Professional Documents
Culture Documents
I
El
I
g
,
:,
F r,
u4t
til
r\
NOUP uO(t)(
,
()
A\YhX
-\La
><\ {)
Gcl
\-/ \l
VALENT I N TO M BE RG
RUDOLF
STEINER
TIBRARY
65FERNHIILRD
GHENTNY12075
f
,i
,...*********#
Publis hed w i t h c h e k i n d p e r m i s s i o n o f
Prof. Martin Kriele on behalf of the author.
THE PHILOSOPHY
OF TAKING COUNSEL
WITH OTHERS
;
t:j
j*
.;l
:a-i
,.1-f
=i
i!i
5i.i
=
,€
::4
tAi
:?E
:=!l
.14
1:
?! HE Phi.losophyof SpiriturtlActi'------l' :-,::
=
9J independcnceof the humanbeing::;-.: l---::;=-:
r:q
w e l l a s i n m o ra l a c ti o n . In thi s book. :he :e.--: :' I
i mp u l s e fo r fre e d o m, fi n d s i ts expressi oe:: :-;-:::
!s
w h i c h i s b a s e d n e i th e r o n God, nor on l :a= :i - :-: :17
s a n s w e rs th e q u e s ti o n : H ow can I a* an = " -::v :
ix freely ?
E
.* H o w e v e r, th e h u m a n e g o i s nor ai one - :: --' ::.- i - j 1: I l :: I1
b o d y . W h e n i t ra i s e s i ts e lf above the b.' * :-;= :: --: ;r : -: :r:
:?-t i m m e d i a te i y i n to l i v i n g c o rnmuni l ! rsi :l c::.: = l :,= l t ,' t :::: l ri ::
-- : -rTTl:lr
l-rj lrfl :- rrii : rr-r
arises : How caa u)e attain a true knowlej:;
w o rk to g e th e r i n fre e d o m ?
$:!
1g
& T h i s q u e s ti o n i s a n s w ered through R -i ::-: )::-::- : I : i " - ,r;,' =
14 T h e re a n a n s w e r to th e q uesti on abou::he s:= -:-:al :: r.m; t: n: :-
cd accil-ir 1-s :1r- =1 -=1 -:rrl i I *i-:
4 comnrun'ityboth in knowing and -- -:
'ii
..=
i.i:
a b o v e m e re e x p e ri e n c e i n che phvsi ca- :.-i ' - ' -:: ::i -i :-:-' : ::l : :: :
' :r* l rrl i r'I
'4 o n e i o to a n o th e r a s s o u l -spi ri tuai bei ngs ' ' { : -:" r'r = n:l i ::r: -
j.€ wi,th and through each other' thev cc:'
..
W e c a n s e e , th e re fo re , an i nner co:l :i l :' ;::::: :: ::: : r' ' ; i i -.l :::
$
.!i! My s te ry D ra m a s , fo r th e y provi de ao ansFe: ::
:=
" Jr- rl r::::-:1 16' :l r-::
.i.i a ri s e s . l f th e P h i ,l o s o p h y answ ers rhe q:es:i :- :i r,o' frI' rr' r'i ,' t.:::l i -:--r:
:,6
and/,ndi,oidpal action, then the tr{vster.- D::-zo ::1 :e $rx &{i:-x,-i' l,i l*:i-
= ti o n s o f c o m m u n i ,ty i n k n ow l edge ani a:-* --- - = :: -; ::; :i -: :E
:g
= b ro u g h t a h o u t i n k n o w l e d ge and acti oa = :--:-.-: -: !:-:' r :- -r----' : I =
=r?
= th a n b y th e s a me i n d i v i d u al s, each srasi :r: a----= .
,fi
.= T h i s d i ffe re n c e b e c o mes vi si bl e. coc. i :- ::,- -.--tr :: :rl : ::F: i i :i r.:
.:i.;
ii
a:
a€
t:1
,fr
rE
E
1
t he mo ra l c o n s c i o u s n e s s fre e s i tsel f from tyranni cal urges and from com-
pul s i v e l a w .s a n d e x p e ri e n c e s i tsei f i n the P ure act of moral i magi nati on.
+
;.i
i+
+
li!
i,3 ins t e a d o f s tre s s i n t o a r o l L ? 1opi ni ons and 5:::' :-= ---: : -- :rsr :
--l - -
j :e= --* -:= :' : i T ' i - --: =
ples " - d o e s e s o te ri c i s m b e gi n. Onl y then
;+
:iJ f r om th e b o d y . Ou r " o w n " o pi ni ons) moreo" e:.:::::::l :-:: i :' -:. ' ' -l
E
i:
par t s o f o u r o rg a n i s m.
- i l l ' i -: -: :
,:i " B y th i s s h a l l a l l me n k n o w that ye are n:" :-= :-:-.=
'l
::t one fo r a n o th e r," s a i d rh e l o ft i esr C reator oi : ----- -- -- l - ' ' ' --::
a.:r is n e c e s s a ry n o t me re l y to g u arantee " a peac€i -' = --:::-:-: -:- ::' rr-:
:51
+ ;' ::::-
r at h e r i t i s i ts e l f th e m e a rts for devel opi ng ni ;-' = - r' ' ' -r-:-r:
inl\'
!: !,
€.
'tttll in t h e h i g h e s ts e n s e i s n o to n ly a pi ' ace v;ne:e s:-:-:-' L::s ::l '1 "r
:'11" t aug h t; i t i s m u c h mo re th a n that, i t i s a ccrl r" -:-:' i l :-:: -: l i -tl :i i -i
* f or m c o m m o n i n s i g h ts b y p a s si ng through tl i a' s :;:---' ' :: i :L:- :' = --=
iri
:i s pe a k s i n s e v e ra l p l a c e s i n h i s Mysterr- D r;' i := s ' -r : = : - -;
r::f br oth e rs " . T h i s " c o u n c i l " m ust not be uc' j e:s:::i ' : -: i ' :r' r:n:d::
ri of th i s b ro th e rh o o d a l re a d y k now evervrhi n.a ar-: ::--. :l ::-' :- : ,-:r-:-: :-
|$ of a p ro b l e m o u t o f m e re c o n s i derati on foi ea::- ::: = - - -- T rL:: :E :: --:'
e -' :--:' : ::r: r:-:' :-
s t oo d th a t th e y c o n fe r s o th a t perhaps one or:l --= -
$
.4 of a n o th e r a s b e i n g mo re c o rre ct.
j:l
r,g ,,b ro th e rs i n the templ e" . as :l = s:rt:e: :::.rr:' i .,Ll :: ,: ---.:
A council of
:=
+ i:i
P orta l o f In i ti a ti ' o n , l a k e s p l ace nei ther oi j : c: :----r= -::;
t ain ty o f d e c i s i o n ; ra th e r i t i s i ' n i ' tsel i G ' {" t-' ' --' - :"
- -- --' -T --:::-
-:" : ' tIT ::r- :L::::--
*; !-' - ::-= :--= -= ' l : l f -::fr' n' --1= s'
iz at i o n o f i n d i v i d u a l s ta n d p o i nts reP reseol eC
* ; -:--'
iti I f o n l y o n e P o 1 n to f v i e w (i n vari ous shades :;= r= := ::= :::f ::: ::-:
$
i; a c o u n c i l w o u l d n o t b e a s p i rirual communi :v -1 :---:-:-- ' w -:i ::i :l :E :-: -'
= - -: r:' t-: :E ' ;"
ii,,i " ea s t, n o rth -e a s t, s o u th -e a s t" w oul d noi i re :o::--::
' s' -' ::-' - :: :t:: s' ;:
:+ * fo r n o t u n ti l th e p o l a ri ti ,e s of ' norrh' and ' i i 1
ar e u n i fi e d d o e s i t c a fry rh e p ossi bi l i n of hi i ' ne :.-:-:tr,-= :-r-. i T: :- :-:---:= :
* w :-d -T | :: !:: ' ::
ef f e c t. It i s i mp o rta n r to b e a r i n mi nd that :he :..-' :l - ::
,€
:ii in su c h a c o mmu n i ty c a n a c tu al l y have the ar:e' := ---: :: ::: .- j ' .: -
-:::-
.*
:; pr in c i p l e s .
':--.:
.€
'i_: Wh a t. th e n . i s a " c o u n c i l " i ntended for spi :i --1- r-:T'
:,+, al w o rk ? l t i s a n e w l i v i n g b ei ng, an organi sr' r-:= =
$$. --' ' 1-:- ;r-'
:i.: '
,.{ wo rk i n g to g e th e r o f p o l a ri ti e s' Just as i n :he
:-:
t he o n e h a n d i n a s tru g g l e b etw een nervous srs:= -
,iz and o n th e o th e r h a n d i n th e uorki ' ng togei l 4: o: ::r-= ::
iE t he g o o d o f th e w h o l e o rg a n i sm i n the rhvthrni c si -s::*
i+
ii;
s pi ri tu a l c o u n c i l e x i s ts th ro u gh the fact that opr' --' ::: :
i5 and a g .i n u n i te d o n a h i g h e r l eveI after rh" e ' " -.' i
.!i " ' !' ;" i
:i s e l o e s a s o p p o s i te s .
:li
e
5
.$
:l
i
=
a:
!
A l re a d y th i s re q u i re m ent i s portrayed i n scene one of the fi rst Mystery
D ra ma . H e re w e a re Pre sented w i th asequence of di fferent - even confl i c-
ti n g - v i e w s w h i c h a re , how ever, i n themsel ves correct. The standpoi nts
fro m w h i c h th e v i e w s a ro se are enti rel y i usti fi ed.
Providence (n)
F a te ( - ) Freedom (+l
Cognition (n)
::]
:
al
I f i n a g ro u p rh e mo o d p re d omi nares w hi ch
i ei -erc:s or: or i ne i nsi ghr
t hat i ts e ffo rt c a n m e a n a p a rh of knou-redge.
;her rhe ;ro:rp has reached a
s t ag e o f m a tu ra ti o n a t w h i c h o ne mav ha' e
reason ,o hJp. i ear i i can become
an o rg a n o f c o g n i ti o n , a n d a n organi sm of know i eci ge.
In rhrs process of be_
c omi n g , i t i s o f fu n d a m e n ra l i m porrance rhar
rhe el emenrs of l ecture and di s_
c us si o n u n d e rg o a n i n n e r tra n s formati on :
a transformari on i n rhe sense
t hat te a c h i n g (h o l d i n g fo rth ) a n d di scussi on e' orve
i nro a,,raki ng coun-
s el" w i th o n e a n o rh e r. w h a t m arters i s that
a group meeri ng become more
and m o re a c o n fe rri n g to g e c h e r, w herei n not onl y
pracri cal rhi ngs are spok-
en ab o u t, b u t a l s o p u re q u e s ti ons of know redge.
such i s, rhen, rhe ai m of
a gr o u p : th a t i t b e c o m e s a c o unci l of fri ends.
* 'Arbeitsgruppe'
: 'working-group',study group, branch here
; and throughoutis
simply translated as ,group,.
I1
ledg e , m a k i n g i t p o s s i b l e fo r enti rel y new i deas to come ro l i ght. Thi s
" c om i n g to l i g h t" o c c u rs i n rhe center of a ci rcl e w hi ch the persons i n-
v oive d h a v e to fo rm . If th e y f orm a ci rcl e on a moral -spi ri tuai basi s; thar
is , i n th e s p i ri t o f mu ru a l h e l p , rhen a mi ddl e-poi nt of thi s ci rcl e comes i nro
bein g - Ii k e th e s u n w i th i n th e zodi ac. Thi s center poi nr, w hi ch can be
v iew e d fro m a l l s i d e s , b e g i n s to shi ne and to enl i ven. In other w ords, the
f und a me n ta l p ri n c i p l e o f th e J ohn Gospel , " w here tw o or rhree are garhered
in m y n a me , I a m th e re a mo n g them" , al so show s i tsel f to be rrue on the
m or e m o d e s t l e v e l o f h o n e s t a nd free anrhroposophi cal group w ork. H ere,
t oo, s o m e th i n g a p p e a rs b e tw e e n and above the i ndi vi dual s w hi ch goes be-
y ond e a c h o f th e m . T h e s p i ri tual bei ng of a group becomes percepci bl e,
12 i
bind i n g , u n i ti n g e l e me n t. O n the contrary, at fi rst they have the effect of
s epa ra ti n g . An d y e t th e ta s k c onsi sts i n havi ng the vi ew poi nts together
pr od u c e a u n i fy i n g s u b s ta n c e , so that a ci rcl e comes i nro bei ng. To atrai n
t his , w e c a n try to b ri n g th e v i ew s together by attempti ng uni te them on
t he l e v e l o f c h o u g h ts . B u t th e resul t of thi s arrempr (i f w e are total l y hon-
es t ) w i l l u n a v o i d a b l y p ro v e to be throughl y unsati sfyi ng. It w i l l become
c lea r th a t th e v i e w s a re th u s combi ned, but not bound together i n a real
unity . T h i s i s d u e to th e fa c t that there i s al w ays an abyss, an empry
s pac e , b e tw e e n th e i n d i v i d u a l vi ew s. A s a pral aya condi ti on i s i nterposed
bet w e e n th e Ol d Sa tu rn s ta g e o f exi stence and that of the Ol d S un, so i n a
s im i l a r m a n n e r a k i n d o f ' th o u ght pral aya' i s i nterposed betw een one vi ew -
poin t a n d a n o th e r. In o rd e r to bri dge these abysses, w e must avoi d goi ng
abou t th e ta s k i n s u c h a w a y t hat w e try to create a connecti on on the same
lev e l ; th a t i s , i n th e re g i o n o f thought-l i fe. To create thi s connecci on, w e
m us t a c tu a l l y d e s c e n d fro m th e head, from the l evel of thoughts, and i m-
m er s e i n to th e h e a rt, a n d th e n from there ri se agai n to the l evel of thoughts
- in th e h e a d o f th e o th e r p e rson. Oni y i n thi s w ay does one l earn to un-
der s ta n d th e o th e r. F o r w h e n p eopl e confront each other w i th thei r heads, i
14