REFLECTIONS ABOUT CONSCIOUSNESS

In everyday use of language in anthroposophical circles, the terms "Ahrimanic" and "Luciferic" are
often used with a negative meaning. Something one should stay away from.

This is reminiscent of centuries of warnings from the church to stay on the right path and not be
seduced by the devil.

Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) himself only gave a brief explanation of his Statue, because it would
speak from itself as an art form to people who grew up in the traditions of Christian culture. (Fant,
Klingborg and Wilkes, 1969).

It is not difficult to recognize something of the old devils and hell in it and a striding warrior reminds
of images of the archangel Michael, slaying the dragon. However, it represents the figure of Christ
and does not engage in any fight against evil, in the form of Ahriman and Lucifer. Due to the inner
strength of the central figure, these two aspects would disappear and dissolve by themselves.

About consciousness, Steiner says: Ahriman is our day consciousness, in which we find ourselves in
external reality and wear out, harden and grow old during our lives. Lucifer is the night consciousness
in sleep, in which our life forces restore us and we rejuvenate instead of aging. In this polarity of our
consciousness between waking and sleeping, nothing in itself is demonic. And yet here is the seed of
events that can be recognized in magnified form on the world stage as an "evil."

Some events highlighted: after the Second World War, humanity was stunned when it became fully
clear what had taken place. The churches ran empty, faith in a good God was given up. How could
such excesses happen?

After a first world war, there was an exhausted population hearing the promises of a leader about
attaining material prosperity, so they supported this second war. There must be a collective support
for such leaders to be able to come to power, or perhaps rather a collective deficit?

A spiritual teacher once asked: why did a Hitler come forth in this era and not a Buddha?

Another event recently making headlines: There is also a certain weakness in people seeking
substitute spirituality in eastern wisdom, now that the christian church no longer appeals to them.
People are aware of the fact that something must be done by themselves and look for leaders. They
do immediately rise to fill the void of the christian religion falling away and resemble representatives
of the Buddhist tradition. Large groups of people (including celebrities, movie stars, prominent
people) were disappointed when it turned out that these leaders were guilty of misconduct towards
their students: Decades of sexual abuse and violence turned out to be a fact. Of course accompanied
by large flows of money to all kinds of projects. A well-known phenomenon that often takes place in
various sects and religions. And again: How is it possible that people can be so brainwashed by ideas
or fascinated by false teachers?
Another statement from a teacher: "How is it possible? It IS possible, it has already happened" (and
everyone slept, one can silently think).

With the rise of a Hitler and with the wrong spiritual leaders there have of course always been
people, who were vigilant enough from the start, recognizing what was being offered, but many were
not. It is painfully clear to other Buddhists than to those who fell prey to false teachers, there must
be a personality deficit, a weakness one hopes to supplement with the power of the teacher. People
need something so much, that their own judgment can be set aside. One's own common sense, a
feeling and intuition that something is wrong, is overwhelmed by a longing from within. For one
trend and the other one can find many examples on the world stage. One can react in an astonished
and bewildered way to recent wars, terrorist hatred and destruction. As well to all kinds of
addictions, such as to drugs and medicines. One tendency leads to the world around us through
ideas, ideologies. (realm of thinking).The other takes us away from ourselves through an unfulfilled
longing of the soul. (realm of feeling)

The answer lies in the central figure, which is strong enough in itself to not let itself be taken away
from his own center by these two tendencies. Whoever develops sufficient strength within himself
will not be carried away by all kinds of temptations and promises. (realm of will).

The ancient Buddhist teaching about our connection to the six realms of existence is interesting in
this regard. The first two realms of existence are hell and the realm of the hungry ghosts. Our
connection with these realms is through hate and anger with hell and through insatiable desire
(which cannot be detached) with the hungry ghosts. The antidote in ourselves to these so-called
"negative emotions" is the conscious development of love toward hatred and generosity toward
attachment.

In a milder form it is not only hatred and anger but also aversion, antipathy. And on the other hand
desire, attachment, not being able to let go and sympathy. Cultivating the opposite in ourselves is a
form of self-observation, self-education, in order to be immediately alert to any movement of the
soul that unconsciously takes us away from the center of our self and to set a counter-action in our
own emotional world. It seems simple, but this inner vigilance on emotional responses is a path of
meditation that ultimately leads to the realization of mastery over consciousness. This also applies to
the preparatory exercises of cultivating virtues. Without this activity of inner transformations, no
further healthy spiritual development is possible. It is the basis, which is always maintained, because
it becomes a second nature and at the same time a way to return to our original nature. The
transformation is not brought about by actively fighting something wrong, but by being vigilant,
retaining balance, not being dragged along. This creates space in the mind.

In Buddhism there are another four realms of existence and "negative tendencies" within ourselves
that can be transformed to cultivate a strong inner core. It is explicitly not about negative or positive
in itself.