Luciferic, Ahrimanic, and Sorathic forms of evil are being contemplated among substackers and we need to confront them, both spiritually and strategically.
"A morally informed but decentralized global order will integrate aspects of different faith traditions and take wisdom from all."
—This is a next-level evolution—getting away from the need to force one's views on others, or to create one-size-fits-all 'solutions' and impose them upon large groups of people. Decentralization FTW!
Much of this probably went over my head (and I’ll have to give it another read), but I appreciate the opportunity to think through how this topic of evil is living in the hearts and minds of some people today.
Max, have you read much (or any) Rudolf Steiner?
One thing that I feel is missing from most conversations about evil is the contemplation of its evolutionary purpose, and the role we each play in giving evil spirits (by any name) a hospitable home in our thinking, feeling and willing (behavior). For example, there would be no such thing as a moral act without the existence of evil. Morality has no meaning without a polarizing opposite. So here we have the paradox of opposites.
The philosophy I live by is that freedom is an evolutionary processes forged over many lifetimes by grappling with the various evil forces working in and through us. That freedom itself is also meaningless if it’s opposite (constraint, pain, oppression, tyranny) did not exist.
We tend to point outward when speaking about evil, and I’d love to see more discussions about how to identify evil forces by looking inward. From there, we can find an empowered sense of responsibility to transform ourselves in such a way that we tangibly, practically contribute to a moral fabric for all of humanity.
Offline, a friend just pointed out that this comes from Steiner. And I agree that evolutionary considerations are a most fruitful avenue of inquiry on such matters.
(Also, I really enjoyed our conversation and look forward to more!)
I don’t think the general ideas went over my head but you do use big words 😆 and you are definitely more well read and well versed in certain esoteric and scientific vernacular that I would have to look up to fully understand! But I enjoy the challenge 🤓
I also want to cheer for your suggestion that we look inward first. Restoring an inner locus of control is vital if we are to colonize minds with our doctrine. In other words, we must colonize our own minds first. And that means looking inward.
My favorite Michael Jackson song always was “Man in the Mirror”. It just seems to resonate. Evil is seeded in all of us like weeds. There is always more work to do in the garden.
Loved the post, catching up on some Max Borders this morning with coffee.
Very interesting. Thanks Chris Cook for bringing this to my attention.
Thank you for reading, Will!
We think about similar things
https://fromaghosttoaghost.substack.com/p/the-day-i-met-the-devil?r=38usvw
"A morally informed but decentralized global order will integrate aspects of different faith traditions and take wisdom from all."
—This is a next-level evolution—getting away from the need to force one's views on others, or to create one-size-fits-all 'solutions' and impose them upon large groups of people. Decentralization FTW!
Much of this probably went over my head (and I’ll have to give it another read), but I appreciate the opportunity to think through how this topic of evil is living in the hearts and minds of some people today.
Max, have you read much (or any) Rudolf Steiner?
One thing that I feel is missing from most conversations about evil is the contemplation of its evolutionary purpose, and the role we each play in giving evil spirits (by any name) a hospitable home in our thinking, feeling and willing (behavior). For example, there would be no such thing as a moral act without the existence of evil. Morality has no meaning without a polarizing opposite. So here we have the paradox of opposites.
The philosophy I live by is that freedom is an evolutionary processes forged over many lifetimes by grappling with the various evil forces working in and through us. That freedom itself is also meaningless if it’s opposite (constraint, pain, oppression, tyranny) did not exist.
We tend to point outward when speaking about evil, and I’d love to see more discussions about how to identify evil forces by looking inward. From there, we can find an empowered sense of responsibility to transform ourselves in such a way that we tangibly, practically contribute to a moral fabric for all of humanity.
Offline, a friend just pointed out that this comes from Steiner. And I agree that evolutionary considerations are a most fruitful avenue of inquiry on such matters.
(Also, I really enjoyed our conversation and look forward to more!)
Also, I doubt it when over your head. If it did, then I'm doing it wrong.
I don’t think the general ideas went over my head but you do use big words 😆 and you are definitely more well read and well versed in certain esoteric and scientific vernacular that I would have to look up to fully understand! But I enjoy the challenge 🤓
I also want to cheer for your suggestion that we look inward first. Restoring an inner locus of control is vital if we are to colonize minds with our doctrine. In other words, we must colonize our own minds first. And that means looking inward.
My favorite Michael Jackson song always was “Man in the Mirror”. It just seems to resonate. Evil is seeded in all of us like weeds. There is always more work to do in the garden.
Loved the post, catching up on some Max Borders this morning with coffee.
I’d love to pull this into one or more of our future conversations! Especially when we arrive back in our Time Machine from exploring past ages 😊