The Rudolf Steiner Archive

Undated note with FM symbolism
from the estate of Mathilde Scholl

in the Archives of Documentation at the Goetheanum
(GoeA D.02 Scholl, Mathilde 005, No. 37, front page;
handwriting of Mathilde Scholl (?)).

I the ego; imagine drawing a thread from the center of the body through the center of the earth to the end of the body; imagine the thread as weighted down with a weight that pulls you to the center of the earth; while thinking I.

A (without crossbar): Astral body of man; imagine a line from the root of the nose to the heels; stand with legs apart and think A.

O etheric body of man; imagine spiral lines in whose circles the human body stands; think O (underlined)

IAO means the individualization of the human being in / demarcation.

TAO means the state when the human being was still a group soul.

A (with crossbar on top): is the animal astral body, and Jdaraus is the K / originated.

I A K I N equals human creation(?)

Beloved Brothers!

Weimar, January 18, 1906

By kind permission of the venerable master, Brother Ott, the general secretary of the German section of the Theosophical Society, Dr. Rudolf Steiner of Berlin, will give a public lecture on “Our World Situation” in the hall of the “Amalia” lodge at eight o'clock on Tuesday the 23rd of the month, to which we, the undersigned, would like to extend a very special invitation. After the lecture, Dr. Steiner will answer any questions addressed to him, and this will give you the opportunity to find out more about the teachings of the school of thought known as “Theosophy”, which you may not be fully familiar with, and which you, as a Freemason striving for the broadest possible knowledge, should not miss.

“Audiatur et altera pars!”

Furthermore, if there is sufficient interest among the brothers, Dr. Steiner will speak on the inner relationship between Freemasonry and Theosophy on Wednesday, the 24th of the month, at 6 p.m., in a closed room to be determined, for Freemasons only. We kindly request that you if you would be so kind as to attend this event, which will last approximately one hour, and kindly inform the co-signed Brother von Henning by return of post if possible.

With kind regards!

The brothers

Arthur Rösel and Horst von Henning

Members of the Theosophical Society

Hotel “Preussischer Hof”, February 8, 1913

Dear Dr. Steiner.

You have called upon us to “watch over” the newborn Anthroposophical Society, which is beset by enemies, and ensure that no harm befalls it. I believe I am acting in accordance with this instruction when I take the liberty of drawing your attention to a danger that threatens it from within. I will illustrate this danger with an example.

A Mr. Daeglau gave a lecture at the architects' house in which he provided evidence that “science” had misunderstood the nature of gravity. He claimed that there was hardly any attraction of bodies through the earth, but that the fall was caused by repulsion through the zodiac. In his explanations, he said some outrageous things as if they were well-known facts, such as that the direction of gravity is the same everywhere, that according to the laws of mechanics g = # would have to be if the mass of the earth were to be assumed to be infinitely large in relation to the mass of the falling body, and so on.

For anyone familiar with the fundamentals of physics, it was clear that one had before them a half-educated fantasist, but the majority of the ladies present and some of the gentlemen did not even have this modest knowledge. Since no objections were raised against the lecturer's assertions, such listeners could have been left with the impression that new proof had been provided of how foolish “science” is how far-sighted secret research is; and if they then carry this wisdom home in black and white (as some do) and occasionally share it with an outsider, the Anthroposophical Society, or more correctly Dr. Rudolf Steiner, can suffer as a result of such a fact, which is immediately generalized.

For one must always bear in mind that the Anthroposophical Society is not a society of equal members who have elected Dr. Rudolf Steiner as their chairman, but are actually and unequivocally the disciples of a man around whom they gather to learn facts from his mouth, the correctness of which they cannot verify because they lack the necessary sense for doing so. They can check the conclusions themselves, but they have to accept the facts on trust. This is the fundamental difference between secret research and science, which is based on the empirical facts of the five normal senses. In science, every normal person is able to check the premises on which a scientific proposition is based; in secret research, they are not. In science, to believe authorities is a sin against the fundamental principle of the same; in secret research, on the other hand, belief in the truthfulness and flawless observation of the only qualified secret researcher is a basic condition.

If, in the presence of the teacher, one of the students makes false assertions without being refuted, serious damage can result.

I understand very well the motives for which you, with regard to the lectures of your students (and these are all members of the Anthroposophical Society), pay homage to the principle “the more, the better”; but as a seminar leader who is concerned about the development of his students, seeks to involve all of them in the preparation of presentations, but only with the proviso that the mistakes made are corrected in the presence of those present, for their benefit and edification.

Now, even with your universal knowledge and inexhaustible capacity, it is not possible for you to go to all that trouble, but then it would have to be ensured that when a “weak student” wishes to speak, a fellow student well versed in the subject in question should be instructed to correct any, even very serious, lapses, such as those made by Mr. Daeglau.

Please excuse the length of these explanations, but I felt I had to draw attention to the danger that threatens your and consequently our cause if the attempts of your students to apply the facts communicated to us from the spiritual world to events in the physical plane are not controlled by the teacher himself but on his behalf by a competent party.

With sincere reverence,

Your humble servant,

Friedrich von Wrangel

Charlottenburg, February 9 [1913]

Dear Miss Arnold,

Thank you very much for sending me the Esoteric Lessons, and please do not be angry that the small enclosed package did not reach you before the general assembly. With the best will in the world, it was not possible for me, firstly because I wanted to look through the lectures again and add a few words; above all, I would have given myself both, but for a third reason, it could not be done: the accompanying Esoteric Lesson, which I was happy to enclose, could not be found; only yesterday did I discover it in an old envelope. Do you also find (in parentheses) that the Theosophical material is growing to such an extent that you have trouble accommodating it? Well, now that the annual meeting is over, I am sending you the promised five lectures with warm greetings. Please keep them for about four weeks, they need to be read several times; I would just like to have the Esoteric Lesson, intended for Miss Scholl, back after a week. Of course, everyone pays postage, we are Theosophists after all, and you can see that I am already asking you to send them twice.

Thank you very much for your kind inquiry after my return. It went quite well – in general, as exhausted as I felt in Cologne, here it was all over, I felt like a new person, very fresh and cheerful, and I also got through the lecture labyrinth of the last week excellently, although I had had the little Countess Hamilton as a guest since the 30th [January 1913], we went to bed late every night, and I also had school as a tiresome secondary occupation. Admittedly, I have to say that – unlike in previous years – I practiced resignation, which you will hear about in Lecture Three. From the outset, I reckoned that I would not be able to hear much, but perhaps that is why it turned out favorably. At an esoteric hour on Saturday, the doctor waited for me; he had told me to buy a car. I also heard most of the very delightful description of his life, which provoked more than one hearty laugh; [the lecture] will be published very soon, though I fear it will be abridged, omitting some art passages. It lasted about two and a half hours.

I heard two of Mrs. Wandrey's three lectures on “Faust.” She spoke very intimately, to many, I think, too highly, but she came across very well in her calmness and refinement. Otherwise she is no longer there for one personally, and that is difficult for me, since I used to have a very different relationship with her. I ask myself: must it be like this? And doesn't the doctor, who is a hundred times higher, condescend to everyone? Didn't Christ Jesus come especially for the lost sheep? Everything would have been fine in Cologne if I could have spoken to her once, as she promised me. I was tormented by something that had happened at home. Mrs. Wandrey knows my family very well and it would have been easy for her to help me calm down. It's all about being left to deal with it all on your own. I no longer have anyone, not in the exoteric or the esoteric, but maybe in a year or so I'll be ready to take that for granted.

To complete the picture I have given you of the annual conference, I would like to tell you that the cycle of four lectures was very beautiful. Number two delivered exactly what was said in an esoteric hour a year or two ago. Really, at the pace at which the doctor is now proceeding, one's breath can be taken away. Should I come to work out, they are happy to help you at times.

The conclusion was magnificent: as I said elsewhere, they said that we would be hated in the future, not only out in the world, but also among the pseudo-theosophists, so vigilance would be in order. And if one could understand our striving in the spiritual world as prayer, then one should not forget to precede the “pray” with the “watch”: “Watch and pray!”

What he achieved during those days, and how he achieved it – it is beyond me. You have to bear in mind that there were lectures every day from ten or half past ten until two o'clock and from a quarter to four or four until about six o'clock, and then his lecture was at eight o'clock.

I also heard a good lecture by Arenson; I don't know about all the others – Johannes-Bau Verein, Unger, Schröder, Peipers – but compared to the doctor, everything else seems so awful.

It just occurred to me that we might see each other as early as Easter. The writer of this intends to go to The Hague. The cycle begins on the 18th [March 1913] with two public lectures. On the 20th [March] the actual cycle begins; the theme is something like: Occult Effects on the Etheric and Astral Bodies and the I, and lasts until the 29th [March]. This suits me quite well, as I get vacation from March 19th until April 3rd. The trip costs 23 marks from here and takes twelve hours; the place is a bit expensive.

Vreedes are putting us up in a guesthouse where lodging including breakfast costs three marks. There is a good vegetarian restaurant. It would be very nice if you came.

I was very happy to hear that you, dear Miss Lina, have now also been accepted to the Esoteric School. The whole thing now makes sense.

I hope that your interview went as planned. I wish all three of you a good time and hope to see you again on Dutch soil!

With warm regards,

Your faithful Elisabeth Winkler

Dear Miss Johanna,

I will add for you that these days are now the Masonic [services]. Yesterday at five and eight o'clock for all degrees, separated due to lack of space, very serious, today only first degree initiations, tomorrow higher degrees.

Can the mind not stand still there? And now think of what the doctor said: people who are particularly committed to a belief and are therefore materialists feel absolutely uncomfortable in the life between death and new birth, they find no connection in the spiritual world, are angry and full of rage against the spiritual world.

Now we know that since the Mystery of Golgotha, the etheric body of Christ has been increasingly united with the Earth; it is visible in the vicinity of the Earth in luminous waves of light. These furious materialists of the nineteenth century launched an attack on this etheric body of Christ from the astral plane, so that a second Golgotha, a second crucifixion of Christ, took place, so to speak.

Isn't that terrible, moving? Finally, the doctor said: Since the sacred mysteries have been betrayed and desecrated by those pseudo-theosophists, a complete change of the ritual must be carried out on behalf of the wise masters of the East.

Undated report by Helga Geelmuyden

During the doctor's visit to Oslo – the last one – in May 1923, the doctor held an M.E. meeting. First, a few new members were admitted to the M.E. (Mr. Ingero and Christian [Smit]). A few days later (I think) he gathered the brothers and sisters at Oskarsgate 10. The meeting took place at Reitan.

At the meeting at Oskarsgate, he continued to tell the temple legend in a very impressive way. And he went on to talk about how the sons of Abel had found their way to the sons of Cain, in that the theologians had asked him for the new cult. This aroused increased hostility on the part of the sons of Abel and the sons of Cain in the outer world, who did not want to join forces in this way. (This referred to the Jesuits and the occult brotherhoods, at least that's how I understood it.)

And further he spoke about the fact that in the same hall where the new cult was given to the theologians, the fire was ignited that destroyed the Goetheanum.

Following the temple legend, it was further said that it would be necessary to rebuild the Goetheanum. It was said something like this: the temple of Solomon would never have existed physically. But it would have to be there on earth one day.

The doctor once told me that the sons of Abel could not be accepted into the Medical Section. This was said in relation to the fact that someone wanted to bring in a woman with atavistic clairvoyance.

The things the doctor said about the reconstruction of the Goetheanum made a strong impression on me. Later that summer I was present at the Annual General Meeting of the Goetheanum Association, where the question of the reconstruction was discussed. I then asked the doctor if he would like to say what he told us in Norway. He shook his head and said briefly: “Absolutely impossible.

Now I must confess: the new Goetheanum has never been able to satisfy me in the context of this impressive memory. In particular, it pains me to see the Christ Group completely isolated. In 1916, when I spoke to the doctor in Berlin on my way to Dornach, he said to me: Now, when you visit the building, you must imagine the Group in its place the whole time. I did so, and a living movement arose through the entire row of columns and architraves, and the moving element was the Christ-I, as it presented itself in the group. The old Goetheanum died, as it were, without having fully embodied this I — it was still outside. In the new Goetheanum there is no possibility of an organic connection.

The union of the sons of Abel and the sons of Cain has never been fully realized.

Notes by Ita Wegman, Munich

Paracelsus, who was murdered. However, his etheric and astral bodies were not lost. His astral body passed into Goethe in [1797]. In the meantime, from Paracelsus' death until [1797], the astral body was in the devachan, in order to gain strength there. This astral body of Paracelsus, which was developed to such a high degree, had to enter into a human being again, so that it could continue to intuit from this human being. In “Faust” one notices the influence of Paracelsus.

In life, we often do not understand many things if we do not know the context. So there are now two directions in the outer world:

1) Rationalism or, as it is also called, modern monism. Here, everything is to be grasped by reason; everything spiritual is tried to be grasped by the intellect. It is the male principle that prevails here.

2) the direction, which carries the name spiritualism and related branches, modern occultism mysticism. Here the intellect is eliminated and things are grasped only with the mind. It is the female principle that rules here.

Now there is a saying in esotericism: Just as a man cannot have a child without a woman, so a woman cannot have a child without a man. According to this saying, it would not be possible for the two directions, which have only one-sided principles, to produce spiritual children; these directions would have to die out gradually.

Now this is not the case. What has happened now? There has been spiritual fornication.

In earlier times, preserved in myths, the sons of the gods sometimes connected with the daughters of the earth, they took a liking to these daughters of the brutalized people, connected with them and committed moral fornication with them. It was a very unfortunate generation that grew out of it. The goddess Hera did the same, allowing herself to be led to slaves and committing moral fornication with them.

Fornication has also been committed in the directions mentioned, in that entities from the spiritual world embodied themselves in the two currents and thereby furthered them; these are retarding forces in the host of Lucifer that do this.