SCENE 11
The same meditation-chamber as in Scene 2. Maria, Ahriman.
AHRIMAN:
So Benedictus spun a cunning web Of thought, whose pattern thou hast followed out, And now thou art fast bound in error's toils. Thomasius too and e'en Capesius Are victims of this same illusion's spell. For at the same time as thine eyes beheld This long-past earthly life--so too did theirs. Henceforward 'tis in that time thou dost seek To find the causes of thy present life; But only error can be error's fruit If thou art ready to allow thyself To make the path of duty here and now Depend upon such vain imaginings. That Benedictus took from thine own brain, And placed these visions in an earlier age, Thine own self's knowledge can quite clearly prove. Thou sawst people of this present time But little changed from those of former days. Woman thou sawst as woman, man as man, And all their attributes were similar; Thou canst not therefore any longer doubt That what thou didst transfer to time's dim past By spirit-vision, far from being truth Was but the vain delusion of thy soul.
MARIA:
In thee I see the sire of all deceit; Yet know I too thou oft dost speak the truth. And any one who chose to set aside All counsel that might reach him through thy words To utmost error soon would fall a prey. And as illusion wears the mask of truth The better to ensnare the souls of men, So 'tis but easy for a man to yield Thereto, by trying like a coward to slink Past every place where error might be hid. More than illusion finds the soul in thee; For in the Spirit of Deceit doth live The force that gives mankind discernment true. I therefore shall oppose thee without fear. Thou hast attacked that portion of my soul Which must at all times keep the most alert. If I weigh all the evidence which thou In clever calculation hast advanced, 'Twould seem that only pictures from my brain Have been transferred into an earthly past. Yet would I ask thee if thy wisdom can Unlock the door of every earthly age?
AHRIMAN:
No beings live in any spirit-realm Which set themselves to thwart me when I seek Admission into any earthly age.
MARIA:
The lofty Powers of Fate have chosen well In setting thee to be their enemy. Thou dost encourage all thou wouldst restrain. Thou bringest freedom to the souls of men When thou dost penetrate to their soul-depths. From thee originate the powers of thought Whence knowledge springs with all its vain deceits But which can also guide man to the truth. In Spirit-land there is but one domain Where may be forged the sword that bids thee flee As soon as thou dost set thine eyes thereon. It is a realm in which the souls of men Do gather knowledge through their reason's powers, Which knowledge they will afterwards transmute To Spirit-wisdom. If I have the strength To forge the word of truth into that sword, That very moment thou must flee from hence. So hearken well, thou sire of all deceit; If truth triumphant I proclaim to thee-- In earthly evolution there are times In which the ancient forces slowly die, And dying, see the growth of newer ones. At such a cyclic point my friends and I Did find ourselves drawn close by spirit-bonds Whilst seeking out our former lives on earth. True Spirit-men were working at that time, United in a brotherhood of souls Whose aims were sought in mysticism's realm. Now, at such seasons certain tendencies Are carefully implanted in men's souls, Which need a long time for full ripening. In their next incarnation, therefore, men Must show strong traces of their previous life. At such times, many men will be reborn In their succeeding lives as men--so too Women as women often re-appear. At that time also is the interval Shorter than usual 'twixt two earthly lives. To understand aright these cyclic points Thou lackest power, and therefore canst not yet Survey their growth with eyes from error free. Call but to mind the time when last we met In temples of that Spirit-brotherhood: Then thou spakest words of flattery, intent To break my inner consciousness of self. I recollect this time; and draw therefrom The force now to oppose myself to thee.
(Ahriman withdraws with reluctant mien. Thunder.)
MARIA:
Defeated he has had to leave the spot Which Benedictus hath so often blessed. But unto me hath been made manifest How lightly souls may into error fall Who give themselves unto the Spirit-voice Without due heed, and shun the safer ways. The Enemy indeed hath mighty power Life's contradictions to accentuate And thus rob souls of their security. He must fall silent when the Light appears That from the fount of Wisdom issuing Doth bring full clearness to our spirit-sight.
Curtain, while Maria is still in the room