Dear Magdalena,
Thank you for your very thoughtful response. I was hoping to get ideas from someone in Germany and you give us all a lot to consider. I insert my own comments in the form: [TOM: ............]
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>Date: Wed, 10 Dec 97 04:32:00 -0100
>Reply-To: magdalena.
>Subject: Shadow
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>Tom,
>I find it difficult to answer because i dont really see >what you intend to do, so this will be sketchy and >groping, ill just talk about points, and not the project. >
>-If, as you say, you don't believe that anthroposophy is the >cause of nazism, i think 'double' is a misnomer and >likely to mislead. People create their doubles.
[TOM: Actually the double we create is the Luciferic one, at the angelic level---concerned with the individual. The Double I am talking about is Ahrimanic--- at the Archangelic level--- concerned with the folk-soul. It is the German folk-soul that had to incubate and give birth to anthroposophy. That birth was met with the counter-attack of the Ahrimanic through the very same folk-soul. You as an individual German are not responsible for Nazism, but your folk-soul is responsible for bringing BOTH anthroposophy AND Nazism. One is not the cause of the other; rather, they both emanate from a common higher spiritual reality.
In addition, since Michael was promoted to the level of "Zetitgeist: (Time-Spirit" in 1879, then we must reckon with the next level of attack, which is the Asuric and that involves the whole world. With Christ returning in the etheric in 1933, and Michael being the "Antlitz" (countenance) of Christ, then we can see Hitler's rise to power in 1933 as also supported by an Asuric impulse which attacks the Christ impulse on a world-wide "zeitgeistliche" level. As we approach the year 1998 (= 666 x 3), we must reckon with the level of evil that even transcends the folk-soul level because that is where the attack on Christ through the Time-Spirit Michael takes place.]
>The actual >relationship is a different one (have you read Lindenberg, >Technik des Boesen?, he argues that there was a spiritual >vacuum that let evil in). Anthroposophy was already there, >answering spiritual needs that were there, but there were >not enough of people to make a difference.
[TOM: Again, we must differentiate evil at 3 hierarchical levels: (1) the personal (Angel); (2) the ethnic/racial/tribal (Archangel); (3) the times in which we live as citizens of the whole earth and the whole cosmos (Archai). ]
>I wont argue with what you say Stegman said, but know >from other sources that, yes, there were anthroposophists >who felt, at least in the beginning, that Hitler was the >man to realize the importance of Germany that Steiner >had spoken about (which means they remebered only the nice >things and disregarded the warnings in what Steiner had >said, but then they did not have all of the GA available). >Their judgement failed pretty horribly, but, from my >personal statistics, the majority had better judgement and >was against from the beginning.
[TOM: Carl Stegman's point, which he made clear to me many times, was that if people that close to Steiner could be fooled by Hitler, think of how much greater we will be fooled today by Ahriman incarnate, especially as global events unfold and are communicated so quickly through this wonderful Ahrimanic medium of the Internet! I'm beginning to see this electronic medium as a kind of "John the Baptist" figure for Ahriman--- telling us to "repent!" (change our thinking) and "make straight the paths of the Lord Ahriman!"]
>-There is a study underway by U(li?) Wegener, who is working >at the archive in Dornach, i think it would be a good idea >to wait till it is finished, a study of anthroposophists >and nazism. According to the talks he gives, leading >anthroposophists were not involved.
[TOM: All well and good, but why the hell am I just hearing about this work for the first time from you??? Why hasn't this work been published a long time ago? The time of waiting is over!!!! Can you give me an address where I may contact this scholar? I will be nice to him, since he is just the "messenger," but this is really getting my Irish up, Magdalena, and I intend to raise bloody hell about this in Dornach and beyond. Mark my words on this screen!!!!!]
>-there was an attempt to save the schools and biodynamic >farming, the gate was Rudolf Hess, who i have never heard >of as an anthroposophist. However, he was interested in new >methods of farming, hence biodynamic, hence the Dresden >school tried to use that connection, but failed, they closed >in 41 despite their efforts, anthroposophy was denounced as >cosmopolitan and spiritual.
[TOM: Is that really true, Magdalena, or is it wishful thinking on your part? You sound rather defensive to me about the whole issue. You seem to be stretching very much to minimize the possible reality that the link is more intimate than we'd all like to wish.]
>So 'the people who are linked intimately with anthroposophy >and the top of the Nazi hierarchy' amount to two + one, as >far as i know. All the same, there was finessing and >politicking, that is part of the double that we created for >ourselves.
[TOM: Yes, and you are doing a lot of finessing here yourself. If you read those 2 "Ecofascism" articles by Biehl and Staudenmeier, can you tell me if their claims about Hess being an anthroposophist are 100% true; 50% true, or else complete fabrications? Truth is not some ON-OFF switch (well, correct that, INTELLECTUAL truth is ON-OFF); there are degrees of truth that need to be made clear in this historical context. And degrees of truth are what are brought to balance in the HEART, not in the head! So I am asking you to do some "heart-thinking" here, not "head-thinking!"]
>-i dont think i understand what you mean by approaching >the problem from the outside in, but i suggest to check the >facts carefully, because already in the part you quote >there are things that i know are half or not at all true.
[TOM: How do you know they are true or half-true? But even further, is it necessary for any of us to know the truth? And if the answer is yes, then how can we ever know? Steiner pictured Pontius Pilate as the archetypal figure of the 4th epoch--- where Truth educates the Intellectual Soul (Verstandseele). He pointed to Pilate's question to Christ: "What is Truth?" Pilate also washed his hands of responsibility for Christ's destiny. That is a consequence of the search for intellectual truth alone. We are to transcend that in the 5th epoch where "devotion" (Frommheit? I don't know the exact German here) educates the Consciousness Soul (Bewusstseinsseele). The figure for us is Parzifal, who is not only naive but also unable to come to any decision about truth. However, that "Parzifal indecision" is the prerequisite for developing HEART-THINKING!!!!! So let's get on with that development, shall we??!!]
>-Haverbeck was connected at one time in some way, but >clearly has his own agenda. If he ever was a CC priest, he >is not anymore, because of misquoting Steiner to cook his >own soup. I know there was a 'distancing act', but don't >remember what it was.
[TOM: It would be nice to know some more facts about Haverbeck because if we don't provide what we know, then the Duganites are going to provide their one-sided version. I can hear him right now: "Was Haverbeck a CC priest or wasn't he?"]
>-blood and soil. bio-dynamic is not purifying the soil but >healing it, and its not about 'organic relationship between >cultivator and soil'. And blood ceased to be important >ca. 2000 years ago.
[TOM: Jawohl, mein Schaetzerlein, das stimmt! You know that and I know that and everyone else receiving this post knows it, but the point is that we must recognize that the dark side uses the exact same knowledge that we have. It's all in the inner motivation; not in the outer body of knowledge!]
>-European whites are not at the summit of humanity
[TOM: Here is the key to the whole "racist argument" against anthroposophy: According to Steiner, the white race is the Jupiter race. The dark side takes that knowledge and calls it "racial superiority." But we take that same knowledge and realize that "superiority" means sacrifice of that well-developed ego. And that requires the centrality of the Christ event of Golgotha. Thus, without a sense of the sacrifices of Christ, the "racist arguments" against us are completely valid. There is no defense against them at all-- with ordinary materialistic thinking.]
>So. frankly, what is your agenda?
[TOM: That's for me to know and you to find out! [;=) ]
>Its like answering the >famous question 'did you stop beating your wife'.
[TOM: ---only when she decided to see things my way. [;=) ]
>Do you believe anthroposophy is a racist spiritual theory?
[TOM: As anthroposophists, we are exhorted by Steiner neither to believe nor disbelieve anything.(Equanimity, anyone?) That is the eclipsing of Pontius Pilate by Parzifal as I described above, when heart-thinking eclipses head-thinking. Equanimity of soul is the fulfillment of the Manichaean cosmogony, which has finally come of age for all of us today.
(Gott sei dank! Und auch der Teufel!)----- (I said: "Thank God--- and the Devil, too!)]
>If so, you must have lousy judgement, for I still assume you >read Steiner yourself, rather than picking quotes from third >sources. If you don't believe it, why quote these things? >Do we really have to wallow in the dirt that is thrown at >us?
[TOM: Yes. If we are to follow Novalis' rallying cry: "Transform the Earth," then we damn well better use the compost that is given us by our enemies. Or do you have another substance in mind that we are supposed to transform?]
>I think what Dan Dugan et al are looking at is not our >double but something they created for themselves.
[TOM: This is classic Intellectual Soul "Pontius Pilate hand-washing." Are you actually saying that you and I and every anthroposophist today have absolutely no responsibility for what the Duganites are sending our way? I'd say: look in the bathroom mirror at yourself, Magdalena, instead of looking at your very clean hands in the sink, which are getting very wrinkled by now!]
>That they could create it has to do with their doubles and >our doubles, and i mean plural.
{TOM: Whoops, sorry, Magdalena, I see you've turned off the sink water and are actually drying your hands. Well, that's wonderful. I'm sorry I prejudged you above!]
>From the way they quote, >it seems clear to me that they are not interested in facts >but in fostering their egos with sensationalist discoveries, >sometimes the counterexample is on the next page, it sure >isn't that they can't read, it seems they don't want to.
[TOM: However, don't we all do the same thing ourselves? And what are facts, anyway? What value do facts have, except for Ahriman? I'm serious! Frankly, most Anthroposophists I know aren't interested in facts. Maybe that's why Dan Dugan launches so many facts at us!!!!]
>Don't try to out-Lucifer Lucifer.
[TOM: Although I must admit, that getting the facts straight is a good way to "out-Lucifer Lucifer." Putting it another way, it is to "Ahrimanize" Lucifer.]
> Sobriety is needed.
[TOM: That's your folk-soul talking. So many of you Germans are far too "sober" for my taste--- and that sobriety has nothing to do with alcohol consumption. I love beer as much as the next Deutscher. Actually, I think the qaulity you Germans have too much of is being much too "ernst." (too "dead-serious" about things, nicht wahr?)
>yes, i have met and argued with racist, germanist, >anti-american, anti-french, antisemitic, etc. >anthroposophists using anthroposophy as in my brains, WE, >and Steiner quotes. They are some of our doubles. But >how could i have argued if those adjectives applied to >anthroposophy and not to, some and fortunately getting >fewer, anthroposophists?
[TOM: Good point! Can you provide us with more factual details so we can get on with the task of Ahrimanizing Lucifer?]
>Physics is Irish, opinionated, a pain in my sober or rather >trying-to-stay-sober behind, and dances well with Catherine.
[TOM: You've obviously not heard the news, but Catherine has totally rejected me as her dance partner and cast me into the outer Internet darkness. She has even Ahrimanically blocked her private e-mail address from receiving any e-mail from me at all! I don't blame her; (I'm actually secretly proud of her); but, not to worry, my revenge shall be sweet, even if it will take until our next incarnation together to finish the job. She hasn't heard the last from me! [:={[]}
>This is from the top of my head, will check sources and >detail if necessary.
>--- Magdalena