In olden days on earth was formed a knot Of threads which Karma spins world-fashioning. Three human lives are interwoven there, And now upon this fateful knot there shines This holy temple's lofty spirit-light. 'Tis thee, Maria, I must now address; Of these three souls at this time thou alone Art present at the place of sacrifice. May this light operate within thyself And turn to welfare those creative powers Which once upon a time thy life-threads wove Fast in a life-knot with those other two. The father could not in his former life His son's heart find; but now in other scenes The spirit-seeker will accompany Thy friend's self on its way to spirit-land. And thine is now the duty to maintain Johannes' soul in light by thine own force. Once didst thou hold it in so fast a bond That it could only blindly follow thee. Thou didst then give it back its liberty, When still it clung to thee in fancy fond. But thou shalt once more find it, when, self-willed, It wins its individuality. If thy soul to that light holds ever true Which powers from spirit-realms bestow on thee, Johannes' soul will thirst to drink of thine E'en where the Lord of all Desire holds sway; And through the love which holds it bound to thee It will regain the path to light on high. For ever must a living being strive Through light or darkness, which hath once beheld And known the heights of spirit in its soul. It hath drawn breath from cosmic distances Of air that pulseth with immortal life, And living raiseth all our human kind From its soul depths up to the sunshine's heights. Curtain THE GUARDIAN OF THE THRESHOLD SUMMARY OF THE SCENES Scene 1: The ante-chamber to the rooms of the Mystic League. The reincarnated country folk have been invited to attend a meeting here. Scene 2: The same. Thomasius is invited to join the league and receive the blessing of the Rosy Cross. He declines on the ground that he has undertaken other work inconsistent with the objects of the league. Scene 3: The kingdom of Lucifer. The challenge: Lucifer: 'I mean to fight.' Benedictus: 'And fighting serve the gods.' Scene 4: The house of Strader and his wife Theodora. (Lucifer at work.) Theodora's painful vision of Thomasius. Scene 5: The house of the Baldes. Strader's vision of his wife Theodora who has recently died. Capesius as a medium. Scene 6: The groves of Lucifer and Ahriman and their creatures who dance. Dame Balde's fable. Scene 7: The Guardian of the Threshold. Scene 8: The kingdom of Ahriman. The reincarnated country folk come here unconsciously at night. Strader comes consciously. Scene 9: The home of Benedictus, overlooking a factory town. The law of number. Scene 10: The Temple of the Mystic League. The admission of Thomasius and others. PERSONS, APPARITIONS, AND EVENTS