The Time Is at Hand!: The Rosicrucian Nature of Goethe's Fairy Tale of the Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily and the Mystery Dramas of Rudolf Steiner

In 1795 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe produced his tale of tales―The fairytale of "The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily," an extraordinary masterwork that is unique among Goethe's works. An initiatory fable of transformation, the tale arose out of the Rosicrucian, alchemical impulses that play an important role in Faust and Goethe's other writings. Among those influenced by it was Rudolf Steiner, whose mystery dramas employ similar themes.

The authors begin by placing the fairytale against the background of Goethe's life and cultural setting. They then discuss its importance in the development of Steiner's spiritual science. Finally, they describe its visual language, profound mystical insights, and relevance for us today.

The book includes Carlyle's classic translation of the tale and illustrations, plus Steiner's essay on its inner meaning. The authors offer a positive look at the possibilities of the twenty-first century. They view Goethe's fairytale as fully relevant to our time, just as it was when Goethe first wrote it.

• Four Mystery Dramas (The Collected Works of Rudolf Steiner)
• The World of Fairy Tales
• Art History as a Reflection of Inner Spiritual Impulses (The Collected Works of Rudolf Steiner)
• Transcendental Universe
• Three Lectures on the Mystery Dramas : The Portal of Initiation and The Soul's Probation
• Reverse Ritual: Spiritual Knowledge Is True Communion
• The Logik of the Heart: The Organic Templates of Spiritual Writers, Rudolf Steiner, and The Philosophy of Freehood
• The Spiritual Guidance of the Individual and Humanity: Some Results of Spiritual-Scientific Research into Human History and Development (Classics in Anthroposophy)
• The Sun Mystery & The Mystery of Death and Resurrection: Exoteric and Esoteric Christianity
• Our Twelve Senses (Social Ecology & Change)