The Origin and Development of Eurythmy 1912–1918

GA 277a — 24 August 1915, Dornach

The Apollonian Course VII

In this lesson, Rudolf Steiner presented the poem “Zwörf Stimmungen” (Twelve Moods) as another archetypal example of the representation of a macrocosmic on several circles. “This day, too,” wrote Lory Maier-Smits in the DruckJahnen, “began with Dr. Steiner reading the entire poem in an unforgettable way.” Alice Fels recounts: “Rudolf Steiner read this poem for the first time in the White Hall of the Goetheanum, beginning with the softest piano and building up to the stanza of the lion.” In order to rehearse and perform the “Twelve Moods,” 15 people were invited to join the existing active participants (Elisabeth Dolfus, Tatiana Kisselelf, Lory Smits, Erna Wolfram), who then also took part in the subsequent lessons. These were Ilse Aisenpreis, Assja Bugae]f-Turgeniejf, Luna Drexler, Ela Dziubanjuk, Alice Fels, Miss Freytag, Hilde Hamburger-Boos, Alexandrine Knottenbelt, the twins Else and Kamma Low, Nina Mordowin-Bogojawlensky, Miss Müller, Natalie Pozzo, Edith Röhrle, and Margarita Woloschin. “When this poem was first composed,” said Alice Fels, “only the first five eurythmists had mastered the consonants for the zodiac stanzas. Rudolf Steiner replied to my question: then the others should just do the vowels.”

The “Twelve Moods” were performed several times in Dornach in the following years, most recently during Rudolf Steiner's lifetime at the provisional opening of the First Goetheanum on September 26, 1920. The colors and sounds for the planets and signs of the zodiac were given in 1917 and 1918 (see p. 467, 469), but the planetary and zodiac gestures were not given until July 1924 during the eurythmy course, although they had existed since 1914 (see pp. 192–197).

The “Twelve Moods” as an example of a representation on circles

Both Marie Steiner and Mieta Waller wrote comments next to some of the verses or lines, which are noted below. If the comment is only found in Mieta Waller's notes, this is indicated by [MW:], if only in Marie Steiner's notes by [MSi:]. If neither of the abbreviated names is given, the comment is found in both notes. - In addition, the changes made to the text of “Twelve Moods” in the first edition of 1916 (in: Rudolf Steiner: Drei Gedichte, Berlin 1916) are noted below; the galley proofs with Rudolf Steiner's corrections are available in the Rudolf Steiner Archive (location: RSA 067). The punctuation follows the 1916 version throughout.

Rudolf Steiner: “Twelve Moods” Aries
Arise, O light of day, [Sun]
Seize the becoming being, [Venus]
Seize the web of forces, [Mercury]
Shine forth, awakening him [Mars] [1916: awakening him]
Gain strength through resistance, [Jupiter]
Flow in the stream of time (Saturn) [1916: flow away]
O light, remain! [Moon] Taurus
Shine forth, radiance of being,
Feel the power of becoming
Weave the thread of life
Into the essence of worldly being,
In meaningful revelation,
In luminous awareness of being. [1916: awareness of being]
O radiance of being, appear! Gemini
Unlock yourself, sun-being,
Move the urge to rest,
Enclose the urge to strive
To powerful life forces [1916: Lebewalten]
To blissful understanding of the world
To fruitful maturity,
O sun, remain! Cancer
You resting shining light,
Generate the warmth of life,
Warm the life of the soul [1916: warm]
To vigorous self-proving, [1916: oneself]
To spiritual self-penetration, [1916: oneself]
In calm light-bringing
You shining light, grow stronger! Lion
Flow through with powerful meaning
Become worldly existence,
Feeling essence
To willing decision of being
In flowing light of life, [MW] Afternoon mood
In reigning pain of becoming,
With powerful meaning arise! Virgo
The worlds behold soul!
The soul grasp worlds,
the spirit create beings,
From life forces work,
In the life of will build, [Jupiter calmly powerful]
Trust in the blossoming of worlds. [1916: Blossoming of worlds]
O soul, recognize beings! Libra [MW:] Equilibrium
The worlds sustain worlds,
In beings, beings experience themselves,
In being, being encompasses itself.
And beings bring forth beings
To become action,
In tranquil enjoyment of the world. [1916: In tranquil] [MSt:] Saturn: which makes power endure. [MW] Saturn makes it lasting
O worlds, bear worlds! Scorpio [MSt:] which dampens everything and leads to death [MW:] which dampens everything and brings about death
Being consumes essence,
Yet being remains in essence.
In action, becoming disappears,
In becoming, action persists.
In punishing world rule, [1916: In punishing] Jupiter: ruling justice
In punishing self-formation. [1916: In punishing self-formation] [MSt:] Karmic self-fulfillment // [MW:] Karma
In being, being is preserved. [1916: Being preserves beings.] [MSt:] The moon responds to the sun Sagittarius Becoming reaches the power of being,
In being, the power of becoming dies away,
What has been achieved concludes the striving
In the ruling power of the will to live.
In dying, world power ripens,
Forms disappear into forms.
The being feels the being! Capricorn
The future rests on the past,
The past feels the future
To a vigorous present being. [1916: To a vigorous present being.]
Inner resistance to life (1916: inner] [MSt:] Even in this pressure, Mars is still
Strengthen the world's creative power [1916: world's creative power,]
Let the power of life flourish.
Let the past bear the future! Aquarius [MSt:] the flowing creative // [MW] flowing creatively The limited sacrifices itself to the limitless. What lacks boundaries, let it establish Its own boundaries in the depths; Let it lift itself up in the stream, Holding itself as a flowing wave, Shaping itself into being in the process of becoming Limit yourself, O boundless one! Pisces [dying becoming]
In what is lost, find loss,
In gain, lose gain,
In what is grasped, seek grasping [1916: understanding]
And preserve yourself in preservation. [MSt:] Mars powerful
Through becoming to being raised [Jupiter mighty]
Through being so interwoven with becoming. [1916: to becoming] [MSt:] Saturn makes it lasting
Loss is gain in itself! [1916: Gain for itself!] [MSt:] Saturn concludes in egoism // [MW:] Moon, which concludes everything in innermost egoism

Certain twelve-stanza poems can now be performed in such a way that twelve people form a zodiac, containing seven planets (= 19 people).

This dance can be preceded by a prelude. The ethereal wave run is suitable.

Entrance

All planets enter from the left as seen by the audience]. Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, [Aquarius, Pisces] also enter from the left. - Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn enter from the right.

Appearing:
1. Moon
2. Saturn and Aries and Libra
3. Jupiter and Taurus and Virgo
4. Mars and Gemini and Leo
5. Sun and Cancer and Capricorn
6. Venus and Pisces and Scorpio
7. Mercury and Aquarius and Sagittarius

The exit is in reverse order. Those who entered first exit last. So:

1. Mercury and Aquarius and Sagittarius, etc.

Explanations on the execution

The twelve signs of the zodiac stand on the outer circle, with the moon in the center; and the five planets and the sun move in a circle from one image to the next.

Then a verse is danced in each constellation. It begins with the sun in the sign of Aries. The constellation in question dances all seven lines while standing, while the planets dance their lines in the following order: sun, Venus, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, moon; each dances one line. When the sun has finished its line, it describes a circle around the moon and then moves on to the next image with the other planets. However, the sun must go through the entire circle for each of the twelve verses, hold its final gesture, and then finally take all the planets to the next constellation.

Then they move on to the next constellation (highlight: Leo-Virgo). The planets, and if possible the zodiac signs, hold their final gesture and remain in their last position during their breaks.

Jupiter, Saturn: To emphasize the rhyme, in the same position. Hold the gestures for Jupiter and Saturn, the rhyme intensifies.

Further considerations

19 = 12 + 7. Number of actual letters.

All poetry has arisen from this and must be constructed in this way. Every poem that expresses its origin and course can be made like this planetary dance.

In addition, the small table drawing belongs here, from which one can see that the course of the day is meant:

Yes, he also stated how one should feel in Aries in the morning, and in Cancer at the height of the day.

The only information I know for sure is what he stated in 1915. And that is: Aries = sunrise; Cancer = 12 noon, and Leo = 3 p.m. But sunrise, for example, varies greatly [throughout the year], so I have never really tried to find a completely regular division. The reason I always emphasize the times given by Dr. is simply because I have repeatedly come across the fact that people only talk about “monthly sayings.”

Perhaps you should emphasize that in 1915, no sounds had yet been assigned to the zodiac signs and planets, nor had their positions been determined.

The ideal of such a poem [is] that if you wake up in the middle of the night [and someone] reads you a line, you immediately know: Jupiter in Aries.

[It is not known whether Annemarie Dubach's statement that the planets eurythmize the vowels and the signs of the zodiac the consonants was already given at that time or only arose later.]

The first line of each verse [...] is vocalized by the performer representing the sun [...]. [...] During the first verse, the “Aries” [...] eurythmized all the consonants of the text; now [Taurus verse] the ‘Taurus’ [...] consonantizes; during the third verse, “Gemini” [...].

Rudolf Steiner's notes on the “Twelve Moods”

Arise, O light of light / Grasp the becoming being / Seize the web of forces / Shine forth, awakening it / Overcome resistance / Flow in the stream of time / O light of light, remain—
Illuminate yourself, radiance of being / Feel the power of becoming / Weave the thread of life / Into the essence of worldly existence / Into meaningful revelation / Into luminous awareness / O radiance of being, appear.

Open yourself to being sun / Move the urge to rest / Enclose the desire to strive / To powerful vitality / To blissful understanding of the world / To fruition of the stream of becoming / O being sun, remain.
You resting radiance / Generate the warmth of life / Warm the life of the soul / To powerful self-proving / To spiritual self-penetration / In peaceful world bring light / You radiance grow stronger.

Flow through with powerful meaning / Become worldly existence / Feeling essence / To willing decision of being / In flowing life light / In ruling pain of becoming / Arise with powerful meaning.
The worlds behold the soul / The foreign / The soul grasps worlds / The spirit comprehends beings / From the forces of life, work / From In the experience of will, build boldness / Trust in the blossoming of the worlds Ersehlie Sem entsehlies / O soul, recognize the beings.

The worlds sustain worlds / In beings, beings experience themselves / In being, being encompasses itself / And beings bring about beings / To become action poured forth, / In tranquil world enjoyment / O worlds, carry worlds.
Being consumes beings / Yet in beings, being sustains itself / It establishes / In action, becoming disappears / In becoming, action remains / In punishing world rule / In anticipating self-formation / Being preserves beings.