Today, I listened to"Ahrimanic Deception" lecture by Rudolf Steiner
and these are my thoughts...
I was introduced to Rudolf Steiner by an LA based artist, David Sabastian during the spring or summer of 2020.
He texted me a link to Steiner’s “Knowledge of Higher Worlds and its Attainment (1947)” Catchy title I thought, lemme take a look.
I was about 8 hours into the audio book and thought fuck me, my soul knows this is important, but I really don’t know wtf is going on here. I even bought the book and picked it up a few times, but I was still lost.
I’ve come to realize in recent years that most lessons of great spiritual significance aren’t meant to be transmitted alone.
In 2023, Robert Gilbert*, founder of the Vesica Institute, came into my life, and once Steiner’s work reappeared. Through Robert’s courses, “Spiritual Science” and “Connecting to Spiritual Beings”, I was taught some fundamentals of Rudolf Steiner’s work and Anthroposophy.
So, this morning, I listened to Steiner’s lecture, The Ahrimanic Deception (27th October 1919, Zurich).
Bear with me, as I do my best to share my understanding in a way that I hope will be approachable and easy to digest without diluting any of the substance.
I am writing to anyone and everyone, but my aim is to be approachable to the curious, doubtful or even better skeptic. Understanding some fundamentals of modern spirituality and what is happening in the world right now is vital for me. Admittedly, writing this is helpful to my internal synthesis.
So if you are reading, thank you, and I hope you gather something of value by reading this.
Let’s talk about cycles.
There are cycles to everything. We understand this in the physical manifestations of our everyday - 24 hours cycle to the day. We understand the moon has cycles, which run 28 days. We see the physical world manifest within the 4 seasons. There is no disputing this. We live it.
In the same way, spiritual beings govern and rule epochs and periods of time, and according to Steiner, there is a three social organism of spiritual beings - Luciferic, Christic and Ahrimanic.
There is much to speak on all of them, but I am focusing on Ahrimanic beings for today and here is very preliminary description:
Luciferic Beings - a power that stirs false mysticism and seeks to elevate arrogantly past our actual capabilities. The internet might refer to Luciferic beings as “delulu”. As I write this, I wonder if there is a connection actually in the etymology of both words.
Christic Beings - the middle way
Ahrimanic Beings - a power that makes a person prosaic, hard headed, and illusory truth of materialism. Extremely concerned about the material world. Reductionistic. Looking at things only through mathematical and mechanical laws void of spirit and soul. Ahriman loves division and keeps people small in their cliques.
Spiritual Weather Report
We are currently and have been in a cycle where Ahrimanic beings are in effect. According to Steiner, the anti-Christ of the Ahrimanic beings will be born in the third millennium.
It’s happening. It’s been happening.
It’s worth nothing that Steiner held this lecture in October 1919.
I can think of many manifestations of Ahriman’s influence since Steiner held this lecture - nuclear warfare, transportation, aviation, technology, computer science, the fucking Internet, AI, banking, voting, evolution of human’s rights, there’s too much to mention without fear of missing anything out.
However, there are a few things abundantly clear to me about Ahriman’s influence.
Science is the new religion.
And not the science that I grew up to understand as observation and experimentation. But rather a science influenced by agenda’s that create economic gain.
As a society, we worship technology. We hold onto our devices more dearly than our people. I’ll only speak for myself right now - I walk around with my smartphone, like a toddler holds a pacifier.
Back to science.
It was made abundantly clear this doesn’t mean that modern science is “bad” or it needs to be avoided.
Modern science is important. It is imperative.
Dismissing modern science would be the most misguided thing we can do.
It's important for us to know that our understanding of modern science is merely a reflection of this stage of our evolution, not the whole picture.
Science is not an Absolute Truth.
Modern technology is not an Absolute Truth.
After listening to Steiner’s lecture, nothing will help during the Ahrimanic age but the open minded perspective, and to understand the powers and nature Ahriman employs against us and the defenses we have (and need to develop).
Following Ahriman’s influence would lead to our own demise.
“Primary importance is to find an all around sense for the Truth, and a sense of courage is required.” - Rudolf Steiner, The Ahrimanic Deception (27th October 1919, Zurich)
My aim is to unpack what this sense for the Truth is during this period. All while seeking guidance Christic beings, and to develop my own sense of courage to write what this means to me in this forum, in a consistent cadence.
Love,
Julia
*Scientist, Student of Steiner and many other Spiritual Traditions and Practices, with a gift of synthesizing and sharing timeless, quality information in a muddy world