Parsifal

Parsifal refers to

• a historical figure that really existed (incarnation of Mani)
• a legend story told, with various copies from the 13th century but also artworks such as the opera by Wagner (see below)
• the name given to all candidates mature enough for initiation
  • all pupils of the great initiate Titural were called Parsifal: everyone mature enough for initiation, to receive the secret of the Grail: a Parsifal had to have freed himself from all influences that would pull him down through exercises (this is described in 1909-08-27-GA266/1, see Schema FMC00.394 below)
  • Parsifal (or Perceval, “pass through the vale”) was the name given in medieval times to all such candidates for initiation into the mysteries. A 'Parsifal' had to undergo three stages in inner experience. The first stage was known as 'dumbness', the second `doubt, the third 'godliness'.

• but most importantly in spiritual science: an archetype for Man and the initiate in the age of the consciousness soul. The legend story referred to above is deeply symbolic and contains the challenges for Man in this new age. In that respect the Parsifal story is to be positioned together with the stories and streams of Arthur and the Holy Grail. For a broader perspective, see also: Christ Module 6 - Principle in image and story, Schema FMC00.118A and Schema FMC00.114

Aspects

• the Parsifal storyline
  • main characters
    • Parsifal
    • Herzeleide: Parsifal's mother
    • Feirefiz: Parsifal's half-brother
• stages in Parsifal's experiences from an esoteric perspective
  • stages are described as:
    • 1/ compassion (also for animals)
    • 2/ rising above desire (without killing desire from outside) or: emancipation from a love dependent on the senses
• Amfortas and Parsifal: astrality's struggle with egoism (1913-03-26-GA145)
• the relation of Parsifal, the Son of Light (Abel), and Feirefis, the Son of Fire (Cain) - re Keyserlinck reference below, and Streams of Abel and Cain
• Parsifal is permeated by the motif of 'Sälde', 'being penetrated by a certain feeling or inner sensation of happiness or bliss'. This arises because the transition from the kidney activity to the liver activity takes place in this period. In the 12-14th century the liver activity becomes most important, whereas before it was the kidney activity .. a change from 'dullness' to 'illumination' (see Spiritual scientific physiology#1922-10-22-GA218)

.

• [2.5] - literature and versions
  • the opera by Wagner (1813-1883): Wagner's inspiration on Good Friday 1857 near Lake Zurich (as referenced by Rudolf Steiner), he worked on the opera in the period 1857-1882
• [2.6] - historical research into people and events
  • Individualities
    • Parsifal as the only incarnation of an important individuality on Earth, Mani or Manes - re Keyserlinck reference below, and Schema FMC00.117 on Bodhisattva
  • location

Inspirational quotes

1914-01-06-GA148

We must learn to ask questions in the spiritual stream. In the materialistic stream everything is designed to stop people from asking questions.

2024-08-20 - Rawn Clark taken from Musings #4 youtube video

we all have to address the ways in which our behavior is shaped and manipulated by external forces

and we have to look at why and who ... these are important question questions for the modern human being: who? why? where? when? ask ..

ask questions .. just always ask questions - it's the most powerful thing you can do .. is to question everything

Illustrations

Schema FMC00.116 shows the symbol for Good Friday and Easter: the spiritual sun in the physical sun.

Schema FMC00.114 is an overview table with the key names for the three stories, and the link to the threefold soul (see 1913-02-07-GA144)

See also: Human character - the I and threefold soul

Schema FMC00.380 shows the polarity during the development of Man's I-consciousness, from sentient soul to intellectual soul. Above in the language of the Bhagavad Gita, below in the language of the Grail.

On the right: Man's sentient consciousness in the world, illustrated by the sensory perception and cosmic influences from nature working from outside: instreaming from without. On the right, Man developing the twelve-foldness from out of his own inner centre.

For an explanation see: Enlivened images#1920-05-16-GA201 as well as Human character - the I and threefold soul

Schema FMC00.394 are the illustrations for the elaboration of a feelings based process that a Parsifal candidate initiate was brought to feel with his whole soul experience (see lecture references, p 427-454 in the 2007 EN edition). See the link with the pentagram symbol, and compare with meditation image given a few years later on Schema FMC00.629.

Lecture coverage and references

General

1913-03-26-GA145

covers Amfortas and Parsifal: astrality's struggle with egoism

1914-01-01-GA149

Parsifal  <-> subconscious, historical Christ Impulse: "the Christ Impulse flows on as though through subterranean channels in the depths of the soul. " and .. "how the soul of Parsifal is related to the new, subconscious, historical impulse permeated by the Christ aura, the Christ Impulse, although he knows nothing of it"

1914-01-02-GA149

explains how the Christ Impulse works in the subconscious 'under the surface' of contemporary human daily consciousness .. we are not consciously aware that we have a seed or spark of Christ consciousness in our 'I' .. and the etheric aspects of our heart and blood

quote A

.. the soul of Parsifal is related to the new, subconscious, historical impulse permeated by the Christ aura, the Christ Impulse, although he knows nothing of it ..

see the spiritual nature of the consciousness soul, flowing from right to left on Schema FMC00.431 on Human character - the I and threefold soul quote B

It can be left to each individual to judge whether the religious faiths scattered over the Earth will one day find themselves in agreement with what is here meant by the harmony of all religions. And he can decide also whether what should be understood by the unity of religions is not more closely related to the secret of the Holy Grail, as we have tried to describe it, than is a great deal of talking about the unity of religions, which may in fact be about something quite different.

Anyone who wishes to hold fast to a narrow creed will certainly not be immediately convinced by what has been said. This is because he pays heed to the superficial course of events, and so to the external aspect of the real deeds of Christ, which are themselves of a spiritual nature.

How a man was led by his karma to the spiritual deeds of Christ; how Parsifal was driven along this path, wherein is prefigured the unity of religions on Earth—that is what we have wished to bring before our souls. And we should keep in mind that continuation of the Parsifal saga which says that when the Grail became invisible in Europe, it was carried to the realm of Prester John, who had his kingdom on the far side of the lands reached by the Crusaders. In the time of the Crusades the kingdom of Prester John, the successor of Parsifal, was still honoured, and from the way in which a search was made for it we must say: If all this were expressed in terms of strict earthly geography, it would show that the place of Prester John is not to be found on Earth.

Was that meant to be a hint, in the European saga that continued the Parsifal saga, that since then, without our being conscious of it, the Christ has been working in the hidden depths of the East; that the religious controversies, which take their course on the conscious level in the East could be assuaged by the outflowings and revelations of the true Christ impulse, as was meant to happen, in accordance with the Parsifal revelation, in the West?

Was the sunlight of the Grail called upon to shine above all other gods on Earth as is symbolically indicated by the fact that when the maiden carried in the gold-gleaming vessel with the secret of the Grail within it, the radiance of the Grail outshone, the other lights?

Ought we to expect - quite contrary to current beliefs - that the Christ power, still working unconsciously, will appear in a changed form and as Ex oriente lux, in the old phrase, will meet with that which has appeared as light in the West?

Should one light be able to unite with the other light?

But for that it will be necessary for us to be prepared - we who are placed by karma in the geographical and cultural environment over which passed the path of the Christ .. when in higher realms, He had permeated Jesus of Nazareth in order to journey to the East.

Let us look up and feel that the Christ passed through our heights before He was revealed on Earth. Let us make ourselves capable of so understanding him that we shall not misunderstand what He will perhaps be able to say to us one day when the time has come for his impulses to flow through other earthly creeds.

Parsifal and Feirefis

See also Paradise legend and Streams of Abel and Cain.

Keyserlingk

reports on her esoteric conversations with Rudolf Steiner:

In the Uhland edition of Parsifal with a foreword by Rudolf Steiner, an episode occurs that is not found anywhere else: the journey of the young Grail Queen Repanse, who is awaited in India as the wife of `Fire-Fils' (Feirefis). She had embarked in Marseilles to take the emerald-green vessel, containing the Blood of Christ, the Graul, to the land of Priest-King John. When the Graul was carried ashore, the Graul Castle upon the heights lit up in flames to receive it.

I thought about this for a long while, and the `Fire-Sons' of India who are to appear as magnificent figures at some future time, merged in my mind with the word Fire-Fils, which has the same meaning as Fire-Son. Feirefis is the dark brother of Parsifal, who is to succeed the latter as Grail King.

Following on this thought I then enquired: `Is Feirefis a Fire-Son?'

Rudolf Steiner: 'Yes, Feirefis is the Fire-Son.'

I: 'And Parsifal the Light-Son?'

Rudolf Steiner: 'Yes,' and then he said a few words which I wanted to write down, but could not quite manage, and so he dictated them to me: `'Parsifal is the Light-Son. He is the only incarnation of an important individuality on earth.

and continues:

Thus:

• Parsifal, the Son of Light (= Abel), and
• Feirefis, the Son of Fire (= Cain)

are the sons of God, divine brothers of man, whom he has lost

• and whom Seth, the son of Earth, must get back again.

They meet us in three streams:

• the golden Arthurian knights or Michael/Sun knights;
• the silver knights, who guard the Grail through the holy wisdom of the moon; and
• the iron knights, who, in black armour and with the diamond lance, tarry in mortality until, conquering death, Christ with His light will penetrate the darkness.

Note regarding 'the only incarnation of important individuality': GA264 maps various incarnations of high individualities to storylines in the gospels and the Bible, and there Mani or Manes is stated to be the individuality that incarnated as Parsifal. However Mani also incarnated in Babylon in the 3th century.

Wagner's 19th century opera

Wagner (1813-1883) worked on the opera Parsifal in the period 1857-1882

More than anyone else, Richard Wagner made it possible for people to take this in without knowing it. Richard Wagner was a missionary whose mission it was to give something full of significance to the world, without humanity being aware of this truth. .. .. The strange music written by Wagner would create quite specific vibrations in the ether bodies of those who listened to it. The ether body is connected with all the profound motions of the blood. Richard Wagner understood the secret of the purified blood. His melodies hold the vibrations that have to be in the human ether body when it becomes purified in the way that is necessary so that the secret of the grail may be received.

Related pages

• Christ Module 6 - Principle in image and story
• Holy Grail
• Christ Impulse - meeting of two streams

References and further reading

See also more under the 'References and further reading section' of related topics such as Holy Grail.

General

• Assja Turgenieff: 'Parsivals Suche nach dem heiligen Gral' - illustrations (12 Steindrücke) (1952)
• Charles Kovacs: Parsifal and the search for the grail (1998)
• Ewald Koepke:
  • Richard Wagners Gralsimpuls : ein Vortrag (1983, after a lecture 1983-02-09)
  • Rudolf Steiner und das Gralsmysterium : Der Prüfungsweg des Parzival (2005)
• Ueli Seiler-Hugova:
  • Das grosse Parzivalbuch: Wolfram von Eschenbachs Parzival als ein moderner Einweihungsweg, der zur Integration und Individuation führt (2014)
  • Table of Contents
• Ellen Schalk: Kyot and Parsifal stellar script

• Mathieu Laffrée/Marianne Holberg: 'Die Suche nach dem Heiligen Gral : Seelenentwicklung und Geistesschulung' (1986 in DE, original based on four lectures in NL: 'Parzival en het mysterie van de graal')
• Wolfram von Eschenbach: 'Parzival (Prosafassung von Richard Baumann. Mit Kommentaren von Werner Greub und Walter Johannes Stein) (2019)
• Eileen Hutchings: 'Parzival - An introduction'
• Sonia A.L. Setzer: 'Parzival, a Forerunner of the Modern Human Being' (2024)

Wagner's Parsifal

• Hermann Beckh: Das Christus-Erlebnis im Dramatisch-Musikalischen von Richard Wagner's Parsifal (1929)
• Franz E. Winkler: 'For freedom destined : mysteries of man's evolution in the mythology of Wagner's Ring Operas and Parsifal' (1974)
• Bernd Lampe: Parzival (1986)
• Franz E. Winkler:
  • The mythology in Wagner's Parsifal (1968)
  • Richard Wagner : Der Ring des Nibelungen ; verbunden mit einer Betrachtung über Parsifal - das Mysterium des Grals ; Versuch zu einem tieferen Verstehen (1981)
• Friedrich Oberkogler:
  • Parsifal : eine Bühnenweihfestspiel von Richard Wagner ; eine musikalisch-geisteswissenschaftliche Einführung und Werkbesprechung (1969)
  • Parsifal: der Zukunftsweg des Menschen in Richard Wagners Musikdrama (1983)