the problem of death

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The Problem of Death

and the Artistic Understanding of Life

By Rudolf Steiner

The translator is unknown.

A !"!

#n$line since% &'th (o)ember* +'!&

Here we have the fifth, sixth, and seventh of thirteen lectures given by Rudolf Steiner at Dornach in early February of 1915.hey are fro! the lecture series entitled, Ways of Spiritual Cognition and the Rejuvenation of the Artistic Lifestyle,

"ublished in #er!an as, Wege der Geistigen Erkenntnis und der Erneurung Kuenstlerischer Weltanschauung. Fro! #$%&n1'1. he translator is un(nown.

)e "resent the! here with the (ind "er!ission of the Rudolf Steiner *achlassverwaltung, Dornach, Swit+erland.

his e.ext edition is "rovided through the wonderful wor( of

,arious e.Te-t Transcribers

#(T/(TS

-ontents

ecture / 0ebruary '1* !2!1

ecture // 0ebruary '"* !2!1

ecture ///

Lecture !.

he $wa(ening after Death. he ife of reeling that is coloured by )ill finds its way into the su"ersensible )orld. he

!aya of our life of !ental "ictures on arth. he hidden weaving between soul and soul. -onflicts in life of which only a

s!all "ortion co!e to consciousness and beco!e sub0ects for artistic treat!ent. #ri!!s tale, 2he Singer.3

Lecture +.

he after4wor(ing of the etheric organisation after death. nused etheric bodies beco!e a source of "ower in the

ele!entary world, es"ecially for art that is based on clairvoyance, and for s"iritual !ove!ents. $ hu!an being who dies in

advance age wor(s !ore as an individuality into s"ecific hu!an hearts, !ore hu!anly than cos!ically. he 2Death

S"ectru!3 containing the will that is bound u" with the (ar!a which has not been lived out. he 26theric S"ectru!3 is a

"ro"hetic "icture of what !ust, at so!e ti!e, be fulfilled between hu!an beings. Her!an #ri!!s novel 2ncon7uerable

8owers3. -os!ic events, too, "roceed fro! the (ar!a that has not been lived out and has se"arated itself fro! the

individuality.

Lecture &.

obility of inner life is "ree!inently necessary for the attain!ent of a connection with the s"iritual world. here !ust be

ca"acity for ada"tation to all the diverse individualities. -onsciousness after death is, at first, too strong and therefore

stu"efying. he freeing of the i!"ulses of will and of feeling fro! the light of the cos!ic thoughts envelo"ing us. he

unity of the hierarchies and the attain!ent of relationshi" to the single &eings through the extraction of the rays of will

fro! the "ower contained in death. :nes own being !ust be obliterated before the ob0ective truth can a""ear. /llusions as

"arasites of the life of thought and idea. hose activities which the soul needs after death !ust "lay into all artistic

occu"ations of hu!an beings; the )ill !ust be "enetrated by the s"iritual world, by the dyna!ic ele!ent. S"iritual4

scientific strengthening through contact with the invisible being of the Dead.

The Problem of Death 3

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Schmidt (umber% S$&'!"

Feruary !" #$#!

%ornach

/n these days when death is so constantly a source of "ain, / want to deal with certain as"ects of S"iritual Science in

connection with the "roble! of death. oday / shall give a (ind of introduction to these "roble!s; to!orrow / shall go

!ore closely into the sub0ect and on Sunday "ass over fro! these "roble!s to !ore general 7uestions of the artistic

conce"tion of ife. his will then lead us bac( to !atters connected with our &uilding.

anifold indeed are the connections within which we are "laced in life. >ust as the life before birth is a "re"aration for

its reflection in this life, so this reflection between birth and death is a "re"aration for the s"iritual life which co!es

afterwards, between death and a new birth. he !ore we are able to carry over fro! this life into the life between death and

a new birth, the richer !ay be the develo"!ent in that life; for the actual conce"ts which !ust be ac7uired of that life, the

conce"ts of the truths of existence between death and a new birth !ust be very different fro! the conce"ts we !ust ac7uire

of earthly aya if we want to understand this aya. So!e of the necessary conce"ts will be found in the lecture4course

given last year in ?ienna. @&he 'nner Life of (an et)een %eath and a *e) irth.A Bou will find there what new conce"ts

!ust be ac7uired for understanding the other side of !ans life which ta(es its course between death and a new birth. /t is

often exceedingly difficult to wor( out the conce"ts and ideas that are a""licable to this other (ind of life, and in reading

such a lecture4course you will realise that it has been a 7uestion of wrestling for ter!s which in so!e way give ex"ression

to these totally different conditions.

$t this ti!e es"ecially when the deaths of very dear e!bers are occurring in our anthro"oso"hical life, / want to call

attention to the following. C

he "art "layed in the life between death and a new birth by the !o!ent of death is different fro! the "art that is

"layed by the !o!ent of birth in our "resent life between birth and death. he !o!ent of birth is that "oint which, in

ordinary circu!stances, is not re!e!bered by the hu!an being. /n :rdinary life, birth is not re!e!bered. &ut the !o!ent

of death is the "oint which leaves behind it the very dee"est i!"ression for the whole of life between death and a new

birth; it is the "oint that is re!e!bered !ost of all; in a certain sense it is always there, but in a 7uite different for! fro!

that in which it is seen fro! this side of life. Fro! this side of life, death a""ears to be a dissolution, so!ething in face of

which the hu!an being has a ready fear and dread. Fro! the other side, death a""ears as the light4filled beginning of

ex"erience of the S"irit, as that which s"reads a sun4radiance over the whole of the subse7uent life between death and anew birth; as that which !ost of all war!s the soul through with 0oy in the life between death and a new birth. he !o!ent

of death is so!ething that is loo(ed bac( u"on with a dee" sense of blessing. Described in earthly ter!s the !o!ent of

death, viewed fro! the other side, is the !ost 0oyful, the !ost enra"turing "oint in the life between death and a new birth.

/f, out of !aterialis!, we have "ictured that the hu!an being loses consciousness with death, if we can for! no true

idea of the continuation of consciousness C @/ e!"hasi+e this today because the incentive is co!!unity with dear ones

who have recently gone away fro! us through death.A if it is difficult to "icture that consciousness exists beyond death, if

we believe that consciousness is dar(ened @as a""ears to be the case after deathA C then we !ust realise it si!"ly is not

true. he truth is that the consciousness is excessively rightand it is only because the hu!an being is still unaccusto!ed,

during the very first "eriod after death, to live within this excessively clear consciousness, that there sets in, to begin with,

i!!ediately after death, so!ething li(e a (ind of slee".

his state of slee", however, is the very o""osite of the state of slee" through which we "ass in ordinary life. /n

ordinary life we slee" because consciousness is di!!ed; after death we are, in a certain sense, unconscious because the

consciousness is too strong, too forceful; because we live wholly in consciousness. $nd what we have to do during the first

days is to live over into this condition of excessive consciousness. )e have to find our bearings and orientation within this

condition of su"erabundant consciousness. )hen we succeed in so finding our bearings that, as it were, out of the fullness

of the cos!ic thoughts, we feel thou )ast that... the !o!ent when, out of the fullness of the cos!ic thoughts, we begin to

distinguish our "ast earth4life within this abundance of consciousness, then the !o!ent is ex"erienced of which we can

say )e a)aken. /t !ay be that we are awa(ened by an event that has been "articularly significant in our earthly life and is

also significant in the ha""enings after our earthly life.

/t is, therefore, a "rocess of getting accusto!ed to the su"ersensible consciousness, to the consciousness that does notrest u"on the foundation and su""ort of the "hysical world, but that is wor(ing and active in itself. his is what we call the

2$wa(ening3 after death. his awa(ening consists in the )illstretching out to find its bearings, the will, which as you

(now and can realise fro! the lecture4course already !entioned, !ay unfold strongly after death. / s"o(e of will that is

coloured by feeling,

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of feeling that is coloured by will when this life of feeling that is coloured by will stretches out to find its bearings in the

su"ersensible world, when the first sally is !ade, then the awa(ening has co!e.

/f we want to thin( of the ex"eriences that are connected with the "roble! of death, we !ust realise, above all, that the

realbeing, the being who rules and weaves within !an, is "rofoundly un(nown to hi!. his true being is not only

un(nown in res"ect of the dee"er side of a !ans own hidden existence, but it is un(nown too, in res"ect of !any things

that "lay very significantly indeed into the ex"eriences of everyday life. )e !ust be absolutely clear that even with the

!ost i!"ortant instru!ents of (nowledge we "ossess for the "hysical world C with the senses C we loo( al!ost entirely

fro! outside, and that in this loo(ing fro! outside, what !ay be called our s(in shuts us off fro! beholding our real, true

being. $s soon as we begin to 0udge of our true being, as soon as we try to for! a "icture of this true being, we are obligedto a""ly our intellect, our "ower of for!ing !ental i!ages. /n the course of our develo"!ent within the "hysical body,

however,both these faculties are strongly influenced fro! the $hri!anic as well as fro! the uciferic side; and the nature

of all these influences that are exercised fro! the $hri!anic and uciferic sides u"on our intellect, in so far as it is bound

to the brain, is such, that they are able in the highest degree to cloud the 0udg!ent we for! about our own being.

$ll self4(nowledge is really co!"arable with the extre!e case / 7uoted in the lest lecture, of the university "rofessor

who hi!self tells the story of how, in his youth, he crossed the street and suddenly saw co!ing towards hi! a young !an

with a dreadfully unsy!"athetic face; he tells of the shoc( he received when he realised that he was seeing hi!self through

two !irrors that were revealing his own "hysiogno!y, as if it were co!ing towards hi!. his shows that he had no in(ling

of his external a""earance, which was exceedingly unsy!"athetic to hi! / have told you how he narrates a second si!ilar

instance. &ut really it is no different with what we call our !ore inti!ate self4(nowledge. :ur 6go and astral body which

set out on the 0ourney through the worlds when the date of Death has been "assed C these !e!bers of our being arere!oved fro! our s"here of observation during "hysical life, for when we wa(e fro! slee" the 6go and astral body are not

revealed to us. hey are not revealed to us in their true for! but in such a way that they are !irrored by the "ictures of the

6go and astral body that are s(etched by the etheric body and "hysical body. &etween slee"ing and wa(ing we should be

able to see our astral being and our 6go in their true for! if we were not in the unconscious condition of slee". he

drea!s, too, which occur in ordinary life are only faulty inter"reters of our real being, because they are, after all,

reflections of what goes on in the astral body around the etheric body, and because it is essential, first, to understand the

language of drea!s if we are to get at their correct !eaning.'fwe understand the language of drea!s, we can, certainly,

ac7uire (nowledge about our true being fro! the "rocesses of drea!. &ut in ordinary life we are accusto!ed si!"ly to

acce"t the "ictures "resented by the drea!. his, however, is no !ore sensible than if we were si!"ly to follow the signs

of "rinted letters and not really read at all.

:ur true being is withdrawn fro! us during life between birth and death. )e !ust realise here that in our astral body

C and in our 6go too C there lie all those feelings and all those stirrings of will which lead us to our actions, to our deeds,

but also to our 0udg!ents, to our conce"tions of things in the world. here, in the de"ths of our being, there at the seat of

our astral body and our true 2/3, we have a whole world of e!otions, a whole world of feelings, of i!"ulses of will; but

what we for! in everyday life as our own view of these e!otions, i!"ulses of will and feelings, stand !ostly C +ostly, /

say C in a very distant connection with what we truly are, in our inner!ost being.

a(e the following case C /t !ay ha""en in life that two "eo"le live together for a long ti!e and that through the

strange forces "laying out of the un(nown regions of the astral body and 6go of the one "erson into the astral body and

6go of the other @these forces re!ain in the hidden regionsA, the one has in relation to the other a real desire for tor!ent, a

(ind of need for cruelty. /t !ay be that the one "erson who has this desire for tor!ent, this need for cruelty, has no in(ling

whatever of the existence of these e!otions in the astral body and 6go; he !ay build u" about the things he does out of thisurge to cruelty, a whole nu!ber of ideas which ex"lain the actions on 7uite other grounds. Such a "erson !ay tell us that

he has done this or that to the other "erson for one reason or another; these reasons !ay be very clever and yet they do not

ex"ress the truth at all. For in ordinary life, what we all4too4often "icture as the !otives of our own actions, indeed of our

own feelings, fre7uently stands, as / say, in a very, very distant connection with what is really living and weaving in our

inner being. /t !ay be that the uciferic "ower is actually "reventing the "erson concerned fro! realising the nature of this

urge for cruelty, of these i!"ulses to do all (inds of things to the other "erson, and that under the influence of this uciferic

"ower everything he says about the reasons !erely s"reads a cover over what is actually "resent in the soul. he reasons

we devise in our consciousness !ay often be cut out for hiding fro! us, disguising what is actually living and wor(ing in

the soul. hese reasons too are often of a character which indicates a desire for self40ustification, for we should find

ourselves 0ust as anti"athetic as the "rofessor of "hiloso"hy of who! / told you. )e should not at all li(e what is in our

soul if we had to ac(nowledge what (ind of instincts and e!otions are really holding sway. $nd because we have to

"rotect ourselves fro! the sight of our own soul4being, we discover, with the hel" of these reasons, all (inds of things thatguarantee us "rotection, because they deceive us about what is actually the ruling force in the soul. >ust as it is true that the

external world beco!es a aya to us because of the "eculiar character of our faculty to for! !ental "ictures, it is also true

that what we have to say about ourselves in ordinary life is, to a very, very great extent, aya.

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-ertain instincts and needs of our inner!ost being in "articular !islead us into constantly deceiving ourselves about

our own being. a(e the case of a "erson who is terribly vain, who suffers fro! a for! of !egalo!ania. Such "eo"le are

by no !eans few in nu!ber. his is ad!itted. if, however, as described above, a !as( were not laid over what really isin

the soul, it would be !uch !ore generally ad!itted that vanity and !egalo!ania exist in !any souls who have not the

very slightest in(ling that it is so.

egalo!ania gives rise to !any wishes ... but when / say Ewishes, you !ust understand what / !ean. C the wishes

do not beco!e conscious, they re!ain wholly in the de"ths. Such a "erson !ay wish to exercise a controlling influence

u"on so!eone else, but because he would have to ad!it that this desire for control over the other is born of vanity and

!egalo!ania, he will not ad!it it. He then a""eals C unconsciously of course, C to those "owers of seduction whichucifer is able to exercise all the ti!e u"on the hu!an soul. $nd under the unconscious influence of ucifer, such a "erson

never gets to the "oint of saying to hi!self E)hat / have in !e, "roducing the desire for action, is really vanity,

!egalo!ania. He never says this, but on the contrary, he will often discover, under the influence of ucifer, a whole

syste! for ex"laining the feelings of which he is dar(ly aware but the true character of which he will not ad!it. He !ay

have certain feelings for so!e other "erson but he cannot ac(nowledge the!, because what he really wants is to control

this other "erson and he is unable to do so because this other "erson, "erha"s, will not allow hi!self to be controlled. hen,

under the influence of ucifer the soul discovers a syste!, discovers that the other "erson is "lanning so!ething !alicious;

the first "erson then "roceeds to "aint a !ental "icture of the details that are being "lanned against hi!; he finally feels that

he is being "ersecuted. he whole syste! of 0udg!ents and ideas is a !as( that is there !erely for the "ur"ose of covering

with a veil what !ust be "revented fro! e!erging out of the inner life of soul. C /t is a real aya.

/n connection with a series of actions, a !an once said to !e that he had done the! out of an iron sense of duty, out ofinfinite devotion to the cause he re"resented. / was bound to say to hi! in re"ly 2he o"inion you have about the !otives

of your "rocedure and of your actions is no criterion whatever. :nly reality is the criterion, not the o"inion one !ay have.

he reality shows that the i!"ulse, the urge to these actions was to gain influence in a certain direction.3 / said to the !an

7uite baldly 2$lthough

you believe that you are acting out of an iron sense of duty, you are really acting under the i!"ulse to ac7uire influence

and you !isinter"ret this way of acting as being selfless, done "urely out of a sense of duty. Bou are not acting out of this

!otive but because it "leases you to act so, because it brings you certain "leasure C again, therefore, out of a certain inner

i!"ulse.3

:ur o"inion, our !ental "icture of ourselves !ay be extre!ely co!"licated; it !ay not rese!ble in the very re!otest

degree what is really do!inating and weaving in the soul. it !ay be extre!ely co!"licated. Bou will ad!it at once thatsuch things !ust be (nown when it is a 7uestion of living in a world of truth and not in a world of aya; you will also

ad!it at once that it is necessary now and then to s"ea( of such things in a radical wayG he reasons which as genuine, true

reasons, drive us to our actions, can only beco!e clear to us slowly and by degrees, when through S"iritual science, we

really have (nowledge of the secret connections existing between the hu!an being and the world.

et us ta(e a definite case, C Bou will all (now that there are "eo"le in the world who are called gossi"s,

chatterboxes. /f we as( these chatterboxes why they floc( together in their cafes or elsewhere and tal(, tal(, tal(, tal( @they

often tal( a great deal !ore than they can answer for,A we shall hear !any reasons )hyit is necessary for the! to discuss

this, that or the other. )e can get to (now "eo"le who! we then !eet rushing along the street, hurrying so!ewhere or

other in order to arrive 7uic(ly ... and when we find out what they are after, we discover that it is nothing but the !ost

futile, useless, silliest chatter. /f such "eo"le are as(ed about their reasons, they will give reasons which often sound

exceedingly laudable and fine, whereas the !ost that can be said is that these reasons are well able to conceal the real factsof the case. $nd now we will consider these 2real facts of the case.3

)hat is ha""ening when we gossi" or chatter @when we s"ea(, it is, of course, the sa!e.A )hat is ha""ening

hrough our organs of breathing and s"eech we set the air into !ove!ents which corres"ond with the for!s of the words.

)e generate in ourselves those "hysical waves C and naturally the corres"onding ether4waves too, for when we s"ea(

so!ething very significant is ha""ening in the etheric body C we generate these waves in the air and ether which

corres"onds with our words, which give ex"ression to our words. 8icture it 7uite "recisely to yourselves )hile you are

sitting there C no, "ardon !e, notyouG C while a !an is chattering with his cu" of coffee before hi! on the table, he is

bringing his whole inner organis! into !ove!ent, that inner organis! which corres"onds with the for! of ex"ression,

with the external "hysical and etheric for! of ex"ression of his words. So!ething is actually welling u" and weaving in

hi!; he generates this in hi!self, but he also is aware of it, he feels it. He feels this self4!ove!ent of the "hysical and

etheric bodies because the astral body and the 6go are continually co!ing u" against it. he astral body is continually

co!ing u" against the ether4waves and beco!ing aware of the!; and the 6go is continually co!ing into contact with the

"hysical waves of the air; so that while we are s"ea(ing, astral body and 6go are continually contacting so!ething,

touching so!ething. in this contact, in this i!"act, we beco!e aware of our 6go and of our astral body, and the !ost

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agreeable sensation the hu!an being can have is that of self4en0oy!ent. when the astral body and the 6go contact the

etheric body and the "hysical body in this way, the "rocess is si!ilar to what ha""ens on a s!all scale when a child lic(s a

sweet C for the "leasurable sensation in lic(ing the sweet consists in the fact that the astral body is co!ing into contact

with what is ha""ening in the "hysical body, and the hu!an being beco!es aware of hi!self in this way. He beco!es

aware of hi!self, has self4en0oy!ent in this "rocess. hose who sit down at a table in a cafe in order to gossi" and chatter

for an hour or two, si!"ly hurry there to find self4en0oy!ent. /t is self4en0oy!ent that is being sought in such cases.

)e cannot beco!e aware of these things if we do not (now that !ans being is fourfold and that all the four !e!bers

are involved in every activity in the external world.

here are other, different exa!"les. Fro! the exa!"le of chattering we have seen how the hu!an being has the urge to

self4en0oy!ent caused by the i!"act of his astral body and 6go u"on the etheric body and the "hysical body. &ut he also,

fre7uently feels the need for his astral body !erely to contact the etheric body, 0ust the etheric body. /n order that the astral

body !ay contact the etheric body, this etheric body !ust "roduce !ove!ent, it !ust "roduce inner activity. hese

"rocesses go on even !ore in the subconsciousness than do other "rocesses. here is an i!"ulse in the hu!an being, of

which he is not conscious, to !a(e an i!"act with his astral body u"on his etheric body. his i!"ulse lives itself out in

very curious ways. )e find that certain young !en C and in recent ti!es young ladies too C si!"ly cannot rest until

what they write is "rinted. 8eo"le so!eti!es find it exceedingly "leasant to see their writings in "rint, but it is "leasant

chiefly because they succu!b to the worst "ossible illusion, na!ely, to the illusion that what is "rinted is also read /t is by

no !eans always the case that writings are read when they are "rinted, but it is at least believed that they are, and this is an

exceedingly "leasant sensation. any young !en and, as / say, !any young ladies too, si!"ly cannot bear it, they are

constantly on edge ... until their writings are "rinted. )hat does this !ean

/t !eans this, C )hen writings are "rinted and actually read C which ha""ens in the rarest cases today C when

writings are "rinted, our thoughts "ass over into other hu!an beings, live on in other hu!an souls. hese thoughts live in

the etheric bodies of the other hu!an beings. &ut in usthe idea ta(es root Ehe thought you yourself had in your etheric

body is now living out there in the world. )e have the feeling that out there in the world our own thoughts are living. /f

the thoughts are really living in the world, if they are actually "resent there C in other words, if our "rinted writings are

also read C then this exercises an influence u"on our own etheric body and we i!"act what is living out there in the

world. /nas!uch as it is living in our own etheric body, an i!"act ta(es "lace with our own astral body. his is 7uite a

different i!"act fro! when we !erely i!"act our own thoughts; the hu!an being is not always strong enough to do this,

because these thoughts !ust be called forth fro! the inner being by dint of energy. &ut when the thoughts are living in the

world, when we can have the consciousness that our own thoughts are living out there in the world, then our astral body Cto the best of our belief at least C co!es into contact with a "art of ourselves that is living in the outside world. his is the

su"re!e self4en0oy!ent. &ut this for! of self4en0oy!ent lies at the basis of all see(ing for fa!e, all see(ing for

recognition, all see(ing for authority in the world. $t the root of this i!"ulse for self4en0oy!ent there lies nothing else than

a need to i!"act with our astral body ob0ective thoughts of our etheric body, and in the i!"act to beco!e aware of

ourselves. Bou see what a co!"licated "rocess between astral body and etheric body lies at the root of things that "lay a

certain role in the outer world.

*aturally these things are not said for the "ur"ose of !a(ing !oral 0udg!ents into scarecrow. hey are not of this

nature at all, for everything that has been !entioned belongs to the category of characteristics that are 7uite nor!al in life.

)hen we s"ea(, it is absolutely natural that there should be self4en0oy!ent C even when s"ea(ing does not consist in

gossi"ing. /t is 7uite natural too that when we allow so!ething to be "rinted, not out of thirst for fa!e but because we feel

it a duty to say so!ething to the world, C that then too we i!"act the thoughts of our etheric body; in such a case the sa!e"rocess is at wor(. )e !ust not draw the conclusion that these "rocesses are always to be shunned, always to be regarded

as so!ething lac(ing in !orality, C for / si!"ly !ean the! to be ta(en in a sy!bolic sense. /f the hu!an being were to

flee fro! everything that "resses in u"on hi! fro! the side of ucifer and $hri!an, he would have to co!e out of his s(in

as soon as he realised it C / !ean this sy!bolically too ucifer and $hri!an exercise no other forces u"on us than those

that are 0ustified, nor!al forces in hu!an life; only it is the case that ucifer and $hri!an "ut the! into o"eration in the

wrong "lace. / have said this in different lecture4courses.

/f you thin( of all these things you will "erceive the infinite variety and co!"lexity of those threads in life which "lay

over fro! hu!an soul to hu!an soul and again outwards fro! the hu!an soul into the world. How infinitely co!"licated

it all is but at the sa!e ti!e you will realise how little, how very little real (nowledge the hu!an being derives fro! what

he "erceives and "ictures concerning his relations to other hu!an beings and to the world. he "icture we have of

ourselves is only a tiny frag!ent drawn fro! what we ex"erience. $nd this "icture, to begin with, is aya. :nly when we

!a(e S"iritual Science into an actual asset of life, not into !ere theory, do we really get behind aya and reach so!e

enlighten!ent u"on what is actually going on within us. &ut things do not change by our "ossessing a tiny and !ostly

untrue frag!ent of the web in which we are involved in relation to the world; the things are as they are. $ll these hidden

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forces, this hidden web fro! soul to soul, fro! the hu!an being to the various agents of the world C it is all there, and

every !inute of slee"ing and wa(ing life it is "laying into the hu!an soul. Bou will be able to 0udge fro! this how !uch

has to be done in order to reach a true (nowledge of the being of !an.

Studies of this (ind have to do with those shades of feeling which are re7uisite for a true ex"erience of what belongs,

not to earthly incarnation, but to eternity. For by unfolding such shades of feeling we beco!e aware of the basis of the

conflicts which a""ear in life. hese conflicts that are brought by life and rightly beco!e sub0ects for treat!ent in literature

and the other arts, are due to the fact that there is an un(nown, hidden ocean of )illin which we are swi!!ing in life, and

that only a tiny frag!ent C !ostly distorted at that C co!es into our consciousness. &ut we cannot live in accordance

with this tiny frag!ent; we !ust live with our whole soul in accordance with the great and !anifold ra!ifications whichexist in life. $nd this brings the conflicts. now can the tiny frag!ent that is also in !any cases distorted, how can this tiny

frag!ent co!e into a true relationshi" to hu!an life, how can it really understand what is actually going on in hu!an life

&ecause it is inca"able of this, the hu!an being inevitably co!es into conflict with life. &ut where reality is in "lay, there

too is truth. Reality does not direct itself according to the "ictures we ta(e of it. $nd the !o!ent there is o""ortunity for it

reality "itilessly corrects the aya of our ideas. $nd this (ind of corrective which reality bestows u"on the aya of our

ideas, su""lies !ost significant !aterial for treat!ent in art, in "oetry.

/n "ursuance of the line of thought contained in this lecture, / want now to start fro! a "oint that is connected with a

wor( of art; in the lecture to!orrow we shall "ass on to a study of the life between death and a new birth, and then on

Sunday to a the!e dealing with art in connection with our building. / do not want to start fro! a wor( of art chosen at

rando! but fro! so!ething that gives a very concrete "icture of what / shall "resent to you as (nowledge of the reality of

the s"iritual life. he reason for choosing this "articular exa!"le is that, for once, reality has been hit u"on in a certains!all, but excellent "iece of writing. $n occultist alone is able to 0udge about the reality, but in this s!all wor( we see how

when the hu!an being as a clairvoyant tries to "enetrate into the dee"er "roble!s of life, he si!"ly cannot avoid touching

the occult sides of life, he cannot avoid touching those de"ths which send their waves u" into the life we often "ierce so

shallowly with the aya of our thoughts. what / regard as i!"ortant fro! the "oint of view of art and of occultis! really

occurs only at the end of a tale of which / want to s"ea( !erely as an exa!"le. herefore / shall !erely give a brief outline

of the tale and read the concluding "assage only. /t is not a 7uestion of s"ea(ing !erely of a "iece of literature but of

s"ea(ing of this "articular wor(, because here for once a writer has "resented so!ething that !ight actually ha""en, in

absolute accordance with true occult laws.

$s the tale was written in the sixties of the 19th century, you will gather fro! what / say, how what we s"ea( of as

s"iritual Science has really always been "re"ared for and reflected in a certain way in hu!an consciousness.unconsciously, at least, in !any a soul there has been reflected what !ust enter into the culture of the 6arth and beco!e

!ore fully conscious through s"iritual Science. /t !ay be that such a soul actually (new so!ething about this, but the ti!e

was not ri"e for voicing this (nowledge in a for! other than the un"retentious for! of literature. $t the "resent day "eo"le

are !uch !ore ready to condone the introduction of occult truths in the for! of stories or "oe!s ... in the age of

!aterialis! they are !uch !ore ready to condone this than they will condone so!ebody who co!es out with the direct

truth and declares that such things are realities. /f "eo"le can say to the!selves 2)ell, after all, this is only ro!ance,3 they

will often acce"t it. he tale that was written in the sixties of last century is !ore or less as follows. C

/t is written as if one of the characters were narrating it hi!self; it is a 2first "erson3 story, as we say. his character

tells of his ac7uaintance with lle. de #aussin in 8aris @which is the scene of the taleA. He tells how at a certain "eriod he

"aid daily visits to the house of this lle. de #aussin who is a !uch4feted singer; he gets to (now all (inds of "eo"le who

are ad!irers of the lady of the house C a!ong the! a !an who is "ractically always to be found in lle.de #aussinssalon. he narrator "erceives that the feelings of this other !an for her are !ore than !ere friendshi", and he also realises

that these feelings are not reci"rocated by the singer. 6verything that ha""ens results in a conflict. C here is a !an who

ardently loves the singer; his love is not returned, but he is not actually re0ected; in reality he is brought nearer and nearer

to her, but as a result of this he beco!es !ore and !ore restless and inwardly sha(en.

he narrator of the story @it is, as / say a Efirst "erson taleA, notices all this. He is friendly with the other, and as he @the

narratorA is engaged and is to be !arried during the next few wee(s, it is 7uite natural, as the other !an is also friendly

with hi!, that there is no 7uestion of 0ealousy. :ne day the narrator has it all out with the other !an whose eyes are then

o"ened and he feels bound to have a tal( with the singer. he result of this tal( is that he goes no !ore to the house C but,

although he has "ro!ised not to thin( about the lady any !ore, and to forget her, he is inca"able of seriously turning his

!ind to other things, of getting rid of his inner restlessness; the thoughts that were there during his friendshi" with the lady

(ee" on returning. the leaves the town and lives away for a ti!e. During this "eriod the narrator of the story has !arried

and has been obliged to go on a 0ourney. :n this 0ourney he !eets the other !an in a hotel, in a "itiful state. he other !an

tells hi! how he has left 8aris and how he tried for a ti!e to live alone; how he went for a ride one day outside his estate

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and had the ill4luc( to co!e across the lady with her traveling co!"any who were also away fro! 8aris; how all his

feelings ca!e to life again and how he now goes about with two revolvers in order one day to "ut an end to his life.

he narrator still has (indly feelings towards the other !an and invites hi! to his new ho!e, ho"ing to get hi! to

thin( of other things. he !an acce"ts the invitation which is 0ust the thing to "rovide hi! with a sy!"athetic !ilieu as a

guest; but he si!"ly cannot get hold of hi!self, he gets !ore and !ore de"ressed, and finally reaches the "oint where he

has resolved to co!!it suicide. he two friends have a tal( together and the narrator succeeds in getting the other to

"ro!ise that he will defer his intention. he narrator says that he hi!self has to go away and because he does not want to

say Ewait until / co!e bac( C fearing that the other !ight not wait but !ight shoot hi!self in the !eanti!e C he gets

the other to !a(e hi! a sole!n "ro!ise. He says 2oo( after !y wife until / get bac(.3

)hen the other !an has given the "ro!ise, the narrator goes off to 8aris with the idea of as(ing the singer to co!e to

the country and do so!ething to !a(e the situation less !iserable. He reaches 8aris and travels bac( with the singer to the

country. hey get to the hedge around the narrators country estate. $t this !o!ent the narrator notices that a !an who had

been standing at the hedge, has run bac(. $s they a""roach, there is a shot. he other !an had (e"t his "ro!ise, had

faithfully loo(ed after the wife, but had sent a "easant to (ee" watch at the hedge. he "easant signals E*ow he is co!ing

C and then the !an shoots hi!self. he narrator brings the singer into the house C and fro! this "oint / will read you the

words the!selves. J2ales3 by Her!an #ri!! 2he Singer.3K

2)e reached the chateau in the evening. )hen / got to the "ar(, a "easant who was waiting for us ran with lightning s"eed

towards the house, and hardly had we got half4way u" the avenue, than a shot rang out. So set was / u"on the success of

!y "ro0ect that the !eaning of this shot never entered !y head. $!a+e!ent was not long to be withheld fro! !e; we went

on; nobody ca!e out; the driver crac(ed his whi" and / s"rang out, lle. de #aussin after !e. he first thing we heard was

a screa! fro! !y wifes !aid who ca!e towards us deathly white, with the cry EHe has shot hi!self dead. )e hurried to

the ar7uess roo! which was full of "eo"le; / sent the! all out, shut the door and stood with anon de #aussin beside

the young !ans body which lay on the ground. She stared at it for so!e !inutes, then gave a screa! and san( to the

ground on her (nees beside the body. She did not faint. She too( his hands, laid hers on his forehead @the wound was in the

!iddle of the chestA, loo(ed at !e, then at hi!, and suddenly began to sing in a loud voice. his filled !e with dread; /

thought she had lost her reason.

eanwhile one of !y agents who (new a little about first4aid and was accusto!ed to render si!"le !edical assistance,

had arrived. / shall never forget the fear that ca!e over his face when he saw the dead ar7uess and the singer beside hi!.

She was now silent, stood u", loo(ed at !e a long ti!e and left the roo!. / followed to find out what she !ight want. She

said E/ !ust have a roo! in which / a! 7uite alone. / led her to the first good roo!, sent to fetch her !aid and hurried to!y wife. / heard to !y relief that she had gone for a wal(; / went to !eet her and told her what had ha""ened. $s we had

often tal(ed about the ar7uess and had antici"ated the "ossibility of an end li(e this, she was less shoc(ed than troubled. /

led her bac( to the chateau and "roceeded to give orders about the ar7uess. he body had been "laced on the bed and his

servant was sitting by it, wee"ing bitterly. He said Ey !aster told !e that he !ust not shoot hi!self until you had

returned. his reassured !e. hen he arranged secretly with the !an >ohn that he should wait for the carriage. he !an did

this and had hardly run bac( with the news that the carriage had entered the "ar( than !y !aster stood u", !ade a !ar( in

the boo( he was reading, "ut his hand in his "oc(et, gave >ohn a coin, too( the "istol fro! the table and went into the other

roo!; the !o!ent he had closed the door behind hi!, he was dead.

/ began to re"roach !yself. 8erha"s / !ight have been able to save hi! if / had acted !ore 7uic(ly. /f anon de #aussin

had arrived at the right !o!ent this tragedy !ight, "ossibly, have been avoided. $nd / also thought 8erha"s "rovidence

has wished to "rotect hi! fro! so!ething that would have been still worse, if the singer had decided to !arry hi!, as /

believe she would have done, C although she told !e only afterwards that the disastrous conse7uences of such a ste"would have been unendurable and would si!"ly have brought !isery.

/ went to anon de #aussin. She was cal! and collected. here was nothing very unusual about her. She tal(ed to !e

about the ar7uesss fra!e of !ind and his natural dis"osition towards such a sad ending of his life. So cal! and collected

was she that / felt the inner shoc( !ust have been very great, and / feared the reaction. / introduced her to !y wife; we

dined together and then retired.

he next !orning / was struc( by the change that had co!e over her. She said she felt well, but there was so!ething so

strained about her a""earance, and in herself she see!ed so bro(en, that her state!ent belied itself. She tal(ed about

leaving soon and as(ed if she !ight be given a different roo! for that night. his was arranged; we s"ent the day 7uietly

and she only went to bed when all arrange!ents for her de"arture had been co!"leted.

he next day she did not co!e down to brea(fast. her !aid as(ed !e to go to her !istress in her roo!. She received !e

with a faint s!ile and was so "ale and hollow4eyed that / could not conceal !y a!a+e!ent.

EDear friend,3 she said, 2Bou find !e loo(ing ill and dont want to say soEDont you thin( that is natural

EBes, you are always full of feeling, reserved. &ut no secrecy hel"s now. / feel death within !e.

EDearest friendG C / cried out in dis!ay.

E/ feel death; for two nights now / have seen the ar7uess C awa(e C co!ing here C he is drawing !e to hi!G

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/ loo(ed at her attentively. here was no over4strain in her eyes, nothing !aniacal in her voice.

She went on E)hen / saw hi! lying there in his blood, the feeling that / was the cause of this tragedy beca!e so strong in

!e that / cried out because / could bear it no longer. /t was as though so!ething were shouting with unbelievable strength

into !y ears 2,ouare guilty ,ouhave (illed hi!G3 /n order not to hear this voice / began to sing louder and louder, but

yet / did not deafen the voice. / heard it unceasingly. During the night / could not slee", / lay and loo(ed at the shadows

cast by the furniture in the light of the la!". hen the door s"rang o"en. $ narrow, dar( strea( a""eared. hrough this

strea( the ar7uess entered, as it were through a thread of cloud as thin as "a"er; his eyes were closed, he hovered or ca!e

slowly towards !e, stood beside the bed, as cor"oreal as you, and with closed eyes. / did not want to loo( at hi! but he

forced !e to do so; / was co!"elled to turn !y eyes towards hi!. hen he suddenly o"ened his and loo(ed at !e. / could

not bear it, and / lost consciousness. ast night it was the sa!e. / can bear it no longer. / feel that he is suc(ing the life outof !e with his eyes.

/ tried with all the argu!ents of "hysics, "hiloso"hy and religion to get her to dis!iss the "heno!enon fro! her !ind. She

re!ained resolute ... E/ a! deter!ined to go away, C she said. E8erha"s his shade is fettered only to this house. / o""osed

this. / could not allow her to travel alone and / could not leave !y wife who was ex"ecting her confine!ent. / therefore

"ro"osed to anon de #aussin that she should !ove into !y agents house and / "ro!ised to watch by her bed the next

night. She finally let herself be "ersuaded into this, got u" and wal(ed around the roo! li(e a wraith.

/n the evening when she had gone to bed, her !aid called !e to her. / "ut a table with night4lights near the bed, with a

screen around it, and after tal(ing to her for a little, began to read a boo(. She see!ed to be slee"ing; the lights burnt badly.

/ cleaned the!, dran( so!e wine and water and loo(ed at the door. Suddenly C it was !ade of wood and was not fir! C

it s"rang o"en; the catch !ay not have been wor(ing. / was about to go over softly and shut it noiselessly when, turning to

anon de #aussin, / saw her sitting u"right in bed with staring eyes. She stretched out her ar!s towards !ine and "ointed

straight in front of her with her fingerEhere he co!esG

here was absolutely nothing to be seen.

E)here / said.

/ released !yself fro! her and went to the corner.

EHere

E-o!e, she screa!ed, Ehe is standing in front of youG

)ith one lea" / was by her side.

EHold !y eyes closed, / cannot bear it he is standing there, he is touching your (neeG

/ "ressed both her hands over her eyes. She breathed with effort, but there was nothing to be seen.

$fter a while she too( her hands away. E/ !ust see if he is still there, she said softly.

EDear friend there is nothing here, / answered, and released her. She loo(ed around.

EHe has gone away again :, if he co!es once again it will be better for hi!. He will sli" through the doors together.

his idea !ade !e shudder. She lay bac( and declared that the next day she would certainly go away into a convent. / tried

to tal( her out of this.

E#o to 8aris, / said C EBou will forget there.

She interru"ted !e. C E/ have deserved it; / have also deserved that you should !a(e such a "ro"osal to !e. hat / shall

never forgetG Hi! "erha"s / shall forget, if he ceases to tor!ent !e, but !y guilt C that is fast s!eltedG

EBour guilt a!ounts to nothing, / said. Ehat he loved you was destiny; the fact that you did not love hi! was not in your

"ower to change. hat you were able to believe you had cured hi! was only too natural in his deranged state.

E: she cried, Ecan a !other who lets her child fall into the water ever console herself Do you thin( that guilt is only

constituted by evil intent /f it were so, could one not wash away all regret with the thought of higher necessity /f #od

!a(es us guilty, it is also his will that we shall bear the conse7uences. /t has been decreed that / shall hear these chains

rattling to all eternity./ had soon exhausted !y argu!ents. She left the chateau, and / did not acco!"any her. he birth of a son tore !e away

fro! all dar( thoughts. / gave a feast in honour of this 0oyful event; the christening, and care for !y wife too( u" !y ti!e

so co!"letely that everyone will understand why / did not !a(e en7uires about the unha""y, beautiful creature of who!,

however, / thought fro! ti!e to ti!e. :ne day / received a "ac(et fro! 8aris. /t had been addressed to !e in the care of

!y business !anager. /t contained a little case and a letter, both sealed. / o"ened the letter first; there were only a few

lines.

Dearest friend

)hen you receive this / shall be dead. / (new that the ar7uess would call !e to hi!. $lthough he ca!e no !ore to

disturb !y nights, / had so!e thing in !y soul that too( the "lace of hi!. ell your wife that / have no "leasanter !e!ory

than that of her (indness to !e. #uard your son fro! "eo"le li(e !e. #ive !e a 7uiet little corner for the "hotogra"h

enclosed. Bou need not brea( the seal. / do not want to destroy it; it !ust not fall into wrong hands. /f you do loo( at it,

thin( that "erchance, even i/ had a heartanon de #aussin.

/ o"ened the case and the face of the unha""y girl who had announced her death to !e in advance strea!ed out with all the

!agic she had "ossessed in the days of her "ri!e. ears started into !y eyes and / thought of all the ha""y hours / had

s"ent in her house.3

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Here we have a true descri"tion of the etheric body of a dead !an a""earing to so!eone else. /t is an absolutely true

descri"tion. /!!ediately after the death, anon de #aussin saw the wandering etheric body of the dead !an. / si!"ly

wanted to show you how this "heno!enon is treated in a story written in the sixties of last century. /t is the "heno!enon of

the a""earance of the etheric body of a dead !an, and it can teach us about the secret, hidden relationshi"s that !ay hold

sway between hu!an beings. )e will "ass on to!orrow to further studies. ry to feel how behind what existed in anon

de #aussins consciousness as a frag!ent of aya, a wide real! was "laying, and how out of this wide real!, in the hours

she lived through directly after the ar7uess death, a "heno!enon a""eared to her in the for! of a !eeting with the

etheric body of the dead !an.

ruly, the etheric body is !ore inti!ately connected with the !anifold circu!stances in which we are interwovenwithin the universe than the "ictures we bear in our self4(nowledge and in our consciousness.


Schmidt (umber% S$&'!4

Feruary -" #$#!

%ornach

Besterday / told you the story of anon de #aussin because it gives an actual descri"tion of the wor(ing of the etheric

organisation, the etheric body, after death. :ne cannot, of course, 7uote every novelistic descri"tion in such a connectionbecause, naturally, a writer !ight evolve the !ost unreal ideas and one would then be 7uoting so!ething that is incorrect.

&ut / chose an exa!"le where, in a way that accurately corres"onds with the facts of such a case, the wor(ing of an etheric

body is described.

he first truth encountered by s"iritual4scientific (nowledge is that when the hu!an being "asses through the date of

death, etheric body, astral body and 6go are loosened fro! the "hysical body; a (ind of inter!ediate condition then sets in,

a condition in which, on the one side, the "hysical body is still there and, on the other side, with a connection between

the!; etheric body, astral body and 6go.

)e (now that then, after a co!"aratively short ti!e, the etheric body frees itself, and the 6go, together with the astral

body of the hu!an individuality, has to enter u"on the further 0ourney through the cos!os in the "eriod between death and

a new birth.

)e !ust realise that the etheric organisation, the etheric body, is destined to !aintain the earthly body of the hu!an

being through the whole !axi!u! age of life. $ hu!an being who has reached advanced age, has of course, the sa!e

etheric body as when he was a child. )hen a hu!an being has to leave the "hysical "lane "re!aturely in so!e incarnation

and the etheric body has then se"arated fro! the astral body and the 6go, then this etheric body is in a different condition

fro! the etheric body of a hu!an being who has reached a certain !axi!u! age and who has therefore been able to use

the forces of this etheric body through !any decades of his earthly life. when a hu!an being dies "re!aturely, the forces

that are still "resent in the etheric body would, if his (ar!a had allowed hi! to re!ain on the earth, have been used during

the further course of his life. he using of these forces denotes a continual wearing out of the etheric body. herefore an

etheric body which se"arates fro! one who has died early, contains !any unused forces; these forces are "reserved in the

etheric body. hey are forces which have gone over into the s"iritual world but which would have been able, for a longti!e yet, to !aintain a "hysical life.

*aturally, these forces are not destroyed when a hu!an being has "assed through the irate of Death. For nothing C

and still less in the s"iritual world than in the "hysical world C is destroyed. $ll the forces in existence change into other

for!s. he law of the conservation of force has assu!ed great significance in "hysical science since the year lLI< when it

was discovered by >ulius Robert ayer. $ force is a""lied in the si!"lest action, for exa!"le, when the hand is rubbed

over so!e surface. his force is not lost; the surface gets war!; the force of the "ressure and of the rubbing is changed into

war!th. *o force is lost; forces change their character. Si!ilarly, no force is lost in the s"iritual world. So that we !ay

say forces of the etheric bodies of those who have died "re!aturely "ass over into the s"iritual world and, as they have not

been used for the earthly life, are used for the "ur"ose of the hu!an individuality who is living on as 6go and astral body.

hese forces which would otherwise have been used for the individuality in his life on the 6arth, are used in thes"iritual world and re!ain in the ele!entary world. @he etheric body itself is dissolved within the ele!entary world.A /n

the ele!entary world they for! a real source and reservoir of force. his is very significant, for it sheds light, in a !ost

concrete way, u"on the connection between the "hysical world and the s"iritual world.

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For real (nowledge it is not enough to "icture !erely in the abstract that the "hysical world is connected with the

s"iritual world, and that the s"iritual world is behind the "hysical world. here is variety and differentiation in the s"iritual

world which lies behind the "hysical world. $rt that is born of clairvoyance and has an i!"ortant "art to "lay in hu!an

evolution on the earth owes a great deal to these unused etheric bodies. Significant sti!uli for clairvoyant (nowledge and

for the (nowledge that is ins"ired by S"iritual Science are "rovided by these etheric bodies in the ele!entary world.

8lease realise this thoroughly. C /n a certain sense we have to than( those who have died "re!aturely for the fact that

their etheric bodies have been given over to the ele!entary world and that !any s"iritual influences can therefore "roceed

fro! these etheric bodies. / thin( / need hardly say that such influences can "roceed onlyfro! souls whose end has co!e

in the course of natural (ar!a and never fro! a soul who has in any way willed his own death, through suicide. /n such acase things are entirely different; fruitful forces of the etheric body are destroyed by decisions e!anating fro! that !aya of

consciousness of which / s"o(e yesterday C and all decisions ta(en during earthly life in regard to death e!anate fro!

this aya. / say this only in "arenthesis.

/n a very s"ecial way the etheric bodies of which / have s"o(en are at the basis of the s"iritual sti!uli which !ay co!e

to us. he s"iritual !ove!ent we serve will owe, as we !ay well realise, a very very great deal to what it is able to receive

fro! this side. 8erha"s it is not necessary for !e to indicate how significantly our (nowledge can be enriched in the

direction of the love and the reverence we bring to our tread by the reali+ation of such facts and by our learning to

understand how we have to than( those who have died in early youth, and how we have to than( those who have died in

!ature age, who have ta(en u" into their individuality those forces which, in other circu!stances, are unused forces of the

etheric body.

)hen so!ebody dies in advanced age C and we have also had to ex"erience such a case recently C he has ta(en u"

into his astral body forces which would otherwise still be in the etheric body. He has, as it were, !ade hu+anwhat, under

other circu!stances is cos+ic. $nd because this is so, there goes out fro! hi!, fro! his individuality, the sti!ulus of

which / have s"o(en; he can be "articularly influential because these sti!uli can then be received by s"ecific hu!an hearts,

also by the hearts of those who do not "roceed fro! S"iritual Science or fro! clairvoyance but abandon the!selves to the

ordinary i!"ulses of life. into the souls of such !en too there can be received C / say Ethere can be received C those

forces C now less cos!ic but 0ust because of that, !ore hu!an C which flow into the s"iritual world in which the soul is

always i!bedded.

)e have now !entioned one detail that is connected with the 2Death S"ectru!3 as / will call it C this etheric

organisation which re!ains when 6go and astral body are released. / will call it the 2Death S"ectru!3 ... it contains theforces / have described, but !uch else as well. /n order to study what else is contained in this death s"ectru! we gist resort

to such !atters as / tried to bring before you yesterday, derived fro! #ri!!s tale.

/t will have been clear to you fro! what / said, and also fro! the whole treat!ent of the sub0ect in that case, that

between anon de #aussin and the !an who shot hi!self, there existed a (ar!ic tie which was, of course, the outco!e of

"revious earthly lives s"ent together. Mar!ic connections of this (ind are indicated in nearly all i!aginative writings. Such

writings C above all, the !ost i!"ressive of the! C ta(e their start fro! the fact that these (ar!ic connections arising

fro! "revious earthly lives have not been wholly lived out. anon de #aussin !eets the !an who loves her. She does not

understand his love and out of the !aya of her consciousness she resists the full and co!"lete living4out of (ar!a. Hence

there arises that conflict which is very ada"table to artistic treat!ent; out of the !aya of consciousness hu!an beings reel

against what is (ar!ically "redestined.

hey cannot, of course, do away with it. / a! not saying that (ar!a can be got rid of, for it !ust certainly be lived out

in a subse7uent incarnation. he hu!an being certainly cannot esca"e fro! (ar!a, or at least only in the very rarest cases,

and in such cases the (ar!a has to be transfor!ed. &ut in one incarnation the soul !ay resist the full C living4out of

(ar!a. -onse7uences then arise such as those which are dealt with in this tale. he one hu!an being leaves the "hysical

"lane, and (ar!a has not ta(en the sha"e it should have ta(en. &ut this 2should3 of (ar!a is inscribed in the nature of the

!an. Mar!ashouldhave been fulfilled in a certain way. )e !ay resist (ar!a in one incarnation because we do not

recognise it, and then we "ost"one it until a later incarnation. *evertheless it was there within us ... it was actually within

us. )e wi"e (ar!a away, as it were, fro! the one life, wi"e it away fro! the ha""enings of the life between birth and

death.

$nd so what anon de #aussin and the !an who loved her would have ex"erienced if they had fully lived out their(ar!a, is wi"ed away fro! their lives. /t is wi"ed away fro! the "hysical events of life. &ut fro! the death s"ectru! it

cannot be wi"ed away or effaced. /t re!ains in the death s"ectru! as )ill, and then it ha""ens that after the death of the

hu!an being concerned this death s"ectru! follows the will of the (ar!a that has not been lived out. So that when anon

de #aussin see(s and finds rest at the "ro"er !o!ent, this death s"ectru! co!es to her because there is living in it the will

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which should have brought about the union of the two. he death s"ectru! C so far as this is "ossible C fulfils what

ought to have been but has notbeen fulfilled.

he connection described in the tale has, in this res"ect, been truly "ortrayed. his death s"ectru!, therefore, also

contains the (ar!a that has not been lived out, and after the death of the hu!an being so!ething ta(es sha"e in the

ele!entary world that is li(e a "icture of this (ar!a. )e have to do with two as"ects C "lease realise this C )hen a

hu!an being dies with (ar!a that has not been lived out, he will have to live out this (ar!a in a subse7uent incarnation ...

this will ha""en at so!e ti!e in the future. &ut in the death s"ectru! there arises so!ething that is li(e a "ro"hetic "icture

of what will have to co!e about at so!e ti!e, what ought to have co!e about but has not. clairvoyant vision of the death

s"ectru! therefore brings an ex"erience of destiny, of (ar!a that has not been lived out.

/t !ay be said that in the etheric s"ectru! of the hu!an being after death so!ething ha""ens that could have ha""ened

in life, but has not. $ "icture of ha""enings which could have been ha""enings of life !ay be ex"erienced in this death

s"ectru!. his is a very significant esoteric connection. the hu!an individuality @6go and astral bodyA "asses over al!ost

i!!ediately after death to a (ind of cos!ic existence and for so!e days is still connected with the death s"ectru! @the

etheric bodyA, so that the (ar!a4will of the individuality is "laying fro! the cos!os into the death s"ectru!. hen, after a

few days, what belongs to the cos!ic s"heres is loosened fro! what has received its s"ecific, uni7ue character fro! the

connection with the "hysical hu!an being and has only assu!ed the for! of the "hysical hu!an being because it has been

enclosed within the hu!an "hysical body. he 6go and the astral body have not this "hysical for! of the hu!an being; but

the death s"ectru!, the etheric body has, in a certain res"ect, also the "hysical for! of the hu!an being. he death

s"ectru! loses this hu!an for! only in the course of days. )hen the soul has been freed fro! the "hysical body it loses

this hu!an for!. he "hysical body, through its forces, has "reserved this death s"ectru! in its for!; but now that thes"ectru! is outside the "hysical body, it ta(es on other for!s, deter!ined by the external forces of the cos!os.

/t is therefore understandable that a true descri"tion of the e!ergence of the hu!an individuality together with the

etheric body fro! the "hysical body !ust indicate the death s"ectru! rising u", as it were, in the for! which has been that

of the "hysical body. if, therefore, so!ebody wants to describe the !o!ent of death truly, he will describe how the etheric

body rises u" li(e a (ind of cloud, still !anifesting the for! of the "hysical body with its ar!s and other li!bs, and how

this gradually dissolves into the !ore s"iritual forces wor(ing in fro! the cos!os. his is a transfor!ation, a

!eta!or"hosis, a transition

he "icture revealed by clairvoyance is difficult for us, because in "hysical life the hu!an being is bound to ti!e and

s"ace, and indeed to those for!s of ti!e and s"ace which are at our dis"osal "recisely when we are in the "hysical body,na!ely, ordinary three4di!ensional s"ace and one4di!ensional ti!e, with its "ast, "resent and future. $nd so !any "eo"le

are inclined to connect with "urely s"iritual "erce"tions, three4di!ensional s"ace and one4di!ensional ti!e with its "ast,

"resent and future. )e can s"ea( of ti!e and s"ace in connection with the s"iritual world too; but there they are altogether

different. he difficulty is that words coined for the "hysical world are inade7uate and i!"erfect when used for "ortrayal

of the s"iritual world.

/n conce"tions of ti!e in the "hysical world, the "ast is ... well, the "ast. he "ast lies behind us and we can only

"reserve it in !e!ory. /t is only the "resent that can be there before us in i!!ediate "erce"tion. /n the s"iritual world it is

not li(e this, nor even in the ele!entary world; therethe "ast can be before us 0ust as the "resent is before us in the

"hysical world.

/n the s"iritual world, therefore, we can loo( at what is "ast, what has ha""ened, what can only be "reserved by the"hysical individuality in !e!ory when we have "assed through the #ate of Death we can loo( fro! a later "oint of ti!e at

an earlier "oint of ti!e. /t is 0ust as if, fro! a later "eriod, we were loo(ing at what is "hysically "ast as so!ething that is

i!!ediately "resent, 0ust as fro! this "oint where / a! standing / can loo(, "hysically, into the corner. he "ast is actually

there, living before us, surrounding us.

his conce"tions is !ade "articularly vivid by events li(e one that ha""ened a!ong us recently, when we attended the

cre!ation of a dear friend, and when her consciousness first ca!e to itself at the !o!ent when the fire sei+ed the "hysical

body. $t this !o!ent the consciousness began to be active. &ut before the "hysical body was given over to cre!ation the

burial service was held, and it could be seen that this burial service was vividly "resent to the Dead, as vividly as when

so!ething is before us in s"ace. JERudolf Steiner and our Dead. 8hil. $nthr. verlag @not yet in translationA K

Such things belong, of course, to the very dee"est esotericis! a!ong us. &ut in the course of !any years we have been

striving to !a(e it "ossible to s"ea( a!ong ourselves of things that are veiled in !ysteries 0ust as one s"ea(s of ordinary

everyday occurrences. )hat !ay be said now is this that when these difficult days of the war are over, our esoteric life at

all events will have to assu!e a !uch stronger and !ore inti!ate character then, things called forth by the suffering

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through which hu!anity has "assed C / do not !ean the individual suffering which s"rings fro! egotis! but the general

suffering undergone by !an(ind as a whole. &ecause of this general suffering it will be "ossible for !uch to be dee"ened

in other directions, in directions u"on which silence has "erforce now to be !aintained because hu!an beings are living in

a ti!e of general transition.

et us thin( !ore inti!ately still of the e!ergence of the hu!an individuality C of the 6go and the astral body with

the etheric body C let us thin( of the e!ergence of the threefold !an fro! the "hysical body. his is a "rocess which lasts

for days, beginning when the hu!an being "asses through the gate of Death. his "rocess shows very vividly indeed how

cos!ic forces !ay exist in the hu!an etheric body, but it also reveals, as we have seen, the (ar!a that has not been lived

out. his is a "rocess that is individually different in different hu!an beings; it is not the sa!e in two hu!an beings. hatis why it is so difficult to describe these things. hey are not the sa!e in two cases; they are everywhere different.

/t is of course the case that other ele!ents, as well as this "rocess, are contained in the death s"ectru!, but / cannot

describe everything at once. /f we (now of two characteristic "heno!ena contained in this death s"ectru! we already have

a !ore inti!ate "icture than when we are only able to associate the ter! Eetheric body with this death s"ectru!. Mar!a

that has not been lived out is contained within this death s"ectru! C and this !a(es it "ossible to deal with conflicts in

written wor(s of art, to connect this (ar!a that has not been lived out with "rocesses that ta(e "lace after death. $ll that a

"urely exoteric writer can do is to "ortray the conflict that has ta(en "lace in life, and then let his characters die. &ut when

C as for exa!"le in Sha(es"eares wor(s C account is ta(en of esoteric connections in life las / have said on different

occasions in indicating what was behind Sha(es"eareA, when a writer shows how things are connected with dee"er laws of

life and his descri"tions ta(e account of what lies behind the external ha""enings, then a wor( li(e Ha!let can co!e into

being. in what co!es fro! the s"irit of Ha!lets father we see a great deal of (ar!a that has not been lived out, that isbeing transfor!ed. he dra!atic conflict for the !ain character of the "lay, for Ha!let, begins through the intervention of

the fathers (ar!a which has not been lived out. So an artist who is convinced of the connection of the "hysical with the

s"iritual world will often feel co!"elled not to let his hu!an characters si!"ly fade out at death C as !onistic and

!aterialistic thin(ers "icture to the!selves C but to indicate that this "assing through death is a beginning of new events

and ha""enings that are still !ore concrete than the concrete ha""enings of life between birth and death.

/n order to show how art can see( enrich!ent by using earthly life as the starting4"oint for the continuation which then

"roceeds in the s"iritual life. / have s"o(en about the tale fro! which / also read an extract yesterday. /t is interesting to

find how the ex"erience of (ar!a that has not been lived out can co!e to a !an, how he can describe it. $nd he !ay feel

co!"elled to say at the end of his wor( EHere / feel the (ar!a that has not been lived out. hen he !ay feel the urge to

"ortray, in an ele!entary, real /!agination, how this (ar!a lives itself out. his can be done if life is ta(en in its totalityand not !erely in its "hysical as"ect.

/n this connection / want to s"ea( of yet another writing although / can indicate its content only very briefly, still !ore

briefly than yesterday, because it is a novel of two volu!es. @2/nvincible 8owers3, by Her!an #ri!!A. Bou will see that

what is said here also "ortrays an ele!ent of (ar!a that has not been lived out. / will indicate as briefly as "ossible how the

story gives ex"ression to this.

$ !other co!es with her daughter fro! $!erica to 6uro"e. he father died so!e ti!e ago in $!erica. on their

0ourney in 6uro"e they !eet a !an who is a descendant of an old noble fa!ily, a fa!ily fir!ly rooted in the traditions of

aristocracy. any things ha""en fro! which it at once beco!es evident to those who observe the s"iritual connections of

things that between the !an O2$rthur3 and the two wo!en who! he ha""ens to see in the street while they are going to a

theatre, there are (ar!ic lin(s. $nyone who watches the events fro! the "oint of view of S"iritual Science observes thisi!!ediately. hese (ar!ic ties lead to very intricate situations. hey ta(e their course in such a way that the whole "resent

age, 6uro"ean culture that has grown old and the still young $!erican culture, are described in a great tableau. he whole

"resent "icture of 6uro"e and $!erica is described with "oignant concreteness and self4surrendering love. he

re"resentatives of these two (inds of culture are $rthur and the two other "ersonalities who have been !entioned. he

whole of the "resent ti!e is described in these souls and !any things ha""en which, to those who bear the s"iritual

connections in !ind, i!!ediately a""ear as conse7uences of the (ar!a "laying between the!. he external !ilieu,

"ictured in the inter"lay between the $!erican outloo( u"on life and the atavistic 6uro"ean outloo(, is connected on the

one side with the new, fresh, untouched culture of $!erica, and, on the other, with the atavistic 6uro"ean culture that is

si!"ly subsisting on tradition. /n this whole !ilieu there is so!ething that is reflected in the souls of the characters and

causes conflict after conflict. $rthurs father who has died, owned an estate; his whole outloo( had been i!bued with old

traditions of the aristocracy; with his !oney, or rather, with the disa""earance of his !oney, he was a "roduct of the old

traditions of aristocracy, he had been obliged to sell the estate C as ha""ens so fre7uently in 6uro"e today. he estate has

been sold, so that $rthur does not inherit it. /n the noblest way C which is not always the case in such affairs C an

i!"rove!ent is brought about in the situation as a result of the attitude ta(en by the $!ericans to 6uro"ean conditions.

*aturally, 6!!y has !oney and she is able to retrieve the estate for $rthur. his ha""ens, at all events is about to ha""en.

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&ut an u"start of uncertain origin has re!ained on the scene; he is not 7uite sure of his "arentage but he goes about on the

estate li(e a tra!". he estate does not, of course, belong to hi!, but he has a delusion that he is the !aster of it C and

now the idea co!es into his head that the estate !ust beco!e his "ro"erty. His "oint of view is that as the estate has been

re4ac7uired, his rights have been violated. &ut his Erights are only a decadent delusion C he regards hi!self as the !aster

of the estate which has long been !ortgaged to the &an(. &e goes about as !entally deranged "eo"le are allowed to go

about when they are not dangerous. $ conflict begins, in that this !an is furious about the ac7uisition of the "ro"erty and

actually shoots $rthur on the estate when o""ortunity offers. *ow 6!!y has already had terrible ex"eriences; this other

ex"erience is added to the! and as a conse7uence of it an illness already "resent in ger!, develo"s. She is in the twenties.

Her !other brings her to ontreux and in her illness she is cared for there by an $!erican who is extraordinarily well

"ortrayed, a r. )ilson and so!e others who are in ontreux. he descri"tion of this r. )ilson is a wonderful "iece ofwriting; the whole of *orth $!erica see!s to be "ersonified in hi! ... it is all !ade wonderfully alive. &ut in s"ite of the

care she receives C fro! the doctor too, who co!es into her life and is a (ind of rival to $rthur, an old friend of his C she

cannot be cured. She dies ... and her death is described. /n the light of S"iritual Science, therefore, let us observe that here

we have, in the sense, a case of (ar!a which in !any res"ects has not been lived out; we have to do with conflicts arising,

in the !ain, between $!erica and 6uro"e; it is a case of (ar!a that si!"ly has been brought to an end by a shot fro! a

gun. $nyone who realises this will naturally as(, if he is not !aterialistically !inded C 2)here is the reality, what

ha""ens to this unlived4out (ar!a i!!ediately after death, where will it continue3 C his further continuance of (ar!a

that has not been lived out will be felt by a !an who is not a !aterialist. /f he is an artist he will feel co!"elled to give

so!e indication about it, and we actually find such an indication at the end of the writing. / need only read a few lines. C

$rthur is dead, he has been shot. other and daughter go to ontreux. 6!!y is ill for so!e ti!e and in her last drea!

$rthur a""ears to her. /t is evident at once that this is no ordinary drea!4"icture but an actual intervention of the real

$rthur in the "hysical world. he !o!ent of death is described as follows C

2&etween !idnight and dawn she thought she had wa(ened.

Her first glance at the window through which the faint light was strea!ing into the roo!, was free and clear, and she (new

where she was. Her !other who was slee"ing near her, heard her breathing. he next !inute, however, with a weight she

had never before ex"erienced, overwhel!ing fear ca!e over her. /t was no longer the thoughts that had been troubling her

the last days, but it was as if a gigantic hand were holding all the !ountains of the earth over her on a thin thread, $nd at

any !o!ent the hand !ight o"en and hurl doo! the great !asses which would lie u"on her for all eternity. She tried to

loo( within herself and outside herself, see(ing for a gli!!er of light; but none ca!e. the light fro! the window had

vanished, her !others breathing was no longer to be heard, and a suffocating loneliness surrounded her. /t was as if she

would never reach life again. She wanted to call out but could not; she wanted to !ove but no li!b obeyed her. 6verything

was still and dar( and no thought would co!e in this terrible !onotonous state of fear in which even re!e!brance had

de"arted ... and then, finally, one thought returns $rthurG

)onderful to tell, it was as though this single thought had changed into a "oint of light, visible to the eye. $nd as the

thought grew to infinite longing, so did this light grow and ex"and, and suddenly see!ed to divide, unfold and ta(e on a

for! ... $rthur was there before her she saw, and finally recognised hi!. /t was certainly he hi!self. He s!iled and was

close beside her. She did not notice whether he was na(ed or clothed, but it was he; she (new hi! too well; it was he

hi!self, no "hanto! who had assu!ed his sha"e. He stretched his hand towards her and said E-o!e

*ever had his voice see!ed so sweet and attractive as now.

)ith all the "ower of which she was ca"able, she tried to raise her ar!s towards hi!; be she could not.

He ca!e still nearer and stretched his hand closer to her E-o!eG he said once again.

o 6!!y it was as though the "ower with which she tried to bring one word through her li"s would have been able to

!ove !ountains, but she could not utter even this one word. $rthur loo(ed at her and she at hi!. :ne !ove!ent of a

finger now and she would have touched hi!. $nd now the !ost terrible thing of all he see!ed to be going away againE-o!eG he said for the third ti!e. )ith the feeling that he had s"o(en for the last ti!e, that the dreadful dar(ness would

again hide the heavenly vision of hi!, she was filled now with a fear that s"lit her as the frost s"lits trees and !ade the

final effort to raise her ar!s to hi!. but the weight and coldness which held her ca"tive were not to be overco!e.. $nd

then, as a bud brea(s and a flower grows before our eyes, shining ar!s ca!e forth fro! her own ar!s, shining shoulders

fro! her shoulders; these ar!s stretched towards $rthurs ar!s and he, gras"ing her hands with his hands and slowly

hovering bac(wards, drew her with hi!, together with the whole shining for! that has arisen fro! the body of 6!!y.3

his !o!ent of death, this e!ergence of the etheric body, the "assing over of the death s"ectru! into the cos!ic

real!s, is wonderfully described. /n this death s"ectru!, s"iritually and concretely described as it e!erges fro! the body,

there is contained the )illthat is ta(ing sha"e; this death s"ectru! contains the (ar!a that was not live out between $rthur

and 6!!y. / 7uote this second exa!"le because you saw fro! the tale yesterday how the death s"ectru! co!es to the still

living "ersonality. &ut here we have to do with two "urely s"iritual entities, with the etheric body of $rthur which hasalready undergone !any transfor!ations in the s"iritual world and with 6!!ys e!erging death s"ectru!. /t is therefore

an old relationshi", (ar!a that has not been lived out, that is "laying between $rthurs etheric body and 6!!ys death

s"ectru! which is 0ust "assing into the s"iritual world. So!ething that has not been "layed out in life, so!ething that is

unlived4out (ar!a, is "roceeding here in the s"iritual world.

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)e !ust really try to gras" in its reality what is "resent as the first !o!ent after the hu!an individuality has "assed

through the gate of Death. the unlived4out (ar!a is freed fro! the individuality C the individuality can only live out his

(ar!a in a subse7uent incarnation C it is freed, and beco!es cos+ic cos!ic ha""enings are the result of it. $nd in !uch

that ha""ens in the clouds, on the !ountains, in the s"rings, but also in !uch that ha""ens in the subconscious "rocesses of

the soul4life of hu!an beings living on the earth, unlived4out (ar!a is being ex"ressed, (ar!a that has ta(en over into the

s"iritual world and is li(e a wells"ring in this death s"ectru!. For these cos!ic ha""enings "lay continually into hu!an

life; we are "er!eated by the!, interwoven in the!. C hus we !ust distinguish between what beco!es cos+icwhen the

hu!an being "asses through the gate of Death, and what re!ains individual. )hat re!ains of the "hysical body beco!es

"ree!inently cos!ic, this "asses over C slowly in earth burial !ore 7uic(ly in cre!ation C into the ele!entary, the !ore

"hysical4ele!entary world of earth; and it is a gross, !aterialistic idea to believe that this then si!"ly disa""ears orfunctions li(e the che!ical ele!ents. his is nonsense, and we shall see to!orrow how it goes on living in the "lanet, how

significant it is for the "lanet.

/t lives on in the "lanetary life. he che!ists (nowledge of what beco!es of the "hysical body a!ounts to nothing at

all; for the earth has its essential subsistence fro! the fact that hu!an beings have died u"on it C its !ore i!"ortant forces

are derived fro! this source. he earth has its subsistence fro! the "hysical nature of hu!an beings who have died. here,

therefore, so!ething beco!es cos!ic fro! the "hysical body; the other beco!es cos!ic fro! the etheric body. $nd / have

tried today to indicate what beco!es cos!ic fro! the ether4aura; what re!ains, and has beco!e cos!ic lives on as

individuality in the higher s"iritual world. Bou will find it !entioned in

!ore detail in the boo(s 2heoso"hy3 or 2$n outline of :ccult Science.3 his lives on as individuality and / will s"ea(

about it to!orrow. &ut we !ust realise that what lives on individually begins to live in new conditions which differ

essentially fro! the ordinary conditions of earthly existence.

-areful study of the vienna lecture4course on the life between death and a new birth will give you a conce"tion of what

ha""ens during this "eriod. )e cannot really understand the nature of the conditions which "revail between death and a

new birth if we have hot !ade these conce"tions alive within us. he &i+ethat is "resented to our "hysical outloo( as "ast,

"resent and future, continuing onwards in a straight line, is really a "hysical aya. $t death we enter into a different world,

where the "ast exists not only in !e!ory, but is actually "resent; it is all around the hu!an being who is living in

conditions where his inner being is revealed as his outer being; his inner being of soul is there in direct !anifestation C

the being who has sha"ed the body as well as the "hysical incarnation between birth and death.

he way in which we !ust a""roach one who has "assed through the #ate of Death is not an act of external "erce"tion

but an inner sharing of his ex"eriences. he individuality is fully "resent when the #ate of Death has been "assed,although, as / have said, the hu!an being has to find his bearings and direction within his su"erabundant consciousness.

&ut what he is in hi!self, the essential core of his being, is there as a real "resence, although it !ay not as yet be connected

with his consciousness. /t is there. )hat a !an isin his essential being can be seen, and the ex"eriences shared.

)hen / have s"o(en during the sad occasions caused by the recent loss of dear friends, / have always tried to s"ea( out

of theirbeing. / will give one or two indications C as far as this is "er!issible here C concerning the last three friends

who have died. / have tried si!"ly to s"ea( out of these souls the!selves, as it were to let the! s"ea( with !e. $nd when /

loo( bac( / realise that there were very good reasons for s"ea(ing 7uite differently in each of the three individual cases C

for hu!an beings are individually different. / ad!it 7uite fran(ly that this was not in !y consciousness when the words

were coined. /t ca!e entirely out of the situation itself. oreover words which have to be coined for S"iritual Science and

also for the life into which S"iritual science leads us, are coined and unfold in the best and truest way when they are

absolutely uncolored by any wish e!anating fro! life. if we are to snea( truly and accurately in the do!ain of S"iritualScience we !ust (ee" entirely aloof fro! any wish to coin this or that in a "articular way. )e !ust hold at a distance

every wish that things !ight be this or that.

)hen it is a 7uestion of s"ea(ing at the cre!ation of a dear friend there is naturally no )ishto s"ea( the words that

were actually uttered. /n such circu!stances the words will certainly not be s"o(en out of any wish, but only out of the

necessity. For naturally, the only wish that could be "resent in such a case is that such words should not have to be s"o(en.

his attitude hel"s the coining of the words. o !e it was very significant C and / say this without any "retensions

whatever that in the case of dear Frau #rossheint+ / had to s"ea( si!"ly as the organ of ex"ression for this soul.

$ soul who had "assed through a long earthly life, who in her last years, with so !uch deter!ination and energy, had

united all her forces with the i!"ulses of S"iritual Science ... united the! in a way that "erha"s only a few a!ong us have

done ... who had !ade S"iritual Science one with her own initiatives in life C such a soul then "asses through the #ate of

Death into a life that arises not as a theoretical life but as a life of real and vital i!"ulses, born of S"iritual Science. his

life is actually there, even if the soul has not yet wa(ened sufficiently to be aware of it. /t is the characteristic ele!ent in

the being who is beco!ing free. $nd so you will ad!it that the words / had to s"ea( @at the cre!ationA actually contain

8age 1I of


15/27

what / will call transfor!ed S"iritual Science, S"iritual Science that has beco!e will, that has beco!e feeling. his soul

had had a long earthly life and "assed through the gate of Death with !ature etheric forces. :ne was co!"elled in this

case, to s"ea( entirely out of the soul itself. he !ain words necessarily too( a for! as if the soul itself were s"ea(ing

/n )eltenweiten will ich tragen

fuhlend Her+, dass war! es werde

/! Feuer heil gen Mraftewir(ens;

/n )eltgedan(en will ich weben

Das eigne Den(en, dass (lar es werde

/! icht des ewgen )erde4ebens;/n Seelengrunde will ich tauchen

6rgebnes Sinnen, dass star( es werde

Fur enschenwir(ens wahre Piele;

/n gottes Ruhe strebich so

it ebens(a!"fen und !it Sorgen,

ein Selbst +u! hohern Selbst bereitend;

*ach arbeitfreudge! Frieden trachtend,

6rahnend )elten4Seins i! 6igensein,

ocht ich die enschen"flicht erfullen;

6rwartend leben darf ich dann

6ntgegen !eine! Seelensterne,

Der !ir i! #eistgebiet den :rt erteilt ...

he inner !obility and life of this soul is revealed in that the first ti!e @at the beginning of the serviceA the words had

to be 26ntgegen !eine! Seelensterne,3 and at the end of the service 26ntgegen !eine! Schic(saltsterne.3

/t is the nearness one !ust have to the soul who has "assed through the #ate of Death which calls forth such words C

words which are characteristic of the being of the individuality after death.

)hat / have to say concerning the other two cases will be said to!orrow.


Schmidt (umber% S$&'!5

Feruary ." #$#!

%ornach

/n connection with !any "ainful events that have recently ha""ened we have been considering the 8roble! of Death.

/ should li(e to call your attention today first to so!ething of a !ore general character which is connected with the

"roble! and which can be discovered through the !eans given us by /nitiation Science. :ne !ust "icture to oneself that

when the hu!an being "asses through the gate of death he co!es into a world which is 7uite different for hi! fro! what is

often i!agined. /t is a tendency in hu!an nature which !ay very well be understood, to "icture the real! on the other sideof death, the s"iritual (ingdo! into which we enter through the #ate of Death, as being si!ilar to the (ingdo! of the !ind

the problem of death

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