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- M -

"M" - also see initiate; Koguzki, Felix; masters; Rosenkreutz, Christian

This was the second spiritual guide who gave Steiner occult initiation, according to Steiner. [1] The tale of Steiner's meeting with M is given great weight in Anthroposophical biographical accounts. "Felix [Koguzki] brought him [Rudolf Steiner] in contact with another man in Vienna, whose identity has never been revealed ... Rudolf Steiner refers to him as a 'Master' and states that he taught him what one needs to know in order to work effectively out of the spiritual world into this materialistic age. To conquer the 'dragon' of materialism [2] you have to get into his skin. It seems to me that Rudolf Steiner may have stayed with this man for a long weekend. When they parted the Master said: 'You know now who you are! Act accordingly, and remain always true to yourself.' How many people can say that they know who they really are? We should recognize this as an initiation. It is an answer to the call of all ancient Mystery Schools [3], which is engraved in stone above the entrance of the Greek temple in Delphi: GNOTHI SAFTON Translated: KNOW YOURSELF. To the challenge: 0 man, know yourself! here the answer was achieved: You know now who you are. This happened in November of 1879! Precisely at the beginning of the Michael age, in the autumn, the Michael season, when St. Michael became the supreme leading Archangel (time spirit) for all of humanity. [4] This initiation event connected Rudolf Steiner most intimately with St. Michael. From that moment on one can say that Rudolf Steiner is the Ambassador of Michael, the leading Great Initiate of our Michael age. This was an event of world historic importance that took place completely unnoticed by the outer world." — E. Katz, "The Mission of Rudolf Steiner", an essay based on an address to the American Anthroposophical Society, November, 2004.

M's identity is mysterious, but some of Steiner's followers believe that M was the reincarnated Christian Rosenkreutz. [5] At a minimum, M represented ties to Rosicrucian tradition. "Steiner informed the French occultist Edouard Schuré that...he had been 'initiated' by the 'M'. Anthroposophists [generally] say they do not know who 'M' was ... 'M' — if he was of flesh and blood — may have followed a...Western path, particularly a revived Rosicrucianism, as the movement named after Christian Rosenkreutz is termed ... The term 'M' is also reminiscent of the mythical 'Book M' of Christian Rosenkreutz over two centuries earlier, and indeed, Steiner saw Anthroposophy as a spiritually complete Rosicrucianism. [6]" — G. Ahern, THE SUN AT MIDNIGHT (James Clarke & Co., 2009), pp. 28-29.

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[1] Steiner said he received his first initiation from the herb gatherer Felix Koguzki. [See the entry for "Koguzki, Felix" in this encyclopedia.]

[2] In Anthroposophy, this is generally Ahriman. [See "Ahriman".]

[3] I.e., organized gatherings of initiates where knowledge of spiritual mysteries was imparted.

[4] According to Anthroposophical belief, the Archangel Michael defeated Ahriman and his hordes in a mighty battle in 1879. At that point, Michael assumed responsibility for overseeing human evolution in the modern period. [See "Michael" and the entries for "1879" and "Time Spirit" in this encyclopedia.]

[5] Christian Rosenkreutz is the putative founder of Rosicrucianism. He is almost certainly a mystical/fictional figure; there is no evidence that he ever existed.

[6] See "Rosy Cross". 

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machines, machine-animals - also see computers; mechanization; media policies at Waldorf schools; spider beings; technology; television

Steiner taught that modern technology is destructive, even demonic. Machines, as products of this technology, hold terrible dangers — they reflect the deadly effect of thinking produced by the physical brain. “[I]f we could make our thoughts and ideas effective rather than just having them within us [1]...our life of thoughts would have a deathly, paralyzing effect. This is because such thoughts and ideas are in a certain way destructive for everything that is grasped by them [2] ... They only bring about destruction when they come to expression in machines, in tools which are something dead that has been removed from living nature. [3]” — R. Steiner, SECRET BROTHERHOODS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2004), p. 33. Among the most advanced machines in Steiner's time were steam engines, which he criticized thus: “When we build steam-engines, we provide the opportunity for the incarnation of demons ... In the steam-engine, Ahrimanic demons [4] are actually brought to the point of physical embodiment.” — R. Steiner, “The Relation of Man to the Hierarchies” (ANTHROPOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT, Vol. V, Nos. 14-15, 1928). The Waldorf aversion of technological devices such as televisions and computers arises from such beliefs. [5] Thus, for instance, Rudolf Steiner College — a Waldorf teacher-training center in the USA — published THE COMPUTER AND THE INCARNATION OF AHRIMAN (Rudolf Steiner College Press, 1981) — still offered for sale in 2015.

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[1] I.e., if we took actions based on our destructive thoughts (if we let our destructive thoughts out into the world) — which is precisely what we do when we develop modern technologies, Steiner indicated.

[2] “The intellect destroys or hinders.” — R. Steiner, WALDORF EDUCATION AND ANTHROPOSOPHY, Vol. 1 (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 233.

[3] I.e., in making machines, we take materials that were part of the living natural world and convert them into dead, mechanistic contrivances (we convert life to death).

[4] I.e., minions of Ahriman. [See "Ahriman".]

[2] See the entries in this encyclopedia for "computers", "television", and "media policies".

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macrocosm - also see cosmos; microcosm

Rudolf Steiner taught that the human being is a microcosmic counterpart of the cosmos, the macrocosm. [1] “[W]e find a remarkable correlation between human life, the Microcosm, and the forces...driving the several planets round the Sun in the Macrocosm. [paragraph break] In very truth the world is infinitely more complicated than is supposed. Our human nature is comprehensible only if we take account of its kinship with the Macrocosm. Knowing this, spiritual researchers in all epochs [2] have chosen corresponding designations for the Great World and the Little World — the latter being the seemingly insignificant bodily man enclosed within the skin. [There are correspondences] between the Microcosm (man) and the Macrocosm (the solar system) [3] ... [M]an is born as a Little World, a Microcosm, out of the Great World, the Macrocosm.” — R. Steiner, MACROCOSM AND MICROCOSM (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1985), pp. 44-45. [See "The Center".]

The cosmos, Steiner taught, is a huge reflection of human nature, and man is a small embodiment of the entire cosmos. The universe is the macrocosm; man is a microcosm. [MACROCOSM AND MICROCOSM (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1985).]

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[1] In some of his pronouncements, Steiner equated the macrocosm with the solar system; in others, he equated it with the entire universe. Steiner recognized the difference between the universe and the solar system, but he often conflated them.

[2] I.e., spiritual scientists in all ages. [See "spiritual science" in this encyclopedia.] Such "researchers" have used clairvoyance to study the spirit realm, Steiner taught. In this sense, they were Steiner's predecessors, and they came to conclusions close to Steiner's own conclusions, Steiner asserted.

[3] Sic; the phrases within parentheses appear in this form in the text.

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magic, magicians - also see alchemy; black magicians; ideal magic; white magic; witches; wizards

Steiner sometimes said true occultism [1] knows nothing about magic (suggesting that magic is an illusion). But on other occasions he gave occult, affirmative accounts of magic (indicating that magic is quite real). "Certain kinds of ceremonial magic [2] have definite effects on the human physical body. Everything physical is, after all, a manifestation of the spirit. [3] Certain spiritual aspects which come into being under the influence of ceremonial magic [4] can have an effect on the human physical body, specifically on the system of ganglia...and also on the spinal system. [5] The cerebral system is the most difficult of all to influence by means of ceremonial magic. All this has to be done via the detour of the spiritual element [6], but it can be done and it can become effective." — R. Steiner, THE KARMA OF UNTRUTHFULNESS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1992), lecture 21, GA 174.

According to Steiner, white, black, and gray magic are active in the world. Black and gray magicians, he said, work to destroy human spirituality while white magicians work to promote it. ◊ “For our earth is a battlefield; it is the scene of two opposing powers: right and left. The one, the white power on the right [7], after the earth has reached a certain degree of material, physical density, strives to spiritualise it once again. [8] The other power, the left or black power [9], strives to make the earth ever denser and denser, like the moon. [10]" — R. Steiner, FOUNDATIONS OF ESOTERICISM (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1982), lecture 20, GA 93a. White magicians work selflessly, Steiner said, while black magicians are monsters of egoism. ◊ "[T]he basic principle of all white magic is that no power can be gained without selfless devotion. [11]” — R. Steiner, FOUNDATIONS OF ESOTERICISM (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1983), lecture 20, GA 93a. ◊ "The black magician has the urge to kill, to create a void around him in the astral world [12] because this void affords him a field in which his egoistic desires may disport themselves. [13]" — R. Steiner, AN ESOTERIC COSMOLOGY (Wilder Publications, 2008), p. 41. [See "Magic" and "White/Black".]

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[1] See "Occultism".

[2] Also known as ritual magic, ceremonial magic uses prescribed rituals to evoke spiritual powers.

[3] I.e., physical reality reflects spiritual reality — the physical world is created by the gods; it manifests the will of the gods.

[4] I.e., ceremonial magic can produce certain spiritual effects. (The underling spiritual realities are created by the gods, but magicians can create certain "aspects" of this reality through their ceremonies.)

[5] I.e., ceremonial magic can produce health-giving effects in the physical body.

[6] I.e., the magic redirects spiritual forces.

[7] I.e., white magic is on the correct side, the side on the right. [See "white magic" and "right" in this encyclopedia.]

[8] I.e., white magic helps move the earth (which has become densely physical) back toward spirituality. White magic is, then, good: It is on the side of spiritual advancement or improvement.

[9] See "black magic" and "left" in this encyclopedia.

[10] Steiner taught that the Moon is super-hardened and thus inaccessible. This has led some Anthroposophists to claim that the Apollo Moon landings were faked. [See "Today".]

[11] The white magician is selfless; her/his motive are pure; s/he works on behalf of spirit and life.

[12] See the entry In this encyclopedia for "astral world".

[13] The black magician is egotistic; her/his motives are corrupt; s/he works against spirituality and on behalf of death.

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Maha-Para-Nirvana Plane - also see Nirvana; Nirvana Plane; Para-Nirvana Plane

A term from Steiner's Theosophical phase: a level of consciousness/blessedness above the Para-Nirvana Plane [1]; the realm of living solid objects. In later teachings, Steiner dispensed with differentiations between various Nirvana planes; he folded the Maha-Para-Nirvana Plane and the Para-Nirvana Plane into an enlarged conception of the Nirvana Plane. [2] 

There are innumerable planes in the cosmos, according to standard Theosophical accounts. But there are seven primary planes indicating levels of spiritual development. The seventh and highest is the Maha-Para-Nirvana plane, where self-abnegation is complete and one finds unity with the consciousness of the entire cosmos. Here, Steiner said, one can comprehend and unite with even the life of solid objects that, usually, are deemed lifeless. "On this Maha-para-nirvana plane the life of the solid is to be found. This plane is the other pole of the solid. Through life on the Maha-para-nirvana plane one acquired another means of perception. When one returns one has experienced the activity of beings in the Maha-para-nirvana plane. It is there that the solid stone has its life." — R. Steiner, FOUNDATIONS OF ESOTERICISM (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1982), lecture 5, GA 93a. [See "Higher Worlds".]

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[1] See the entry in this encyclopedia for this term.

[2] See the entries in this encyclopedia for "nirvana" and "nirvana plane".

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Mahat - also see Dynamis; Spirits of Motion

A Sanskrit term, used in Theosophy [1] to denote the great one(s), the cosmic mind or intelligence. [2] According to Steiner, the designation applies to gods five levels above humanity. "'Spirits of Motion' (Dynamis in Christianity. Mahat in theosophical literature). [3]" — R. Steiner, COSMIC MEMORY (Harper & Row, 1981), chapter 15, GA 11. Steiner tended to downplay Sanskrit/Theosophical terminology in his later, Anthroposophical lectures and writings. [4]

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[1] Steiner was a Theosophist before establishing Anthroposophy as a separate spiritual movement. Many of the tenets of Anthroposophy derive, sometimes circuitously, from Theosophy. [See "Basics".]

[2] Cosmic mind, in Theosophy, is a transcendent consciousness in which one attains mental/spiritual union with the cosmos as a whole. The term "cosmic mind" may also be taken as referring to the consciousness of the cosmos, the mind of the cosmos, as if the cosmos were a single entity possessing a single unified awareness. In this latter sense, it is close to the concept of Godhead. [See "Godhead" in this encyclopedia.]

[3] See "Spirits of Movement" in this encyclopedia.

[4] Steiner became a Theosophist in 1902. He broke away, setting up Anthroposophy as a separate movement, in 1913. [See "What a Guy".]

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Mahatma - also see adept; guru; masters

a) In Indian teachings, a holy person or sage.

b) In Theosophy, an individual possessing supernatural powers.

c) Also, according to Steiner, an adept. "The 'Adepts' [1] are the Mahatmas or the Masters of the White Lodge [2] or the Masters of Wisdom and the Harmony of Sensations and Feelings. [3]" — Note in SPIRITUALISM, MADAME BLAVATSKY & THEOSOPHY (SteinerBooks, 2002), p. 288.

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[1] See "Adepts".

[2] See "White Lodge".

[3] See "Masters of Wisdom", below.

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main lesson - also see block teaching; class teachers; lesson books; Waldorf curriculum

At most Waldorf schools: the long class at the beginning of the day; other classes and activities are often keyed to it. As its name indicates, the main lesson is devoted to the primary subject studied during that day (history, literature, botany, etc.). Usually, main lessons focus on one subject for a few weeks, then that subject is dropped and another is taken up. "The arrangement in the Waldorf School is that the main lesson shall take place in the morning. The main lesson begins in winter at 8 or 8:15, in summer a little earlier. [1] The special characteristic of this main lesson is that it does away with the ordinary kind of timetable. [2] We have no timetable in the ordinary sense of the word, but one subject is taken throughout this first two hour period in the morning — with a break in it for younger children — and this subject is carried on for a space of four or six weeks and brought to a certain stage. [3] After that, another subject is taken. For children of higher classes, children of 11, 12, or 13 years old, what it comes to is that instead of having: 8 – 9 [a.m] Religion, 9 – 10 [a.m.] Natural History, from 10 – 11 [a.m.] Arithmetic — that is, instead of being thrown from one thing to another — they have for example, in October four weeks of Arithmetic, then three weeks of Natural History, etc. [4]" — R. Steiner, THE SPIRITUAL GROUND OF EDUCATION (Anthroposophical Publishing Co., 1947), chapter 7, GA 305. 

The Waldorf system of main lessons is tied to the system of block teaching (taking up one subject for a few weeks — a "block" of time — and then passing to a different subject studied in another block). After a main lesson block ends [5], the subject of that block (history, geography, etc.) is usually not taken up again for many months, perhaps not until a full year has passed. When the subject is finally renewed, it is studied at a somewhat higher level, although a certain amount of time must be spent reviewing material covered previously and, perhaps, forgotten in the interim. Overall, the pattern of main lessons is meant to follow a spiral pattern, emulating and perhaps enacting the upward movement — described by Steiner — of the soul climbing toward enlightenment. [6]

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[1] These were the times observed at the first Waldorf school, which was in Stuttgart, Germany. Other Waldorf schools may choose different starting times.

[2] That is, Waldorf schools organize their days differently than other schools do. One subject  (the subject of the "main lesson") is studied for a few weeks, both during the main lesson and, tangentially, during other periods later during each school day. Then the subject is dropped and another subject is taken up.

[3] Often, main lessons last for 90 minutes, without a break, and a main lesson "block" (the weeks when the main lessons are devoted to a particular subject) may be as short as three weeks.

[4] Actually, at some Waldorf schools, various subjects are often studied at specified times of the day, especially in high school. Thus, while main lesson subjects change every few weeks, other subjects may be studied at specified times of the day for several months on end, more or less as in other schools. (So, if a main lesson deals with natural history, other periods of the day may also allude to natural history in some way, but still other periods may be devoted to other, unrelated subjects that are studied for months on end, such as a foreign language or algebra.)

[5] See the entry for "block teaching" in this encyclopedia.

[6] See "spiral" in this encyclopedia. 

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Maitreya Buddha - also see avatars; Buddha

He is the prophesied successor to Buddha. "Maitreya, in Buddhist tradition, the future Buddha, presently a bodhisattva [1] residing in the Tushita heaven [2], who will descend to earth to preach anew the dharma ('law') when the teachings of Gautama Buddha [3] have completely decayed. [4]" — "Maitreya". Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 May. 2024; accessed 14 June 2024. In Anthroposophy, Maitreya Buddha is foreseen as an avatar. [5]

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[1] I.e., an enlightened being. [See "Bodhisattvas" in this encyclopedia.]

[2] This is one of six heavens or deva worlds postulated in some forms of Buddhism. Devas are gods.

[3] This was the original Buddha, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded.

[4] I.e., when the teachings of the original Buddha are no longer heeded; so Buddhism will need renewal.

[5] See "Avatars".

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Malayan race - also see degenerate races; Mongols; Venus

According to Steiner, this is the "Venus race": It is the product of powers in/on the planet Venus. Steiner applied this description to Southern Asians, who he said constitute a dying race: ◊ "We then come to Asia, which is the seat of the 'Venus race' or the Malayan race." — R. Steiner, THE MISSION OF THE INDIVIDUAL FOLK SOULS, lecture 6, GA 121.  ◊ "[T]hese brown Malayans are Mongols [1] who have emigrated, but who, even now, because the sun affects them differently, have habituated themselves to incorporate more light and warmth [2] ... They do not have it in their nature to assimilate as much warmth as they are now assimilating as Malayans. The consequence of this is that they start becoming useless human beings [3]; that they begin to become people whose human bodies disintegrate, human beings whose bodies atrophy. That is indeed the case with the Malayan population. They die from the sun. They die from Easternness ... [T]he Malays are already a dying race. They are dying off. [4]" — R. Steiner, VOM LEBEN DES MENSCHEN UND DER ERDE - ÜBER DAS WESEN DES CHRISTENTUMS (Verlag Der Rudolf Steiner-Nachlassverwaltung in 1961), GA 349.

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[1] According to Theosophical/Anthroposophical teachings, Mongols were the seventh sub-race that arose on Atlantis. [See "sub-races" and "Atlantis" in this encyclopedia.] Here, Steiner says Malayans are descendants of Mongols who, escaping from the destruction of Atlantis, established themselves in the hot regions of southern Asia. [Cf. "Mongolian race" in this encyclopedia.]

[2] I.e., they have had to adapt to receiving more light and heat from the Sun. But, Steiner goes on to say, this adaptation has not been wholly successful.

[3] Steiner identified various peoples and races as evolutionary failures of various sorts. "Useless human beings" is one of the epithets he applied to such failures.Of course, Steiner also pointed to more successful races, especially white  Europeans. [See "Races" and "Differences".] 

[4] Steiner taught that various races die off if they leave their proper place on Earth. [See "Steiner's Racism" and "Forbidden".] 

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male - also see father forces; masculine principle; sex; cf. mother forces; female

In Anthroposophical belief, female and male are significantly different spiritual conditions, although each individual has both female and male components. Steiner said Waldorf teachers need to differentiate between the needs of their male and female students; the differences between genders are far more than skin-deep. ◊ "Men’s astral bodies [1] are less differentiated, less finely structured, coarser ... [Boys'] astral bodies do not absorb their egos [2] so strongly [as girls' do]. Their egos are more concealed, are not as effective [as girls'] ... [T]he ego of the boy is not absorbed by the astral body and yet lacks independence ... The boy has a certain love of withdrawal into himself." — R. Steiner, EDUCATION FOR ADOLESCENTS (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), pp. 75-76. ◊ "[I]t is especially important for us to present to the boys a fine ideal, [a story about] a picturesque personality, be it a mythical character or a merely imaginative one ... Girls incline more toward the cosmic ... Boys [are more oriented to the Earth and] need to hear about character, about complete human beings. This is essential; we must differentiate the needs of girls and boys." — R. Steiner, ibid., pp. 82-83.

Steiner said this about the evolution of the male and female forms during an ancient period when proto-humans had animal-like bodies and group souls [3]: "[T]he bull body [4] had the special force to attract the female etheric body [5] and unite with it ... The male etheric bodies which crystallized a physical lion body out of themselves, had the power of fructifying the physical lion body itself [6], so that the procreation of humanity was especially cared for by the lion-like race. It was a kind of fructification from out of the spiritual, a non-sexual procreation. [7] The bull race, however...became more and more unfruitful. The result was that on the one side there was a humanity which was maintained by fructification, on the other side, another half which became more and more unfruitful. The one side became the female sex, the other the male. The modern female physical nature has in fact a male etheric body, whereas the etheric body of the man is female. The physical body of the woman has proceeded from the lion nature, whereas the physical bull-body is the ancestor of the male body." — R. Steiner, "The Four Human Group Souls (Lion, Bull, Eagle, Man)" (transcript, Rudolf Steiner Archive), GA 107.

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[1] According to Anthroposophical belief, the astral body is the second of three invisible bodies that a true human being comes to possess. [See "Incarnation".]

[2] The "ego" or "I" is the highest of the invisible bodies that a true human being comes to possess; it conveys divine individuality. [See "Ego".]

[3] These are souls shared by all members of a group such as a nation or race. [See the entry in this encyclopedia for "group soul".]

[4] Steiner taught that among proto-humans at that time, there were bull people, lion people, and eagle people — proto-humans whose bodies were akin to these animals. The fourth group existing at that time consisted of "men," although these were not human beings such as we are today. [See "Four Group Souls"; also see the entry for "man", below.]

[5] The etheric body is the first of the invisible bodies that a true human being comes to possess. Steiner taught that there are both male and female etheric bodies, and today males have female etheric bodies while females have male etheric bodies.

[6] I.e., lion people had lion-like physical bodies produced by their etheric bodies; these etheric bodies were able to "fructify" (essentially, impregnate) the physical lion-like bodies.

[7] This fructification involved the spiritual and physical parts of a single individual, not a union to two separate individuals.

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Mammon - also see Ahriman; egoism, egotism; materialism; Mephistopheles

a) The devil of greed. The term is also used to denote excessive, immoral love of wealth.

b) In Anthroposophy: the evil god of hindrances, black powers, bacteria, and money. “Mammon is not only the god of money. He is much more the leader of all vile black powers. [1] And his hordes attack not only human souls, but also the physical bodies of humans in order to gnaw away at them and ruin them. People speak of bacteria a lot more today not because they know more about them, but because bacteria have taken on a very special form today. And in the future they [2] will get the upper hand in a terrifying way. When that black age [3] approaches, then fraternal war will rage in a gruesome way, and poor human bodies will waste away, terribly afflicted by diseases and plagues. The stigma of sin will be impressed on human bodies visible to everyone. [4]" — R. Steiner, ESOTERIC LESSONS 1904-1909 (Steiner Books, 2007), pp. 232-233. Usually, in Anthroposophy, the name "Mammon" applies to the evil god otherwise known as Ahriman. [5] "Ahriman, Mephisto [6], Mammon — they mean the same. They are immersed in money and in everything connected with human egotism. The fact that it is necessary for human life to be commingled with materialistic things means that humanity must reckon with Ahriman." — R. Steiner, THE FIFTH GOSPEL, Vol. 2, lecture 2, GA 148.

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[1] "Black," in this sense, is equivalent to "evil." [See "White/Black".]

[2] I.e., the bacteria.

[3] I.e., a future period of evil and calamity. [See, e.g., "All v. All."]

[4] The bacteria will function effectively as emanations of Mammon, destroying physical human bodies, inflicting illness and death.

[5] See "Ahriman".

[6] Mephisto or Mephistopheles is the devil to whom, according to legend and the poet Goethe, Faust sold his soul. Here, Steiner identifies him as Ahriman. [See "Mephistopheles", below.]

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man - also see bull; eagle; group soul; lion; cf. human beings; human stage of evolution

In Anthroposophy, the term "man" applies not only to humanity at its present stage of evolution but to humanity at previous stages, and to one of the four group souls shared by humans at an early evolutionary stage. Modern humans of varying kinds still reflect the influences of those group souls, Steiner taught. "One calls these four group souls [1] by the names of the apocalyptic beasts [2]: Bull, Eagle, Lion, Man. The Man, however, was at another stage of evolution than the man of today. The names are taken from the organization of the group souls ... There were forms [i.e., bodies] existing which were especially adapted to receive the Lion egos, others the Bull egos, etc. That was in a very early age of earth evolution ... [W]hat is physical on earth shows us a fourfold picture. The one group especially develop[ed] the organs whose functions coincide more with those of the heart ... They were courageous [3] ... In others, the organs of digestion, of nourishment, of procreation, were especially developed. [4] In the third group, it was especially the organs of movement. [5] In the fourth group, these tendencies were equally shared — both the courageous, aggressive, and the tranquil  ... [T]hose in whom these things were held in equilibrium belonged to the group soul ‘Man.’ [6]” — R. Steiner, "The Four Human Group Souls (Lion, Bull, Eagle, Man)" (transcript, Rudolf Steiner Archive), GA 107. [See "Four Group Souls".] 

Note that in Anthroposophy "human" and "man" are not always synonyms. To be "human" means reaching a certain stage of evolution, higher than the animals of today but lower than the gods. [7] The gods themselves were, generally, human during one stage of their own evolution. Thus, while man is human now during Present Earth, the gods that we call Angels were human during Old Moon, the gods that we call Archangels were human during Old Sun, and so forth. [8]

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[1] I.e., souls shared by all members of a species, nation, population, etc. [See the entry in this encyclopedia for "group soul".]

[2] I.e., beasts specified in the Book of Revelation.

[3] These were the proto-humans who shared the "lion" group soul.

[4] These shared the "bull" group soul.

[5] These shared the "eagle" group soul.

[6] Steiner taught that, generally, species of animals exemplify particular qualities or levels of development, whereas human beings (as microcosmic replicas of the cosmos, the macrocosm) embody all the qualities and characteristics that are spread out among the animals, as well as qualities that exceed the animals'.

[7] See the entry in this encyclopedia for "human stage of evolution".

[8] Old Moon was the third incarnation of the solar system, Old Sun was the second. Present Earth is the fourth. [See the entries in this encyclopedia for "incarnations of the solar system", "Old Moon", "Old Sun", and "Present Earth".]

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Manas - see spirit self

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Mani - also see Manichaeism; cf. Manu

Third-century (CE) Persian religious teacher, founder of Manichaeism. [1] "Mani (born April 14, 216, southern Babylonia—died 274?, Gundeshapur) was an Iranian founder of the Manichaean religion, a church advocating a dualistic [2] doctrine that viewed the world as a fusion of spirit and matter, the original contrary principles of good and evil, respectively. [3]" — "Mani". Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Apr. 2024; accessed 14 June 2024.

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[1] See the entry for "Manichaeism", below.

[2] See "dualism" in this encyclopedia.

[3] For the Anthroposophical view of these, see "good and evil" in this encyclopedia.

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Manichaeism - also see dualism; Mani; cf. trichotomy

A gnostic, dualistic Persian religion. “The only hope of understanding Manichaeism is to bring the light of Spiritual Science [1] to bear upon it. Oriental thought had already fallen into decadence but in the teachings of Mani [2] we find a note that is both familiar and full of significance. The Manichaeans strove to attain a living knowledge of the interplay between the spiritual and the material worlds. The aim of those who adhered to the teachings of Mani was to perceive the Spiritual in all things material. In the light itself they sought to find both wisdom and goodness. No cleft must divide Spirit from nature. The two must be realised as one. Later on, this conception came to be known by the name of dualism. Spirit and nature — once experienced as a living unity — were separated, nor could they be reunited. [3]” — R. Steiner, EUROPEAN SPIRITUAL LIFE IN THE 19TH CENTURY (Philosophisch-Anthroposophischer Verlag, 1933, translated by H. Collison), lecture 1, GA 325. [See "Manichaeism".]

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[1] I.e., Anthroposophy.

[2] I.e., the Persian religious teacher who founded Manichaeism.

[3] Steiner's statement is potentially confusing. Manichaeism posits a distinct separation of the material and spiritual realms. Thus it is dualistic. Yet in seeking to find the spiritual within the material ("no cleft must divide Spirit from nature"), Mani and his followers deemed the spiritual to dwell within — or to be approachable through — the physical. Anthroposophy takes a similar view. 

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mantra, mantram - also see meditations in Anthroposophy; prayers; spiritual exercises; supplementary exercises

A component of meditation, often a repeated word or sound intended to focus and clear the mind. "In the Mysteries [1] there were leaders and guides who were not unlike our modern doctors of medicine ... Let us suppose a physician of this kind found that the person who had come to him for healing was too strongly attracted to [i.e., attached to] his physical body ... The physician would say to such a person: When the Moon is full, try going out for a walk in its light, when it is rising in the evening; and while you walk, repeat a certain mantram." — R. Steiner, MAN’S LIFE ON EARTH AND IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLDS (Health Research Books, 1960), pp. 73-74. [See "Power Words".]

Steiner gave this indication concerning the mantra "aum": "AUM. [2] One wards off bad influences when one says it in the right way; it connects man with the creating Godhead, the three Logoi. [3] The evil beings who want to tear men away from the Godhead can't stand it. [4] AUM must be spoken with the awareness:

"Primal Self [5] from which everything came

Primal Self to which everything returns:

Primal Self that lives in me

Towards you I strive.

Peace-peace-peace = AUM.

"A is atma, U is buddhi, M is the wisdom that directs the higher self to AUM. [6]" — R. Steiner, FROM THE CONTENTS OF ESOTERIC CLASSES (transcript, Rudolf Steiner Archive), GA 266.

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[1] I.e., traditions and centers of occult knowledge.

[2] This mantra, often rendered as "om," is "the most sacred syllable in Hinduism ... It is often regarded as the bija (seed) of all mantras, containing, as it does, all origination and dissolution." — THE OXFORD DICTIONARY OF WORLD RELIGIONS (Oxford University Press, 1997), p. 713.

[3] See "God" and "Logos".

[4] See "Evil Ones".

[5] This may be taken as a reference to the Godhead and/or to the highest "I". [See the entries for these terms in this encyclopedia.]

[6] In Anthroposophy, atma is spirit man and buddhi is life spirit. [See "What We're Made Of."] 

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Manu(s) - also see Atlantis; Flood; leader; Master; Noah; cf. Adam

a) In Indian/Hindu mythology, the first man, the first king, the author of the Laws of Manu, and the sole survivor of the Great Flood.

b) According to Anthroposophical belief: The term "Manu" applies specifically to Noah, a high initiate from Atlantis. [1] Here is how a Waldorf educator describes the story of Noah and the Flood [2]: "Many people, and also giants, now lived on the earth but men had become wicked ... The story refers to the sinking of the continent of Atlantis ... Noah, or Manu, as he is known elsewhere, was the leader of the sun-oracle of Atlantis [3] ... He was the most advanced leader and he was obviously still in touch with the creators of the Earth, the Elohim or Spirits of Form [4] ... Noah gathered together people sufficiently mature [5] and, knowing that the catastrophe was coming, emigrated to the center of Asia ... Here he set up a cultural or mystery center [6] from which the early Post-Atlantis civilizations were inspired." — R. Wilkinson, COMMENTARY ON THE OLD TESTAMENT STORIES (Henry Goulden, 1984), pp. 20-21. [See "Old Testament".]

"Manu" may be taken as a name but also as a title: the  Manu. "Then came the great Flood. The less advanced Atlanteans [7] went from West to East, settling in the lands of Europe [8]. The most advanced of all went towards Asia and founded in Central Asia the great colony of the Manu. The Manu was the lofty Being who was the leader of this handful of the most advanced Atlanteans who went with him to Central Asia and from there called the different cultures to life [9] ... [T]hese pupils of the Manu went out in various directions in order to spread new strains of culture. The first mission went from Central Asia to India. The Manu sent his first pupils to India; he himself, for certain reasons, withdrew into the background." — R. Steiner, "A Chapter of Occult History" (ANTHROPOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY, Vol. 14, No. 1, Anthroposophical Publishing Co., 1969), GA 108.

c) In Theosophy and Anthroposophy, the term "Manu" may also be used as a designation for various spiritual masters who have led humanity toward spiritual wisdom. Known also as "the Masters of Wisdom" [10], they have included both superhuman and human initiates. "The Masters — the 'Manus' — were the 'leaders of humanity,' 'superhuman individuals' [11] of the 'White Lodge' [12], who brought wisdom to human beings from the pre-earthly realms in the preceding epochs of human evolution [13]. In the fifth post-atlantean epoch, however [14], such leaders would be drawn from the ranks of humanity itself." — C. Bamford, introduction to ESOTERIC LESSONS 1904-1909 (SteinerBooks, 2007), pp. xxiv-xxv. 

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[1] See "Atlantis".

[2] See "Noah" and "Flood, the Great" in this encyclopedia.

[3] I.e., the Atlantean center of occult knowledge associated with the Sun.

[4] In Anthroposophical belief, these gods — who stand four levels higher than mankind — played a major role in forming our physical planet, the Earth. They were not, however, the creators of the universe. [See "Origins".]

[5] I.e., sufficiently advanced, sufficiently evolved.

[6] A "mystery center" is much like an oracle considered as a location — it is a place were occult knowledge explaining spiritual mysteries is developed and maintained.

[7] I.e., the members of the population of Atlantis who were less evolved or developed. 

[8] According to Steiner, the people of Europe eventually became the most advanced humans. [See "Europe" and "Europeans" in this encyclopedia.] And among Europeans, the Central Europeans (pre-eminently Germans) have risen highest. [See "Central Europe" and "Germans, Germany" in this encyclopedia.]

[9] This, according to Steiner, was the beginning of history as we know it. Following the destruction of Atlantis, mankind began developing through a sequence of historical/cultural stages. These stages are usually referred to as cultural epochs or ages. [See the entry for "cultural epochs" in this encyclopedia.]

[10] See the entry for "Masters of Wisdom", below.

[11] See "Supermen".

[12] See "White Lodge".

[13] See "evolution" and "evolution of consciousness" in this encyclopedia.

[14] I.e., the present historical age, the fifth cultural epoch in the period since Atlantis was destroyed.

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manvantaras - see conditions of consciousness 

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Mars - also see Buddha; Mars epochs; Mars humans; Mars organ; Mars period; Mars-Mercury; Mongolian race; planets

a) The fourth planet from the Sun.

According to Steiner, the planet Mars that we see today is an improved recapitulation of the Old Moon phase of evolution [1]: "Mars is a reincarnation of Old Moon on a higher level." — R. Steiner, OCCULT SCIENCE - AN OUTLINE (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1969), p. 329. Mars is also the center for the abnormal spirits [2] responsible for the “Mongolian race”, Steiner said: “[I]n the Mongolian race we find the Mars-race." — R. Steiner, THE MISSION OF FOLK-SOULS (Anthroposophical Publishing Co., 1929), lecture 6, GA 121. 

Steiner taught that the planet Mars is the transfer location for Buddha [3] — it is where Buddha went in order to undergo a crucifixion comparable to Christ's on Earth. "Buddha became a Redeemer and Saviour for Mars as Christ Jesus had become for the Earth. The Buddha had been prepared for this by his teaching of Nirvana [4], lack of satisfaction with earthly existence, liberation from physical incarnation. This teaching had been prepared in a sphere outside the Earth but with the Earth's goal in view. [5] If we can look into the soul of the Buddha and grasp the import of the Sermon at Benares [6] we shall witness the preparation of activity that was not to be confined to the Earth. And then we shall realise how infinitely wise was the contract between Christian Rosenkreutz [7] and the Buddha, as the result of which, at the beginning of the seventeenth century, the Buddha relinquished his activity on the Earth through which he would have been able, from the spiritual world, to influence human souls between birth and death, in order henceforward to work in the Mars sphere for souls between death and rebirth. [8]” — R. Steiner, BETWEEN DEATH AND REBIRTH (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1975), lecture 5, GA 141. Despite having been "crucified" on Mars, Buddha is alive there, having defeated death there. "[T]he Buddha lives — quite really — on Mars." — R. Steiner, MAN IN THE LIGHT OF OCCULTISM, THEOSOPHY AND PHILOSOPHY (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1964), lecture 10, GA 137.

Steiner also said Mars is the source of Copernican maya, the mistaken idea that planets orbit the Sun. [9] “Mars used to radiate different forces. The Mars culture that human beings experience between death and a new birth [10] went through a great crisis in the earth’s fifteenth and sixteenth centuries ... When these conditions came into force on Mars, the natural consequence would have been for Mars to continue sending down to earth human beings who brought Copernican ideas with them, which are really only maya. [11] What we are seeing, then, is the decline of the Mars culture. Previously Mars had sent forth good forces. But now Mars sent forth more and more forces that would have led us deeper and deeper into maya. The achievements inspired by Mars at that time [12] were ingenious and clever, but they were maya all the same.” [See "Mars".]

b) In Greek/Roman mythology: Mars is the god of war, Ares. Steiner endorsed this view, indicating that the god Mars — like most other gods described in myths and legends — actually exists. Consequently, identifying Mars as the God of War makes sense. Ancient seers correctly discerned the warlike nature of Mars and its inhabitants, Steiner said. "[T]he men of Mars [13] have quite an exceptional lust for war. The Greeks acted on a true knowledge when they made Mars the God of War. One is indeed filled with wonder and amazement when one finds in the world of legend these echoes of the truth. Unforgettable is the impression one receives when, having discovered that terrible wars took place there, one finds that this occult knowledge is present in the names that were given out of the knowledge contained in the ancient Mysteries. [14]" — R. Steiner, MAN IN THE LIGHT OF OCCULTISM, THEOSOPHY AND PHILOSOPHY (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1964), lecture 10, GA 137.

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This is a representation of the Mars sphere, considered as a spiritual rather than a physical domain. [R.R. impressionistic sketch, 2010.] Steiner taught that the spheres of the planets may be defined in terms of physical space, but essentially they are spiritual conditions existing under the aegis of planetary gods.

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[1] See "Old Moon" in this encyclopedia. Note that, in Anthroposophical texts, Old Moon is sometimes called Old Mars: "[H]umankind received consciousness [during] the old Moon, or old Mars...." — R. Steiner, THE SPIRITUAL HIERARCHIES (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p.131. [See "Old Mars" in this encyclopedia.]

[2] See "abnormal, abnormality" in this encyclopedia.

[3] See "Buddha, buddha" in this encyclopedia.

[4] See "Nirvana" in this encyclopedia.

[5] In Anthroposophy, the "sphere" of a planet is the portion of the solar system bounded by that planet's orbit. The god(s) of that planet exercise authority within that sphere. (Spheres are nested. The sphere of a planet far from the Sun is larger than, and encompasses, the spheres of planets closer to the Sun.) Here Steiner says Buddha's teachings about nirvana originated in a sphere outside the Earth's.

[6] This was Buddha's first sermon, his initial revelation of enlightenment.

[7] He was the putative founder of Rosicrucianism, who almost certainly never existed. [See "Rosy Cross".] Steiner taught that Buddha was a student of Rosenkreutz's and he went to Mars at Rosenkreutz's behest.

[8] Steiner taught that in sleep and following death we rise through the planetary spheres. By positioning himself in the Mars sphere, Buddha is able to affect human souls following death — that is, during the interim between one earthly incarnation and the next.

[9] Steiner sometimes acknowledged that the planets orbit the Sun, but on numerous other occasions he denied it. [See "Deception".]

[10] The "Mars culture" is the spiritual influence of Mars and Buddha, especially as we experience it between earthly incarnations. ("Mars culture" may also be understood as the culture prevailing among the inhabitants of Mars. “In the Mars region the human being lives among the ‘population’ of Mars — if I may so express myself." — R. Steiner, SUPERSENSIBLE MAN (Anthroposophical Publishing Company, 1961), lecture 4, GA 231.)

[11] The chief Copernican idea, which Steiner called "maya" or illusion, is that the planets — including Earth — orbit the Sun. Steiner often, but not always, said that the planets do not orbit the Sun. This complicates (and potentially invalidates) his teachings about planetary spheres, which are defined by planetary orbits.

[12] I.e., the illusory teachings of Copernicus, for example.

[13] I.e., inhabitants of Mars. (E.g., "The men of Mars tend to settle permanently on a certain spot. Men on the Earth are cosmopolitanly inclined; Mars men are wedded to the soil, there are very few cosmopolitans among them. And there is, or rather was, on Mars constant war and strife, due to the astral bodies that are very strong and not tempered and made gentle by an I." — R. Steiner, MAN IN THE LIGHT OF OCCULTISM, THEOSOPHY AND PHILOSOPHY (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1964), lecture 10, GA 137. Mars "men" are not all humans, but some are. "The inhabitants of Mars are discovered to be either discarnate human souls or Beings of the Hierarchies [i.e., gods].” — R. Steiner, SUPERSENSIBLE MAN, lecture 4.) 

[9] I.e., ancient knowledge of spiritual mysteries. [See the entries in this encyclopedia for "mystery" and "mystery knowledge".] 

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Mars epochs - also see epochs; Mars; Mars period

According to Steiner: These are periods in Earth history presided over by Samuel, the archangel of Mars. One such period began around 1120 AD and ended around 1470 AD. It thus overlapped the end of the Greco-Roman cultural epoch and the beginning of the Anglo-Germanic cultural epoch. [1] "[T]he voyages of discovery [2] [were] a kind of reflection upon earth of what was taking place in the spiritual worlds. The explorers were filled with a courage inspired by Michael [3] while yet belonging to a Mars epoch of evolution. Samael, the Spirit of Mars, worked in their lower impulses and instincts... [4]" — I. Wegman, "On the Work of the Archangel Michael", ANTHROPOSOPHY, A Quarterly Review of Spiritual Science, No. 3.  Michaelmas 1930,  Vol. 5. 

According to Steiner, Archangels oversee evolutionary periods on a rotating basis. Thus, Samuel may preside during various periods of Earthly history: These would all be deemed, to use Wegman's terminology, "Mars epochs." Note that Wegman's use of the term "epoch" ("a Mars epoch of evolution") does not denote either a great epoch or a cultural epoch [5], and thus from a traditional Anthroposophical perspective Wegman's use of this term ("epoch") should be considered incorrect. The "Mars epoch" she mentions was, from an Anthroposophical perspective, one of the approximately 350-year-long periods presided over by various Time Archangels. [6] In a sense, it was one of the seven subdivisions of the Anglo-Germanic cultural epoch, although it began before the opening of the Anglo-Germanic cultural epoch. 

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[1] See the entry for "cultural epochs" in this encyclopedia. In Anthroposophical texts, the Greco-Roman cultural epoch is usually said to have ended in 1413 AD. The Anglo-Germanic cultural epoch, in which we still live, began then. [See the entries for these terms in this encyclopedia.] Cultural epochs gnerally last about 2,160 years.

[2] I.e., exploratory expeditions undertaken by Europeans.

[3] I.e., the Archangel of the Sun, a warrior god who battles the arch-demon Ahriman. [See "Michael" and "Ahriman".]

[4] I.e., Michael worked in the higher capacities of the explorers while Samuel worked in their lower capacities.

[5] Great epochs, according to Steiner, are major phases of history, lasting millennia. The "Alantean Epoch," for instance, was the lengthy period of time when, Steiner asserted, humans dwelled on the continent of Atlantis. Steiner said we currently live in the Post-Atlantean Epoch, the millennia-long period since Atlantis sank. [See "great epochs" in this encyclopedia.] Cultural epochs are relatively brief subdivisions of great epochs, especially subdivisions of the Post-Atantean Epoch.

[6] These 350-year periods can be understood as subdivisions of cultural epochs. [Concerning these 350-year periods, see the entry in this encyclopedia for "Time Archangels".]

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Mars humans - also see Jupiter humans; Mars; Mercury race; Moon humans; planetary humans; Saturn humans; Sun humans; Venus humans; Vulcan humans

In Anthroposophy: This pliant term is applied to humans who migrated to Mars and returned [1], but sometimes it is applied to their offspring [2], and sometimes it is applied to people who live under the particular sway of Mars. [3] Arguably only the first usage is strictly correct. “You will remember the passage in the book OCCULT SCIENCE [4] dealing with the time when the human souls ascended to the planets and afterwards descended once more to earth-existence. I spoke of how the Mars-men, the Jupiter-men and the others descended again to earth." — R. Steiner, "Picture of Earth-Evolution in the Future" (THE GOLDEN BLADE, 1960), GA 204.

"Mars humans" usually should be differentiated from "men of Mars" or "Mars men"; the former designation generally applies to humans who live on Earth but have special connections with Mars, whereas the latter designations generally apply to humans living on or near Mars. But Steiner and his translators have not been entirely consistent in their use of any such terms. [5]

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[1] See "planetary migrations" in this encyclopedia.

[2] Steiner taught that humans who returned from other planets mated with humans who remained on Earth, giving rise to offspring who bear the effects of the other planets. [See "planetary humans" in this encyclopedia.]

[3] Astrology is important in many Anthroposophical teachings. Both stars and planets purportedly have astrological effects on human character and destiny. [See "astrology" in this encyclopedia.]

[4] See "Everything".

[5] See the references of "men of Mars" in the entry for "Mars", above.

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Mars-Mercury - also see conditions of consciousness; Mars; Mercury; Present Earth

In some esoteric teachings: This is an occult designation for the solar system's (or humanity's) present condition. In Anthroposophy, "Mars-Mercury" is equivalent to Present Earth or our current condition of consciousness. [1] Mars is paramount during the first half of the Present Earth stage of evolution; Mercury is paramount during the second. "Mars has given iron to the Earth and the Mercury influence manifests on the Earth in such a way that it makes the human soul more and more free, more and more independent. [2] In occultism [3] therefore, we speak of the Mars half of Earth evolution [4] and of the Mercury half ... Earth evolution is spoken of as 'Mars-Mercury.' Used in this connection the names do not designate the planets we know today but the influences at work during the first and second halves of Earth evolution. [5]" — R. Steiner, THEOSOPHY OF THE ROSICRUCIAN (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1966), p. 80.

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[1] See "Present Earth" and the entry for "condition of consciousness" in this encyclopedia.

[2] These are essentially astrological influences, although they may have distinctly physical consequences (such as the production of "iron" as an effect of Mars). Astrology is important throughout many Astrological doctrines. [See "Astrology".]

[3] See "Occultism".

[4] I.e., Present Earth.

[5] I.e., Steiner asserts that he is not speaking of physical planets in the solar system today; he is speaking of the planets' spiritual essences (the resident gods) responsible for the "influences" affecting our evolution during different phases of Present Earth. The gods of Mars had particular influence during the first half of Mars-Mercury, and the gods of Mercury have particular influence now.

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Mars organ - also see Jupiter organ; Mars; organs of clairvoyance; planetary organs; Saturn organ 

According to Steiner, this is a spiritual organ developed through the influence of Mars. [See "Mars".] Steiner taught that we develop various spirit-endowed "organs" during our after-death passage through the higher worlds. [See "Planetary Humans" and "Higher Worlds".] "In the same way that in earthly life we have head, heart, limbs...after [death] we have organs which we must attribute to Mars, Jupiter, Saturn. [paragraph break] These are then our inner organs, just as heart, pineal gland, kidneys, are on Earth. [1] All this has gone through a metamorphosis into the spiritual and these new organs, not fully formed when first we leave the soul-world and enter the world of spirit [2], now have to be gradually developed. For this purpose we do not describe one circle only [3] in the Sun-existence, as in our Moon-existence, but three. [4] In the first circle the spiritual Mars organ is developed; in the second, the Jupiter organ, and the Saturn organ in the last circle." — R. Steiner, THE EVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1966), lecture 10, GA 227. Steiner was largely uninformative about the precise functions of these planetary organs.

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[1] I.e., we rely on these nonphysical or spiritual organs during our lives between Earthly incarnations, just as we rely on our physical organs during our lives on Earth.

[2] Stener taught that there are two "higher worlds" above the physical world: the soul world and the spirit world. [See the entries for these terms in this encyclopedia.] After leaving the physical realm, we rise into the soul world and then, later, the spirit world, which is higher. [See "Higher Worlds".]

[3] I.e., just one phase, one period during our existence under the aegis of the Sun.

[4] Steiner taught that when we rise into the higher (spiritual) worlds, we pass through the "spheres" of various "planets" (including the Sun and the Moon). In Anthroposophy, the "sphere" of a planet is generally the portion of the solar system bounded by that planet's orbit. The god(s) of that planet exercise authority within that sphere. Here Steiner says that our "Moon-existence" consists of just one phase whereas our "Sun-existence" has three phases, during which we develop three spiritual "organs." 

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Mars period - also see death; Mars; Mars epoch; planetary spheres; Samael; sleep

a) In Anthroposophy, the period one spends in the sphere of Mars while asleep or after death. Steiner told of our rise through various planetary spheres followed by our subsequent descent through them. Our residence in each sphere is, of course, longer and more consequential following death. "Throughout this period of the time between death and a new birth, we live among spiritual beings. [1] And then we begin to travel through the starry heavens on our way back to Earth [2] ... [W]e pass through the spheres of Saturn, Jupiter and Mars [etc.]...." — R. Steiner, PLANETARY SPHERES AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON MAN'S LIFE ON EARTH AND IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLDS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1982), lecture 4, GA 218.

b) In Anthroposophy, in a different sense: a period of time presided over by Samael (or Samuel), the Archangel of Mars. [See the entry for "Mars epoch", above.] Thus Samael was Time Archangel [3] from approximately 1120 AD to approximately 1470 AD, a 350-year period that overlapped the end of the Greco-Roman Epoch (approx. 747 BC - 1413 AD) and the beginning of the Anglo-Germanic Epoch (1413 AD - 3573 AD). "Samael , the Archangel of Mars, was nearing the end of his quarrelsome rule as Time Archangel when the [Anglo-Germanic] age began ... It was at this time that the cosmic intelligence was carried from the heart to the head; from being heart-centred, human beings became increasingly centred in their heads. [4]" — R. Seddon, THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY AND THE EARTH AS FORESEEN BY RUDOLF STEINER (Temple Lodge Publishing, 2002), p. 17.

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[1] I.e., gods — particularly gods who preside over various planetary spheres. [See "Planetary Spirits" and "Higher Worlds".] The longer we reside in the presence of the gods, the more benefit we may gain from this experience.

[2] We rise through the planetary spheres when, after death, we ascend to the higher worlds. Then we descend through them again as we move toward a new awakening or birth on Earth. In Anthroposophy, the "sphere" of a planet is the portion of the solar system bounded by that planet's orbit. The god(s) of that planet exercise authority within that sphere.

[3] See the entry in this encyclopedia for "Time Archangels".

[4] I.e., wisdom accessible to humanity (originating with the gods) no longer was to be found primarily in the heart but in the head. This was a process of alienation, as humanity came to rely on intellect rather than feelings, which are truer. (The heart, in Anthroposophy, is spiritually higher than the head. Steiner taught that no true thinking occurs in the head.) This was a necessary evolutionary step, Steiner taught, but it removed us farther from the spirit realm. Steiner generally disparaged intellect and affirmed heartfelt consciousness. [See "Steiner's Specific".] Even in our current stage of evolution, when the head seems paramount, we should place greater faith in our hearts. And in future stages of evolution, we will transcend mere intellect, Steiner taught. 

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Mars race - see Mongolian race.

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Martinmas - see festivals; St. Martin's

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Maryon, Edith (1872-1924) - also see Goetheanum; Representative of Humanity

A sculptress and devout Anthroposophist, Maryon did most (or, probably, all) of the work on the statue of Christ, Ahriman, and Lucifer that stands in the Anthroposophical headquarters, the Goetheanum. Anthroposophists often attribute the sculpting to Steiner himself, but this is incorrect. Steiner designed the statute, and Maryon sculpted it.

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masculine principle - also see male; cf. feminine principle

"[W]e have reached the period in which we have seen the earlier dual-sexed organism [1], representing a kind of group-soul [2], divide into a male and a female, so that the similar is reproduced through the female, what is varied and dissimilar through the male. [3] We see in our humanity the feminine to be the principle which still preserves the old conditions of folk and race [4], and the masculine that which continually breaks through these conditions, splits them up and so individualises mankind. [5] There is actually active in the human being an ancient feminine principle as group-soul and a new masculine principle as individualising element. It will come about that all connections of race and family stock will cease to exist, men will become more and more different from one another, interconnection will no longer depend on the common blood, but on what binds soul to soul. [6] That is the course of human evolution. [7]" — R. Steiner, THEOSOPHY OF THE ROSICRUCIAN, lecture 12, GA 99.

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[1] Steiner taught that, early in our evolution toward becoming modern human beings, some proto-humans were able to impregnate themselves. These proto-humans evolved to become modern females, whereas certain powerful but barren proto-humans became modern males. [See the entry for "male", above.]

[2] See "group soul" in this encyclopedia.

[3] I.e., the female line in any human group carries the inclination for progeny to be similar to one another. The male line carries the inclination for progeny to be dissimilar.

[4] The female principle, in this sense, is backward harkening to evolutionary stages when humans did not have a strong sense of individual identity. Instead, group identities (folk identities, racial identities) were paramount. [See "folk soul" and "race soul" in this encyclopedia.]

[5] This individualization is epitomized by the development and accentuation of the "I". [See "I" in this encyclopedia.]

[6] I.e., we will evolve beyond group identities to accentuate our individuality, and thus our relationships with others will be based on the recognition of soul identities (individual identities) rather than group identities (identities based on shared blood or shared genetics).

[7] In this sense, according to Steiner, the masculine principle has been essential for proper human evolution. [See "evolution" and "divine cosmic plan" in this encyclopedia.]

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Masonry - see Freemasonry

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masters (Masters) - also see Bodhisattvas; guru; initiate; leaders; lodges

In Anthroposophical belief: These are spiritual guides, gurus, high initiates. "These elevated beings have already passed along the path that the rest of humankind has yet to travel. They act as the great 'teachers of wisdom and the harmony of human feelings.' [1]" — R. Steiner, quoted by R. McDermott in THE NEW ESSENTIAL STEINER (Lindisfarne Books, Anthroposophic Press, 2009), p. 86. Anthroposophists generally consider Steiner himself to be one of the great masters.

Masters can assist us in surprising ways. "When man is in a sleeping condition, any being having the power to send out thoughts [2], can gain an influence over him. He can therefore be influenced by higher individualities, such as those we call Masters. They can send thoughts into the etheric body [3] of the sleeper. Someone can therefore receive into his etheric body [4] pure and lofty thoughts [5] when the Masters consciously wish to make this their concern ... Thus in the morning there are to be found in the etheric body, firstly thoughts which have approached it from the environment [6] and secondly thoughts also which the Masters or other individualities have implanted into it." — R. Steiner, FOUNDATIONS OF ESOTERICISM (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1982), lecture 20, GA 93a.

The masters have evolved to a higher level than the rest of us. “In the Seventh Round [7] everyone will have reached the stage at which our Masters stand today. Then our ego [8] will be the bearer of all earthly experiences. To begin with this will be concentrated in the Lodge of the Masters. [9] The higher ego [10] then will draw itself together, become atomic and form the atoms [11] of (future) Jupiter. [12]” — R. Steiner, ibid., lecture 25.

In Theosophy and Anthroposophy, masters (or Masters) are also referred to as "Manus" [13] or, more narrowly, as Masters of Wisdom. Most have been superhuman, but beginning in the fifth post-Atlantean epoch, they have included humans [14]. In addition to Steiner, masters revered by Anthroposophists include Jesus/Zoroaster [15] and Christian Rosenkreutz [16].

[For more on initiates and gurus, see "Inside Scoop" and "Guru".]

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[1] Steiner here indicates that all "Masters" are "Masters of Wisdom and of the Harmony of Feelings". [See "Masters of Wisdom (Masters of Wisdom and of the Harmony of Feelings)", below.] But on other occasions Steiner used the term "Master" in a somewhat looser sense, applying it to any being that is has evolved beyond the general level of humanity and thus may serve as a spiritual guide.

[2] I.e., projecting thoughts, implanting them in others. Some mystics associate this power with remote viewing, extrasensory perception, or mental telepathy.

[3] The etheric body is the lowest of the three invisible bodies that a true human being comes to possess, according to Steiner. [See "Incarnation".] 

[4] See "etheric body" in this encyclopedia.

[5] See "living pictures" and "living thoughts" in this encyclopedia. In general, Steiner indicated, the Masters who send us these "pure and lofty thoughts" have evolved beyond the human stage of evolution: They are gods.

[6] I.e., thoughts carried within the physical environment but also, more importantly, the spiritual environment in which we all exist. (Steiner indicated that living thoughts, originating with the gods, are borne by the cosmic ether.)

[7] I.e., the culminating condition of life in the Present Earth condition of consciousness. [See the entries for "conditions of consciousness", "conditions of life", and "Present Earth" in this encyclopedia.] In general, Steiner said we evolve through an extremely long sequences of evolutionary stages, each of which has seven substages. The "Seventh Round" is the seventh or culminating condition of life (the seventh substage) in our current condition of consciousness (our current evolutionary stage).

[8] See "Ego".

[9] A "lodge," in this sense, is a gathering place (generally not on the physical plane) where Masters meet and perform their occult functions. [See the entry for "lodges" in this encyclopedia.]

[10] I.e., the part of the ego that remains in the spirit realm while the rest of the human being is incarnate on the physical plane. [See "higher ego" in this encyclopedia.]

[11] I.e., seeds or germinating points. (Steiner rejected the ordinary, scientific understanding of atoms. [See "Atoms".]) Here Steiner indicates that the higher ego, having concentrated itself, will play the role of basic constituent in our next major stage of evolution.)

[12] See "Future Stages".

[13] See "Manu(s)" in this encyclopedia.

[14] I.e., most Masters have been gods, but during our current great epoch [see "Post-Atlantean Epoch" in this encyclopedia], some Masters have been humans.

[15] Steiner taught that the Persian prophet Zarathustra reincarnated as Zoroaster, who later reincarnated as the Solomonic Jesus. [See "Zarathustra", "Zoroaster", and "Solomonic Jesus" in this encyclopedia.] 

[16] See "Rosenkreutz, Christian" in this encyclopedia. 

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Masters of Wisdom (Masters of Wisdom and of the Harmony of Feelings) - also see Bodhisattvas; Esoteric School; Manu(s); masters (Masters)

In Anthroposophical teachings, these are Manus or Masters [1] who have acquired transcendent spiritual knowledge. In effect, they are perfected Anthroposophists (who may have long predated Anthroposophy as such), initiates who have attained true gnosis. [2] Some of these Masters may arise from the ranks of humans, but others have arisen from the ranks of spirits who are more advanced than humans: in essence, gods. (Steiner taught that the gods evolve much as we do, and indeed they often passed through their own "human" stage before evolving higher. [3]) Such Masters direct attention toward us, conveying lessons to assist us in our own evolution. Steiner attributed the founding of the Esoteric School [4] to these masters, and he told students at the school the following: "As we know, it's our duty at the beginning of each esoteric lesson to address the Spirit, the regent of the day who helps to direct the earth in world evolution [5] ... After we've meditated on the verses or have done the other things that the masters of wisdom and of the harmony of feelings have given us for our training, we should remain absolutely quiet for awhile ... Then one has a condition in which clairvoyance can begin. [6]" — R. Steiner, FROM THE CONTENTS OF ESOTERIC CLASSES (transcript, Rudolf Steiner Archive), 8/23/1911, GA 266. For Steiner's followers, the messages from the Masters are transmitted principally through Steiner himself.

Sometimes, the title "Masters of Wisdom and of the Harmony of Feelings" (or a variant) is applied to seven specific spiritual initiates. "While the ancient Mysteries were disappearing, this new kind of connection with the spiritual world was born. [7] In this new Mystery stream a new kind of Initiates arose, again with seven leading Initiates, sometimes referred to as 'Masters of Wisdom and of Harmony of Feelings' or simply as the 'Masters.'" — E. Katz, "The Mission of Rudolf Steiner" (transcript, Rudolf Steiner Archive, 2004). These Masters are said to include Christian Rosenkreutz and "Master Jesus." [8] Rudolf Steiner was their earthly representative, Anthroposophists say.

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[1] See "masters (Masters)" and "Manu(s)" in this encyclopedia.

[2] See "Gnosis".

[3] See "human stage of evolution" in this encyclopedia.

[4] See "Esoteric School" in this encyclopedia.

[5] According to Steiner, Michael is the Archangel of the Sun, who fights on behalf of the Sun God, Christ. [See "Michael" and "Sun God".] For some time now, Michael has been ruler over human affairs. [See "Michael" in this encyclopedia.] Michael may be deemed the preeminent Master or Regent. "Now throughout the ages, the Regent of this Cosmic Intelligence [divine wisdom] which, like the light, streams over the whole world, has been the Spirit known by the name of Michael." — R. Steiner, COSMIC CHRISTIANITY AND THE IMPULSE OF MICHAEL, lecture 3, GA 240. Steiner and his followers would ultimately claim the tightest of connections between Michael and Steiner's own teachings. "St Michael and anthroposophy are connected in a special way. As the custodian of cosmic intelligence, and as spirit of the age, Michael inspires all human beings who wish to connect the human spirit with the spirit of the cosmos. Anthroposophy is also called the School of Michael." — H. van Oort, ANTHROPOSOPHY A-Z (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2011), p. 78.

[6] The development of clairvoyance is a key goal for humanity, Steiner taught; especially for Steiner's own followers.

[7] This is essentially what Steiner claimed to offer humanity.

[8] See "masters (Masters)", above.

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materialism - also see automatons; brain; intellect; mathematism; matter; science; thinking; world conceptions

a) Excessive interest in material possessions.

b) The philosophical belief that nothing exists except matter and the movements of matter.

c) In Anthroposophy: a state of condensed (or over-condensed) spirit. "Just as a piece of floating ice is substance of the surrounding water [1] although it stands out prominently owing to particular qualities, so are the things perceptible to the senses [2] substance of the surrounding soul and spirit worlds [3]. They stand out from these worlds [4] owing to particular qualities that make them perceptible to the senses. They are, speaking somewhat metaphorically, condensed spirit and soul formations, and the condensation makes it possible for the senses to acquire knowledge of them." [5] — R. Steiner, THEOSOPHY, lecture 3, GA 9.

When we, in our physical bodies, become aware of physical objects in the world around us, we are tempted to deal with these objects by employing what Steiner called "materialistic thinking," which is reliance on the physical organ called the brain. [See "Materialism U."] Nothing good or ultimately true can come from materialistic thinking, Steiner said. “The brain is an instrument for purely intellectual apprehension. [6] Intellectualism and materialistic thinking are one and the same, for all the thinking that goes on in science, in theology, in the sphere of modern Christian consciousness — all of it is the product of the human brain alone, is materialistic. [7] This manifests itself, on the one hand, in the empty formalism of belief; on the other, in Bolshevism [8] ... [T]he materialistic brain represents a process of decay: materialistic thinking unfolds only through processes of destruction, death-processes, which are taking place in the brain. [9]” — R. Steiner, THE FESTIVALS AND THEIR MEANING (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1996), pp. 147-148.

Limiting one's awareness to the physical world perceived by physical senses and analyzed by the physical brain causes one to embrace a faulty materialistic ideology, Steiner said. According to Steiner, materialism as a creed is one of the twelve "justified" or defended world conceptions. "There are people so constituted that it is not possible for them to find the way to the Sprit [10], and to give them any proof of the Spirit will always be hard. They stick to something they know about, in accordance with their nature. [11] Let us say they stick at something that makes the crudest kind of impression on them — Materialism. We need not regard as foolish the arguments they advance as a defence or proof of Materialism, for an immense amount of ingenious writing has been devoted to the subject [12], and it holds good in the first place for material life, for the material world and its laws. [13]" — R. Steiner, HUMAN AND COSMIC THOUGHT (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1991), p. 30. Steiner associated materialism with the astrological sign Cancer. [See "Philosophy".]

•••

These are the twelve world conceptions enumerated by Steiner, 

and the constellations under whose power he said they stand.

[R. Steiner, HUMAN AND COSMIC THOUGHT]

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[1] I.e., ice consists of the same substance as liquid water. (Ice is frozen water.)

[2] These are material objects, things we can perceive with our bodily senses.

[3] I.e., material objects are bits of the soul and spirit worlds that have condensed (like water condenses into ice), making them perceptible. But they remain extensions of spiritual realities.

[4] These are the two worlds that, Steiner said, constitute the spirit realm. [See "soul world" and "spirit world(s)" in this encyclopedia.]

[5] Note that Steiner sometimes indicated that the process of condensation can go too far, in which case an object becomes entirely physical, losing its spiritual essence. Hence, the Anthrposophical view of the natural physical world is ambivalent. [See "Neutered Nature".]

[6] See "intellect" in this encyclopedia.

[7] All of these spheres are corrupted to the degree that they rely on intellect and the brain, Steiner taught. True cognition, Steiner said, is clairvoyance and the reception of "living thoughts" from the gods. The "cognition" produced by the brain is false: "[T]he brain and nerve system have nothing at all to do with actual cognition." — R. Steiner, FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE  (SteinerBooks, 1996), p. 60. Even "Christian consciousness" is damaged by the material brain — such Christianity becomes "modern," a term with deeply negative connotations for Steiner and his followers.

[8] Sic: emphasis by Steiner. (Bolshevism is the Russian Communist form of government, which was rigidly centralized and dictatorial.)

[9] See "brain" in this encyclopedia.

[10] This is the very definition of falsehood, from Steiner's perspective. Spirit is truth; cutting oneself off from Spirit means committing oneself to error.

[11] The problem for these people lies in their "nature" or the way they are "constituted."  

[12] I.e., materialism is wrong, but it is not foolish. A lot of ingenious, intellectually sophisticated thought has been advanced to support it. (It isn't foolish, but it is mistaken.)

[13] Steiner taught that intellect and natural science can generally describe the physical realm well enough, but they are wholly inadequate for probing higher levels of existence. Spirit is truth; materialism is the antithesis of genuine wisdom, Steiner contended.

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material occultism - see mechanical occultism

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mathematics - also see clairvoyance; geometry; logic; mathematism; numerology

Like other subjects, mathematics as taught at Waldorf schools is often infused with religious (occult, Anthroposophical) feeling and intent. "It is possible to introduce a religious element into every subject, even into math lessons. Anyone who has some knowledge of Waldorf teaching will know that this statement is true. A Christian element [1] pervades every subject, even mathematics. This fundamental religious current flows through all of [Waldorf] education." — R. Steiner, THE CHILD's CHANGING CONSCIOUSNESS AS THE BASIS OF PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICE (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 94. 

A form of numerology [2] runs through the Waldorf approach to numbers. In Anthroposophical belief, numbers have mystical significance; whether these beliefs are openly revealed during Waldorf math classes depends on the choices made by individual teachers. Steiner made statements such as the following about numbers: "Three is the number of the Divinity revealing itself ... Four is the sign of the cosmos or of creation ... Five is the number of evil ... Seven is the number of perfection." — R. Steiner, OCCULT SIGNS AND SYMBOLS (Anthroposophic Press, 1972), pp. 34-44. [See "Magic Numbers".]

Steiner placed special importance on one branch of mathematics: geometry with its “symmetrical drawing...which stimulates inner perception. [3]” — R. Steiner, quoted in RUDOLF STEINER ON EDUCATION (Hawthorn Press, 1993), p. 97. Waldorf belief holds that geometry can convince children to believe in the supersensible realm [4], and indeed it fosters clairvoyance. “Basic geometric concepts awaken clairvoyant abilities.” — R. Steiner, THE FOURTH DIMENSION: Sacred Geometry, Alchemy, and Mathematics (Anthroposophic Press, 2001), p. 92. [5] Steiner said he experienced the mystical power of geometry in his own life: “Through his geometry book, that assistant teacher at Neudörf provided me with a confirmation of the spiritual world I needed then.” — R. Steiner, AUTOBIOGRAPHY (Anthroposophic Press, 2006), p. 10. [See "Mystic Math".]

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[1] Steiner sometimes differentiated between Anthroposophy (which he termed a "science") from Christianity (a religion), but sometimes he conflated these terms. The "Christianity" in Waldorf education is Anthroposophy, which honors Christ the Sun God. [See "Sun God".]

[2] See "numerology" in this encyclopedia.

[3] I.e., clairvoyance.

[4] The forms studied in geometry (triangles, circles, etc.) are deemed to have their true existence in a nonphysical ideal realm. (For instance, a triangle drawn by a student is thought to be only an approximation of the real triangle existing in the great beyond.)

[5] The study of forms in a nonphysical ideal realm supposedly fosters development of a type of perception — clairvoyance — that enables one to investigate that realm. (But the clairvoyance born of geometry is only a preliminary type of psychic perception. To attain high, precise clairvoyance, one needs to embrace Anthroposophy, Steiner said.).

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mathematism - also see materialism; mathematics; philosophy; world conceptions

This is one of the twelve justified or defended world conceptions, according to Steiner [1]: accepting as true only those things that can be dealt with mathematically. "The crudest kind of materialism [2]...will consist in this, that people carry to an extreme the saying...that in the individual sciences there is only so much real science as there is mathematics ... [A]nyone who raises himself above...crude materialism [3] will become a mathematical thinker, and will recognize as valid only whatever can be treated mathematically. [4] From this results a conception of the universe that really admits nothing beyond mathematical formulae. This may be called Mathematism.” — R. Steiner, HUMAN AND COSMIC THOUGHT (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1991), pp. 32-33. Steiner associated materialism with Gemini. [5]

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[1] See "Philosophy".

[2] See the entry for "materialism", above.

[3] I.e., anyone who — while still essentially a materialist — rises to more sophisticated thinking than crude materialism. (Spiritual people, Steiner taught, do not embrace mathematism; they rise far higher.)

[4] In effect, mathematism is a higher form of materialsm, Steiner says here. Mathematics may lead us in the direction of spiritual realities [see the entry for "mathematics", above], but remaining immured in mathematics and only mathematics would leave us far short of true comprehension of spiritual realities. 

[5] See "Gemini" in this encyclopedia. 

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matter - also see materialism; maya; nature; physical plane; physical world

a) Physical substance, empirically real.

b) In Anthroposophical belief, matter is condensed or crystalized spirit, and/or illusory substance — the lowest form of existence, the farthest removed from the spirit realm. During our Present Earth phase of evolution [1], we have sunk down into matter. Steiner said the following about an early stage of Earthly life: “With the increasing densification of terrestrial matter, the spiritual being gradually lost the ability to mold this matter [2] ... A new manner of reproduction arose ... While before there had been no organs of reproduction, these now made their appearance ... With this an important stage in the development of mankind is reached. The immediate influence of the soul has been withdrawn from the physical body. [3] The latter is totally given over to the physical and chemical world of matter." — R. Steiner, COSMIC MEMORY (Rudolf Steiner Publications, 1959), chapter 8, GA 11. 

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[1] See the entry in this encyclopedia for "Present Earth".

[2] Steiner taught that matter has become more dense than it was in previous stages of cosmic evolution. Purely spiritual beings cannot mold or work with this extremely dense matter, so a new form of human reproduction became necessary.

[3] I.e., the soul no longer had immediate, close contact and control over the physical body, which had sunk far into material existence.

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maya, illusion - also see fantasy; materialism; physical world; veil; cf. reality; truth

A concept from Hinduism: Maya is illusion, specifically the illusory nature of the phenomenal (natural or physical) world; also, it is the gods’ powers causing such illusion. Steiner adopted the concept of maya, adapting it to his system, Anthroposophy. [1] “I must emphasize this again and again, that the saying ‘the world is Maya’ is so vitally important." — R. Steiner, THE MISSION OF THE FOLK SOULS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2005), p. 64. The greatest liar, the author of so many illusions that await us in the world of matter, is the arch-demon Ahriman. “Ahriman [2] infused into human observation something like a dark smoke cloud that prevents penetration to the spiritual. [3] Through Ahriman's agency man is enmeshed in lies, in maya, in illusion.“ — R. Steiner, THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN (Anthroposophic Press, 1973), lecture 12, GA 112. To pierce through maya, Steiner taught, we need to develop powers of clairvoyance [4], especially "exact" clairvoyance of the sort he claimed to possess. [5]

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[1] See "Anthroposophy" in this encyclopedia.

[2] See "Ahriman".

[3] I.e., Ahriman clouded our vision, preventing us from directly observing spiritual realities.

[4] See "Clairvoyance".

[5] See "Exactly".

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Maypole dance - also see festivals; pagan

Originally a pagan fertility rite — the dancers circle an enormous phallus. In modified form, Maypole dancing is often included in Waldorf spring festivals and other celebratory/ritual occasions. It is then presented as a celebration of renewed life forces, a thanksgiving for the return of the forces of springtime. [See, e.g., "Failure".] Such colorful events often make for effective public relations, charming parents and attracting new families to the schools. Waldorf education offers itself as an exemplar of the traditional, the natural, and the beautiful, as opposed to the harsh soullessness of modern technological society. The charm of Waldorf activities may fade, however, when the esoteric meanings of events at the schools are discovered. (At one level, a Waldorf Maypole dance may be seen as an enactment of the swirling interplay of cosmic gender forces. In Waldorf belief, male and female are distinctly different spiritual conditions [1], although each soul passes through both conditions in the course of reincarnation. [2] A person incarnating as male in one life will incarnate as female in the next, and this alternating pattern will persist through many incarnations.) Virtually every activity at a genuine Waldorf school is ultimately an esoteric Anthroposophical action of some type.

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[1] See the entries in this encyclopedia for "female" and "male".

[2] Reincarnation and its allied concept, karma, are central Anthroposophical doctrines. [See "Reincarnation" and "Karma".]

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McDermott, Robert A. (b. 1939)

An American Anthroposophist who has held high positions at the New York Center for Anthroposophy, the Rudolf Steiner Institute, and Rudolf Steiner College. His publications include THE ESSENTIAL STEINER, THE NEW ESSENTIAL STEINER, and STEINER AND ANTHROPOSOPHY.

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mechanical occultism - also see America; American Age; English people; eugenic occultism; hygienic occultism; mechanization; occultism

According to Anthroposophical belief [1], this is an impending form of occultism [2] that will produce machines that operate in accordance with subtle, semi-metaphysical principles rather than through the use of basic physical, cause-and-effect reactions. So, for instance, machines may be created that function in response to sympathetic vibrations rather than through the burning of dead matter (coal, oil, and so forth). Secret societies consisting of British, American, and other representatives of the English-speaking world will purportedly evince a particular capacity for developing such machines. "Every knowledgeable member of these secret circles is aware that solely by means of certain capacities which are still latent in man but are still evolving, and with the help of the law of harmonious vibrations [3], machines and mechanical constructions can be set in motion ... The capacity to set motors in motion according to the law or interacting vibrations will develop on a considerable scale among the English-speaking peoples." — R. Steiner, quoted by G. Unger, "On Mechanical Occultism" (Rudolf Steiner Archive & e.Lib, downloaded 5/30/2020).

The discovery and use of this "law" hinge on the development of a new form of occultism, one that focuses largely if not exclusively on the manipulation and control of physical reality, especially through the invention of new machines. Steiner called this "mechanical occultism" or, sometimes "material occultism" and/or "mechanistic occultism." The powers developed under these headings will alleviate much human toil [4], Steiner said, but they will also become tools for political oppression. "By means of [material occultism]...certain social forms at present basic within the industrial system shall be set up on an entirely different foundation [5] ... These things are at present in process of development [within secret centers] ... If what I am now discussing with you under the name of mechanistic occultism enters into the field of practical action, which is the ideal of those secret centers, it will be possible to accomplish the work not only of 500,000,000 or 600,000,000 but of 1,080,000,000 persons. The possibility will thus come about of rendering unnecessary nine-tenths of the work of individuals within the regions of the English-speaking peoples. [6] Mechanistic occultism will not only render it possible to do without nine-tenths of the labor still performed at present by human hands, but will give the possibility also of paralyzing every uprising attempted by the then dissatisfied masses of humanity. [7]" — R. Steiner, THE CHALLENGE OF THE TIMES (Anthroposophic Press, 1941), pp. 92-94.

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[1] See "Anthroposophy" in this encyclopedia.

[2] See "occultism" in this encyclopedia.

[3] Steiner proceeds to label this the "law or interacting vibrations." His apparent meaning is that physical objects that are set to vibrate at the same frequency, becoming harmonious, interact with one another, moving in accordance with their harmonic relationship.

[4] The new machines may be intended to aid humans in various ways, or they may at least be presented as having this purpose. But the hidden (occult) purpose may be something quite different, Steiner indicated.

[5] I.e., the new machines may serve to alter human social relations and structures, creating a new industrial society under the control of the secret societies.

[6] I.e., machines ostensibly meant to assist humans will actually cause widespread human unemployment and poverty.

[7] I.e., the new machines and the new structure of society will prevent the dissatisfied, unemployed masses from staging any effective rebellion. Control by the secret societies will be nearly absolute.

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mechanization - also see Ahriman; America; automatons; machines; mechanical occultism; spider beings; technology

Mechanization is the use of machinery, or the process of automating various human activities. According to Steiner, mechanization is encouraged by the arch-demon Ahriman [1], and it is especially characteristic of Americans. Mechanization is one of great temptations of our cultural epoch, Steiner taught. "Mankind now faces two paths: One of these leads through the mechanization of the spirit. [2] In more recent times, the spirit has become very mechanical [3], particularly in regard to the abstract laws of Nature, which have also been applied to social life, as ruling laws. [4] Mechanization of the spirit — vegetalization of the soul! [5] ... Let us now turn our gaze to the East. There we can see that the animalization of the bodies [6] is coming up in a very strong measure. Just as the Americanization of the spirit [7] represents a mechanization of spiritual life, so the Bolshevism which tends to spread out in the East represents an animalization of the bodies ... At the present time, humanity has therefore the choice of advancing in a direction where it can find, on the one hand, the mechanization of the spirit, the vegetalization of the souls and the animalization of the bodies, or else it may, on the other hand, seek the path leading to an AWAKENING OF THE SPIRIT. [8]" — R. Steiner, "The Crossing of the Threshold and the Social Organism" (ANTHROPOSOPHICAL NEWS SHEET, No. 5-6, General Anthroposophical Society, 1940), GA 193.

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[1] See "Ahriman".

[2] I.e., one path open to us is to damage our spirits (or our connection with the spirit realm) by increasing our reliance on mechanization; it is the path associated with mechanical or mechanistic occultism. The other path is the spiritual/Anthroposophic path, Steiner indicated.

[3] I.e., the modern world has damaged the human spirit. Human beings create spiritual realities through their actions, Steiner taught. By mechanizing our lives, we have damaged or altered our spirits to such a degree that we might now call them "mechanical."

[4] I.e., we have applied the laws of physics, abstractions discovered through the use of intellect, to our personal and social lives. We have treated these laws as if they are universally true, whereas really they apply only to the lowly physical plane of existence.

[5] In addition to mechanizing our spirits, we have "vegetalized" our souls. (Steiner distinguished between spirits and souls. [See these terms in this encyclopedia.] We have deadened the human spirit and the human soul, turning one into machinery and the other into vegetation.)

[6] Steiner adds to the list of modern horrors: In the East (by which, here, he primarily means Russia, home of the new menace called Communism or Bolshevism) the human body is treated as an animal, nothing more. (Russian or Soviet Communism was officially atheistic.)

[7] Mechanization is occurring mainly in America, Steiner taught. Here he speaks of "Americanization of the spirit" as virtually synonymous with "mechanization of the spirit". (Steiner said Germany stands between Russia and America, fending off these two evil powers, much as Christ stands between Lucifer and Ahriman" [See "Steiner and the Warlord".])

[8] I.e., we can choose a path leading to horrors ("the mechanization of the spirit, the vegetalization of the souls and the animalization of the bodies"), or we can choose the path leading to a spiritual revival: Anthroposophy.

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media policies at Waldorf schools - also see Ahriman; computers; mechanization; technology; television

Many Waldorf schools have "media policies" under which parents agree to curtail their children's exposure to computers, the Internet, smart phones, television, and other electronic media or forms of electronic communication and entertainment. Sensible arguments can be made for limiting the amount of time children spend staring into electronic screens, but the Waldorf view is mystical rather than rational. The fundamental Waldorf objection to technological devices of all sorts is a fear of demons. Rudolf Steiner taught, and his followers believe, that technology provides the means for demons to incarnate on Earth. [See "Computers" and "Media Policies" at Waldorf Straight Talk.] Usually, however, Waldorf schools describe their media policies in calmer terms. Thus, for instance: "Why do we choose to protect our children from exposure to TV, videos, movies, computer games, gameboys, and other media? ... The Waldorf School is designed to nourish the feeling life of children and to strengthen the imagination [1] ... Students accustomed to passively receiving impressions have difficulty making the inner effort necessary to sustain imaginative thought ... Parents are especially asked to refrain, throughout the years at Summerfield (even in HIGH SCHOOL!), from any media exposure on a school night ... We encourage parents to....create a media-free lifestyle." — Summerfield Waldorf School, downloaded May 13, 2015.

The actual thinking behind Waldorf media policies is found in such works as THE COMPUTER AND THE INCARNATION OF AHRIMAN (Rudolf Steiner College Press), by D. B. Black. [2] The author indicates that the development of computers has hastened the earthly arrival of the terrible demon Ahriman. [3] Steiner warned that the very use of electricity leads to a demonic society. "[E]lectric atoms are little demons of Evil ... [W]hen we listen to a modern physicist blandly explaining that Nature consists of electrons, we merely listen to him explaining that Nature really consists of little demons of Evil! And if we acknowledge Nature in this form, we raise Evil to the rank of the ruling world-divinity ... If we contemplate electricity today, we contemplate the images of a past moral reality that have turned into something evil." — R. Steiner, "Concerning Electricity" (General Anthroposophical Society, 1940), GA 220. Steiner's followers have heeded him on this matter. “The exploitation of electric forces — for example in information and computing technologies — spreads evil over the Earth in an immense spider's web. And fallen spirits of darkness [i.e., demons]...are active in this web.” — R. Seddon, THE END OF THE MILLENNIUM AND BEYOND (Temple Lodge Publishing, 1996), p. 24. To protect children, then, we need to shield them from electronic mechanisms.

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[1] See the entry for "imagination" in this encyclopedia.

[2] See, e.g., "Spiders, Dragons and Foxes". 

[3] Ahriman is one of the two chief demons described in Anthroposophical texts. [See "Ahriman".] 

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medicine (Anthroposophical medicine) - also see childhood diseases; curative education; curative eurythmy; disease; health; herbs; homeopathy; human constitution; inoculation; life force; vaccination; vital force

"Anthroposophical medicine" is often practiced in and around Waldorf schools; it is a form of "holistic" therapy relying heavily on herbal preparations, homeopathic nostrums, color therapy, eurythmy, and other unscientific (quack) approaches. [See "Steiner's Quackery".] “Anthroposophic medicine (AM) is medicine that has been infused with the teachings of Rudolf Steiner ... [A]nthroposophic medicine is...out of touch with modern, science-based medicine ... AM not only thinks that the vital spirit plays a major role in health — a view it shares with homeopathy [1] — but AM also brings into play other metaphysical entities it refers to variously as the etheric body, the astral body, and the ego. [2] ... AM is certainly in harmony with Steiner's basic approach to reality, which was to think he had special powers to see directly into occult realities [3] without the bother of tests in experience or replication by others [4] ... [Steiner's] notion of science as involving the explanation of how immaterial entities affect material entities is the very opposite of science.” — R. T. Carroll, THE SKEPTIC’S DICTIONARY [http://skepdic.com/anthroposophicmedicine.html]

According to Anthroposophical belief, many diseases are the result of karma and thus should be allowed to run their course (you have the disease because your karma makes the disease necessary). [5] Likewise, ailments can result from difficulties incurred during the process of earthly incarnation. Thus, childhood diseases in particular should often be supported rather than opposed. "[C]hildhood illnesses should be treated in the proper way, by supporting the illness...not fighting the illness ... [W]e should consider [childhood illnesses] as the greatest blessings, because through them man is able to strengthen his personal form by conquering [an inherited] predisposition, [thus] enabling him to incarnate better. [6]" — L.F.C. Mees, BLESSED BY ILLNESS (Anthroposophic Press, 1983), p. 192. 

Astrological influences are also important in the development and treatment of illnesses, Steiner taught. “We must ask ourselves: In what constellation were we living when in the nineties [i.e., 1890s] the present influenza epidemic appeared in its benign form? In what cosmic constellation are we living at the present moment? By virtue of what cosmic rhythm does the influenza epidemic of the nineties appear in a more acute form today?" — R. Steiner, FROM SYMPTOM TO REALITY IN MODERN HISTORY (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1976), p. 89. Seeking medical insight in the stars is, at a minimum, a questionable therapeutic practice. [7]

One of many controversial issues in Anthroposophical medicine concerns vaccination. Anthroposophy does not absolutely forbid vaccination, but it encourages a very cautious approach, since vaccines may be spiritually harmful. "[Some] inoculations will influence the human body in a way that will make it refuse to give a home to the spiritual inclinations of the soul.” — R. Steiner, SECRET BROTHERHOODS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2004), p. 91. Natural remedies are preferred, such as the use of mistletoe to treat cancer. [8] Preserving the purity of the blood is given high significance — see Steiner's THE OCCULT SIGNIFICANCE OF BLOOD (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1967). [9] Steiner's overall approach to medical matters is indicated in AN OCCULT PHYSIOLOGY (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2005).

[For first-person accounts of Anthroposophical medicine in practice, see, e.g., "Growing Up Being Made Sick by Anthroposophy" and the section titled "Doctor" in the long essay "Spotlight on Anthroposophy."] 

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[1] See the entry in this encyclopedia for "homeopathy".

[2] See "Incarnation".

Both Waldorf education and Anthroposophical medicine are based on Rudolf Steiner's occult description of the human constitution. To examine this, see "What We're Made Of", "Our Parts", and "Oh Humanity".

[3] See "Clairvoyance", "Exactly", and "Occultism".

[4] I.e., without scientific confirmation (carefully administered trials and replicarion of results).

[5] For Anthroposophical teachings about karma, see "Karma" and "Reincarnation".

[6] According to Anthroposophy, Incarnation is a long process, continuing for many years. If an illness reflects problems in the incarnation process, the illness itself is the cure: The illness fights the incarnation problem and eventually resolves it. Therefore, a child's illness helps the child "to incarnate better."

[7] For Anthroposophical teachings about astrology, see "Astrology" and "Star Power".

[8] See the entry in this encyclopedia for "mistletoe".

[9] See the entry in this encyclopedia for "blood".

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meditations in Anthroposophy - also see mantras; prayers; spiritual exercises; supplementary exercises

Although Rudolf Steiner labeled Anthroposophy a science rather than a religion, Anthroposophy entails religious practices such as prayers and meditations. Waldorf faculty members who embrace Anthroposophy often rely on Anthroposophical meditations, especially those written by Steiner. "To foster the connection between [Waldorf] teachers and the Third Hierarchy [1] Rudolf Steiner gave information which could be considered a kind of prayer or meditation. The actual words are available only to the college members [2] ... When united in common striving, the archai [3], in particular the Spirit of the Times (Michael) [4], gives to the group the light of wisdom and the creative forces of intuition." — R. Wilkinson, THE SPIRITUAL BASIS OF STEINER EDUCATION — The Waldorf School Approach (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1996), pp. 122-123.

A representative example of a meditation written by Steiner:

"Dark is the face of Earth

When darkened by the Sun's blinding ray.

But light and clear become my day's horizon

When the soul's inner life illumines it

With Wisdom from the Stars." [5]

— R. Steiner, VERSES AND MEDITATIONS

(Rudolf Steiner Press, 2004), p. 95.

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Steiner prescribed various prayers and meditations for his followers. (In keeping with Steiner's claim that Anthroposophy is a science rather than a religion, the prayers are often referred to as verses.) The line between prayer and meditation is often thin in Anthroposophy. [6]

[To read meditations Steiner prescribed for Waldorf teachers, see "Teacher Training".]

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[1] Steiner taught that there are nine ranks of gods, divided into three groupings or "hierarchies." [See "Polytheism".]

[2] I.e., members of a Waldorf school's inner circle, the "college of teachers." The group is a "college" because the members study Anthroposophy (essentially Steiner's teachings) together, and they endeavor to work together collegially.

[3] I.e., gods three levels above mankind. (Note the secrecy maintained by the college. Such secretiveness is a central issue concerning the Waldorf movement. [See "Secrets".])

[4] According to Anthroposophical belief, Michael is the Archangel of the Sun; he has particular responsibility for overseeing human evolution during our time. [See the entries for "Michael" and "Time Spirits" in this encyclopedia.]

[5] For some Anthroposophical teachings about "wisdom from the stars," see, e.g., "Astrosophy", "Star Power", and "Horoscopes".

[6] See, e.g., "Power Words" and "Prayers".

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mediums - also see the dead, communicating with; seances

Mediums are "seers" who claim to be able to communicate with the dead and/or other disembodied spirits, usually when conducting seances. [1] According to Rudolf Steiner, many mediums do have the powers they claim, but often at a low level (unlike the high level attainable through his own "exact clairvoyance" [2]). Mediums often misunderstand what they perceive, Steiner said. “When mediums are possessed of the necessary faculties, they can see the Akasha Chronicle [3], although in most cases only its astral reflections. [4] Now there is something singular about the Akasha Chronicle. If we discover some person there [5], he behaves like a living being. If we find Goethe, for example, he may not only answer in the words which he actually spoke in his life but he gives answer in the Goethean sense; it may even happen that he utters in his own style and trend, verses he never actually wrote. [6] The Akasha picture is so alive that it is like a force working on in the mind of the human being. Hence the picture may be confused with the individuality [7] himself. Mediums believe that they are in contact with the dead man whose life is continuing in the spirit, whereas in reality it is only his astral Akasha-picture. The spirit of Caesar may already have reincarnated on earth and it is his Akasha picture that gives the answers in seances. It is not the individuality of Caesar but only the enduring impression which the picture of Caesar has left behind in the Akasha Chronicle. This is the basis of errors in very many spiritualist seances [8]. We must distinguish between what remains of the human being in his Akasha-picture and what continues to evolve as the true individuality. These are matters of extreme importance.” — R. Steiner, THEOSOPHY OF THE ROSICRUCIAN (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1966), lecture 4, GA 99. [See "Seances".]

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[1] See "seances" in this encyclopedia.

[2] See "Exactly".

[3] This is a celestial storehouse of knowledge, accessible through clairvoyance. [See "Akasha".]

[4] Steiner proceeds to explain: Mediums think they contact particular spirits, but generally they only contact representations of these spirits as found within the Akasha Chronicle. A spirit (an "individuality") "contacted" by a medium may no longer be present in the spirit realm but may have reincarnated on Earth, in which case all that remains in the spirit realm is this spirit's "Akasha picture." (Note that Steiner claimed that he was able to contact particular spirits in actuality. [See, e.g., "Steiner and the Warlord".])

[5] I.e., if we make contact with the image of someone in the Akashic Chronicle.

[6] I.e., the image of Goethe in the Akashic Chronicle may make statements, or recite verses, that reflect Goethe's spirit but that Goethe himself never made or wrote.

[7] I.e., the person, the individual.

[8] I.e., seances conducted by mediums of "spiritualists". [See "spiritualism" in this encyclopedia.] 

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melancholic - also see choleric; humours; phlegmatic; sanguine; temperaments

One of the four temperaments described in ancient Greek medical theory. A melancholic individual supposedly has a high level of the bodily fluid or "humour" called black bile. Medical knowledge long ago put aside the antiquated concept of the four classical temperaments and humours, but Steiner revived it and it is still observed in Waldorf schools today. [See "Humouresque" and "Temperaments".] "Of the four humans members or bodily sheaths — the physical body, the ether body, the astral body and the 'I' [1] — the physical body dominates the other three in those [individuals] of a melancholic temperament. The element of earth, with all its characteristics, has the upper hand [2] ... Sorrow is intensely felt and joy much more rarely. Favourite colors may be brown and black ... [M]elancholics have the potential to develop great compassion for the sufferings of others ... Teachers and parents of melancholic children are advised to provide much warmth and understanding." — H. van Oort, ANTHROPOSOPHY A-Z (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2011), pp. 75-76.

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Steiner taught that the four temperaments are manifested in four bodily types. “The melancholic children are as a rule tall and slender; the sanguine are the most normal; those with more protruding shoulders are the phlegmatic children; and those with a short stout build so that the head almost sinks down into the body are choleric.” — R. Steiner, DISCUSSIONS WITH TEACHERS (Anthroposophic Press, 1997), p. 34. [R.R. sketch, 2010.] In Waldorf belief, melancholic students stand droopingly and walk slowly; their eyes are mournful; they are self-involved and have good memories for matters concerning themselves; they cast a pall of gloom; teachers should urge them not to sadden their classmates.

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[1] Anthroposophists believe human beings have four bodies, three of which are invisible. [See "Incarnation".]

Note that Steiner's use of the terms "members" and, especially, "sheaths" here differ from usage he sometimes made elsewhere. Here, he means major components, enclosing forms: the four bodies he said human beings develop. [See "bodies" in this encyclopedia.]

[2] In addition to reviving the ancient belief in the four temperaments, Steiner revived the ancient belief that the created universe consists primarily of four elements (earth, air, fire, and water). Just as four types of physical body typify the four temperaments, so four elements predominate in the four temperaments, Steiner taught.

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members of the human constitution - see bodies; human beings; human constitution; whole child

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memory, memorization - also see clairvoyance; education; recapitulation; thinking; Waldorf education: goals

According to Steiner, memory is a high faculty — humans have it, animals don't. “To attribute memory to animals is an error ... It is natural enough to think of memory when a dog recognizes its master ... Yet in reality the recognition depends not on memory ... Surely, one might [think], since the dog grieves when its master goes away, it must retain some memory of him ... [But] the animal’s behaviour implies the absence of all memory.” — R. Steiner, OCCULT SCIENCE - AN OUTLINE (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2005), pp. 46-47. Memory is a capacity possessed by beings higher than animals: humans and gods.

Steiner's occult doctrines about human memory are honored in Waldorf schools. "[I]n ancient times, when human beings were clairvoyant [1]...memory as such was not needed ... [But] clairvoyance increasingly faded [sic] ... Personal memory therefore became necessary. The first stage was a localized memory system, related to place and occurrence ... At a second stage, [people] employed rhythm in spoken texts to support their memory function. At a third stage memory became fully internalized ... [P]eople gradually acquired the capacity to memorize all kinds of sense impressions ... In child development, historical evolution of memory systems is repeated. [2] In the early years, for instance, nursery rhymes based on rhythmic and regularly repeating words engage with a child's rhythmic memory.... [3]" — H. van Oort, ANTHROPOSOPHY A-Z (Sophia Books, Rudolf Steiner Press, 2011), pp. 76-77.

However, memorization (what one might call learning facts) is downplayed in Anthroposophy and in Waldorf schools. ◊ "The Science of the Spirit [4] teaches us the art of forgetting ... All memorized matter should disappear from the mind to make room for an actively receptive spirit." — R. Steiner quoted by E. Schwartz in THE MILLENNIAL CHILD (Anthroposophic Press, 1999), pp. 150-151. ◊ "[I]ncorrect education sooner or later finds expression...in the form of discomfort or disease ... [O]verstimulation of the memory can cause the child to grow lank ... This is bound up with the interaction of the Etheric and Astral Bodies.... [5]” — R. Blunt, WALDORF EDUCATION: Theory and Practice (Novalis Press, 1995), p. 110.

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[1] See the entry in this encyclopedia for "natural clairvoyance".

[2] I.e., it is recapitulated — the maturing child recapitulates the evolution of humanity as a whole.

[3] The Waldorf curriculum in the earliest grades is meant to follow this developmental path, engaging children in these ways.

[4] I.e., Anthroposophy.

[5] These are two of the three invisible bodies that, Steiner taught, incarnate — one at a time — during the first 21 years of life. [See "Incarnation".]

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mental plane - also see Devachan; Higher Spiritland; Lower Spiritland; mental world; planes; Spiritland

This is a Theosophical term denoting a level of existence essentially equivalent to Devachan: heaven or Spiritland, the spiritual world, the world of harmony of the spheres, the world of inspiration. [1] The mental plane includes the lower spiritual world (Lower Spiritland) or the heavenly world, and the higher spiritual world (Higher Spiritland) or the world of true intuition. Steiner largely accepted these Theosophical concepts, with modifications, but he used such terminology less after breaking away to establish Anthroposophy. [2] He taught that plants, as creatures below humans and animals [3], have a consciousness confined to the mental plane. "The entire plant world has its consciousness on the mental plane." — R. Steiner, FOUNDATIONS OF ESOTERICISM (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1982), lecture 27, GA 93a. [4] Animals, humans, and gods have forms of consciousness that extend into progressively higher planes, above the plane confining plants. [5] 

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[1] See the entries in this encyclopedia for "Devachan", "heaven", "Spiritland", "spirt world(s)", "harmony of the spheres", and "intuition".

[2] See the chronology included in the entry for "Steiner, Rudolf" in this encyclopedia.

[3] See the entries in this encyclopedia for "kingdoms of nature", "plant kingdom", and "plants".

[4] It might be more correct to say that plants have their consciousness on the lower mental plane. The terms used in various Theosophical and Anthroposophical texts, including Steiner's own texts, are not wholly consistent. But in general it may be correct to say that there are six planes: the physical plane, the astral plane, the lower mental plane, the higher mental plane, the Buddhi plane, and the Nirvana plane. [See "planes" in this encyclopedia; cf. "mental world", below.]

[5] For an overview of the "higher worlds" and their planes and spheres, see "Higher Worlds".

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mental telepathy - see telepathy

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mental vision - also see astral vision; clairvoyance; imagination; inspiration; intuition

Steiner used the term "mental vision" is various ways. The precise definition in one usage is "inspiration." In other cases, the term applies to imagination or any use of the mind to consider/conceive things thoroughly. ◊ "[E]xact, correct observation appears at first in symbols. If man concentrates for instance on his spinal cord, it is a fact that he always sees a snake. He may perhaps also dream of a snake, because this is the creature which was placed out in the world when the spinal cord was formed, and has remained at this stage. [1] The snake is the spinal column outwardly projected into the world. This pictorial way of seeing things is astral vision (Imagination). [2] But it is only through mental vision (Inspiration [3]) that the full significance is revealed." — R. Steiner, FOUNDATIONS OF ESOTERICISM (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1982), lecture 1, GA 93a. ◊ "It is necessary for us to bring the whole of this case [4] before our mental vision ... [T]he individuality [5] enters the Spiritual world with the astral body [6] only, and continues its further wanderings in that world." — R. Steiner, COSMIC AND HUMAN METAMORPHOSES (Garber Communications, 1989), lecture 1, GA 175.

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[1] Steiner taught that most animals are beings that split off from the human evolutionary line at various levels of development. Thus, humans developed spines at one stage, and then they evolved to higher stages. But some beings could not evolve higher, so they split off at that stage and became snakes.

(Whether Steiner's account is true; and whether people always picture snakes when they concentrate on the spinal cord; and whether this often leads to spiritually meaningful dreams about snakes — such propositions may serve as tests for non-Anthroposophists. If Steiner's assertions strike you as less than plausible, then you may find Anthroposophy and its offshoot, Waldorf education, unattractive.)

[2] See the entries in this encyclopedia for "astral vision" and "imagination."

[3] See the entry in this encyclopedia for "inspiration".

[4] Steiner was speaking of a seance.

[5] I.e., a physically disembodied individual.

[6] This is the second of three invisible bodies that, Steiner taught, real human beings develop. [See "Incarnation".]

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mental world - also see Devachan; Higher Spiritland; mental plane

A Theosophical concept, the mental world "is the third lowest of the seven worlds. [1] It is the world of thought into which man passes on the death of the astral body [2]...but it is necessary to realize that it is the world of good thoughts only, for the base thoughts have all been purged away during the soul's stay in the astral world. [3]" — "Mental World (in Theosophy)", ENCYCLOPEDIA.COM (Jinarajadasa, C. The Early Teachings of the Masters, 1881-83. Chicago: Theosophical Press, 1923; Powell, Arthur E. The Astral Body and Other Astral Phenomena. London: Theosophical Publishing House, 1927), accessed 6/21/24.

Steiner used the term "mental world" early in his career as an occultist, but he tended to abandon it later. [4] He simplified Theosophical cosmology; he generally said there are two worlds higher than the physical world: the soul world (roughly speaking, the astral world) and the spirit world (roughly speaking, the mental world, divided into two subsections). [5] Here are examples of Steiner employing Theosophical terms, while nonetheless giving them his own imprint: ◊ "[O]ne is raised to a still higher world that may be called the higher spirit-land or, if you will, the higher mental world [6] ... We are in this higher spirit-land when experiencing the splitting of the ego, and the ordinary ego in memory only. [7] It is here that one is first able to form a true estimate of man on earth. As one looks back one begins to know what man is in his inmost being. There, too, it is first possible to come to an experienced judgment concerning the course of history. [8]" — R. Steiner, INITIATION, ETERNITY AND THE PASSING MOMENT (Anthroposophic Press, 1980), lecture 5, GA 138. ◊ "Those who have gotten to know the realities of the astral world which lies behind our sense world, and of the devachanic (or mental world) which lies even deeper [9], will come to a new and higher understanding of religious sources. [10]" — R. Steiner, THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN (transcript, Rudolf Steiner Archive), lecture 1, GA 94.

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[1] In Theosophical teachings, usually, there are seven worlds or planes or laws. They are physical, astral, mental, Buddhi, Nirvana, Para-Nirvana, Maha-Para-Nirvana. (There are various interpretations of Theosophy, some of which may not accord with the foregoing. Cf. "mental plane", above.)

[2] See "astral body" in this encyclopedia.

[3] In Theosophy, usually, the astral world is said to be above the physical world and below the mental world.

[4] See "Basics".

[5] See "soul world" and "spirit world(s)" in this encyclopedia.

[6] In describing the soul's upward journey, Steiner here discusses the soul's passage into the higher of the two subsections of the mental world (the spirit world). The "higher mental world" is what Steiner often called the "higher spirit world" or "higher spirit-land."

[7] Steiner taught that the spiritual ego or "I" [see "Ego"] has higher and lower parts. The higher "I" exists in the spirit realm; the lower "I" (or "ego") exists on the physical plane when an individual incarnates on that plane.

[8] I.e., it is only when we rise to higher spirit-land that we can look back at ourselves as we were during Earthly incarnation and reach a correct understanding of Earthly life.

[9] Again, Steiner is saying that beyond the physical world is the soul world (the astral world), and beyond that is the spirit world (the mental or devachanic world). Steiner speaks here of the two hidden worlds as lying "deeper" than the physical world. Usually, he said these worlds are "higher" than the physical world.

The "mental world" is also the "devachanic world" or simply "Devachan": the realm we enter after death. [See entries for "Devachan" and "devachanic world" in this encyclopedia.]

[10] Both Theosophy and Anthroposophy claim to summarize the true, underlying meaning of all religious teachings. E.g., “The mission of Anthroposophy to-day is to be a synthesis of religions.” — Rudolf Steiner, “Buddha and Christ: The Sphere of the Bodhisattvas”, ANTHROPOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY, Vol. 12, No. 4 (Anthroposophical Society in Great Britain, 1964), GA 130. 

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Mephistopheles, Mephistophelean power - also see Ahriman

a) A familiar spirit (i.e., an attendant demon) accompanying Satan. Mephistopheles is a figure more of fiction than theology — in a famous legend, he is the tempter of Faust. [1] Marlowe, Goethe, and others have dramatized the legend, casting the mythic Mephistopheles as Fausts's antagonist. [See "Goethe".] "It is probable that the name Mephistopheles was invented for the historical Johann Georg Faust (c. 1480–c. 1540) by the anonymous author of the first Faustbuch (1587). [2]" — "Mephistopheles". Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Apr. 2024; accessed 20 June 2024.

b) According to Steiner, Mephistopheles is Satan himself: Ahriman. "[I]t was to Ahriman [3] that the faculty of human cognition was primarily directed. [In Zoroastrianism,] Ahriman was a Being whose existence was divined by men, a Being of whom they had some knowledge through the culture inaugurated by Zarathustra [4]; and from there the knowledge of Ahriman spread among the other peoples and into their world of ideas. Ahriman with his hosts appears as a figure with the most diverse names among the civilized peoples. [5] And owing to the peculiar conditions obtaining in the souls of the European peoples who had remained farthest in the rear of the migrations from West to East, who had been less affected than the others by what had transpired in the ancient Indian, ancient Persian, Egyptian and even in the Greco-Latin civilizations — owing to these circumstances there prevailed among the European peoples from whom the Fifth Epoch of culture [6] was to be born, an attitude of soul which regarded Ahriman alone as a figure of dread. [7] And while many different names were adopted — as for example, 'Mephistopheles' among the Hebrew people — in Europe the figure of Ahriman became the 'Devil' [8] in his various forms.” — R. Steiner, THE DEED OF CHRIST (Steiner Book Centre, 1954), GA 107. [See "Ahriman".]

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[1] "Faust, hero of one of the most durable legends in Western folklore and literature, the story of a German necromancer or astrologer who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and power." — "Faust". Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Feb. 2024; accessed 20 June 2024.

[2] I.e., the first book recounting tales of magical events attributed to Faust or Faustus.

[3] "Ahriman  -  Zoroastrian deity Avestan Angra Mainyu ('Destructive Spirit') the evil spirit in the dualistic doctrine of Zoroastrianism." — ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA ONLINE, May 14, 2015. 

[4] A Persian prophet, also known as Zoroaster; he was the founder of the religion called Zoroastrianism. (In Anthroposophy, Zarathustra is said to have been an earlier prophet who reincarnated as Zoroaster, who then founded Zoroastrianism.)

[5] Steiner indicated that Ahriman has been known by such diverse names as Devil, Mephistopheles, Mammon, Satan, etc.

[6] I.e., the cultural epoch in which we now live: the Anglo-Germanic Age. [See the entry for "cultural epochs" in this encyclopedia.]

[7] Ahriman was originally the devil of Zoroastrian belief; he was the foe of the god of light, Ahura Mazda. In Anthroposophical teachings, Ahriman cooperates and also competes with another arch-demon, Lucifer. [See "Lucifer".] Ahriman is often deemed the more terrible of the two, although — according to Steiner — both Ahriman and Lucifer have actually benefited mankind in some ways, thanks to the intervention of Christ, the Sun God. [See "Sun God".] Still, Ahriman in particular is usually seen as a dreadful figure.

[8] Often, Steiner differentiated between "the Devil" and "Satan", identifying the former with Lucifer and the latter with Ahriman. Here, he applies the term "the Devil" to Ahriman.

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Mercury - also see astrology; astronomy; Mars-Mercury; Mercury race; planets; Vulcan

a) The planet closest to the Sun (if we agree that Vulcan does not exist). [1]

According to Anthroposophical belief: Mercury, like other planets, is a spiritual as well as physical orb, and it is largely indistinguishable from the spiritual powers residing on/in it. It is populated by beings more evolved than earthly humans. [See "Planets".] It is also the center for the abnormal spirits responsible for the “Negro race.” ◊ “We come next to Mercury. In contrast to the other planets, Mercury is not interested [2] in things of a physical, material nature as such, but in whatever is capable of co-ordination. Mercury is the domain of the Masters [3] of co-ordinative thinking ... Mercury provides the forces for capacities of intellect and reason, especially of intellect [4] ... Venus and Mercury bring into the human being the karmic element [5] that is connected more with the life of soul and spirit [6] and comes to expression in his qualities of heart and in his temperament [7] ... Venus, Mercury and the Moon may be called the destiny-determining planets. [8]” — R. Steiner, “The Spiritual Individualities of the Planets” (THE GOLDEN BLADE, 1988), GA 228. ◊ “In the interior of Africa is the point where the abnormal Spirits [9] belonging to the planet Mercury concentrate their forces. The outcome of them is the Negro or Ethiopian race ... [I]t comes about that the most childlike and the most aged racial types [10] — the Negro and Red Indian — are both of them, though in such different ways, the result of planetary forces working into the glandular system.” — G. A. Kaufmann, SOULS OF THE NATIONS (Anthroposophical Publishing Co., 1938), lecture 6. 

Astrological sign for Mercury. [Rudolf Koch, THE BOOK OF SIGNS (Dover Press, 1955); color added.]

b) In Greek/Roman mythology: Mercury is the god of eloquence, skill, trading, thievery; he is the divine messenger; Hermes. As we saw above, Steiner's teachings suggest that at least one god can be identified with Mercury (the god who "is not interested in things of a physical, material nature." Steiner also, on other occasions, spoke specifically about the "God Mercury". For instance,  "The human being felt as though he had folded the Earth about with a garment of plant growth [11] ... In entering into this experience men felt themselves intimately associated with...the chief God of Mercury. Through the feeling: We have ourselves brought the plants on to the Earth, men came into a special relation with the God Mercury." — R. Steiner, WORLD HISTORY IN THE LIGHT OF ANTHROPOSOPHY, lecture 5, GA 233.

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[1] Because Steiner sometimes indicated that the planet Vulcan exists, in Anthroposophical belief Mercury is probably not the planet closest to the Sun. [See "Vulcan".]

[2] The planet Mercury has interests, intentions, etc., because it is essentially indistinguishable from its resident gods. (The interests, intentions, etc., are those of the gods of Mercury.)

[3] See the entry for "masters (Masters)", above.

[4] According to Anthroposophical belief: Like the other planets, stars, and constellations, Mercury exerts astrological influences.

[5] See "Karma".

[6] Steiner differentiated between soul and spirit. See the entries for these terms in this encyclopedia.

[7] See the entries in this encyclopedia for "heart" and "temperaments".

[8] I.e., they has particular influence in matters of karma.

[9] I.e., abnormal gods. Steiner taught that a being is abnormal if it does not evolve as quickly as the other members of its class. [See the entry for "abnormal" in this encyclopedia.]

[10] According to Steiner, blacks are infantile, Asians are adolescent, whites are mature, and American Indians are senescent. [See "Steiner's Racism".] Here we are told that the planetary forces of Mercury affect the glandular system of "the Negro." Steiner identified blacks as the Mercury race. [See the item below.]

[11] Steiner taught that long ago proto-humans bequeathed plants to the Earth. "Those who had been initiated in the Oriental Mysteries, or had received the wisdom that streamed forth from the Oriental Mysteries, were able to say: I look back in the evolution of the world to an ancient Sun epoch. In that time I bore still within me the plants. Then afterwards I let them stream forth from me into the far circles of Earth existence." — R. Steiner, WORLD HISTORY IN THE LIGHT OF ANTHROPOSOPHY, lecture 5. 

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Mercury race - also see Africans; Jupiter humans; Mars humans; Mercury; Moon humans; planetary humans; Saturn humans; Sun humans; Venus humans; Vulcan humans

In Anthroposophical teachings: Black Africans constitute the "negro race," the "black race," or the "Ethiopian race." This race is also called the "Mercury race," because it exists under the astrological influence of Mercury. "If we now more closely characterize the spot which in our recent statements we placed in Africa [1], by saying, that through the co-operation of the normal Spirits of Form [2] with the abnormal ones centered in Mercury [3], the negro race came into existence, we are then, from an occult standpoint [4], quite correct in describing what appears in the black race, as the ‘Mercury race’ ... [T]he abnormal Spirits of Form worked with great power and caused man to be so varied [5] that the form of the Ethiopian race arose. [6]"  — R. Steiner, THE MISSION OF THE FOLK SOULS, lecture 6, GA 121. 

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[1] According to Steiner, this is the place in Africa where the influence of Mercury is strongest.

[2] Steiner said these are gods four levels higher than humanity. [See "Polytheism".]

[3] Normal gods, Steiner taught, have evolved to their intended level; abnormal gods have lagged behind.  [See the entry for "abnormal" in this encyclopedia.] Here, Steiner speaks of abnormal (laggard) gods dwelling in or near Mercury.

[4] See "occult, occultism" in this encyclopedia.

[5] I.e., these gods caused various branches or races of humanity to vary significantly from one another.

[6] Steiner effectively locates the origin of the black race in Ethiopia, a country in northeastern Africa.

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Mercury supermen - see supermen

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mermaids - also see undines

Mythical half-human sea creatures; sometimes said to be undines (nature spirits or elemental beings that dwell in water). [See "Neutered Nature" and "The Ancients".] “[T]he third set of lectures concerns the astral-etheric beings [1] known as elemental spirits [2], whose existence is rarely acknowledged today beyond the sphere of folklore. We discover how indebted we are to these beings, both benevolent and malevolent [3], for our continued existence. Steiner gives an account of their different levels of consciousness ... Many of us will be familiar with the wise but gruff dwarf, the water sprite or mermaid [4] who tries to lure the human being into its own fluid consciousness-world, and the unearthly beauty of the fairy queen which would entrap men and render them powerless, as if they slept [5]. The fact that the elemental spirits, like irresponsible children, might choose to sport with the unprotected human consciousness [6] should not undermine the fact that these spirits ‘wish man to make a move onwards with his consciousness, so that he may participate in their world.’ [7]” — A. Druitt, introduction to HARMONY OF THE CREATIVE WORD (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2001), a collection of lectures by Rudolf Steiner, pp. xvii-xviii.

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[1] I.e., beings that dwell in the etheric and astral realms; they generally have etheric and astral bodies but not physical bodies. [See "astral realm", "etheric realm", "astral body", and "etheric body" in this encyclopedia.]

[2] According to Steiner, there are four main types of such beings (usually called elemental beings or nature spirits): undines (who dwell in water), gnomes (in the earth), sylphs (in the air), and salamanders or fire spirits (in fire). [See "Neutered Nature".]

[3] Steiner taught, generally, that malevolent spirits may contribute to cosmic evolution when their actions are moderated and redirected by the good gods. (Steiner's followers sometimes interpret Steiner's teachings in these matters to indicate that there are no truly evil powers in the universe, but this is for the most part a misconstruction. [See, e.g., "Evil Ones".])

[4] Mermaids are water sprites or undines. (In common usage, a sprite is an elf or fairy.)

[5] Dwarfs, mermaids, and the fairy queen are beings found in folklore, legends, and myths. According to Anthroposophy, such creatures really exist, although their true nature is often misunderstood.

[6] I.e., such creatures often deceive humans, concealing much from us.

[7] I.e., they want us to understand that they are real, and to treat them as such, so that we "may participate in their world."

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messianism - also see Anthroposophy; Christ; divine cosmic plan; Michael; missions; salvation; spiritualistic agenda; Waldorf education: goals; Waldorf teachers

This is belief in a savior (a messiah), and/or belief that one has a role as a savior. In the latter sense, true-believing Waldorf teachers (those who faithfully adhere to Anthroposophy) may be said to have a messianic view of their work: They believe they serve the divine cosmic plan [1] promoting the evolution of humanity toward divinity. This messianic purpose is deemed far more important than conveying knowledge to the students or giving students an ordinary education. [2] Waldorf messianism entails combating demonic forces that would impede the spiritual/evolutionary progress of the students. Here are two relevant statements Steiner made to Waldorf teachers: ◊ “Among the faculty, we must certainly carry within us the knowledge that we are not here for our own sakes, but to carry out the divine cosmic plan. We should always remember that when we do something, we are actually carrying out the intentions of the gods [3], that we are, in a certain sense, the means by which that streaming down from above will go out into the world.” — R. Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 55. [3] ◊ "What I wanted to present to you is this: we must become aware of Michael’s battle [4] ... Teachers should unite themselves with Michael in a particularly close way, for to live in these times means simply to crawl into the dragon [5] ... To live in the truth means to unite oneself with Michael. We must unite ourselves with Michael whenever we enter the classroom [6]; only through this can we bring with us the necessary strength. Verily, Michael is strong!" — R. Steiner, BALANCE IN TEACHING (Anthroposophic Press, 2007), p. 105. 

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[1] See the entry for this term in this encyclopedia.

[2] See the entry for "Waldorf education - goals", in this encyclopedia.

[3] Anthroposophy is polytheistic. [See "Polytheism".]

[4] I.e., the struggle of the Archangel Michael combating demonic powers. [See "Michael".]

[5] i.e., understand the enemy (the arch-demon Ahriman) from the inside, as it were. [See "Ahriman".] 

[6] If teachers need to understand Ahriman virtually from the inside, they must unite themselves with the enemy of Ahriman: Michael. The need to do this "whenever we enter the classroom."

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metabolic-limb man - also see head man; limb man; metabolic-limb system; nerve-senses man; rhythmic man; will man

This, according to Anthroposophic belief, is the inner human being that embodies the forces of the will [1] The metabolic-limb man is centered in the metabolic-limb system [2]; this inner "man" is called also sometimes called simply the "limb man." [3] (Steiner taught that a human being consists of multiple, small, inner human beings.) Steiner said the substances of the metabolic-limb system and metabolic-limb man come from the highest world, the spirit world [4], but the activity of the metabolic-limb man comes from the physical world. "[T]he substance of this metabolic-limb system is not derived from the Earth. Improbable as it may sound, you bear within your metabolic-limb man something which is not of earthly origin but consists wholly of substance from the third world, the world of the spirit ... Your real legs are indeed spiritual throughout; your real arms too ... [This is] the spirituality of the limbs and of the digestive organs ... On the other hand the forces, the activity, for all that makes up the metabolic-limb man are drawn from the physical world." — R. Steiner, THE EVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1966), lecture 5, GA 227.

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[1] See "will, willpower" in this encyclopedia.

[2] See the entry for "metabolic-limb system", below. Steiner said the limbs and metabolism (or abdomen) are parts of a single physiological system. [Also see "What We're Made Of".]

[3] See the entry in this encyclopedia for "limb man".

[4] Steiner taught, generally, that there are three worlds: the physical world, the soul world, and the spirit world. [See "spirit world(s), spiritual world(s)" in this encyclopedia; also see "Higher Worlds".`

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metabolic-limb system - also see abdominal system; chest system; head system; metabolic-limb man; nerve-senses system; rhythmic-circulatory system

Steiner taught that the human physical constitution is dominated by three primary systems: the nerve-senses system (sensing the world and processing the sensations), the rhythmic-circulatory system (breathing and blood circulation), and the metabolic-limb system (digestion and movement). [See "What We're Made Of" and "Our Parts".] This description is fundamental to the Waldorf approach, yet it is false. The second and third of the "systems" Steiner described combine organs and operations that in actuality are quite separate. The heart circulates the blood and the lungs breathe air; these are separate organs and separate functions. Likewise, in reality, the metabolic system (essentially the digestive system) is distinct from the arms and legs; digesting food, in reality, does not involve the limbs. There is no metabolic-limb system. 

According to Steiner, the metabolic-limb system is the inverse of the nerve-senses or "head" system — the metabolic-limb system of one incarnation becomes the head system in the next incarnation. “[W]hat we carry about in a particular earth-life as our head is the transformed body (apart from the head) of the previous earth-life [1], but especially the transformed metabolic-limb system; or what to-day is metabolic-limb man [2] is transformed during the life between death and rebirth [2=3] into the head-formation of the next earthly life.” — R. Steiner, MAN AS A BEING OF SENSE AND PERCEPTION (Anthroposophical Publishing Co., 1958), lecture 3, GA 206.

The metabolic-limb system is the seat of the will, Steiner said [3]. In the Waldorf curriculum, emphasis is given to the meatbolic-limb system, and to the development of will, during the earliest grades. Later, emphasis is turned to the rhythmic-circulatory system (the seat of emotion), and later yet to the nerve-senses system (the seat or mirror of thought). [4]

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[1] Steiner taught that we incarnate many times, through a succession of lives. [See "Reincarnation".]

[2] See "metabolic-limb man", above.

[3] Steiner taught that between lives on Earth (often called, in Anthroposophy, "lives between birth and death"), we have lives in the spirit realm (often called, in Anthroposophy, "lives between death and rebirth").

[3] See "Will".

[4] To consider how Steiner's description of the human constitution determines the nature of Waldorf education, see "Oh Humanity".

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metabolic processes - see life processes

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metals - also see alchemy; astrology; minerals; planetary seals

In Anthroposophy, drawing from astrological/alchemical traditions, the seven astrological planets (Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn) are associated with seven types of metal (gold, silver, iron, mercury, tin, copper, lead). These metals are thought to impart the powers of "their" planets, and are often used in occult seals (mystic symbols worked in bas relief). Steiner taught that the powers of metals are intimately involved in mankind's spiritual nature and activities. ◊ "When we become acquainted with the form of the metals [1] we reach the realm of the higher spiritual beings [2]; when we become acquainted with their substantiality and metallity [3] we enter the astral world, the world of souls. [4]" — R. Steiner, TRUE AND FALSE PATHS OF SPIRITUAL INVESTIGATION (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1969), lecture 3, GA 243. ◊ "Lead [i.e., the metal, lead] results from the unimpeded action of Saturn, tin from that of Jupiter, iron from Mars, copper from Venus, and what is now termed quicksilver from Mercury. Similarly we must recognise a relationship between everything of the nature of silver, all that is silvery...and the unimpeded action of the Moon ... Earth's wealth of metals is the result of forces acting on the earth from without. [5]" — R. Steiner, SPIRITUAL SCIENCE AND MEDICINE (Rudolf Steiner Publishing Co., 1948), lecture 6, GA 312.

The purported health-conferring qualities of various metals are sometimes invoked in Anthroposophical medicine. "The Anthroposophical doctor Daphné von Boch...teaches future doctors how to heal with planetary metals." — D. Krauss, "We Do Anything Except Vaccinate", KONTEXT: WOCHENZEITUNG, July 8, 2020. The professed therapeutic value of metals is discussed, for instance, in H. M Schramm's book THE HEALING POWER OF PLANETARY METALS IN ANTHROPOSOPHIC AND HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINE (Lindisfarne Press, an imprint of SteinerBooks, 2013). Among his other teachings that bear on the occult powers of metals, Rudolf Steiner spoke of the healing effect of iron taken from meteorites. "[W]hen in high summer, from a particular constellation, meteors fall in great showers of cosmic iron [6], then this cosmic iron, which carries an enormously powerful healing force, is the weapon which the gods bring to bear against Ahriman [7], as dragon-like he tries to coil round the shining forms of men. The force which falls on the earth in the meteoric iron is indeed a cosmic force whereby the higher gods [8] endeavour to gain a victory over the Ahrimanic powers, when autumn comes on." — R. Steiner, THE FOUR SEASONS AND THE ARCHANGELS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1968), lecture 1, GA 229. 

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[1] I.e., their archetypal composition and shape. [See "archetypes" in this encyclopedia.]

[2] I.e., gods — many of whom dwell on/in/around stars and planets. Here, Steiner refers to higher gods. (He taught that there are nine ranks of gods. [See "Polytheism".])

[3] A coinage of Steiner's ("Metallität"), meaning metallic nature.

[4] See "soul world" in this encyclopedia. [Also see "Higher Worlds".]

[5] I.e., from the outside. Essentially, Steiner is speaking of astrological forces. [See "Astrology".] He says that on Earth we find the metals that are created by the astrological influences of various planets beyond the Earth.

[6] I.e., iron produced elsewhere in the cosmos.

[7] According to Anthroposophical lore, Ahriman is a major demon. [See "Ahriman" in this encyclopedia.] In the present context, Ahriman may be understood as a force damaging to human health or wellbeing ("he tries to coil round the shining forms of men").

[8] I.e., gods of high rank.

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meteors - also see Ahriman; asteroids; astronomy; comets; Michael; planets 

These are rocky/metallic bodies from outer space that enter the Earth's atmosphere where they are partially or wholly burned up. (When a portion of a meteor survives entry into the atmosphere and reaches the surface of the Earth, it is called a meteorite.) In Anthroposophic belief, meteors are sent to Earth by the gods [1], as protection against Ahriman. [2] "The force which falls on the earth in the meteoric iron [3] is indeed a cosmic force whereby the higher gods endeavour to gain a victory over the Ahrimanic powers [4]...." — R. Steiner, THE FOUR SEASONS AND THE ARCHANGELS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1968), lecture 1, GA 229.

A former Waldorf student who went on to become a Waldorf teacher, Grégoire Perra, remembers a speech he heard when he was a new Waldorf faculty member: "I remember a disorienting first meeting during which a colleague of the executive committee of the school gave a speech, three quarters of an hour long, about iron 'meteorites' (from meteors crashing into the Earth) which he said bring the forces of the archangel Michael down to humanity — this was meant to give courage to the teachers." [5] In Anthroposophic belief, Michael is the Archangel of the Sun — he is a warrior god who fights on behalf of the Sun God. [6]

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[1] Anthroposophy is polytheistic. [See "gods" in this encyclopedia.]

[2] In Anthroposophic belief, Ahriman is a major demon. [See "Ahriman".]

[3] I.e., iron that is found in many meteors or meteorites. [See "metals", above.]

[4] I.e., Ahriman and his minions.

[5] See "He Went to Waldorf".

[6] See "Michael" and "Sun God".