The Rudolf Steiner Archive

35. Report on the Organization and Proceedings of the Congress in Munich

[ 1 ] [We haven’t seen each other here for a few weeks now. As you know, the reason for this was our convention, which took place at Pentecost. These conventions will, after all,] establish a kind of connection between the various nations, including with regard to our Theosophical cause within Europe. The Munich Congress, which is the fourth—following those in Amsterdam, London, and Paris—was intended, in a certain sense, to be a milestone in the development of our Theosophical movement.

[ 2 ] I do not intend to give an actual report on the congress today, but only a few remarks for those who were unable to attend. It was meant to demonstrate something that I have emphasized time and again with regard to our Theosophical cause: that Theosophy should not merely be a subject of personal contemplation and introspection. The Theosophical cause should intervene in practical life; it should be a matter of education, a matter of engaging with all branches of practical existence. Only those who have a deeper understanding and a deeper grasp of the true impulses of the Theosophical Cause already know today what possibilities this Theosophy will offer in the future. It will be the harmony between what we see and perceive [externally] and [what we] feel internally. For those who can see more deeply, an important reason for the disarray [of people today] lies in this disharmony between what is and what Theosophy aims for. It is not only Theosophists who have sensed this, but also other significant figures, such as Richard Wagner.

[ 3 ] In earlier times, every door lock, every house, every structure was a manifestation of the soul. The essence of the soul had flowed into them. In those ancient times, works of art were an integral part of human feeling and thought. The forms of Gothic churches in those days reflected the mood of those who made pilgrimages to them. They were an expression of their own inner state of mind. Those who made pilgrimages to the church at that time perceived the forms as if hands were clasped, just as the ancient Germanic people perceived the [intertwining] of trees as clasped hands. Everything was more familiar to people in those times. You can see this wonderfully expressed in the works of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. The gathering of the entire village in the church was nothing other than the expression of the village’s entire spiritual life. All the etheric currents gathered at the place where the church stood. The materialistic age has fractured all of that. Those who cannot contemplate life do not know this. The seer, however, knows that when one walks through a city [today], there is almost nothing but things that appeal to the stomach or the desire for cleanliness. Whoever understands how to trace the secret threads of life also knows what materialistic culture has led to in terms of this fragmentation.

[ 4 ] The healing of the outer world comes about when it becomes a reflection of our innermost spiritual states. One cannot immediately achieve perfection, but an example of this was provided in Munich. The theosophical worldview was expressed in that space. One saw [nothing but] theosophical elements there. The entire hall was decorated in red. Although there is often a great misunderstanding regarding the color red, its deeper meaning cannot be mistaken.

[ 5 ] Humanity’s development is a cycle of ascent and descent. Look at primitive peoples. They are surrounded by green in nature. And what do they love most? Red. The occultist knows that red has a special effect on the healthy soul. It unleashes the active forces within the healthy soul—those forces that spur one to action, those forces meant to move the soul from comfort into the discomfort of doing. A room with a festive atmosphere must be wallpapered in red. Anyone who wallpapers a living room in red shows that they no longer know what a festive atmosphere is and profanes the color red. Goethe spoke the most beautiful words there are about such things: “The effect of this color is as unique as its nature. It conveys an impression of both solemnity and dignity as well as grace and charm. It achieves the former in its dark, concentrated state, and the latter in its light, diluted state. And so the dignity of old age and the charm of youth can be clothed in a single color.”

[ 6 ] These are the moods triggered by the color red; moods that can be demonstrated through occult means. Look at the landscape through a red glass, and you’ll get the impression: This is what it must look like on Judgment Day. Red brings joy at what humanity has accomplished in its evolution. Red is the enemy of stagnant moods, of sinful moods.

[ 7 ] Then there were seven column motifs for the time when theosophy might one day be able to construct buildings. The motifs for the columns are drawn from the teachings of the initiates, dating back to ancient times. Theosophy will have the opportunity to introduce truly new column motifs into architecture. The old columns have, in fact, long since ceased to mean anything to people. The new ones relate to Saturn, the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury, [Jupiter], and Venus. [This] law was expressed in the capitals.

[ 8 ] Between the columns, we had placed the seven apocalyptic seals in the Rosicrucian style. The Grail Seal was revealed to the public for the first time.

[ 9 ] Theosophy can also be built. It can be built through architecture, education, and social issues. The principle of Rosicrucianism is to introduce the spirit into the world, [in this way] performing fruitful work for the soul. It will also be possible to elevate art to a “mystery art,” for which Richard Wagner had such a deep longing. An attempt has been made in Edouard Schur’s mystery drama, in which Edouard Schur sought to recreate the mystery plays [of antiquity].

[ 10 ] Underlying [the overall structure of the congress] was the intention to crystallize theosophy into the structure of the world. The program booklet] featured the festive color red and bore a black cross entwined with roses on a blue background. Rosicrucianism carries forward into the future what Christianity has given. The initial letters on the program booklet] reflect the fundamental ideas.