Rudolf Steiner on the Symbol of the “Crown of Thorns”

It is fascinating to observe the parallels between the processes of differentiation in psychology (leading to higher levels of psychological health) and the stages of initiation in Christianity. In his book “An Esoteric Cosmology”, Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy, presents seven stages of Christian initiation, corresponding to the seven sufferings of Christ. These are:

1. The washing of the feet

2. The scourging

3. The crowning with thorns

4. The bearing of the cross

5. The mystical death

6. The entombment

7. The resurrection

The second and third initiations reveal strong parallels with the processes of differentiation as described in psychology. The scourging describes the process of emotional separation and the attainment of independence from events and people in the external world, while the crowning with thorns refers to the inner differentiation among the three distinct aspects of the human psyche – desire, feeling, and thinking. According to Steiner, the scourging reflects the phase of overcoming fear, in which the disciple continues along their path without taking personally the hardships and injustices of life.

“At this stage man learns to resist the scourgings of life. Life brings sufferings of all kinds – physical, moral, intellectual, spiritual. Life is felt to be a dreadful and incessant torture. The disciple must endure it with perfect equanimity of soul and heroic courage. He must cease to know physical or moral fear… At this stage man must learn to brave the world morally and intellectually, to desist from anger when all that is most dear to him is being attacked. The capacity to remain aloof when everything is tumbling about our ears, to say “Yea” when the rest of the world says “Nay” – that is what must be acquired before the next step can be taken.” — Rudolf Steiner, An Esoteric Cosmology

For some, the word “scourging” may sound too harsh, yet to me it is psychologically deeply truthful. The pain that arises in our contact with others (rejection, loneliness, violence) can at times become so intense that enduring it is a genuine challenge. The “lashes of the whip” cut across the most tangible boundary between ourselves and the external world (symbolized by the skin), leaving wounds that heal slowly and painfully.

What we need in such moments is to approach this experience with the attitude of spiritual initiation. This is spiritual intelligence in action: it enables us to transform the experience of injustice into a heightened sense of inner strength, maturity, and independence. As the quote above suggests, Steiner does not imply that the struggle comes to an end. It continues, but without fear and without taking personally what happens to us. This is the moment when resentment is transformed into humility, and fear into fearlessness. This brings to mind the words of Vassil Levski: “If I win, I win for all people. If I lose, I lose only myself.” There is no fear in these words, because the one who speaks them is free of all selfishness.

When we examine the stages of spiritual initiation in Christianity, we see that each following stage leads to a growing sense of freedom. The stage of “scourging” leads to independence from external events, while the stage of the “crown of thorns” leads to the independence of thoughts and feelings from the object of desire.

“This gives rise to a new symptom, namely a dissociation, or rather the power of a momentary dissociation of three faculties which, in man, are united: the faculties of willing, feeling and thinking. We must learn to separate and to re-unite them at will.” — Rudolf Steiner, An Esoteric Cosmology

The boundaries we must draw in this case are no longer between ourselves and the outer world, but between different parts of our own psyche. An attitude of moral endurance (developed at the stage of scourging) is no longer sufficient. To bring the inner struggle to a successful conclusion, wisdom is required. This time, the inner work takes place at the level of the mind, and the alchemical act that transforms the crown of thorns into a halo of precious stones is the differentiation between desire, feeling, and thought.

Another way of expressing the same idea is the transformation of the desiring nature through the use of the mind and the function of thinking. Most of us are unaware of how intertwined our desires, emotions, thoughts, and behaviour truly are. We think emotionally, react emotionally, and fail to employ the mind in its true function – as a source of objectivity, distance, and discernment. If, however, we succeed in using the mind to separate desire from feeling, from thought, and from behaviour, we begin to understand what it means to make conscious choices in life. Then, if we are “thirsty” but “there is no water,” we remain calm. We look for other ways to quench our thirst. We inquire into what it is that can truly satisfy it. If our desire is to receive attention and affection from a particular person, this reveals that our thirst is for love. And that thirst can be quenched in other ways. To make it dependent on that one person means that if the “tap” should one day run dry, we will once again be left thirsty.

“The enthusiasm of the disciple must have its well-spring in the depths of his inner life. He must therefore be able to remain impassive in the face of any event, no matter how catastrophic. That is the only way to reach freedom. The dissociation of feeling, thinking and willing produces in the brain a change that is symbolised by the Crown of Thorns. If this test is to be passed without danger, the powers inherent in the personality must be sufficiently intense and in perfect equilibrium. If the disciple has not reached this stage, or if he receives wrong guidance, the change in the brain may lead to insanity.” — Rudolf Steiner, An Esoteric Cosmology

It is striking to see how Steiner, though not a psychologist, was nevertheless acutely aware of the dangers of ego inflation. Differentiating between the various aspects of psychic life does not merely lead to an increased sense of freedom. I have no proof as to whether such differentiation brings about actual changes in the brain’s biochemistry, but I do know that if a person fails to detach their desires from the specific forms through which they expect them to be fulfilled (if they do not free themselves from preconceived ideas about how and when this should happen) there is a real risk of being driven to extremes and of being unable to endure the pain.

Further parallels can be drawn between the process of individuation (in Jungian analysis) and the stages of spiritual initiation in the tradition of esoteric Christianity. I will not pursue these here, as I wish to keep the focus of this article clear: a psychological interpretation of the symbol of the crown of thorns. Along with this comes the message that what can quite literally “save one’s sanity” during periods of intense suffering is the practice of asking a series of differentiating questions, such as:

What do I want? * What do I feel? * What do I think about this? * What could I do? * What do I truly want? * Is there another way to attain it? * Is there another way of looking at what is happening?

Kameliya Hadzhiyska