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