Four Mystery Plays

Four Mystery Plays

The four plays here produced in an English translation in two volumes, are perhaps best described as Christian Mystery Plays. They are intended to represent the experiences of the soul during initiation; or, in other words, the psychic development of man up to the moment when he is able to pierce the veil and see into the beyond. Through this vision he is then able to discover his real self and carry into effect the cryptic injunction graven on the old Greek temples , know thyself. At a later stage he comes to realize himself, and finally learns the true significance of the Second Advent of our Lord. This process is known as the Rosicrucian initiationan initiation specially adapted to modern daysthe time and manner of which depend on the individual nature and circumstances of each person. The four plays form one continuous series, and the characters portrayed are of quite an ordinary kind except that they take more than the usual interest in spiritual matters, their first desire being so to improve their own mental and moral state as to make them able to benefit their fellows. We find amongst them many typesthe occult leader and the seeress who explains the coming of Christ. We are shown the spiritual development of [iv]an artist, a scientist, a philosopher, a historian, a mystic, and a man of the world; and we hear too the scoffing cynicism of Germanus and the materialistic views of Fox. We are led to realize how the characters are connected on the physical as well as the spiritual plane; and we learn also about the nature of elementals and the twin forces of hindrance known as Lucifer and Ahriman; the former of whom may be described as an embodiment of the spiritual impulse to action, an impulse always necessary but often distorted to bring about self-glorification rather than the ambition to do good; the latter as an embodiment of an influence which seeks to materialize everything, thus hindering true spiritual growth and freedom. These two influences are given to man that he may gain free will by having perfect liberty to guide them in the one direction or in the other. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 59191
Author: Steiner, Rudolf
Release Date: Apr 2, 2019
Format: eBook
Language: English

Contributors

Translator: Collison, Harry, Gandell, Shirley M. K., 1866-1946, Gladstone, Robert Theodore