Saturday, June 27, 2020

Fall of the Spirits of Darkness

https://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA177/English/RSP1993/FalDar_index.html


By Rudolf Steiner

Translated by Anna R. Meuss
Bn/GA 177

In these 14 lectures, given at the end of 1917 following four years of war in Europe, Steiner speaks on the complex spiritual forces behind the Great War, humanity's attempts to build theoretically perfect social orders, and the many divisions and disruptions that would continue to occur on earth in our time. Humanity in general was asleep to the fact that fallen spirits, cast out of the spiritual worlds, had become intensely active on earth. This manifested particularly in people's thinking and in their perception of the world about them. But the defeat and fall of these spirits also ensured that a science of the spirit would always be available to humanity.

These lectures given at Dornach, Switzerland in September and October of 1917, are from the lecture series entitled: The Spiritual Background of the External World ... In the Complete Edition of the works of Rudolf Steiner the original German text is published with the title: Die Spirituellen Hintergruende der Aeusseren Welt. Der Sturz der Geister der Finsternis. Geistige Wesen und ihre Wirkungen. (No. 177 in the Bibliographic Survey, 1961).

The original translation was from shorthand reports unrevised by the lecturer. Translates by Anna R. Meuss, with cover artwork by Olivia Olsen. Published here with the kind permission of the Rudolf Steiner Nachlassverwaltung, Dornach, Switzerland.



CONTENTS

 Cover Sheet  

Contents

Description of Contents

Introduction
 
Lecture 1: THE DRIVING FORCES BEHIND EUROPE'S WAR September 29, 1917

True insight into the underlying causes of the Great War show that they are spiritual in origin — this must be understood and acted upon or the chaos would continue.

Lecture 2: HUMANITY'S STRUGGLE FOR MORALITY September 30, 1917

Humanity labours under illusions based in the past — true insight requires a morality which is difficult to achieve but which must become part of human life.

Lecture 3: THE QUEST FOR A PERFECT SOCIAL ORDER October 01, 1917

Efforts to create a perfect society based on non-spiritual impulses cannot succeed — yet a true spiritual-scientific viewpoint will not find easy acceptance.

Lecture 4: THE ELEMENTAL SPIRITS OF BIRTH AND DEATH October 06, 1917

Humanity must accept that destructive spiritual beings — who previously held a rightful place — have entered into everyday life, bringing disruption and division.

Lecture 5: CHANGES IN HUMANITY'S SPIRITUAL MAKE-UP October 07, 1917

The evolution of humanity means a gradual inner separation of the spiritual and physical, something that must be comprehended clearly and incisively.

Lecture 6: THE NEW SPIRITUALITY October 08, 1917

Fruitful political ideas will arise if the previously separated realms of human thought and true spiritual impulses are bridged.

Lecture 7: WORKING FROM SPIRITUAL REALITY October 12, 1917

Thinking, and subsequent action, must be based on actual even-day reality and not on abstract intellectual theory.

Lecture 8: ABSTRACTION AND REALITY October 13, 1917

Concepts based on reality hold within them the active inner life which is also present in everyday outer life.

Lecture 9: THE BATTLE BETWEEN MICHAEL AND ‘THE DRAGON’ October 14, 1917

Ahrimanic beings — defeated by the Michaelic hosts — now influence human beings, especially through materialistic thinking.

Lecture 10: THE INFLUENCE OF THE BACKWARD ANGELS October 20, 1917

The backward angels make themselves at home in human heads but can find no place in heads filled with true spiritual wisdom.

Lecture 11: RECOGNIZING THE INNER HUMAN BEING October 21, 1917

People's inner soul life and their connection with the Cosmos must be taken into consideration by future scientists, educators and others.

Lecture 12: THE SPIRITS OF LIGHT AND THE SPIRITS OF DARKNESS October 26, 1917

Until 1879 the Spirits of Light promoted hereditary blood bonds and the Spirits of Darkness the urge for independence — then this was reversed.

Lecture 13: THE FALLEN SPIRITS' INFLUENCE IN THE WORLD October 27, 1917

The fallen spirits now work on earth, but their defeat in ‘the heavens’ meant a science of the spirit became available to humanity.

Lecture 14: INTO THE FUTURE October 28, 1917

If humanity becomes fully conscious of spiritual realities — especially the influence of the Spirits of Darkness — then right attitudes and activities will manifest.
 

Notes

Back Cover




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