The Spirituality of the Future
People today, rightfully so, have problems with spirituality and religion. But is the spiritual totally fake, or are there other problems?
Introduction
In the present and future; people, rightfully so, have problems with spirituality and religion. But is the spirit totally fake? Or is the actual problem with the way it is presented and the way people engage with it? In the present and future, if people are to engage with spirituality and or religion, it is widely recognized externally and internally that the old ways of harsh religion based in shame and fear and control are not appropriate. People no longer want to have anything to do with it. People don't want to be controlled, they don't want to be ashamed of who they are, and they don't want to be scared into submission by others. In order to solve this problem, this leads us back to the question; does the spirit exist or does it not?
Many people, myself included, feel as if it does. But this feeling is not necessarily just hopefulness or some kind of coping mechanism relating to the fear of death. We can tell when something is devoid of life. We've all been in situations where something is expected of us, or we are subject to a system in which it's obvious the person creating the system has paid no thought whatsoever to people and to life. On the whole, we know when something is rich in meaning and we know when something resonates with us. There are times, certainly, where things which could be interpreted as spiritual are in fact from the mind or from the emotions. But there are times where this is not the case. There are times when we know, there are times when we don’t, and i think, in these times, above all else, the spirit is at play. This is something we will get into later.
But in order to engage with spirituality, engage with the spirit, people rightfully so have concerns and problems and things that they would like to see changed. It has to hit a few criteria. It needs to be non-dogmatic because people are sick of being told what to do and what to think. If the spirit is real, then it can be found by anyone, and those individuals who find it will have similar experiences. While those experiences are not always the exact same for everyone, we also live in the real world. So these things, as a result of the nature of things, have a somewhat scientific element. Spirituality cannot refute, ignore, or pretend to replace science. But science is a method; spirituality and science are not mutually exclusive. If someone can develop themselves in a certain way and come to perceive spiritual worlds as an example, then it may be possible that by doing these things that actually, other people can do this. And other people can perceive the same spiritual worlds and through a different (not bad or worse, but different), way of science, Spiritual Science even.
The results of that spiritual scientific are repeatable, meaning that belief or dogmatism or requirements to think or do certain things, are not needed and even can be a hinderance. Because this spiritual research is done out of, this spiritual research is done, and spiritual practice in general, in this new way, is done out of freedom, because the person doing it wants to do it. They do not have any external requirements in terms of belief or practice that they must stick to.
Now, with this whole spirituality thing being quite a big topic, we will first go over modern society, advertising, and modern society and advertising in relation to this new spirituality. After that, we will go over some more specific spiritual elements, and one of the most important parts, why is freedom so important.
Marketing & the Mind
I think that most people don’t realise just how much words can hold sway over our internal decision-making. We invent our first impressions within the first seven seconds of seeing something, based off of our prior experience (which can be swayed too). This means, that basically, we make our judgement on if we “like” something or don’t “like” something just after we first see it.
Something that looks good, that can pay a good marketing team, can obviously manipulate this, and make you like something. It won’t work all the time, but it’ll work enough of the time to the degree that it doesn’t really matter about the skeptics and the people who think they can see through it because they're making enough money off the people who believe anyway. Most people won’t even notice they’re being swayed.
This marketing thing moves with the times, otherwise it doesn’t work. Now, we’ve got the archetype of “chaotic social media admin” that is really hard to spot as manipulative advertising, which it always is. If it's effective marketing, then it works, and it doesn't present itself as marketing.
This is on the whole, what brands can bank on. Because they don’t need to stick to the truth, they don’t need (or want) to contribute to the development of individuals or communities, and they don’t need to do anything other than get you to buy, today or tomorrow.
People often forget that the creation of the concept of "PR" was literally the modern professional rebranding of propaganda (look it up!). And people don't realise just how many studies have been done on bizarre little details of online and physical shops that show when you change this or that, people buy more. And when we add all these things together, and lots of other stuff i haven't touched on so this doesn't turn into an articleon marketing, we are living in a world today which is potentially as optimized for the unfreedom of literally everyone as possible.
And more and more, we're getting used to living a life outside of our control. One that is shifting, to almost entirely rely on external norms and external stimuli, existing in a haze, to work, buy, eat, drink, and die. To the economy, that’s the only thing anybody really does, and the living and the consciousness does not change your numbers, but by making life only about these things, that increases your numbers, and, most importantly, increases theirs.
But this is a gigantic problem for more reasons than one. Sure, external norms have their place, but we have an inner life, we have an individuality, we have preferences, we have internal principles that are being (or have been) squashed by a world that cares more about expectations than us. As a pretty general rule, external norms should be shaped by us, actively, as an emanation of the individuality. They should not change us, or restrict us, and right now, even if you might not realise it, they do.
How, then, could a movement that values freedom and doesn’t want to constrict or unduly sway the individuality, exist in a world like the one we have today? The answer is simple; with difficulty.
Anthroposophy, a word that means “human wisdom” has been used to describe a kind of spiritual science; a way of knowing, firmly grounded in freedom, balance, and practical insight. But as a word, it fails the first-impression test. It’s long, strange, and really easy to dismiss. It sounds maybe like a disease or an obscure cult. We'll go further into what it actually is later.
But, don’t just go with your first impressions. Research it, think about it, find out what it is and make a decision based on what it actually is, and not just because it sounds or looks good or bad.
And spiritual science might seem like a contradiction, but we’ll get to that. Not everything is black or white, things are much more difficult than they might seem, even if they are actually quite simple. It’s always easy to say that something is simple with hindsight, but it’s also hard to know if we have or don’t have hindsight at basically any given time.
This isn’t about dogma, or microscopes, or abstract belief. It’s about using the best tools we have; self-awareness, thinking, emotions, concrete experiences, to understand what it means to be human.
Importantly, it doesn’t require the pushing aside of ourselves for what is outside ourselves, but the pushing aside of what is outside of ourselves for ourselves. No matter what that is, even if it means closing this article and not going any further. What is right for you is right for you, and the way everything is today, most of the time, you’re not the unreasonable one.
So, back to this anthroposophy thing, because that's what the rest of this is about. What is it? This question isn't a simple one to answer; today we just love easy, digestable soundbytes that are simple to take in, and simple to explain. But as we are dealing with reality and the world and the universe, things are not so simple. But, at the same time, i do understand that the development of communication and media make has happened, and to some degree i have to play along, so; Anthroposophy, to put it simply, is this:
A path of knowledge, starting with the Spiritual in the Human being, and re-introducing it to the Spiritual in the Universe.
It doesn’t come from arguments or debates. It begins as a need, something felt deep in the inner life. Urgency, but quiet, inside.
This path justifies itself only if it speaks to that need, if it meets it properly. No one is asked to believe. Only those who feel something calling from within, who must ask certain questions about what it means to be human, about the nature of the world, will be drawn to it. For them, these questions aren’t abstract. They’re like hunger or thirst. Anthroposophy is for those who can’t not ask.
And for those, it offers a way to begin. Answering the simple but in-no-way-simple many thousand year old maxim;
“Man, know thyself!”
Not just emotionally, not just scientifically, not just spiritually. All of it. And those insights, when we live with them, become (very) practical.
We’ll get to that as well.
Basically, Anthroposophy, or Spiritual Science is a helpful little thing that can be quite important in self-development (though it’s not the only thing in the world that does this), and insights got from this self-development can be and are used in practical ways, internally and externally, even in businesses, schools, farms and charities. There are also other insights from people who have developed themselves to a high degree, and have given cutting-edge insights on a whole range of different topics, and lots of these are avaliable now, and aren’t that hard to find past one google search.
But, we aren’t looking to just push these things onto people. These ideas are there to be lived with, thought about, considered at every level, not just accepted or rejected, but evaluated for what they are. What you take away from this is the result of what, after consideration, you take away from this. There is no intention of changing anyone in a way that goes against their individuality, like there is basically everywhere else (just look, really!). Anthroposophy doesn’t do dogma.
But this also is a problem. Trying to be honest, trying to make people think, trying to have no undue influence, is not really a recipe for success. And the Anthroposophical movement has been finding this out for quite a long time. By just trying to be as honest as possible, we are dealt a bad hand by default. Just trying to make available spiritual insights and ways of self-development is difficult for us, and for you, understanding or doing it won’t be easy or straightforward at all, and it might not even involve this article. Everyone has different needs, a different individuality, a different life. But we can try.
And that’s what this is. That’s what Anthroposophy is. So give it a try; reading this will either introduce you to something you do or don't like, and either way, the outcome is that you're coming to your own conclusions and making a free decision, and we don't do that a lot nowadays.
Over the course of this article, you’ll (hopefully) come to a better understanding of what Anthroposophy is, what you can do with it, and why it’s so important (especially today).
But what is it?
So what is this anthroposophy thing anyway? Well, at the beginning of the 1900s, a man called Rudolf Steiner, over the course of his life, had spiritual experiences, and started to develop himself spiritually, and eventually with much mockery from his peers at the university because he was a doctor (in philosophy), and with much mockery from the press, began to engage with one of the biggest and most relevant spiritual movements of the time, theosophy, because he, over the course of his life, had developed his spiritual faculties. They eventually invited him into a leadership position.
And this leadership position was only accepted by him on the condition that he would not be censored by them, he would only say what it was that he found out and what he believed. He would not say anything that had been given to him from the leadership to say, and he would not be censored by them.
Then, after years of leading this movement in Germany, where he lived at the time, he moved on and created his own movement after the figureheads of the Theosophical movement decided to say that a boy from India was the second coming of Christ. Steiner took many people with him when he did this, because many people disagreed about the boy (one thing to note, this boy rejected the claim he was christ, but went on to do cool philosophical stuff, he’s called J. Krishnamurti if you want to google him), but many people liked Steiner’s work and ideas as opposed to the Theosophical ideas. This movement was, and is the Anthroposophical movement.
And Anthroposophy is the kind of spirituality this article discusses. It is a growing movement, and given the fact that Anthroposophy has a much bigger potential to be used practically because of its insights and the way the movement is, there are also related movements, like for example Steiner-Waldorf education, (as an important note, does not teach the kids Anthroposophy or to “be anthroposophists” and instead teaches them to basically question things and become a well-rounded human being). It does not overly obsess over academic subjects and test results unhealthily, but it takes things slow, things like craft and therapies are in the curriculum, and people develop their intelligence and their interest in these topics, instead of bored students who have had it shoved down their throats since age four, Waldorf kids leave with a real interest in things like English, Maths, and Science, among other things. And often despite being formally taught these things later, they do better than mainstream students.
There's also biodynamic agriculture, which uses the insights of Anthroposophy to basically grow plants and care for animals. And sometimes eat them. There are many studies on these things. Biodynamic agriculture specifically shows good results.
One other thing to note is that, yes, while he was Austrian and while he did live in Germany at a bad time to live in Germany, he was not a Nazi, nor was he racist, or bigoted at all, he was actually very progressive for his time. And while he was an important public figure in Germany, things got so tense that eventually he had to leave, and he lived in Switzerland until he died because of the potential very real threat from the growing Navi movement in Germany, which believed that Steiner was basically not racist enough in his spirituality. On race and other constructs, he had this to say;
Therefore, in its fundamental nature, the anthroposophical movement… must cast aside the division into races. It must seek to unite people of all races and nations, and to bridge the divisions and differences between various groups of people…
That is why it is absolutely essential to understand that our anthroposophical movement is a spiritual one. It looks to the spirit and overcomes the effects of physical differences through the force of being a spiritual movement. Of course, any movement has its childhood illnesses, so to speak. Consequently, in the beginning of the theosophical movement the earth was divided into seven periods of time, one for each of the seven root races… However, we must get beyond the illnesses of childhood and understand clearly that the concept of race has ceased to have any meaning in our time.
Why now? Why not 1000 years ago?
The reason Anthroposophy arrived now is because, in terms of spirituality, earlier people were using a different operating system. Somebody in the medieval times thought about religion and spirituality in a completely different way that we do now. And now, where people are becoming more individual and hungrier for truth, something like Anthroposophy found its way into the world because people needed it, people wanted it. And that's where we're at today.
I Love The News Media They Never Do Anything Wrong
One important thing I would ask is that there are many accusations towards Anthroposophy by some very outspoken critics (who seemingly have nothing else to do and would flee at the sight of a job application). Obviously, Anthroposophy does not trap people or mentally or physically, and does not meet basically any of the criteria of being a cult unless your definition of a cult is anything which is slightly weird.
It's very likely that you may come across many allegations. And I simply ask that you look at what our response is to these things too and understand the full situation. Obviously, we are not perfect. But the way Anthroposophy is presented in many cases is sometimes unbelievably devoid of context, other times there are things that are made to seem like they're big parts of anthroposophy, but in reality have nothing to do with anthroposophy at all.
There are many misquotes and mistranslations, and there are also LOTS of straight up, actual lies floating around about anthroposophy. So again, I would urge you to do your own research, and research the anthroposophical answer as well.
Balance
Do we live in a balanced world today? That’s not the very un-subtle prompt for the next part of the article (it is), but an actual question; What do you think? Why?
I will guess, though, that your answer to that question is no. Everyone knows that there’s something wrong. When one group of people says something is wrong, they might be right or wrong, it’s not too out of the ordinary. Lots of people have problems with things. But when opposing groups say something is wrong, even if they blame different things, something is almost certainly wrong. And when almost everyone in society thinks that we need big change, again, even if they blame different things, we can say with certainty; something is wrong.
I’m not going to tell you that Anthroposophy is going to fix everything, but i do think that lots of it can help. When we try to do what is good, when we try to be the change, when we work with others, no matter the words they use or the flag they fly, things get better. It takes real courage, but what you put in is what you get; do you put in courage and effort, or do you put in nothing? That is a choice which every individual has to make, in freedom, and it is also a choice which they do make, almost every day of their lives. Something to think about.
This next part of this article is going to cover just a few concepts in anthroposophy, that, when understood very deeply, can be very useful, in improving the world, and in improving ourselves. Firstly; balance.
Balance isn’t just being perfectly in the middle or just comprimising all the time. If you’re lucky, you can do that unconsciously. Balance is not passivity, and it’s definitely not compromise. Balance is consciously holding opposing forces in balance. Ideally, in balance, no one force has its hold on you. It’s dynamic, never staying the same, what works yesterday might be different tomorrow, and, in balance, that can be handled without throwing everything else out of its place.
This is both easier and much harder than it might seem, and we’ll go into more depth about two specific forces later. But spiritual science begins here, by rebuilding a real sense of balance in how we live, how we feel, and how we act. Just being conscious, being responsible, being reasonable, doing what the individuality (you) wants & not outside influences, working towards what is good; these are the things to move towards. Later on, we’ll cover some basic exercises that can help in making a start towards these things.
Meaning
Most people are taught that the world is random. At best, we’re told to “make our own meaning.” though of course this isn’t everyone. Opposing this is the simple fact that when you have an encounter with something that has real, powerful meaning, you know it’s there. And when you see false or empty meaning, it’s obvious that it’s lacking.
The search for meaning is universal, it’s something everyone does. But it can’t be completed with random external stuff, and even though some groups would say otherwise people aren’t desperate for meaning like someone can be desperate for water; it is a very different thing, that presents itself in a different way, and is highly personal, it can only be found by each individual, in a way that makes sense to them, OR until the individuality has consumed so much external stuff that it “formats” it into acceptable meaning (which is actually hollow, empty, and isn’t what it says on the tin, just the tin) for the individuality (TV, social norms, nationalism, the list goes on) until someone can be sufficiently convinced that they have found their meaning.
Today, in my opinion, we are losing meaning. It doesn’t matter anymore! Someone, having just entered the world, is bombarded with other people requiring that they learn, not at their own pace, but at the pace of others, to an end that they didn’t even agree to. With education, work, and entertainment today, unless you really, specifically try, someone cannot search for meaning.
Things that previously were meaningful are being stripped of their meaning, or having their meanings changed to the opposite of what they were before. Which is fine, as long as everyone involved is conscious and consenting of it (which in many cases they are not). That’s just the way, there’s no room for qualitative meaning in a quantitative, external-expectations based society.
And with the removal of meaning, what is there to fill the void? That’s something you can think about yourself. (this entire article is something you need to think about for yourself actually but i should hope that goes without saying)
From my observations, the truth is that everything has meaning. For quite a number of people, the world is random, things that people do are completely devoid of meaning (intended or real), or sometimes even consequence. For them, meaning can be manufactured, it isn’t even real anyway. Another way is possible, however. The Anthroposophical viewpoint is that, yes actually, meaning is a thing, and it’s important, and it goes deeper than you might think.
Meaning isn’t just a story or something we make up to make us feel better. If you look for it, really, rather than rejecting it or walking around like it isn’t there, you can find it. Not from some external thing, not because someone else wants you to, not to fit into some worldview, but meaning, real meaning, out of the individuality, that can really change things, and shed light on things.
The Big Curve
Development and evolution is not a straight line upwards. Even though it might seem like progress is progress and decline is decline, things often have to get worse before they can get better. If you don’t know what the cold feels like, do you know that you are warm?
In general, things develop in a kind of U shape. We start off high, but we are at that high just because we are naturally like that, and we descend because if we didn’t, we wouldn’t be able to develop at all. We wouldn’t be doing anything, and we would never know better.
So, we have to plunge into the depths. It’s not nice, but it’s not a tragedy, or a return to the past. Or a failure. And then, when we are at rock bottom, we can look up, dust ourselves off, and, not overnight, taking however long it takes, begin to go back up. The bottom is also the turning point. Provided action is not taken to make things worse, things will get better.
(not suggesting that everyone is at the bottom of this u-shape, each person is in different places, and also there are different areas and issues that this archetype is applicable to)
Unlike the descent from heights we didn’t really know we were at, the ascent is conscious. One step at a time, getting to where we once were, or higher, but with freedom, individuality, and self-awareness. Our inner evolution is no longer automatic. Each individual has the responsibility for theirs.
This isn’t a process that can be forced. Being like “okay i’m ready to descend so i can reach spiritual heights :)” will never result in anything. You will hit lows, lower than you have ever been before, and they will be real, genuine, penetrating to the core, all-consuming. And it won’t get better. But you will. Your understanding, your way of thinking, your consciousness, you will develop, naturally. But trying to force, or even induce this just results in a big nothingburger. It’s real, and it will catch you off guard, but you’ll look down back at the valley you climbed out of, and realise how far you’ve come.
It’s quite possible you’ve already gone through this, on one or two things.
Now, this is a cool archetype for parts and incidents in life, but the question may arise- why are you really telling me this? Well, this is really applicable to a lot.
First, a human life; a connection to the spiritual at the beginning of life, which is slowly severed (and in today’s world, to a degree, (metaphorically) beaten out), a hitting of rock-bottom, and, if an individual chooses, a re-finding of the spiritual, making a mark on their development in this lifetime and the next.
Your life is in your hands. If it isn’t, you can wrest it from the grip of others. What you do with the people around you- and who they are, is in your hands. What you do in your life, how you treat people, if you change or not, if you do inner exercises or not, all YOU! The way you think, that gap between where you are and where you want to be; you. We are in an age where difficult decisions appear every day. Even mundane ones that seem stupid, actually carry much more weight than most people think. Sometimes, it seems like you can’t do something. Sometimes you can’t.
Secondly, all of humanity; at the dawn of humanity, we had a strong link to the spiritual, a kind of natural and instinctive clairvoyance, that slowly faded and eventually was fully severed. Then there was a turning point (which you’ll learn about if you do any further research on this topic), and now, it’s our time. What do you want to do?
This isn’t the part where i start telling you what to do. This is the part where i take a bow and exit stage right, because, really, it’s your turn. Take hold of the steering wheel of your life! Look around at the car that is your life! Choose the road you want to go down, in freedom! Take a look at yourself in the mirror and realise; you are YOU! Act like it!
And, whatever you choose to do, Anthroposophy is there, if you want.
Destiny?
Karma?
Nowadays, most people associate Karma with reward and punishment; “Do a good thing, something good happens to you”, but if you do something bad, “instant karma”. But is it really that simple? I should hope a through-theme of this article is “it’s not just black and white” because here, that comes into play again.
Karma is not punishment, or reward. It could more accurately be described as cause and effect (though sometimes the effect manifests before the cause, but that’s a different topic). But it is important, very important. Karma shapes things, and you shape it. You arrive into certain conditions, some of which you’ve helped shape. But you’re not here to blindly repeat them, you’re here to respond, however you want.
What you do, what you become, matters. Everything you do (yes, everything, literally everything) has an impact, and sure, can also be shaped from the past.
Some big things in life come from karma, they are all highly personal, but they come about, basically, because of karma. Doesn’t mean that they aren’t real or physically happening, but many things have their roots firmly in karma. Some things also don’t happen because of karma. It’s not straightforward, though, what seems plausible as causes or effects might have roots in unexpected things, or even previous lives. Until you’re doing your own spiritual research (which is easier said than done), you don’t really know.
But, everything that happens is not “your fault”. Karma does not justify injustice, illness, or suffering. What it does do is give us a new viewpoint with which to ask; “What is being asked of me? How do I meet this?”
Karma is, basically the balancing of unresolved threads, debts of love or truth, harm we cause, each intention is something. What is unresolved follows into the next incarnation.
Some karma is individual, through you. Some is relational, between you and others. Some is collective, with a group, nation, even all of humanity. But (and this is one thing many people get wrong on a very practical level) we are never passive recipients of karma, we are participants. Everything we do can reshape karma. The future is in your hands. You’ll know the ending, because you’re writing the story.
You also, sometimes, act as the deliverer of karma for others.
Steiner wrote enough about this to fill a whole bookshelf. If you want to learn more about this, Steiner’s gigantic Karmic Relationships series is a way to start (though maybe not best for beginners).
Reincarnation?
You probably know what reincarnation is. Again, there is nothing you are obligated to believe in anthroposophy, but we’ll cover it anyway;
Karma and self-development goes hand-in-hand with reincarnation. The circumstances you are born in, have been in, and will be in are all influenced by karma, by what you did and didn’t do in the past, even in past lives. Of course you, and others can change things, but anything from your family to even health issues can be tied to karma (which is not to deny their physical nature and origin, but instead deals with why it happens, to the people it does, in the way it does. of course it has a physical origin, but that physical origin can be linked to karma.)
It’s quite hard to talk about this in a very general sense without going into lots of detail, because it’s a very personal and individual thing. It effects each person in a different way that is unique to them, because of stuff from this life, the previous one, and to some degree future ones. But that' a different topic.
But surely if everything is pre-destined for us, we don’t have to actually do anything? No. It means the opposite. YOU have to do things. You have to put your foot in the door, in the face of adversity. When faced with challenges, even ones that seem impossible to get out of, sometimes they are impossible, but other times it’s not only honourable to pull yourself out, it’s karmic; and if you don’t do it, it’ll follow you into the next life, over and over, until you can do it, not because of some external force, but because you, out of freedom, needed and wanted to do it.
Everyone will walk a path. Everything you do, even if it doesn’t seem like it, is an active choice. You are walking. Where do you go?
So, reincarnation. If you think about children; their talents, fears, tendencies, burdens, inbuilt beliefs, even remembering shards of past lives (if they know it or not), does that come from only their genetics and environment, or does it come from their individuality? In anthroposophy, reincarnation is not a myth or dogma, but a rational necessity once one begins to observe the human being as a spiritual being as well as a physical one.
The individuality, in each life, enters new circumstances specifically suited to the next step in its evolution. These lives are not random; they are sculpted by karma and guided by spiritual beings in harmony with the core intention of humanity: to become free, loving, and wise.
Disenchantment
On the whole, today, we are generally sick of it. We live lives we don’t want to live (not everyone), the world is in a bad place, and that can be seen by the amount of various opposing groups that say the same thing, for different reasons. Sure, there are always groups that complain about this issue or the other, but the resounding statement that is common to almost everyone, on every side, is; “SOMETHING IS REALLY WRONG, AND WE NEED TO CHANGE!”
(this isn’t the kind of book where i tell you the new system that is going to fix everything)
The above is a societal and governmental problem. But what doesn’t help is this; the big disenchantment. Today, we are disconnected from the spiritual more than ever, it is the deep spiritual (and psychological) consequence of a worldview that sees the universe as mechanical, impersonal, and dead, with meaning and life being something we make up to feel better.
We now view meaning as something projected onto things, rather than arising from them. If you went to all your science lessons; trees are biomass, human beings are biochemical machines with opinions. Which is true, but not the full picture.
This disenchantment didn’t happen overnight, it’s the result of a very long process where symbols, inner knowing, and lots of other stuff was replaced with quantification, systematisation, and rational control. This was needed. We need modern medicine, we need science, we need technology. But, this has resulted in the spirit and the soul being pushed down and down, until most people aren’t even thinking about it anymore, differences in spirituality (and religion) are quantized like differences in fast food places, and real, proper unity seems like a stupid idea. It’s not just science “winning”, it’s a kind of relationship being lost, our relationship as humans to the spiritual world.
We know all this. I’ll guess that you know this as well, that today, in the process of growing up, we are robbed of lots of stuff that we innately have, and think.
This isn’t just intellectual though. It could be described as affecting every fibre of a person’s being, manifesting as a quiet despair, restlessness, numbness, the feeling that something is missing even though all material needs are met.
Re-enchantment, re-finding the spiritual world, doesn’t involve rejecting reason, or modern science, or changing ourselves in any way that goes against ourselves. Spiritual Science doesn’t remove what doesn’t need to be removed. It just adds.
And adds consciously. Not just anything, what is real, what is needed.
But are the dis-enchanted right? Is freedom even a thing? Do we have freedom, or do we just think that we do, and in reality, we’re just delusional flesh-machines? If we think about a stone, being moved by the wind, or maybe a person, that keeps moving after the external cause has stopped; it’s moving because of compulsion, not because of any other reason, because it needs an external cause. This is also kind of true for everything else, however complicated it might be. The “no free will” argument would be something like; everything is pre-destined by external causes to act in a fixed and definite way.
(which to some degree is true, but not really the full picture)
This stone, thinking that it is trying its best to keep moving, if it is conscious only of its striving, will believe that it is absolutely free, and that it is moving because of its own will to continue. Is human freedom like this? Are we conscious of our desires, but ignorant of the causes? Does a child that wants milk do so out of their own free will?
It’s pretty easy to see the error here. According to this viewpoint, the same necessity that makes a stone move, can compel a person to make an action. Because they are conscious of the action, a person also thinks that they are its originator. But the error here is simple; people can also become conscious of the causes which guide them. Anyone can see that a child wanting milk is not free, nor is someone who is drunk that says things they later regret. But can we really, in good faith, lump together those actions with the actions where people are conscious of their actions, and also their causes? Should a scientist in a dangerous lab, or a diplomat in super complicated negotiations be placed on the same level of a child that wants milk?*
It’s not black and white. Humans are not entirely free, or entirely unfree. We live in the real universe, things are complicated.
*see philosophy of freedom (the book)
Stuff to Do
The Six Basic Exercises
The Six Basic Exercises (sometimes called the six supplementary exercises or habits) are six super simple spiritual practices that develop pretty important qualities and capabilities, along with developing your inner life. Here’s the important bit; The six basic exercises are meant to be done alongside your existing (and future) spiritual path, if you have one. They are not a replacement for anything, just a big (and sometimes needed) boost to whatever you’re doing already.
I also realise that it’s not really reasonable to say that someone should be doing something every day, so i’ll let you in on a secret; i don’t do these every day. I don’t even do them every week. I would like to, but it’s just not right for my situation right now, so i don’t. But that’s fine. No point in trying to force something that isn’t there. But, as long as the movement is forward, not backwards, and as long as there is movement, it should be pretty good.
Something else that is important to know about these is that this explanation of them is super basic and there is a lot more to these than what is below. This should be enough to actually do them, and to understand the point of them, but if you want to know more, do your own research! A quick search for the six basic exercises will have much more than there is here in this article.
The power of these doesn't only come from doing them, each one has an effect, but doing them consistently brings another benefit; rhythm. The real benefit of doing these comes from this aspect, consciously introducing rhythm is very important, and, if you do them regularly, you’ll see this (positive) side of them too.
I’m also not going to include all of them, just the ones i think are most important today, though feel free to google around and read about/do the others if you want to.
Control of Thought
The first of the Six Basic Exercises is the exercise of focused thinking, intended to strengthen and clarify thought processes. This exercise involves taking a simple object, such as a pencil (something to note here- it has to be simple and ideally boring, nothing interesting or complicated at all) and concentrating on it for five minutes (or more if you want, five minutes is the norm) without letting the mind wander. During this time, observe the object carefully, considering its shape, material, and purpose, and then holding that attention consistently without allowing stray thoughts. Though keep in mind that having stray or other thoughts is normal, you’re not failing or anything if you do, when they come up, just focus back on the object.
This exercise can be crucial for developing focused thinking, a key aspect of personal and spiritual growth. It helps to become more aware of how easily the mind can drift, and by practising bringing it back, one builds the capacity to control thoughts rather than be controlled by them. This is especially important in the age of short attention spans and systems designed to grab attention and manipulate; it’s your attention! It should be yours!
Control of will
The second exercise involves practising willpower by performing a simple task at the same time every day, like watering a plant or taking a few deep breaths, or flipping a coin. The idea is to choose something uncomplicated, then do it out daily with commitment. This strengthens the ability to follow through on intentions, even if the action itself is simple. This also is an action done wholly out of freedom, out of your own free choice. Today, many things we do, we, out of ourselves, don’t actually want to do, introducing something that is really your thing, that you have control over, because you want to, can be quite helpful. And interesting.
What next?
If you are interested in learning more, there are a few things you can do. And in the spirit of anthroposophy and freedom, I'm going to leave this as a choose-your-own-adventure. There are several things which you can do.
One
Number one, there probably is a branch of the Anthroposophical Society, or at least a group, in your country, and there may even be a group near where you live. As a good starting point, look here; goetheanum.ch/en/society/addresses-worldwide
Two
Number two, if you want to learn more and ask questions or get recommendations, or whatever, you could join the Rosefolk Discord server, which hosts many discussions, and you are free to ask as many questions as you like. Here is the invite link; discord.gg/ym8TsYwPm8
Three
Or you could read! Below is a list of good ideas.
You could get this book, which is a general introduction to anthroposophy and goes over some of the stuff in this article;
Or you could get this book, which goes over, in lots of detail, lots of stuff about anthroposophy, how it works, and how to use it;
You could read Steiner’s five basic books online for free, which are not as easy to read as they seem but if you’re up to the challenge it’s very worth it.
You could also go to rsarchive.org and read books and lectures of his on many topics for free. While, of course, Steiner isn't the only source of truth, he is very interesting and often provides unique viewpoints which are informed from either the 1920s or the spiritual world. Mostly the latter.
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