New Mystery Wisdom as the Resurrected Mysteries of the Past
The true essence of anthroposophical spiritual science can be grasped
only when we recognise it as "a science of initiation originating in the
necessity of the day. A science of initiation has existed always.
Anthroposophy springs from the same foundation as ancient science, but in
the course of human evolution ages succeed each other and vary in their
demands. In the course of history the whole constitution and mood and
tendency of the human soul undergoes changes. And thus the science of
initiation arising out of the modern spirit is in some respects peculiar to
this age, just as there was an initiation science of the Middle Ages, of
Ancient Greece and of yet older periods of human evolution."
[1]
Initiation is the procedure of acquisition of knowledge about the
true nature of the world and man. To begin with "we must clearly understand that the nature of the
ancient Mysteries, and also their nature of initiation varied in
different parts of the Earth, and among different peoples. In the very
beginning initiation was so distributed that one people understood one
form, and another people another" [2] form of
initiation. These variations were the outcome of the different knowledge
which has been passed to pupils in the process of initiation. Here we
have the main cause for the variety of mystery centres in the past.
Nevertheless, we can group them into four so-called 'mystery streams'
which were nurturing and passing down to the generations of pupils the
mysteries of spirit, or the mysteries of soul, or the mysteries of life,
or the mysteries of matter.
In ancient times these Mysteries were not only the places of
initiation, but also centres from which originated
inspirations and instructions for the arrangements of all aspects of
spiritual and practical life. "The Mystery centres were the source of
all the knowledge which flowed into the masses of the people, and of the
impulses determining their activities. The old traditional conceptions,
which were incorporated later on into various religions and became
matters of faith, may be traced back to primeval wisdom.
The Mystery
centres really fulfilled the functions alike of churches, places of
learning and schools of art." [3]
In spite of such tremendous importance of Mysteries for all areas of
the life of old civilisations they "had to come to an end for the sake
of the freedom of mankind; they existed only so long as the human being
was 'under age'. This began in Greece; instead of Delphi, Ephesus and
Samothrace – the last great Mysteries – came Plato and Aristotle. They
represent independently thinking human beings. The emancipation of the
individual began with the logic of Aristotle. Today the individual is
free – can be free – if he wants to be.
As independence developed, the demise of old civilizations and
cultural forms began – especially during the last centuries. Today
nothing can be managed with the old forces. New Mysteries need to arise
in society which have to reckon with an individual ego that has become
independent." [4] This is the reason why anthroposophy came into
existence.
The independence of the modern person is enabled due to the fact that
the teaching of modern mystery wisdom "cannot in any way be said to be
based upon belief in authority. The teacher of anthroposophy desires to
stand in no different relation to his pupil than does a teacher of
mathematics to his students. Can it be said that the student of
mathematics depends upon his teacher simply out of belief in authority?
No! And can it be said that the student of mathematics does not need the
teacher? Some people may argue that he does not, because he may have
discovered how to teach himself from good books. But this is simply a
different situation from the one where student and teacher are sitting
in front of each other. In principle, of course, self-instruction is
possible." [5]
Nowadays it is not just possible, but self-education by means of
books has become the main way of the attainment of the insights about
spiritual realities of existence. This means that "every human being,
provided he reaches a certain stage of clairvoyance, can discover the
spiritual truths for himself but this would be a much lengthier path. It
would be senseless to say: My own inner being must be the sole source of
all spiritual truths. If the teacher knows the mathematical truths and
imparts them to his pupil, the pupil is no longer called upon to have
belief in authority for he grasps these truths through their own
inherent correctness and all he needs is to understand them. So is it
with all occult development in the sense of modern mystery wisdom. The
teacher is the friend, the counsellor, one who has already lived through
the occult experiences and helps the pupil to do so himself. Once a man
has had these experiences he need as little accept them on authority as
in mathematics he need accept on authority the statement that the three
angles of a triangle are equal to 180º. In new mysteries there is no
authority in the ordinary sense. It is far rather a matter of what is
required for shortening the path to the highest truths."
[6]
There is another reason for such an approach to the spiritual world,
based on understanding instead of faith. Among recent historical events,
the scientific-industrial revolution has had tremendous impact on the
changes of the basic conditions of human life. Along with this
development there came into existence also a new understanding of the
world. For that reason anthroposophical spiritual science lays great
stress on the striving "to develop a knowledge and perception of the
spiritual worlds which is no less exact, no less conscientious in the
sense of exact science, than was the best tendency and striving of the
natural scientific age" [7] of the nineteenth century.
Even more, spiritual science "is actually a continuation of that
modern striving for knowledge which has led to the results of natural
science with its achievements of external scientific knowledge. This
anthroposophy by no means denies, but maintains that the results of
external science need to be supplemented and completed, in the present
stage of the development, by a science extending into the higher
spiritual worlds. In that sense it is a continuation of the true
striving of our age for the knowledge of the world, and despite the
triumphs of natural science it may well be said by those with a heart
and an understanding of the experiences of the modern world, that the
need of men for the knowledge of the higher worlds is being proclaimed"
[8] in every domain of modern life.
We can look at this situation in the following way: "Just as we see
the external features and physiognomy of a man confronting us but do not
know him well until we become his friend – entering into his life with
heart and soul until we know him from within – so it is with the natural
science that we have attained so far. For it shows the external features
or physiognomy of the world, and the need of the world and of humanity
today is to gain a knowledge that not only shows those things but enters
into the spiritual and soul-life of the universe. It is that which this
higher knowledge of initiation reaches; something that perceives the
spiritual and soul-being in all the universe and in the human being
himself. In that sense and to develop to its real completion,
the fundamental striving for knowledge –
this science of initiation – is springing from the
needs and from the spirit of the age in which we live and whose tasks we
have to accomplish." [9]
The Main Tasks of the Modern Mystery Wisdom
Anthroposophical spiritual science can be accepted by human beings
only on the basis of "the deepest and most serious demands of human
evolution. We are not concerned in anthroposophy with those ideals which
originate in man's subjective nature, but rather with what is being
deciphered from the spiritual history of the evolution of humanity; and
from this spiritual history one can clearly see that the science of
initiation – that is, the science which brings over its knowledge from
beyond the threshold of the spiritual world – is absolutely necessary
for the further evolution of mankind." [10]
Nowadays we are confronted with the signs of serious ecological,
social and moral crisis. Although there are many good descriptions of
the symptoms and even some very obvious causes for the present global
crisis (e.g. extreme concentration of wealth in the hands of few),
people cannot "easily perceive, from following up events in a purely
external way, how necessary it is to infuse spiritual knowledge into the
evolution of humanity." [11] Due to dominant
habits of thinking and feeling many modern people are not inclined to
see the causes of the present global crisis from the perspective of
spiritual evolution of humanity – from the perspective enabled by
anthroposophical spiritual science.
We cannot expect to solve any global problem if we do not understand
underlying causes for its occurrence. And for this purpose we need the
new science of initiation, "the power of looking into the spiritual
world, which is not revealed through physical perception, or through the
external understanding connected with the instruments of the physical
body." [12]
But we do not need to attain this capacity by ourselves. "Just as it
is not given to every man to become a painter so it is with this
science. Everyone with a healthy and unbiased artistic sense can
understand and appreciate a painting, and in the same way those who
through the science of initiation have attained knowledge of the
spiritual world, can describe that knowledge to their fellow men. And
when once shown it can be understood by those who will exercise the
simple unbiased faculties of thought and judgment normal to our present
stage of development; such people can then take their stand upright as
human beings equal to the tasks of life in the present age."
[13]
Therefore with anthroposophical spiritual science "we are not setting
up a system that is applicable in theory only; we are speaking of
teachings which can be put to use in practical life by anyone who
desires to know the foundations of the science of worlds and to allow
the spiritual truths to flow into everyday life. Modern mystery wisdom
must not stream only into the head, nor only into the heart, but also
into the hands, into our manual capacities, into our daily actions. It
does not take effect as sentimental sympathy; it is the acquisition, by
strenuous effort, of faculties enabling us to work for the well-being of
humanity." [14] Thus it is possible for
anthroposophical spiritual science to flow directly into practical life,
as the examples of Waldorf schools, biodynamic farms and other
anthroposophical initiatives demonstrate.
"This can only be achieved if we consider the following: Certainly,
we must know heaven (the spiritual world), and certainly we must know the earth
(the physical world). But then we
must also look at the human being, in whom, among all the beings around
us, heaven and earth work together to create a unity. We must look at
the human being! For humanity contains infinitely more secrets than the
worlds that we can perceive with our external organs of perception, that
we can explain with an intellect bound to the senses.
The task of present-day initiation knowledge is to
come to know the human being spiritually. The initiation science
wants to come to know everything for this reason: in order to understand
the human being through knowledge of the whole world, through knowledge
of the whole cosmos." [15]
Therefore spiritual science came into existence with the aim to
enable us to attain a true understanding of our own being and the world
that surrounds us. It should be more than evident that, without an
understanding which includes beside the physical the soul-spiritual
realities of our existence, we cannot hope to solve modern problems
which are confronting us everywhere, including the problems of nutrition
and health, and a social and environmental crisis. These problems are numerous and in the course of time
they are only increasing. This will continue until we really attain an all-encompassing
understanding of the human being and all natural kingdoms. Thus
all depends on our own effort to attain a proper understanding of the
world we live in and the riddles of human existence.
