According to the Anthroposophical perspective, there are several evil beings that humans have to deal with. This was allowed by a divine wisdom for the sake of freedom. It is necessary to know that it was the beings of light, the divine wisdom that allowed these counterforces to work in humans.
The first tempters for humans are known as Luciferic beings and they affected our astral body during the Moon stage, prior to our receiving an I. This is known as Original Sin or The Fall as we had inherited sin from Lucifer and had fallen into sin. The influence of Lucifer is implanted in our astral body. Luciferic beings are retarded or backward Angels.
Another type of evil beings are the Ahrimanic beings. They are retarded or backward Archangels. They influence our etheric body.
If we imagine a threefold cosmic stream, Lucifer would work from the surconscious and Ahriman from the subconscious.
These two beings are usually compared against each other in order to understand them.
Lucifer
Allows people to form hypothesis, build up imaginative pictures, have ideas
Art is an example where this force is vital
Not interested in people
Allows us to soar above our actual circumstances, looking at the world from an aerial perspective
Works in time
Body: Softening, Rejuvenation
Soul: Fantasy, Dreaming,Mysticism
Spirit: Falling Asleep
Illusion: Spirit arises out of matter
Countermeasure: Illness, Suffering, Pain
Ahriman
Down in the dumps lonely spirit who doesn’t readily make his presence known
Responsible for technology
Wants world power, lusts for power, tries to rule over others by using and manipulating their weaknesses
Works in space
Body: Hardening, Calcification
Soul: Pedantry, Philistinism,Materialism
Spirit: Waking Up
Illusion: Forces of physical world permeate soul or physical world is only reality
Countermeasure: Karma
In 8000 BC people were in danger of being too Luciferic. Education was not important as it is today and school was more for scholars. Aim was to reign people’s powers of fantasy. Education today has taken an Ahrimanic direction. Science is excessively ahrimanic for it takes only the physical world into consideration.
Lucifer incarnated around 3000 BC in Asia. Ahriman will incarnate in the West around 2000 - 3000 AD. These beings prepare a long time for their incarnation. The Ahrimanic influence began in the 15th century. Ahriman wants people to believe in material science and not to realize the limitations that it has. The gifts that we have received from science are truths but are not absolute truths. The materialistic science merely presents one side of reality.
Ahriman will also try to stir up the emotions that will make humans go against each other and divide into smaller groups, groups that attack each other. He does this through the intellect because with our intellect we can prove or disprove any argument based on logic. Our intellect has limitations however Ahriman wants us to believe that our intellect is our source of knowledge. For example, by using our intellect and logic, we can prove spiritualism exists and that materialism exists as well.
In The Fall of the Spirits of Darkness, Steiner talks about the spiritual war that lasted from 1841 to 1879. A spiritual fact is that events that occur on earth are prepared first in the spiritual world. Steiner says the mirror image of this war can be found in World War I. The Ahrimanic beings were cast out of the spiritual realm into the physical. When they are in the spiritual world they are more likely to leave humans alone and so their being cast down allows them to influence humans more. This type of battle has occurred numerous times over various issues.
Ahriman’s field of activity is in our thinking and will impulses. They thrive under our prejudices, ignorance of reality and our fear of spirit. Ahriman basically wants people to deny the reality of the spiritual world and so he works through us in our thinking by making us only believe in the physical world. It is a law of the universe that what science observes is only the past. It is the spiritual world that points to the future. By only observing the past, Ahrimanic beings essentially are denying us our creativity, hope and the ability to find solutions to problems.
Another evil being is known as the Asuras. They are retarded Archai. The Asuras tear out fragments of the I and consciousness soul and bind them with the earth. The fragments they take are lost forever. At this point there is no countermeasure for the lost I fragments. The Asuras also deceive humans into thinking their I is merely a product of the physical world. They want people to live completely in the physical world and to be oblivious to the reality of spiritual beings. They want us to believe that we are merely sophisticated animals and have descended from them. Our morals are only channeled animal impulses. The Asuras will lead humans to live like animals and to only have interest In animalistic type passions and impulses.
One important evil being is called Sorath who is also known as the Antichrist, Sun-Demon or Two-horned Beast. Sorath is directly opposed to the Christ principle. Humans cannot be the adversary of Christ, they can only let the opportunity slip away.
Christ made his appearance in the etheric body of the world between 1930 and 1940. Christ is a being that allows the individuals to lift themselves into the spiritual world so that we are not lost to materialism. Christ has performed many sacrifices for humans enabling us to become more selfless. For example he has worked on our sense organs to make them selfless and concerned with the whole. (See Four Sacrifices of Christ lecture)
Christ brought humanity karma and allowed us to fix the errors we commit. If one chooses to have Christ work within them, this power redeems himself and the Luciferic beings. (See: The Deed of Christ and the Opposing Spiritual Powers)
I believe that all 4 beings can be redeemed when we allow the Christ to work within us.
Sorath is generally not concerned with the earthly realm. He only becomes interested in earth when it becomes possible for him to gain rulership. This occurs in specific conditions, namely when Christ descends to Earth. He wants to lead people into evil and to sink into the abyss. He is the tempter to Black Magic, which is the misuse of spiritual forces for purely egotistical purposes.
Steiner did not live on earth to experience the second appearance of Christ, however other Anthroposophical writers believe that Sorath made his appearance during World War II.
According to Peter Tradowsky who wrote Christ and Antichrist, Hitler was possessed by Sorath. Sorath wants to make himself God and he typically does so by pretending to be the Christ. Tradowsky has done some historical research on Hitler and here are some interesting findings:
Hitler was quoted to say “The work begun by Christ, I will bring to a conclusion.”
During a 1932 election campaign, he used an airplane and flew over Germany creating a Messianic image.
During WWI one of Hitler’s generals did not think he would make a good leader and he seemed quite aloof. Hitler did end up becoming a charismatic leader and had the power to eliminate or paralyze the thinking capacity of others through his eyes. Sorath makes use of both Ahriman and Lucifer. An example of this can be seen in Hitler’s style of speech, which is a mixture of fanaticism and reasonableness.
Other major world events that occurred in the 1930s include The Great Depression from 1929 to 1933. The Great Purge in Russia that involved Joseph Stalin was from 1929 to 1939. World War II was from 1939 to 1945. It is possible that all 4 beings worked together and created conditions that would make it difficult for people to experience the Second Coming of Christ. I believe that attacking humans economically first would make it easier for humans to be influenced politically.
In Apocalypse of St. John, Steiner informs the reader about the War of All against All. We are currently in 5th epoch, in the 5th cultural epoch. This war is set to occur in the 7th cultural epoch, which will occur in approximately 4000 years. The ego has a dual nature. It gives man independence and freedom and also self-centeredness. The ego needs to be independent and free so that out of its own inner volition, it chooses to offer love to God and others. If the ego does not discover love, it hardens within itself and enters the abyss. Because we have been given I-consciousness, we can rise to the highest of ideals or sink to the lowest. This war will involve those who have taken the Christ impulse, the impulse of love against those who have chosen not to, the Sorath impulse. The foundation of this war is the increase of egoism, of the desire to only serve oneself. It will become evident that humanity has split itself into 2 races, the evil and the good. Those who do not take up this impulse will be rescued after this War by the good stream.
This type of war will repeat itself throughout our earthly evolution.
When I mention this concept of evil beings to people, many people believe that in saying there is a devil or evil being is an excuse for immoral behaviour. In my research into these 4 adversarial beings, I never got the impression that they were responsible for the errors and evils humans commit. I think humans are responsible for how they relate to these beings. We are all influenced in ways we may not realize and I believe if we allow these beings to influence us in a negative way, it is our fault. These adversarial forces were introduced by the good cosmic stream so that we can choose between good and evil and act in freedom.
I have no direct experience of these 4 beings, Lucifer, Ahriman, Asuras and Sorath. I still struggle with trying to see how they work in our world. I would like to have a direct experience, as merely understanding them theoretically is not enough. I think the concept of adversarial forces working in the world is challenging for people of today to understand.
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