Chapter XIV: Part II

Inside the temple. The hall of initiation. The ceremony is performed on a broad flight of steps descending from the back to the front of the stage. The characters stand in groups below one another and on different steps. The drop-curtain goes up, disclosing everything in readiness for the initiation of the Neophyte, who is to be thought of as an earlier incarnation of Maria; behind the altar and to the left of it stands the Chief Hierophant who is to be thought of as an earlier incarnation of Benedictus; on the other side the Recorder, an earlier incarnation of Hilary True-to-God; a little in front of the altar the Keeper of the Seals, an earlier incarnation of Theodora; in front, on the right side of the altar, the Impersonator of the Earth Element, an earlier incarnation of Romanus, and with him the Impersonator of the Air Element, an earlier incarnation of Magnus Bellicosus; quite close to the Chief Hierophant, stands the Hierophant, an earlier incarnation of Capesius; on the left side of the altar the Impersonator of the Fire Element, an earlier incarnation of Doctor Strader, with the Impersonator of the Water Element, an earlier incarnation of Torquatus. In front of them Philia, Astrid, Luna and the 'other Philia.' Four other priests stand in front of them. In front of all Lucifer to the left of altar and Ahriman to the right in the guise of sphinxes, with the cherub emphasized in the case of Lucifer and the bull in the case of Ahriman. Dead silence for a while after the interior of the temple with its grouped mystics has become visible. The Keeper of the Temple an earlier incarnation of Felix Balde, and a Mystic, an earlier incarnation of Dame Balde, lead the Neophyte in through a doorway on the right of stage. They place him in the inner circle near the altar, and remain standing near him.

THE KEEPER OF THE TEMPLE:

From out that web of unreality
Which thou, in error's darkness named'st world,
The mystic hath conducted thee to us.
From being and from naught the world was made
Which to a semblance wove itself for thee.
Semblance is good, by being understood;
Thou didst but dream it in thy sembled life;
And semblance known by semblance disappears.
Learn, semblance of a semblance, what thou art.

THE MYSTIC:

Thus speaks the guardian of this temple's door.
Feel in thyself the sore weight of his words.

THE IMPERSONATOR OF THE EARTH ELEMENT:

Beneath the weight of earth-life seize upon
The semblance of your being without fear.
That thou mayst sink into the cosmic depths
In darksome cosmic depths thy being seek.
Bind to thy semblance that which thou dost find;
Its weight will give thy being unto thee.

THE RECORDER:

Thou wilt not understand, as thou dost sink,
Whereto we lead till thou hast heard his call.
We forge for thee the form of thy real self;
Perceive our work; else must thou lose thyself
As semblance in the cosmic nothingness.

THE MYSTIC:

So speaks the guardian of this temple's words.
Feel in thyself the sore weight of his words.

THE IMPERSONATOR OF THE AIR ELEMENT:

Fly from the weight of earth-life which would kill
The being of thyself, as thou dost sink.
Fly from it on the lightness of the air.
In light of cosmic space thy being seek.
Bind to thy semblance that which thou dost find;
Its flight will give thy being unto thee.

THE RECORDER:

Thou wilt not understand, as thou dost fly,
Whereto we lead, till thou hast heard his call.
We light for thee the life of thy real self;
Perceive our work; else must thou lose thyself
As semblance in the cosmic weightiness.

THE MYSTIC:

So speaks the guardian of this temple's words.
Feel in thyself the uplift of his words.

THE CHIEF HIEROPHANT:

My son, thou wilt on wisdom's noble road
The mystic's counsel carefully obey.
Thou canst not see the answer in thyself;
For error's darkness still doth weigh thee down
And folly strives in thee for distant things.
Gaze therefore--on this flame which is more close

(The bright, quivering sacred flame flares up on the altar in the middle of the stage.)

To thee than is the life of thine own self,
And read thine answer hidden in its fire.

THE MYSTIC:

So speaks the leader of this temple's rites.
Feel in thyself the ritual's holy power.

THE IMPERSONATOR OF THE FIRE ELEMENT:

Let all the errors of thine own ideas
Be burned in fire that this rite lights for thee.
Let, with thine errors, thyself also burn.
As flame of cosmic fire thy being seek;
Bind to thy semblance that which thou dost find;
Its fire will give thy being unto thee.

THE KEEPER OF THE SEALS:

Thou wilt not understand why to a flame
We fashion thee till thou hast heard his call.
We cleanse for thee the form of thine own self;
Perceive our work; else must thou lose thyself
As formless being in the cosmic sea.

THE MYSTIC:

So speaks the guardian of this temple's seals.
Feel in thyself the power of wisdom's light.

THE IMPERSONATOR OF THE WATER ELEMENT:

Resist the flame-powers of the world of fire
That they may not devour thy being's might.
From semblance, being will not rise in thee
Unless the wave-beat of the cosmic sea
Can fill thee with the music of the spheres.
As wave in cosmic sea thy being seek;
Bind to thy semblance that which thou dost find;
Its waves will give thy being unto thee.

THE KEEPER OF THE SEALS:

Thou wilt not understand why to a wave
We fashion thee till thou hast heard his call.
We build for thee the form of thine own self;
Perceive our work; else must thou lose thyself
A formless being in the cosmic fire.

THE CHIEF HIEROPHANT:

My son, by powerful exercise of will
These mystic counsels too thou must obey.
Thou canst not see the answer in thyself;
By cowardly fear thy power is still congealed;
Thou canst not fashion weakness to a wave
That lets thy note ring out amongst the spheres.
So listen to thy soul-powers when they speak;
And thine own voice within their words perceive.

PHILIA:

In fire cleanse thou thyself;--and lose thyself
As cosmic wave in music of the spheres.

ASTRID:

Build thou thyself in music of the spheres;
In cosmic distances fly light as air.

LUNA:

Sink with thy weight of earth to cosmic depths;
Take courage as a self in thy sore weight.

THE OTHER PHILIA:

From thine own being draw thyself away;
Unite thyself with elemental might.

THE MYSTIC:

Thine own soul speaks thus in these temple halls;
Feel thou therein the guidance of the powers.

THE CHIEF HIEROPHANT (addressing the Hierophant):

My brother hierophant, explore this soul,
Which we are to direct to wisdom's path,
Down to its depths; tell us what thou dost find
Its present state of consciousness to be.

THE HIEROPHANT:

All hath been done that our rite doth demand.
The soul no more remembers what it was.
The web of semblance, spun on error's loom,
Opposing elements have swept away;
In elemental strife it doth live on;
Naught save its being hath the soul retained.
Now of this being it shall read the life
In cosmic words, that speak from out the flame.

THE CHIEF HIEROPHANT:

O human soul, read now what through the flame
The cosmic word declares within thyself.

(A pause of considerable length ensues, during which the stage is darkened till only the flame and indistinct outlines of the characters are visible; at the conclusion of the pause the Chief Hierophant continues.)

And now from out the cosmic vision wake!
Declare what can be read from cosmic words!

(The Neophyte is silent. The Chief Hierophant, much alarmed, continues):

He speaks not. Doth the vision leave thee? Speak!

THE NEOPHYTE:

Obedient to thy strict and sacred rite
I sank into the being of this flame
To wait the sound of lofty cosmic words.

(The assembled mystics, the Hierophant excepted, show an ever-increasing alarm during the speech of the Neophyte.)

I felt that I could shake off from myself
The weight of earth and be as light as air.
I felt the loving tide of cosmic fire
Did bear me up on streaming spirit-waves.
I saw the body that I wear on earth
As other being stand outside myself.
Though wrapt in bliss, and conscious of the light
Of spirit round me, yet I could regard
Mine earthly sheath with longing and desire.

(Consternation all around.)

Spirits rayed light thereon from lofty worlds;
Like shining butterflies there hovered near
The beings who attend its active life;
The body by these beings bathed in light
Reflected sparkling colours manifold;
They shone close by, grew fainter further off,
And then were scattered and dispersed in space.
Within the being of my spirit soul
There lurked the wish that weight of earth should sink
Me down into my sheath, that I might feel
And learn the sense of joy within life's warmth.
So, diving gladly down into my sheath,
I heeded thy stern summons to awake.

THE CHIEF HIEROPHANT (himself alarmed, to the alarmed mystics):

This is no spirit-vision; earth's desires
Escaped the mystic and as offering rose
To radiant spirit-heights;--O sacrilege!

THE RECORDER (angrily to the Hierophant):

This could not have occurred, hadst thou performed
The office granted thee as hierophant
As ancient holy duty did demand.

THE HIEROPHANT:

I did the duty in this solemn hour
Which those from higher realms did lay on me.
I did not think that which it is my place
To think, according to the ritual,
And which, proceeding from me, should appear
In spirit-working in the neophyte.
The young man therefore hath declared to us
None other's thoughts but his own being's self.
The truth hath conquered. Ye may punish me;
I had to do what ye perceived with fear.
I feel the times approach which will set free
The ego from the group-soul and let loose
Its own true individual powers of thought.
What if the youth escapes your mystic path
At present?--Later lives on earth will show
With clearest signs the kind of mystic way
Which destiny hath foreordained for him.

THE MYSTICS:

O sacrilege;--thou must atone--and pay--

(The sphinxes begin to speak one after the other as Ahriman and Lucifer; hitherto they have been as motionless as statues; what they say is heard only by the hierophant, the chief hierophant, and the neophyte;--the others are full of excitement over the preceding events.)

AHRIMAN AS SPHINX:

For my realm I must lay my hands upon
What here doth wrongly seek the way to light,
And in the darkness further foster it;
That it may bring forth spirit-qualities
Which later on will let it weave itself
With rightful meaning into human life.
But till it gains these spirit-qualities,
What in this holy service did appear
As earthly burden, this will serve my work.

LUCIFER AS SPHINX:

For my realm I shall bear away the things
That joy as spirit-wish in semblance here;
They'll gladly shine as semblance in the light
And thus in spirit dedicate themselves
To beauty from which they are kept apart
At present by the burden of earth's weight.
In beauty, semblance into being turns,
Which later shall illuminate the earth,
Descending as the light which flies from here.

THE CHIEF HIEROPHANT:

The sphinxes speak--who were but images
E'er since this rite by sages was performed.
Upon dead form the spirit now hath seized.
O Fate, thou dost sound forth as cosmic word!

(The other mystics, with the exception of the Hierophant and the Neophyte, are amazed at the words of the Chief Hierophant.)

THE HIEROPHANT (to the Chief Hierophant):

This holy mystic rite which we perform
Hath not importance for ourselves alone.
Fate's stream of cosmic evolution pours
Through word and deed of sacred priestly rites.

The curtain falls on the mental atmosphere set up by the preceding occurrences

SCENE 9

A study in Hilary's house. A general atmosphere of seriousness pervades the room. Maria alone in meditation.

MARIA:

A starry soul, on yonder spirit-shore,
Draws near,--draws near me clad in spirit-light,
Draws near with mine own self, and as it nears--
Its radiance gains in power,--and gains in calm.
O star within my spirit-circle, what
Doth thine approach shed on my gazing soul?

(Astrid appears to right.)

ASTRID:

Perceive that which I now can bring to thee;
From cosmic strife 'twixt darkness and the light
I stole thy power of thought; I bring it now
From out its cosmic midnight's wakening
With service true back to thine earthly form.

MARIA:

My Astrid, thou hast ever till today
Appeared to me as shining shadow-soul;
What turns thee now to this bright spirit-star?

ASTRID:

I kept the lightning's and the thunder's power
For thee, that they might stay within thy soul,
And now thou canst behold them consciously--
When of the cosmic midnight thou dost think.

MARIA:

The cosmic midnight!--ere for this earth-life
My self enclosed me in my body's sheath;
When Saturn's coloured light kept endless watch!
Mine earthly thoughts concealed from me before
This spirit scene in soul-obscurity;--
Now in soul-clarity it doth emerge.

ASTRID:

Thyself in cosmic light didst speak these words:
'Of thee, Duration, would I crave a boon:
Pour out thyself into this blessedness
And let my guide, and let that other soul
Now dwell with me therein in peacefulness.'

MARIA:

Dwell with me also. O thou moment blest,
In which this spirit happening creates
New powers of self. Equip my soul with strength
That thou mayst not pass from me like a dream.
In light which on the cosmic midnight shines,
Which Astrid brings from soul-obscurity,
Mine ego joins that self which fashioned me
To serve its purpose in the cosmic life.
But how, O moment, can I hold thee fast,
So that I do not lose thee when once more
My senses feel earth clearness once again?
Their power is great; and often, if they slay
The spirit-vision, it stays dead e'en when
The self in spirit finds itself again.

(Immediately after the last words, as if summoned by them, Luna appears.)

LUNA:

Preserve, before the sense-life once again
Makes thee to dream, the power of thine own will
With which this moment hath presented thee.
Think of the words that I myself did speak
When at the cosmic midnight seen by thee.

MARIA:

My Luna, from the cosmic midnight thou
Hast brought me hither mine own power of will
To be my prop throughout my life on earth.

LUNA:

The Guardian's warning followed thus thy words:
'Then shalt thou see thyself in other guise,
E'en in a picture of an olden time,
And know how strength for lofty spirit-flight
E'en from disaster may the soul's wings gain.
A soul may never wish itself to fall;
Yet, when it falls it must a lesson learn.'

MARIA:

Whereto doth thy word's power now carry me?
A spirit-star on yonder shore of souls!
It gleams, it draweth nigh--in spirit-form;
Draws nigh with mine own self; and, as it nears,
The light grows denser and within the light
Forms darken, taking on their being's shape!
A youthful mystic, and a sacred flame,
The stern call of the highest hierophant
To tell the vision seen within the flame!

The group of mystics overcome with fear
At that young mystic's self-acknowledgment.

(The Guardian of the Threshold appears while the latter sentences are being uttered.)

THE GUARDIAN:

Hear once again within thy spirit-ear
The stern call of the highest hierophant.

MARIA:

'O human soul, read now what through the flame

(Benedictus appears.)

The cosmic word declares within thyself.'
Who spoke the words my thought brings back to me,
Recalling them from waters of the soul?

BENEDICTUS:

With mine own words thou callest me to thee.
When in times past I uttered this command,
It did not find thee ready to respond.
And so it stayed in evolution's womb;
The course of time hath lent new force thereto
Which flowed therein from out thine own soul's life;
And so it wrought in later lives on earth
In thy soul's depths although thou knewest it not.
It let thee find me as thy guide again;
By conscious thought it now transforms itself
Into a powerful motive in thy life.
'This holy mystic rite, which we perform,
Hath not importance for ourselves alone;
Fate's stream of cosmic evolution pours
Through word and deed of sacred priestly rites.'

MARIA:

Thou didst not speak this word within that place.
The hierophant did speak, who used to be
Thy colleague in that ancient mystic band.
He knew e'en then that powers of destiny
Foresaw the ending of this mystic band.
Unconsciously the hierophant beheld
The beauteous rising of the rosy dawn
Which to the spirit-stream of earth foretold
A new sun over Hellas should arise.
So he forbore to send the powerful thought
Which he should have directed to my soul.
The cosmic spirit's instrument was he
At that initiation, during which
He heard the whispering stream of cosmic life.
He spoke a word from out his inmost soul
'One thing especially I deeply feel:
The solitude of this stern spirit-shrine.
Why do I feel so lonely in this place?'

BENEDICTUS:

In his soul there was planted even then
The germ of solitude, which later on
Matured to soul-fruit in the womb of time.
This fruit Capesius as mystic now
Must taste, and so must follow Felix' steps.

MARIA:

That woman, too, who near the temple stayed,
I see her as she was in olden time,
But not yet can my vision penetrate
To where she is; how can I find her then
When sense-life causeth me to dream again?

THE GUARDIAN:

Thou wilt discover her when thou dost see
That being in the realm of souls whom she
Doth count a shade amongst the other shades.
She seeks to reach it with strong power of soul.
She will not free it from the world of shades
Till in her present body, through thine aid,
She hath beheld her long past life on earth.

MARIA:

Like some soul-star my highest guardian glides,
In glowing light toward my shore of souls;--
His light spreads peace, far round the wide flung space;--
His light hath grandeur;--and his dignity
Makes strong my being in its inmost depths;
In this peace will I now submerge myself;--
I feel before that through it I shall find
My way to fullest spirit-wakefulness.
And ye, too, messengers into my soul--
I'll keep within myself as beacon-lights.
Upon thee, Astrid, will I call when thought
Would from soul-clearness fain withdraw itself.
And thee, O Luna, may my prayer then find
When will-power slumbers deep in my soul depths.

The curtain falls while Maria, Astrid, and Luna are still in the room

SCENE 10

The same. Johannes alone in meditation.

JOHANNES:

'This is the hour in which he dedicates
Himself to serve the ancient holy laws
Of sacred wisdom;--in a dream perchance
I may in spirit linger at his side.'
Thus near the temple spake in ancient times
The woman whom my spirit-vision sees;
By thoughts of her I feel my strength increased.
What is this picture's purpose? Why doth it
Hold my attention spellbound? Certainly
No sympathy from out the picture's self
Accounts for this, for, should I see the scene
In earthly life, I should consider it
Of no importance. What saith it to me?

(As if from afar the voice of 'the other Philia.')

THE OTHER PHILIA:

The magical web
That forms their own self.

JOHANNES:

And clairvoyant dreams
Make clear unto souls
The magical web
That forms their own self.

(While Johannes is speaking these lines 'the other Philia' approaches him.)

JOHANNES:

Who art thou, magic spirit-counsellor?
True counsel didst thou bring unto my soul
But didst deceive me over thine own self.

THE OTHER PHILIA:

Johannes, thine own being's double form
From thyself didst thou fashion. As a shade
Must I roam round thee for so long a time
As thou thyself shalt not set free the shade
Whom thine offence doth lend a magic life.

JOHANNES:

This is the third time that thou speakest thus;
I will obey thee. Point me out the way!

THE OTHER PHILIA:

Johannes, whilst thou liv'st in spirit-light,
Seek what is treasured up within thy Self.
From its own light it will shed light on thee.
Thus canst thou learn by looking in thyself
How to wipe out thy fault in later lives.

JOHANNES:

How shall I, while I live in spirit-light,
Seek what is treasured up within my Self?

THE OTHER PHILIA:

Give me that which thou thinkest that thou art;
Lose thou thyself in me a little while,
Yet so that thou dost not another seem.

JOHANNES:

How can I give myself to thee before
I have beheld thee as thou really art?

THE OTHER PHILIA:

I am within thee, member of thy soul;
The force of love within thee is myself;
The heart's hope, as it stirs within thy breast,
The fruits of long-past lives upon this earth
Laid up for thee and hid within thyself,
Behold them now through me;--feel what I am,
And through my power in thee behold thyself.
Search out the pictured being, which thy sight,
Without thy sympathy, did form for thee.

(Exit.)

JOHANNES:

O spirit-counsellor, I can indeed
Feel thee in me, yet I see thee no more.
Where livest thou for me?

(As if from afar the call of 'the other Philia.')

THE OTHER PHILIA:

The magical web
That forms their own self.

JOHANNES:

'The magical web
That forms their own self.'
O magical web, that forms mine own self,
Show me the pictured being which my sight
Without my sympathy did form for me.

Whereto doth this word's power conduct me now?
A spirit-star on yonder shore of souls--
It shines,--it draweth nigh--as spirit-form,
Grows brighter as it nears;--now forms appear;--
They act as beings act who are alive;--
A youthful mystic--and a sacred flame,
The stern call of the highest hierophant
To tell the vision seen within the flame.

That woman doth the youthful mystic seek,
Whom my sight saw without my sympathy.

(Maria appears as a thought-form of Johannes.)

MARIA:

Who thought of thee before the sacred flame?
Who felt thee near initiation's shrine?

Johannes, wouldst thou tear thy spirit-shade
From out the magic kingdoms of the soul;
Live then the aims that it will show to thee;
The path on which thou seek'st will guide thy steps,
But thou must first discover it aright.
The woman near the temple shows it thee
If she lives powerfully within thy thought.
Spellbound amongst shade-spirits doth she strive
To draw nigh to that other shade who now
Through thee doth evil service to grim shades.

(The Spirit of Johannes' Youth appears.)

THE SPIRIT OF JOHANNES' YOUTH:

I will be grateful to thee evermore
If thou in love dost cultivate the powers
Laid up for me within the womb of time
By that young mystic in that bygone age
Whom once thy soul sought at the temple gate.
But thou must first this spirit truly see
At whose side I have now appeared to thee.

MARIA:

Maria, as thou wouldst behold her, lives
In other worlds than those where truth abides.
My holy earnest vow doth ray out strength
Which shall keep for thee that which thou hast gained.
In these clear fields of light me shalt thou find
Where radiant beauty life-power doth create;
Seek me in cosmic fundaments, where souls
Fight to recover their divine estate
Through love, which in the whole beholds the self.

(While Maria is speaking the last lines, Lucifer appears.)

LUCIFER:

So work, compelling powers;
Act therefore, powers of might,
Ye elemental sprites,
Feel now your master's power,
And smooth for me the way
That leads from realms of Earth
That so there may draw near
To Lucifer's domain
Whate'er my wish desires,
Whate'er obeys my will.

(Enter Benedictus.)

BENEDICTUS:

Maria's holy earnest vow doth pour
Now through his soul salvation's healing ray.
He will admire thee, but he will not fall.

LUCIFER:

I mean to fight.

BENEDICTUS:

And, fighting serve the gods.

Curtain

SCENE 11

The same. Enter Benedictus and Strader.

STRADER:

Thou didst speak gravely, and Maria spoke
Right harshly to me also, when ye two
Showed yourselves to me at my life's abyss.

BENEDICTUS:

Thou know'st those pictures have no proper life;
Their content only, strives to make its way
Into the soul, and takes pictorial form.

STRADER:

Yet it was hard to hear these pictures say:
'Where is thy light? Thou rayest darkness out,
Midst light thou dost create the baffling gloom.'
So spake the spirit through Maria's form.

BENEDICTUS:

Because in thine ascent thou hadst attained
To higher levels on the spirit-path.
The spirit, which had led thee to itself,
Used darkness as a symbol to depict
The state of knowledge which was thine before.
This spirit chose to use Maria's form
Because thy soul itself so fashioned it.
The spirit, my dear Strader, at this hour
Works mightily within thee and will lead
Thee with swift flight to lofty grades of soul.

STRADER:

And yet these words still terrify my soul:
'Because thou art afraid to ray out light.'
The spirit spake this also in that scene.

BENEDICTUS:

The spirit had to call thy soul afraid
Because in thee those things were fearfulness
Which would, in lesser souls, be bravery.
As we advance, our former bravery
Turns into fear which must be overcome.

STRADER:

Oh! how these words do pierce me to the heart!
Romanus lately told me of his plan:
I was to carry out the work myself
Not as thy partner but without thine aid.
In this event, he was prepared to use
All that he had to succour Hilary.
When I declared that I could ne'er consent
To separate the work from out thy group,
He answered that in that case it would be
In vain to make more effort. He it is
Who backs the opposition to my work,
Which Hilary's companion offereth.
Without these plans my life must worthless seem.
Since these two men have torn away from me
My field of action, all that I can see
Ahead is life reft of the breath of life.
In order that my spirit may not show
Discouragement I need that bravery
Of which thou spak'st just now. But whether I
Shall find my strength sufficient for the task
Is more than I can say, for I can feel
How that same force which I must needs set free
Will likewise work on me distinctively.

BENEDICTUS:

Maria and Johannes have just made
Advances in clairvoyance; and the things
Which hindered them from bridging o'er the gap
Between the mystic life and world of sense
Are no more there, and in the course of time
Aims will appear in which both thou and they
Can take part jointly. 'Tis not guidance, but
Creative strength that flows from mystic words:
'For that which must will surely come to pass.'
And so in wakefulness we must await
The way in which the spirit sends the signs.

STRADER:

A vision came to me not long ago
Which I must hold to be a sign from fate.
I was aboard a ship, thou at the helm,
The labouring oars were under my command;
And we were bearing to their place of work
Maria and Johannes; there appeared
Another ship quite close to us; on board
Romanus and the friend of Hilary--
They lay across our course as enemies.
I battled with them;--as the fight went on
Lo! Ahriman stood by their side to help.
While I was bitterly engaged with him
Came Theodora to my side, in aid,
And then the vision vanished from my sight.
I dared to say once to Capesius
And Felix that I could with ease endure
The opposition which now menaceth
My work from outward sources e'en if all
My plans were ruined--I should stand upright.
Suppose that picture now should show to me
That outward opposition doth imply
An inward fight--a fight with Ahriman;
Am I well armoured also for this fight?

BENEDICTUS:

My friend, I can behold in thine own soul
This picture is not fully ripe as yet.
I feel thou canst make stronger still the power
Which showed this picture to thy spirit's eye.
I can feel too that for thy friends and thee
This picture can create new powers of soul
If only thou wilt rightly strive for strength.
This can I feel;--how it shall be fulfilled
Remains a secret hidden from my sight.

Curtain

SCENE 12

The interior of the earth. Enormous crystal formations, with streams like lava breaking through them. The whole scene is faintly luminous, transparent in some parts, and with the light shining through from behind in others. Above are red flames which appear to be being pressed downward from the roof. (One hand of Ahriman is a claw and he has a cloven hoof. This is to show the audience that his identity as the Devil is being discovered. Fox has a cloven hoof.)

AHRIMAN (at first alone):

Now living matter falleth from above
Which I must use. It is the stuff whereof
Are demons made, and it is flowing free
Within the world of form. A man doth strive
To tear from out his being utterly
The spirit-substance he received from me.
My influence hath been till now quite good,
But now he is too near the mystic throng
Whom Benedictus through his wisdom's light
Hath lent the power enabling them to face
Awakening at the cosmic midnight hour.
O'er him hath Lucifer his influence cast:
So that Maria and Johannes could
Release themselves from out his sphere of light.
Henceforth to Strader I must closely cling.
Once he is mine I'll catch the others too.
Johannes wore himself quite dull and blunt
Against my shadow;--now he knows me well.
Through Strader only can I get at him.
And in Maria's case it is the same;
Yet Strader will perhaps not recognize
The spirit-tangle, which to human eyes
Appears as nature, is in fact naught else
Than mine own personal spirit-property.
And so he may conceive that energy
And matter blindly struggle there where I,
Denying spirit, fashion spirit-things.
'Tis true the rest have talked to him a lot
About my being and about my realm;
And yet, methinks, I have not lost him quite.
He will forget that Benedictus sent
Him hither unto me, but half-awake,
That his belief may be dispelled that I
Am but a woven thought in human brains.
Yet I shall need some earthly help if I
Must bring him here before it is too late.
Now therefore I will call upon a soul
Which in its cleverness considers me
To be naught else than some dull foolish clown.
He serves me on and off, when I have need.

(Ahriman goes off and returns with the soul of Fox, whose figure is a sort of copy of his own. On entering he takes a bandage from the eyes of this person representing the soul.)

AHRIMAN: (Aside)

Earth-knowledge he must leave here at the door.
For he must never understand the things
Which here he learns, since he is honest still;
No effort would he make, if he once knew
The purpose with which I now influence him.
He must be able later to forget.

(To Fox)

Dost thou know doctor Strader, who serves me?

THE SOUL OF FOX:

He drifts about upon the star of Earth;
He would build learned prattle into life;
And yet each wind of life will knock him down.
He listens eagerly to mystic prigs,
And is already stifled by their fog;
He now doth try to blind poor Hilary,
Whose friend, however, keeps him well in hand,
Since all these braggart spirit-whisperings
Would otherwise his business quite destroy.

AHRIMAN: (Aside)

Such talk as this is not what I require.
I now have need of Strader--whilst this man
Can still have perfect faith in his own self;
Then Benedictus far too easily
Will make his wisdom known amongst mankind.
The friend of Hilary might be of use
To Lucifer; I must act otherwise--
Through Strader I must Benedictus harm.
For he and all his pupils can achieve
Nothing at all, hath he not Strader's aid.
Mine enemies of course still have their powers,
And after Strader's death he will be theirs.
But if while still on earth his soul can be
Deceived about itself, my gain will be
That Benedictus can no longer use
Him as the leader of his coach's team.
Now in fate's book I have already read
That Strader's span of life is nearly run.
But Benedictus can not yet see this.
My trusty knave, too crafty is thy wit,
Who takest me for some dull foolish clown.

(To Fox)

So well thou reasonest that men attend.
Go therefore and see Strader very soon
Tell him that his machine is ill-contrived;
That 'tis not only unpropitious times
That check fulfilment of his promises;
But that his reasoning also is at fault.

THE SOUL OF FOX:

For such a mission am I well equipped.
For some time past I have done nothing else
But think how I can unto Strader prove
How full of error his ambitions are.
When once a man hath formed a clever scheme
By dint of many nights of earnest thought
He will with ease believe that ill-success
Is due not to his thought but outward acts.
And Strader's case is surely pitiable;
Had such a man as he shunned mystic snobs,
And made fit use of his fine intellect,
His great endowments surely would have borne
Much fruit and profit for humanity.

AHRIMAN:

Now see to it that thou art shrewdly armed.
This is thy task: Thou art to undermine
The confidence of Strader in himself.
No longer then will he desire to work
With Benedictus, who must henceforth rest
Upon himself and his own arguments.
But these are not so pleasing to mankind,
Who will be more opposed to them on earth
The more their inmost nature is disclosed.

THE SOUL OF FOX:

I see already how I shall begin
To show to Strader where his thought hath failed.
There is a flaw within his new machine,
Though he cannot perceive it of himself.
A veil of mystic darkness hinders him.
But I, with my clear common sense, shall be
Of much more use to him than mystic dreams.
This for a long while hath been my desire;
Yet knew I not how to accomplish it.
At length a light is thrown athwart my path.
Now must I think of all the arguments
Which will make Strader realize the truth.

(Ahriman leads out Fox's soul and again blindfolds the individual portraying the soul before he is allowed to depart.)

AHRIMAN (alone):

He will be of great service unto me.
The mystic light on earth doth burn me sore;
I must work further there, but must not let
The mystics unto men my work reveal.

(Theodora's soul appears.)

THEODORA'S SOUL:

Thou mayest Strader reach; but none the less
I shall be by his side; and since we were
United on the radiant path of souls,
We shall remain united wheresoe'er
He dwells on earth or in the spirit-realms.

AHRIMAN:

If she indeed forsakes him not, the while
He still doth dwell on earth, I stand to lose
My battle; yet I shall not cease to hope
That he may yet forget her 'ere the end.

Curtain

SCENE 13

A large reception room in Hilary's house. As the curtain rises Hilary and Romanus are in conversation.

HILARY:

I must with grief confess to thee, dear friend,
That this fate's tangle, which is forming here
Within our circle, well-nigh crusheth me.
On what can one rely, when nothing holds?
The friends of Benedictus are by thee
Kept far from our endeavours; Strader, too,
Is torn by bitter agonies of doubt.
A man who, full of shrewdness and of hate,
Hath oft opposed the mystic life and aims,
Hath pointed out grave errors in his plans
And shewn that his invention cannot work,
And is not only stopped by outward checks.
Life hath not brought me any ripened fruit;
I longed for perfect deeds. And yet the thoughts
That bring deeds unto ripeness never came.
My soul was ever plagued by loneliness.
By spirit-sight alone was I upborne.
And yet;--in Strader's case I was deceived.

ROMANUS:

I often felt as though some gruesome shape
Was pressing painfully upon my soul
Whene'er thy words were in the course of life
Shown to be naught but errors and mistakes;
That as the spirit-sight seemed to deceive
My mystic master did this shape become
Within me and did set a feeling free
Which now enables me to give thee light.
Too blindly hast thou trusted spirit-sight;
And so as error it appears to thee
When it doth surely lead thee to the truth.
In Strader's case thy sight was true, despite
The things that super-clever men hath shown.

HILARY:

Thy faith still doth not waver, and thou hast
The same opinion now of Strader's work?

ROMANUS:

The reasons whereon I did build it up
Have naught to do with Strader's friends at all
And still are valid, whether his machine
Prove itself true or faulty in design.
Supposing he hath made an error; well,
A man through error finds the way to truth.

HILARY:

The failure then doth not affect thee--thee
To whom life hath brought nothing but success?

ROMANUS:

Those who do not fear failure will succeed.
It only needs an understanding eye
To see what bearing mysticism has
Upon our case, and forthwith there appears
The view that we should take of Strader's work.
He will come off victorious in the fight
Which flings the spirit-portals open wide;
Undaunted by the watchman will he stride
Across the threshold of the spirit-land.
My soul hath deeply realized the words
Which that stern Guardian of the threshold spoke.
I feel him even now at Strader's side.
Whether he sees him, or toward him goes
Unknowing, this indeed I cannot say;
But I believe that I know Strader well.
He will courageously make up his mind
That self-enlightenment must come through pain;
The will will ever bear him company
Who bravely goes to meet what lies before,
And, fortified by Hope's strength-giving stream,
Doth boldly face the pain which knowledge brings.

HILARY:

My friend, I thank thee for these mystic words.
Oft have I heard them; now for the first time
I feel the secret meaning they enfold.
The cosmic ways are hard to comprehend--
My portion, my dear friend, it is to wait
Until the spirit points me out the way
Which is appropriate unto my sight.

(Exeunt left.)

(Enter Capesius and Felix Balde, shown in by the Secretary, on right.)

SECRETARY:

I think that Benedictus will return
Sometime today from off his journey; but
He is not here at present; if thou com'st
Again tomorrow thou shouldst find him here.

FELIX BALDE:

Can we then have a talk with Hilary?

SECRETARY:

I'll go and ask him now to come to you.

(Exit.)

FELIX BALDE:

A vision of deep import hast thou seen.
Couldst thou not tell it to me o'er again?
One cannot apprehend such things aright
Till they are fully grasped by spirit-sight.

CAPESIUS:

It came this morning, when I thought myself
Wrapt in the stillness of the mystic trance.
My senses slept, and with them memory.
To spirit things alone was I alive.
At first I saw naught but familiar sights.
Then Strader's soul came clearly into view
Before mine inner eye, and for a while
Stood silent, so that I had ample time
To make sure I was consciously awake.
But soon I also heard him clearly say
'Abandon not the real true mystic mood,'
As if the sound came from his inmost soul.
He then continued, with sharp emphasis:
'To strive for naught; but just to live in peace:
Expectancy the soul's whole inner life,
Such is the mystic mood. And of itself
It wakes, unsought amid the stream of life,
Whene'er a human soul is rightly strong
And seeks the spirit with all-powerful thought.
This mood comes often in our stillest hours
Yet also in the heat of action; then
It cometh lest the soul may thoughtless lose
The tender sight of spirit-happenings.'

FELIX BALDE:

Like to the very echo of my words
This utt'rance sounds,--yet not quite what I meant.

CAPESIUS:

On close consideration one might find
The opposite of thine own words therein,--
And more distinctly doth this fact appear
When we give heed to this his further speech
'Whoever falsely wakes the mystic mood
It leads his inmost soul but to himself
And weaves betwixt himself and realms of light
The dark veil of his own soul's enterprise.
If this thou wouldst through mysticism seek
Mystic illusion will destroy thy life.'

FELIX BALDE:

This can be nothing else than words of mine
By Strader's spirit-views transformed; in thee
They echo as a grievous mystic fault.

CAPESIUS:

Moreover Strader's final words were these:
'A man can not attain the spirit-world
By seeking to unlock the gates himself.
Truth doth not sound within the soul of him
Who only seeks a mood for many years.'

(Philia appears, perceptible only to Capesius; Felix Balde shows that he does not comprehend what follows.)

PHILIA:

Capesius, if soon thou markest well
What in thy seeking comes to thee unsought,
'Twill strengthen thee with many-coloured light;
In pictured being it will pierce thee through
Since thy soul-forces show it unto thee.
That which thy self's sun-nature rays on thee
By Saturn's ripened wisdom will be dulled;
Then to thy vision will there be disclosed
That which in earth-life thou canst comprehend.
Then I will lead thee to the guardian
Who on the spirit-threshold keeps his watch.

FELIX BALDE:

From circles which I know not issue words.
Their sound awakes no being full of light
And so they are not fully real to me.

CAPESIUS:

The hint which Philia hath given me
Shall be my guide so that from this time forth
In spirit too may be revealed what I
Already as a man upon the earth,
Can find within the circuit of my life.

Curtain

SCENE 14

The same. Hilary's wife in conversation with the Manager.

HILARY'S WIFE:

That fate itself doth not desire the deed
Which yet my husband thinks imperative,
Seems likely when one views the tangled threads
This power doth weave to form the knot in life,
Which holds us here in its compelling bonds.

MANAGER:

A knot of fate indeed, which truly seems
Unable to be loosed by human sense--
And so, I take it, it must needs be cut.

I see no other possibility
Than that the strand which links thy husband's life
To mine must now at last be cut in twain.

HILARY'S WIFE:

What! Part from thee!--My husband never will.
'Twould go against the spirit of the house
Which by his own dear father was inspired
And which the son will faithfully uphold.

MANAGER:

But hath he not already broken faith?
The aims that Hilary hath now in view
Can surely not be found along the road
His father's spirit ever walked upon.

HILARY'S WIFE:

My husband's happiness in life now hangs
On the successful issue of these aims.
I saw the transformation of his soul
As soon as, like a lightning flash, the thought
Illumined him. He had found hitherto
Nothing in life but sad soul-loneliness,
A feeling which he was at pains to hide
E'en from the circle of his closest friends
But which consumed him inwardly the more.
Till then he deemed himself of no account
Because thoughts would not spring up in his soul
Which seemed to him to be of use in life.
But when this plan of mystic enterprise
Then stood before his soul, he grew quite young,
He was another man, a happy man;
This aim first gave to him a worth in life.
That thou couldst ere oppose him in this work
Was inconceivable till it occurred.
He felt the blow more keenly than aught else
That in his life hath yet befallen him.
Couldst thou but know the pain that thou hast caused,
Thou wouldst not surely be so harsh with him.

MANAGER:

I feel as if my manhood would be lost
If I should set myself to go against
Mine own convictions.--I shall find it hard
To do my work with Strader at my side.
Yet I decided I would bear this load
To help Romanus, whom I understand
Since he concerning Strader spake with me.
What he explained became the starting-point
For me of mine own spirit-pupilship.
There was a power that flamed forth from his words
And entered actively within my soul;
I never yet had felt it so before.
His counsel is most precious, though as yet
I cannot understand and follow it;
Romanus only cares for Strader now;
He thinks the other mystics by their share
Not only are a hindrance to the work
But also are a danger to themselves.
For his opinion I have such regard
That I must now believe the following:
If Strader cannot find a way to work
Without his friends, 'twill be a sign of fate.
A sign that with these friends he must abide,
And only later fashion faculties,
Through mystic striving for some outward work.
The fact that recently he hath become
More closely knit to them than formerly,
Despite a slight estrangement for a while,
Makes me believe that he will find his way,
Lies in this state of things, though it involves
A failure, for the present, of his aims.

HILARY'S WIFE:

Thou see'st the man with only that much sight
With which Romanus hath entrusted thee,
Thou shouldst gaze on him with unbiased eye.
He can so steep himself in spirit-life
That he appears quite sundered from the earth.
Then spirit forms his whole environment
And Theodora liveth then for him.
In speaking with him it appears as if
She too were present. Many mystics can
Express the spirit-message in such words
As bring conviction after careful thought;
But Strader's very speech hath this same power.
One sees that he sets little store upon
Mere inward spirit-life that is content
With feelings only; the explorer's zeal
Doth ever prove his guide in mystic life.
And so his mystic aims do not destroy
His sense for scientific schemes which seem
Both practical and useful for this life.
Try to perceive this faculty in him,
And through him also learn another thing,
How one's own personal judgment of one's friends
Is of more value than another man's
Such as Romanus hath acquired of him.

MANAGER:

In such a case as this, so far removed
From all the vista of my usual thought,
The judgment of Romanus seems to me
Some solid ground to stand on. If, myself,
I enter realms to mysticism near,
I surely need such guidance as indeed
A man can only give me who can win
My confidence by so much of himself
As I myself can fully comprehend.

(Enter the Secretary.)

You seem upset, my friend; what hath occurred?

SECRETARY (hesitatingly):

Good doctor Strader died a few hours since.

MANAGER:

Died?--Strader?

HILARY'S WIFE:

What. Not Strader dead?--Where now
Is Hilary?

SECRETARY:

He is in his own room.
He seemed quite stricken when the messenger
First brought the news to him from Strader's house.

(Exit Hilary's wife, followed by the Secretary.)

MANAGER (alone):

Dead--Strader!--Can this really be the truth?

The spirit-sleep of which I heard so much
Now toucheth me.--The fate which here doth guide
The threads of life wears now a serious face.
O little soul of mine, what mighty hand
Hath now laid hold upon thy thread of fate,
And given it a part within this knot.

'But that which must will surely come to pass!'
Why is it that these words have never left
My mind since Strader spake them long ago
When talking with myself and Hilary?--
As if they reached him from another world
So did they sound;--he spake as if entranced;--
What is to come to pass?--Right well I know
The spirit-world laid hands upon me then.
Within those words there sounds the spirit-speech--
Sounds earnest--; how can I its weaving learn?

Curtain

SCENE 15

The same. Doctor Strader's nurse is sitting there waiting. Enter the Secretary.

SECRETARY:

Soon Benedictus will, I hope, appear
And hear himself the message thou dost bring:
He went a journey and hath just returned.
A great man surely doctor Strader was.
At first I did not have much confidence
In Hilary's tremendous plan of work;
But, as I frequently was in the room
Whilst Strader was engaged in showing him
What further needs his plan of work involved,
All my objections swiftly lost their force.
Aye full of spirit, with the keenest sense
For all things possible and purposeful,
He yet was ever heedful that the end
Should issue reasonably from the work;
Ne'er would he anything for granted take.
He held himself quite as a mystic should;
As people who are anxious to behold
A lovely view from some tall mountain-crest
Keep plodding on till they have reached the top
Nor try to paint the picture in advance.

NURSE:

A man of lofty spirit and great gifts
Thou knewest hard at work in active life.
I, in the short time it was given me
To render earth's last services to him
Learned to admire his loftiness of soul.
A sweet soul, that, except for seven years
Of utmost bliss, walked aye through life alone.
Their wisdom mystics offered him,--but love
Was all his need;--his lust for outward deeds
Was naught but--love, which sought for many forms
Of life in which to manifest itself.
That which this soul sought on the mystic path
Was needful to its being's noble fire,
As sleep is to the body after toil.

SECRETARY:

In him the mystic wisdom was the source
Of outward deeds as well; for all his work
Was ever fully steeped in its ideals.

NURSE:

Because in him love was a natural law,
And he had to unite himself in soul
With all the aspirations of his life;
E'en his last thoughts were still about the work
To which in love he did devote himself--
As people part from beings whom they love
So Strader's soul reluctantly did leave
The work on earth through which his love had poured.

SECRETARY:

He lived in spirit with full consciousness:
And Theodora was with him as aye
She was in life--true mystic souls feel thus.

NURSE:

Because his loneliness knit him to her,
She stood before him still in death. By her
He felt that he was called to spirit-worlds
To finish there his incompleted task.
For Benedictus just before his death
He wrote a message which I now have come
To give into the mystic leader's hands.
So must the life of this our time on earth
Unfold itself yet further, full of doubt;--
But brightened by sun-beings such as he,
From whom a wider number may receive,
Like planets, light-rays which awaken life.

(Enter Benedictus left. Exit Secretary right.)

NURSE:

Before his strength departed, Strader wrote
These few lines for thee. I have come to bring
His message to his faithful mystic friend.

BENEDICTUS:

And as he set this message down for me
What were the themes that his soul dwelt upon?

NURSE:

At first the latest of his plans in life
Lived in his thought; then Theodora came
To join him in the spirit; feeling this
His soul did gently leave its body's sheath.

BENEDICTUS:

My thanks to thee, thou faithful soul, for all
Thy services to him whilst yet on earth.

(Exit nurse. Benedictus reads Strader's last words.)

BENEDICTUS: (reading)

'My friend, when I perceived my strength was spent
And saw that opposition to my work
Did not alone from outward sources rise,
But that the inner flaws of my own thought
Were obstacles to check my plan's success,
Once more I saw that vision which I told
Not long ago to thee. But yet this time
The vision ended otherwise. No more
Was Ahriman my foe; a spirit stood
There, in his stead, whom I could clearly feel
To represent my own erroneous thought.
And then did I remember thine own words
About the strengthening mine own soul's powers.
But thereupon the spirit disappeared.'--
There are a few more words,--but I cannot
Decipher them--a chaos covers them
By weaving in a veil of active thought.

(Ahriman appears; Benedictus sees him.)

(There is no longer any illusion about Ahriman. His form is much more inhuman; his right arm is bone, his right hand a claw, and he has a cloven hoof.)

BENEDICTUS:

Who art thou, who dost take a shadowed life,
From out my chaos, in the soul's domain?

AHRIMAN (aside):

He sees me, but as yet he knows me not.
And so he will not cause me fearful pain
If I should try to labour by his side.

(To Benedictus.)

I can declare to thee what Strader means
To tell thee further for thy personal good.
And also for thy pupil's mystic path.

BENEDICTUS:

My mystic group will always know itself
To be in touch with Strader's soul, although
The life of sense no longer forms a bridge.
But when a spirit-messenger draws near
And manifests to us from his own worlds,
Then he must needs first win our confidence.
This he can only do if he appears
Without disguise unto our spirit-gaze.

AHRIMAN:

Thou art but striving for self-consciousness:
So stranger spirit-beings, who might wish
To render thee a service, are compelled
To show themselves as parts of thine own self,
If they may only help thee undisguised.

BENEDICTUS:

Whoe'er thou art 'tis sure thou only canst
Serve Good when thou dost strive not for thyself,
When thou dost lose thyself in human thought
To rise newborn within the cosmic life.

AHRIMAN: (aside)

Now is it time for me to haste away
From his environment, for whensoe'er
His sight can think me as I really am,
He will commence to fashion in his thought
Part of the power which slowly killeth me.

(Ahriman disappears.)

BENEDICTUS:

Now only do I see 'tis Ahriman,
Who flees himself, but fashions out of thought
A knowledge of his being in myself.
His aim is to confuse the thought of man
Because therein, misled by error old,
He seeks the source of all his sufferings.
As yet he knows not that the only way
For him to find release in future is
To find himself reflected in this thought.
And so he shows himself to men indeed,
But not as he doth feel he is in truth.
Himself revealing, and concealing too,
He sought to utilize in his own way
A favourable hour in Strader's case.
Through him he hoped to strike his friends as well;
But he will not be able to conceal
His nature from my mystic pupils now.
He shall be present in their waking thought
If he holds sway within their inner sight.
So shall they learn to know his many forms,
Which would disguise him whensoe'er he must
Reveal himself unto the souls of men.
But thou, sun-ripened soul of Strader, thou
Who by the strengthening of thy spirit-powers
Didst drive the Lord of Error into flight
Thou shalt, as spirit-star, shine on thy friends.
Thy light shall henceforth ever penetrate
Into Maria's and Johannes' selves;
Through thee will they be able to equip
Themselves more strongly for their spirit-work,
That so they may with powerful thought reveal
Themselves as proof of soul-enlightenment,
E'en at such times as dusky Ahriman,
By clouding wisdom, seeks to spread the night
Of Chaos o'er full-wakened spirit-sight.

Curtain

NOTES

[1] Note.--Very solemn and slow.