Riddle of America, The - Waldorf Research Institute

But we also learn later in our fairy tale that the salamander is in realityan angel of God enchanted by the subearthly evil spirits. Perhaps we cantake this figure of the angel as an image for the human soul or the higherself. Having the task to help suffering human beings, a mission of love, theangel is seduced by love of the earth and the desire for power—bothtemptations of the will particularly associated with the American continent.What is needed to redeem the fallen or enchanted force represented by theangel, that is, the soul of the human being in America?In the story it is first the sacrifice of her life made by Hugo’s lovingwife that rescues him from the burning fire of the subearthly salamanderand brings the rain that puts out the unrenewed forge fire (but not beforehis son—or perhaps younger alter ego—Hugo is consumed in flames by thesalamander). It was the purity of his daughter Mary who through her prayersrescued him from the salamander’s mesmerizing spell and who later is essentialfor the redemption of the fallen angel. Although one can take Maryto represent something like Goethe’s Eternal Feminine or the divine Sophia(in which case her name Mary is not coincidental), we should also considerthat Steiner said in 1918 that, especially in Americans, an ever greater contrastwill become apparent between male and female qualities. Whereasthe more earth-bound American male will tend to create a materialistic andmechanistic civilization through one-sided emphasis of the intellect, will,and physical body (including sports), “Anglo-American spiritual life willpass over into the world of the future through ‘womankind.’ …” 11 Throughtheir stronger heart-forces of feeling, American women will more easily openthemselves to spiritual influences and provide a necessary balance to themale tendencies. I will take Mary in particular as the figure of the femininelyspiritualized American soul, or at least of that element within the soul—akind of counterpoint or complement to Hugo’s masculine qualities.Steiner also emphasized the need for moral purity of heart in themeditative verse he provided for the St. Mark’s Group, the original AmericanAnthroposophical Society group in New York City. This verse has often beentaken as a general meditation for unfolding spiritual work in America:May our feeling penetrate to the center of our heartsAnd seek in love to unite itselfWith human beings seeking the same goal,With spirit beings bearing grace,Who are strengthening us from realms of light,Illuminating our love and gazing downUpon our heartfelt, earnest striving.16