Images of Occult Seals and Columns

In the congress hall, one of the seven columns reproduced in the second series of pictures was placed between every two of these seals. As already indicated above, the capitals of these columns depict the experiences of the “seer” (which is actually no longer an appropriate name in this field) in the “spiritual world”. It is about the perception of the primal forces that exist in spiritual tones. The plastic forms of the capitals are translations of what the “seer” hears. But these forms are by no means arbitrary, but rather as they naturally arise when the “seeing man” allows the “spiritual music” (harmony of the spheres), which flows through his entire being, to act on the forming hand. The plastic forms here are truly a kind of “frozen music” that expresses the secrets of the world. That these forms appear as column capitals seems self-evident to anyone who understands the situation. The basis of the physical development of earthly beings lies in the spiritual world. From there it is “supported”. Now all development is based on a progression in seven stages. (The number seven should not be understood as the result of “superstition”, but as the expression of a spiritual law, just as the seven colors of the rainbow are the expression of a physical law.) The earth itself passes through seven states in its development, which are designated by the seven planetary names: Saturn, Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and Venus. (For an understanding of this, see my “Occult Science” or the essays “From the Akasha Chronicle” in “Lucifer-Gnosis”. But it is not only a heavenly body that advances in its evolution; every evolution passes through seven stages, which, in the sense of modern spiritual science, are designated by the terms for the seven planetary conditions. The spiritual supporting forces of these conditions are reflected in the forms of the Capitals of the Columns in the manner described above. But we shall not arrive at a true understanding of this matter if we base our observation of the forms only on a rational explanation. We must look into the forms with a feeling and intuitive perception and let the capitals act on us as forms. If we fail to do this, we shall believe that we have before us only allegories or, at best, symbols. We shall then have misunderstood everything. The same motif runs through all seven captains: a force from above and one from below, which first strive towards each other, then, reaching each other, work together. These forces can be felt in their fullness and in their inner life and then the soul itself can experience how they expand, contract, embrace, devour, unlock and so on, in a lively, formative way. We will be able to feel this complication of forces, just as we feel the plant's “shaping” from its living forces, and we will be able to sense how the line of force first grows vertically upwards in the column, how it unfolds at the bottom in the plastic forms of the capitals, which open and unlock to the forces coming towards them from above, so that a meaningful capital becomes. First the power from below develops in the simplest way, and you strive just as simply towards the power from above (Saturn column);  Saturn Column then the forms from above begin to fill, pushing into the tips from below and causing the lower forms to move out to the sides. At the same time, these lower forms close up into living structures (Sun column).  Sun Column In the further course, the upper part becomes more diverse, a point that had been pushed forward grows as if towards a fertilizing principle, and the lower part is transformed into a fruit carrier. The other force motif between the two has become a supporting pillar, because the relationship of the intermediate links would not be felt strongly enough as a load-bearing force (Moon column).  Moon Column Furthermore, a separation of the lower and upper parts occurs, the strong supports of the moon capital have themselves become columnar, the upper and lower parts in between have grown together into one structure, with a new motif appearing from above (Mars column).  Mars Column The structures that have emerged from the connection between the upper and lower parts have taken on life and therefore appear as a staff entwined with snakes. One must feel how this motif grows organically out of the previous one. The central forms of the capital of Mars have disappeared; their power has been absorbed by the supporting inner part of the capital; the hints coming from above have become fuller (Mercury Column).  Mercury Column Now it comes to a kind of simplification again, but one that includes the fruit of the previous diversification. The upper part opens up like a chalice, the lower part simplifies life in a chaste form (Jupiter column).  Jupiter Column The last state shows this “inner abundance” in the greatest possible external simplification. The growth formations from below have elicited a fruit-bearing chalice-like form from above (Venus column).