Recommended
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72) As we all know, Rudolf Steiner described the spirit realm precisely as it really is, thanks to his use of “exact clairvoyance.” [See "Exactly".] Nonetheless, he missed a few tricks. I would encourage all occultists to expand their reading beyond Steiner’s own books and lectures. Here is a brief recommended reading list, culled from various publishers' catalogues:
◊ To learn how the ancient Egyptians generated microwaves through the Great Pyramid of Giza, and why they did it, consult THE GIZA POWER PLANT (Bear & Company, 1998), by Christopher Dunn.
◊ If you'd like to fly or float, or levitate, HUMAN LEVITATION: A True History and How-To Guide (Schiffer Publishing, 2007), by Preston Dennett, contains invaluable tips no mystic should be without.
◊ In OF WITCHES (Weiser Books, 1993), Janet Thompson explains the Wiccan lifestyle and urges you to join up.
◊ COSMIC ORDERING (Harper Perennial, 2007), by Jonathan Cainer, gives sure-fire guidance on making the gods hop to your command.
◊ GHOSTS OF ALCATRAZ (Schiffer Publishing, 2008), by Kathryn Vercillo, tells how — if you visit the Rock — you can listen to Al Capone playing the banjo.
◊ A. Miller and J. Brown (who may be quite happy together) explain how you can find your soulmate thanks to their easy-to-use astrological tables: PERFECT MATCH (Shocken, $15.95).
◊ I KNOW WHY WE'RE HERE (Harmony Books, 2003), by psychic Mia Dolan, explains stuff you won’t learn from Steiner, such as the meaning of life.
◊ Brendan Myers' A PAGAN TESTAMENT (Moon Books, 2008) reveals surprising truths on all manner of stuff from long, long ago — and from just around the corner.
◊ To become clairvoyant (or to fake it), try SECRETS OF THE AMAZING KRESKIN: The World's Foremost Mentalist Reveals How You Can Expand Your Powers (Prometheus Books, 1991).
But perhaps this is getting silly?
As I hope is plain, this installment of Steiner Static is a joke. But it has a serious side. Anthroposophy shares a dark, occult corner with other, equally bizarre belief systems. Naturally, Anthroposophists claim that their occultism is different from other forms of occultism. Theirs is true, the others are (to various degrees) false. But, then, believers in non-Anthropop occultism would defend their beliefs in precisely the same way. And, in fact, the books I've listed are typical of reading matter that Anthroposophists occasionally dip into when they are not studying Steiner. I've seen many such books on Anthroposophists' bookshelves, including in the homes of Waldorf teachers. [For a survey of Anthroposophists' mystical interests, see THE STEINERBOOKS DICTIONARY OF THE PSYCHIC, MYSTIC, OCCULT, quoted in the Semi-Steiner Dictionary.] Occultists are often indiscriminate, extending at least partial credence to wide swaths of otherworldly nonsense, finding "confirmation" of their own beliefs in the widespread acceptance of vaguely similar beliefs. Indeed, Steiner himself read many books of the kind I've listed, if perhaps at a higher level of occult plausibility. His doctrines are an amalgam of concepts he derived from his extensive reading — he even took some of his ideas from occultist fiction.
“Central to the spiritual work on inner development is what Rudolf Steiner calls (following Bulwer Lytton, who introduced the term in his Rosicrucian novel ZANONI)....” — Christopher Bamford, introduction to START NOW! (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2007), a collection of Steiner's teachings, p. 243 — the reference is to the concept of the Guardian of the Threshold.
So I'm joking. But I'm also, sadly, serious. All the books I have mentioned — like the ones I am about to mention — are real. Let that sink in.
Here are a few titles from Anthroposophical publishing houses, books by authors other than Steiner, sometimes mildly at odds with his views, yet far removed from reality, and generally endorsing Steinerish occultism. I'll repeat: These books come from Anthroposophical publishing houses. Really. Anthroposophists, including many Waldorf teachers, buy and read these books (and many more like them). Really:
From the Anthroposophic Press:
◊ CHRISTIAN HERMETIC ASTROLOGY, by Robert Powell.
◊ ATLANTIS: Lost Kingdom of the Andes, by Jim Allen.
◊ HUMAN ENCOUNTERS WITH KARMA, by Athys Floride.
From Temple Lodge Publishing:
◊ THE TREE OF LIFE AND THE HOLY GRAIL, by Sylvia Franke.
◊ BATTLE FOR THE ETHERIC REALM, by Nick Thomas.
◊ MICHAEL AND THE TWO-HORNED BEAST, by Bernard Nesfield-Cookson.
From The Rudolf Steiner Press:
◊ MEDITATIONS ON THE SIGNS OF THE ZODIAC, by John Jocelyn.
◊ ZANONI by Edward Bulwer-Lytton
◊ FAIRY WORLDS AND WORKERS: A Natural History of Fairyland, by Marjorie Spock and Ingrid Gibb.
That last is my personal favorite. The publisher's description includes this:
"The fairyland and its denizens have long been the concern of poets, painters, and storytellers. Not only are these beings [sic: the fairies, not the poets, painters, and storytellers] charged with the maintenance of Nature’s household but with her evolutionary plans as well. Our recognition of them and their work helps their efforts prosper and helps the earth be carried forward in its evolution. Marjorie Spock draws aside the veil obscuring the life of the 'Little People' and makes their magic world come alive for us. Included are color paintings of the four races of Little People: Undines or water spirits, Gnomes, the earth spirits, Sylphs, or air spirits, and the Fire-Spirits."
As you may know, Steiner taught that gnomes, sylphs, and other such beings really exist. Really.
Is there no limit to human gullibility?
The reasons for our gullibility are plain enough. We want to deny our limitations. Most urgently we want to deny or defeat death. And we want to live in a world that is more magical, more wondrous, and more easily comprehensible than our rational brains tell us the real world is.
What is also plain, although often overlooked, is our capacity to lie to ourselves — and to believe our own sad and silly lies. [See "Why? Oh Why?" and "Fooling (Ourselves)".]
Use this link to go to "Steiner Static, Part I",
or use the following link to go to "Steiner Static, Part II".
[R.R.]