SCENE 10

The Temple of the mystic League mentioned in the first and second pictures. Here Benedictus, Torquatus, and Trustworthy have the robes and insignia of their office of Hierophant as described in the 'Portal of Initiation.' The Eastern altar supports a golden sphere; a blue sphere rests upon the Southern altar; whilst the sphere upon the altar of the West is red. As the scene opens Benedictus and Hilary are standing at the altar in the East; Bellicosus and Torquatus at the altar in the South; Trustworthy at the altar in the West; then enter Thomasius, Capesius, Strader; then Maria, Felix Balde, and Dame Balde; and later on the Soul of Theodora; and last of all the four Soul-Forces.

BENEDICTUS:

The souls of all my pupils have received The spirit-light, each in that special form Which was appointed for him by his fate. What they have now achieved each for himself Each now must render fruitful for mankind. But this can only happen, if their powers According unto number's rhythmic law Desire to join within the holy place To form the higher unity, which first Can waken to true life what otherwise Could only stay in solitary state. They stand upon the threshold of the shrine, Whose souls must first unite, and then shall sound In unison according to the rules Imprinted in the cosmic book of fate. That what it could not bring to pass itself The spirit harmony may thus achieve. 'Twill bring fresh inspiration to the old Which here hath nobly reigned since time was not. To you, ye brethren, I these pupils bring Who found their way here through the spirit-worlds And through the strictest proving of their souls. The holy customs will they treat with awe. And treasure ancient sacred mystic ways Which here are seen as powers of spirit-light. Ye too, who have fulfilled in truest wise Your lofty spirit-service for so long, Henceforth will be entrusted with new tasks. The cosmic plan doth call the sons of men But for a time unto the sacred shrine, And when in service they exhaust their strength It guideth them to other fields of work. Even this temple had to stand its trial; And one man's error had to guard it once, The guardian of the light--from darkness deep, One cosmic hour big with the fate of worlds. Thomasius perceived through inward light Which rules unconscious in the souls of men, That o'er its threshold he must not pursue His way unto the holy mystic shrine Ere he had crossed that other threshold o'er, Of which this only is the outward sign. So of himself he shut the door again Which you would fain have opened wide in love. He will now as another come again Worthy of your initiation's gift.

HILARY:

Our souls here humbly offer sacrifice Unto the spirit by whose power alone The inner soul of man is fructified. And we would strive that our own wills may be A revelation of the spirit-will. By cosmic wisdom is the temple led Which unconfused doth guide to future times. Thou showest us directions which thyself Hast read within the cosmic book of fate, What time thy pupils passed their proof severe. So lead them now within our sacred shrine, That they may join their work unto our own.

(Hilary knocks within the Temple; then enter Thomasius, Capesius, Maria, Felix Balde, Dame Balde, and Strader. Trustworthy and Torquatus so guide their entrance that when they come to the middle of the Temple, Thomasius is standing in front of Benedictus and Hilary, Capesius in front of Bellicosus and Torquatus, Strader in front of Trustworthy, whilst Maria is with Felix and Dame Balde.)

HILARY:

My son, the words man utters in this place Spell guilt which cries aloud to spirit-worlds Unless the speaker follows truth alone. As great the guilt, so strong too are the powers Which strike it, and destroy the one who speaks And proves himself unworthy of his task. He who is standing here before thee now, Was conscious of the working of his words And tried to full extent of all his powers To render service to the spirit-world Before this holy symbol of that light Which shines upon our Earth from out the east. It is the will of fate that thou henceforth Shalt stand and serve within this sacred place. And he who consecrates thee to the task And of his office hands thee now the key, Doth give his blessing also that it may Prove of good service, in so far as he Hath served the sacred customs worthily.

THOMASIUS:

Exalted Master, he would not presume-- This poor weak mortal, who doth dare to stand Before thee now in body,--e'en to shape One wish that thy successor he might be Within this ancient consecrated place. He is not worthy e'en to place one step Across the threshold of this mystic shrine, But what he dares not wish for, for himself, He must perceive in deep humility Since powers of fate have of necessity Desired to send this call unto his soul. It was not I, as I am in my life Nor as I saw myself a short time back In spirit, as a wholly worthless soul, That let me now draw near unto this place. And yet the man who stands here visible Hath been, by Benedictus and his friend, Endowed with second manhood, which the first Shall henceforth only as a bearer serve. The spirit-pupilship hath given me A self that can show forth itself with power And to the full unfold its own pursuits E'en when the bearer needs must know himself Full far removed from lofty aims of soul. If, in such case, his duty it doth seem To give this second self that's roused in him To service in the progress of the Earth His life must aye observe this strictest rule To be a light before his spirit-eyes, That nought from his own self must enter in Nor cause disturbance in that work, which he Hath not himself arranged nor brought to pass But which his second self must execute. Concealed within himself he thus will work That one day he may be what he doth know To be the future goal of his true self. Throughout his life he'll carry his own cares Locked fast in deep recesses of his soul. I told thee when at first thou called'st me That I could never tread the temple courts In mine own human personality. He who now comes, as though another's life Had been entrusted to him, sees that fate Hath laid on him the task of watching o'er Results of his own work and guiding them With dutiful attention from this place For such time as the spirit doth command.

TORQUATUS (in the South, to Capesius):

Capesius, henceforth 'twill be thy task To serve the holy temple in this place Whence love through wisdom shall stream forth to men As warmly as the sunshine's noontide rays. He who would to the spirit sacrifice With understanding of the mystic work, Must needs face dangers here, for Lucifer Can in this place draw near with secret tread To whomsoever faithfully doth try To carry out the spirit-service here, And on each word he can impress the seal That marks the adversary of the gods. Thou stood'st before the adversary's throne And saw'st what follows his activities; So for thine office thou art well prepared.

CAPESIUS:

He who hath viewed the adversary's realm As powers of fate permitted me to do, He knows that 'good' and 'evil' are but words Which mankind scarce can understand aright. Who speaks of Lucifer as wholly bad Might also say that fire is evil too, Because it hath a power that can kill life; He might call water evil, since a man Might in the water easily be drowned.

TORQUATUS:

Through other things doth Lucifer appear As evil to thee; not through that which he Would indicate as evil of himself.

CAPESIUS:

The cosmic spirit who could bring the light To souls of men when first the Earth was formed Must render service to the universe, In ways which in themselves seem neither good Nor evil unto spirits who have learned What stern necessity doth oft reveal. For good can turn to ill, if evil minds Make use of it for their destructive ends; And what seems evil may be turned to good If some good being guideth it aright.

TORQUATUS:

So dost thou know what thou wilt have to do So long as thou dost stand within this place. Love doth not value powers that are revealed Within the world by judgment's stern decree-- She treasures them for what they may bring forth And asks how she can mould and use the life Which is created out of cosmic depths.

BENEDICTUS (in the East):

Yet love speaks often with such gentle words, And needs support within the depths of soul. Here in this place she will unite with all That follows cosmic law with threefold will And is unto the spirit dedicate. Maria will unite her work to thine. The vow she took in Lucifer's domain Is now permitted to ray forth its powers.

MARIA:

Capesius spake words of deep import Which can reveal the truth if they proceed From that same spirit which can guide mankind Toward true love, in progress of the Earth, But which but error upon error heap When they are fashioned by an evil mind And in the soul transform themselves to ill. 'Tis true that Lucifer doth show himself As bearer of the light to man's soul-sight When it would seek to gaze on spirit-space. But then the human soul will always wish To waken also in its inmost depths What it can only gaze on and admire. Although upon his beauty it may look Ne'er may it fall 'neath Lucifer's fell sway Lest he should gain the power to work within. When he, the bearer of the light, sends forth His rays of wisdom and the worlds are filled With haughty sense of self, and with full light Each creature's personality shines forth A pattern of his own imperious self, Then may the inmost being of the soul Build up on this appearance, and rejoice In all its senses, whilst it radiates The joy of wisdom, all around, that lives In its own self and loves to feel alive. But, more than any other spirit, man Requires a God who doth not only ask For admiration when his outward form Reveals itself in glory to the soul, But One who radiates His highest power When He Himself doth dwell within man's soul, And loving unto death foretelleth life. A man may turn to Lucifer and feel Inspired by beauty, or some splendour bright: And yet so live his life within himself That Lucifer can ne'er find entrance there; But to that other Spirit man doth cry, When he can fathom his own self aright: 'The goal of love for earthly souls--'tis this Not I, but Christ, doth live within me now.'

BENEDICTUS (turning to Maria):

And when her soul shall to her spirit bow As she hath vowed to Lucifer, it shall, Then through her power on to the temple stream With all that leads unto the health of Earth. And Christ will kindle in the hallowed place Of wisdom warming rays of spirit-love. What she can thus accomplish in the world Is done because the course of her own life Is bound up closely with that knot of fate Which Karma spins in human lives on Earth. In some long-past existence, it was she Who caused the son to leave his father's home; And now she leads the son to him again. The soul, which in Thomasius now dwells In former life was to that one which now Fulfils itself within Capesius, As son to father bound by ties of blood. The father will not now through Lucifer Demand the debt Maria owes to him, For by Christ's power, the debt hath been annulled.

MAGNUS BELLICOSUS (speaking to Hilary and Benedictus, but frequently turning to Felix Balde and Dame Balde):

Within the holy place doth shine the light Which flows with power from out the spirit-heights, When souls can worthily receive its strength. But yet those lofty powers of wisdom's realm Which thus reveal themselves in mystic shrines Have chosen also other paths to souls. The signs of our own times have made it clear That all these paths must now be joined in one. The temple must unite itself with souls Who have reached spirit-light in other ways And yet have been enlightened in good truth. Now Dame Felicia and her husband too, Are such as may approach this sacred place And who can bring to it a wealth of light.

DAME BALDE:

I can but tell the fairy-tales that rise Within my heart quite of their own accord-- only know about their spirit-source What oft Capesius hath told to me. In all humility I must believe, What he hath told me of my gift of soul; So also I believe what ye make clear Why I am called within these temple walls.

FELIX BALDE:

I followed not alone the outward call Sent to me by the guardian of this shrine; But true unto my spirit-pathway's goal I have applied myself unto the power Which, as mine inmost guide, doth ever point In what direction I shall turn my steps That I may best be able to fulfil In life what spirit-powers have foreordained. This time I saw quite clearly I was meant To shun that way which Benedictus now Hath shown his pupils in the spirit-life. The signs that now I see within this shrine Appeared to me in vision previously. For often when my soul did tread the depths And all self-will had been destroyed in me, And power and patience could maintain themselves In that dread loneliness which aye approached Before I could experience spirit-light, Then all the universe seemed one with me, And soon I found myself within that world, Where life's true purpose was revealed to me. During such spirit-wand'rings I have been In many a temple which it seems to me Resembles that which now my sense perceives, Just as the writing of the spoken word Must show a written picture of the speech.

TRUSTWORTHY (in the West, to Strader):

Dear Strader, it is now thy destiny To speak that word henceforth within the shrine Which will agree with all Thomasius Makes known to us, as sunset must agree With that hope-giving glow of morning light. This word, in its full sense doth seize upon The working of that Power who showed himself To thee, when thou wert standing on thy trial. Thou hadst to stand within that spirit-place Where thought is strictly ordered to stand still. For if thine hand should wield a hammer now And only strike the air, it could not know The power it hath, unless the blow should reach Some anvil; even so it is with thought. It ne'er could really fathom its own depth If Ahriman were not opposed to it. All thought within thy life hath led thee on To contradict thyself and this hath caused Within thy soul both pain and heavy doubt. Thus didst thou learn to know thyself through thought; As light can only gaze upon itself, But through reflection that its rays cast forth; The words of him who serves the temple here Thus, in a picture, life's reflection show.

STRADER:

In truth the light of thought for long time streamed But through reflection into mine own life; Yet for full seven years the spirit showed Itself to me in its bright splendour too, And did reveal those worlds unto my soul, In front of which my soul had formerly Stood ever still in torment and in doubt. Within my soul this light must grow so deep That it shall last through all eternity, If I would find the path to spirit-aims And make my own creations bring forth health.

THEODORA (becoming visible, as a spirit-being, at Strader's side):

I was allowed to win this light for you, Because thy power did strive toward my light, As soon as thy right time had been fulfilled.

STRADER:

So too thy light, thou spirit-messenger, Will stream o'er all the words that in this place Shall be wrung forth from out mine inmost soul. For Theodora's self is now with mine To holy mystic service consecrate.

(Philia, Astrid, Luna, and the Other Philia appear in a glowing cloud of light.)

THE OTHER PHILIA:

To Earth's primeval source Mount thoughts of sacrifice From many a holy shrine; Let all that lives in souls, Let all that spirit lights Soar to the world of form; Let cosmic-powers incline With graciousness to men, To kindle spirit-light Within their powers of soul.

PHILIA:

From cosmic spirits I Will beg their being's light, The soul-sense to uphold; The sound too of their words, To loose the spirit-ear, That what hath been aroused Upon the paths of soul May not become extinct In lives of men on Earth.

ASTRID:

The love-streams will I guide That fill the world with warmth Unto the spirits of Initiated men, That thus the sacred rite May be preserved and kept Within the hearts of men.

LUNA:

From primal powers will I For might and courage pray, For these will help to make Self-sacrifice to grow, So that it may transform What now is seen in time And change to spirit-seeds For all eternity.

Curtain falls while all the characters, including Theodora, Philia, Astrid, Luna, and the Other Philia are still inside the Temple.

THE SOUL'S AWAKENING

SUMMARY OF THE SCENES