11 x 8 ½ 56 pages 12 color illustrations December 2006
“Anyone who is capable of understanding [The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily] knows that Goethe was a Theosophist and a mystic. Goethe was acquainted with the wisdom and the worldview we try to present in a popular way through Theosophy, and the fairy tale itself is proof of this. When Goethe was writing, no attempt had yet been made to clothe the highest truths in words and present them in open lectures through the power of reason. These intimate human soul truths were not yet spoken of openly. Those who hinted at them put them into a symbolic form and expressed them through symbols.” —Rudolf Steiner (April 04, 1904)
The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily is one of the most important stories of the Anthroposophic and Rosicrucian streams. It is a timeless, allegorical tale of initiation and had a profound impact on Rudolf Steiner and on the formulation of his teachings. He called the fairy tale a kind of “secret revelation,” an “apocalypse.” As the authors point out in The Time Is At Hand! Goethe’s fairy tale begins with a specific image: a river separating two lands that contrast to each other, as do the sensory world and the spiritual world. The story ends with a bridge, created through sacrifice, that spans the river between the two lands.
Indeed, Rudolf Steiner was so deeply impressed by Goethe’s fairy tale, that he used it as the model for his first mystery drama, The Portal of Initiation. It is said that, prior to its first performance, he told friends, “I know how long and deeply you have loved Goethe’s fairy tale, and today I am happy to tell you that you will see it performed on stage.”
This is a fairy tale for meditation—and for building bridges of the soul and spirit.
The twelve paintings in this book represent the soul experiences of the “Youth” in the fairy tale. They are the fruit of an intense collaboration between Hermann Linde and Rudolf Steiner, who commissioned the work. Steiner visited Linde’s studio each day and provided him with detailed indications on how to treat the various motifs.
Once Linde had finished the original panels—done mainly in tempera—he had planned to rework them in transparent watercolor glazes, intending to follow Steiner’s suggestion of working wholly “from the color itself.” Unfortunately, Hermann Linde was unable to realize his intention; he died suddenly, just a few months after the first Goetheanum was destroyed by fire on New Year’s Day 1923.
For anyone who is unfamiliar with The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily, this excellent edition will provide an excellent introduction to Goethe's delightful fairy tale. And for those who know it well, the images and fresh translation will give the story new life in the imagination. It also makes an excellent gift for all ages.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) is a giant of German and world literature. Indeed, he coined the term Weltliteratur and spoke Greek, Latin, French, English, and Italian. In addition to its profound quality, the volume of work during his eighty-two-year lifetime is impressive. Among other works, Goethe wrote a worldwide, bestselling novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther (Die Leiden des Jungen Werthers, 1774), volumes of poetry, and several dramas, including his masterwork Faust— a massive two-volume work that was not entirely finished by the time of the poet's death. Goethe also engaged in painting and science, from which came his Theory of Color (“Farbenlehre”) among other scientific works—a collected edition that Rudolf Steiner edited and introduced as a young man (see Nature’s Open Secret). Indeed, Goethe's body of scientific and philosophical works was one of the most important influences in the development of Rudolf Steiner’s early work and for Anthroposophy as a whole. See all titles by this author
Hermann Linde (1863–1923) was a classically trained painter. As early as 1904, he developed a relationship with Rudolf Steiner, who encouraged him to create a form of artistic expression for those on a spiritual path. Inspired by his experiences with Steiner’s ideas, Linde dedicated his artistic work to Anthroposophy. He participated in the creation of the stage sets for Steiner’s first mystery drama, The Portal of Initiation, performed in Munich in 1910. Later, during World War I, he helped paint the cupolas in the First Goetheanum. See all titles by this author
Joan deRis Allen was born January 20, 1931. She graduated from Columbia University School of Architecture in 1956 and practiced as an independent architect in the United States until 1968. At that time, together with her husband Paul Marshall Allen and two young children, she emigrated to England. In 1970, she founded Camphill Architects at Botton Village, Yorkshire, with Gabor Talló. Over the years her architectural work has taken her to Ireland, Scotland, and Norway. Joan now lives and works in Kimberton Hills, Pennsylvania. In 1970, she published Living Buildings, Halls and Chapels of the Camphill Movement for the fiftieth anniversary of the Camphill Move¬ment. She is author with Paul Marshall Allen of The Time Is at Hand!; Francis of Assisi, Canticle of the Creatures; and Fingal’s Cave, the Poems of Ossian and Celtic Christianity. See all titles by this author
Paul Marshall Allen (1913–1998) was an authority on the life and work of Rudolf Steiner and, as the “first American-born anthroposophic lecturer,” was a leading pioneer of Rudolf Steiner’s spiritual science across North America. He edited and wrote introductions for numerous books on Anthroposophy and spiritual wisdom, including his classic work, A Christian Rosenkreutz Anthology (1968), and wrote Vladimir Soloviev: Russian Mystic (1968). With his wife Joan deRis Allen, Paul coauthored Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of the Creatures (1996); Fingal’s Cave, the Poems of Ossian, and Celtic Christianity (1999); and The Time Is at Hand! (1995). See all titles by this author
Julius E. Heuscher is the author of Psychology, Folklore, Creativity, and the Human Dilemma (2003) and Existentialism and Folklore (1997). See all titles by this author
The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily is one of the most important stories of the Anthroposophic and Rosicrucian streams. It is a timeless, allegorical tale of initiation and had a profound impact on Rudolf Steiner and on the formulation of his teachings. He called the fairy tale a kind of “secret revelation,” an “apocalypse.” As the authors point out in 
Indeed, Rudolf Steiner was so deeply impressed by Goethe’s fairy tale, that he used it as the model for his first mystery drama, 
The twelve paintings in this book represent the soul experiences of the “Youth” in the fairy tale. They are the fruit of an intense collaboration between Hermann Linde and Rudolf Steiner, who commissioned the work. Steiner visited Linde’s studio each day and provided him with detailed indications on how to treat the various motifs.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) is a giant of German and world literature. Indeed, he coined the term Weltliteratur and spoke Greek, Latin, French, English, and Italian. In addition to its profound quality, the volume of work during his eighty-two-year lifetime is impressive. Among other works, Goethe wrote a worldwide, bestselling novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther (Die Leiden des Jungen Werthers, 1774), volumes of poetry, and several dramas, including his masterwork Faust— a massive two-volume work that was not entirely finished by the time of the poet's death. Goethe also engaged in painting and science, from which came his Theory of Color (“Farbenlehre”) among other scientific works—a collected edition that Rudolf Steiner edited and introduced as a young man (see 
Hermann Linde (1863–1923) was a classically trained painter. As early as 1904, he developed a relationship with Rudolf Steiner, who encouraged him to create a form of artistic expression for those on a spiritual path. Inspired by his experiences with Steiner’s ideas, Linde dedicated his artistic work to Anthroposophy. He participated in the creation of the stage sets for Steiner’s first mystery drama, The Portal of Initiation, performed in Munich in 1910. Later, during World War I, he helped paint the cupolas in the First Goetheanum.
Joan deRis Allen was born January 20, 1931. She graduated from Columbia University School of Architecture in 1956 and practiced as an independent architect in the United States until 1968. At that time, together with her husband Paul Marshall Allen and two young children, she emigrated to England. In 1970, she founded Camphill Architects at Botton Village, Yorkshire, with Gabor Talló. Over the years her architectural work has taken her to Ireland, Scotland, and Norway. Joan now lives and works in Kimberton Hills, Pennsylvania. In 1970, she published Living Buildings, Halls and Chapels of the Camphill Movement for the fiftieth anniversary of the Camphill Move¬ment. She is author with Paul Marshall Allen of The Time Is at Hand!; Francis of Assisi, Canticle of the Creatures; and Fingal’s Cave, the Poems of Ossian and Celtic Christianity.
Paul Marshall Allen (1913–1998) was an authority on the life and work of Rudolf Steiner and, as the “first American-born anthroposophic lecturer,” was a leading pioneer of Rudolf Steiner’s spiritual science across North America. He edited and wrote introductions for numerous books on Anthroposophy and spiritual wisdom, including his classic work, A Christian Rosenkreutz Anthology (1968), and wrote Vladimir Soloviev: Russian Mystic (1968). With his wife Joan deRis Allen, Paul coauthored Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of the Creatures (1996); Fingal’s Cave, the Poems of Ossian, and Celtic Christianity (1999); and The Time Is at Hand! (1995).