74. The Riddle of Death as a Riddle of Life

GA 246/1916-03-03/p077 ·1916-03-03 · English HighHigh alignmentThis translation's paragraph count matches the German original — the locus maps cleanly to the same paragraph in DE.
Record: listeners' notes. Written from listeners' notes, summaries, or memory rather than a shorthand transcript. The wording is the note-taker's as much as Steiner's: weigh a single striking phrase here far more cautiously than the same phrase in a stenographic volume, and do not rest an argument on one word. Evidence: «Nach zum Teil bruchstückhaften Mitschriften» (From transcripts that are in part fragmentary). The publisher's description of the volume, as mirrored on AnthroWiki (GA 246), which also speaks of "fragmentarischen Hörernotizen und Vortragszusammenfassungen". The translation is the maintainer's, not a published one.

But if people want to be materialists and there are no souls here on earth who will know about the existence of these souls in the spiritual world, that they work there and descend from there, then all these sacrificial deaths could be in vain .... And all the etheric bodies above could be robbed from humanity by the Luciferian and Ahrimanic powers. It is precisely man's freedom that determines his participation in the spiritual world. Oh, if only the fire could be kindled in as many souls as possible which would enlighten the understanding of this connection which man must establish from now on with the spiritual world, because mankind must be consciously led forward! Could one kindle the fire that provides understanding for the fact that these difficult events in the present are a warning and a test, so that people reflect on what it will lead to, will lead to more and more if materialism were to advance! If we could awaken an understanding for the fact that as many of us as possible will remain faithful to spiritual science by imbuing their souls with the necessity of such faithfulness to spiritual science in the sense of further educating humanity for the characterized connection, we could awaken an understanding for the fact that there must be souls here on earth in the future, as many souls as possible who will become aware of the new connection with the spiritual world! Could one awaken an awareness of how true it is what lies in the words with which we also want to conclude again today:

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Cite: GA 246/1916-03-03/p077 · edition English