24. Watch and Pray!
How often is this saying of the Son of God passed on as well-meaning advice and warning, but neither the one giving the advice nor the one receiving it takes the trouble to think about what these words actually mean.
Everyone knows what is meant by praying, or rather, they think they know, even though in reality they do not. They also think they understand what it means to watch, yet they are far from it.
“Watch and pray” is the figurative rendering of the admonition keep the faculty of intuition alert; in other words, to keep the spirit active! Spirit in the true sense, not to be understood as brain activity; for the mode of expression of the living human spirit is solely and exclusively intuition. In nothing else does the human spirit, that is, its innermost core, which has developed into the actual “ego” during its journey through the Subsequent Creation, manifest itself.
“Watch and pray” therefore means nothing other than a call to refine and strengthen the intuitive capacity of earthly humans, synonymous with the enlivening of the spirit, which is the only eternal value of the human being, the only part capable of returning to Paradise, the Primordial Creation from which it once came forth. It must return there, either as a matured, self-conscious being, or as having again become unconscious; as a living, light-willed ego that has become useful in Creation, or as a torn, dead ego if it was useless in Creation.
The admonition of the Son of God to “Watch and pray” is therefore one of the most serious admonitions He left to humans on Earth. At the same time, it is a threatening warning to stand useful in Creation, lest condemnation does not have to follow in the self-active workings of Divine Laws in Creation.
Behold the woman! As the most precious treasure of femininity, she has a tenderness of feeling that no other creature can attain. For this reason one should only be able to speak of noble womanhood in this Creation, because womanhood carries within itself the strongest gifts for the realization of all that is good. But this also means that the greatest of responsibilities also rests upon woman. For this reason Lucifer, with all the multitudes who belong to him, has directed his main aim at woman, in order to subject the whole of Creation to his power.
Unfortunately, Lucifer found it all too easy to gain a foothold with the woman of Subsequent Creation. With open eyes she flew towards him and, in their manner, poisoned the entire Subsequent Creation by twisting pure concepts into distorted mirror images, which inevitably sowed confusion among all human spirits. The pure blossom of noble womanhood, as the crown of the Subsequent Creation, quickly debased itself under the tempter’s influence into a poisonous plant, shimmering with radiant colours and attracting all with its seductive fragrance to the place where it thrives, the swamp, into which the sultry softness causes those thus ensnared to sink.
Woe to the woman! Since she was given the highest of all values, which she did not rightly employ, she must be the first upon whom the Sword of Divine Justice will fall, unless she now resolves, with her innate agility of spiritual intuition, to lead the necessary ascent of earthly humanity from the ruins of a false structure built of corrupt concepts, which arose solely through Lucifer’s insinuation. The earthly woman, instead of exemplary striving for the adornment of the white blossom of noble purity, set vanity and the craving for admiration in its place, finding their playground in the wrongly cultivated social life. She felt full well that the true adornment of womanhood was being lost to her through this and resorted to the substitute offered her by the darkness, seeking to peddle her physical charms, becoming the shameless plaything of fashion, thus drove herself only further into the depths, dragging men along with her through the intensification of their instincts, which could only hinder the unfolding of their spirit.
But in so doing, they planted within themselves the seed that, in the necessary Judgment, must now plunge them them all through reciprocal action into ruin – all who failed thus and became rotten fruits of this Creation, unable to withstand the purifying storms now approaching. Let no one soil his hands by grasping those who worship the idols of vanity and craving for admiration when they now reach out for rescue from distress. Let them sink and push them back; there is no value in them that could be used for the new edifice that has been promised.
They do not see the ridiculousness and the hollowness of their actions. But their laughter and mockery of the few who still seek to preserve the decency and purity of true womanhood, who have not allowed the most beautiful adornment of the girl and the woman, the delicate sense of shame, to be killed, their mockery shall now soon turn into cries of pain and then fall silent!
The woman of Subsequent Creation stands as if on the edge of a knife because of the high gifts she has received. She must now give account of what she has done with them so far. There is no excuse for this! Reversal and repentance are impossible; for the time is up. They should all have thought of it sooner and known that their opinion cannot stand against the iron Will of God, in which only Purity rests, clear as crystal. –
But the woman of the future, who through the times of the wild living of a modern Sodom and Gomorrah preserved her values, and she who will be newly born, will lead womanhood at last to that flowering which can only be approached by all with the sacred awe of purest veneration. She will be the woman who lives according to the Divine Will, that is, who stands in Creation as the radiant crown she can and should be, flooding all with the vibrations she receives from the Luminous Heights and can pass on unclouded, through that faculty which lies in the delicacy of feminine intuition.
The Word of the Son of God: “Watch and pray” will be embodied in every woman of the future, as it should already be embodied in every woman of the present; for in the swinging of feminine intuition, when it strives towards purity and light, lies the constant watching and the most beautiful praying that is pleasing to God!
Such a vibration brings the experience of joy filled with gratitude! And that is prayer as it should be! At the same time, however, swinging also implies being constantly on guard, that is, watching! For every unpleasant thing that tries to approach and every evil intent is already sensed and perceived by such vibrations of delicate sensitiveness, even before it can form itself in thought, and then it is easy for the woman to protect herself still and always at the right time, if she herself does not will it otherwise.
And despite the subtlety of these vibrations, there lies in them a force that is capable of transforming everything in Creation. There is nothing that can resist it; for this force brings light and with it life!
Lucifer knew that very well! And that is why he directed his attacks and temptations primarily toward all womanhood! He knew that everything would fall to him if he could only win over the woman. And what a pity, what a pity, he succeeded, as anyone can plainly see today who wishes to see!
Therefore, the call of the Light is addressed once more, first of all, to woman! She must now recognize the low level she has now fallen. She must,… if their vanity would allow it. But this snare of Lucifer’s holds all womanhood under its grip so firmly that she can no longer recognize even the Light, indeed no longer wants to! She does not wish to, because the modern woman of today cannot part from her frivolous trifling, even though she already feels deep within herself what she has lost through it. She knows it only too well! And to numb this admonishing intuition, which is equal to knowledge, she rushes, blindly driven towards the new absurdity: to become manly in her profession and in her whole being!
Instead of returning to genuine womanhood: the most precious treasure in all of Creation! And thus to the task that is assigned to her by the Light!
It is she who robs the man of all that is noble and thereby prevents the blossoming of noble manhood.
Where man is unable to look up to the woman in her womanliness, no nation, no people can ever flourish!
Only true, pure womanhood can lead and awaken man to great deeds! Nothing else. And this is the woman’s calling in Creation according to Divine Will! For with this she uplifts the nation and humanity, yes, the whole Subsequent Creation; for in her alone lies this sublime force of gentle influence! A force, irresistible and compelling, blessed by Divine Force, where it is of purest will! Nothing equals it; for it bears beauty in the purest form in everything that it does, that emanates from it! Thus her weaving should flow through the whole of Creation, refreshing, lifting, promoting and enlivening like a breath from the longed-for Paradise!
It was for this pearl among the Creator’s gifts that Lucifer first reached, with all his cunning and treachery, knowing that he would tear apart your footing and your striving for the Light! For in the woman lies the precious secret which is capable of unleashing in Creation the purity and sublimity of all thoughts, the ascent to the greatest deeds, the noblest works.... provided this woman is as the Creator willed her to be, when He showered her with these gifts.
And you let yourselves be beguiled only too easily! Without a struggle you succumbed to the temptations. As the willing slave of Lucifer, woman now directs the effect of God’s beautiful gifts into their opposite and thus subjects the entire Subsequent Creation to darkness! All that exist today are distorted caricatures of all that God once brought forth in His Creation for the joy and happiness of all creatures! Indeed, everything has come into being, but under Lucifer’s influence, it has been altered and perverted, made false! The woman of Subsequent Creation offered herself as the mediator! A sultry swamp was erected over the clear ground of purity. Radiant enthusiasm has been exchanged for sensual intoxication. Now you want to fight, but against every demand of the Light! To remain in the frenzy of vain self-indulgence that intoxicates you!
There are not many today who can still withstand a clear gaze. The great majority reveal themselves as lepers, whose beauty, thus true womanhood, has already been eaten away beyond all restoration. Self-loathing will seize many when, if they can still be saved, they later look back upon all that they now consider beautiful and good. It will be like awakening and recovering from the most dreadful fever dreams!
But just as the woman was able to drag the entire Subsequent Creation deeply down, so too does she have the power to raise and ennoble it again, for man follows after her. Soon, after the purification, the time will come when one can joyfully exclaim: Behold the woman as she should be, the true woman in all her greatness, noblest purity and power, and in her you shall witness fulfilled the word of Christ: “Watch and pray” in all its naturalness and in the most beautiful form!
