You will remember that I have spoken of the meaning of the Christmas
Festival in its connection with the evolution of races, or, better
said, the epochs of civilisation, and indeed the significance of the
Festival lies in this very connection both in respect of the past and
of the future.
I want to speak to-day about a Festival to which in modern times less
importance is attached than to the Christmas Festival itself, namely,
the Festival of the Three Kings, of the Magi who came from the East to
greet the newly born Jesus. This Festival of the Epiphany (celebrated
on the 6th of January) will assume greater and greater significance
when its symbolism is understood.
It will be obvious to you that very profound symbolism is contained in
the Festival of the Three Magi from the East. Until the 15th century,
this symbolism was kept very secret and no definite indications were
available. But since that century some light has been thrown on the
Festival of the Magi by exoteric presentations. One of the Three Kings
Caspar is portrayed as a Moor, an inhabitant of Africa; one as a
white man, a European Melchior; and one Balthasar as an
Asiatic; the colour of his skin is that of an inhabitant of India.
They bring Myrrh, Gold and Frankincense as offerings to the Child
Jesus in Bethlehem.
These three offerings are full of meaning and in keeping with the
whole symbolism of the Festival celebrated on the 6th of January.
Exoterically, the date itself throws some light; esoterically, the
Festival is pregnant with meaning. The 6th of January is the same date
as that on which, in ancient Egypt, the Festival of Osiris was
celebrated, the Festival of the re-finding of Osiris. As you know,
Osiris was overcome by his enemy Typhon: Isis seeks and eventually
finds him. This re-finding of Osiris, the Son of God, is represented
in the Festival of the 6th of January. The Festival of the Three Kings
is the same Festival, but in its Christian form. This Festival was
also celebrated among the Assyrians, the Armenians and the
Phoenicians. Everywhere it is a Festival connected with a kind of
universal baptism a rebirth from out of the water. This in itself
points to the connection with the re-finding of Osiris.
What does the disappearance of Osiris signify? It signifies the
transition from the epoch before the middle of the Lemurian race to
the epoch after the middle of that race. Before the middle of the
Lemurian race, no human being was endowed with Manas. It was not until
the middle of the race that Manas came down as a fertile seed into
men. Manas (Spirit-Self) was now disseminated among men and in each
single individual a grave was created for Manas — for the dismembered
Osiris. The Divine Manas was disseminated and thereafter dwelt in men.
In the Egyptian Mystery-language, the bodies of men were called the
graves of Osiris Manas was fettered until it was freed by the new
revelation of Love.
What is the new revelation, the new manifestation of Love? The descent
of Manas somewhere around the middle of the Lemurian epoch, was
accompanied by the penetration into mankind of the principle of
desire, or passion. Before that time there had been no
desire-principle in the real sense. The animals of the preceding
epochs were cold-blooded; even man himself at that time, had no warm
blood. In the Old Moon period and, correspondingly, in the Third
Earth-Round, men may be likened to fishes, in the sense that their own
warmth and the warmth of their environment were equal in degree. Of
this epoch the Bible says: The Spirit of God brooded over the
waters. The principle of Love was not within the beings, but outside,
manifesting as earthly Kama (that is to say, earthly passion or
desire). Kama is egotistic love. The first bringer of Love free of all
egoism is Christ Who appeared in the body of Jesus of Nazareth.
Who are the Magi? They represent the Initiates of the three preceding
races or epochs of culture, the Initiates of mankind up to the time of
the coming of Christ, the Bringer of the Love that is free of egoism
the resurrected Osiris. The Initiates and so too the Three Magi
were endowed with Manas. They bring gold, frankincense and myrrh as
their offerings. And why are their skins of three colours: white,
yellow and black? One is European his skin is white; one is Indian
his skin is yellow; one is African his skin is black. This
indicates the connection with the so-called Root Races. The remaining
survivors of the Lemurian race are black; those of the Atlantean race
are yellow; and the representatives of the Fifth Root Race, the
Post-Atlantean or Aryan race, are white.
Thus the Three Kings or Magi are representatives of the Lemurians, the
Atlanteans and the Aryans. They bring the three offerings. The
European (Melchior) brings gold, the symbol of wisdom, of intelligence
which comes to expression paramountly in the Fifth Root Race. The
offering of the Initiate representing the Fourth Root Race (Balthasar)
is frankincense, connected with what was intrinsically characteristic
of the Atlanteans. They were united more directly with the Godhead, a
union which took effect as a suggestive influence, a kind of universal
hypnosis. This union with the Godhead is betokened by the offering.
Feeling must be sublimated in order that God may fertilise it. This is
expressed symbolically by the frankincense, which is the universal
symbol for an offering that has something to do with Intuition.
In the language of esotericism, myrrh is the symbol of dying, of
death. What is the meaning of dying and of resurrection, as
exemplified in the resurrected Osiris? I refer you here to words of
Goethe: So long as thou hast it not, this dying and becoming,
thou'rt but a dull guest on the dark earth. Jacob Boehme expresses
the same thought in the words: He who dies not ere he dies, perishes
when he dies. Myrrh is the symbol of the dying of the lower life and
the resurrection of the higher life. It is offered by the Initiate
representing the Third Root Race (Lemurian). A deep meaning lies in
this. Jesus of Nazareth is a very highly developed individuality. In
the thirtieth year of his life he gives up his own life to the
descending Christ, the descending Logos. All this the Magi foresaw.
The great sacrifice made by Jesus of Nazareth is that he gave up his
I to make way for the Second Logos. There is a definite reason
for this sacrifice. Not until the Sixth Root Race will it become possible,
and then only gradually, for the human body to receive into itself the
Christ Principle from childhood onwards. Only then, in the Sixth Root
Race, will mankind have reached such maturity that the body will not
need years of preparation but will be able from the beginning, to
receive the Christ Principle. In the fourth sub-race of the Fifth Root
Race it was necessary for a body to be prepared for thirty years. (In
the Northern regions we find something similar, in that the
personality of Sig was so prepared that he could place his body at the
disposal of a higher Being, and, in fact, did so). In the Sixth Root
Race it will be possible for a man to place his body at the disposal
of a sublime Being, as did Jesus of Nazareth when Christianity was
founded. At the time of the founding of Christianity it was still
necessary for an advanced individuality to sacrifice his own I
and send it into the astral realm, in order that the Logos might dwell in
the body. This is an act upon which light is shed by the last words on
the Cross. What other meaning could these words contain: My God, my
God, why hast Thou forsaken me? These words give expression to the
mystical fact then consummated. At the moment of Christ's death, the
Divine Being had departed from the body, and it is the body of Jesus
of Nazareth that utters these words a body so highly developed that
it could voice the reality. And so these words give expression to an
event of untold significance. All this is represented by the myrrh.
Myrrh is the symbol of sacrifice, of death, the sacrifice of the
earthly in order that the Higher may come to life. In the middle of
the Lemurian epoch, Osiris came to his grave; Manas drew into human
beings. Men were educated under the guidance of the Initiates until
the principle of Love (Budhi) could shine forth in Christ Jesus. Budhi
is the heavenly Love. The lower, sexual principle is ennobled through
the Christ Love. Kama is purified in the fire of the Divine Love.
Melchior is the representative of the principle of wisdom, of
intelligence the task of the Fifth Root Race. This is symbolised by
his offering gold.
The principle of sacramental offering is represented by the
frankincense. This offering symbolises the principle that was dominant
in the Fourth Root Race, the Atlantean. The task of Christianity is
fulfilled in the Sixth Root Race, when material existence will be
fraught with sacramentalism and sacramental deeds. Sacraments have
very largely lost their meaning to-day; the feeling of their
significance has disappeared. But this feeling will be kindled to life
again when the higher man is born. It is this that is symbolised by
In the Lemurian Race, Osiris meets his death, in the Sixth Root Race,
Osiris is resurrected.
Thus the offerings made by the Three Kings indicate the connection of
the Festival with the Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Root Races. By
what are the Three Holy Kings guided, and whither are they led? They
are guided by a Star to a grotto, a cave in Bethlehem. This is
something that can be understood only by one who has knowledge of the
so-called lower, or astral mysteries. To be led by a Star means
nothing else than to see the soul itself as a Star. But when is the
soul seen as a Star? When a man can behold the soul as a radiant aura.
But what kind of aura is so radiant that it can be a guide? There is
the aura that glimmers with only a feeble light; such an aura cannot
guide. There is a higher aura, that of the intelligence, which has, it
is true, a flowing, up-surging light, but is not yet able to guide.
But the bright aura, aglow with Budhi, is in very truth a Star, is a
radiant guide. In Christ, the Star of Budhi lights up the Star
which accompanies the evolution of mankind. The Light that shines
before the Magi is the soul of Christ Himself. The Second Logos
Himself shines before the Magi and over the cave in Bethlehem.
The grotto or cave is the body wherein dwells the soul. The seer
beholds the body from within. In astral vision, everything is reversed
for example, 365 instead of 563. The human body is seen as a cave,
a hollow. In the body of Jesus shines the Christ Star, the soul of
Christ. This must be conceived as a reality, taking place in the
astral world. It is an enactment of the Lesser Mysteries. There, in
very truth, the Christ Soul shines as an auric Star, and it is by this
Star that the Initiates of the three Root Races are led to Jesus in
The Festival of the Three Kings is celebrated every year on the 6th of
January, and its significance will steadily increase. Men will
understand more and more what a Magi is, and what the great Magi, the
Masters, are. And then understanding of Christianity will lead to
understanding of spiritual science.