World War I was the first event that shook Europe by karmically binding it to the fate of the entire modern world. Europe's mission to form the center between the ancient wisdom of the East and the growing power of the West proved all the more vital: Europe as the radiating center of the I-Christ was to bring balance between the tendency toward spirituality devoid of individual consciousness and that of materialism that kills individual spiritual life. Ego-consciousness was being strengthened as it passed from Europe to the West, and if it had succumbed to spiritualism or materialism it would in any case have missed the opportunity for an encounter with the Christ.
If this was Europe's task, how could the Western peoples unite with the Christ impulse in a form suitable for modern times?
Thus Rudolf Steiner in the years between 1914 and 1920 sought to answer this epochal question, the answer to which would be the possibility of leading the destinies of the nations of Europe to the event of 1933 in which the Etheric Christ would become more manifest to human consciousness. For Steiner it was a matter of combining esoteric practice with action in the world. And in order to do this it was necessary to unite the ancient priestly way of Abel with the way of Cain, inaugurated by the resurrection of Lazarus brought about by the Christ Himself-in other words, the union of the possibility of remaining in contact with the divine, working for the transformation of the Earth.
In order to cultivate this spiritual seed, it was necessary to abandon the group soul, which prevailed in the family and nation, in order to find one's individuality: this is what esoterically s called the Pilgrimage to the Self.
By joining the action of the Brothers of Past Times who trod the paths of the spirit before others, the Brothers of Present Time, who carry within themselves the sacred fire of the ego, and the Brothers of Future Times, who guard the image of the destination of evolution, every man comes to be able to become Master of himself, re-establishing the connection with the spiritual world by means of a free act that begins with meditation.
Precisely because meditation has no value in the world of matter, it is of the utmost importance for the world of spirit, because meditation is the greatest free act that man can perform and therefore is where man's spirit can meet the cosmic spirit in complete freedom. To this end Steiner gave new mantras whose purpose was to awaken inner activity in meditation through awakening in 4 stages: in thinking, feeling, willing and ego.
This is how Rudolf Steiner exhorts us:
We sleep in the "I. We use the word "I" only because the gods once pronounced it for us-our Angels-and now men pronounce it in imitation.
But we must wake up in the "I"!
Here is to you the Imagination for Awakening: an altar, on which shines Sun. We approach the altar and experience ourselves completely as shadows, completely devoid of essence.
Until now we had said, "I Am."
Now with awareness we say, "I am not."
From the Sun shining on the altar comes a deity that vivifies the shadows. We are like a shell that receives the light of divinity, which comes from the Sun.
By grace we receive this divinity, it gives itself to us. [...]
Awaken in the I: you are in your own spiritual being.
Experience yourself as the one who receives from the gods and gives himself!"
These are the Mantras for Awakening.
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