עברית The old Anthroposophy is what was developed through Rudolf Steiner’s physical life until his death in 1925. The new Anthroposophy is what he and the school of Michael developed in the etheric world since 1925. Only the living connection between the two streams can provide the ground for the new Michaelic impulse of the 21st century.
The Connection Between Old and New Anthroposophy through the Spiritual Event of the 20th Century
In the lectures published in my forthcoming book: The Twilight and Resurrection of Humanity: The History of the Michaelic Movement since the death of Rudolf Steiner (Temple Lodge, Summer 2020), I described, from various points of view, the new Michaelic task. I said that the first part of this task is to resurrect the essence of the old physical Anthroposophy and connect it with the new Anthroposophy that develops in the etheric world. The old Anthroposophy is what was developed through Rudolf Steiner’s physical life until his death in 1925. The new Anthroposophy is what he and the school of Michael developed in the etheric world since 1925. Only the living connection between the two streams can provide the ground for the new Michaelic impulse of the 21st century. I emphasized that this connection can only be brought about if we perceive and understated the Spiritual Event of the 20th century. This event was the world saving and world resurrecting activity of the school of Michael together with the new Christ impulse. In this event the new Michaelic stream was forged. Therefore, the forces needed to resurrect the old Anthroposophy is found in this event. My experience showed me that this event alone can awaken in our souls in the present, in the physical world, the living presence of the new Michaelic stream and the new karmic plan created for the 21st century, because this plan was created in the light of this event. When we succeed in this, we can find the forces of resurrection, and use them to raise the old Anthroposophy from the grave of the 20th century and connect it with the new Anthroposophy. The Spiritual Event of the 20th century is the living link that connects the old and new streams of Anthroposophy with each other, and through this connection, reveals the new Michaelic stream in the present time and the near future.
In the lectures I described the major transformations that Anthroposophy went through after the death of Rudolf Steiner in 1925, and the whole etheric activity of the Michaelic stream from 1925 until today, which forms the ground for our present and future work.
In the second lecture, I spoke also about the three major transformations of the supersensible Michaelic stream from the beginning until the end of the 20th century, and the fourth transformation that takes place now:
During the 20th century the whole being of the earth and the whole human constitution, and with them the real spiritual being of Anthroposophia, have been transformed radically three times, and its fourth transformation begins now as we speak these words. Rudolf Steiner could only begin to speak about the first major transformation in the last year of his life, and about the second and third he could only offer some hints and hopes. These three major transformations of the first Michaelic century are marked by the three central mysteries of our age: The mystery of Michael, the mystery of Christ and the mystery of Sorat: “The beginning of the Michael age in the 1870s, the appearance of Christ in the first half of the twentieth century and at the threatening rise of Sorat and his adherents at the end of the twentieth century. As human beings who understand these things and know how to interpret the signs of the times, let us arrange our lives in accordance with these three mysteries of our time: the mystery of Michael, the mystery of Christ, and the mystery of Sorat”. (GA 346,12.9. 1924).
Let us remember that only after the Christmas Foundation Conference could Rudolf Steiner speak for the first time about the deeper mysteries of Michael, about the spiritual School of Michael and the two main karmic streams, the Aristotelean and Platonic streams, connected with it. There he also spoke for the first time about the possibility of the culmination of Anthroposophy at the end of the century. But because of his early death he could not continue to expand this new revelation, nor deepen and develop it further. About the next two major transformations, the coupled reappearance of the first Beast and the etheric Christ beginning in 1933 and the hoped-for culmination at the end of the century, he could only say few words. He could only very generally and briefly indicate what are the positive and negative eventualities connected with these major future events. So, as a matter of fact, Rudolf Steiner could give the very beginning of the new Michaelic impulse before he died, emphasizing that only if it will be truly understood, will it be able to develop further. But about the two major future events, he could only give some hints in regard to the possibilities—so many “ifs”—connected to the next two major transformations of the stream of Michael, the second before the middle and the third towards the end of the century. It therefore depends entirely on our imaginative faculties and the present stage of our spiritual scientific research, to perceive and comprehend these three major transformative events and bring them to fuller and fuller earthly consciousness today, in order to prepare the fourth one, that can be accomplished in the first half of the present century.
It is now our task, to actualize in our etheric hearts the three major transformations of the being of Anthroposophia during the whole twentieth century, from the dramatic Michaelic event of 1923-4, which took place on the earth and in the etheric world at the same time, through the purely spiritual event of the twentieth century, in the 12 years, 1933-45 and the new Michaelic plan created in the middle of the century, that took place only in the etheric world, and the third event, that again took place on the earth and in the etheric world at the same time, at the end of the century. This is not an easy task, needless to say! But it is a task that will fire our etheric hearts with the strongest enthusiasm, and will be seen, heard and actualized by the souls who remain loyal to Michael through this whole apocalyptic century. To these souls alone we are speaking now. They will marshal all the forces that they can extract from the resurrected and spiritualized impulse of 1924, from the most powerful and potent future Michaelic seeds planted in the Christmas Foundation Conference, the karma lectures and the creation of the first seed of the future esoteric School of Michael, and let it be carried through the whole transformations of the stream of Michael through the whole previous century. These souls must be able to bring it to full etheric consciousness on the earth, because they lived with it in the etheric world in fullest spiritual consciousness. For them, to experience it now on the earth, in full earthly spiritual consciousness, how the supersensible development and transformation of the whole stream of Michael and the real spiritual being of Anthroposophia in the etheric world during the past century, would be the fulfilment of their deepest and strongest Michaelic karmic oath, resolution and determination, that they took above in the etheric world, and now they would remember, reinstate, relive, reactivate and re-actualize it in the physical world.
If such souls will be found in the first third of the twenty-first century, and if enough of these souls will wake up in the present time and experience what takes place right now as we speak, between the etheric and physical worlds, the new Michaelic plan for this century will be realized.
The first major transformation of the Michaelic stream started at the beginning of the Michaelic age in 1879 and the new age of light in 1899, but its deeper meaning could only start to be revealed in the very last moment of Rudolf Steiner’s life, in 1924, in the Christmas Foundation Conference, the karma lectures and the new esoteric School of Michael. The second major transformation took place not on the earth but in the etheric world before and during the middle of the century, in the 12 years 1933-45 and the next 10 years during the new Michaelic conference,1945-55, in which the whole evolution of the Earth and humanity changed, and with them also the being of Anthroposophia; and the third major transformation occurred again on the earth at the end of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first centuries. We must also point out to the polar and opposite nature of the first and third events. The first major Michael event in 1924, which was, in all its being, an entirely new beginning, came to a rapid end on the earth (but continued in the etheric world); while the third Michaelic event at the end of the century, could bring down to the earth not only what actually took place on the earth in 1924, but the whole further developments of this stream and impulse in the etheric world from 1924-5 up until that time. The end of the century was the beginning of the new major Michaelic event on the earth, necessary because the first event of 1924 ended prematurely, much earlier than planned. (For more about the true esoteric meaning of the first great ‘if’, concerning the continuation of the Christmas Foundation Conference impulse, and with it, Rudolf Steiner’s potential remaining life’s task, life stream and etheric body, see below, in lecture 3).
At the end of last century, for the first time, the karma of the Michaelic stream and the souls who remained loyal to it was seen and understood in earthly spiritual consciousness, and the first seed was created whose task is to unite the etheric and physical streams of Michael and resurrect the old being of Anthroposophy and transform it through the new being of Anthroposophia.
Through the above described three major transformations of the being of Anthroposophia in the course of last century and the fourth that begins today, also humanity and the earth were transformed. The etheric Christ impulse, the stream of Michael that reveals it to us, and the spiritual being of Anthroposophia that brings it to the earth, make up the living heart center in which these transformations of humanity and the earth occur. They constitute the very essence and being of humanity.
Let us now practice again the cognitive-moral art of “spirit recalling”, that will lead us, through “spirit mindfulness and awareness”, to “spirit seeing” of the supersensible, esoteric, past century—and its continuous evolution in the present century. If we do so, we will experience that this very positive development must also stimulate us to heighten our awareness and wakefulness. We must feel an impulse of great responsibility, because we must feel intensively that we are working face-to-face with the real beings of the higher worlds, that they are really present in our midst when we come together in a mood of love, reverence and gratitude to each other and to the spirit. Every word, thought, and gesture that we speak, think and do, we do in the living presence of absolutely real and living spiritual beings that join us and participate most attentively and intimately in everything we do. They are there, actively watching, listening, pouring out their life and love forces, breathing in and taking up our best inspirations, feelings, and good will, to share with their supersensible partners. This is an absolutely real fact. Facing our partners in the spiritual world must become for us as real and intensive as facing our fellow human beings: a meeting that deserves our most joyful love, dedication, reverence and devotion.
In this most youthful spirit, let us continue to study the resurrection of the esoteric youth impulse in the twenty-first century, as part of the twilight and resurrection of humanity as a whole...
The Twilight and Resurrection of Humanity
The History of the Michaelic Movement since the death of Rudolf Steiner
An Esoteric Study
Forthcoming Summer 2020, in Temple Lodge.