Destiny and the Christ

 

Notes and excerpts from:

https://rsarchive.org/Lectures/ReapChrist/19100127p01.html

https://rsarchive.org/Lectures/ReapChrist/19171129p01.html

https://rsarchive.org/Lectures/ReapChrist/19171125p01.html

Etheric vision 

In the lecture series "The Reappearance of Christ in the Etheric", Steiner talks about the importance of recognizing the difference between destiny and mechanical laws. 

He says this is the key to understanding the death and resurrection of Christ— the Mystery of Golgotha —and His role in guiding our lives in the proper direction. Whereas today historians focus on evidence for the physical, external existence of Jesus, this is pretty irrelevant to the spiritual tasks confronting humanity. 

There is thus an inner relationship between the Mystery of Golgotha and the necessary ascent of humanity, starting from our time, to spirituality. Truly, from this time on, human beings must rise to a certain spirituality. 

They must grasp in this coming time that the Mystery of Golgotha can be comprehended further only by spiritual activity, that Christianity must have an essentially spiritual continuation, not just an outer continuation through historical traditions or more historical research.

The Christ impulse also links us with the dead, who play a strong role in directing our destiny. By focusing on external, mechanical laws only, we lose our ability to perceive the subtle, inner prompting these souls give us. This is strongly linked with the new etheric vision that will arise for humanity in the upcoming age, if we allow it. 

In addition to the already evolved self-consciousness, certain clairvoyant faculties will again evolve quite naturally. Human beings will have the strange and remarkable experience of not knowing what is really happening to them! 

They will begin to receive premonitions that will become reality, and they will be able to foresee events that will actually take place...Things will come to a point at which many people who have such experiences will ask themselves, “Am I really mad?"

The Holy Grail illustration by Arthur Rackham, 1917

The myth of discovery of the Americas in the 15th century, an esoteric look.

Why did most transatlantic voyages from Europe take place from the 15th century onwards? From an esoteric perspective, nothing in history develops randomly or due to external reasons only. 

There is a constant evolutionary current that brings about changes in history, and there is always a knowing presence on earth, human or otherwise, that acts as a guiding force behind complex chains of events, causes and effects woven across space and time.

Notes on these lectures:

https://rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA350/English/SOL2024/19230625p02.html

https://rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA192/English/SOL2024/19190720p01.html

https://rsarchive.org/Lectures/ReapChrist/19171118p01.html

A hidden hand

According to Steiner, there were hidden groups guiding the development of Christianity in Europe, who were well aware of the existence of the Americas before Columbus' voyages, for example, the Norse settlement in the 10th century. 

Leif Eriksson and crew reach Baffin Island

These groups intentionally suppressed ocean journeys across the Atlantic before the 15th century, as an effort to close off Europe from influences that could come from the Americas. These influences were of a spiritual nature. Steiner mentions specifically the authority in Rome and Initiates from Ireland who were involved. 

One of the truths with which you are most likely familiar is that what is learned in schools as history is many times a “fable convenue” [an agreed upon lie.] That America was discovered for the first time in 1492 is such a convenient fable. It was only rediscovered. 

It was merely that for a period the connections were cleverly concealed, as had to occur. It is again important, however, to know what the situation was, to know the true history. True history is that Europe was fenced in for a time and was carefully protected against certain influences that were not to come to Europe.