The 40 days of Lent
The earth sinks from its original state
Is an abyss certain for the well-intentioned?
Earthly man has lost the heritage of eternity
The sick require healing
A leader must arise for the misguided
The light must shine for him in the darkness
The power of the senses must spiritually turn.1Lectures and Courses on Christian Religious Work II, Lecture 27, GA 343, 9 October 1921 p.m., Dornach, now available in both English and German.
February 21, 2026
Lent is the forty days before Holy Week and Easter, beginning on Ash Wednesday.2This calculation of the 40 days excludes Sundays. This season recognizes Christ Jesus fasting in the wilderness to develop the Logos within his human body. During Lent, we prepare both physically and spiritually for what lies ahead. Now that the candles of the holidays have been burned to ashes, "the power of the senses must spiritually turn" to kindle the fire of Christ within us. Christ Jesus lights the way.
A time of testing and preparation
As Rudolf Steiner explains, it was necessary for Jesus to retreat into the wilderness after his baptism to fully develop his super-sensible abilities.
After Jesus of Nazareth took the Christ-being into himself he had to go into the wilderness. There he had clairvoyant visions, which are described fairly accurately by the words of the clairvoyant Gospel writers. It could also be said that now the Christ-being was really bound to the three bodies of Jesus. That means that he descended from the spiritual world and became limited to the capacities of the three bodies. Therefore it would be false to think that Christ, because he belonged to a higher world from which he had descended, could now immediately envision that higher world. That is not the case. Whoever finds this incomprehensible should think again about what it means to be clairvoyant. You are all clairvoyant! All! There is not one here who is not clairvoyant. So why don't you all see clairvoyantly? Because you haven't developed the organs in order to use the forces which reside in all humans. It is not a question of having the capacities, but rather of being able to use them.3The Fifth Gospel, Volume II, Lecture II, GA 148, 18 December 1913, Cologne.
During this time of preparation, Christ Jesus was challenged by both Ahriman (satan) and Lucifer (the devil), as are all human beings. Steiner explains, “He felt himself drawn to Ahriman and Lucifer, for it is against them that humanity must fight. Therefore the Christ-Being, who had never existed in a human body, departed into solitude to do battle with Ahriman and Lucifer.” 4The Fifth Gospel, Lecture V, GA 148, 6 October 1913, Oslo. He was tempted three times.
1. By Lucifer
At that moment he sensed what that being was attempting in the language of visions — what the Bible describes with the words: '𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮' — 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 — '𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝.' If one is full of pride and arrogance and brings it into the spiritual world, one can own this world's kingdom of Lucifer because arrogance submerges everything else if everything except arrogance is left behind. [...]Then he recognized that figure as the one he had seen at the gates of the Essenes: Lucifer! Therefore he knew that now Lucifer was speaking to him, and he repulsed the attack. 𝐇𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐫.
2. By Ahriman & Lucifer
Then two beings came to attack him, and he had the impression which was more or less what the Bible describes. They said to him: '𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡, 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝.' In such a case consciousness of strength and courage should awaken in the human soul, but it can also make him a sensualist. Two figures stood before him. Because Jesus had had the impression that it was Lucifer and Ahriman who had flown away from the Essene gates, he now had the impression that within one of them was the same being whom the leper had encountered and who had presented himself as death. Because of these experiences he recognized Lucifer and Ahriman. […] He also repulsed this attack. 𝐇𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐧.
3. By Ahriman Alone
Then Ahriman came again. A kind of temptation ensued. He said to Christ Jesus something similar to what the Bible describes: '𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫.' But now Jesus could not give a complete answer to what Ahriman demanded. […] If Christ was to help earthly humanity in the right way, he had to allow Ahriman to act. 𝐀𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥, 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡'𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. His work had to remain undefeated by Christ, not completely overcome. The Christ must accept the struggle with Ahriman until the end of earth evolution. Ahriman had to remain.
Steiner concludes:
We as humans can overcome the attacks of Lucifer and the attacks of Lucifer and Ahriman together. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡'𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. Therefore, Christ had to hold Ahriman in check, but allow him to stand alongside him. For this reason, Ahriman remained active during the three years that Christ worked in the body of Jesus of Nazareth, and he entered the soul of Judas and was decisive in the betrayal of Jesus. What happened through Judas is related to the temptation in the desert after the baptism in the Jordan.” 3The Fifth Gospel, Volume II, Lecture II, GA 148, 18 December 1913, Cologne.
We too must continue to struggle against Ahrimanic forces until the end of earth’s evolution. Lent is an opportunity to practice and prepare for our own earthly challenges.
Fasting brings harmony between the universe and man.
Today, many people give up indulgences and fast to strengthen themselves again the worldly temptations of Lucifer and Ahriman. Traditionally, this is accomplished by eliminating sweets and other cravings or eliminating meals, possibly only having one meal per day. Indeed, Rudolf Steiner recommended fasting to counteract the destructive forces of the world.
The whole of waking life is a process destructive of the physical body. Illnesses are caused by excessive activity of the astral body. Eating to excess affords a stimulus to the astral body which re-acts in a disturbing way on the physical body. That is why fasting is laid down in certain religions. The effect of fasting is that the astral body, having greater quiet and less to do, partially detaches itself from the physical body. Its vibrations are modulated and communicate a regular rhythm to the etheric body. Rhythm is thus set going in the etheric body by means of fasting. Harmony is brought into life (etheric body) and form (physical body). In other words, harmony reigns between the universe and man.5An Esoteric Cosmology, Lecture XI, The Devachanic World (Heaven), GA 94, 7 June 1906, Paris.
Powerful forces of evil work against human spiritual evolution. Mardi Gras or “Fat Tuesday” exemplifies this. People are tempted to gluttony, debauchery and drunkenness the day before the beginning of Lent and thereafter, at great cost, even for the "well intentioned".
[N]ow all civilized people have reached that stage so that alcohol is an unnecessary evil today. Through its use one loses the ability to get along with others and to understand them. Alcohol is especially harmful for esoterics since its use changes all developed higher forces into forces of the personal ego, repeatedly locks it into itself, and tears the astral body apart through the opposing streams of the higher and lower I forces. The principle through which everyone can consciously attain his individualization was brought through the coming of Christ to the earth. That's why Christ Jesus says: I am the true vine.
By consuming alcohol one prepares a fertile soil for hosts of spiritual beings, just as a dirty room gets filled with flies.6Esoteric Lessons, No. 39, GA 266, 13 Aug 13 1908, Stuttgart.
As the Lenten breviary verse above informs, we must now choose whether to sink further into the darkness of the material world or light the fire of the spirit within ourselves. We must either make ourselves into suitable raiments for the spirit or fall deeper into darkness. "The power of the senses must spiritually turn" to heal the sickness of the world and restore our heritage of eternity.