DOI:

https://www.doi.org/10.22455/2541-8297-2018-10-267-292

Issue:

2018 №10

Author: Angelika Schmitt
About the author:

Angelika Bettina Schmitt, PhD student, Universität Trier, Germany.

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract:

The article points out the connection between the Russian symbolist Andrei Bely's esoteric experience and his late historiosophical conception, which he wrote down in the unfinished work “The History of Formation of a Self-conscious Soul”. It is to be shown, that Belyʼs philosophy of culture is not just a paraphrase of ideas he borrowed from his esoteric teacher Rudolf Steiner, but is built on his own views on the developement of human history and culture, which grounds on his individual understanding of Steinerian ideas and his personal experience with the anthroposophic meditation techniques. The basic term of Belyʼs historiosophical work, the concept of “self-conscious soul” and its esoteric contexts are only briefly outlined and the baselines of this philosophy of culture are demonstrated. The genesis and signification of the “spiral of history”, which underlies Belyʼs conception, are considered in more details. It is claimed, that an appropriate qualification for the later philosophical, literary and theoretical works of Andrei Bely is the term “hermetic symbolism”.

Keywords: Andrei Bely, Rudolf Steiner, “The History of Formation of a Selfconscious Soul”, philosophy of culture, historiosophy, anthroposophy, meditation, esotericism, spiral of history, curve of history
For citation:

Schmitt Angelika. Andrei Bely’s experience of meditation as a key to his historiosophical conception of “self-conscious soul”. Literary fact, 2018, no. 10, pp. 267–292.

References:

Andrei Belyi i Ivanov-Razumnik. Perepiska [Andrei Bely and Ivanov-Razumnik. Correspondence], publ., intro., comment. by A.V. Lavrov and J. Malmstad, ed. by T.V. Pavlova, A.V. Lavrov, J. Malmstad. St. Petersburg, Atheneum Publ., Feniks Publ., 1998. 736 p. (In Russ.)

Andrej Belyj. Symbolismus — Anthroposophie — Ein Weg. Texte, Bilder, Daten, ed. T. Gut. Dornach, Rudolf Steiner Verlag, 1997. 363 s.

Belyi A. Dusha samosoznaiushchaia [Self-conscious soul], comp. and article by E.I. Chistiakova. Moscow, Kanon+ Publ., 1999. (In Russ.)

Belyi A. Material k biografii [Biography material]. Literaturnoe nasledstvo. T. 105: Andrei Belyi. Avtobiograficheskie svody: Material k biografii. Rakurs k dnevniku. Registratsionnye zapisi. Dnevniki 1930-kh godov [Literary heritage. Vol. 105: Andrei Bely. Autobiographical codes. Biography material. An aspect for the diary. Registration records. 1930s diaries], comp. by A.V. Lavrov, J. Malmstad, ed. by M.L. Spivak. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 2016, pp. 29–328. (In Russ.)

Belyi A. Sobranie sochinenii. T. 3: Serebrianyi golub': Rasskazy [Collected works. Vol. 3: The silver dove: Short stories], comp., intro., comment. by V.M. Piskunov. Moscow, Respublika Publ., 1995. 335 p. (In Russ.)

Belyi A. Sobranie sochinenii. T. 6: Kotik Letaev. Kreshchenyi kitaets. Zapiski chudaka [Collected works. Vol. 6: Kotik Letaev. The baptized chinaman. Notes of an eccentric], ed. and comp. by V.M. Piskunov. Moscow, Respublika Publ., 1997. 543 p. (In Russ.)

Belyi A. Sobranie sochinenii. T. 7: Rudol'f Shteiner i Gete v mirovozzrenii sovremennosti. Vospominaniia o Shteinere [Collected works. Vol. 7: Rudolf Steiner and Goethe in the modern worldview. Memoirs on Steiner], comp., comment. and afterword by I.N. Lagutina. Moskow, Respublika Publ., 2000. 719 p. (In Russ.)

Belyi A. Sobranie sochinenii. T. 8: Arabeski: Kn. statei; Lug zelenyi: Kn. statei [Collected works. Vol. 8: Arabesques: Book of articles; Green meadow: Book of articles], ed., afterword and comment. by L.A. Sugai, comp. by A.P. Poliakov, P.P. Apryshko. Moscow, Respublika Publ., Dmitrii Sechin Publ., 2012. 590 p. (In Russ.)

Belyj A. Der Yogi, aus dem Russischen von Angelika Schmitt. die Drei, 12/2019, s. 17–32.

Belyj А., Florenskij P. “…nicht anders als über die Seele des anderen“. Der Briefwechsel. Texte, ed. F. und S. Mierau. Ostfildern, Edition Tertium, 1994. 198 s.

Cassedy St. Bely the Thinker. Andrey Bely. Spirit of Symbolism. Ithaca, London, 1987, pp. 313–335.

Ewertowski J. Die Entdeckung der Bewusstseinsseele: Wegmarken des Geistes. Stuttgart, Freies Geistesleben, 2007. 236 s.

Katsis L.F. Semantika risunkov Andreja Belogo, sootnosimyh s “Istoriej stanovlenija samosoznajushhej dushi” [The semantics of Andrei Bely's drawings correlated to “The history of formation of a self-conscious soul”]. Miry Andreia Belogo [Worlds of Andrei Bely], comp. by K. Ichin, M. Spivak. Belgrad, Moscow, Belgrad University Philology Department Publ., 2011, pp. 638–656. (In Russ.)

Petrov V.V. Teleologiia, chetvertoe izmerenie i obratnyi khod vremeni v rabotakh Andreia Belogo, Viach. Ivanova i M. Voloshina [Teleology, the fourth dimension and the time running backwards in the works of Andrei Bely, Vyach. Ivanov and M. Voloshin]. Viacheslav Ivanov: issledovaniia i materialy. Vyp. 3 [Vyacheslav Ivanov: studies and materials. Iss. 3], comp. by S.V. Fedotova, A.B. Shishkin. Moscow, Institute of World Literature Publ., 2018, pp. 13–61. (In Russ.)

Schmitt A. Die imaginative Chiffrenschrift von Andrej Belyjs kulturphilosophischem Spätwerk. Bilderfahrungen im Zwischenraum von Kunst, Philosophie und Pädagogik, ed. M. Bunge, A. Wiehl. Wien, Residenz Verlag (in print).

Schmitt A. Hermetischer Symbolismus: Andrej Belyjs “Istorija stanovlenija samosoznajuščej duši”. Frankfurt a. M., Peter Lang (in print).

Shtal' Kh. “Pechat' samosoznaiushchei dushi”: Simvolizm kak “pliuro-duo-monizm” u pozdnego Andreia Belogo [“The seal of a self-conscious soul”: Symbolism as “pluroduomonism” in late works of Andrei Bely]. Symbol w kulturze rosyjskiej, red. naukowa K. Duda, T. Obolevich. Kraków, Ignatianum, 2010, pp. 587–603. (In Russ.)

Shtal' Kh. Genezis poniatiia samosoznaiushchei dushi i “Istoriia stanovleniia samosoznaiushchei dushi” Andreia Belogo [The genesis of the concept of self-conscious soul and Andrei Bely's “The history of formation of a self-conscious soul”]. Russian Literature, 2011, vol. 70, iss. 1–2, Andrej Belyj's “Istorija stanovlenija samosoznajuščej duši”, pp. 21–37. (In Russ.)

Shtal' Kh. Meditativnyi opyt Andreia Belogo i “Istoriia stanovleniia samosoznaiushchei dushi” [Andrei Bely's experience of meditation and “The history of formation of a self-conscious soul”]. Avtobiografizm i biograficheskie praktiki [Autobiographism and biographical practices], ed. by K. Kriveller, M.L. Spivak. St. Petersburg, Nestor-Istoriia Publ., 2015, pp. 80–101. (In Russ.)

Shtal' Kh. Problemy tekstologii “Istorii stanovleniia samosoznaiushchei dushi” Andreia Belogo: datirovka i kompozitsiia [Textology issues of Andrei Bely's “The history of formation of a self-conscious soul”: dating and composition]. Arabeski Andreia Belogo: Zhiznennyi put'. Dukhovnye iskaniia. Poetika: Sb. statej po materialam nauchnoj konferencii [Andrei Bely’s arabesques: Path of life. Spiritual searching. Poetics: Proc. Sci. Conf.], ed. and comp. by K. Ichin, M. Spivak. Moscow, Belgrad, Belgrad University Philology Department Publ., 2017, pp. 492–508. (In Russ.)

Shtal' Kh. Spiral' ili ritmicheskii zhest istorii: risunok k “Istorii stanovlenija samosoznajushhej dushi” Andreia Belogo [The spiral or the rythmical gesture of history: the drawing for Andrei Bely's “The history of formation of a self-conscious soul”]. Miry Andreia Belogo [Worlds of Andrei Bely], comp. by K. Ichin, M. Spivak. Belgrad, Moscow, Belgrad University Philology Department Publ., 2011, pp. 618–637.

Silard L.A. Germetizm i germenevtika [Hermetism and hermeneutics]. St. Petersburg, Ivan Limbakh Publ., 2002. 328 p. (In Russ.)

Spivak M.L. Andrei Belyi mistik i sovetskii pisatel' [Andrei Bely — mystic and Soviet writer]. Moscow, Russian State University for the Humanities Publ., 2006. 577 p. (In Russ.)

Spivak M.L. Andrei Belyi v rabote nad traktatom “Istoriia stanovleniia samosoznaiushchei dushi” [Andrei Bely working on the treatise “The history of formation of a self-conscious soul”]. Russian Literature, 2011, vol. 70, iss. 1–2, Andrej Belyj's “Istorija stanovlenija samosoznajuščej duši”, pp. 1–19. (In Russ.)

Spivak M.L. Rasskaz Andreia Belogo “Jog”: avtobiograficheskii podtekst i ezotericheskii opyt [Andrei Bely's short story “The yogi”: autobiographical subtext and esoteric experience]. Izvestiia RAN, seriia literatury i iazyka, 2004, no. 2, pp. 13–22. (In Russ.)

Stahl H. Die rhythmische Geste: Symptomatologie und Prognostik in Andrej Belyjs “Geschichte des Werdens der Selbstbewusstseinsseele”. Visionen der Zukunft um 1900. Deutschland, Österreich, Russland, hrsg. v. S. Taškenov, D. Kemper in Zusammenarbeit mit V. Kantor (Schriftenreihe des Instituts für russisch-deutsche Literatur- und Kulturbeziehungen an der RGGU Moskau, hrsg. v. D. Kemper. Band 10). Paderborn, Fink, 2014, s. 187–221.