D00.005 - Mystery of evil
temporary draft page to be developed further
The mystery of evil is quite complex and one of the more or most intriguing and difficult mysteries to try and grasp with our limited contemporary waking consciousness.
When one tries to put together the image from the puzzle pieces offered by Rudolf Steiner, a number of 'loose ends' present themselves.
This page lists some of these for further coverage and discussion. Just listing them has the danger that people who have not studied the subject area may feel going down a rabbit hole, but that is the difference between being mentally focused 'into' a certain subject matter, or stand outside this context and insight. So this is a disclaimer that this page contains more advanced topics that require a level of mastery of the subject matter.
Nevertheless they are worth putting in juxtaposition here, next to one another, as a basis for structured discussion.
Introduction
It is interesting to study that the divine decision to allow evil and this 'war in heaven' conflict took place at a higher level between hierarchies, and so it must, and did, ripple down the hierarchies, causing conflicts at all levels.
As we, humanity, are quite a bit 'below' these higher hierarchies, it only 'hits' us here on Earth (also see: the battle for the human soul), but the indirect consequences must be (or are) everywhere.
Rudolf Steiner does describe this (see Note with examples below), but not so very direct or explicitly.
More specifically:
- he does not describe every level of the hierarchy explicitly, and also
- ahrimanic and especially soratic are (much) less covered/described then the luciferic influence, or not even at all in this general context. With this is meant that luciferic backward beings are described in their origin and nature in great detail in many places, whereas that is certainly not the case in the same way for the soratic beings.
[Basis]
First we need to initialize a reference frame or mind map for positioning and raising the questions below.
A central statement can be to look for an in-depth understanding of: The 'impulse to oppose' came at the level of the Spirits of Motion (SoM).
- To see what is meant with 'cascading down', contemplate the hierarchies in the complete picture such as for example Schema FMC00.413.
- To see the relevance, see the quote of 1909-04-18-GA110 on Schema FMC00.427A on the topic page Evil (and the whole lecture for context).
- Read the above quote also whilst taking Schema FMC00.077A alongside.
Now you have a contextual frame or 'construction site' to organize your thoughts with regards to the arising of evil as per the simple drawing Schema FMC00.427. It is required to appreciate the true complexity of the matter at hand, and why questions can and will arise.
Note - examples:
The following examples show luciferic and ahrimanic forces underlying 'maya' or the cosmic fractal as we perceive it with contemporary waking consciousness.
[a] - the starry cosmos and heavenly bodies giving light as the luciferic principle
[b] - the physical bodies of the planets (1912-04-08-GA136, see Schema FMC00.271A on The two etheric streams)
[c] - atoms are 'bubbles' where the empty space is supposed to be, what exists within the atom bubbles is ahrimanic substance. (1917-08-07-GA176, see The nature of atoms#1 - Bubbles in the ether)
In this sense we find statements such as (see The nature of atoms)
There is no matter; there is only evil. .. all matter is the product of hate. Everything that can be the object of external investigation somehow has in itself the element of the Luciferic and of the Ahrimanic
Point [1] - stardust only?
The eighth sphere is taken op by the 'wheel of planes' and the first logos, that recycles it as 'stardust' for the next solar system evolution and cosmic breath of Brahma. See: Eighth sphere#1904-11-10-GA089
However if one tries to imagine how that would work after this current evolution, it triggers some questions.
To see what is meant, consider Schema FMC00.400 on Cosmic breath of Brahma. The effects of evil in humanity arise on Earth and will have a major impact in the second half of the solar system evolution. This means we can regard it as part of the purple breath in the lower right of that Schema. Indeed the eighth sphere will be 'inhaled' by the first logos in the maha-pralaya (grey vertical, not shown) and then 'exhaled' again as cosmic dust.
PS: maybe related note - a reader wrote regarding evil (2022-04)
the story that in our world there are evil forces buzzing through the cosmos, originating from the time before Old Saturn, when there was a great conflict in heaven. It's sometimes called "splinters of another, older cosmos".
Point [2] - refusal of the sacrifice of the Thrones by certain Cherubim who prefer freedom and eternity
A second (maybe related) question arises in Rudolf Steiner's exposition of the underlying sources of freedom and evil in the evolution of the current solar system. With reference to Schema FMC00.427A on the topic page Evil.
The refusal of the sacrifice of the Thrones by certain Cherubim who prefer freedom and eternity (1911-11-14-GA132).
How can that be? What was it triggered by?
.. as in other places RS says the hierarchies and even the first hierarchy can only execute divine command and not deviate from it (1909-04-18-GA110)
Point [3] - two groups of angels resulting from separation between archangelic rulers
There's a similar thing 'in the air' in 1924-08-08-GA237, where RS explains contemporary karma confusion due to two groups of angels, as a result of a conflict or separation between the archangelic rulers and the polarization Oriphiel and others vs Michael.
Quote, just as a pointer to the section meant:
Now you will say: How is it possible that it suddenly occurs to a number of Michael Angels to leave the kingdom of Michael? It does not occur to the others to leave.
This, my dear friends, I must admit, is one of the most difficult questions that can possibly be raised in connection with the modern evolution of mankind. It is a question such that as we enter into it all the inner forces of the human being are called into play. It is a question deeply and intimately connected with the whole life of Man. For you see, at the foundation of it there lies a cosmic fact. ...
And at the appearance of a sufficiently large number of Sun-spots, the other planetary intelligences recognised that they would now no longer be ruled by the Sun. They resolved no longer to allow the earth to be dependent on the Sun, but to make it dependent henceforth on the entire cosmos directly. This took place through the planetary counsels of the archangels. Notably under the leadership of Oriphiel, this emancipation of the planetary intelligences from the Sun-intelligence took place. It was a complete separation of cosmic powers that had hitherto belonged together. The Sun-Intelligence of Michael and the planetary intelligences gradually came into cosmic opposition one with another.
See also potential link with what is discussed here: Comets#1924-09-15-GA346 (the higher adverse powers causing confusion or breaking down the regular structure in the cosmos, as exemplified with the regular orbits of the planets as linked to the archangelic powers).
Point [4] - Asuras
One can sometimes read that the asuras and Sorat were of the level of archai, originating already on Old Saturn.
Now either:
- a) they were normal in evolution on Old Saturn and deviated in the later stages as an effect of the 'ripple down' effect through the hierarchies, or
- b) they already had their lagging nature on Old Saturn.
For b) the question is how that could be possible? So is it a) as the more logical, or is nevertheless still b) and if so how was that possible?
Point [5] - the 19th century fall of the spirits of darkness
In the 1917-10-GA177 lectures, Rudolf Steiner describes the 'reversal' of effects of opposing spiritual beings as a result of another 'war in heaven'. This is described as ahrimanic spirits being thrown down to Earth, and the period of 1840 - 1879 - 1914 is described.
Rudolf Steiner juxtaposes the workings of spirits of light and darkness before and after the 15th century and as a result of this war.
However: for this occasion (in 1917-10-26-GA177) he explicitly lets go of hierarchies and 'typology' of adverse spirits, which he uses consistently on all other occasions.
see War in heaven#1917-10-26-GA177
One always has the feeling one ought to base oneself on defined concepts: what is Ahriman, what is Lucifer, what are the particular spirits in one hierarchy or another? Those are the questions we ask, and we believe that having got the definitions we have also understood something about the way these entities work. ...
Perception will be poor if we base ourselves on abstract definitions.
Yes, it is possible to define the term ‘spirits of darkness’, but this will not get us far. Spirits of darkness were cast down from heaven to earth in 1879. This may give a general idea of the spirits of darkness, but it does not get us far in understanding the real issue.
...
You can see that definition is impossible.
If you define the spirits of darkness on the basis of the function they had in the past, you get exactly the opposite of their function in more recent times, that is from the last third of the nineteenth century.
