Summary
Steiner introduces us to Lucifer, Ahriman, and Christ. Read more
Lecture 2 | Lucifer, Christ, Ahriman
There’s a balance needed among the three forces. The embodiment of Christ consciousness means having a balanced approach to life (a middle way). Read more
Steiner predicts the state of our current time (world wars and a breakdown of society), and traces the development of man back to the age of Lucifer (the 4th millennium B.C.). Read more
Lecture 4 | The World of Reason
Thanks to Lucifer, mankind was able to advance spiritually. He must also now battle Ahrimanic energy (an over-materialization of ideas, lack of spiritual intelligence). Read more
In truth, man plays an active role in shaping the earth. Read more
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Steiner introduces us to Lucifer, Ahriman, and Christ.
Lucifer can be found in the era of paganism, while Ahriman is the emerging force of modern times.
Steiner lists the objectives of Ahriman today.
Paganism
According to Steiner, the origins of paganism had a primeval “wisdom, in its deep insight into the things and processes of the world.”
Pagan beliefs “survived in secret societies, in a healthy form, until the end of the eighteenth century and at the beginning of the nineteenth.”
In addition, the beliefs of paganism did not contain the “moral impulse” that was found in Judaism and Christianity, because it was inspired by the era of Asia and Lucifer (3rd millennium B.C., three thousand years before Christ).
Paganism “survived in secret societies, in a healthy form, until the end of the eighteenth century and at the beginning of the nineteenth.”
Lucifer and Ahriman
Lucifer plays a key role in understanding the Mystery of Golgotha.
Objectives of Ahriman
- Ahriman would describe the cosmos as purely machine (no spirit or soul)—this is seen in the teachings of Galileo, Copernicus. He wishes to withhold from humanity the understanding of spirit behind the cosmos.
- Ahriman works with Lucifer by also pushing the idea that society only needs to have economic and material fulfillment.
- Ahriman wants to separate man into groups (aka nationalism), party politics, cultural divides.
- He wishes humanity to know Christ only as an hallucination (represented by modern Christianity).
Ahriman would describe the cosmos as purely machine (no spirit or soul)…
the Gospels, Christ
Steiner suggests we understand the Gospels through 1.) spiritual science and 2.) pagan, Luciferic wisdom. Current Christian theology does neither, and as a result of this, we have no more than an hallucination of Christ.
Taking the Gospels literally is a sign of a dimming of consciousness.
From Steiner: “Ahriman and Lucifer will always work hand in hand. The only question is which of the two predominates in man’s consciousness at a particular epoch of time.”
In the current (fifth) epoch, “Lucifer’s tracks are becoming less visible” as Ahriman’s become more prominent.
“Ahriman and Lucifer will always work hand in hand. The only question is which of the two predominates in man’s consciousness at a particular epoch of time.”
Read the full lecture at Rudolf Steiner Archive
Lucifer, Christ, Ahriman
There’s a balance that’s needed among the three forces.
The embodiment of Christ consciousness represents a balanced approach to living (in other words, a middle way).
Lucifer
Can be seen as an inner delusion, hallucination, and subjectivism.
We often find this energy in the new age, described as “woo-woo” or “airy fairy” because of its lack of grounded information.
While the energy of Lucifer is not necessarily evil, it can become severely unbalanced if we use it for escapism, neglecting our immediate reality in preference for only what “feels good” (the definition of spiritual bypassing).
What we need to focus on is a physical embodiment of spiritual experience—by taking what is subjectively felt and connecting it back to our present reality in the physical body.
What we need…is a physical embodiment of spiritual experience—by taking what is subjectively felt and connecting it back to our present reality in the physical body.
Ahriman
Can be seen as an exterior delusion or scientism.
Ahriman is found in the over-materialization of concepts, to the point of literalism. Whenever we take a piece of information in the most literal sense, we strengthen Ahrimanic energy. An example of this could be interpreting the Bible in a literal manner.
This way of thinking runs rampant in our current fields of science and medicine. By valuing only what can be quantified in the physical realm, we lose an element of truth in what we see. As a result, we submit ourselves to a robotic, Ahrimanic way of thinking.
Another area of concern is the field of AI—its many facets of automation, digitization, and replication. Somewhere along the way, we have lost the essence of the human spirit in automated products. By becoming immersed in a world of artificial intelligence, we severely handicap our capacity for understanding ourselves and the spiritual world as we become increasingly reliant on external mechanization.
By becoming immersed in a world of artificial intelligence, we have severely handicapped our capacity for understanding the spiritual world, and ourselves.
Lucifer and Ahriman, therefore, represent both the internal and external delusions of life
While Lucifer represents our inner delusion, Ahriman is a depiction of the exterior delusion of reality. Both energies draw us out of alignment with the natural order of universal law.
Christ (or Christ/sun consciousness, unity consciousness)
Can be seen as objectivism, observation, and a connection to the heart.
While Ahriman is centered in the head, Christ consciousness is centered in the heart. As a result, there is a detachment from personal ego.
Christ consciousness is a balance between spiritual and physical experiences. It is in alignment with our higher self, our soul and our spirit. When we engage with our soul, we inevitably commune with the universal power of Christ consciousness.
We should apply Ahrimanic coldness to our inner nature, and Luciferic attention to the external world
Steiner gave us invaluable advice for maintaining spiritual balance: by applying objective thinking to our personal experiences and subjective evaluation of our external experiences:
“…men must become more objective where their own impulses are concerned, and far, far more subjective where the external world is concerned—not by introducing pictures of phantasy but by bringing interest, alert attention and devotion to the things of immediate life.”
By depersonalizing our ego, we subsequently bring a higher level of personalization to the collective/external world.
“…men must become more objective where their own impulses are concerned, and far, far more subjective where the external world is concerned…”
Read the full lecture at Rudolph Steiner Archive
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Steiner predicts the state of our current time (world wars and a breakdown of society), and traces the development of mankind back to Lucifer’s time (4th millennium B.C.).
Our current epoch—a regression of the physical world
According to Steiner, in this epoch of post-Atlantis, “all the experiences confronting mankind in the physical world during the earth’s further existence will represent a decline, a retrogression.”
From now on, mankind will progress through spiritual development.
There will be many physical wars, bringing about spiritual awakening and development.
“all the experiences confronting mankind in the physical world during the earth’s further existence will represent a decline, a retrogression.”
1st and 2nd epochs
During pagan times (first and second epochs), man was more connected to the natural and spiritual world, much like the animals.
Entrance of Lucifer in early times
In Asiatic times (4th and 3rd millennium B.C.), man’s instinct rose and his soul life receded into a twilight. What was lost became preserved in the Mystery schools.
Mankind did not have a strong intellect at this time, and was dependent upon the Mysteries for discernment.
Enter Lucifer: a child of a distinguished Asiatic family who began to use the organs of the human intellect when he reached the age of 40 (prophesied by priests at the time). His incarnation was responsible for pre-Christian, pagan culture.
Lucifer brought intellectual discernment to mankind.
Lucifer and Ahriman today
Over-intellectualizing, or surface-level intellect of party politics (religion, etc.), is a result of the Luciferic impulse.
Statistics and figures do not prove reality, but are “a means of deception” because ultimately, they are not qualitative.
Oversimplification and literalization of the Gospels (Luciferic) is practiced by modern-day denominations, unfortunately helping further Ahriman’s aims.
At the time, the writing of the Gospels provided a “necessary counterweight” to the Luciferic Gnosis.
Ahriman will embody the furthest man can go with ingenuity in the material world, devoid of spirit, and will further the intellect (Lucifer) and the material world (Ahriman).
Read the full lecture at Rudolf Steiner Archive
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The World of Reason
Thanks to Lucifer, mankind was able to advance spiritually.
He must also battle Ahrimanic energy (or rigidification of thought).
Lucifer brought intellectual faculties
Thanks to Lucifer’s incarnation, mankind was able to advance spiritually (more so than if he would have evolved without him).
Lucifer brought “the world of thought,…the world of reason in the highest sense of the word—the world of wisdom.”
Without him, “man would have remained a child.”
“Teachers of the Rishis were Luciferic beings.”
Despite being only able to receive this wisdom from a Luciferic source, the goal of man was to use it for the good of earth-evolution.
Lucifer wanted to share wisdom to lead man away from earth-evolution and into a world detached from earth.
What he brought to the evolution of mankind was essentially “speaking and thinking.”
Lucifer brought “the world of thought,…the world of reason in the highest sense of the word—the world of wisdom.”
Luciferic thinking
Luciferic thinking is overgeneralizing or unifying (rather than considering the uniqueness of the individual case).
If thinking were not Luciferic, it would be Goethian.
Ahriman’s “magic powers”
If mankind does not do the hard work of understanding spiritual science himself (if he stays in a “simple faith level”), he will fall prey to Ahriman handing it to us “like magic.”
It will be enticing, a grand show of “psychic god-level power.”
If mankind does not do the hard work of understanding spiritual science himself (if he stays in a “simple faith level”), he will fall prey to Ahriman handing it to us “like magic.”
Man must battle Ahrimanic energy (or rigidification of thought)
“…they have to battle against their own granite-like skulls.”
“…through sincere, genuine study of the content of spiritual science.”
“Christ has become a companion of men, leading them, first, away from the battle with Lucifer, and then into the battle with Ahriman.”
“mankind to-day is sorely in need of new ideas, especially concerning the realm and the life of the soul.”
Read the full lecture at Rudolf Steiner Archive
The Human Will
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In truth, man plays an active role in shaping the earth.
Man’s effect on earth
Scientists think that the cause of a certain area of life only pertains to that area of life, and not outside of it. In Steiner’s words, “the mineral effect is due to a mineral cause.” Man believes a change in the polar ice caps is due to a cause that purely resides in the realm of polar ice caps, and nothing more.
In truth, man plays an active role in shaping the earth (i.e. the fall of Atlantis occurred due to mankind’s actions).
Therefore, it is not enough to only study the realms of the mineral, plant, and animal kingdoms to know the causes on earth.
In the example of water vapor rising from the ground in Naples, Italy: “the causes are to be found within man.” “Science tells us of physical, chemical and mechanical forces. These forces are intimately connected with the human will, with the force of human will that is concentrated in man’s centre of gravity.”
The human will
The human will can destroy or dissolve all extraneous substances in the plant, mineral, animal kingdom: “…and the relation between man and the mineral, plant and animal kingdoms of nature to-day is such that his will is connected with the forces of dissolution and destruction inherent in our planet.”
Man is twofold: 1) destructive will and 2) the power of intelligence and feeling.
This latter aspect works unconsciously in man during sleep.
The stars represent the workings of will and intelligence
“They are not in reality physical at all. What you actually see are the inter activities of beings of will and intelligence in the stars.”
“What we see is in reality the working of will and intelligence which at a distance appears as light.”
“If an inhabitant of the Moon—supposing in this sense there were such a being—were to look at the earth, he would not detect its grassy or mineral surfaces but—also perceiving it as a light effect or something similar—he would detect what takes place around the centres of gravity of human bodies and also the effects of the conditions in which man lives between going to sleep and waking.”
Today, our connection to the spiritual world is a more inward experience.
Read the full lecture at Rudolf Steiner Archive
If mankind does not do the hard work of understanding spiritual science himself (if he stays in a “simple faith level”), he will fall prey to Ahriman handing it to us “like magic.”
the inner muse 