Four Mystery Plays
GA 14
The Portal of Initiation (Written 1910)
Beings and Persons Represented
IN THE PRELUDE AND INTERLUDE:
Sophia.
Estella.
Two Children.
IN THE MYSTERY:
Johannes Thomasius.
Maria.
Benedictus.
Theodosius, whose prototype, as the Mystery proceeds, reveals itself as that of the Spirit of Love.
Romanus, whose prototype, as the Mystery proceeds, reveals itself as that of the Spirit of Action.
Germanus, whose prototype,, as the Mystery proceeds, reveals itself as that of the Earth-brain.
Helena, whose prototype, as the Mystery proceeds, reveals itself as that of Lucifer.
Retardus, active only as a Spirit-influence.
Philia, Astrid, & Luna, Friends of Maria, whose prototypes, as the Mystery proceeds, reveal themselves as spirits of Maria's soul-powers.
Professor Capesius.
Doctor Strader.
Felix Balde, who reveals himself as representative of the Spirit of Nature.
Felicia Balde, his wife.
The Other Maria, whose prototype, as the Mystery proceeds, reveals itself as the Soul of Love.
Theodora, a Seeress.
Ahriman and Lucifer, conceived as Soul-influences only.
The Spirit of the Elements, conceived as a Spirit-influence.
A Child, whose prototype, as the Mystery proceeds, reveals itself as a young soul.
As is usual in English stage directions, right means right of the stage, and not right of the audience as in the original German. So too the left is left of the stage.
The music at the representation of each play was by Mr. Adolf Arenson.
NOTES ON THE COSTUMES WORN: The costumes worn are those of every day, except that the female characters, over their dress, wear bright broad stoles of a colour to suit their character.
Benedictus is is usually in a black riding suit, top boots, and a black mantle.
Lucifer has golden hair, wears crimson robes, and stands upon the right of Johannes. Lucifer appears as female.
Ahriman, the conventional Satan, wears yellow robes and stands upon the left of Johannes.
In the fifth and eleventh scenes and when in spirit form or acting as hierophant, Benedictus wears a long white robe over which is a broad golden stole with mystic emblems in red. He also wears a golden mitre and carries a golden crosier.
On such occasions Theodosius is similarly robed except that the stole, mitre, and crosier are silver and the emblems blue. Similarly the stole, mitre, and crosier of Romanus are bronze and the emblems green. Retardus' costume is a mixture of the above three.
Germanus wears long brownish robes and is made to appear like a giant with heavy clogs, as if tied to earth. Scene 6.
Philia, Astrid, and Luna in the seventh and eleventh scenes and in the other plays have conventional angel-forms; Astrid is always in the centre of this group; Luna is on her right; Philia on her left.
Theodora wears white and has angel's wings in the seventh and eleventh scenes.
The Other Maria is dressed like a spirit (except in Scene 1) but one associated with rocks and precious stones.