[2] The pamphlet discusses the future of the European continent, which seemed unstable given the recent rise of Napoleon and the death of Pope Pius VI in 1799.
Novalis sensed a decline in the Catholic Church in Europe, and political ideologies, nationalism, and blind faith in science rushed in to fill the spiritual void.
A childlike sense of wonder present in the Middle Ages became replaced by a restless and mechanical modern world, causing Europe to become spiritually impoverished and disenchanted.
The transformed Christianity that Novalis thought could herald this new epoch would replace beliefs in divine revelation with an inspired poetic spirit, and the new religion would have a strong emphasis on aesthetics.
[2] At the end of the pamphlet, the author invites the reader to try and use this momentary threshold point in history to help reach the utopian final stage.