The Rudolf Steiner Archive

47. An Esoteric-Social Impulse for the Future: An Attempt to “Establish” a Society for Theosophical Art and Culture

Speech by Rudolf Steiner at the General Assembly of the German Section of the Theosophical Society

Foreword by Marie Steiner to the private publication she edited in 1947, titled “An Impulse for the Future Given by Rudolf Steiner and What Has Become of It So Far”:

In view of the gravity of the times and the little time remaining in our lives, it seems an urgent duty to preserve whatever can still be preserved of Dr. Steiner’s impulses and words. This includes much of what he spoke only in intimate circles during serious conversations, at certain turning points in events, regarding the future tasks and goals of the movement he had inaugurated. Transcripts are available, though they are neither exhaustive nor complete. Even if they contain gaps and perhaps fail to capture some of the finer nuances, one can still clearly sense how varied the manner of expression is—in keeping with the task at hand—at times vividly defined and firm, at other times dissolving, allowing a light to be sensed through the language, a light that must still remain half-concealed because words are insufficient. It settles over them like a soft veil, through which, however, the impulses that point toward the future can still take effect. Time and again, he planted guiding forces for future action in our souls—seeds of the future that, once the slumber of the soul had passed, would be able to unfold vibrantly; all too often, however, they were buried by the hustle and bustle of daily life or swept away by the whirlwind of events. Among the souls that had been allowed to receive such seeds of the future, there were certainly some from which they might one day spring forth into new life and struggle; but there were also those that, like the stony ground in the parable of the Gospel, would initially offer them no nourishment. Not only nature, but souls as well are subject to organic laws. Some of what enters them spiritually hardens or corrupts them, while other elements prove to be germinative and transform into new forms of existence. The passage through death and the immersion into chaos, with its swirling, churning forces, guarantees a later resurgence of the spiritual influence through metamorphoses toward higher levels of existence. In the microcosm as in the macrocosm, in earthly as in planetary existence, the law of transformation into new forms of existence prevails. By participating in this path and illustrating and explaining it figuratively according to race and ethnicity, religions have ascended to ever higher levels of knowledge, shedding light on the hidden depths in a way that is universal and in keeping with the course of time. When a certain culmination of this development had been reached and, at the same time, the danger of philosophical abstraction had arisen—such that the old images and symbols were no longer sufficient to capture the newly pulsating life—the Christian influence took hold, bringing about the great turning point. But when Christianity emerged from the darkness of the catacombs into the outer world, the danger of its solidification into dogma also arose, and the driving, living forces sought new paths. They found them in the secret societies that refused to bow to the authority of the church leaders and the decisions of the councils; now they themselves were persecuted as heresy. Their essence, concealed from the outside world, found expression once again in signs and symbols. These gave art a new direction, which first manifested itself in the works of Gothic architecture: the organic growth of the plant—incorporated into stone. This new life also flowed into names; these contained what the soul must absorb as guiding forces in order to develop healthily before attaining independence. But the education of humanity toward independence—into which the newly awakened “I”-force had to pour itself—first required a passage through abstract intellectualism, which separated souls from their spiritual source for a time, so that, passing through the coldness of isolation and grasping the higher “I,” they might find themselves again in the spirit. Knowledge of nature, detached from the spirit, no longer provides the soul with uplifting forces. For this to be experienced and recognized, spirits had to shatter worlds. We now stand amid shattered worlds; a new search for the solution to the riddles of destiny has begun. Rudolf Steiner’s life’s work can provide an answer to this search and these questions. He mastered the scope of today’s exact sciences; he can also reveal to us the spirit that works hidden behind them and was once enshrined in the ancient names. Through him, we are able to glimpse the impelling forces that lie behind the names. Lifelines for the inevitably approaching shipwreck had thus been extended to us, but we were not mature enough to grasp and make use of them. Our souls were not awake enough; they were still entangled in the old mental images. The attempts made in the social sphere met with the fiercest resistance from the outside world. A profound sorrow can overcome us when we see how little we were able to make fruitful use of what was offered and to serve as suitable vessels for the fiery spirit of the helper sent in our hour of need. Standing upon the ruins of shattered worlds, we must now attempt to bring to consciousness the Word we have received—but which we did not embrace with sufficient fervor—from the remaining fragments of written records; raising it up to the I of humanity through individual work. Rudolf Steiner sought to lead us to freedom not only through the paths of philosophy and science, but also through education within the esoteric life, which would gradually transform the old relationship of dependence on the teacher into an impulse toward freedom and responsibility before the Spirit. Souls that feel anchored in the Spirit must be tested. Such a self-sought test always brings about accelerated karma; that which still wishes to conceal itself from itself must also come to light. Such trials often caused the failure of attempts by spiritual powers—brought about for deep cosmic reasons—aimed at raising human development to a higher level. This was the case during the French Revolution, and likewise before the world wars of our century.

Rudolf Steiner had first spoken of such future tasks to a very small circle of his students and had tried to direct their attention to the significance of those distant tasks that must arise from human will freed from selfishness. He repeated these words before a larger gathering, which he convened on the occasion of the General Assembly on December 15, 1911. This did not take place within the proceedings of the General Assembly itself; he explained that it was taking place outside the assembly’s official program. He began this address in a particularly solemn and impressive manner. This is perhaps the reason why the first part of the address was only noted down but not reproduced in his own words. He emphasized that the content of this lecture was entirely independent of everything that had come before. It was, so to speak, a direct message from the spiritual world. It was like a call being brought to humanity—and then one waits to see what echo comes in response. Such a call usually occurs three times. If the call goes unheard even the third time, it is withdrawn back into the spiritual world for a long time. This call had already been brought to humanity once before; unfortunately, it found no echo. This is the second time. These are purely spiritual matters. With each futile attempt, the conditions and circumstances become more difficult. Continuing with what is preserved as key phrases in the postscript, he said:

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My dear friends!

[ 1 ] It falls to me, at this moment, to share an intention with your wider circle—one that has so far been known only to a smaller group of those already in the know. And before I do so, let me preface this with a few words. However, it should be expressly emphasized that what is about to be said has absolutely no connection to what has preceded in this General Assembly, or to anything else that relates in any way to the negotiations thus far—which does not preclude, should there be a inclination to do so, taking this into account in later negotiations.

[ 2 ] When we look around the world today, we must admit: The world today is actually full of ideals. And if we ask ourselves, “Is the advocacy of these ideals by those who believe in them and dedicate themselves to serving them sincere and honest?” then in very many cases we will have to answer, “Yes, that is the case! It is precisely the case with that faith and that devotion of which individual human beings are capable.” If we now ask: “How much is usually demanded when such a championing of ideals is undertaken by anyone—be it an individual or a society?” then, based on our observation of life, we will have to answer: “In most cases, everything is demanded, so to speak; but above all, it is demanded that the ideal set forth receive absolute, unconditional acceptance.” And the establishment of such an ideal is almost always based on the very fact that one demands the most absolute agreement for it. And usually, the failure to obtain such agreement is expressed through some form of disparaging criticism directed at those who disagree.

[ 3 ] These words were intended to describe how the principle of human organization has, in a completely natural way, emerged in the course of human development, and there should be no doubt whatsoever at this moment regarding the validity of such a principle. But a possibility is now to be presented to you here, in order to add something to all that has been strived for within the structures of people, societies, associations, and so on in the world—something that cannot actually be expressed in words, since what can be said can never be decisive for the correctness of such a matter. According to what a person is capable of thinking, at the very moment he expresses his thoughts, he may be compelled by the very act of expression to fall into contradiction with reality. It is precisely at this moment that many things must be said that are not in accord with much of what is accepted in the world. Thus, it must be said: It is possible that a commitment to a cause can no longer be true once that commitment is voiced. I would like to give a simple example from which you can see that there may be a danger of something becoming untrue simply by being spoken. And I would like the simple, straightforward example I give to be understood in accordance with the Rosicrucian principles dating back to the 13th century.

[ 4 ] Suppose someone expresses his state of the immediate present by saying, “I am silent”; this is something that cannot possibly be true—he is not stating any truth by saying it. But then I ask you, my dear friends, to realize that it is possible to negate something simply by verbally affirming it. For from what is expressed here through the simple example “I am silent,” you can conclude that this applies to countless things in the world and can occur again and again.

[ 5 ] But what follows from such a fact? It follows that when people wish to unite in any way to advocate for this or that, they find themselves in an extraordinarily difficult situation; that people cannot unite at all with regard to the most precious thing they possess, unless the reasons for their union belong not to the sensory world but to the supersensory world. And if we understand what we have been able to take in over time from all that has been brought to light by modern occultism, we will realize that it is an absolute necessity for the near future to advocate certain aspects of this occultism and to present them to the world. Therefore, in contrast to all the principles of societies and all the organizations that have been possible up to now, an attempt must be made with something entirely new—something born entirely from the spirit of that occultism of which we speak so often in our circle. But this can be done only by turning our gaze once and for all to something positive, solely to something that already exists as a reality in the world and that can be cultivated as such. But realities, in our sense, are only those things that belong primarily to the supersensible world. For the entire sensory world presents itself to us as a reflection of the supersensible world. Therefore, an attempt will be made—one that must be made from within the supersensible world: the attempt not to establish, but to found, a community of people.

[ 6 ] I have already emphasized the difference between “begründung” and “Stiftung” on another occasion; that was many years ago. It was not understood at the time, and since then hardly anyone has given this distinction any thought. For this reason, even those spiritual powers that are presented to you under the symbol of the Rose Cross have, until now, overlooked the need to convey this distinction to the world.

[ 7 ] However, a new attempt must now be made—and this time in a vigorous manner—to see whether success can be achieved even with a community that is not founded but rather established. If this success is not achieved, well, then it has failed once again for a while. Therefore, let it be announced to you at this very moment that, among those people who will come together in an appropriate manner, a way of working is to be established which, by the very nature of its establishment, takes as its direct starting point the individuality that we have, since ancient Western times, identified by the name Christian Rosenkreutz. What can already be said today about this foundation remains preliminary. For what has been established so far relates only to one part of this foundation, which, in a comprehensive sense, is to be brought into the world when the possibilities arise. What has been established so far relates to one department, to one branch of this foundation, namely, the artistic representation of Rosicrucian occultism.

[ 8 ] The first point I have to share with you is that under the direct patronage of that Individuality whom we designate by the name she bore to the outside world during two incarnations—that under the patronage of this Individuality, Christian Rosenkreutz is to establish a foundation whose mode of operation will initially be characterized by the fact that, for a time—for the immediate future—it will bear the provisional name: “Society for Theosophical Art and Culture.” This name is not the definitive one; rather, a definitive name will take its place once the initial preparations for bringing this foundation out into the world have been made in an appropriate manner. What “theosophical art” is intended to encompass is still entirely in its infancy, for the first task will be to make the necessary preparations that can lead to an understanding of what is meant by it. However, what can be encompassed by the term “theosophical art” has already begun in many ways through our experiments with the performances in Munich, and above all has made a significant start through the experiment at our site in Stuttgart, as well as another significant step toward understanding such a matter precisely through the founding of the Johannes Building Association. All of this represents a beginning. In this regard, there is something here that, having been tested in a certain sense, may be given approval.

[ 9 ] The point is that a purely spiritual task should arise within the working group—a task that will be fulfilled through a spiritual approach to work and in what results from such an approach. And the point is that no one can become a member of this working group from any other perspective than solely by having the will to devote their energies to the positive aspects of the cause. You may say: I am speaking in many different ways that may not be entirely understandable. This must be the case with a matter such as the one at hand, for the matter must be grasped in its immediate reality.

[ 10 ] Well, what has already been accomplished within this foundation is, in fact, the creation—based on purely occult principles—of a circle that is, at first, quite small, indeed tiny, whose purpose is to contribute to the cause at hand. This tiny circle is initially designed to serve as a starting point for this foundation, so that, in a certain sense, what constitutes our spiritual movement may be separated from myself and given its own, self-sustaining existence—a self-sustaining existence!

[ 11 ] So, first of all, this small circle steps before you with the assurance that it has received its mission as such, by virtue of its own recognition of our spiritual movement, and that, in a certain sense, it views the principle of the sovereignty of spiritual striving—the principle of federalism and the autonomy of all spiritual striving—as an absolute necessity for the spiritual future, and is to carry this into humanity in the manner it deems appropriate. Therefore, even within the foundation in question, I myself will have to be regarded merely as the interpreter—first and foremost of the principles that, as such, exist only in the spiritual world—and as the interpreter of what must be said in this way about the intentions underlying the matter.

[ 12 ] To this end, a trustee will first be appointed to oversee the external administration of this foundation. And since the offices that are initially created entail nothing but duties—no honors, no titles—it is impossible that, given a proper understanding of the matter, any rivalries or other misunderstandings could arise immediately. The matter, therefore, will be that Miss von Sivers is initially recognized as curator by the foundation itself. This recognition is not

[ 13 ] other than this one, which is interpreted based on the foundation itself; there are no appointments, only interpretations: Miss von Sivers is interpreted as the foundation’s curator. And in the near future, it will be her task to do whatever can be done in the spirit of this foundation to attract a suitable circle of members—not in a superficial sense, but only in such a way that she will allow those who have a sincere desire to participate in this way of working to come forward.

[ 14 ] In a broader sense, a number of sub-branches will be created within this one branch of our foundation. And as leaders of these sub-branches—insofar as they currently exist—individuals who have proven themselves within our spiritual movement will be appointed, along with the corresponding responsibilities. This, too, is initially an interpretation, in the sense that the office of leadership of such an individual sub-branch is entrusted to a specific individual. An archdeacon will be appointed for each of these individual sub-branches. We will have a sub-branch for general art. Miss von Eckardtstein was appointed Archdeacon for general art in a small gathering—and this was done in explicit recognition of what she has done for this general theosophical art over the past few years. Furthermore, the curator Miss von Sivers was provisionally appointed as Archdeacon for Literature. It was also announced that our friend Dr. Felix Peipers is to serve as Archdeacon for the art of architecture; our friend Mr. Adolf Arenson for the art of music; and our friend Mr. Hermann Linde for painting.

[ 15 ] It is, after all, the work itself that is at issue here—work that is essentially inner—and for the first time, what constitutes the work of these individual personalities, carried out in absolute freedom, is to be revealed to the world. It will be necessary for those who adhere to this way of working to come together in some way; this association will have to take place in a completely different way than has been the case so far with any organizations. And we will need a supervisor for this association. To oversee this association, the position of Curator is being created, a role that will initially be entrusted to Miss Sophie Stinde. The very nature of how the association is to be formed will be connected to the association itself. All of this still requires work in the near future; it will still have to be done. However, in order for the nature of the merger—in other words, the principle of the organization—to be realized and come into being, we necessarily need a Seal Curator. Miss Sprengel has been appointed Seal Curator, while Dr. Carl Unger will serve as Secretary.

[ 16 ] This, to begin with, is the small, tiny circle in question. Do not view it as something that wants to stride immodestly into the world and say, “Here I am,” but rather view it as something that wants to be nothing more than a seed around which the matter itself can take shape. It will initially take shape in such a way that, by the coming Feast of the Epiphany, a number of members of this community will have been identified; that is to say, by then a number of members will have been informed that they are initially being asked to arrange their own membership. Thus, for the very earliest period, the greatest possible freedom in this regard is to be ensured by the fact that the will to become a member can come from no one other than the person concerned who wishes to become a member. And the fact that he is a member is brought about by his first being recognized as such. This applies only to the immediate future, only for the period until the next Epiphany, January 6, 1912.

[ 17 ] So, in this matter, we are faced with something that, by its very nature, reveals itself to be something that flows from the spiritual world. It will further reveal itself as flowing from the spiritual world in that membership will always and exclusively be based on the representation and recognition of spiritual interests and on the exclusion of everything—absolutely everything—personal.

[ 18 ] There is a deviation here from older occult principles that is made in this proclamation, and this deviation consists precisely in the fact of this proclamation itself. Therefore, no use will be made of that assertion which might apply to a person if he were to say, referring to the present moment: “I remain silent.” The matter is, after all, being proclaimed; and this is to take place in full awareness that it is being proclaimed. But the moment someone shows that they have no understanding whatsoever of this present proclamation, it will of course be impossible to suggest to them in any way that they should belong to such a way of working—I am not speaking of a society or the like. For there can be nothing other than absolutely free will to belong to such a circle, to such a way of working. You will see, however, that if something like this were to come about—that is, if the nature of our times were to allow for such a thing to happen—then work could truly be carried out in the spirit of acknowledging the spiritual principle; the principle that the spiritual, supersensible world underlies not only all of nature and all of history, but also all human activity that enters the world. And you will see that it will be impossible for any decent person to belong to such a community unless they agree with this community as such. If you think what has been said here is rather strange, then I ask you to take it as having been said with full awareness

[ 19 ] is that everything that pertains to the laws—the eternal laws of existence—is observed in the process. And part of the eternal laws of existence is also that one takes into account the principles of becoming. My dear friends, one can sin against the spirit of what is to happen even at this very moment if one now, in

[ 20 ] goes out into the outside world and says: This or that has been established. Not only has nothing at all been established, but the fact is that it will never be possible to define what is to be done, because everything is to be in a state of constant becoming. And what is actually supposed to happen as a result of what has been said today—that cannot be described now; no definition or description of it can be given at this moment, and anything one might say about it would be untrue the very instant it was spoken. For what is to happen does not rest on words, but on people—and not even on people, but on what these people will do. It will be a living flow, a living process of becoming. Thus, the only principle established today is this one: the recognition of the spiritual world as the fundamental reality.

[ 21 ] All other principles are to be created as the thing comes into being. Just as a tree, in the very next moment, is no longer what it was before but has begun something new, so this thing is to be like a living tree. What this thing is to become must never be compromised in any way by what it is. If, therefore, anyone were to attempt to define what has been designated as a beginning—as this or that justification, this or that thing out there in the world—he would immediately fall prey to the same untruth that lies in the expression “I am silent” when he applies it to the state in which he finds himself and uses the words “I am silent.” Therefore, anyone who uses these or those words in any way to characterize the matter is, under all circumstances, saying something that is not true. So, for the time being, the only thing that matters—since everything will be in the process of becoming—is that the personalities who desire such a thing come together. The only thing that matters is that those personalities who desire such a thing come together. Then the matter will take its course! From all that has been said, you can infer that the matter will then proceed on its own. It will differ, in its deepest essence, even from what the Theosophical Society is. For not a single one of the characteristics mentioned today can apply to the Theosophical Society.

[ 22 ] I had to speak about this matter for the simple reason that matters organically connected to this foundation have already come to the attention of the public within our Theosophical Society, and because through this foundation —in the sense of intentions that truly do not lie in the physical world and that truly have nothing to do with Ahriman—an ideal-spiritual counterbalance must be created against everything that is already connected with an institution in the outer world. It is only in this respect, therefore, that a connection can be seen with what already exists: that this branch of our foundation—the branch for Theosophical Art—is to accomplish something that serves as a counterbalance to that which is linked to the Ahrimanic on the physical plane.

[ 23 ] It is hoped that an excellent example will be set by the existence of this branch of our foundation—and the other branch will serve in a corresponding manner—because what is to figure as art within the Theosophical Movement—if we use that term today—must indeed flow into our culture from the spiritual worlds. It must be the case that spiritual life stands fully as the foundation of everything we do. It will be impossible to confuse or mix up this ideal-spiritual movement with any movements that come from the outer world and may also call themselves the “Theosophical Movement” and wish to participate. The point will be that, everywhere, the ground on which we stand is the spiritual. This was indeed attempted at the festival in Munich, at the lodge building in Stuttgart—within the limits that are possible under current circumstances—but it was attempted everywhere in such a way that the spiritual element was the determining factor. That is the conditio sine qua non, the condition without which nothing should happen [gap in the notes].

[ 24 ] Those who have already gained some insight into the matter at hand will understand me in this regard. These words are spoken less for their content than for the guidelines they are intended to provide.

Afterword by Marie Steiner to the reprint she edited:

[ 25 ] When no further nominations had been announced by the end of the year and the following Epiphany, a member of the audience asked Rudolf Steiner when this would happen. He replied: “The fact that this has not happened is also an answer.”

[ 26 ] The year 1912–13 was dominated by the disputes with Annie Besant, her proclamation of the new Messiah, and her “Star of the East” movement, which was now also active in Germany.

[ 27 ] The followers of the Western spiritual movement inaugurated by Rudolf Steiner demanded that the President issue a clear statement regarding the ongoing disputes, in accordance with the agreements reached in Munich and Budapest, rather than evading the issue, playing hide-and-seek, and acting behind their backs. This demand was championed by the “Bund,” founded around 1912 with members from many countries, which was followed in 1913 by the establishment of the Anthroposophical Society after the President of the Theosophical Society had carried out the expulsion of the German Section.

[ 28 ] In the meantime, work had continued in various areas thanks to the efforts of the inner circle: in the Johannesbau Association, on the completion of the Stuttgart Society House, and on the so-called “Art and Folk Rooms” in Munich and Berlin—an initiative launched by Miss Sophie Stinde. The most intellectually outstanding publication was the *Seelenkalender* (*Calendar of the Soul*), created through a collaboration between Dr. Steiner and Miss von Eckardtstein; the wonderfully transparent nuances of the language truly allow spirit and soul to flow into one another and become one with nature. Many other projects were seeking to unfold quietly into the future. But then came the World War and the upheavals associated with it, which deeply affected the external living conditions and the mutual relationships among the members in Dornach, who belonged to a wide variety of nations.

[ 29 ] They tried their best to overcome the surging blood, but every now and then there were tremors and derailments.

[ 30 ] The most dramatic crisis in Dornach occurred in the summer of 1915. A certain Dr. Gösch came to the forefront—a typical pathologist and proponent of psychoanalysis. He convinced himself that the Keeper of the Seal had opened his eyes to promises that Dr. Steiner made but did not keep. He set this out in a pamphlet using psychoanalytic methods. At the same time, he wrote a letter to Dr. Steiner in which he developed his theories based on the “revelations” made to him by the Keeper of the Seal. The Keeper of the Seal could not have understood the task assigned to her by that name in any other way than in a very personal sense. She saw herself as the inspiration behind the spiritual teachings Dr. Steiner had given to humanity. Since she had also played the role of Theodora in Rudolf Steiner’s Mystery Dramas in Munich, she concluded that this constituted proof of a symbolically given marriage promise, the fulfillment of which she had waited “seven years” for. Her many accusatory letters, all revolving around this point, gave Dr. Gösch the opportunity to compile a psychoanalytic treatise in the Freudian sense to shed light on her case. He himself had, after all, undergone Freudian treatment for a long time due to his pathological nervous condition, and it had deeply influenced his nature. His open letter of accusation now gave rise to numerous discussions, conducted strictly and meticulously within the Society, through which the membership was to gain clarity on this case. Transcripts of these discussions are available and also formed the basis for the book *Anthroposophy and Psychoanalysis*, published as a special issue of the journal *Anthroposophy* in Stuttgart.

[ 31 ] Here, let us mention only what pertains to the case of Sprengel—alias Proserpina—alias Theodora—alias the Keeper of the Seal—and how this manifested itself in her as megalomania in such a mystical and personal way. Admittedly, symptoms of self-conceit had already become apparent in her even before the war. This unfortunate delusion of grandeur thwarted the possibility of further nominations to the circle consisting of eight individuals. One stone had fallen out due to selfish self-conceit and a descent into mystical aberration.

[ 32 ] The Keeper of the Seal broke the seal in the most ordinary human sense. The necessity of involving women as active participants in the cultural tasks of the future is undeniable and must be achieved despite the failure of these efforts in individual cases. - That is what happened to us with the Keeper of the Seal.

[ 33 ] Dr. Steiner commented on this case in the following manner during a speech given during the so-called crisis of 1915:

[ 34 ] “It was once announced in the fall that, because certain untenable symptoms were manifesting themselves in our Society, it had become necessary to establish a smaller, more intimate group. In doing so, I initially attempted to assign certain titles to a number of close associates who had been members of the Society for a long time, assuming that they would act independently in accordance with the meaning of these titles. I said at the time: If anything is to happen, the members will hear something by Epiphany. None of them heard anything, and it follows from this that the Society for Theosophical Art and Culture does not exist at all. This is actually self-evident, since no announcement was made to anyone. Just as it is self-evident that an announcement would have been made if the matter had been realized. The way the matter was interpreted in a particular case made it impossible. It was an attempt.”

[ 35 ] The circle of nominees, as an inner, esoteric matter, had been shattered; outside, the World War raged; in Dornach, practical work continued just as intensively despite the external circumstances. With so many artists and helpers called to the front lines, the burden of the work fell heavily on the women. Only a few men had been able to stay behind, including Hermann Linde. The women, however, held their own. From early morning onward, the sounds of hammering and chiseling rang out in the structure of precious wood, which rose from the concrete foundation up toward the vaulting domes. Organically flowing forms sprang from the exterior and interior walls, warmed and rippled by the human hand that shaped them. Inside, the columns rose with their bases and capitals, their architraves, at the top of which the two domes joined together, thus simultaneously separating and connecting the symbolism of the spiritual experience from that of the cosmic.

[ 36 ] The painters and their assistants gathered around Hermann Linde. Dr. Steiner had designed the motifs for the dome paintings, images of which have been preserved for us in Alinari’s reproductions. With diligence and enthusiasm, new priming techniques were tested, allowing the plant pigments to unfold their full radiance; a group of assistants eagerly ground the plants from which the new colors for the dome paintings were to be created. The programs designed for the weekly eurythmy performances provided an opportunity to develop personal imagination and to train using the templates designed by Dr. Steiner for this purpose.

[ 37 ] In Germany, the role assigned to the seal-keeper—who was based outside the district—was very soon more than adequately filled by Miss Bertha Meyer. During the months we spent in Germany during the war years, she was often able to travel from Bremen to Berlin to perfect her technical mastery of the art of jewelry-making through Dr. Steiner’s guidance. The extensive gemstone collection of a member who had returned from the Orient provided a fortunate opportunity for new inspiration. Stones were selected from this collection whose luminosity and inner substance were to be particularly highlighted by a setting appropriate to their nature and material. It was a unique experience to let one’s hand glide through their abundance and to feel, through the cool trickle of the stones, their forces penetrating one’s own etheric body. This contact with the coolness of the mineral kingdom and the almost exhilarating glow of metal melting in fire—especially gold—brought the elemental nature of the forces of nature vividly to consciousness.

[ 38 ] The seals designed by Dr. Steiner for the Mystery Plays formed the basis for the spiritual study of this predestined keeper of the seals, who has left us so many exemplary works of her art. Death snatched her from us just as a place for her work—a school of treasures—could have been established in Dornach. These seals also served as a testing ground for the formative forces of eurythmy—carried and moved by ethereal impulses—and for the musical art that, in connection with it, sought new paths; this art now sought, beyond the inner experience of major and minor keys and beyond the fifth, to catch a glimpse in sound of the primal forces to which it owes its existence, thus feeling its way toward the lost Word.

[ 39 ] The new architectural style created by Dr. Steiner, which had incorporated the movement of the plant kingdom and did not shut itself off from the outside world but opened itself widely to it, had to remain true to this principle in the treatment of its stained-glass windows as well. Flows of color had to pour into the space; their basic tones—differentiated according to the rainbow yet each maintained as a unified whole—brought the floating and weaving of the intersecting hues of light into the space. The delicacy of the nuances was further intensified by the varying densities of the glass, which arose during the grinding and etching of the motifs into the glass material; their spiritual content referred to humanity’s path of initiation extending into the future. While the motifs of the large and small domes traced humanity’s macrocosmic and microcosmic path of development up to the fulfillment of the self.

[ 40 ] The art of black-and-white, with a new style of line drawing introduced by Dr. Steiner, developed alongside the art of delving into the world of creative colors. And all these artistic possibilities, arising from the most diverse elements, came to life in the art of the spoken word—Eurythmy—which allowed one to sense and, to a certain extent, grasp the primal forces of the lost “Word.” Through the modest achievements attained through rigorous work, it was possible to fulfill something of what Dr. Steiner had described as the task of the spiritual movement he had inaugurated: to allow the forgotten spiritual current that entwined itself around Goethe and Schiller to flow anew and vividly into culture.

[ 41 ] We lived in the abundance of the inspiration we received from him. He himself was taken from us by death in 1925. With his death, he had to pay the price for the immeasurable wealth of his gifts. We have been enlivened and sustained by his inspiring spiritual power. Through suffering and trials, through numbness and moral darkness, we must now seek the paths to inner freedom and independence, for which he sought to awaken an understanding within us. May we be granted the grace to find them.