# Egypt. Seventh and eighth images, with facsimile


BENEDICTUS: (celebrating high priest) Egyptian priest with majestic headdress—in which a snake writhes, striking its tongue forward. Headgear red-yellow; copper-colored belt — breastplate: dark yellow; undergarment: golden yellow; triangle hanging around the waist at the front.

HILARIUS: (celebrating high priest) similar to Benedictus — but without snake, and with less majesty —

JOHN: Egyptian female figure — yellow clothing — with blue cloak-like covering (not a cloak that completely covers her, but one that leaves the undergarment completely exposed at the front). Headdress at the front.

MARY: Priest similar to Benedictus — without snake — but with scarab-like headdress — clothing white-yellow in various shades of the same color — with panther skin —

LUCIFER: as a sphinx, with more emphasis on the cherub.

AHRIMAN: as a sphinx, with more emphasis on the bull.

MAGNUS BELLICOSUS: priest's robe, white and yellow.

ALBERT TORQuATUS: priest's robe, white and yellow.

CAPESIUS: Robe as worn by the guardians of the Pharaonic treasure or similar. Blue and reddish in color.

FRIEDR. TRAUTMANN: Pharaoh's robe — light blue in color.

STRADER: Robe of a Pharaonic minister.

THEODORA: young priest = light yellow with reddish = panther skin.

Felix Balde: Thesmophor, Mrs. Balde: Portophor: both in long Egyptian priest's robe — dark red with silver belts.[^1]

Philia — Luna — Astrid and four other figures dressed as priests. —

CAPESIUS: My Thesmophor, is everything prepared with dignity so that the consecration festival can take place?

THESMOPHOR: As far as man can foresee, everything is well prepared.

CAPESIUS: My Portophor, the priest who will receive the consecration today has been chosen as our king's advisor. Have you designed the test in such a way that he can also devote his attention to the affairs of this world and not lose himself solely in spiritual matters?

PORTOPHOR: What could happen has happened. His soul is not overly devoted to thoughts of the welfare of the people and the management of earthly matters. He lives entirely in the spirit; he can often be seen in a state of ecstasy, his whole being almost lost in other worlds—one might think that he revels in such rapture.

CAPESIUS: You have seen him like this often?

PORTOPHOR: Very often; I always had to think that it was not the king, but our priesthood that was the right place for him.

CAPESIUS: Very well; you go to your duties, that nothing may be lacking at the consecration festival. But you, my Thesmophor, stay here a little longer. — You know that I understand your true nature; you stand far higher in spiritual rank than your position in the temple acknowledges. You see through souls — —

(Th: makes a defensive gesture)

— — I could discuss this with you as with no one else from the priesthood — our powers of divination always showed us the same thing — I ask you — do you have confidence in the man who is to receive the consecration today? —

THESMOPHOR: Trust — who will follow my lead — my voice doesn't count anyway.

CAPESIUS: My Thesmophor — who trusts you. I do — and today you shall stand by my side at this consecration festival.

THESMOPHOR: That is my duty — how could it be otherwise?

CAPESIUS: I don't mean that. This time I need the support of your soul —

THESMOPHOR: — My soul —

CAPESIUS: Precisely. We must pursue this consecration with the strictest spiritual eyes — and if there is even the slightest thing about this priest that violates the dignity of the consecration, I will do everything possible to prevent him from coming to power.

THESMOPHOR: What should happen at the consecration ceremony?

CAPESIUS: I know that he is unworthy of the honor he receives—his mysticism is nothing more than sensual passion, which he does not admit to himself, which he justifies to himself by interpreting it as a spiritual impulse. His heart, his whole being, feels earthly—only his imagination carries his feelings to spiritual heights, which in truth want to take a completely different direction—I do not accuse his will, nor his consciousness, which believe themselves to be in spiritual heights—but his soul is not true—it distorts the will and also the thought. — Does the spirit from the worlds of light really penetrate such souls; does the word that comes from the worlds of the stars speak in them; no, passion steams like mystical light and wants to lie to heaven that gods are reflected in souls on earth. — When the lie is so unconsciously rooted in the soul: even if this lie of life in earthly existence does not become conscious of itself, the weed will continue to grow; and if such a soul is to act, then the action must bring harm.

THESMOPHOR: My wise Melanophor, you are very strict.

MELANOPHOR: I must consider seriously what is happening here at the place of consecration. Every action that is seen here sends out its waves into the worlds that encompass everything that is alive, everything that is dead, everything that dwells in the body, everything that has a spiritual shell—the temple must not lend souls powers that make them stronger in the world stream than they are formed by the gods, unless it is certain that they are only carrying out the gods' command. Now you know, my Thesmophor, what soul ministry I entrust to you—keep the eye of the spirit open.

THE GUARDIAN OF THE THRESHOLD:  
You have found your way here.  
You have not turned your gaze backward —  
Now unlearn seeking being within yourself,  
Until now you were nothingness; your being was here.  
Learn to find your being here.  
It was lost to you before you imagined yourself to be.

THE MYSTE:  
Recognize now that your being is the earth  
Contained within itself; feel yourself in its power.

ROMANUS:  
Experience yourself in earthly existence; connected to it  
You always try to overcome it;  
Only in its balance can you be a human being.

THE MYSTIC:  
Recognize now that your being is water,  
Feel yourself in its waves.

TORQUATUS:  
Seek to hold yourself in the water,  
Only beauty ripples in it;  
You must lose it if you do not master the waves of water.

THE MYSTIC:  
Now recognize that your being is the air,  
feel yourself in its breath.

BELLICOSUS:  
In the breath of the air you are yourself,  
But you are estranged from it;  
and in the darkness of the earth  
Held captive.  
The awakening of the soul

THE MYSTIC:  
Now recognize that your being is fire,  
Feel yourself in its pleasure.

STRADER:  
Burn in the fire the pleasure  
That wants to keep you alive.

HILARIUS:  
I carry in my words,  
What will paralyze you, if untruth  
Lives in your soul in the future.  
If you take it from me, you will never again  
be able to lose it. Do you want to take it?

MARIA: I want to take it from the wise man's soul.

CAPESIUS:  
I carry in my words  
What will crush you if you  
Do not live in spirit with a pure heart.  
If you want it, you will always  
Feel it in your heart.

MARIA: I want to take it from the wise man's soul.

THEODORA: I carry in my words what ...

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[^1]: See Bibl. No. 187, Complete Edition 1968: Fourth Lecture, Dornach, December 27, 1918.