wishes only tentatively to walk the path that leads to an understanding of this unique idea, of which the occultism of all ages has told us so unequivocally.

[ 21 ] Such times, in which resplendent lights of wisdom and warm gifts of love are to be radiated upon humanity, must be the very times that also constantly bring us a reminder of the truth of the saying: Where there is much light, there are deep, dark shadows. - The deep, dark shadows that arise alongside the gifts just mentioned are the potentials for error. Great gifts of wisdom, which are meant to flow into human evolution, are necessarily accompanied by the fact that the human heart can be particularly vulnerable to error during such times. Let us therefore not believe that the human soul will be less prone to error in the times to come than in other times; rather, we must understand that, more than in any other era, the human soul will be exposed to error and delusion. This is what occultists of all ages have prophetically foretold, as if from the gray twilight. It is true that in the days of enlightenment—which we could only hint at with the words just spoken—even the slightest possibility of error, indeed, the greatest deviation, can take hold. This makes it all the more necessary to look clearly at this possibility of error, to be fully aware that, precisely because we are to anticipate great things, error must be all the easier for the weak human heart.

[ 22 ] When we consider the spiritual guidance of humanity for the times ahead, we must therefore, based on this idea of the possibility of error—based on what occultists of all ages have foretold with a clear and warning hand for the times that lie ahead—receive the teaching as Theosophists with sensitivity: to practice that highest, that only tolerance of which I spoke at the beginning of my remarks today, and rid ourselves of everything that, on the one hand, pertains to blind authority—for this blind authority can be a powerful tempter, capable of actually inciting error—but on the other hand, we must keep our hearts open and warm to everything that may flow down to humanity from the spiritual worlds in a way never before learned by humankind.

[ 23 ] Therefore, a good Theosophist within the Theosophical Movement will, above all, be one who knows: If we wish to be the custodians within our movement of that light which is to flow into human evolution, we must become discerning regarding all the errors that may creep into human evolution alongside this light. Let us also feel the full weight of this responsibility and have the broad-mindedness we need within the Theosophical Movement to understand that there has never been a movement on this Earth in which such a broad, loving heart could have been nurtured. Let us learn to understand that it is still better to be opposed by those who believe that their opinion alone holds the key to salvation than to oppose these others ourselves. — It is a long way from one to the other. But those who embrace the Theosophical Movement in spirit will know how to live by something that has rightly endured through the ages as a core principle, as a motto for all spirituality; they will know how to live in such a way that, even if despair were to overcome them at times at the thought: “Now it is so that strong light is present, but there is also great potential for error”— How are you, a weak human being, to find your way in this? How can you possibly decide what stems from the truth and what stems from error?”—When such a thought arises in your heart, you can find strength and encouragement in the ancient idea that has served as a motto throughout the ages: “The truth will be that which the highest impulses will always impart in the development of humanity, and the truth stands even higher than I myself could ever stand. If I stand in this way for the truth and err in this incarnation, the truth will have the power to draw me toward it in the next incarnation. If I err honestly in this incarnation, this error will be balanced out in the next, and it is better to err honestly—than to listen to dishonest dogmas!

[ 24 ] And the motto will shine before us: If what we profess is truth, it is not through us, not through our will. Not through our effort—but through the divine power of truth itself—will this truth prevail. But if what we are compelled toward by whatever circumstances in this incarnation is not the truth—if it is error, if we are too weak to be drawn to the truth—then may what we profess simply perish! Let us say it plainly, for then it has no power to live, nor should it have the power to live.

[ 25 ] And as theosophists, we must find a way to maintain our faith in the truth—which we may not even know yet—even if we were to have to entertain the thought that what we ourselves recognize as truth out of the most sincere conviction might in fact be nothing more than an error.

[ 26 ] If we sincerely strive for the truth—and we will attain it if we sincerely strive for it—then the truth will be the triumphant force in the world. And if what we already have is a path of truth, then it is not through what we can present as this truth that it will triumph within us, but through the truth’s own triumphant power. But if it is error, then we also have the strength to say: May this error perish!

[ 27 ] If we can make this our motto, then we will find the right point of view, the true perspective, so that we can say to ourselves: No matter the circumstances, we can gain what we need within a spiritual movement—trust! For if this trust initially leads us into error, that error will most certainly perish, and we will have the strength to witness its demise. If what this trust gives us is the truth, then that truth will prevail, no matter how fiercely its opponents may wage war against it! This feeling can live in the soul of every Theosophist. And if we are to be the mediators of that which flows down to us from the spiritual world—that which awakens such feelings in the human heart, feelings that provide security and strength for life—then, emanating from our movement, the following will be fulfilled within human hearts and souls: —the mission of the new spiritual revelation that has come into humanity with what we call “Theosophy,” will continue to come more and more—and will carry human souls ever further into a more spiritual future!