Although I wasn’t a Waldorf pupil, my primary school was child-centred enough not to interfere with my unconscious assumption that “the whole world is moral”, to use Rudolf Steiner’s words. For whatever reason, I was able to grow up as a child in the 1950s believing that those who had charge over our lives, such as parents, teachers, MPs and ministers, policemen, doctors and other public servants were, on the whole, good people working for the benefit and general welfare of others. Looking back to a time when I was younger and less disillusioned, I think I had a fairly positive view of the role of government and officialdom.
In the ninth lecture of Study of Man, Steiner says: “When human beings leave the world of spirit and soul and clothe themselves in a body, what do they actually want? They want to realise in the physical world the previous things they experienced in the spirit. Human beings before the change of teeth are, in a manner of speaking, still wholly focused on the past. Human beings are still filled with the devotion which they develop in the spiritual world. (…) This basic mood is actually a very lovely one. It is one which proceeds from the assumption, the unconscious assumption: the whole world is moral.”
Although we all know that this is not how the world actually is, it is vital for the future development of the child that in their early years their unconscious assumption that the world is beautiful, good and true should not be destroyed. I’ve been reflecting on all of this during the Covid-19 crisis, when the actions of government ministers have been causing me more and more disquiet. For one of my generation and political views, it has been a dispiriting experience to find myself tending to agree with Ronald Reagan that “the nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help’ “.
I’m also disappointed to see the readiness with which most people have gone along with every new restriction, imposition and removal of an established civil liberty by the government. There are two sides to this, of course. During this crisis, we have seen some of the very best of human nature. I’m a care home manager and when I took our residents to get their jabs at a medical centre in Crowborough, there was a long but good-natured queue of people waiting patiently in line. There were friendly and helpful volunteers shepherding the queue, and the doctors and nurses inside the clinic were just lovely with our residents, who were understandably nervous beforehand, by reassuring them and administering the injection so that none of them felt a thing. All in all, this was the British at their best and it occurred to me that there must have been a simiIar national spirit in people during the Second World War.
On the other side, I don’t think one has to be paranoid to start wondering whether there is another agenda behind all of this. By now it is clear that all the vaccinations, mask-wearing, social distancing and staying at home are not that effective in protecting us from Covid-19 and therefore most of the restrictions will have to stay in place. Scientists are saying that while vaccines are having a major impact by cutting illness and deaths, they are not effective enough to allow a return to normal social mixing without the risk of “a big epidemic”. Professor Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, said on 5th April: “I don’t think there’s any surprise that it [Covid] is still with us now, nor is it going to magically disappear over the next few months. This virus will be with us for the foreseeable future. We will have significant problems with Covid for the foreseeable future, and I don’t think we should pretend otherwise.”
And on Tuesday 13th April, Boris Johnson told Sky News: “The (Covid) numbers are down – of infections and hospitalisations and deaths. But it is very, very important for everybody to understand that the reduction in these numbers – in hospitalisations and in deaths and infections – has not been achieved by the vaccination programme (my emphasis). People don’t, I think, appreciate that it’s the lockdown that has been overwhelmingly important in delivering this improvement in the pandemic and in the figures that we’re seeing”.
So, why is Boris all of a sudden playing down the role of vaccination in dealing with Covid? If it’s the case that, even though you have had your jabs, it will not make much difference – what are they for? You still have to wear a mask in public and practice ‘social distancing’ and for months to come, you may not be able to travel abroad, or even go very far within the UK. We don’t know whether the jabs will reduce transmissibility of the virus or whether they will protect you against new variants – but we do know that it is likely you will now have to have additional jabs at regular intervals. Pfizer’s chief has just said that people will probably require a yearly Covid booster shot. Oxford Biomedica, which is manufacturing the Astra Zeneca jab in this country, is expecting to earn over £50 million pounds this year from the jab.
Back in December 2020, I wrote a piece about Coercion and the Covid-19 Vaccines, in which I argued that we were about to see the beginnings of a campaign that would threaten to make life so difficult for anyone who didn’t agree to be vaccinated that it amounted to making it compulsory. Events since have not proved me wrong.
There was a time, before he became prime minister, when Boris Johnson presented himself as a believer in civil liberties. This is what he wrote in his Daily Telegraph column in 2004, when the then Labour government was thinking of introducing ID cards:
“If I am ever asked, on the streets of London, or in any other venue, public or private, to produce my ID card as evidence that I am who I say I am, when I have done nothing wrong and when I am simply ambling along and breathing God’s fresh air like any other freeborn Englishman, then I will take that card out of my wallet and physically eat it in the presence of whatever emanation of the state has demanded that I produce it (…) and add, in the words of Barry Goldwater, that extremism in the defence of liberty is no vice, and that I really don’t know what I dislike most about these cards. There is the cost; (…) There is the loss of liberty, and the creepy reality that the state will use these cards – doubtless with the best possible intentions – to store all manner of detail about us, our habits, what benefits we may claim, and so on.”
What a difference political power and a pandemic can make to basic principles! But it’s been obvious for a long time to anyone who has observed Boris Johnson’s career and general behaviour that he has no basic principles, other than to do in all circumstances whatever will lead to his personal advantage.
Now in 2021 the government, of which he is prime minister, is proposing not only vaccine passports (ID cards by another name) but also a “UK Health Security Agency”. The idea behind it is that to control the circulation of viruses, the government needs to control what people are allowed to do. Our rights to freedom of assembly, of protest, to send our children to school, to go abroad, to visit the pub etc are now seen by the government as privileges which they can remove or restore as they see fit. One idea apparently being seriously considered in Whitehall is that each of us will have to send in our temperature every day using the NHS app.
I have some skin in this game, as the Americans say. The government is planning to legislate to make it illegal to work in a care home if you have not had the vaccination – but I want to wait for further analysis about possible side effects from these experimental vaccines before deciding whether or not to have one.
Critics will scoff at my use of the term ‘experimental’ and point to the NHS statement: “The vaccines approved for use in the UK have met strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness set out by the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Any coronavirus vaccine that is approved must go through all the clinical trials and safety checks all other licensed medicines go through. The MHRA follows international standards of safety.”
According to the scientific technical writer, Mark Pickles: “There are many things wrong with this NHS statement. It is misleading at best. The medicines are not licensed. The medicines are not approved (certainly not according to the FDA in America, who in granting ‘emergency authorisation’ for three vaccines tell us ‘There is no US Food and Drug Administration approved vaccine to prevent Covid-19’, and the clinical trials are still in progress. We are now in the long-term trials, or Phase 3 of four phases, following which the medicine is assessed and either licensed or revoked.”
What’s more, “every letter of authorisation from the FDA to Janssen BioTech, to Moderna TX and to Pfizer Inc for the Covid-19 vaccines describes each product as: ‘an investigational vaccine not licensed for any indication.’ “
The medical term ‘investigational’ as used by the health authorities is defined in the Merriam Webster dictionary as follows:
“Investigational [medical]: relating to or being a drug or medical procedure that is not approved for general use but is under investigation in clinical trials regarding its safety and efficacy.”
To my mind, ‘investigational’ means that these vaccines are still experimental. This also means that everyone who has had one of these vaccines has been unwittingly taking part in the biggest trial ever known in the history of medicine – and it’s worth remembering that all of the companies making these vaccines have been granted blanket immunity by government from litigation arising from unforeseen side effects.
This creeping authoritarianism is to my mind quite sinister. Professor Neil Ferguson of Imperial College, London, whose inaccurate projections about the pandemic (forecasts of 250,000 deaths in the UK and 1.2 million in the US) have been relied on by several governments to shape their response, made some interesting comments during an interview with Tom Whipple of The Times:
“I think people’s sense of what is possible in terms of control changed quite dramatically between January and March (2020),” Professor Ferguson says. When SAGE (the UK government’s Scientific and Advisory Group) observed the ‘innovative intervention’ out of China, of locking entire communities down and not permitting them to leave their homes, they initially presumed it would not be an available option in a liberal Western democracy. ‘It’s a communist one-party state, we said. We couldn’t get away with it in Europe, we thought… and then Italy did it. And we realised we could.’ ”
It seems from Ferguson’s comments that the UK government is taking lessons in social control from the Chinese Communist Party and applying them to a so-far docile population at home, with success beyond their expectations. But is it just paranoia on my part to draw the conclusion that Boris Johnson and his bunch of political pygmies are simply the servants seeking to enforce a larger agenda emerging from those who regard themselves as our global masters?
Here it is instructive to listen to Edward Snowden. Wikipedia tells us that Snowden is the “former computer intelligence consultant who copied and leaked highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013 when he was a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) employee and subcontractor. His disclosures revealed numerous global surveillance programs, many run by the NSA and the Five Eyes Intelligence Alliance with the cooperation of telecommunication companies and European governments, and prompted a cultural discussion about national security and individual privacy.”
I have a great deal of respect for Snowden, his bravery and his sense of outrage at the immorality of many covert government operations. I think that Rudolf Steiner would also have applauded Snowden for revealing to us the brutal reality and lies behind so much government rhetoric. I urge you to listen to him in this short YouTube video, where he is speaking about coronavirus and the effect on our freedoms, and in which he suggests that the pandemic is being used to put in place controls on populations throughout the world – and that governments will find these controls very useful and want to make them permanent.
In the end, it comes down to a question of trust. We all know about Boris Johnson’s track record with truth, so I suspect that most of us will not be reassured when we hear him declare his confidence in the AstraZeneca or any other vaccine. These are fearfully complex questions that only an epidemiologist or virologist can pronounce on with any authority, so some of us will want to turn instead to scientists for reassurance. But can we trust the scientists and doctors, many of whom derive their funding from the giant pharmaceutical corporations? I don’t think so, which is why I want to see two or three years more data from the ongoing clinical trials before I decide whether to have the jab. In the meantime, I and my care home colleagues are having three tests a week to show that we are free from infection. It is fundamentally immoral for any government to seek to coerce me through the threat of unemployment, loss of the right to travel etc, into a premature decision on the matter of vaccination.
I am saddened to have lost my childhood assumption that the world is beautiful, good and true because, in my heart of hearts, I think that this is how the world is one day meant to be. At this time, however, as we become more and more aware of the impending incarnation of the being whom Christ called “the Ruler of this World”, it is clearly unrealistic to suppose that governments, leaders and the rest of us are not going to be unconsciously or otherwise influenced in myriad negative ways by what is coming towards us. Our only option is to become as aware, as far as possible, of the reality behind world phenomena; and in Rudolf Steiner’s words, “it is humanity’s task in this period to come to grips with evil as an impulse in the evolution of the world”.
anthropopper 
Jeremy, I appreciate your concerns. A combination of 1984, Brave New World, not to mention The Gulag Archipeligo (?) seems to be part of what is happening in the world. Epidemiology is a more or less statistical field. How much of the information that is released is trustworthy? Whatever doubts one may have the pressure on Intensive Care Units has a ring of truth, particularly when the staff involved are heard.
In Germany, a recent study shows higher infections in ‘poor’ neighbourhoods With double the death rate compared with more affluent areas. Whether those differences are REALLY connected to Covid, rather than general problems of poverty is not clear.
Are ‘super spreader’ events a reality? Would more people die if they went to a theater or football match?
I am SO glad that I am not in charge. What would YOU do Jeremy if YOU were Prime Minister?? On what would YOU base your decision?
I write this feeling rather droopy after an A-Z shot yesterday. Accepted for the same reason that I had a Smallpox vaccination in 1961. i.e. to get a stamp on a paper that might allow me some freedom of movement later this year.
It is, of course, a reminder to pay my subs to the AS to buy my soul some spiritual protection (LOL)
On thursday I had to get a negative test certificate to get a haircut. Perhaps now I will be able to show Vax Pass.
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Hmm. While I share many of your concerns, Jeremy, our experience in Australia (especially my state of Victoria) is shaded a bit differently. We’ve managed to limit the number of new infections and deaths through reasonably prompt (no one’s perfect!) community health measures that HAVE included lockdowns and, now, a partial and far-from-perfect roll-out of the Astra Zeneca and Pfizer vaccines.
The lockdowns have clearly worked. From our perspective it seems that the persistence of the covid pandemic into fourth- and fifth-wave outbreaks elsewhere in the world has been driven primarily by premature easing of restrictions, mainly for crude economic reasons: governments pressuring people back to work, and people wanting some unrealistic return to a “pre-covid normal” that’s simply not going to happen anytime soon.
Clearly this entire episode is asking Western culture to rethink its social and economic foundations, and Steiner’s call for us all to acknowledge the spiritual roots of our being answers that necessity in all sorts of ways. But a concerted effort to push for just, humane interventions into the course of the pandemic (your account of the experience of your care-home residents is exemplary) must always come first.
There is much in the progress of the vaccination initiative that calls for nuanced question. Were it rolled out in a spirit of generous, collective will to turn this corner (I think of Salk’s refusal to patent his polio vaccine), I’d feel more at ease about it. The motives and roles of the major pharmaceutical companies in this need careful scrutiny, as do the tendencies of contemporary governments to impose on their citizens. It’s a harsh landscape, which the pressures of the pandemic have exacerbated.
But it should be possible for government to play a positive role. The Victorian government here has taken a mostly measured and benign approach to the pandemic, and our numbers so far reflect that. As I’ve said, it’s not perfect, on the one hand (little about this whole mess is!), and I don’t know what kinds of solution will finally sort the current crisis, here and elsewhere, but keeping our options open must figure in the mix in a big way.
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It’s seasonal, and will be back in the Southern hemisphere in your winter. From the accounts of friends in Sydney & Melbourne I’m not sure there was any difference in your lockdown and what was done here – other than our respective governments took turns to say “look at Australia/Europe – they locked down and the number of infections dropped”.
The only real difference was a strict control of borders which wasn’t applied with any rigour here.
I’m not getting at Australia here, because the problem is the same in this part of the world, but this is CCP-level stuff at this stage;
https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/pm-open-to-home-quarantine-says-no-rush-on-international-borders-reopening/news-story/22c60115c09394354fd2e2346733b03c
& the virus is real, but the figures aren’t:
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/mayo-coroner-questions-nphets-figures-for-covid-deaths-40326117.html
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I feel saddened for anyone ‘taking the jab’. This whole thing is about depopulation and control of the planet. There is so much evidence to this fact that it boggles the mind why so many people are so asleep. Everything you express is shared, however I am deeply sad at your participation in seeing to it that the people you cared for received the ‘jab’.
Steiner spoke of these times many times in his lectures. Here is a short and simple on that spells it out quite nicely. Read this
https://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/19060614p01.html
Then look up the parable of the wheat and tares in Matthew 13.
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@anthonykmdouglass.
1. Thank you for the reference to the important lecture.
2. “This whole thing is about depopulation and control of the planet”
Could you explain how the vaccines, which are designed to reduce ‘depopulation’ are some how a CAUSE of depopulation.
As I have mentioned elsewhere: Covid has been very inefficient at reducing the 8 billion world population and the vaccine may reduce its efficiency further.
It might be a nice idea if Covid selectively removed the ‘evil’ race but it seems to ‘ fall like the gentle rain from heaven’ on the good and bad equally.
Just asking Anthony, just asking.
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My interest in World Population and its growth or decline means that I found the ‘Spermageddon ‘ theme interesting. e.g.
https://news.sky.com/story/spermageddon-could-men-be-infertile-by-2045-12267743
The NWO vampires are clever enough to see that infertility caused by pollution will deal with the depopulation, no need for covid and vax. Unless they are just to divert attention from the inevitable extinction of humanity.
On the other hand, Spermageddon might just be the means sort the wheat from the tares. The evil folk living in chemical enhanced virtual reality will die out leaving the off grid, organic freaks to survive.
‘ The meek shall inherit the earth’.
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“…But can we trust the scientists and doctors, many of whom derive their funding from the giant pharmaceutical corporations? I don’t think so,…”
I wonder how many scientists and doctors you are effectively slandering with this generalisation, at every level from GPs to university researchers?
I come from a medical family, 6 of my parents generation, 3 of my generation and (so far) 1 of the next. Of course most of their friends were/are in the profession too. I have never met a medical professional who was not completely altruistic and trustworthy, and I personally must have known many.
Are you able to name even one medical professional of whom you can clearly identify in what way their statements are unfounded/ unreliable/ straight lies? Are you able identify one scenario where you can show conclusively that a large pharmaceutical company deliberately introduced a medication to the public which they knew beforehand was harmful?
We live in a society where capitalism and the free-market are unquestioned basic values. (Not mine by the way!)
The majority of people in the UK have voted for Conservative governments knowing that these two values underlie everything Conservatives say and do.
One thing I don’t understand is how causing the world economy to go into recession by causing/ encouraging a pandemic benefits capitalists. It may benefit Rees-Mogg whose company advises people how to make money in a recession, but there are thousands of other capitalists who would not be benefited by the collapse of economies.
“it is humanity’s task in this period to come to grips with evil as an impulse in the evolution of the world”.
Steiner’s words are rarely, if ever, a call to take up arms in any way. Coming to grips with evil may mean understanding that the phenomena of evil is an essential dimension in the development of human freedom. . He is not telling us how to overthrow the ‘powers that be’.
Spreading fear and doubt is playing the game that Ahriman wants to see being played. In Tomberg’s words, ‘… Furnishing [evil] with arms…’ (Meditations on the Tarot, Letter XV. The Devil)
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Tom, your reaction to my article tells me that you have probably had the jab – which is fine, as all I am asking for is that as (supposedly) free men and women living in a liberal democracy, each of us should be free to decide such matters for ourselves, without being coerced into a decision by government.
Re your outrage at my impugning the reputation of the doctors you know, I am not of course doing any such thing. What I am pointing to is the unhealthy and potentially corrupt relationships between funding and research. Here is just one example, of many I could have cited, which concluded that systematic bias favours products which are made by the company funding the research:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC156458/
What Ahriman wants to see is what he is getting – division and rancour between friends and family members, first over Brexit, now over Covid.
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“…systematic bias favours products which are made by the company funding the research:…”
Yes, that’s how capitalists work. Don’t ever expect a capitalist to do anything which isn’t designed to give them a return on their investment. Their shareholders wont allow them to do that. Elon Musk has done a good thing, potentially helping to reduce carbon emissions, or at least air-pollution in cities, by developing electric cars, but I am sure he intends to make money out of it.
That’s why impartial research should be funded by governments and should be the activity of universities where people’s careers don’t depend on the outcome of their research.
Your link does not show that products being favoured by the bias of the research funder were/are known to be harmful to the public before their introduction to the market, just that the research funder made money out of the outcome.
Dear old Ahriman gets a bad press from the Anthros. He is a good capitalist exploiting our desires/wishes, doing what the Ground of All Being (the Father God) needed him to do
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No rancour included in my dialogue. I enjoy Anthropopper.
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Glad to hear it, Tom – and so another defeat for Ahriman!
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Tom, from an Irish perspective here a few examples –
Our government and some doctors continued to give out thalidomide in the 70s after it had been banned elsewhere and the effects were known.
(I went to school in the 90s with a lad affected)
A short few years ago our government gave out pandemrix (Swine Flu vaccine when dangers from the vacdine were supected and it had been withdrawn from use in other jurisdictions)
There is an ongoing cervical cancer scandal – the Irish government contracted a lab in Texas to test the results of the smears. It became apparent that there were huge problems with their methodology (the missed cancer presence in the samples), and that a number of women ended up not having their cancer status known in time. The HSE (Health Service Executive) found out about this, but rather than change their practice they continued to use the Texas lab they knew was missing cancer diagnoses (with their methodology unchanged) – leading to many more women with terminal cancer that would have been treatable if caught on time. Who was head of the HSE when that was going on ? Chief Medical Officer Tony Houlihan, a role he still occupies along with now chairing National Public Health Emergeny Team (the Irish version of SAGE) – now overseeing our handling of the coronavirus.
These examples are just off the top of my head – I could give you more.
And this is what happens to our good doctors –
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/dr-martin-feeley-young-and-healthy-majority-need-to-be-allowed-to-live-1.4362503
https://www.independent.ie/world-news/coronavirus/i-lost-my-job-for-speaking-out-but-i-have-no-regrets-dr-martin-feeley-on-his-coronavirus-views-39585808.html
As for drug companies – https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_pharmaceutical_settlements
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(Left out the results of the pandemrix issue – it caused a large number of teens to develop narcolepsy and similar conditions – there are eighty odd cases before the courts. All cases heard so far have resulted in out of court settlements without admission of liability)
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I had a look at some of Luke’s links. The Wikipedia list does not discriminate between companies which were called to account for minor infringements, such as in the marketing of Claritin (a very safe drug), and more serious misdemeanours.
More than anything the Wikipedia list demonstrates to me the vigilance of bodies charged with monitoring the activities of drug companies. The list is not set up show that any of them have tried to sell drugs known to be harmful beyond their declared negative side-effects.
I also note that the Irish Independent is in the control of a venture capitalist group, Mediahuis. It’s like reading something from Rupert Murdoch’s stable of news media. One may or may not be reading something true, but one can be sure that one is being fed a particular story for an ulterior motive.
I wonder how Luke knows that Martin Feeley is a ‘good’ doctor, apart from the fact that Luke approves/agrees with what Dr. Feeley has done.
I only record these observations here on Anthropopper because I am concerned at unsupported allegations being printed about the activities of whole classes of companies/individuals. My main concern is to see ‘right speech’ being practiced, especially in the context of spiritual matters.
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This is so absolutely uncharacteristic of you Tom, and even citing Rupert Murdoch in the claim against our own Luke. I don’t know what to say, other than I love you both. Being straight is what matters, and maybe this can be the encouragement for you two to address it here. I am one that really wants to know. Please explain it again as if it means something really important. Otherwise, it could be just incidental, and what is incidental in the mix of things? Of course, others have to explain. Kind regards.
My teacher always said: Make your words count as if they mean something important to you. I hope I try to do that.
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Hi Tom,
The Irish Independent is considered Ireland’s second ‘paper of note’ after the Irish Times, but you’re right about there being problems with it – it is owned by one of the biggest media groups which control a far too-large portion of the industry.
This, however, doesn’t put it into some neo-lib or right-wing end of things, however – the main criticisms levelled at it are that it is far too much a part of the government supporting establishment here. It is no more or less dubious than say ITV, or Sky News.
(It’s ‘Right’ of the Guardian and a good deal ‘Left’ of the Telegraph or Spectator anyway – and far more likely to toe-the-line on controversial issues and really only reports on anything with a whiff of scandal or criticism of authority when it has no choice and is safe to do so. The political poles in Ireland are far narrower than the UK and there is little strict factionality in the Irish Times, Independent or mainstream media in general.)
Anyway, they were just links I grabbed – an online search on the subjects should provide multiple across-the-board sources on those subjects.
These stories I referred to are in no way, manner or means disputed or contentious – it’s all widespread & common knowledge here and these things have been at the forefront of the news for several years.
As for Martin Feely – he was (& is) a fully qualified person to speak on these matters, he voiced his concerns – and received no benefit from doing so (unlike others in the opposing camp – almost every medical advisory group, doctor on media, and several of out tv presenters who have been squarely on the pro-lockdown, mask & vaccine, are affiliated with, receiving money from, or married to individuals with the vaccine-pharma industry).
You can judge for yourself on his character – his interviews are online in both print and video & easily found (type ‘Martin Feely interview’). Hardly unusual, though – there are several reputable UK medics & scientists who have raised questions & concerns to match this example.
I wouldn’t dream of dispaging an entire profession.
But nor would I be so naive as to believe that there aren’t malefactors who are doctors. I’ve always seen the profession, at its best, as one of Healers – in both the mundane & higher sense. But there are also psychopaths in its shadowy manifestation.
Someone mentioned the gender/’sex-change’ issue on the previous thread. In Canada at the moment, children (from primary school age) have been tutored with material like this – https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i83VQIaDlQw&feature=youtu.be
some without their parent’s knowledge are given new names of the opposite sex and led towards puberty blockers. Parents who, later finding out, have objected have sometimes lost custody of their children.
Read the harrowing form that ‘doctors’ gave this thirteen year old girl to sign and consent to https://mobile.twitter.com/christophelston/status/1383100461624950789 .
Same thing happening to varying degrees across the US & UK.
High profile UK case recently which has led to a ban on puberty-blockers. But how many children were administered them first & how many doctors spoke out against something that was so obviously, radically wrong & indeed evil ?
Off-topic ? I mention it because I think it presents a parallel case to how medical & political consensus can be captured by an ideology, or a power behind an ideology, & that is directly relevant to the matter under discussion here. The majority have become afraid to speak out against the trans-cult, as
have many against lockdown matters & vaccinating the healthy against something that poses them no threat.
Please don’t take this as in any way a slander on the people you know in the profession, but equally – Yes, absolutely – a very large if not the greater part of a profession can willingly or through fear or apathy become controlled in this way.
(I can’t believe you really think that the pharma industry would not knowingly peddle products they knew caused harm, were addictive…, etc.)
You also questioned the economic aspect – but has ghe money not vanished but rather been consolidated in other areas, eg Amazon, etc ? Small businesses languish, but the wealthy have grown far wealthier in the past year.
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I do not believe that ‘big pharma’ deliberately market drugs that they know are harmful, because too many people would have to be in on the deception.
My late wife’s childhood friend, a qualified biochemist, worked as a researcher all her life for Roche. She was aware of mishaps and errors, which were always rectified immediately, but never of a deliberate deception being practiced. There were large numbers of colleagues working together. To get them all to keep quiet about a plan to deceive the public would have been impossible.
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I finally got my first “jab”, as the Brits so anxiously call it. And survived! – not something I was sure of after having read here about all those conspiracies. When I arrived at the jab-center there were about 10 over-60s ahead of me sitting silently in metal chairs staring into the distance, waiting for their names – as inscribed in their ID cards– to be called. I had hoped to be jabbed by Sputnik V and thus be certain of a V IP place in the 6th post-Atlantis Culture epoch. But there were none left, so I had to be satisfied with Astra-Seneca , which at least has something to do with Oxford, which should make me smarter, if that’s possible. I now possess a four-page “Carnet unica de vacunación contra el SARS CoV2”. With that and 100 pesos I can buy a cup of coffee.
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Rather than a tight collaboration between various parties acting in full consciousness of what they are doing, I think things happen in a more complicated way. People convince themselves that their actions are beneficial and repress anything that contradicts this, in many walks of life; put this in the context of the interconnection of pharmaceuticals and medicine and you can end up with something like the opiod scandals in the U.S. Or the recent BBC documentary (late last year?) where a company insider showed how the industry designed questionnaires deliberately designed to result in a diagnoses of clinical depression where none necessarily existed. It worked on the principle where if the candidate had ticked ‘x’ number of affirmatives, to very general things, they should be prescribed the company’s antidepressants. This was in both the U.S. & U.K. and a means was found in the former to ‘reward’ doctors (at conferences run by the drugs co.) who peddled most product, in some means which sidestepped any legal prohibition of bribery.
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2 items Jeremy:
!. I live in Argentina where we have a national ID (DNI= Documento Nacional de Identidad). Every citizen and legal resident must have one. You can’t do anything without one. A few years ago there was a scandal because a poor young girl didn’t have a DNI beause of some beaurcratic mistake. It was a scandal, the newspapers accused the govt of denying her her right to a DNI, The govt. almost fell. Finally she got one and was pictured tearfully giving thanks to some politician.
2. I would like to reprint this in SCR if you agree. I think I already have your bio from last time. If you wish to add or subtrct something, please advise.
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Thank you, Frank. I don’t in fact have any ideological objection to identity cards, but was simply pointing out Boris Johnson’s hypocrisy on the issue. I’m happy, of course, for you to reprint this post in Southern Cross Review. Best wishes, Jeremy
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Descartes said: “I think, therefore I am”. We (outside the Anglo-American world) say: “I have a DNI, therefore I am”. I do have an objection to them: they are much too efficient
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Actually, anyone who uses a mobile phone is already tracked and traced far more systematically than any ID card can do – and it would be naive to think that governments can’t get their hands on that information.
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I think Descartes said “I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am.”
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I doubt that, kathy.
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Descartes was jumping the gun. A more accurate form might be:
“I think, therefore the THOUGHT must exist”, Whether this includes real evidence that the THINKER exists is wishful speculation.
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What is most pertinent to Descartes was the fact that he came to doubt ALL knowledge except the self-evident facts of number and form. So, he did a very courageous thing; he deconstructed his knowledge gained from the 3-D world of illusion and phenomenal appearances, and then applied a new methodology. He gained access to this from Aristotle, and that is how he came to see the definite relationship between intellect and individuality; I Think Therefore I Am. Steiner’s best case for telling of how Rene Descartes was inspired by the Aristotle of old comes here in this lecture:
https://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA129/English/RSP1983/19110826p01.html
The whole lecture tells an even larger story, of which Descartes becomes a pivot-point at a certain time early in the 5th cultural epoch. The succession of great philosophers begins in the modern era with Descartes. Why? Because he was marked. Another hand was in on his destiny.
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Steiner’s counter-example is sleep: when I sleep, I still am (wiki/Cartesian_doubt, GA035/PhlAnt).
In contrast to the opinions of Descartes and Locke, perceiving the so-called ‘secondary qualities’ (color, sound etc.) does guarantee the reality of the ‘I’ in the outer world:
“… a healthy and open mind would lead one to place the primary qualities, everything mathematical-mechanical, into man’s inner being, and to place the secondary qualities into the outer world.” GA0326/19230101 (cf. A Brief Outline, GA018_p02c08).
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Not paranoia but frivolousness Hermeneutics of suspicion
I am sure that more than 90% of the readers will agree with you, Jeremy; I belong to the small minority among anthroposophists who disagree with you. I do not believe in a hermeneutics of suspicion.
Reading your article, I kept finding places where you are one-sided, bringing up semantic things that are supposed to provide evidence in a field other than semantics, where you simply sow suspicion. Yes, I think you are biased in this matter, so much so that you pick up on things that are not tenable.
Semantics: According to the legal procedure, the vaccines may still be “investigational”, but after several 100 million jabs, one can no longer seriously speak of investigational. And what about the approval procedures in other countries? As far as I know, the approval in the EU is not “provisional”. (There are differences of approval in the US, UK and EU and differences for the different vaccines. A most difficult subject indeed, but the definition of the word provisional doesnt help much.)
According to what I have read, Astra-Zeneca does not earn anything from the vaccine; that was one of the conditions of the laboratories in Oxford, that developed the vaccine (at least that s what I ve read about it). Apart from the immaterial damage caused by the loss of reputation due to the partly fatal side effects and the resources tied up in management as a result, the vaccine should, on the contrary, mean a financial loss for Astra-Zeneca. The other western vaccine producers, on the other hand, seem to be earning very well from the vaccine.
There are these kind of questions in about every chapter of your article. I m sure there will be a hundred or more entries on the facts of this kind.
But this is not my concern. It is rather this fundamental attitude that I question: „I don’t think one has to be paranoid to start wondering whether there is another agenda behind all of this.“
This „another agenda“ as you call it, is meant to open up, to prepare the reader to suppose all kind of sinister things. You name some of them, like the obligation to have an ID card, but you scare readers with more terrible things to come.
These allusions, insinuations are what is actually dangerous, this vague fear-mongering, alarmism. This basic attitude opens the door to all kinds of conspiracy theories and the comfortable thing for you, Jeremy, is that you can always say: No, I didn’t say that; but the craziest conspiracy theorists in anthro circles can now refer to you. I need not be a prophet to prophesy that you will hear a lot of them in the next days. You ve already heard of them in the comments of the previous article, so this article now is the forum to present them all again.
Ottmar
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Frivolous? I may be biased, as you suggest, that is for others to decide; but hardly frivolous in my approach to these issues. You say that after several hundred million jabs, one can no longer call these vaccinations experimental. Yet there are perfectly serious experts who have some fundamental doubts about what is being done. Here is just one example: https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5fa5866942937a4d73918723/607484cd3ffc7569b9c17523_Cell-cell%C2%AD_fusion_and_tissue_damage_an_overlooked_side_effect_of_Covid-19_vaccines.pdf
By the way, I was careful to say that it was Oxford Biomedica which was going to make £50 million from the AstraZeneca jab this year, not AZ itself.
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Dear Jeremy, soon after I had sent my comment, in my evening meditation, it hit me like a sword: In my rejection of your ideas there was included or connected a criticism of your person. I m very sorry for it, I apologize for it, I feel very bad about it. Please dont hold it against me. Next time I will take such a comment through the night, which I usually do. I deeply regret that I ve hurt you.
Ottmar
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Thank you, Ottmar, but really, there’s nothing for me to forgive – what you said was all fair comment and part of the vigorous discussion on this blog! Best wishes, Jeremy
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Ottmar said “These allusions, insinuations are what is actually dangerous, this vague fear-mongering, alarmism. This basic attitude opens the door to all kinds of conspiracy theories and the comfortable thing for you, Jeremy, is that you can always say: No, I didn’t say that; but the craziest conspiracy theorists in anthro circles can now refer to you. I need not be a prophet to prophesy that you will hear a lot of them in the next days. You ve already heard of them in the comments of the previous article, so this article now is the forum to present them all again.”
I’m assuming I’m one of those crazy conspiracy theorists in the previous article you are referring to. So, let’s not talk about an alleged conspiracy as to why “the powers that be” would implement these extreme measures world wide, let’s in turn look at facts, statistics, and from there we can make a sober and sound judgement as to what ‘actually’ IS dangerous. We don’t even have to mention the ACTUAL fear-mongering perpetrated by the media such as CNN which displayed a 24/7 ticker on DEATHS and CASES for everyone to see – which THAT alone instills fear, leaving people helpless and vulnerable and susceptible which will make them much more likely to do ANYTHING they are told to do (for their own safety) so that bad and scary things can go away. Again, that’s irrelevant to the argument, but it’s still something to consider if we are actually talking about “fear-mongering,” because fear-mongering is fear-mongering whether it’s by a crazy conspiracy theorist or a state sanctioned media outlet. The effect is the same. So let’s focus on the facts of these measures which have been taken, not even factoring in vaccines at this point.
It’s not my intention to span this article with the same link, but it begs a full reading.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7680614/
To emphasis what actual dangers we should be aware of, I’ll quote a summary of the effects (from the article listed above) of just one of these measures which is totted as being “helpful” in curbing the spread of this virus:
“Physiological effects (of wearing facemasks):
• Hypoxemia
• Hypercapnia
• Shortness of breath
• Increase lactate concentration
• Decline in pH levels
• Acidosis
• Toxicity
• Inflammation
• Self-contamination
• Increase in stress hormones level (adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol)
• Increased muscle tension
• Immunosuppression
Psychological Effect:
• Activation of “fight or flight” stress response
• Chronic stress condition
• Fear
• Mood disturbances
• Insomnia
• Fatigue
• Compromised cognitive performance
Health Consequences:
• Increased predisposition for viral and infection illnesses
• Headaches
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Hypertension
• Cardiovascular disease
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Alzheimer disease
• Exacerbation of existing conditions and diseases
• Accelerated aging process
• Health deterioration
• Premature mortality
When “experts” such as Fauci say, “probably” “highly likely” “possibly” “maybe”.. those are not facts, it’s conjecture. Models are made to prove a point with cherry picked evidence, it doesn’t prove a point. You need to factor in as many variables as possible. So, there should be a public release of a study that proves the efficacy of wearing masks that is JUST as thorough as the one I shared in the link above. If there is one, let’s see it. And then we can compare the two and make a judgement based on sound evidence, not trust. If there is debate about the content of both articles, then I think it’s valid to have one if it proves a higher level of understanding. I assume that is why we are all hear – I hope.
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Medical Hypotheses? Do youreally take that seriously? Not subject to any sort of rigorous peer review and an editor summed up the hack-rag’s philosophy: “more harm is done by a failure to publish one idea that might have been true, than by publishing a dozen ideas that turn out to be false.” (See: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306987708000273 )
This joins the ranks of other Medical Hypotheses nonsense like masturbation cures nasal congestion (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18434036/), and footwear with heels cause schizophrenia (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15325026/).
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Hey Steve, many people here are looking at this vaccine as being experimental in nature. Many variants exist, and they will continue to proliferate. Some want to take the jab, and some prefer to wait until the more exacting evidence exists. I continue to offer the evidence that Steiner gives here with the lecture from GA 177, which talks of “ahriman’s messengers”, ref. 6 October 1917. This is where he lays it on the line. Beware inoculation of antibodies, which cause the “dumb down effect”.
Now, does that make sense to you by now? I know I have talked to Tonkin by now. The world is moving on since we last talked, Steve Tonkin, and so why do you do this? Yes, years ago. The problem, of course, has only become more paramount in this day and age. Thanks for slipping in with your comment.
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@Steve Hale:
Was that meant to be a reply to what I wrote? I ask because my post was about the Medical Hypotheses nonsense about mask-wearing that Kyle J cited and quoted, and you responded to a load of points that I didn’t make 🙂
Care to describe to us how that works? Not that it’s particularly relevant, given that none of the Covid-19 vaccines is
“inoculation of antibodies”.
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Steve Tonkin, that editor who summed up the ‘hack-rag’s philosophy’ – as you put it – was actually referring to an entirely different article:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306987708000273
I’m aware he doesn’t have a glowing review of Medical Hypothesis (and thanks for providing that, by the way) but it still doesn’t actually refute the content of the article I provided. Did you actually read it?
Also a bit of synchronicity, the editor your quoted, Dr. Bruce G Charlton, I happen to be a reader of his blogs! He doesn’t strike me as someone, himself, who is fond of the lockdowns, social distancing, and mandatory mask wearing. Just read for yourself:
“The core objective of this birdemic is total destruction of human society”
https://charltonteaching.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-core-objective-of-this-birdemic-is.html
“Cover your face! (The transition from face mask to face covering)”
https://charltonteaching.blogspot.com/2020/06/cover-your-face-transition-from-face.html
“International Stockholm Syndrome”
https://charltonteaching.blogspot.com/2020/05/international-stockholm-syndrome.html
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Overall Charlton’s piece was about Dobson’s book, but, in the snippet that I quoted, he was referring to his own rag.
??? Charlton is the editor of Medical Hypotheses!
The objective, verifiable facts refute it. Yes, I did read it. Twice. Once when it came out, and a second time when I saw it cited here. The first time, I followed up several of the references. Did you?
Like so much of this sort of stuff, many of them simply don’t say what Vainshelboin pretends they do, or takes them out of context. Example:
Vainshelboin quotes Fauci as saying “the overall clinical consequences of COVID-19 are similar to those of severe seasonal influenza, having a case fatality rate of approximately 0.1%”. What Vainshelboin somehow omitted to tell us is that the similarity to which Fauci was referring is “with higher morbidity and mortality among the elderly and among those with coexisting conditions” and that the mortality data were unclear (remember, Fauci was writing when little was known about SARS-Cov-2 – the cited paper was published more than a year ago). In the same paper Fauci accepted that the mortality rate could be as high as 2%, but thought it was more likely to be around 1% (i.e. still ten times higher than severe seasonal influenza).
Vainshelboin does a lot of that sort of thing. Do you think that is ethical?
But you don’t even have to follow up on Vainshelboin’s references – a little thought shows that he is quite simply wrong. Example:
Vainshelboin asserts that mask-wearing results in dangerous hypoxia. Those of us who have worn N95 masks for extended periods in hazardous environments know that not to be true, as do surgical staff who wear surgical masks during lengthy operations.
Or, if you don’t want to do that, just look at a fact-checking website, eg:
https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2020/it-is-not-true-that-masks-cause-hypoxia-this-hoax-is-now-viral-and-dangerous/
It’s also worth being very wary of single-author papers. Turns out that Vainshelboim has exactly zero medical qualifications. Which is hardly surprising, given that he merely recounted a list of hypotheses that had already been disproved or discredited.
Again I ask: Do you think this is ethical?
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Alright, you got me! I didn’t read up on all 67 references given in the paper. I honestly didn’t see your point about quoting Charlton, and quite frankly, I don’t know why you are upset over his ‘rag.’
—–
“Turns out that Vainshelboim has exactly zero medical qualifications”
Baruch Vainshelboim:
Cardiology Division, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System/Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, United States
Ok, I’ll just take your word for it then?
—–
“It’s also worth being very wary of single-author papers.”
Not necessarily so. When there is money involved, peer review can mean absolutely nothing. Follow the money trail… Fauci’s got a big one. If you’re so concerned about ethical practices, maybe that should alarm you a bit.
Also to note, consensus science isn’t science, but I’m assuming you think Michael Crichton, in the link below, has zero qualifications as well:
Click to access Crichton2003.pdf
——-
“But you don’t even have to follow up on Vainshelboin’s references – a little thought shows that he is quite simply wrong. Example:
Vainshelboin asserts that mask-wearing results in dangerous hypoxia. Those of us who have worn N95 masks for extended periods in hazardous environments know that not to be true, as do surgical staff who wear surgical masks during lengthy operations.”
If you’re in a hazardous environment, then yes, it’s good to wear a mask. I’m a bit skeptical that you think they are 100% safe and healthy, and in every situation, all the time. Have you ran with a mask on? You honestly think you can breath well that way? And you have absolute certainty there will be no psychological ramifications to prolonged mask wearing even… world-wide, all the time? You know very well studies can be subject to modification, but you find some discrepancies and you think the rest is obsolete.
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I do realise that, but I believe that “authoritatively” publishing false “information” of that sort is downright dangerous and unethical. YMMV.
No, don’t take my word; do your own research, and if you think he has medical qualifications, tell us what they are. Firstly, even if he did once work in the Cardiology Division, that does not equate to a medical qualification. Secondly, the Cardiology Division doesn’t seem to know him:
However, a representative for the VA Palo Alto Health Care System told the AP in an email that Vainshelboim does not work there.
“I can confirm this person is not one of our physicians,” wrote Michael Hill-Jackson, a public affairs specialist with the system. “I do not see him in our system and our Cardiology team has never heard of him.”
(https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-629043235973)
See also https://www.linkedin.com/in/baruch-vainshelboim-67815614b/ (“assistant professor” is American for “junior lecturer”) – curious lack of detail for a professional’s LinkedIn entry, though, don’t you think: no subjects, no career path, no qualifications given, no publications … and how odd that he’s not listed in his current employer’s faculty directory: https://www.francis.edu/Faculty-Directory/
If you think anything that Fauci has published is incorrect, or has been uncorrected in the light of new evidence, let’s see your actual evidence.
I’m not sure what you think Crichton’s decades-old opinion has to do with whether Vainshelboim was correct or not. I am also very aware of his opinion on climate change. I think he’s wrong on that, but that is not the topic of this discussion.
I did not claim that they are 100% safe. (You do know what the “95” in N95 means, don’t you?). Would you like to pick me up on somethjing I actually wrote instead?
Yes, I have run with a mask on. When the pandemic started and we were unaware of the transmission mechanisms and risks, I wore a mask for my morning runs (usually about 3km). I could breathe perfectly well, thank you. Only problems were my specs steaming up when the weather was humid, and a bit uncomfortable in the rain.
Of course not, but there is no actual real-world evidence that there is (the onus is on you to provide it if you think I’m wrong). And you are shifting the goalposts (again). I was referring to physiological harms that Vainshelboim pretended exists, like the Covid death toll being similar to ‘flu and that mask-wearing causes hypoxia.
As far as I’m concerned this is enough time spent on this side-issue.
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Hi Steve, thank you for pointing that out about Vainshelboim. That’s valid reasoning, and I appreciate your thorough attention to that.
I pointed out Crichton’s research because philosophically speaking, it DOES relate to this qualm we have. It’s an underlying philosophical difference here. You take a stance which appeals to authority. That doesn’t make the science any more valid. Although, it doesn’t mean that any lone rogue, and even unqualified, scientist is always right (or always wrong). Independent studies should be encouraged, not discouraged. Let people make decisions for themselves, and that’s THEIR given right whether they make the right or wrong decision. There is nothing dangerous about having a different opinion. What I find unethical is peer reviewed studies by a carefully selected group who are all essentially bought out and beholden to major corporations – usually the SAME (big pharma, or whoever). So you have a major assumption that ‘they’ will always be right. Keep in mind, Galileo was deemed a heretic, and we know now he wasn’t wrong, but at the time what he proposed was deemed unethical and dangerous just the same kind of reasoning you are laying out. It IS related. And by the way, you started off by listing completely unrelated articles that had nothing to do with facemasks, yet you criticise my ‘tangent’ by citing Crichton?
I just completely disagree with your stand point, and you come off very arrogant in this discussion. It’s actually quite rude, to be honest. Your strong-arming nit picking just shows your insecurity in your own philosophical reasoning. It’s dishonest, and yet you double down.
“If you think anything that Fauci has published is incorrect, or has been uncorrected in the light of new evidence, let’s see your actual evidence.”
I think Fauci is bought off hack. I’ll take Kary B Mullis’ word for it. Just listen to both of them talk, you can clearly see who is the more intellegent of the two… and Facui wouldn’t even take up Mullis for debate. THAT’s my evidence that he’s just a hack. You use your logic on this. You’re talking about a man, given the highest authority over this pandemic in US, and he’s been flip floppy about mask wearing ON TELEVESION: wear a mask, they are ineffective, actually wear two, well if you’re vaccinated it still doesn’t matter you need to wear one anyway. Doesn’t strike me as someone who knows what they’re talking about. And yet to question his views are DANGEROUS and UNETHICAL, you say.
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A bit of projection there, perhaps? (I have cited evidence for every substantive assertion I have made.)
And other people who were deemed heretical were wrong; being deemed heretical has no bearing on whether one is right or wrong. Anyway, the big issue with Galileo (apart from his unsubtle lampooning of the Pope in his Dialogue of Two World Orders) was that he was asked for definitive proof and he could not provide it. (The definitive proof was provided by James Bradley nearly 100 years after Galileo’s death) .. but Galileo is irrelevant to this.
When people resort to discussing another participant’s supposed traits instead of the issues at hand, things usually only carry on downhill. I’m not playing that game, so goodbye.
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I said: “And you have absolute certainty there will be no psychological ramifications to prolonged mask wearing even… world-wide, all the time?”
You said: “Of course not, but there is no actual real-world evidence that there is (the onus is on you to provide it if you think I’m wrong).”
I will, first hand experience. My sister’s family, since the pandemic, has been following the rules to a ‘T’: facemask wearing, social distancing, etc… even in the house! Now, four out of five of them are on anti-depressants, the middle child has rage spells, the youngest who is the one too young to take meds has regular wakes up regularly screaming from night terrors. This whole thing is messed up beyond reasoning, and these measure being taken are taking a huge toll on populations around the world. Civil unrest, unemployment skyrocketing, the evidence is all around us.
I can’t say for certain about hypoxia, since you are so hung up on me addressing that one issue. But the human being is designed with a nose and a mouth that wasn’t intended to be covered 24/7. It only takes common sense to see that some physiological harm will come from prolonged covering of orifices that are meant to be unobstructed, so to help you breath properly. Most people aren’t surrounded by sawdust and harmful chemicals 24/7.
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Your first hand experience is:
a) Unverifiable anecdote, not evidence.
b) A perfect example of post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy: you have no way of knowing if it was mask-wearing or other things related to lockdown, or other things unrelated to lockdown (after all, children had night-terrors and people were prescribed anti-depressants long before lockdown v1) that triggered the things you say happened.
1. Human beings were not designed; they evolved.
2. Nobody is suggesting covering a nose and mouth 24/7. Even for people who need to wear them for work in hazardous environments, it’s more like 8/5.
1. Are all operating theatre staff and most people in countries where wearing face coverings in public is the norm must be suffering physiological harm, then?
2. Should we all be walking around without our pants on?
Look, nobody is suggesting that it is a desirable thing. Wearing a mask is just a whole lot less undesirable than having a ventilator tube rammed down your throat. If, by wearing a mask, I am possibly saving someone else from that fate, I really don’t think it’s a big deal.
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Mr. Tonkin, you are an exemplary model of Ahriman thinking. I think you’ve proven that quite well: calculated, meticulous, hyper-materialistic, clever, and cold. Forgive me for saying that, but look at everything you wrote. I hear no kindness behind your words at any point.
“Look, nobody is suggesting that it is a desirable thing. Wearing a mask is just a whole lot less undesirable than having a ventilator tube rammed down your throat. If, by wearing a mask, I am possibly saving someone else from that fate, I really don’t think it’s a big deal.”
Had you come out saying this from the beginning instead of making references to articles about masturbation and high heel wearing, I think we actually would have found each other agreeing (or at least finding a middle ground) on the whole issue of mask wearing… which ties in with the whole theme of the original post. You, nor I, know 100% certain what these safety measures will do to our society in the long run (but I can bet it’s not good), especially on the spiritual level… which effects the physical. I think anyone on this blog knows that. My anecdotal reference is valid, because in case you haven’t noticed, these extreme safety measures have already done more harm than the virus itself – world wide. People have lost their livelihoods because of it (my career ENDED because the world went into this ridiculous hyper-hygiene mania) it’s enough to drive anyone into depression bordering on suicidal. But yes, people were suicidal and depressed before, but now it’s become exponential. Do you need to wait ten years from now to see studies on that? You’re hyper focused on tearing each little argument apart, but I think you fail to see the big picture. Perhaps that’s where are main contention lies.
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Ex-vice president of Pfizer Michael Yeadon is against mask wearing, lockdown, social distancing and the covid vaccines.
https://odysee.com/@PlanetLockdown:6/Michael-Yeadon-full-interview:8?src=open
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Let us look at what Steve Tonkin’s remarks are about here in an essay from February 2019, in which Jeremy still wants to be the saviour of Waldorf education in England. Sadly, Corona Virus came upon us, but just look at these remarks from Tonkin. I only write of it because of the current issue.
https://anthropopper.com/2019/02/
Perspective is what it is all about in this day and age; even with spiritual science.
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On Yeadon’s recent change of personality:
“Some former colleagues at Pfizer say they no longer recognize the Mike Yeadon they once knew. They described him as a knowledgeable and intelligent man who always insisted on seeing evidence and generally avoided publicity.”
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/health-coronavirus-vaccines-skeptic/
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Here in the United States. the director of the CDC (Center for Disease Control), Rochelle Walensky, three days ago announced that those persons who have been fully vaccinated can take off their masks when outdoors. This ploy is designed to encourage everyone to get vaccinated against Covid-19. More doses now exist than those seeking to be vaccinated. Thus, could this be the first stage of the Coercion Plan? I know that my doctor knows that I haven’t been vaccinated. People want to schedule me in. Maybe one day it will take a vaccination card in order to get into the grocery store. Now, that’s drawing the line. Very persuasive, though.
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In Germany the vaccination certificate, or a Covid recovery record will soon allow citizens to avoid needing a recent ‘negative Test ‘ certificate. Allowing visit to hairdresser, non essential stores, larger family parties etc. not to wear mask or socially distance.
The Government is VERY aware that Covid restrictions are essentially unconstitutional. Only possible with passage or Emergency Health Protection laws, that have to be renewed monthly.
The vaccination certificate thus allows restoration of constitutional rights because the holder is deemed not to be a danger to himself or others.
The reasoning is clear but certainly disadvantages anyone who chooses not to be vaccinated.
The effectiveness of any of the vaccines is still awaiting evidence. However, with large proportion of population in USA vaccinated and also in UK, the infection and death rates will either drop drastically or they won’t. We’ll see.
In the meantime India will soon have a firewood for cremation crisis to add to illness crisis. WE live in ‘interesting times’.
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In the following podcast transcript Dr Robert Powell outlines how certain eurythmy exercises may be used to mitigate effects of the Covid-19 vaccines and tests:
file:///E:/BACKUP%20DRPC/Downloads/Edited%20Transcript%20(final)%20of%20Podcast%20%2319.pdf
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Could you re-send that link, please, Martin? It doesn’t seem to work.
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I just find it rather strange no one seems to acknowledge the fact that there have been hardly been any reported deaths from the flu during the ‘pandemic’, and covid deaths equal about the same amount as flu deaths normally would each year. So what happened, was there a cure for the flu during the pandemic and no one announced it? I think the prevention of the deaths of 30+ million people annually from the flu (deaths in the US, that is) would be quite a huge victory for modern medicine. Last I remembered, there never was enforced lockdowns or mandatory vaccinations for the flu either. And by the way, the inventor of the PCR test never said it was invented to detect infection diseases. I personally known of people who went to get a test, stood in line for it, decided they couldn’t wait any longer and left before actually getting tested. Not much longer, they received their test results in the mail: positive. This whole thing is just theatre.
Side note: strangely enough the inventor of the PCR test, Kary B Mullis died in 2019 of August, who by the way, had many things to say about Fauci back in the days. So I guess we can’t hear his side… how convenient.
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Kyle, I think the reason we’ve had no problems with the flu this year is the same reason I haven’t had a cold or sore throat for over a year – and fewer elderly are dying from colds that grow into pneumonia – we’re wearing masks and washing our hands more often.
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Kathy, you replace the number of Covid deaths with flu deaths, it’s the same. Masks are not proven to be effective. These are studies that come from the same people that are mandating they are to be worn. Regardless, no more people are dying than before. That’s the math. Never before in history did people have to quarantine themselves unless they were symptomatic. You have an allegedly asymptomatic virus, that may or may not spread, with a PCR test that was never invented to detect infectious diseases which, it is known, has given inaccurate results. Moreover, a common cold doesn’t just disappear with an almost non-existent death rate, which happens that there exists a NEW virus that has the same numbers of that common cold. Quite the coincidence. Unless people are wearing hazmat suits and actually practicing social distancing (which doesn’t seem to be the case given not every state followed – South Dakota, Florida, Texas… riots in Minneapolis, Portland (all year round) New York), it really ruins the legitimacy of that whole experiment because people in all actuality, still congregate.
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Regarding facemasks…
Facemasks in the COVID-19 era: A health hypothesis, in Medical Hypothesis:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7680614/
I’ll quote the conclusion in the event no one wants to follow the link:
“The data suggest that both medical and non-medical facemasks are ineffective to block human-to-human transmission of viral and infectious disease such SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, supporting against the usage of facemasks. Wearing facemasks has been demonstrated to have substantial adverse physiological and psychological effects. These include hypoxia, hypercapnia, shortness of breath, increased acidity and toxicity, activation of fear and stress response, rise in stress hormones, immunosuppression, fatigue, headaches, decline in cognitive performance, predisposition for viral and infectious illnesses, chronic stress, anxiety and depression. Long-term consequences of wearing facemask can cause health deterioration, developing and progression of chronic diseases and premature death. Governments, policy makers and health organizations should utilize prosper and scientific evidence-based approach with respect to wearing facemasks, when the latter is considered as preventive intervention for public health.”
So not only are they ineffective, they worsen our health in a variety of ways. If the overall aim is have a healthy and happy society, this is not the way to do it. Besides, there have been other treatments that have proven to be safe effective such as Ivermectin, and preventative measure such as upping the dose of vitamin D (for example). It seems logical to do what’s best for immune system, not worsen it (by staying indoors/prolonged mask wearing).
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Kyle, I too have wondered about the disappearance of ‘regular’ flu so your points are well taken. Also regarding Kary B Mullis and his distain for Fauci as a real scientist.
Kathy, hand washing and masks pre-suppose germ theory to be valid but increasingly I find myself being educated to realize that perhaps germ theory is not the inviolable edifice I had always assumed it to be.
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Hi Steve, in Kathy’s defence though, that she hasn’t “had a cold or sore throat for over a year – and fewer elderly are dying from colds that grow into pneumonia,” that’s great news. Perhaps that shows that people who are in a high risk demographic should have the ability to work from home, and also encouraged to stay at home during the high flu season. But it still doesn’t warrant a mandate for everyone to do that. And if the elderly want to risk going outside and catching a bug, that should also be their choice. But as studies have shown, virus particles are too small which makes masks useless in that case. Surgeon’s wear masks to protect the patient from snot getting on the patient or blood splattering on the surgeon. If we are worried about our health and catching a cold, we should be doing everything we can to build up our immune system in the event that we cannot be a full blown hermit living in complete isolation.
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Germ Theory?? What a load of nonsense? Why on earth did I study Microbiology for 6 years, instead of something interesting like History? So many questions, so few answers.
On the other hand would Kyle, Ininsoi be happy to have surgery from Drs and Nurses who did not wear masks but sneezed and dribbled in his wounds?
Just asking.
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Jaromer, as someone who studied microbobiology, you should read that article I’ve listed twice already:
“The physical properties of medical and non-medical facemasks suggest that facemasks are ineffective to block viral particles due to their difference in scales [16], [17], [25]. According to the current knowledge, the virus SARS-CoV-2 has a diameter of 60 nm to 140 nm [nanometers (billionth of a meter)] [16], [17], while medical and non-medical facemasks’ thread diameter ranges from 55 µm to 440 µm [micrometers (one millionth of a meter), which is more than 1000 times larger [25].”
Again: “facemasks are ineffective to block viral particles due to their difference in scales” “1000 times larger.” Innefective/useless… it should be used synonymously. It’s not my opinion, look at the study.
You said, “On the other hand would Kyle, Ininsoi be happy to have surgery from Drs and Nurses who did not wear masks but sneezed and dribbled in his wounds?”
To the contrary, that’s what they should be used for, and also to protect the doctors and nurses from blood splatter, not as a required accessory for civilians who venture out in the public.
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OK Kyle, I have mentioned before on this blog that it has never been decided whether I am a cynical scetptic or sceptical cynic. That does not mean that I do not take life, the universe and everything seriously.
The information in your link is convincing. I only wear a mask where that is ‘requirement’ under local regulations. Essentially in enclosed spaces shared with others. e,g. supermarkets, Drs waiting rooms, hairdressers etc. This is not to protect myself but to reduce a proportion of possibly ‘infectious’ droplets and aerosols from my mouth and nose entering the shared indoor air space. I appreciate if others do the same IN CASE THEY might be infectious (on the assumption that that the contagion theory is not a fake) Most ‘so called’ Sars cov-2 ‘infections’ are asymptomatic, so if the virus really does exist and is really infectious, then it is an act of care and consideration to wear a mask in closed environments. I don’t know and YOU don’t know if you are potentially infectious. However, I do not have to wear a mask 99.9% of the time. For workers who are obliged to wear masks during long shifts this is a different thing altogether. There are news pictures of nursers with faces rubbed raw from continuous, daily mask wearing.
AS an ‘old person’- a couple of months older than ‘Old Jo’- with COPD and no spleen, I would be a prime case for being one of the 0.1% to be helped over the threshold by Covid. That I have lasted the whole year is rather a surprise. I did not expect to survive, which has allowed me to take a much more carefree and relaxed view of the world.
My main concern today is that my 16 year old washing machine has failed. Buying a new one seems like an imposition because it will no doubt outlast me.
From another point of view, I have the impression that Covid deaths, particularly those of people not already more or less at the threshold, are selective and thus probably Karmic. Tragic for grieving families, as are any untimely deaths. On the other hand 100 year olds have recovered after long hospital stays.
As I have said in earlier note, I am glad I am not in charge and responsible for responding to what IS a Pandemic and it IS killing people in every corner of the globe.( Geometric joke)
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Jaromer, I probably should be more careful as not to sound callous about the situation, or other’s concerns. I have no problem sparing a few minutes to wear a mask in public areas (which I still do, and it’s really not for a long period of time) even if it just makes others feel better, regardless of my view on mask wearing. Really not one to go out of my way to make others uncomfortable just to prove a point, especially if they have conditions such as COPD.. so I wish you the best of health in the years to come!
You bring up something to consider, about the karma involved in this time. Not only ones close to the threshold, but younger generations as well. What does that all mean, and for the one’s who have little hope for the future, or have had their livelihoods ruined because of these strict measures? It all seems karmic; things that were way beyond anyone’s control.
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Recent Stanford study on facemasks
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306987720333028
https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0306987720333028?token=07855E3822AE59DACFAB7E5020CD65E49F1CE63A4966F68B18E1D20CDB4463E8872685BE4D3F4AF7EFBDAD5C6F82F758&originRegion=eu-west-1&originCreation=20210421121408
(Short version – they don’t work & instead cause physical & psychological harm.
As was found in every study [at least 17 were carried out] in the twenty year period prior to 2020….).
And equally as with Kyle, I’ve no wish to sound callous towards those in vulnerable groups who feel more exposed to the dangers of the virus, but do you really want to see children initiated into a life of mask-wearing ??
As if their adoption is a natural life-stage ?
Would you have called for this to be done to them in the context of any other disease that accompanied the natural end of life transition ??
Or if the advent of the coronavirus hadn’t been mediated by an authoritarianism wielding a mania of fear so great that it has its own gravitational pull ??
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(apologies – the article was the same as already posted by Kyle)
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@ Luke. You make some very important points.
1. Masks and children. From the very start I have been concerned that children are being ‘told’ that every other child is a potential threat rather than a potential friend. The long term results are potentially dreadful
2. Pneumonia used to be called ‘the old man’s friend.’ Most deaths which are listed as ‘from Covid’ have been people who have had their ‘3 score years and ten’. Like what I have! I have HAD my life. The desire to extend life indefinitely is very materialistic, whether one looks to ‘Resting your soul in the bosom of Abraham’ or to preparing for another stint on earth in next incarnation, hanging about crippled and demented does not seem particularly preferable than Coviding over the threshold.
A year ago I expected to get Covid and die. Instead of toilet paper I bought a funeral plan . (I get a €20 rebate if I die in hospital because they only need to send one chap to collect the body.) Since then every day has been a bonus and I have been happier and calmer than ever before.
3. There does seem to be a heavy handed response from Governments all over the world. As I have said before: I am glad I am not in charge. Those who are,are dealing with a REAL problem. For example here in Germany there are few available Intensive Care Beds. In fact some hospitals are faced with having to close because of the need to keep beds free for Covid and not being able to treat other patients.
In Brazil and India people are fighting over oxygen cylinders in the street because hospitals are full.
What would YOU do if YOU were in charge?
4. Even before The latest pandemic I had a feeling that the world was going to face a massive fall in population within the foreseeable future. Covid may just be the starter. That may be the only way that I, you and the milkman will have a habitable world the reincarnate in.
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As Jaromer indicates, face masks do protect against virus-laden droplets and aerosols. The size of the virus particle itself is irrelevant. “Cloth masks not only effectively block most large droplets (i.e., 20-30 microns and larger) but they can also block the exhalation of fine droplets and particles (also often referred to as aerosols) smaller than 10 microns …” (CDC)
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The Danish study found this wasn’t backed up (50 infections in the unmasked, forty in the masked…from a group of 2,000, I think.)
We can pick & choose what we want to believe among the studies, of course, but the cdc thing I don’t think was based on anything comparable to the previous studies (& these were carried out prior to the coronavirus era with the political leverage that has come with it), if it was based on anything at all….
Carl Heneghan has comprehensively linked these studies for anyone interested.
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Ininsoi, I’m not claiming to understand or endorse germ theory but I have worked with the elderly for 20+ years. I’ve never seen so few getting colds that then go into pneumonia and kill them (because they are compromised in so many ways). And I can’t remember a year in which I haven’t had at least 1-2 colds (with sneezing, mucus, sore throats, and sometimes mild fever). The only difference (in regard to the material world) is masks and hand washing – and reduced social contact.
But from the more spiritual perspective — perhaps it’s my increased consciousness of refusing to get sick and believing I can do something to protect myself? I agree with you that nothing is what we assume it to be, but I think that that includes all these dark conspiracy theories as well. I think they are way more dangerous and infectious than colds or Covid. From my perspective they are our unconscious, unresolved fears. They precipitate hopelessness as well as violence. I think failure to develop the Consciousness Soul is the “real” problem – it leaves us hostage to the material world.
One other thing. On a physical, medical level, it’s not a germ or a virus that kills – it’s our out-of-control responses to them. It’s our own immune systems that kill.
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Two interesting articles here about the difference between the influenza outbreak of 2019/2020, which was estimated at 24-62 million, according to the CDC, and today in 2020/2021, in which flu has been largely eradicated due to Covid-19. The bad news is, watch out for next year! Apparently, the flu will return more virulent than ever. Covid shots haven’t proven themselves to be effective yet, have they, on this scale of protection against flu?
https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2021/03/30/flu-season
https://www.contagionlive.com/view/how-deadly-was-the-2019-2020-flu-season
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24-62 thousand, not million. Sorry, don’t want to scare anyone with unintentional digit propaganda 🙂
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This is exactly what I don’t get from these studies. The flu has been eradicated due to Covid, but yet people have fallen ill and died from Covid in the same amount as the flu. So, judging by the numbers, nothing has changed, is that right? No more and no less people have actually died on the planet during this pandemic.
If hospitals are given incentive (and ordered) to count deaths as Covid related (even if it’s a motorcycle accident), it doesn’t actually prove that it was Covid related. Which means, the statistics are off, and for all we know, the flu didn’t go anywhere. I know, sounds like a conspiracy. But there is evidence:
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2021/04/joseph-mercola/cdc-violated-law-to-inflate-covid-cases-and-fatalities/
So, when there is a revolving door kind of situation here, multiple tests on one person = multiple cases, and then deaths factored as being caused by Covid without considering comorbidities or preexisting health conditions, this means what CDC is telling us is actually a lie, they broke the law by manipulating data, and their wasn’t any oversight to this process to make sure things were done in a transparent manner.
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Yes, indeed. For my money, news of the eradication of influenza in 2021, should have been the foremost story of this whole epidemic. Yet, it doesn’t appear to have been told at all, until now. You see, Kyle, how perceptive it is to point out those figures of prior flu deaths in 2019, and now here in 2021, with an apparent eradication of flu, but also with the warning about the next seasonal variant. It seems so clear to some of us, even as we respectfully wear the mask and wash hands.
This has been maybe the fourth installment of Corona Virus going back to March 2020, and I hope we are making progress. Hans has weighed in again, and I wonder if his words to Jeremy are being heard. Are they being heard, Jeremy?
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Any comment from Hans is always heard by me, as his comments are always worth listening to. But why do you address the question only to me, when surely it is every single one of us who needs to pay attention!
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Of course it is. I only wanted to draw attention to what you wrote at the end of your essay about how “the ruler of this world” is approaching physical incarnation, and then you said: “Our only option is to become as aware, as far as possible, of the reality behind world phenomena; and in Rudolf Steiner’s words, “it is humanity’s task in this period to come to grips with evil as an impulse in the evolution of the world”.
Han’s writes this: “…the cause is manmade. We are the cause. Not Ahriman but we destroy ecosystems and raise animals in industrial ways which causes natural disturbances that produce viruses we cannot cope with because of the lifestyles we chose. So at that “new” level of “global human made causes” we have to come together, build consensus, and co-create a new morality. We owe that to our children.”
Of course, this is all very rational and true, and yet we seem to be all too weak and unwilling to make it the only real possibility that can succeed. How do we actually take up the cause of truth and justice on behalf of the Science of the Spirit? Begging off as a ‘niche’ science isn’t going to cut it, is it? We can’t win without a force to reckon with. So, what is it?
The World Community is listening to what needs to come next.
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Dear Jeremy,
I have the feeling that we did not yet fully address the new dimension of the corona-crisis you introduce in our comments. Your opening question is do we respond to the crisis in a sphere of your “childhood assumption that the whole world is moral”. Maybe it is because most of us are of older age or work with elderly, but I fear most for the children in this crisis. Cannot go to school, locked down at home, learning by computer, can not see friends. Are adults weaving a world of morality for them to overcome the psychological torture they undergo? You mention moments you experience with your housemates that “must have been a similar national spirit in people during the Second World War.” (Whether “national” is essential in this context I don’t know. Our friends in neigbouring Myanmar who experience raw civil war at the moment generate this special spirit of solidarity and sharing fate rather along the lines of certain values they stand for and the hope their country will regain these values as central in the future). It seems that instead of weaving this common ground of being together in fighting an evel force, we are devided by interpretation of facts. analysis of who are “behind it” and what are the real causes. Now these causes are not like with pandemics in the past a germ or a virus from nature but, even if not directly from the lab but through animals, the cause is manmade. We are the cause. Not Ahriman but we destroy ecosystems and raise animals in industrial ways which causes natural disturbances that produce viruses we cannot cope with because of the lifestyles we chose. So at that “new” level of “global human made causes” we have to come together, build consensus, and co-create a new morality. We owe that to our children.
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Destruction of the earth is the ahrimanic scenario. Martin’s pandemic scenario B (a bioweapon from the lab) in the previous thread would be the asuric scenario in Steiner’s summing up of evil forces (CW 107 and 194). We would be self-conscious, but enslaved, intelligent animals, living in our consciousness soul without spiritual sources.
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Thank you for your post Jeremy, I relate to some of it…. however, for me, there is no pandemic and never has been. A flu like virus has been hijacked to create the illusion of there being so by mainstream media. The virus kills less than 1% of those supposedly infected…. as for the vaccinations, Steiner said in 1917 that the purpose of them is to ‘drive the soul out of the body’… Covid is a tool to cull the population, take away our freedoms and crash the economies… Agenda 21/30.
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@ Lazur Painter ,April 19th,
“Covid is a tool to cull the population, take away our freedoms and crash the economies” ????
In previous posts I have raised questions about World Population. A population that That has quadrupled in the past 100yrs, despite the 10s of Millions killed off by the so called Spanish Flu.
So far Covid has been spectaculary unsucessful in ‘Culling’ the population. The 8 billions are not reduced at all. Lots of babies are being born determined to maintain the high population. A woman from Mali has just produced 9 from one pregnancy. The human race is hardly in danger from ‘Culling’ though it might be from overpopulation.
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And here is the transcript of Dr Robert Powell’s podcast with eurythmy exercises for mitigating covid tests and vaccinations (and much more) that I twice tried to load unsuccessfully above – for some reason it now works…
file:///E:/BACKUP%20DRPC/Downloads/Edited%20Transcript%20(final)%20of%20Podcast%20%2319%20(1).pdf
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@ ininsoi, 20april. I still cannot get that link to work.
However, As I mentioned the only direct experience of people I KNOW getting covid is that of my ex-partner (who lives not 50 yds down the street) and who, despite several potentially dangerous ‘preconditions’ got off lightly. Perhaps the fact that she did 2 years of Eurythmy training may have helped. You never know.
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Sorry jaromer, I tried to post it a couple of times but could not get it to work. Sadly my cyberskills are laughably inadequate to remedy the situation. Another way would be to go to sophiaschoolofmovement.org
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Morality: allacies and traps of freedom of thought and expression
_______________
Morality needs freedom, but it needs a freedom that is permanently humiliated today. Modern centers of education successfully degraded the achievements of that kind of freedom.
Freedom of thought is already the cause of a great mistake. Without freedom of action, freedom of expression is freedom of thought, but without action. A restricted freedom like this has been prepared to eradicate in a short time the most dangerous purpose of freedom, freedom of action!
The forces against Freedom began first by directing everything that has been said about freedom overflowing all existing definitions and pushing them into the human being.
What the esoteric aspect of European individualism taught us was that the external environment of each person needs to transmit, in the search for genuine freedom, everything that personal space and private self-reflection are not capable of giving us if we disconnect from the powerful feeling of the open and free space of the world. The last remnants of Idealism of the 19th century knew how to endow certain individuals with a communion that sublimated, in their souls, the dynamic and unfathomable power of the exterior with joy, stability and inner peace. The way forward should never disregard this set of sacred sensations produced by the real contact of space and external nature with men.
By restricting this connection of action and movement with the pure exterior, humanity closed the stage of nature and space, while embracing inaction. Mathematical Cosmology thus took on the sudden force that we all recognize.
For the first time in the history of our Fifth Race, we are going to witness the consequences of renouncing the external scenario to which we are entitled. Such a resignation will trigger the end of the current stretch of Evolution.
Now let’s think about how the freedom of expression of Modernity was possible from the expansive action of men. This exercise was applied from and through freedom of action, which supposes, in our XXI century, the displeasure of the Dark and its reaction to this type of freedom. Freedom of expression, like that of thought, are human conquests, important, although secondary, of what is produced by external struggles, based on decisions and actions although anchored to a few ideals and a few thoughts. What we observe, then, with a brief historical glance, is that the struggle of modern man has never been directed to conquer a freedom to exchange it with another. The deceptions introduced to cause human beings to want to abandon outer freedom is really defining the end of the Fifth Root Race.
With several assumptions rooted in humanity since 2019, assumptions infused with the permission of men, the extreme use of freedom of thought could be unleashed, that is, causing the least advisable invitation of all, that of self-imprisonment. With the voluntary suppression of external freedom added to the evident lack of impulses to carry out thoughts that lead to actions, the presentiment of a programmed end for the current systems from the four cardinal points, is easy to deduce.
Self-dependent thinking went from being an imperative with which situations with violent actions were decided, to a fatal belief with which humanity has lost the scene of external action. Freedom of thought is already the old memory of a freedom achieved in external chaos, with struggles resolved in the foreign environment. Without the stage, where will the Human Comedy be performed? It is the question of the Higher Beings.
The void left by actions performed in external reality, was occupied with cold thoughts of equality and fundamental rights that are multiplied by hundreds and that are invoked with futile thoughts, kept in the interior of each modern slave.
Space freedom defined, by surrounding and penetrating decisions and actions, the development of humans on Earth.
By turning off the notions of external freedom, Karma has been stopped and the Wheel of Evolution is shaken, in such a way that it seems to have made no sense to continue.
Those who imprisoned the external freedom of men really have their permission, from the moment they decide that the supposed freedom of thought and expression are all the freedom they need to know. And, for the rest, it is more advantageous if individualists discuss, in the middle of their confinement, freedom of action as if it were a “past” of non-external freedoms such as freedom of thought and freedom of expression.
Thus we see the resounding fall of the Human Race into slavery through its own traps.
The fallacy of all this is that freedom of thought and expression are the perfect pretexts for us to enter our own prison more quickly.
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Hi Upspince. You have clearly thought deeply about the matter you share. However, my poor old brain struggles to follow your thesis. Was this text originally written not in English and then converted with Google Translate?
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To begin with, I ask you to try to establish a real agreement with yourself, Jaromer: Are you interested in my reflection or that we talk about a translation tool?
(Please Jeremy, allow me to comment freely and openly on what I am going to say.)
I know the intention the kind of trivial remarks like yours, Jaromer. They always indicate three things. I am going to list them for everyone’s instruction. It is not my intention to criticize your behavior. Unfortunately his gives me the opportunity to “not let the camel pass”, leaving the opportunity to dedicate you to preventing the passage of my mosquito.
With all due respect to his person, Jaromer:
The first thing that stands out from allusive comments like the one you outlin is called sectarian arrogance. Among the most recalcitrant anthroposophical brethren, it is found that when a non-sectarian researcher does not match his research or his point of view to the traits and manias of Steinerism, sectarianism quickly emerges. A clarification on this point would be that the sectarianism that I am pointing out is not “anthroposophic” or the result of the individual and honest exercise of Anthroposophy; it has more to do with Steinerism.
The second thing that appears when the critic pretends to simulate a humble action by praising aspects of an interlocutor’s comment, is called hypocrisy. As we all know, an action that claims humility, or some other virtue, but does not contain it signals an act of hypocrisy. Hypocrisy has its own intelligence and often assumes that it always goes unnoticed. Despite the intelligence driven by hypocrisy, it is neglected, because thinking that it has not been discovered immediately reveals its true interest, which usually consists in denouncing accessory details surrounding the central ideas that it previously praised. Thus you demonstrated the insincerity of his words when he referred to the depth of the facts referred to, which, let’s be honest, you do not value properly because you do not actually pursue them. His interest has so far been flying behind a translation tool.
The third thing is that his point confirms again that many anthroposophs are experts ignoring the camel while still showing themselves as a real nuisance when they take care to strain the most insignificant mosquito.
I prefer that people who observe what I publish ignore what I say or directly despise it. I am an enemy of hypocritical praises, because they have the effect of mixing the misconceptions of the contradictor with the apparently ‘importants’ suggestions that he fabricates.
Again, with all due respect to his person, Jaromer.
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Dear Upspince. Your comment on my comment is well written and perfectly comprehensible. Your original contribution ? I found it hard to follow and fully understand ‘what your were getting at.’ Did you read it through before posting? When you share thoughts from close to your heart about which you feel very deeply – well it would help ME if they were clearly expressed. My remark was snide, nasty and self indulgent.
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A correction to the title of my comment: “Morality: Fallacies and traps …”
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Hi, Upspince: Can you refer me to one (or more) of Steiner’s lectures addressing your thesis? I resonate with the thought that our very definition of freedom can lead us into captivity. I’m especially interested in what appears to be an expanded (for me) definition of the Consciousness Soul and how it leads to the connectedness to be found in our next stage of development. Authentic individual freedom and oneness do appear to present a conundrum.
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Hi Kathy,
I am waiting with anticipation if we can get a glimmer of the ideas beholden to Upspince. Jaromer had simply asked about the translator engine which seemed to indicate a foreign translation into English. Thus, no reason to get pounced on! I have also made this incursion, and it is possibly Portuguese, and Ton Majoor had previously given a reference to someone of renown.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samael_Aun_Weor
So, we all want to be enlightened in this day and age. Hope to have it come in, in whatever manner. It is about becoming free, and that is all we can hope for.
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‘… Samael Aun Weor, referring to “Max Heindel and Steiner”, says about them that: “… These initiates have lacked philosophical consciousness. It is one thing to be a philosopher, and another to have philosophical consciousness. Any good reader can be a philosopher, but to have philosophical consciousness is another matter. Philosophical consciousness is a function of the Innermost and not of the intellect. To observe within the supersensible, we must have philosophical consciousness.
… Samael (Aun Weor), or “the Fifth Buddha”, who is the true Maitreya Buddha and Kalki Avatar of the New Age of Aquarius, and whose Bodhisattva was born in 1917, at the beginning of the twentieth century.’ http://www.testimonios-de-un-discipulo.com/the-true-maitreya.pdf
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Hi Ton,
Thanks for your comment – is it your own view that Samael Aun Weor is the Maitreya Buddha of our age?
Best wishes,
Jeremy
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No sorry, Jeremy, that was a quote. My stance is that, to my knowledge, Steiner just did not deny that Krishnamurti (1895-1986) was the boddhisatva of the 20th century after his psychological transformation in August 1922.
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Steiner gave a very pointed reference to Heindel here, which would give pause to SAW’s opinion concerning their mutual lack of philosophical consciousness.
“There are people who have been saying for a long time that the teaching I give is tainted by every kind of bigoted Christian dogma, even by Jesuitism. This malicious allegation is made chiefly by certain devotees of “Adyar Theosophy” as it is called and they talk sheer, unscrupulous nonsense. But our teachings have also been indescribably falsified from a quarter which had violently attacked the intolerance, the distortions and the allegations. A man from America who spent weeks and months getting to know our teachings, transcribed and carried them off in a watered-down form to America, where he has given out a plagiarised “Rosicrucian Theosophy.” True, he says he learnt a good deal from us over here but that he was afterwards summoned to the Masters and learnt more from them. He keeps silence, however, about the source of the deeper information contained in the then unpublished lecture-courses. When something like this happens in America, one may of course emulate the aged Hillel and be lenient; nor need one stop being lenient when these things make their way across to Europe. In a quarter from which the most violent attacks were launched, a translation was made of what these circles in America had taken from us and it was said in an introduction to this translation: True, a Rosicrucian conception of the world is making its appearance in Europe too, but in a bigoted, Jesuitical form; this kind of thought can really only thrive in the pure air of California. Well … here I will pause! Such are the methods of our opponents. We may regard these things with leniency and even with compassion — but we should not shut our eyes to them. When things like this happen it behoves even those who for years have been remarkably forbearing with people who acted so unscrupulously, to be wary. Perhaps one day everyone will have their eyes opened. If the service of truth did not demand it, I should much prefer not to speak about these matters, but they must be faced fairly and squarely.”
https://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA148/English/RSPC1950/19131006p02.html
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The best likely figure for the Bodhisattva of the 20th century is Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952), who brought the Kriya Yoga to the west in 1920 at the age of twenty-seven years. Krishnamurti loved being absolved of this possibility in 1922. He went his own way, and yet Yogananda never left the Idea of being into the Etheric Christ.
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Sounds like lots more fun than stuffy old anthroposophy. Where do I sign up to join?
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‘stuffy old anthroposophy’, that is so funny. Martin, you are such a card, and this is very rare in this day and age. Going to Peru of all places to live. Why would someone of a distinctly western European orientation do that? Oh, I know about Orwell’s ‘1984’, but the really interesting thing about you that appeals to me is your being a carpenter. Didn’t you say that you were a carpenter in Port Townsend, near where I live for a number of years?
You see, I see you as a kind of river God, on a boat in the Amazons. A boat built by your own powers of construction. Is that true?
With regard to Kriya, yes it is a system, and sees etherization of the blood as an easily attained method to reach Christ. I found it personally through the eruption of Mount St. Helen in 1980, which you had asked about before. This was a natural disaster which occurred for some 40 days in which the Sun awoke a volcano here in my area, and infiltrated the atmosphere with fire. We breathed it in, and it led to the experience. Kathy’s rendition is very good. She needed to hear that. “You are not alone”. I needed to hear: “You are so worthy and you always have been”.
Same difference. Having an internet is so wonderful, isn’t it.
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Steve,
Thanks for the delightful comment. Yes I’m a card.
Fortunately my Waldorf class teacher Clare Dubrovik had a wry sense of humor and would mostly see the funny side of my classroom antics although I did tend to spend a fair amount of time out in the corredor.
I’m more of a lake god really. See my blog http://www.perucalling25.blogspot.com and yes I built the boat, it is a wooden 10 meter trimaran ketch and the only large sailboat in the whole of the western Amazon basin as far as I know.
I came up in a different way than you, started absorbing anthroposophy by osmosis from 1960 onwards when I started at Kings Langley Rudolf Steiner School. I had to rebel against my stuffy anthroposophist teachers to have any fun at the end of the swinging sixties and I still have a rebellious anti-dogmatic streak even while having tremendous and increasing respect for Rodolf Steiner.
That is fascinating regarding Kriya Yoga, Yogananda and Mt St Helens. I would drive by the blown out volcano sometimes when I lived up in the NW and worked as cabinet-maker, sometimes carpenter. I lived in Port Townsend 2 years before moving to Peru in 2006.
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Hello Martin,
When I was working at Kings Langley, I met Clare Dubrovic a few times. She was a very old lady, well into her 90s, and living in a tiny bungalow called The Nutgrove that she and her late husband had built near to the Friarswood boarding house. She was keen to pass on and to see her husband again but despite illnesses was frustrated by her inability to die. We used to speculate that, as a eurythmist she had so strengthened her etheric body that living to a very old age was much more likely! I remember my daughter’s class going one Christmas to knock on her door and to sing her some carols, which she much enjoyed.
Best wishes,
Jeremy
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That is a very sweet recollection of Clare Dubrovic Jeremy. I’m so glad your daughter’s class got to sing carols at The Nutgrove and you are absolutely right about her etheric body having been strengthened through a lifetime of eurythmy – I had the same perception myself.
My dad who was born and raised in the Quaker faith slowly became an anthroposophist under the one-on-one personal tutelage of Sam Dubrovic through weekly classes at the house which was indeed located in a grove of hazelnut trees and right next door to the rather sloping soccer field at Friarswood.
As I was reading your comment I was remembering an incident in which my classmate Martin Smith (any relation I wonder?) did a tremendous kick which narrowly missed the soccer goal and broke one of the windows of The Nutgrove.
In 1998 Martin and I went to see Clare together and were served tea and biscuits. We all had a chuckle about the broken window affair which must have happened circa 1967.
Clare and I kept in touch by mail. Her last letter to me contained the closing line, ‘I think I’m about to spread my wings and fly’.
all the best
Martin
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Thank you, Martin. No, as far as I’m aware Martin Smith is no relation of mine – but the Smiths must be a virile tribe as there are so many of us! 🙂
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Thanks for link to perucalling –
A treat to be able to ‘visit’ that part of the world if only vicariously. And inspiring to learn of your activities. Enough to make me ashamed.
Some years ago my daughter visited Ecuador and was advised that Peru was ‘too dangerous’ so she went to Columbia instead!
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Hi Jaromer,
Living day-to-day in northern Peru I find my area pretty safe although I and 2 american friends were held up at gunpoint back in 2012.
Colombia safer than Peru? I kind of doubt it…
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Hi Ininsoi, re 29 April note.
She came back safely but I thought the ‘safer choice’ was odd. Now she tends to visit Chile- the big telescopes- she is now professor of astrophysics.
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Hi jaromer,
Fascinating field of study and the Atacama desert – driest in the world I believe- has got to be an intriguing place to go. I have yet to go there myself.
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A glimpse of the future courtesy of Chatham House…
https://futurescape.chathamhouse.org/?utm_source=chathamhouse.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=colab-piccadilly-2021&utm_content=ch-press-release
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Thanks Gary! But pretty unconvincing, in my view – if that’s the quality of the Royal Institute of International Affairs’ future thinking, no wonder this country’s foreign policy is such a mess…
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About the conundrum of Kathy (and probably all of us): “Earth Trusteeship. All global citizens are equal trustees of the Earth; for the wellbeing of future generations and the community of life.” To be a good trustee you are urged to be an authentic person. But you have also to live up to the challenge of oneness with fellow trustees, future generations and the community of life. This could be the moral imperative of the future. It requires consensus building in steps of realistic local community development or “commoning” (David Bollier and Silke Helfrich) towards regional eco- and food systems, habitat, and ultimately Earth democracy (Vandana Shiva). The most difficult common challenges are combating crime, exploitation and contagious diseases. But organic food systems, “authentic person” driven education, a tight justice system and social entrepreneurship (including health care) should be able to build immunity and resilience. The common aim is dynamic Right Livelihood.
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Steiner says as children we have the supersensible still in us that slowly leaves as we get older and hence why we have to make an effort to re-find the supersensible(I have) . Steiner also says as adults we are creating future external realities of which I can confirm as fact .
I think we have to be very careful in these times not to get too emotionally caught up in the media and goings on as that is essentially the objective and re-asses ourselves with the thought and feeling exercises .
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This is so very true. When we were children we spake as children, and lived in the kingdoms of Childhood for a period of time (about three years) as Sons/Daughters of God. This is because of our origin out of supersensible realms at birth. At about age four, our earthly memory begins, and we begin to think. We becomes Sons/Daughters of Humanity, and grow into maturity. We forget our divine origins.
Now, the gospels proffer this very important verse: “Yest ye become as little children, ye cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven”. So, what does this mean? As adults, we know that we have left the kingdom of childhood, and even Apostle Paul saw this eventuality. He even proclaims it somewhere. “As children, we spake as children.” As adults, we become adults!
Yet, isn’t it here that the mission really begins? Don’t we really have to try to recapture what it was to be a little child. Spiritual Science gives the intellect of today’s adulthood the best opportunity to reflect again on those earlier memories, and see that childhood……
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@Steve Hale
April 24, 2021 at 10:37 am
“Now, the gospels proffer this very important verse: “Lest ye become as little children, ye cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven”. So, what does this mean? As adults, we know that we have left the kingdom of childhood, and even Apostle Paul saw this eventuality. He even proclaims it somewhere. “As children, we spake as children.” As adults, we become adults! ”
Personally I am enjoying entering 2nd Childhood- hoping for entry into the Kingdom. Come to think of it , I never did ‘grow up’. I have always disliked ‘grownups’. They always spoil the fun and stop one doing interesting things.
Also: Mark 2:17
“On hearing this, Jesus told them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Hence I have tried to avoid being righteous to the best of my ability. Still waiting to be called.
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Hurray, back to the Bodhisattva Question? As much as Steiner criticizes Heindel for the plagiarism behind his “Rosicrucian Theosophy”, the idea that there would be a Bodhisattva of the 20st century is equally based on cultural appropriation and distortion by Western teachers and their adepts. They love to quarrel about “the throne” and expel each other for dissenting views, like Elisabeth Vreede was expelled from the Vorstand in Dornach. The concept does not exist in Buddhism. In particular now in the 21st century we are invited to be all, small or big, Bodhisattva’s. In other words to be “trustees of the Earth”.
Also the incorporation of karma and reincarnation in a “new Christianity”, or “Christology”, of the West – and an Anthroposophy still leaning towards 19th century Theosophy – is beyond its expiry date. What modern people start to feel – and where they need confirmation from spiritual science – is the horizontal continuity of life from ancestors, via the now, to future generations. And the vertical “community of life” which includes physical Nature, humanity and the Heavens (the “Hierarchies”). This is the oneness Vandana Shiva, India, is speaking of in her recent book “Oneness versus the 1%”.
“Old school” reincarnation may still work to a certain extend, although HH the Dalai Lama for example is not so sure whether he will reincarnate or not. Jeremy perceives it is still working with Judith von Halle and Edith Maryon. That sounds beautiful. However, the state in between death and life is no longer a “waiting room”, or an English club with fixed seats. It is as much part of the dynamic oneness as our lives are; marked by continuous transformation.
The mission of the Bodhisattva of the 20st century, a beautiful narrative after all, was to announce the second coming of the Christ in the etheric world. This message can be now understood such that, in the 21st century, we are all Bodhisattvas or “equal trustees of the Earth”. This is the new morality we can faithfully initiate our children in, even in the dark ages we experience at present. It takes a epic Michaelic struggle to restore the strength of the etheric, the lifeforces (including immunity), of mother Earth.
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Hi Hans, I was just about to write a response to your more sober rendition here about the UN sponsored “earth trusteeship”, which exists in Thailand. Ref, https://anthropopper.com/2021/04/17/covid-19-world-morality-and-the-culture-of-safety-at-any-cost/#comment-72229
Your work seems very important. Yet, why take on the Bodhisattva Question again? We already went through that two years ago? Please remember, Ita Wegman was also expelled in 1935. Yes, I mentioned Heindel, but only because he did misappropriate Steiner’s work in 1907, GA 99, and brought it to the west. Samael Aun Weor also acknowledges this in his work, and it needs to be contested. That is all.
Hans, please try to see what we are dealing with here. Your work is exemplary, and we have seen it. Yet, the world is dying right before our eyes, and we need to see that. Getting along in these intellectual matters is very important. So, please don’t divert attention. It is still all about you, and maybe a young musician who has come into your midst. I only know this recently. Do you know him?
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Steve, I was amazed to see Ton Majoor and you picking up the Bodhisattva thread again. I did not start it but heard new serious opinions of you both.
Diverting attention? Young musician? I have no idea what you are talking about.
I try to bring the exchanges back to Jeremy’s original question about the lack of moral goodness now compared to the situation in his childhood. What did you have to say about that?
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Hans, this ‘new morality’, this ‘world of morality’ and this ‘moral imperative of the future’ is of course anthroposophically implicit in mentioning the bodhisattva of the 20th century. This bodhisattva would be the ‘bringer of the moral good’ and a moral impulse, according to Steiner (1911), e.g.:
“The Maitreya Buddha will also work out of his own inner strength, and against the stream of general opinion. He will remain unknown in his youth. And when in his thirtieth year he has sacrificed his individuality, he will appear in such a way that morality will work through his words.”
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Dear Ton,
Thank you! Good that you emphasize Krishnamurti’s exceptional role and reconfirm Rudolf Steiner’s appreciation. A pity that Steiner could not witness Krishnamuti’s ultimate purge of the Theosophical framework which was anticipated in his catharsis of 1922. My previous comments on anthroposophy of the 21st century are driven by the wish that Steiner, and we after his death, would have said/say farewell to a lot of 19th/20th century Theosophical ballast which is keeping Anthroposophy from flourishing as it could. So, we may need more of Krishnamurti in Anthroposophy in order to co-create a contemporary movement up to the gigantic challenges of our time. So much has been achieved already and we can and should grow, partially by better collaboration with likeminded groups (do not expect quick, easy results). While studying the historic sources in full detail and depth remains important in order to make our cultural capital fertile.
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Hans, it was not my intention at all to divert attention back to the BQ, simply by clarifying the Heindel issue. You saw it as an opportunity to do so for reasons of your own. I wanted, on the other hand, to acknowledge again your efforts with the Earth Trusteeship. In your response to Ton Majoor, you give another very pertinent remark about the difference between engaged Buddhists and Anthroposophists, in your mind. You are on the front lines, double-digging down and doing the real field work, while we “anthro’s” are merely ‘posture-snobbing’ our intellectually egoistic viewpoints. And, don’t get me wrong, I like very much that you have been doing this ever since you wrote those two guest posts back in September and October 2018.
You are also acknowledged as being on the front-lines of the Covid response, and your courage from your position there in Thailand to see the possible effects of a massive bio-genetic engineering model. So, it takes courage to do this, and the BQ has much faded into the background by now. Your remarks about Thailand as a kind of “den of iniquity” with little hope for biodyn principles today, really struck a chord. Your honesty is very good, and so please let us keep the issue on the level of the moral, which Jeremy had proposed. I see this, too, as the issue. The Moral World Order, which as I understand it, comes from God. We wouldn’t want to lose that after all this time.
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Previous threads on the possible Bodhisattva of the 20th century (and the many B’s in the 21st century):
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To my dear Anthropopper ‘Family’, for indeed it begins for feel like a family. And what an interesting family it is. So much wisdom, thought and consideration of many serious matters, yet also a very human element. It is also interesting that a thread that starts with consideration of the ins and outs of compulsory hygiene and the question of free will and vaccination can move freely to the Bodhisattva Question. There cannot be many blogs that have such a wide span of interest, study and knowledge. Brilliant.
Now just to be my awkward self again: How many of the contributors have A) tested positive for Covid? b)suffered from symptoms diagnosed as Covid?
c) had a family member with a)+b) above, of d)had a relative or friend who has been hospitalised or died after a Covid diagnosis?
I have not suffered from Covid. My ex- partner and mother of my youngest son HAS , having caught it (if you believe in cross infection?) from her neighbour. My ex- moved in with the neighbour where both were quite, but not desperately ill for over 2 weeks in isolation. Our ‘boys’ had to isolate in their own appartment for 10 days. The neighbour after 6 weeks is still not well enough to work. The ‘boys’ were not infected.
That is my only direct knowledge of Covid-19.
I have seen reports of well known people who scoffed at Covid and refused to wear a mask who then became very ill and changed their views.
Once again I am revealing my materialistic and unspiritual state of soul.
But I cannot ignore having sympathy for people choking to death on the pavement outside a Delhi hospital where there are no beds and no oxygen.
Would masks or vaccine help? I don’t know but is doing nothing an option?
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Hello Jaroma . No I haven’t been diagnosed with Covid nor have any of my family ( which is very large ) . We had a friend diagnosed April 2020 , she had mild symptoms for 4 days and fully recovered . Her husband didn’t get infected even though they isolated together and were in close proximity .
You’re definitely not being materialistic in your concern in fact I think your approach is spiritual . The adversarial streams and magick in society are just remarkable right now so we have to be extremely vigilant and careful to treat every situation independently . Some of these streams are extremely clever and can fool even the aware . Those of us inclined to do so will identify streams and use spiritual science techniques to get to the deeper layers of the facts ( which Steiner encourages ) but Steiner also tells us the mood of soul is important or having the correct intentions . I think he mentions WW1 soldiers on the battle field , they weren’t correct in the facts and the war’s adversarial origins but in their mind they were fighting against tyranny .
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Yes, they were fighting bravely against perceived tyranny. Take the first Battle of the Marne. Germany and France. September 1914. The French soldiers, most just in their teens, had grafted the image of Joan of Arc into themselves, and Steiner called this the unique feature of the French Etheric body; the ‘Glory’ body. Thousands of these dead young soldiers strewn the astral world of battle. It prompted Steiner to first begin to describe the Nature of the Christ Impulse and the Michael Spirit Serving It, with these lectures from GA 157, 17 & 19 January 1915. Steiner resurrects Joan in these lectures.
https://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA157/English/RSP1987/DesNat_index.html
Today’s world needs the highest level of perspective possible. Evolution and its teleology is a fact. The working of Evil in the world is a fact. We simply have to act in relation to it, and not react. Spiritual Science as Gnosis is the great resolver. You go out every day and take it upon yourself to do the work of the good. The burden is light, and the yoke is the same.
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A moral order of solidarity! I said anthroposophy needs more Krishnamurti in order to liberate itself from its 19th and 20st century legacy. But anthroposophy needs also more of the spirit of Gandhi and Ambedkar. We need mass leadership to steer us towards a threefold moral order. Maybe after Angela Merkel we will get Green feminine leadership in Europe?Here in Asia under the increasingly authoritarian regime of Modi – and increasingly religiously biased against the principle of secularism instilled in the constitution of independent India by Ambedkar – India collapses under the covid pandemy. Inequality is sharper than ever and corporatization of the agriculture sector is pushed through. People die in the streets by lack of oxygen. In Myanmar a violent coup d’etat wiped out the promising steps towards democracy with 700 victims of brutal violence and 3000 people jailed in not even 2 months. But the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) in Myanmar shows enormous resilience. Young people start feeling a
new solidarity across the region from Hongkong to India, the ‘Milk Tea Alliance’. No control society like in China! But in Thailand young people face decades in prison because they openly promote reform of the monarchy. Thailand shamefully demonstrates that it are still 19th and 20st century elite powers who rule society. Thailand also stands symbol of the interconnectedness between pandemic and climate emergency. Not only are destruction of the environment and industrial (animal) food systems clear broader causes of the pandemic, also the symptoms merge: we don’t know whether we wear our face masks to prevent infection by the virus or to protect us from air pollution. Chiangmai in the North – a paradise lost of over-tourism – is now often the most air polluted city in the world …
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Hi, Hans. I actually live in Northern Thailand, so I know exactly what you are talking about in regards to the air quality, or lack thereof. I think where I live, I’m protected by river spirits of sorts (or so I’m told), and even when the api was beyond hazardous and you couldn’t see the mountains clearly, around me was perfectly breathable. So, I didn’t join the rest of the hippies on the southern migration.
Needless to say, in the event of current affairs going into full panic mode in just about every possible sector one can imagine, I do believe we need to take the term ’emergency’ out of the picture. When I spent a couple weeks at Wat Pa Tam Wua here in Maehong Son, practicing vipassana, I felt like I checked into an insane asylum at first. When you start to refer to the ‘world outside’ you begin to realise that the world is steeped in insanity. The true pandemic we have, I believe, is an insanity pandemic. Steiner does mention this being a potential issue.
With the states of emergency, it not only strikes fear, but it gives full permission for governments to take any actions they deem necessary – above the law, in other words. This could be a dangerous pathway, even though paved in good intentions it could be a slippery slope towards ‘Onefoldness.’ This onefoldness goes against the threefoldness which we ought to strive for. And I suppose that’s the pickle we are in, for the pathway to threefoldness is more difficult at this point than onefoldness (which seems to present itself as the only option). But I don’t believe there are any shortcuts to this, or remedial band aids – if you will.
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These are extraordinarily candid comments coming from Hans and Kyle in the third-world domain, which was once “Asia”, the lowest of the heavenly kingdoms. So, how’s that for progress? For Hans: I know about your take on solidarity and oneness, and how we need to become a global community in the battle against clearly manifest evil working in the world. Yet, you will never get anywhere with this notion of Krishnamurti, and Anthroposophy’s backward stance with the theosophy of old. It is simply not true. It is precisely *because* of the young Jiddhu that Steiner had no other recourse but to reject the notion that this boy was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. This is what caused the expulsion of the German Section of the Theosophical Society by order of Annie Besant in 1912.
By 1922, when Steiner was returning to England after a nearly nine year absence, Krishnamurti made official his stance against theosophy. So, Steiner was fully aware of the matter. Hans, why do you do this kind of thing? It is a very important question.
Kyle, you see the threefolding as the highest objective, but most difficult to achieve with the push toward onefoldness as a solidarity issue. If the United Nations was truly an “agent of beneficial change”, and please remember that it is headquartered in New York, America, and also possessed of the Threefolding Initiative of Rudolf Steiner, which it rejects, everything would be different today. How paradoxical is that?
You see, the greatest nation in the world, in terms of capitalism, is also the bearer of the greatest influx of the workings of the Consciousness Soul. Thus, we see how every problem existing in the extant world exists to be solved for a true universal humanity. Yet, it is not happening. Why not?
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Hi Kyle,
Vipassana meditation, tell me about that. Do you meditate into a void, or possibly into a rich area of spiritual-scientific content? The reason I ask is because Rudolf Steiner advocated doing this kind of praxis with his findings, and it really works. That is likely why I never had to leave home in order to conduct my journeys into the world. For Hans: Do you know of the work of Aurobindo Ghose, who went to Pondicherry for safekeeping in 1910? He spent the next 40 years there as the so-called, “Prophet of Life Divine”. Even Gandhi visited him.
So, we see a pattern here. Some see Ambedkar as setting up Gandhi for assassination. Yet, it never had to go this way. If anthroposophical threefolding had been working in the world as it should by 1948, then Gandhi would have lived, and the Peace achieved. Yet, the partition idea arose to separate India and Pakistan, which was an entirely British idea, and led to the assassination of Gandhi. Today, it is no different. Threefolding should be the fundamental aim of the UN, but as you see, it is all the same. The death of Mahatma Gandhi was a wasted sacrifice of a spiritual being for the aims of the west. In 2021, it is still the same pathetic situation.
Mahatma Gandhi did not need to die. Nor did John F. Kennedy need to die. But, they did. They were both assassinated. And, for what cause??
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Hi Steve, Hans mentioned some good points about Vipassana. It surely does work and it is taught in a very non-dogmatic fashion. I quoted Buddhadasa Bhikkhu in another post, but in another book of his he had referred to Buddhism more as a science than a religion, because a religion would require some sort of dogmatism or blind faith, whereas in Buddhism there is a science to achieving enlightenment. And as a science, it is something that can be proven given the right conditions, and such, if one follows the methods. I find what Steiner says about the teachings of the Buddha quite remarkable, as they don’t contradict anything taught in spiritual science. In fact, they lead into it, and up to certain point. This is, of course, before the Mystery of Golgatha.
To answer your initial question, I haven’t peered into any void – which is the point but it’s not really a void of nothingness, there is ‘something’ to it – but I have had a separation from body and thoughts, or no thoughts I suppose you can say. The monk, who did the dhamma talks at the monastery I went to, referred to a state called “The Knower.” This state is essentially an observing state where you can see thoughts as a separate phenomena, same as your body is not your body. It really is a strange sensation, and I’ve had it more so during the walking meditation than sitting, or lying down. With the state of the Knower, that is the state which one can attain “Insight Wisdom,” and that is what Vipassana is essentially about. So this state can start as object concentration, but the step beyond that is when you don’t need an object to concentrate at all. I’m not sure I’m explaining this well, as I’m still wrapping my head around it, so I hope you can follow.
This ‘Knower’ state, and separating your Self from your thoughts is quite an interesting sensation. With spiritual science in mind, I suppose this is one way to see things as they really are. And taking in mind Human and Cosmic Thought, we are actually not our thoughts anyway, but our body serves as an apparatus of sorts. I truly believe Vipassana is a way to confirm this. Thanks for bringing this up, I really need to practice more often!
By the way, the monk I referred to wrote a book on this. If you are interesting. It’s free. If you get a chance to read it, would be interesting how you think it relates to spiritual science.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0Ah1JidoNBpU2NsSmVlbDhlQnc/view?fbclid=IwAR16vY4HCQ4uU_Tx7nQrWjz4qBHDn0fHDzxn0m5gKU9jG9G4-cvqHw7Gt5E
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Hi Kyle,
I surely know that Vipassana works, and wanted to convey how it does so via the anthroposophical methodology of sense-free thinking. Steiner was always encouraging the need to acquire knowledge conceptually, and how one did not need to be clairvoyant to be able to prove it. What *is* required is that this knowledge be meditated upon with a certain intensity of effort in
the style of ‘Consciousness without an Object’. A whole existent realm opens up known as the “Pure Thought World”, and the connections come alive. This is the world that Aristotle taught Alexander, and was known to all the ancient philosophers; the place where Michael sends down the Cosmic Thoughts. This article was written in 2015 as a reminder of this method, which can get overlooked with the daily hustle and bustle. Here, it is characterized as the ‘Intermediate Path’, without direct clairvoyance. Proofs are equally achieved with this method.
Click to access intermediatepath2.pdf
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Steve, so this is the REAL stuff. I think you answered my question about what the essential tenants of Spiritual Science is, and this seems to be a big part of that – to say the least. With Vipassana connection here, one can imagine, there are different levels. It takes a certain amount of suspended preconceived notions to be able to do it, and to have the faith that there are higher levels of knowledge and things to realise. You know where you are going even if you are not sure what it is like there, there is a pattern from one thing to another. But as Steiner points out, the notion of ‘katharsis,’ it’s like a musician interpreting sheet music in the way the composer intended to have it played. Thus, being able to reproduce it. If not, then you need to re-read it again. It’s brilliant. It is, therefor, a sensation. Making a comparison with meditation, subtle awarenesses have a certain sensation to it, and this directly relates with the kind of sensation when reading ‘The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity’ not in the fashion of just a philosophy book like any other. I see it’s importance, very much. This really is a must read, then. Thank you!
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Kyle, you wrote in reference to the Vipassana method:
“It takes a certain amount of suspended preconceived notions to be able to do it, and to have the faith that there are higher levels of knowledge and things to realise”.
Yes, this is the same rationale espoused by Edmund Husserl, who while never being able to find his way to spiritual science, did make important incursions into the substance of Phenomenology. He called it, “The Eidetic Reduction”, which simply involves suspension of all judgment and opinion prior to going inward in order to analyze the substance of appearance. Today, nearly everyone judges based on surface appearances in the 3-D domain of outer-external “maya”. We have to do better than that.
As well, there are those that engage PoF as a matter of sense-free thinking, and this is actually very Cartesian in nature, and results, but the better result is to be gained by taking the content of spiritual-scientific results into the pure thought world. This is what opens up the akashic records for corroboration. This is why I often cite and quote content of lecture material. It works most effectively in the sense-free domain.
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The akashic records, now that’s a whole other level. I can understand, and see, the importance ‘right way of reading,’ but opening up the akashic records, is this more by meditation alone, or coupled with reading? I do remember reading Steiner’s descriptions of it, I believe in the lectures ‘At The Gates of Spiritual Science,’ but I’m assuming this is the next level. That way, you don’t just take Steiner’s word for it concerning all the historical material he covers… for this is method in seeing it. Or, is that incorrect?
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Yes, Kyle, if I understand you correctly, in seeing from a distance, rather than taking the position of “tabula rasa”, which is the self-directed philosopher/meditator position, the akashic records are made accessible. This is because content of consciousness has been added to the formerly ‘void’ state. Thus, gnosis is added to the equation. A kind of psychology of self-remembering begins to occur, and this could not be possible unless the akashic was being accessed. For example, I have a very strong sense for some reason that Socrates was a prominent personage of the Trojan War, and was murdered. Then, we was reborn in 470 BC in order to experience a kind of conversion to the spiritual life, which had him encouraging his young disciples to go inward, and practice introspection. I don’t know where this comes from, but it also extends to many other considerations. Only the akashic could bring this kind of active meditation forth, it seems to me.
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Next level, Steiner distinguished between different impressions on the Akasha, Ether and Astral Light (cf. GA0095/19060823 and GA0093a/19051005).
“Deeds on the physical plane impress themselves into the Arupa plane [upper spiritual world], like a monogram into a seal and there remain. The substance of the Arupa plane is delicate, soft and enduring; it is Akasha and human actions remain inscribed there. Etc.” GA0093a/19051019.
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Hi Ton, this is a very good description of how the akashic impressions exist to be retrieved by those that go inward with the substance of spiritual science. We can really do this, even as mere thinkers. All we need is the substance of inquiry. Thank you very much. You often bring even earlier sources, e.g., GA 93. It only helps to prove that Steiner was very consistent with his methodology throughout the mature esoteric period, c. 1900-1925.
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Thank you, Ton. Seeing how Steiner points out the importance of “Imagination” in all of this, is very helpful.
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Replying to your recent comment, Steve (May 1, 2021 at 11:21 am):
This is really fascinating. I had a kind of past life reading once, and I’ve wondered if it was more of an exercise in an akashic reading, rather than my own ‘individual’ soul’s experience. I tend to think of it the former rather than latter. So, these are essentially a collection of ‘etheric’ imprints, left overtime, which are a result of ‘any’ individual’s experience. Is that correct? So, your sense about Socrates may have come from direct access to an etheric ‘memory’ or record, as a result of the thinking and consciousness that occured? – of Socrates himself, and perhaps others around him?
“All this happens in a remarkable way: the seer does not see an abstract script; everything passes before him in silhouettes and pictures, and what he sees is not what actually happened in space; it is something quite different. When Caesar gained one of his victories, he was of course thinking; and all that happened around entered into his thoughts; every movement of an army exists in thought. The Akasha Chronicle therefore shows his intentions, all that he thought and imagined as he was leading his legions; and their thoughts, too, are shown. It is a true picture of what happened, and whatever conscious beings have experienced is depicted there. (Plants, of course, cannot be seen.) Hence the Initiate can read off the whole past history of humanity — but he must first learn how to do it.”
GA095 – Lecture 2
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Yes, I think you have picked up on the essence of this moment of experience within the pure thought world. Connecting points begin to accrue. My thought about Socrates comes from a deeper domain, and why would I think he was a hero of the Trojan War? Yet, he was born again in circumstances related to the circle of Pericles, and the Peloponnesian War, which he did participate in. Then, at middle age, he suddenly experienced a conversion. He decided to cultivate young minds in the principles of introspection, which would eventually get him into a lot of trouble. His own wife came to despise him. Now, Steiner gave a lecture here on Geographic Medicine, in November 1917, in which he spoke about what it means for someone to die by violence, and then reappear soon in another incarnation in order to experience this kind of conversion. The story of Socrates is very interesting.
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I honestly cannot comment on Krishnamurti, and his place, whether he was the Maitreya. But even so, we are in the 21st century now. Didn’t Steiner say that the Maitreya incarnated every century? We may be on the verge of entirely different message, or at least worded differently, by the new incarnate. Just a thought. And same goes for the new Steiner incarnate.
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I don’t want to come off sounding as though I oppose solidarity and oneness, my only concern is how that is manifested and in what manner. As a result of these discussions here, I’m reminded of how Christ is the ultimate unifier. The Christ impulse – if you can call it that – transcends culture, policies, nationalities, borders, you name it. I feel that is where our solidarity should stand, and it should be done voluntarily and out of one’s own will, not by force or coercion or some policy done by unelected legislators… and certainly not done in a “Crusade-like” fashion.
Here’s an example. I spent some time in Borneo, in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. About a century ago, there were still people ‘head hunting,’ and tribal warfare. One fellow who belonged to the Dayak tribe told me (and I’m paraphrasing), “Christianity brought the tribes together. For before there was much ego and arrogance and much pride where fighting was common.” I think this is a great example of Christ as the ultimate unifying agent.
I do feel the paradox with such organisations who claim to work in achieving a kind of world peace. But again, my issues with that is legislation, policies, and enforcing policies, it can swiftly turn into coercion and that violates the individual’s right to sovereignty. Unification should only be by voluntary means. Perhaps I’ve hung around too many tree huggers, but I attended an international Rainbow Gathering once in Eastern Java, and there was one thing I learned from there that sticks with me today (just to clarify, Rainbow Gatherings are generally an experimental anarcho-socialist kind of tribal gathering, where there is no commerce and people just live together in some secluded place in nature). One of the things that was talked about, was the issue of ‘volunteering.’ As any society needs some kind of working unit, of sorts – someone needs to prepare food, someone needs to prepare toilets, someone needs to gather firewood, build structures, etc… – the main rule was that if you were going to help, don’t do it because you feel you have to, or forced to, but only do it out of love. Of course, it’s highly idealistic, but the message is clear that certain types of coercion and force just simply don’t work. So how to motivate?
Motivation is something that has to be cultivated. And this ties heavily with education and the upbringing of children. This is why I say it’s difficult; it will take a generation or two to see the effects. But what other way to do this other than properly raising children to become fully autonomous, clear thinking individuals who have a fascination with life and the miracle of this existence? With many individuals who have a sound spiritual constitution, a solid ‘base’ to work from, all of this is possible… and the solidarity and oneness that we all wish for would be a manifestation of that, I believe.
In short, and much of this can be elaborated on, I have a feeling the solution here is a grassroots type of thing, a ‘bottom up’ effect starting with the individual, the family, the community, etc… and not from the ‘top down’ governments, policy makers, politicians, etc. I need not explain in too much detail why I feel this way, but one evidence of this is the current educational system. It’s lacking (to say the least, and in the nicest way possible!), and I don’t see its existence with a modus operandi being ‘individual empowerment’ but rather, ‘fit into the mold.’ This completely goes against our intended direction of attaining that consciousness soul.
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The point is that at the same time, Steiner didn’t deny the notion that a bodhisattva had incarnated in Krishnamurti after his mystical union 1922-1925.
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Like democratic leaders, 21st century authoritarian dictators (Xi, Modi, Duterte, Prayut, Hlaing, Kim, Maduro) have their evil European impulse and role model: the autocratic-nationalistic president Putin, uninterruptedly in power since more than twenty years (New Year’s Eve 1999) and very wealthy, too.
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Yes, indeed. Vladimir Putin, imperial autocrat of the dissolved USSR, c. 1999. Remember when we compared his image to the classic Sorath face? Gorby had the bloody scar on his forehead, which told tales, but Putin was a model for Sorath. Oh, this was back in the day when we were much less into the ‘covid crisis’. But, it was beautiful to behold the comparison.
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I can’t supply a quote on this one, it was only something explained to me once. But as far as Russia goes, isn’t that where the new center of the ‘grail consciousness’ (if I’m correct on the term) supposed to be located in the near future?
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Yes, Steiner explains the future importance of the Russian Folk Soul here in this lecture from GA 159. Yet, he had already done so in private lectures to the Russians beginning in 1912 and 1913 in Finland, in which he spoke to them about their future destiny. He indicated that they might be called to give earlier than later. We have this in the work of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky.
https://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/PreSix_index.html
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Morning, Kyle,
I’m not very familiar with Steiner’s writing on the “grail consciousness” of the future, but he speaks of this 5th post Atlantean epoch as the period in which the Western world leads in the development of individualized consciousness – culminating in the Conscious Soul – and then, in the 6th epoch, the task of Eastern Europe will be to lead in development of the Spirit Self within souls. During that epoch we will develop deep empathy and learn that the well-being of the individual depends on the well being of the whole. He said that the man of Eastern Europe – during his/our time – feels this instinctively, but it is, as yet, “perverted – hazy and confused”.. And he alludes to the reason as being that we of the 5th Epoch have not yet completed our task – and that the 6th Epoch has “to wait until the Spirit Self comes down”…which, I suppose, depends on us in this time to lay the groundwork. (Dusseldorf, June 15, 1915)
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Thank you Kathy, yes, this rings a bell! I still wonder if there is a seed there, waiting for that time, in the 6th epoch. Quite some ways to go? Another curiosity, I don’t know if this has anything to do with what the 6th Epoch could hold, but have you heard of the Anastasia Movement? It was apparently started from a series of books called The Ringing Cedars of Russia, by Valdimir Megre. I wonder if this has anything to do with the ‘development of the Spirit Self within souls,’ as you say.
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Steiner (1910) on Russia and the Grail wisdom:
“… it is necessary that the results of spiritual perception are comprehended, and also that the manifestations of the spirit are recognized in the observations and experiences of the sense world. The sixth cultural epoch will bring the harmony between these two impulses to complete development.” (Occult Science, GA013_c04-07)
The “hidden knowledge,” which from this side takes hold of mankind now and will take hold of it more and more in the future, may be called symbolically “the wisdom of the Grail. Etc.” (Occult Science, GA013_c06)
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Thank you, Ton Majoor. I’ll give this a thorough read soon.
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This course brought Steiner’s seminal investigation into the identity of Jesus of Nazareth to completion. It was his own “search for the Holy Grail”.
https://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA149/English/RSP1963/ChrWld_index.html
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Hello Kyle and all,
Yes, Chiangmai is situated in a valley and all the smoke from sugarcane and corn plantations which overtook forests by Big Ag descends and get stuck there. Luckily, you seem to be able to travel to the best corners of the Earth. Vipassana meditation centers are safe havens anyhow. Interesting that Steve as spokesperson of Rudolf Steiner acknowledges that it works. It does. The original teachers were and are based in Burma/Myanmar. And there are good Thai teachers as well. It is the most simple, straight forward and neutral, unbiased, “technique” I know and I never longed to do anything else. But yes, Steve, I know the work of Sri Aurobindo. Auroville was meant to become a city but it became, and is part of that movement, a network ecovillage. Ecovillages are in principle examples of “commons” and that may be the kind of bottom-up collaboration you envisage, Kyle? The ecovillage movement was initiated from Findhorn which recently suffered a kind of “first Goetheanum” fire in its sanctuary and community centre. Maybe Jeremy knows more about the background.
Of course I did not refer to oneness in a totalitarian sense. It is an overarching dimension of threefolding, I think and very subtle but essential. The community of life.
Russia sold for a big-big amount updated weaponry to Myanmar right before the coup d’etat was staged. They were not ashamed, neither were the Thai generals, to join the recent Army Day party in Myanmar. They may be worse than the Chinese army.
I cannot help thinking that Prokofiev exercised a typical role in Dornach by emphasizing a kind of antro-fundamentalism. Sorry if this is too negative. Kyle, these kind of clairvoyant predictions of where the Grail can be found, in Russia or elsewhere, is what I mean with the kind of 19 century Theosophical burden we have to get rid of. Maybe with the help of a little bit of Krishnamurti thinking. In 1922 was K.’s catharsis and only in 1929 (so after Steiners passing) he broke away publicly from the Theosophical Society. That was in the Netherlands … We are now in the 21st century as you said. We have to do it ourselves. Even if Steiner reincarnates, he may be killed like Gandhi or Kennedy, or pass away prematurely.
I warmly believe in the Christ impulse. But I think “it” can spread and reach people best in an interreligious or multi-cultural embedment. In other words in an open context of oneness, rather than in a we-they framework.
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The only thing I know about the fire at Findhorn is that a 49-year old man ‘of no fixed abode’ has appeared twice in court charged with burning down the community centre and the main sanctuary building.
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Hi Hans, thank you for the clarification, and I didn’t find anything you said to be negative at all. I’m definitely following your logic. I honestly never gave Krishnamurti a serious read, but seems important as you seem to illustrate. When you mention about getting rid of the ’19th century Theosophical burden,’ it reminded me of something I read by Buddhadasa Bhikkhu (A Thai Buddhist Monk), in regards to the Buddha’s teachings. This is a quote from his book, Heartwood from the Bo Tree:
“As to the foundations or root principles of Dhamma, there are not great deal. The Buddha said that there was a single handful. A sutta in the Samyutta Nikaya makes this clear: Whilst walking through the forest, the Buddha picked up a handful of fallen leaves and asked the monks present whether the greater amount was the leaves in his hand or the leaves in the forest. They all said that the leaves in the forest were much more, so much so, that it was beyond comparison. Try to imagine the scene here, try to see how greater were the leaves in the forest. The Buddha then said that, similarly, those things which he had realised and which he knew, were equal to all the leaves in the forest, but that which it was necessary to know — those things which should be taught and practised — were equal to the number of leaves in his hand.”
Taking this passage in mind, if it is appropriate to use it as an analogy with Steiner’s works and anthroposophy – which is vast as well know, what would be the ‘handful of leaves’ in this instance? I honestly would love to know if Steiner was presented with this question, if there is anything about spiritual science that should be taught and practised, what would it be? What is essential? Did Krishnamurti convey the essential parts? This is something I honestly would like to fine tune, for we all know how difficult it is to convey spiritual science and anthroposophy to those who have no prior knowledge (or interest, for that matter).
Hans, you’re spot on about the ecovillages. At least I think that is part of it. It wouldn’t hurt for people to try do incorporate a smaller scale of this, as in, a few homesteads. But there are pockets around Thailand (Jon Jondai’s Pun Pun community north of Chiangmai – for example), and other parts in the world, but it’s definitely hard work. Unfortunately, much is left in the realm of idealism, but I still feel that these principles are a remedy for much of the issues we are facing. We have the Permaculture movement, founded by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in Australia, in which many practitioners I’ve found are well aware of Steiner and Biodynamics. Bill Mollison himself was inspired by Masanobu Fukuoka, the author of One Straw Revolution, which is immensely insightful into our relationship with agriculture/food/lifestyle, etc. So, I think the challenge is for people to lead by example – very much like Jon Jondai. If there happens to be an economic collapse and food shortage, then ecovillages/permaculture/biodyn are a remedy for that, at least for many people. The Agriculture Course lectures were given in 1924 during an economic crisis, isn’t that right? So, I strongly believe this material should be more well known, especially now.
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For the record I was a founding member back in 1985 of an eco-village that formed outside of Black Mountain North Carolina. See earthaven.org for how it appears today.
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That’s awesome, Martin. I feel like I’ve came across the website before some many years ago, as it seems familiar. I had my sights on Asheville, NC before, perhaps that’s why. Are you part of an eco-village in Peru, now?
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Hi Kyle, No I’m not in an eco-village in Peru, just a resident in a small lakeside community where the people know how to raise their own food and there is not much of a cash economy. In some ways I find it more authentic than an eco-village which tends to comprise of white-collar people trying to live a blue-collar existence – at least that’s one observation I have heard. I was part of the Black Mountain extended eco-village for 14 years and still have many friends there. As it happens I will be there for the last 2 weeks in May. Yes Asheville is a pretty cool place.
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Remarkable, indeed, Martin. Asheville, North Carolina is an anthroposophical community, and maybe you had something to do with it! This is so awesome. Son is now a cider presser. Did you ever see the movie, “The Cider House Rules”. It makes me think of the dynamics going on here right now. You can’t make this stuff up if it is real. Thanks. Going back there in May will be an experience to behold. It proves the active dynamics.
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Yes I read ‘The Cider House Rules’ years ago and remember it as a powerful tale. Themovie with Michael Caine was also good as I recall.
My wife and I visited the Waldorf school in Asheville some years back and the staff were very welcoming. During my many years in and around Asheville I was not especially ‘into’ anthroposophy. I have really only come back to the fold over the past 15 years in Peru where my wife Lourdes trains young new teachers in Waldorf ways.
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That’s pretty awesome, Martin. I definitely agree in regards to the authenticity of small villages in contrast to eco-villages or permaculture communities. Reasons are exactly as you mention. This is probably my main contention with foreigners here, in Thailand and perhaps elsewhere. They come here, and think they know better than the locals. Yes, intentions are good, and for sure… the advocacy for going full on organic (no pesticides, minimal burning, etc…) is a good plus. But, I’d rather see more integration with locals. They have that “peasant wisdom” as Steiner points out, and which is totally underrated. I’ve seen first hand a toothless old man walk freely through the jungle and know which plants to choose for specific uses, and even talk to plants, and it’s all based on intuition and being immersed in nature… nothing from a book. That is remarkable! Ame of course, I would not be surprised that the locas in Peru/Amazon have a similar relationship to the 80k + flora species in the Amazon.
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Greetings Jeremy,
In his booklet The Battle for the Etheric Realm, the late Nick Thomas, who had a profound insight into Rudolf Steiner’s work, particularly from a scientific perspective, describes how, at the beginning of the 20th century, scientists approached and crossed the threshold between physical and spiritual experience with their intellect only, rather than as whole human beings. He goes on to describe the danger associated with such an unconscious crossing – how, if adequate preparation has not been made, one is led into a realm of deception created by Ahriman. This applies as much to the world of microbes as it does to the world of atomic particles that the author was referring to. Unless the scientist has some awareness of the interrelationship between spiritual and physical realms, they remain oblivious to the etheric aspect and the fact that completely different laws are working in from the other side of the threshold. Theories or assertions can then arise from a position of deception; the scientist is being ‘educated’ by the ‘deceiver’, but does not know it. One can reasonably question – to what extent is the science offered by the modern highly mechanized science laboratory, the product of error?
Since the origin of modern germ theory in the mid-19th century, opinions challenging the predominant mainstream view of microorganisms continue to be put forward. Is a virus a disease-carrying agent that invades from outside – or something beneficial that occurs naturally within the human organism? Does the spike protein seen under the microscope carry the disease into the cell – or is its appearance part of the human organism’s natural defences, carrying the poison out of a damaged cell? These are some of the questions currently being asked by those in the medical science community who subscribe to the ‘terrain’ theory (or a variation of it) advanced by, among others, Antoine Béchamp, a contemporary of Louis Pasteur. No endorsement or denial of terrain theory is offered here; mention is made merely to highlight a phenomenon that appears to be gaining some traction. On this side of the threshold, we have to deal with the often troublesome problematic of correlation and causation. For the one who can discern what is working in from the other side, this is not such a problem – we can look to Rudolf Steiner for guidance.
This insightful and well-researched article by Brane Žilavec helpfully combines aspects of terrain theory with referenced indications from Rudolf Steiner on health and illness: https://www.newfoodculture.info/QUESTIONS/3-microbes+viruses.html.
Moving on, in the context of your comments on the UK Government, world phenomena and understanding forces of evil, the following extract from Rudolf Steiner: GA175 (Lecture 4 of 12th April 1917) is significant:
“People imagine that those who strive to arrive at the truth by means of Spiritual Science can be met with the weapons of scorn and ridicule that often pass for criticism. In the Sixth epoch they will be treated medically! By that time medicaments will have been discovered which will be administered compulsorily to those who believe in a recognized canon of good and evil independent of social sanctions. A time will come when people will say: “What is all this talk about good and evil? Good and evil are determined by the State. What the State declares to be good is good; what it declares to be evil is evil. When you speak of good and evil as moral values, you are obviously ill.” And medicaments will be administered to such people in order to cure them. It is no exaggeration to say that this is the direction in which our epoch is moving; it is a pointer to the future.”
And further on:
“The necessary changes that will have to be effected in our external life in order that our social life may be invested with the Christ Impulse are ignored by those who are already aware of this need. There are reasons for their reticence. One can only speak of them when certain prior conditions have been met; only brief indications can be given here. You will recall that earlier in this lecture I opened a window on to the future when I pointed out that those who recognize other laws than those decreed by the State will be treated medically. Before this time arrives, however, a reaction will have set in. One section of mankind will adopt the measures referred to above, but another section will be the bearer of the future Christ Impulse. A battle will ensue between the two groups between the past and the future. And the Christ Impulse will win the day. When the etheric Christ appears in the present century the Impulse that streams from Him will be able to awaken such a response in the souls of men that governments based on ambition, vanity, prejudice or error, will gradually become an impossibility. It will be possible to discover principles of government free from these human frailties but only if they are founded on a true and concrete acceptance of the Christ Impulse. Christian impulses will not be determined by parliamentary decrees; they will enter the world in a different way.”
When considering current political phenomena in the light of Rudolf Steiner’s comments quoted above, together with his indications for the remainder of our post-Atlantean period, it seems evident that we are already facing at least an echo, or prefiguration of events that are destined to come later. For example, one can already observe the steps being taken to subsume every aspect of life under a system of central control. In the UK, our party political system is in the throes of decay; Parliament has been rendered largely impotent and we now have government by decree. However, it can also be observed that the reaction that Steiner mentions, however small, has already begun. The possibility is there for a new political system to arise sooner or later.
It is important to note that, as well as coming to an understanding of the Mystery of evil in our 5th cultural epoch, Rudolf Steiner also encouraged an understanding of the Mystery of death. The former forces approach more from within – the latter forces more from without. As Steiner indicates, an understanding of the forces of opposition at work in human and Earth evolution carries within it the beginning of their gradual overcoming and redemption.
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Hello Richard! Are you the Richard Philps who used to work at Kings Langley? Welcome to the blog! And thank you for the fascinating information you provide here.
Best wishes,
Jeremy
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The same, Jeremy. I hope the contribution is useful.
Best wishes
Richard
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The goals of Spiritual Science are being torpedoed to steer its course into the unfathomable sea of theories. From the conversations held here, it is well known that several anthroposophists agree with the sabotage of Spiritual Science. I am not saying that their intention is not to navigate in spirituality, but the chosen “waters” are so shallow and little compromised with the current situation that I find no reason to continue contributing. Especially now, the possibility of engaging a small part of society in the teaching of the most serious objectives of Spiritual Science is prevented by all kinds of edification feelings, from the side of those who call themselves “scientists spiritual “. Some spiritual scientists who do not find, not even in the laboratory of their common sense, the guidelines on which they want to make sense of their disquisitions, are not scientists. Apart from this, such scientists want to agree to leave everything in the hands of the “feeling” about the scientific without offering plausible motivations. They have not understood that Spiritual Science needs man not to be content with mere edification and false political solidarity but to strive in directions and using forces that anthroposophists are already unaware of. The common denominator in Anthroposophy, or what characterizes its remains, is the love for everything related to the realization of the Welfare State.
The Welfare State has within it enough cobwebs and programs of interest to sink us all together, anthroposophists and common dreamers, with the dream of humanity. The sense of edification with which we are enveloped by the Welfare State is too strong and intoxicating. Everything that has led us, as a society, to depend on the shelter of the Welfare State has a single goal, to push man towards different paths from those proposed by Spiritual Science. When are we going to accept it? When will we be willing to look at reality?
What a human being is capable of verifying for himself of the existence and of the soul, has everything to do with Spiritual Science. To the dislike of certain anthroposophical brothers, Spiritual Science are not very interested in our personal inclinations. What is worryingly notorious is that human opinions have created by themselves a powerful grip that draws people to the bottom of the Welfare State before which all kinds of people go to find answers and guidelines that only Spiritual Science would have to give us.
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Upspince, I understand your frustration with the wide-ranging contributions to our blog. Good luck to you…Kathy
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I share your sentiments regarding the Welfare State, as you put it. We are heading towards a Chinafication of the world of sorts, as we are being shown how a wonderful job the CCP has been handling this ‘pandemic.’ and other countries will (and are) following it’s example. As someone who has spent a significant time living there, it surely does go against everything that Spiritual Science strives for. There is a deep spiritual emptiness in the land, and it’s spreading like cancer world-wide.
“What just happened in China may be of external political importance, but an esoteric must regard Kun Hung Ming’s book, China’s Defense Against European Ideas, as something that has much greater spiritual significance. Ku Hung Ming is a bright man. What he says isn’t wrong, and there’s a lot in there that should give an esoteric food for thought. He says that Christian missionaries came to China to bring their Christianity into an ancient, high culture. Did they succeed? No. Something else happened instead. The missionaries brought Chinese culture back to Europe, and since the French Revolution Europe has been Chinafied much more than it realizes. This Chinaman knows exactly that his people watches over mankind’s memory and that this fact makes a deep impression on Europeans. But as we said, memory is Lucifer’s gift. Through him, we descended into our physical body on being driven out of the paradise of spiritual worlds. We must now revoke Lucifer’s deed, but we shouldn’t think that it wasn’t necessary.” -GA266
“The Western thinker describes this perspective of bourgeois life with a certain nonchalance, one might say, but the Eastern thinker suffers terribly under the thought then maintained by Mill and Herzen that Europe was on the way toward taking on the nature of China. As you can deduce from the writing of Herzen of 1864, both Mill and Herzen — the one with an Eastern and the other with a Western coloring — consider what has come about earlier in China as the goal toward which Europe is aiming as a later stage; that is, toward a new Chinese entity in which men will become the “pressed caviar” of bourgeois nullities. A constriction of the intellect will come, says Mill, a constriction of the intellect and of the energies of life, a polishing away of the personality, everything that leads to a levelling down. Constant flattening out of life, as he expresses it, constant exclusion of general human interests from life — so does Mill express the matter, and Herzen confirms it, but from a mood of tragic sensitivity; it is a reduction to the interests of mercantile offices and bourgeois prosperity. So did Mill and Herzen express themselves even in the sixties of the last century! Mill, who speaks first of his own country, said that England was on the way toward becoming a modern China, and Herzen said that not only England but all of Europe was on the way to becoming a modern China. It may be deduced from Herzen’s book of 1864 that he and Mill more or less agreed that unless an unexpected upswing should take place in Europe, which might lead to a rebirth of human personality giving it the force needed to overcome the bourgeois, Europe, in spite of its noble forefathers and its Christianity, would become another China. These words were spoken in 1864!” – GA172
“There is a form of illness, very widespread today, which was hardly known a hundred years ago — nerves or neuroticism — not because it was unrecognised, but because it was so uncommon. This characteristic illness springs from the materialistic outlook of the eighteenth century. Without that, the illness would never have appeared. The occult teacher knows that if this materialism were to continue for a few decades more, it would have a devastating effect on the general health of mankind. If these materialistic habits of thought were to remain unchecked, people would not only be neurotic in the ordinary sense but children would be born trembling; they would not merely be sensitive to their environment but would receive from everything around them a sensation of pain. Above all, mental ailments would spread very rapidly; epidemics of insanity would occur during the following decade. This was the danger — epidemic insanity — that faced mankind, and the possibility of it in the future was why the leaders of humanity, the Masters of Wisdom, saw the necessity of allowing some spiritual wisdom to be diffused among mankind at large. Nothing short of a spiritual picture of the world could restore to coming generations a tendency to good health.” GA095
Mark the last words “Nothing short of a spiritual picture of the world could restore to coming generations a tendency to good health.” This is exactly the issue what is happening now. We are losing that spiritual picture of the world and have descended into hyper materialism, and thus an ‘insanity epidemic.’
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I see that you’re getting pretty good with the quotes, Kyle, and yet we really need to sort it out in this day and age. “Welfare State” means what? Glad-handing, hand-outs to the weak and impoverished? Maybe. And maybe we have entered into a new era with the Biden election as POTUS. He supposedly has ties with China, and this so-called, “chinafication”, as you suggest. Yet, why appeal to someone who cannot even write their own discourse in relation to what they believe? Yes, Upspince, please say something, and not act as if you are so offended by the English language. Patience must obviously be a virtue, but when do yo write and show consideration for your listening audience? Hopefully, now, because I would never stick my neck out for someone advocating a “welfare state” with the kind of aplomb you do Kyle, without a meaning behind their idea. As well, I don’t think Upspince likes thinking that words have been placed in its mouth, and that makes sense to me.
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You’re right Steve, I shouldn’t put words in Upspince’s mouth, especially when clarification is needed. When seeing the agenda behind the WEF’s Great Reset, how things are going in the Western world, China being held as exemplary model of statehood, I cannot but help but make these connections to what Steiner had referred to. If a Welfare State is some permutation of that, then that was what I was driving at, but then again, that term could be clarified. Perhaps I wasn’t clear, but I certainly was not advocating for a Welfare State – at least the dystopian kind that my imagination sparks up from reading too many Philip K Dick novels.
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Thank you Kyle for quotes on ‘epidemic of insanity’. Once again the scholarship, knowledge and its application by members of this blog help and guide my own fumbling thoughts.
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Cheers, Jaromer, for me as well. This group has been very helpful indeed.
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In a recent article in Motief, the monthly magazine of the Anthroposophical Society in the Netherlands, it was argued that the threefolding principle is intrinsic and traceable not only in specific writings of Rudolf Steiner but also in the Foundation Stone verses. So, its origins reach much further than the French Revolution. Indeed it is a guiding principle for the creation and “co-creation forces”. But how can it, from this perspective, help to weave a moral foundation addressing the covid crisis? First: governments have to introduce and enforce regulations in the public space. Citizens should be (critically) loyal towards consensus, even when serious doubts arise. But second: their are limitations to the outreach of state power. Individuals and families, within their private living areas, are free to decide themselves how they cope with the challenges. Children should be left free to interact with friends, parents and nature without interference. Oxygen and medication should be provided, where needed, at household level for families as a whole. Free space includes schools who have identified themselves as independent, self-governing, schools (whether state or private and parents can choose for this type). While mainstream public schools are under state jurisdiction. And in the third place food systems are stimulated to convert to the farm to fork approach based on organic agriculture and community sharing. This is worked out in a win-win business model for all stakeholders. Social housing expenses should be taken care collectively and nobody can become homeless. The organic community sharing system is a collective experiment with possible implications for the entire post-covid business sector. This includes transformations addressing climate emergency. It is a “social contract”, a moral package, carried by consensus meaning by majority with minority support. For their support minorities receive certain privileges where needed to be negotiated.
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Hans, I share your sentiments, and wishes regarding all of this and for a positive outcome.
“Citizens should be (critically) loyal towards consensus, even when serious doubts arise.”
I think there are enough reasons to doubt, but the consensus – in and of itself – doesn’t warrant a superior moral stance just be sheer numbers of support. So why must loyalty be unwavering, even obligatory? And how can one be critical, yet loyal at the same time, and what difference would it make if one objects yet simply complies anyway? This could be the case, theoretically speaking, if the consensus was in the best interest of humanity (spiritual scientifically speaking). But others do not think so. In fact, it is of the opinion of others that this consensus be put full stop, right now, before it gets out of hand.
Following is from an editorial in The Present Age (T.H. Meyer), citing a doctor by the name of Gianmarco Sala:
“1. “The benefit of masks has not been proven in any valid study. Not a single non-pharmacological measure by authorities has had the slightest influence on the course of infection curves. On the contrary, the completely improper use and lack of any quality standards for masks rather tend to cause harm.
2. The work of staff in health care institutions in particular is made considerably more difficult by the wearing of masks and leads to health problems which are unacceptable in the long term.
3. The psychological damage of the cessation of non-verbal communication in regard to the perception of emotions is especially great in children, but also in the elderly and in dementia patients, and can cause persistent behavioural disorders in children.
4. The consequences of lockdown, travel restrictions, etc. have led to catastrophic economic damage worldwide, which has already claimed many times more victims than the virus itself.
5. The PCR tests are not validated and lead to a deliberate misinterpretation of alleged virus activity and a so-called second wave, which does not actually exist. False positive tests correlate 1:1 with the number of tests performed, a fact which is simply being kept from the public.”
This is in part of the consensus nowadays. The full editorial can be read here:
https://perseus.ch/archive/9325
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Kyle, I note that your remark comes before mine, even as mine was earlier by a few minutes. Yet, no matter. Here is the issue. Chinafication is something that you see in the offspring, which is utterly ridiculous. The Christ Impulse will see against that. The reason that you and Hans went to Thailand is your own to tell, and please tell it. I know about Hans, but much less about you, Kyle, who lost a music career due to the covid lockdown. Didn’t you say something about that? I had a guitarist in the midst of being an agent of beneficial change who quit, and he took my book. I no longer have that book because he took it.
Please don’t cave into the ideas of Hans von Willensraid (sic) of the Netherlands, even if you don’t have to. You seem to be doing so,
and maybe that gets to be you being you, with, and without a bass. The Science of the Spirit is pretty intact, and so decide. TH Meyer, and Present Age is a waste of nonsense. Sorry for coming on about that, but you seem to be growing ears.
My growth is yours, so don’t leave me in the lurch. America is the place where it is happening, so please do remember that. If you went abroad, it is no different than those that went before you, like Martin. He is an excellent example. Richard Philps wrote a nice long extended excerpt about what it means to experience the Christ Impulse here, and what medicaments would mean in trying to undermine this experience. GA 175, lecture 4. So, let’s not fool ourselves about what this means.
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Hi Steve, many points made here. I will try my best to respond. I will work backwards, particularly with the lecture you suggested:
“What is the reason that people today live thus blindly in an impossible position, in which it is impossible to think logically? Why do they accept such a position? The reason is, strange as this may sound if one is not familiar with the thought and hears it for the first time, — the reason is that people have more or less forgotten, in the course of the last century, how to think truly of the Christ Mystery which must take its place in the very centre of the life of the age; they have forgotten how to think of it in its real, true sense. The way in which man thinks of the Christ Mystery in the newer age should be such that it rays into his whole thinking and feeling”
What a great reminder this is, and what to strive for.
I want to ask you about what you meant regarding America, and living abroad, and Martin as an example. What is this referring to? Does this have to do with the ‘homeless spirit’ Steiner talks about? It reminded me of a lecture, which forgive me, I cannot supply a quote as it was a Dale Brunsvold reading… but it was about the Folk Spirit or spirit of a nation, and such. Anyway. I would like to know more what you meant by this, if you don’t mind.
Regarding Hans von Willensraid, is this the Hans here in the comments? Well, to be honest, I’m not caving into any ideas of such. I do see something very alarming about the loyalty towards consensus in this day and age. Since I had a bit of an off putting exchange with Mr. Tonkin earlier, I’m rather hesitant to start anything heated again at this time, and take a diplomatic stance. But yes, the science of the spirit is intact, as you say, and this is ultimately what I want to know, and not misinterpret it – for that matter as well. As for ‘The Present Age’ publication, I had only know of it while searching for Boardman’s works, which I appreciate. I don’t know of the others, but only came across the editorial piece by TH Meyer which I quoted. So, I’ll heed your warning, thank you for that.
My move to Thailand, this time around, was coincidental. It was meant to be a brief stop over after fleeing the China covid lockdown measure, and my intention was to go to Nepal. I had spent time in Thailand working and travelling. To give you an idea, I’ve been moving around since 2008 when I left the US, rarely staying in one place for more than a year. The work just happened to be in Asia. But yes, now, this type of work is minimal, and to be honest, the level of talent (and professionalism – or lack there of) is just not there anymore. This is a whole other subject, but playing music professionally nowadays is not the same as it was ten years ago. Silver lining, loss a job, but I wouldn’t go back to it anyway at this point… for enjoyment yes, but not for money.
So what about your book, can you get it back from your musician friend? How did it affect him, as far as being a beneficial agent of change?
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Hi Kyle,
Thank you for your well considered words. I just find it so fascinating that people leave home and strike out to the vaster regions of the world. Personally, my only contribution to this life is being a “snaka”, which is a ‘householder’, meaning forty years of “same old same old”. Yet, it produced a life and a family. I often think about Pythagoras, the wandering soul from early in the Greek epoch. He sought for mystery wisdom and traveled far and wide to get it. Yet, all that remains today of his seeking are fragments; Acousmata, or “a little something heard”. Of course, due to Rudolf Steiner, we have the renewal of the forgotten, which is the important aspect of Anthroposophy, the conscious orientation to the Past. Psychosophy and Pneumatosophy are further developments for a full threefold enterprise of the Science of the Spirit. Yet, little attention is paid to this over the years.
I have been on this blog of Jeremy’s since its inception in August 2014, and actually refrained from speaking for a year, until September 2015. His blog essays are masterful works that really should be cataloged as a kind of progressive analysis and depiction of the present world situation from an anthroposophical perspective. That is why he cannot get rid of me, and he has a story which he really didn’t reveal for some four years until 2018. It is devastating. That is why the post from February 2019 stood out when Steve Tonkin wrote here again recently, and you saw what you saw. This post is an unbelievable assault on Waldorf education coming from an unusual mixture of characters who all have issues with it, and thankfully Jeremy got some support for his side.
Yes, I don’t think the musician who left with my copy of Outline of Occult Science was really up for the work. It was a graveyard shift in a 24/7 care facility for mentally ill sex offenders on an island away from the mainland. We were rehabilitation counselors, and I was certainly glad that he took an interest in Steiner’s seminal course, GA 103. There are huge secrets to this very day why Steiner laid so much emphasis on the Gospel of John.
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Just for the record, Steve, I am not trying to get rid of you! Despite occasional moans from me about going too far off topic, I value your contributions highly, as I’m sure do many other people.
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Thank you, Jeremy. And, for the record, please allow me to say that while I am accused of deviating topics into other seeming unrelated realms, the catalyst generally comes from another source, which starts the process that I generally get pointed at as the cause. I feel that every topic you have ever written about eventually goes to a higher level of vibrational frequency that serves to expose the spiritual indicators we are working with. Some of it causes disagreement, and maybe even infighting, but ultimately your theme is served. At least, that is my opinion and hope for us all. Take these Covid/Corona essays. This is enlightened consciousness working in the world. It has to make a difference, unless we really are all doomed. I don’t think so. Take the Philosopher’s Stone and what it truly means. Your blog carries a certain rhythm which is very helpful. The commentaries, ….well you see how this is the life’s blood. Inner Alchemy. Mental transmutation. It works.
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Steve, the article written by Ronaldo Milito on the Intermediate Path which you shared recently, may shed light on the heart of the issue of infighting. It gives even more reason to read in that certain ‘way’:
“… for if The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity is not read in the right way then the Society will fall behind Anthroposophy and the consequence will be that ‘Anthroposophy’s conveyance through the Anthroposphical Society will result in it being completely misunderstood, and its only fruit will be endless conflict.'”
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Hi Kyle. This is a very good catch from the Milito essay. Indeed, it actually goes back many years to when Steiner’s magnum opus, The Philosophy of Freedom, c. 1893, was revised in 1918, as The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity. Herein, Steiner accedes to his advocates for a more spiritual-scientific explanation of things. Yet, even today, there are those that think he betrayed his own philosophical heritage by doing so. Thus, indeed, you have two camps. The first would have thought be a purely self-directed activity, i.e., PoF, and the second would see the larger domain, in which POSA advocates taking in the results of spiritual-scientific research.
Yet, what is not generally acknowledged to this very day, is that Steiner’s book, Theosophy, c. 1902, was a rewrite of PoF for the theosophical audience that he was attempting to appeal to at the time. By 1918, of course, a whole new window of visibility existed.
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Again ten years later, the intermediate path (GA013_c05-03) was characterized by Steiner (1920) as a path “much more for the scientist”. It is actually “two paths that must be sharply differentiated”, pure thinking (PoF) transformed into inspiration, and pure perception (phenomenology) transformed into imagination:
“By having acquired the capacity for the kind of thinking that gradually emerges from The Philosophy of Freedom … one can exclude and suppress conceptual thinking from the process of perception and surrender oneself to bare percepts. Etc.”
https://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA/GA0322/19201003p01.html
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Hi Steve,
My motivation for venturing out and beyond seems to have been from a direct impulse of some unknown source or current, with me for quite some time. Perhaps that’s the karmic weight I hold, I really don’t know. I didn’t know that about Pythagoras, that he traveled as much as he did, but now I’m curious to know more about him. As a musician, one can almost call him a patron saint for musicians. You reminded me of a book I’ve been meaning to get to (on my long list), The Pythagorean Plato: Prelude to the Song Itself, by Ernest G. McClain.
Hopefully the knowledge and wisdom from master/teachers of the past can still be picked up on, especially when reading the right way (again), and being able to read the akashic records… as Steiner had.
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Hi Kyle,
Only Rudolf Steiner revealed the mystery behind Pythagoras. If you were to ask, which you are alluding to, I would be in my element! Steiner in a few places spoke about Pythagoras seeking wisdom by going out of his own domicile there on the island of Samos. So, he was compelled to go east, in much the same way that Gilgamish was compelled many years before, to go west. He found his way to Ur of Chaldea, where a teacher of wisdom existed. This was Zarathas, under the cover of the Chaldean name, Ashpenazz, who would initiate certain sons of Israel. According to Steiner, this Ashpenazz also initiated Pythagoras, who would eventually find his way back home, and stop off at the Mystery of Ephesus.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel%201&version=NASB1995
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Hi Hans,
Let me ask: What moral foundation do you think needs to be weaved by anthroposophy in relation to the corona crisis? Take the FSM verses. What do you think they mean? They certainly represent a threefolding, but so does “saccidananda”. And what does that mean? It means personal development. Incorporate the four foundation stone verses into your memory, and recite them readily. Then, you will know how much of a moral imperative exists to defeat the working of evil. Aurobindo of Pondicherry is a good example of this, as he sought ‘Sat-chit-ananda’ every day of his life for some forty years in quiet seclusion. The Life Divine.
Yet, he earned the possibility to achieve enlightenment because he had led the Indian Independence Movement from 1905 to 1909, and saw the provisional need to implement certain ‘Lotus and Dagger’ strategies, if necessary. Now, you write a kind of line by line description of how much all conformity to government standards and indicators must occur in order that the corona crisis might be eventually abated. Yet, is this really the solution?
I want to offer you, and the others reading and listening in on this conversation a powerful lecture that Rudolf Steiner gave concerning the moral power that needs to work in the world in order for freedom and love to prevail. It encapsulates what the Moral World Order means, and even gives a graphic depiction of how it truly is with the Sun. This was previously presented in an earlier discussion here on Covid-19.
https://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA202/English/AP1958/19201218p01.html
There is a higher plane of standards working in world for those the make spiritual science a life’s work; a new yoga of Will. We can only point, encourage, and hope for the best.
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Kyle, you cite a lecture my life and career have been shaped by: “we are losing that spiritual picture of the world and have descended into hyper-materialism and thus an insanity epidemic” (GA 095). In short, to maintain the belief that materialistic values sustain us, we need to continually hide from what we really know and are experiencing in the here-and-now. When we stuff our subconscious minds with all we are denying, we clog our pathway to the super-conscious. It makes us feel crazy. But we mustn’t be deluded into thinking we are the pitiful creatures we’ve made of ourselves. None of that is “real”.
We are spiritual beings in physical bodies and as spiritual beings we have access to everything – we are complete. As spiritual beings we are experiencing the spiritual worlds/life/meaning at all times and are actively engaged in miracles perpetually. We must not let this war we are engaged in break us down – let it serve to break us open. (Some say “We know not yet what we shall be, but we know that when He appears, we will be like Him.” Some say: “Tat vam asi: That, thou art.”)
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Very powerful reminder, Kathy. Thank you for that.
“We are spiritual beings in physical bodies and as spiritual beings we have access to everything – we are complete. As spiritual beings we are experiencing the spiritual worlds/life/meaning at all times and are actively engaged in miracles perpetually.”
It really changes the perspective on things if one can fully realise this, not just conceptually, but living it. An antidote to much of the physical/material hang-ups one can easily get caught in.
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Thank you, Steve, for pointing (again) at the lecture “The Moral as the Source of World-Creative Power”, December 18, 1920. I may have read it before but now I have seen it with new eyes! This is why our anthropopper exchanges are so helpful. Rudolf Steiner at his best in this lecture. By Moral Ideals we can awaken the Life Forces (ether) in the solid of our bodies and thus the Earth of which we are part of. The Christ Impulse may have reincarnated in the Ether World, but our moral ideals have to bring this mysterie to realisation. Threefolding, Earth Trusteeship require my humble spiritual efforts to be made alive beyond theory. In principle this can also work for the timely UN Decade on ecosystem restoration (2021 – 2030). But it remains a deadening “mechanism” until we bring life to it from the world-creative forces. Therefore we need to rediscover the art of consensus building. Democracy has degenerated into vote counting and vote buying. True consensus means co-creating agreement across contradicting views by dialogue and community. Consensus building is the moral ideal which wakes up formal democracy (and democratic manipulation) from a deadening “system” into a lively community spirit in which differences co-exist but come together around what is esential. So, what is in essence (beyond face masks or not) the concept of “health” to build our covid strategy upon: maximizing effectiveness of industrial medecines and accessibility for all; or optimizing wellbeing by food, natural environment and community care? That may be the difference between the Welfare State and the Wellbeing Society.
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Hi Hans,
I was hoping that lecture would be an eye-opener. It more than suggests a new paradigm for consideration. What if it can be shown that it is we; us human beings that are the direct Sources of Light who collectively send our rays up to a central foci , which becomes the “apparent sun globe”, which reflects back down to us? For example, take the shadows that the Sun casts down. I often walk and see my shadow in front of me, and say, “that is a reflection”. Yet, if the Sun were truly a direct source of Light, then would we not be blinded, and could any shadow appear? As well, take the light spectrum of color. Is this not a reflective mechanism?
I like Kathy’s remark recently. She says:
“We must not let this war we are engaged in break us down – let it serve to break us open”. This is so telling. What if we are living at a time in which the Seventh Cultural Epoch is actually approaching in accelerated fashion. It certainly seems to be so. Bipartisan politics without threefolding can be easily seen as the propaganda tool. What would the anti-Christ want for this world? That is a good question. Likely, the complete bypassing of the 6th cultural epoch, which will be the Time of Christ, for the next age, with its so-called “War of All against All”. Just look at all the indicators. Suppression of Spiritual Science is the main driver here. We initiates of the Consciousness Soul Age today are a very small minority. Yet, we do have each other to console and encourage.
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I agree, Steve. The sun cannot be a direct source of light – exactly BECAUSE we can see it. In this world we can’t “see” light – only the part of its spectrum an object rejects/reflects. Christ is the light and the body of the etheric world – and He is everywhere when we develop the eyes to see beyond this illusory world.
The reason “we initiates” you speak of are a “small minority” is because we keep falling into a trap when we focus on the forces we conceptualize as trying to inhibit/derail us (“evil”), or when we ruminate on the historical and theoretical details of how we got to where we are. We end up wandering, blind, in a labyrinth of blame and theory. This is how the Roman Church co-opted a living Christianity. It’s why Anthroposophy has not achieved what Steiner envisioned for it. It’s why so few women are willing to engage in this blog. .
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’twas a wise guiding Spirit that put evil in our path in order to eventually see the greatest good achieved. Anthroposophy is the veridical path based on its straightforward presentation. The secret is to round off the concepts and make it all Understanding.
“Do not consider it a hard thing in the plan of creation, as something which should be altered, that humanity will be divided into those who will stand on the right and those who will stand on the left; consider it rather as something that is wise in the highest degree in the plan of creation. Consider that through the evil separating from the good, the good will receive its greatest strengthening. For after the great War of All against All, the good will have to make every possible effort to rescue the evil during the period in which this will still be possible. This will not merely be a work of education such as exists to-day, but occult forces will co-operate. For in this next great epoch men will understand how to set occult forces in motion. The good will have the task of working upon their brothers of the evil movement. Everything is prepared beforehand in the hidden occult movements, but the deepest of all occult cosmic currents is the least understood. The movement which is preparing for this, says the following to its pupils: “Men speak of good and evil, but they do not know that it is necessary in the great plan that evil, too, should come to its peals, in order that those who have to overcome it should, in the very overcoming of evil, so use their force that a still greater good results from it.” The most capable must be chosen and prepared to live beyond the period of the great War of All against All when men will confront those who bear in their countenances the sign of evil; they must be so prepared that as much good force as possible will flow into humanity. It will still be possible for those bodies, which are to a certain extent soft, to be transformed after the War of All against All by the converted souls, by the souls who will still be led to the good in this last epoch. In this way much will be accomplished. The good would not be so great a good if it were not to grow through the conquest of evil. Love would not be so intense if it had not to become love so great as to be able even to overcome the wickedness in the countenances of evil men. This is already being prepared for and the pupils are told, “You must not think that evil has no part in the plan of creation. It is there in order that through it may come the greater good.” Those who are being prepared in their souls by such teachings, so that in the future they will, be able to accomplish this great task of education, are the pupils of the Manichaean School. The Manichaean teaching is generally misunderstood. When you hear anything or read something about it, you find merely phrases. You may read that the Manichees believed that from the very beginning of the world there have been two principles: good and evil. This is not so, the teaching of the Manichees is what we have just explained. By the name “Manichaeism” should be understood the above teaching and its development in the future, and the pupils who are so led that they can accomplish such a task in future incarnations. Manes is that exalted individuality, who is repeatedly incarnated on the earth, who is the guiding spirit of those whose task it is to transform evil. When we speak of the great leaders of mankind we must also think of this individuality who has set himself this task. Although at the present day this principle of Manes has had to step very much into the background because there is little understanding for spiritual work, this wonderful and lofty Manichaean principle will win more and more pupils the nearer we approach the understanding of spiritual life.” GA 104, lecture 8
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Steve,
My feeling is that the war of all against all has already started. What do you say?
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Yes, I believe it has already started. The reason relates to the acceleration factor that can be found in the working of the principle of spiritual economy, which Steiner describes here, GA 109. I have a personal experience that goes back twenty years, and was predictive of the future with the event of 9/11. I knew with this event that an acceleration was taking place in order to bring the so-called, “end times”, closer to us. Now, after 21 years, don’t we see it even more clearly? And yet, just look at how much the truth about 9/11, its causes and motives, has been suppressed over the years in favor of achieving the consensus of the “official story”. This was a very hot topic in anthroposophical circles back, say, in 2005, when certain seemingly overwhelming evidence was indicating demolition of the towers, rather than airplanes. Yet, even then, you had certain stalwarts supporting radical Islamic attack, like Frank Smith. I suspect he still holds the same attitude today, while he awaits his covid shot. But, the truth of 9/11 has grown to be even more horrific than we originally thought. Direct free energy weapons, born out of high-energy particle physics. Tevatron, which was the going concern here in America in 2001.
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Hi Steve, Once again I am impressed with how wide ranging the discussions on this blog become. From Covid vaccine to 9/11 is indicative of the Unity of Everything.
Could the 9/11 actually have been caused by the Jewish Space Lazers that cause the wildfires in California? But cleverly blamed on Islamists?
The biggest cover up, of course, is that not one of the passengers on the planes that DID NOT CRASH into the Two Towers, the Pentagon or a field in Pennsylvania have broken silence in 21 years. The names, Addresses and Credit Card numbers were all known to the airlines. As are their homes, families, funerals etc. So not hard to check on. What about wives and husbands of the not killed in the crashes? Have none of them let slip that spouses, fathers, daughters etc, actually all returned home safely? Are there no records of inheritance, property sales, remarriages etc. etc.
This is really worrying Steve. Do you have reliable information about the non dead and their families? Detective work starts with door to door enquiries rather than speculation.
As a skeptical cynic I continue to wear my mask where it is required and will welcome my Vax Pass after my 2nd shot. I have paid my sub to the Anthro Soc, so I feel protected from negative affects.
Cheers, John
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Researchers have been sifting the evidence concerning 9/11 for some 20 years now. This site is a good place to get your feet wet if you care to. Richard D. Hall’s “Richplanet”.
https://www.richplanet.net/richp_genre_menu.php?gen=3
I know this is well off-topic, but I am risking it because your comment was approved. I haven’t watched all of these, but there is evidence that indicates that the airplanes all took off and went to their intended destinations, and the passengers lived! The planes even continued to be used for further flights by the airlines!! Now, how does that stick in your craw? Of course, three thousand dead in the demolished towers is undisputed. WTC-7 was a planned implosion that occurred in the late afternoon of 9/11/01, and the government report issued several years later proves it is a complete lie.
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I’m letting this through but won’t be accepting any further comments on 9/11 here.
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I figured that already, Jeremy, so thanks. Maybe a new blog essay, or whatever might suffice. Don’t let the wool get pulled over your eyes. Smith on Smith could prove to be your undoing, while you plead thank you’s for more. It’s all good. The real issue is von Halle, and what she meant. Let us leave 9/11 for a later argument, if possible. In truth, 9/11 is the much larger story, and huge in its telling. Of course, it is all anthroposophical, and why the figure of Michael is so paramount in this day and age.
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I can’t believe you allowed this to appear here, Jeremy. Get me outta here before I implode.
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I like it where you feel you need to wear a mask, John. It is called, conformity to the dictates of the lower powers. You notice that I did not say Upper Powers. No matter. Now here is something from two years ago, and it was on the 18th anniversary of 9/11. This is a story that some people might remember.
Two years ago in 2019, we had the “some people did something” notion of Ilhan Omar, US House Representative from Minnesota. Her appeal was that some people did something that day on 9/11/01, but it was not any radical muslim faction. She could have been more candid, but being a politician, she lost her opportunity to tell more about the 9/11 Truth Movement, which had guided her life since 2001, Please go look for it because it is an awesome story, and will prove to be important this year on the very day that the truth will be told, some 20 years later. Nothing more than the truth is worth waiting for.
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Yes I have felt the acceleration of the timeline too and directed energy weapons seem the most likely explanation for all that very fine dust generated on 9/11 as well as other anomalies such as the survival of trees. You are no doubt aware of the work of Dr Judy Wood.
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@ Steve Hale. You are disturbing my Sunday peace with:
Direct free energy weapons, born out of high-energy particle physics. Tevatron, which was the going concern here in America in 2001.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tevatron
The Tevatron ceased operations on 30 September 2011. Gosh that IS suspicious. Mission complete perhaps.
Replaced by 10x more powerful Large Hadron Collider in Europe.
How many more tall buildings destroyed by not aircraft collisions since?
Not sure about the connection Steve. Does one have to join QUEUE to find out? Or is anyone available who can check the Akashic Record.
This is a manifestation if my cynical skeptism and in no way reduces my gratitude for the many helpful references you have provided over the years.
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Maybe you should go a little further into the matter of the Tevatron timeline. Yes, it shut down in 2011, but if you go back twenty years, you will find the roll-out of Tevatron II, April 2001, touted as now possessing the so-called, “God particle”, or Higgs-Boson. Yes, this came from America, long before the large Hadron Collider. Cynical sceptics, or sceptical cynics can surely resolve their dilemmas by doing more research, with the goal of leaving no stone unturned, so to speak. 9/11 anniversary is coming up, and it is part of the epidemic of insanity.
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And this indicates as well:
“Man has therefore always been man and not an ape; he separated off the whole animal kingdom from himself so that he might become more truly human. It was as though you gradually strained all the dye-stuffs out of a coloured liquid and left only clear water behind. In older days there were natural philosophers, such as Paracelsus and Oken, who put this very well. When a man looks at the animal world, they said, he should tell himself: “I carried all that within myself and cast it out from my own being.”
Thus man once had within himself a great deal that was later externalised. And today he still has within him something that later on will be outside — his karma, both the good and the evil. Just as he has separated the animals from himself, so will he thrust good and evil out into the world. The good will result in a race of men who are naturally good; the evil in a separate evil race. You will find this stated in the Apocalypse, but it must not be misunderstood. We must distinguish between the development of the soul and that of races. A soul may be incarnated in a race on the down grade, but if it does not itself commit evil, it need not incarnate a second time in such a race; it may incarnate in one that is ascending. There are quite enough souls streaming in from other directions to incarnate in these declining races.
But what is inward has to become outward, and man will rise still higher when his karma has worked itself out. With all this something of extraordinary interest is connected. Centuries ago, with the future development of humanity in view, secret Orders which set themselves the highest conceivable tasks were established. One such Order was the Manichean, of which ordinary scholarship gives a quite false picture. The Manicheans are supposed to have taught that a Good and an Evil are part of the natural order and have always been in conflict with one another, this having been determined for them by the Creation. Here there is a glimmer of the Order’s real task, but distorted to the point of nonsense. The individual members of the Order were specially trained for their great work. The Order knew that some day there will be men in whose karma there is no longer any evil, but that there will also be a race evil by nature, among whom all kinds of evil will be developed to a higher degree than in the most savage animals, for they will practise evil consciously, exquisitely, with the aid of highly developed intellects. Even now the Manichean Order is training its members so that they may be able to transform evil in later generations.
The extreme difficulty of the task is that these evil races will not be like bad children in whom there is goodness which can be brought out by precept and example. The members of the Manichean Order are already learning how to transform quite radically those who by nature are wholly evil. And then the transformed evil will become a quite special good. The power to effect this change will bring about a condition of moral holiness on Earth. But this can be achieved only if the evil has first come into existence; then the power needed to overcome the evil will yield a power that can reach the heights of holiness. A field has to be treated with manure and the manure has to ferment in the soil; similarly, humanity needs the manure of evil in order to attain to the highest holiness. And herein lies the mission of evil. A man’s muscles get strong by use; and equally, if good is to rise to the heights of holiness, it must first overcome the evil which opposes it. The task of evil is to promote the ascent of man. Things such as this give us a glimpse into the secret of life. Later on, when man has overcome evil, he can go on to redeem the creatures he has thrust down, and at whose cost he has ascended. That is the purpose of evolution.” – GA095 (At the Gates of Spiritual Science lecture 8).
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Hi Kyle, thank you for the further corroborative evidence concerning why evil has to take place, and make its mark. Did you know that the lecture-cycle you cite, GA 95, was the very first in the 50 fundamental lecture courses of Rudolf Steiner?
https://www.rsarchive.org/Basics/Arenson50.php
So, you see how much of an edifice we have to assuage in this day and age. I often refer to this because it really is pathetic how little attention-span exists in the world today. I think about this with regard to Kathy F., who has the clients seemingly with little clarity to help solve their problems. As a so-called, “agent of beneficial change”, I appeal to her cause, and pray for her everyday. Yet, for some reason, she sees me as the enemy. Kyle, with your astute appearance, can you help me in understanding how this is even possible? It goes back at least three years on this blog. I know that there are those that say that “men are from Mars, and women are from Venus”, but it is also possible to show that Mercury is also involved in this equation.
I know I just got cryptic, but here goes. Thanks.
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Hi Steve,
What a great list that is. I’ll certainly have to work my way through it, as I can say I’ve only read just a small handful of them. It goes to show that Steiner had recapitulated some themes in different lectures. Further helps in really understanding what he’s driving at.
I honestly am not sure why you think Kathy sees you as an enemy. I am relatively new here, however, so I don’t know the extent in your exchanges in the past 3 years. Yet, on the same token, seems as though you both have the same intentions – and good intentions at that!
Since my reading of The Apocalypse of St. John lecture 8 is still fresh. This passage popped out to me. Perhaps it’s relevant?
“True Anthroposophy can only put forward as the final goal, the community of free and independent Egos, of Egos which have become individualised. It is just this that is the mission of the earth, which is expressed in love, that the Egos learn to confront one another freely. Love is not perfect if it proceeds from coercion, from people being chained together, but only when each “I” is so free and independent that it need not love, is its love an entirely free gift. It is the divine plan to make this “I” so independent that as an individual being in all freedom it can offer love even to God. It would amount to man being led by strings of dependence if he could in any way be forced to love, even if only in the slightest degree.
Thus the “I” will be the pledge for the highest goal of man. But at the same time, if it does not discover love, if it hardens within itself, it is the tempter that plunges him into the abyss. For it is that which separates men from one another which brings them to the great War of All against All, not only to the war of nation against nation (for the conception of a nation will then no longer have the significance it possesses to-day) but to the war of each single person against every other person in every branch of life; to the war of class against class, of caste against caste and sex against sex. ” GA0104
I think we are fortunate here, again, to have such a space to hash out any differences, and come to new levels of understanding. It’s such a small number of people, and that might be a true reflection of how it really is in the world right now. How we identify with the “I,” seems key. That is the problem with the universal doctrines, or ‘oneness’ doctrines. Perhaps this is the issue. I think most people want peace on Earth, radical social change, and so forth… but if it isn’t done selflessly, then it’s not genuine. We all may have our own views of what that may be like, but it certainly does not take into account the many individuals on earth, that’s for sure. One person’s utopia could be a dystopia for another (that’s a Margaret Atwood saying, by the way).
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Steiner had pointed out about the Chinese, how their civilisation was a surviving race from the Atlantean Epoch, and they did not have any impetus to grow in this one – as it was already complete in it’s own way. Now, our current race, as Steiner indicates, will have the same effect going into the Sixth epoch (after this one). With this in mind, it may be important to note that what is happening is literally a splitting off of two ‘new’ races, but not races in the sense that we know them today. Isn’t this the separation of a Good and Evil race?
Being able to distinguish what is Evil might be difficult for many. If you take into account the transhumanist agenda, or the singularity, that – by Steiner’s definition – is definitely the opposite of Good. It’s forced, done by coercion, doesn’t allow individual “I.” Of course, all of this transhumanist stuff will be masked as humanitarian, good for the earth, peace on earth, no war, all of that stuff. And honestly, I think it will happen. This will probably be the marking of a race that goes on into the Sixth Epoch, just as Steiner indicates what is now the “Chinese” came from the Atlantean epoch. Yet, there will be the other, brought by Manes and the Manichean, that work in “occult” ways to help “the evil” turn to good as well. I’m taking this from Steiner! It’s interesting to visualise how this all might pan out. And to even grasp what working behind the scenes in “occult” ways, really entails.
(notes on from The Apocalypse of St. John lecture 8)
This leads to the power of the mind, working in meditation. When you speak of Beneficial Agents of Change, perhaps much of this change happens at a super sensible level, yet, worked by those who are still on the physical plane. Just some thoughts!
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This is absolutely true about being a so-called, “agent of beneficial change”. It is work conducted on the physical level of life, wherein all the obstacles, resistance, and seemingly insurmountable problems exist. One either rises to a higher level of performance, based on the convictions of the spirit, or caves into weakness and compromise. I spent many years working to improve factory conditions where the man-machine complex existed that was stifling human consciousness to the ahrimanic side. It is a disheartening experience, and a daunting challenge to find better solutions. Yet, it is possible to achieve results merely by being human, and caring.
Kyle, you have given further important remarks concerning the role of Manes in earth evolution. Evil has its place, and Manes is its progenitor. Yet, many still don’t know that Manes is the Sun Oracle Itself, and this is important for seeing why evil has to play its part. We human beings get stuck in the middle as a further riddle of why such a concoction could have been brewed.
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Well, Steve, I think the evil plays a crucial role. I did have a gig in Bangkok after the pandemic started (only for one month), but many things happened where I just couldn’t “go along” with it anymore. At some point, we have to choose principle and eventually ‘sides’ in all of this. Evil is tempting, and I think it’s supposed to be. Otherwise, we would never put our ‘goodness’ to the test. It’s all fluff and pomp unless we we can actually walk the walk. That can only build our ‘soul’s strength’ (for lack of a better term). Or like Steiner has called it, ‘evil is like manure,’ it helps the plants grow. But once the plants grow, they can then help out their brothers/sisters who are still on the path of evil…. just like the Manichaens, from what I’m reading. And this goes to that whole concept of love. It kind of surpasses that whole taking sides thing, because you will still fight for those who are still on the path of evil, and try to snap them out of it somehow. Even Steiner indicates, that there will still be a densified ‘separate’ earth that is like a husk, where people will still be if they are too dense to ‘spiritualise.’ That literally means that some humans will pass to the next level while the others still have to work it out. And from what I believe Steiner has said, many times, regarding evolution, is that it has happened this way before: that certain beings stay back for a period of time. I’ll take the risk in assuming that what is happening now is the beginning signs of a split into two races.
Here’s an interesting thought. When talking about beneficial change, I’m curious as to how the ‘work’ can be done. If the Manichaens work in occult ways, and will more so in the future, what exactly does this mean? Occult ways… hidden ways. This reminds me of something I read while in the monastery here in Thailand, about Forest Monks. It was something about the efficacy of Monks meditating in in solitude, as far as, how does that help anybody? There was some indication that, even in solitude, and the ability to meditate at a high level, you can still exude positive and powerful change in the world. I wonder if this is some indication on how beneficial change may happen. It’s completely on the occult level. So, we know that there are supersensible beings that influence the sense perceptible world, then, wouldn’t it make sense if beings in this physical world can also influence (via the supersensible) the sense perceptible world as well? Just shooting the breeze on this one, but I’m very curious as to how the work of Manes and the Manichaens actually may take place. Steiner did say he was working the background. My ‘hunch’ is that it won’t take place in any physical level, but the Manichaens can meet in the supersensible realm in a similar way that we are meeting on the internet.
Yes, perhaps a bit of a stretch, yet, also interested to hear feedback/corrections on these ‘hunches.’
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Okay, let’s take a good example of what it means to try to be a so-called, “agent of beneficial change”, here on the internet, and especially right now with this current topic on Covid-19. You have presented some very compelling evidence concerning the useless and even detrimental to health mandate concerning wearing masks. As far as I’m concerned, this is the work of the Manichees transferred to a higher level because on the internet we are communicating etherically and astrally through the Ego, which is our purely spiritual member, and what makes us truly human in the Earth sphere of evolution. One has to decide how to proceed effectively when it comes to such a current level of evil working in the world at this time. I have been a consistent presence on the internet with these blogs and forums representing spiritual science for over 20 years. And, I can tell you, matters were much simpler and far less threatening in 1999, when we as a world community were on the verge of a definite possibility in terms of achieving self actualization as a spiritual impulse. Then, something happened that shook the world to its foundations. Suddenly, safety and security became a paramount consideration all over again, and Abraham Maslow’s pyramid of values/needs, which sees spiritual attainment at the highest rung, got knocked down a peg.
And, it has been safety and security issues ever since. I won’t name what happened that shook up the world, but as long as security and safety issues exist to provide an ever-increasing daily threat to life and lifestyles, then we should definitely look at the possibility that we have crossed the rubicon into the evil age wherein the dividing lines are showing themselves. If we keep it on the level of Covid-19 consideration, which is the current topic, then we have it in spades. Judith von Halle perceives that Covid-19 is the effect of Sorathian causation, and this was discussed in the blog essay of November 2020, right here. Now, today, as we speak, we have a mass vaccination plan of inoculating the world with an apparently safe and sure vaccine that will wipe out the Covid plague. Yet, there is plenty of evidence to indicate that the vaccines are still experimental, and with new variants coming on the market, thanks to big pharma, which always wins.
All we can do is attempt to point to the truth as best we can, if so disposed. Sometimes it is case of, “tell the truth and run”. Yet, we have this very impressive communications network, and some good work is being done in it.
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Kathy, I more than believe that human beings represent direct Sources of Light, and that this is based on the fact that Christ, the Sixfold Elohim of the Sun, actually incarnated in a specially prepared human incarnation two thousand years ago. The fact that we live today seems exceedingly important, based on this groundbreaking event. 2000 years has given us time to really begin to see the parameters of perspective that we are facing in this day and age.
So, please consider this. If the sacrifice of Christ on Golgotha actually placed the full spectrum of Sun Forces, i.e., “The Cup”, into the interior of the Earth, then it is certainly we human beings that bear this direct force, as well as the Earth itself. Steiner often indicated that since the Mystery of Golgotha occurred, a new light Aura has been raying out from the Earth. Even modern astronomy acknowledges the phenomenon of “Earthshine”.
Thus, one has to imagine that today, 7.3 billion individual points of light ray upwards to a certain foci, and as a result, the “apparent sun globe” is formed, and sends its reflective light back down to us. What an extraordinary image this is!
Now, let us consider so-called, solar perturbations, such as sun spots. Steiner gave indications of these 11-year cycles of sun spots in the final lecture of GA 237, and said it is due to the fact that Christ left the Sun for the Earth. Ever since, the adversarial powers have been working to take advantage of human beings in order to invest the necessary condition of evil in the world. Thus, a recent science of Solar Cycles has arisen, and we discussed this in a previous thread on Corona.
Yet, what if it can be shown that the various phenomena of the apparent sun globe, such as sun spots, and solar flares, is actually the effects of what is taking place right here on earth, in terms of intrusions of the anti-Christ against we human beings, who are the direct Sources of Light working in the world, based on the sacrifice of Christ?
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I’ve followed this blog for a number of years and enjoy it… however, it does have the feeling of a ‘Gentlemen’s Club’ in the comments and maybe this is why so few women participate.
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Hello Gary,
Gentlemen of both sexes are very welcome within the tastefully-lazured walls of this club. It’s only cads and bounders like Boris Johnson who would be shown the door…
Best wishes,
The Club Secretary
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Dear Jeremy,
In view of your hesitancy about vaccination, and the confidence in Judith von Halle previously expressed by you, I quote here (translated) from a letter she wrote to the members of her group in Berlin dated April 21, 2021. Because of the pandemic they have not been able to meet physically.
“What are the prospects now? In the coming weeks, unfortunately, it does not look as if there will be an opportunity for lectures or seminars on the numerical scale that was originally planned. I am speculating that after the summer vacations, due to the broadly based vaccination campaign and the willingness of many people to be vaccinated, the so-called case levels will have dropped to such an extent that our events can start again. We will then, if the situation permits, send out the announcement for the seminar as well as the registration forms.”
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Thank you, Frank. I, for one, would be grateful if you could continue to keep us informed of anything that Judith von Halle has to say at this time.
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I suspect that this is a kind of criticism of not being vaccinated. Frank is obviously proud of his jab, right Frank? From Brooklyn to Argentina in one lifetime. If Judith is looking for her groups to reappear after the mass summer inoculation season, when vaccination stands to see a renewal of sorts, well, maybe that shows that she is caving in to conformity. I am not surprised at all. I see Judith von Halle as very weak link; stigmata and all.
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Actually, Steve, I have not been jabbed…yet, because they ran out of vaccines. But I’m on the list for Russian,Chinese or whatever. Someone who claims that Judith von Halle has caved into conformity either knows nothing about her – which doesn’t seem to be your case – or suffers from a severe case of arrogance.
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People have issues with the vaccination, Frank. So, how does that make me arrogant? It is obvious that you will get whatever version is made available. Do you actually read these posts? Conforming to consensus standards is the issue here, and if Judith is hoping for better participation in the coming months due to vaccination, when she should be warning about it from a spiritual-scientific standpoint, then that is a big indicator to me. If I speak out openly, it is only to further explore and clarify the ramifications. So, moving right along. Not everyone is so willing to conform to the public health authority.
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As well, didn’t Judith write a book on Covid-19, in which she characterizes the affliction as being a Sorathic assault on the “I Am”? So, does she now believe that the vaccination is the remedy? Hopefully, you see the dilemma in which a perceived authority figure with warning signs, now advocates for vaccination. I’m sure that was your whole point, Frank; arrogance, indeed. Does it issue from the cause, or the effect?
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Steve, I think you’ve misunderstood this comment from JvH. All she is saying is that, as the pandemic eases, which it will do as more and more people get vaccinated, meetings will once again become possible. She is not advocating or criticising vaccination at all. I think you should get hold of a copy of her book and read it for yourself.
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Come on, Jeremy. If that were true, than why are you so hesitant on being vaccinated? Don’t feed me with your bullshit, as if I somehow don’t understand, chump! My god, what a limp noodle you represent. Yeah, that’s right. Signing off. Try listening to yourself.
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Steve, you’re a strange man – it’s as though you have a Jekyll and Hyde in you, with the Hyde side coming out with the more posts you write. I’ve told you before not to post so many messages but you don’t listen – and as you get more prolific with your posts, you also start to insult people. If you want to continue your participation in this blog, it’s really not a good idea to abuse me. You are now drinking in the Last Chance Saloon.
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@Steve Hale
“. Not everyone is so willing to conform to the public health authority.”
A ‘very old’ friend from Camphill Botton (that was) has never been vaccinated for ANYTHING. She is and was totally into Anthroposophic Medicine for , at a guess, 60+ years. The interesting thing is that her father, who was an uneducated coal miner, obtained a court order exempting her from what was then a compulsory vaccination. she has no idea WHY he went to significant trouble nor what the vaccine was against. I guess late 1930s or wartime 1940s, She remembers her class lining up and baring their arms but she was taken out of the line because she was exempt. This was long before she became involved with Anthroposophy and its application to child care and medicine.
She has two grandchildren who are Medical Drs who have been working with Covid patients, & been themselves infected and quarantined. They encourage her to get vaccinated but she refuses.
Her resistance is as much to honour her father’s anti vax belief as her own preference for an ‘Anthroposophical conviction’.
Karma at work perhaps.
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Viral Illness and Epidemics in the Work of Rudolf Steiner –
Click to access Viral-Illness-Sample.pdf
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Thank you, Gary! This work by Daniel Hindes, which brings Steiner’s extended thoughts on these topics, is invaluable, especially at this time.
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Forget it. I shouldn’t have brought in something so personal, yet you have exceedingly receptive ears, Mr. Music. For me, Spiritual Science is a technical science of the highest repute. No compromise should be allowed concerning its content, and what it attempts to convey. Steiner’s own growth and development was exponential for 25 years in terms of: Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced. Trace its throughput, and you will find this to be so. I have had too many experiences over the years in arguing with the various critics and opponents of Anthroposophy who see it as a nonsense science of cultic proportions. So, yes indeed, on a blog that is positively receptive to this Science of the Spirit, we all have our own unique points of contribution, and the individual personality plays its part, and should be respected. Steiner gave a very nice description here of what it means that proponents of so-called, ‘hard science’, like physics, chemistry, and biology, cannot relate at all to spiritual science, while us more simple folk, take to its findings with ease. “On the Communication of Spiritual Truths”.
https://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA124/English/RSP1985/19101017p02.html
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You said, Steve: “For me, Spiritual Science is a technical science of the highest repute. No compromise should be allowed concerning its content, and what it attempts to convey.”
I do feel this way about it, too. Because Steiner is so specific, doesn’t mince words, and recapitulates themes over and over again, it’s not meant to be cherry picked and also intended to be fully grasped, and able to be reproduced. Just like what was described in the essay you sent me, about the Intermediate Path. I’m still a newcomer here, yet as you’ve pointed out the Parisfal attitude, I can only take that on as best as I can regardless of what others may say. Perhaps the Parsifal attitude is the ultimate compass. I guess it comes down to our own power of discernment. If we fall short of understanding spiritual science – as it truly is to be understood – then it’s on us, right? Yes, you’ve seen my own exchange with someone who is a proponent of “hard science.” If I was sharp about it, it would probably have been for the better to just ‘drop it,’ for if people wish to have an honest discussion and hear each other out, it takes a bit of suspended preconceived notions so as to ‘see’ the other’s perspective. Like what is described in Human and Cosmic Thought. Not one spiritual/cognitive disposition can be a fully comprehensive worldview. Yet, it seems to be the case, that it’s our responsibility to transcend our own limitations to fully grasp what spiritual science is about. I’m not quite sure what my own personal disposition is, but whatever it may be, I wouldn’t want that to get in the way of seeing things in – let’s say for example – a materialistic sort of way. Wasn’t Steiner able to explain things in many different ways, even to the so-called “hard scientists?”
But yes, it is called ‘spiritual-science,’ not ‘spiritual-postulating.’ If vipassana can be taken seriously as a science (which also, in a way, can be taken as a supersensible science), then also spiritual science should be as well.
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Looking at the 205 comments on this post, I think that they have become too unwieldy to work with – and it doesn’t seem as if we’re getting any comments that are directly on the topic of the original post. So I won’t be accepting any further comments here, unless they are directly on-topic. Thanks to those who have contributed already!
Best wishes,
Jeremy
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Hello Jeremy
It’s a pity not to be able to respond to the representation of Manes as the “Sun Oracle Itself” or as a “progenitor of evil in Earth evolution”. Nevertheless, your reaction has been entirely appropriate.
Although I sense that this is probably the time for a soothing balm, rather than potentially opening further wounds, it may be appropriate in the circumstances to speak a little of ‘safety’ and ‘online harms’ in relation to current world phenomena, from the perspective of someone living in the UK.
It had become evident very early on in the ‘Covid crisis’ that the use of applied psychology would play a major role in enforcing government policy. This was to be the glue to bind public compliance (obedience) to the will of Government. In addition to selected ministers, a small cabal of scientists and behavioural psychologists was assembled. This included:
* The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE)
* The Scientific Pandemic Insights group on Behaviours (SPI-B) – providing
behavioural insights advice to SAGE
* The Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) – known unofficially as the ‘Nudge
Unit’ which uses social engineering, as well as techniques in psychology
and marketing, to influence public thinking and improve public compliance
with government policy.
Based on the mainstream, yet highly questionable formula of ‘virus equals disease equals vaccination’ (the UK Government had already purchased several million doses of vaccine long before emergency approval was granted for their use), it later became evident that this was a psychology based on “ramping up the fear factor” in the general population (per the published minutes of at least one SAGE meeting).
It also became clear that the UK Government, in concert with the major social media companies and corporate media, was going to take action to censor any voice that questioned its narrative. One vivid recollection from the early government daily press briefings was the appearance of the UK’s top military official General Sir Nick Carter, who announced to the country that the 77th Brigade (which plays an active role in information warfare and describes itself as ‘an agent of change’) would be helping to quash rumours from misinformation (about Covid-19), and to counter disinformation. He explained: “Between 3 and 4,000 of our people have been involved, with around a further 20,000 available the whole time at high readiness”. The work of the 77th Brigade was later supplemented by the 13th Signal Regiment, a specialist unit working in the field of cyber communications.
It was clear that the Government would brook no dissenting voice, whether from members of the medical science community, NHS professionals, non-mainstream media or the public – nothing other than the Government’s narrative was true. And all this on the grounds of ‘protecting’ the public from dangerous, harmful speech. The message was effectively: ‘We, the State, will be the sole trustworthy source of information and will protect you from anyone who questions our truth, as they represent something harmful’. This moment can be seen as a key stepping stone on the path which leads to the total immersion of free human speech, activity and choice within a coercive, authoritarian, surveillance state.
Other key stages in this process can be observed in recent years, for example, in the gradual progression of internet regulation initially designed to counter the threat of online terrorist-related activity, to regulation that also includes the grey area of misinformation and disinformation – i.e. the regulation of speech on the internet.
In 2014, former Prime Minister David Cameron addressed the United Nations General Assembly, speaking about the need to counter the threat of online harm, not only in relation to terrorist threats, but also in relation to non-violent extremism, referring to “the peddling of lies” (about world events) and “…to defeat the ideology of extremism, we need to defeat all forms of extremism, not just violent extremism”.
In January 2018 at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, former Prime Minister Theresa May spoke of the steps being taken to introduce new internet regulation. Shortly afterwards, Matt Hancock (then Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport told Parliament: “The Government will take action to safeguard the lifeblood of our democratic discourse, and tackle the challenges our media face today”.
On her return from Davos, Theresa May set up a Rapid Response Unit to “help support the reclaiming of a fact-based public debate”. Later that year, she announced that G7 leaders had agreed to establish a new Rapid Response Mechanism to tackle online disinformation. This period saw the rise of the so-called independent ‘fact-checkers’, tasked with combatting misinformation and conspiracy theories.
Then, in 2019, the Government published its Online Harms White Paper (the second formal step in bringing about a new law), proposing a new regulatory framework to ensure online safety. It is expected that a Bill will be placed before Parliament in 2021. Within the Paper are proposals to deal with online misinformation and disinformation. It includes proposals to place a duty of care on any operator providing services to UK users, and which allows users to share or discover user-generated content or interact with each other online. This potentially includes public discussion forums (such as this one) and online communities. Financial penalties would be handed out to those who transgressed.
One can readily understand the need for online regulation to deter terrorism, abuse, exploitation, incitement to violence and the like, but by extending such regulation to include misinformation or disinformation as an online harm, the Government is seeking to regulate free and open discourse. Who decides what is true information and what is false? If not modified or prevented, this constitutes a grave risk to freedom of speech on the internet.
Recalling Rudolf Steiner’s mention (in my earlier comment of 27th April) of a future State seeking to medicate those who did not agree with its version of good and evil, one can see an echo-image of this in our present times, with the State (aided by social media companies and corporate media) as ‘guardians of truth’ seeking to use the ‘medication’ of censorship and threat to control all free human speech in order to keep everyone safe.
As one who likes to research the origin and development of language, it’s a remarkable experience to observe the transition from the first recitative tones and words sung by human beings – full of profound cosmic harmony and meaning – to the modern abstract ‘mechanism’ of language we have today and the attempts of those who seek to control it. It seems apt to turn to Rudolf Steiner’s simple, beautiful verse:
“The Stars spoke once to Man.
It is world destiny that they are silent now.
To be aware of the silence can become pain for Earthly Man.
But in the deepening silence there grows and ripens what Man speaks to the Stars.
To be aware of the speaking can become strength for Spirit Man.”
One of the ways this verse can be understood is: – the thoughts that, in freedom, we express outwardly as speech are simultaneously spoken to the Stars. They rejoice in those which belong in their kingdom. Those that do not are consigned to the abyss.
If language is to reach the next stage in its evolution, where it has a living, creative etheric/astral quality, it needs looking after in freedom.
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Thank you, Richard, for this sober, sensible and important contribution and for seeing what is really going on.
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Hi Richard, good to read your comment… is it fair to say that most of the information has come from UK Column News? The reason I ask is because I sent Jeremy a link to the channel a few days ago but refused to publish it.
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Just to set the record straight, Gary, you sent me a post with two links – one to UK Column News, the other to a David Icke website. It’s the David Icke link I don’t want to publish. In the public mind, anthroposophy has enough of a credibility problem already without us linking to such an unbalanced individual!
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Hello Gary
Thanks for your comments. ‘Most’ would not be quite fair. Specifically, after verifying the details through my own online research, I used the UK Column News programme of 23rd April 2021 as a source for the timeline of events between David Cameron’s 2014 address up to and including the reference to the Online Harms White Paper. The proposals set out in the Paper were obtained from the Gov.UK website and the online commentary of an independent Legal Firm. I also used UK Column video footage from 24th April 2020 to verify General Carter’s comments about the 77th Brigade. References to SAGE, SPI-B and BIT were obtained from other information sources, although I’m aware that the UK Column has made reference to them also. Otherwise, everything that’s not in quotation marks is my own work and opinion.
I’ve been a frequent viewer of UK Column news for the past year or so, and treat its offerings in the same way that I would when accessing any other news channel or information source. As a researcher who writes the occasional article, my starting point is to ‘question everything’ to a greater or lesser degree, particularly where politics and world events are involved. In the main, I’ve found the UK Column to be a trustworthy source – they dig beneath the surface of world events in a way that the mainstream media does not, drawing attention to newsworthy items which the mainstream will not go near. I particularly appreciate the contributions from Alex Thomson with his insight into world events from the perspective of a former GCHQ officer. However, the UK Column garden is not always rosy. Their unfair portrayal of Triodos Bank in connection with the recent erection of a statue of Greta Thunberg at Winchester University being one example. So, as with most news, one has to separate the wheat from the chaff.
I hope this is helpful.
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UK Column is mixing true facts and alternative facts to sow doubt on Covid, like the Kremlin with its modern manichean disinformation strategy is used to do (Pomerantsev, Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible).
“Overall, we rate the UK Column a strong right-wing biased conspiracy website that frequently promotes false or misleading information. … While the UK Column does produce credible, well-sourced news, they also promote conspiracy theories. During the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020, they frequently published misinformation such as ‘Lockdown Deaths, Not Covid Deaths’.” https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/uk-column/
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‘… the total immersion of free human speech, activity and choice within a coercive, authoritarian, surveillance state’ is not actually taking place in the UK, but in China, Russia and some countries in Eastern Europe.
‘… by extending such regulation to include misinformation or disinformation as an online harm, the Government is seeking to regulate free and open discourse’ is overlooking the ongoing information warfare on Covid waged by the autocratic regimes in Russia, China, Iran, against the free democratic world.
https://euvsdisinfo.eu/eeas-special-report-update-short-assessment-of-narratives-and-disinformation-around-the-covid-19-pandemic-update-december-2020-april-2021/
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What you say is quite true, Ton, of course, and everyone knows that Russia, China, Iran etc are autocracies that, among their other human rights abuses, deny freedom of speech. The point here is that some people in the UK government have clearly decided that, in order to protect the state, they need to manipulate British public opinion, using more surreptitious means than in the acknowledged dictatorships. It seems to be working very well…
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That was my second point: their covert cyber warfare is influencing the public opinion in the West more than the Nudge Unit.
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You say that is if it’s a “new thing”; it’s centuries old! There are many examples, but one you probably know a bit about: look at how long it has taken to rehabilitate Richard III.
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Hello Ton
Thanks for your comments. In answer to the first one, can I suggest you re-read the full sentence? You have excluded the words which come before the quoted extract, which were – “This moment can be seen as a key stepping stone on the path which leads to….”. There was no allusion to the UK actually having reached that stage yet, but that it was on a path which leads to it. I have no difficulty agreeing with your picture of the political systems of China, Russia and some Eastern European countries.
On your second point, my focus was from a UK perspective on steps being taken by the UK Government to effect new UK law in relation to freedom of speech. I cannot agree entirely with your closing comments about Russia, China and Iran. In my view, information warfare on Covid is being waged by very many countries across the whole world. Whether or not there is a “free democratic world” at all is an open question – one that would probably take us too far off-topic.
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Your article underestimates the role of the ‘prevention paradox’: ‘the apparent paradox of people questioning steps to prevent the spread of the pandemic because the prophesied spread did not occur’ (wiki). It leads to the distrust of governmental institutions and to the conspiracy sentiments, we see today, though thousands and thousands of deaths and infections have been prevented. That is the invisible moral issue.
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There is no correlation between said preventative measures and actual prevention. We see evidence of this in substantial cases in states with the highest regulations whereas others which do not enforce regulations have no huge spike in cases. Meanwhile, even people were still flying shoulder to shoulder in airplanes.
Honestly, they should have let things stayed the same just like during the swine flu. Let the virus take its course (a virus with a ridiculously high recovery rate, at that).
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I cannot let this sort of repeated disinformation pass without comment.
That is quite simply not true. You can only reach such a conclusion if you cherry-pick outliers and ignore general trends.
Again, only if you cherry-pick outliers. A couple of counter-examples will suffice from two states which took very different approaches:
Taiwan – immediately closed its borders, implemented an effective test, track and trace, paid people who had to self-isolate (coupled with substantial penalties for non-compliance). Result: minimal damage to its economy, no need for lockdown, life as near as dammit back to normal.
https://theconversation.com/how-taiwan-beat-covid-19-new-study-reveals-clues-to-its-success-158900
Sweden – took very few preventive measures, expecting herd-immunity to develop. Herd immunity has not developed (contrary to what the likes of PragerU have pretended is the case), it’s economy has taken a hammering, and its Covid death rate is substantially higher than its neighbouring Scandinavian states.
https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-prageru-sweden-herd-immunit-idUSKBN28C2R7
I have no words!
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Steve Tonkin, there are too many variables to fit in a so called “perfect” model. Too many inconstancies to claim as irrefutable facts, especially at this stage in the ‘game.’ You can’t claim cherry picking and do the same.
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Irrelevant red herrings: I was not referring to any so called “perfect” model and I did not claim any irrefutable facts; I claimed general trends.
You again misrepresent what I wrote: My charge is that you are cherry-picking outliers, which is very different to citing cases that exemplify the general trend.
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Hi, Jeremy. I do apologise for my contribution here of comments unrelated to your article. If I may add another another aspect to this whole Covid issue, and ‘safety measures.,’ if it’s allowed.
More reports have been coming out recently regarding vaccine “shedding.” I honestly cannot speak of the science behind it, just merely reporting what I’ve read. In many instances, people in work places without a large number of cases have reported having many new infections since people have been vaxxed. So, it shows a couple of things: that regardless of the vaccine, it doesn’t prove to be effective against infection, and, that people are getting strange reactions from coming into contact with vaxxed individuals. Does it show that it is making things worse? When lockdown restrictions lift up, and all the vaccinated people can go out and play (only the vaccinated), I suppose then we will see if it truly works. My hope is that it does, and all of this is just superstitious nonsense, but I’m certainly not taking that risk. We have true Malthusians at the helm here, everything points to population reduction (in my opinion).
The skeptic in me sees this: Big pharma and the medical industry has not benefitted from a healthy population. We can see this in regards to cancer, for example, and also FDA regulations in regards to food – food, that thing we eat for our health and nutrition? The Western developed world is filled with junk that contributes to obesity, diabetes, etc… it all creates sickness and a dependancy on the medical industry, Big pharma, etc. Case in point, I do not see a glowing track record which shows that the current medical consensus is promoting a healthy population. So my question is, why should we think otherwise now? We have already had doctors come out saying oxygen therapy can even make severe covid cases worse, not better, when there are anitviral medications that have been proven to be effective in treatment, and also, are not allowed to be administered. Just like what is happening in India… there so much focus on lack of oxygen tanks when they should be administering antivirals. But no, people don’t see the political reasoning behind this. And in India’s case, it’s the Marxist hotspots: Mumbai/New Delhi where the problem is, which happened to be ran by parties that hate Modi. It’s the same thing that happened in the US, where it just so happened to be the most liberal democratic states had the worst cases, which, also hated Trump. They are salivating over the chaos like hyenas, and looking for an excuse to point fingers. I hate to pull the politics in this, but it shows that politics have gotten to the point of playing so dirty that they will destroy their own citizens livelihoods (and lives), just to gain power.
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Jeremy, thank you for highlighting the Jekyll/Hyde struggle in undergoing the the challenge of the Consciousness Soul. To reconcile being unique individuals with being one-with-all is a threat and experienced as an impossibility to the undeveloped “I”. Women have a marginally better awareness of this because childbirth exemplifies that horrendous pain and the utmost joy and wonder are inextricably linked. Failure to grasp this leads to all manner of horrors, great and small.
Ton, you draw attention to the example of a “prevention paradox” leading to distrust and “conspiracy sentiments”. I see these as examples of the games we’ve been playing with each other all our lives – to avoid looking at ourselves and our own behaviors. And, Kyle, I hope you continue to entertain the possibility that much of what we ponder and hear around us – and think we “know” – is “just superstitious nonsense.” There should be no surprise in Big Pharma (et al) not working for the benefit of the true human being. We have cooperated with the torture and destruction of our Earth Mother and of the potential of the true human being all our lives.
I don’t know if this is the time of the war of “All Against All”. but I do see a convergence of things to which we have kept ourselves blind. All we need now to round off our curriculum is an ALIEN INVASION! Next topic???
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Kathy, if it helps you to see that I’m not just ranting crazy conspiracy theories, then ‘yes’ of course I’ll continue to entertain the notion that what I’ve purported might be wrong. I HOPE it’s wrong, for everyone’s sake. But, I am just one person, yet, many people (even many doctors) have that view as well. If it was just one quack doc yelling like a madman/woman I wouldn’t entertain it, but, there are many. I really don’t see the harm in being skeptical about all these measures being taken place. It’s just too fishy beyond reasoning. Too many red flags, in my opinion. I think it would be interesting to see in a few years time from now (or 5-10 years?) whether these views were baseless fantasies or not.
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Yes indeed, time will tell.
The big red flag to me is all the censorship. Why the need to suppress dissenting voices in supposedly democratic societies?
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@ininsoi- I see a two edged sword. For example how much did ‘free speech’ of Nazis in 1930s lead to WW2 ? “The big lie repeated often enough becomes the truth”
Are there no “Big Lies” being currently repeated that might lead to destruction of democracy.
Getting the balance right is always a problem.
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Hi Jaromer,
I take your point but for me it is always better to err on the side of liberty and freedom rather than quickly deciding to suppress all opposing points of view. It smacks of a well thought out operation prepared in advance.
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Now even the Mr. Hyde side of Kyle comes out. Maybe better close the pub, Jeremy.
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Hans, Jeremy gave a warning already. He didn’t have to pass my comment if it seemed inappropriate. Are you now the assumed arbiter? ‘Close the pub’, just like Google, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube does with views they don’t agree with? Doesn’t sound like practising “artful consensus” to me. If I’m not mistaken, Jeremy wrote this article because it begs looking at the reality of the measures that have been taken place in reaction to this virus. How can it not be controversial? It ought to be discussed, and from many standpoints.
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Hello Kyle, my reaction came after your “salivating hyena’s” but now records later. If I recommend Jeremy to maybe close the pub that would apply to all of us because we get drunk and start ranting. No censorship but just closing hour for all.. But at that moment Kathy entered the pub as a radiant angel and she saved the day with her feminine presence. For me the discussion is not about facts, measurements, regulations, logic, but what is the moral ideal we can together cultivate to overcome the crisis. Preferably an ideal we can all more or less agree upon, while maintaining our differences going at that level. An ideal that also lives in the hearts of non-antropoppers and can be translated in policies.
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Forgive me, Hans, for misunderstanding your meaning. Thank you for the clarification. I admit, perhaps rants are counterproductive.
“For me the discussion is not about facts, measurements, regulations, logic, but what is the moral ideal we can together cultivate to overcome the crisis. Preferably an ideal we can all more or less agree upon, while maintaining our differences going at that level.”
I hope that what you mean by ‘together’ includes those of ‘dissenting’ views as well – which happen to be many. I honestly have more faith in your reasoning, but I don’t share the same feelings towards our so-called democratic leaders. It seems that many decisions have been rushed, and have altogether bypassed any kind of roundtable discussion, to at least come to a compromising middle ground. I just don’t see any evidence of compromising being done.
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Cherry-picking? Either way, it’s an appeal to (false?) authority logical fallacy – and, given that Pickles’s opinions are outliers and not representative of mainstream scientific opinion, probably a variation on Shank’s law.
Neither are most (any?) anthroposophical medicines. Does your care home eschew their use?
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Steve, for all those like me who are not familiar with the term ‘Shank’s Law’, it is the idea that there is no theory so crazy that you can’t find a professor or PhD to write a paper endorsing it. Quite a useful thing to bear in mind…in all kinds of contexts. But Pickles is simply quoting from the US Food and Drug Administration, whom I would have supposed you consider to be “representative of mainstream scientific opinion.”
Now if you would like to get away from this kind of knockabout, here is a serious opinion piece that raises many questions, both for anthroposophists and mainstream scientists: https://www.rosejourn.com/index.php/rose/article/view/77
I hope that you are not so steeped in your existing prejudices as to find this unworthy of further thought. There is certainly much here to bring anthroposophists up short, but also many things to consider for people not already wedded to scientism.
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@Jeremy, I’ll return to the Schieren piece later (although I’m surprised; I’d have thought you’d have deemed it off-topic for this particular blogpost); I’ve only skim-read it so far – intersting; definitely worth a proper read even if it is over-long. As for “wedded to scientism”, depends on your definition of it. Given that dictionaries tend to give the most pejorative definitions from science-denialists (“Science is the only way…”), I would argue (with examples, if you like) that is not my stance. More of a logical positivist.
Now to the gist of my previous post, in response you wrote:
(my emphasis).
That is quite simply not true. Amongst other things, he is playing semantics.In response to the NHS statement he is reported to have said “The medicines are not licensed.”. It is a matter of public record that they are authorised for sale and approved for use in the UK by the MHRA, almost certainly using the Fast-Track system (see https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-a-licence-to-market-a-medicine-in-the-uk#fast-track-your-marketing-authorisation).
And unlicensed/not-authorised anthroposophical medicines? Or is that a question that you don’t wish to answer?
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Steve, as usual you are seeking to split hairs. Yes, the NHS and MHRA have fast-tracked the vaccines and they are approved for use in this country. What Pickles was pointing out, and what you are continuing to ignore, is that the FDA in America has made it very clear that these vaccines are all in the “investigational” phase (Phase 3 of a four-phase trial system) and so are still experimental and technically unlicensed, as spelt out by the FDA in their letters to the vaccine manufacturers. You may choose to take an experimental vaccine, if you wish to; all I am saying is that I reserve the right to see more data once the trials have been completed.
You’re right about the Schieren article – it should be the subject of a separate discussion, which perhaps it will be one day on this blog.
And what is this obsession you have with anthroposophical medicines? As someone who has personally benefited from the professional expertise of anthroposophical doctors (all of whom have completed a conventional medical training and in addition a 3-year course in anthroposophical medicine), I have a high opinion of their services and wish they could be available to many more people. This, too, should be the subject of a separate discussion one day.
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@ Jeremy
I just found this, to me, reasonable and balanced article :
https://www.wired.com/story/the-statistical-secrets-of-covid-19-vaccines
OK so there are Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics,
The article indicates the very limited effectiveness of vaccines.
I am 79 years old, in Germany statistical life expectancy for males: 81.6.
Statistically I have 3% of life left. This is unlikely to be reduced by having vaccine, though the vaccine is unlikely to reduce my chance of dying in the remaining 3% of my life. However, if vaccination allows me to get a haircut without a fresh negative test, to perhaps visit my children and grandchildren ‘one last time’, Then the vaccine will significantly improve my “Quality of Life”. Is this giving in to Ahriman or Sorath?
I ride a bicycle through busy city traffic- a far greater risk than dying of Covid, unfortunately there is no vaccine against road accidents. However, I am at least ‘doing my bit’ to reduce air pollution. I have not owned a motor for 20 years.
I will of course inform the group should I die of vaccine side effects.
I do have experience of Anthroposophical Medicines as the British Weleda Co. moved from Worcestshire, to Sussex and to Derbyshire. However, I do remember one Anthroposophical Dr. prescribing Penicillin in the 1940s saying “We might as well use if while it still works.” I also suspect that without Anthroposophical Medicine I might have died a long time ago. On the other hand when I was ill in 2000 the Anthro dept at hospital would not have me, Instead I spent a month in ICU on a ventilator and was given something like 30 units of blood- without permission since I was in coma. After that I certainly have no fear of 0,5ml of vaccine.
Time for me to shut up.
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Thank you, jaromer, for your comment and the link to the excellent article on statistics and the Covid vaccines. It is really useful to have the distinction made between “relative risk” as calculated by the drug companies and “absolute risk”, which makes the case for vaccination rather less compelling.
For anthroposophists, of course, it’s an even more complicated decision to reach, because some of us are aware of what Rudolf Steiner said in a lecture given on October 7th 1917, about the possibility that in the future “a ‘healthy outlook’ will lead to the discovery of a vaccine which will be injected into the human organism in earliest infancy, if possible immediately after birth, to ensure that this human body never has the idea that a soul and a spirit exist.” In the UK, if you look at the sheer number and quantity of vaccines that the NHS recommends children and young people should receive, you might well wonder if that future is already here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/nhs-vaccinations-and-when-to-have-them/
Rudolf Steiner himself, though, seems to have taken a more nuanced approach to vaccinations, as is reported in this article: http://www.nna-news.org/news/article/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=2861&cHash=febbfed39e807116689b44eae8006ac9
I’m glad that you, too, have had a positive experience of anthroposophical medicine!
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After 3 months of ‘Ahrimanic’ life saving treatment in Hamburg I was able to have a couple of Rehab weeks at the late, lamented Park Attwood Clinic to help ‘balance my bodies’. Of course the cost may have contributed to the choice of bicycle over car. Negative Kar ma perhaps??
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For 80 years old males in 2020 (not: life expectancy at birth) the remaining life expectancy in Germany is even 8 years:
Durchschnittliche Lebenserwartung nach Geschlecht und vollendetem Alter
https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Bevoelkerung/Sterbefaelle-Lebenserwartung/_inhalt.html
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Oh dear Ton, I DID know that but it did not suit my argument. LOL!
Fact checkers are the bane of propaganda. My grandfather’s life expectancy at birth in 1877 was probably about 20 but he lived to be 99.
OK mea culpa.
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As far as I can understand the ‘Fast Track’ and ‘Emergency Use’ exempt the manufacturer from liability for any damage to patients. The vaccines are not ‘proven to be safe and effective’ in which case manufacturer would be liable. The manufacturers are certainly benefitting. The boss of Biontech, who was known for cycling to work , became a billionaire the day his vaccine was approved. Company profits have skyrocketed this year. Presumably the same applies to other suppliers who churn out the shots with no liability.
This is clearly connected with the theme of ‘morality and the culture of safety AT ANY COST’ . Millions of people have suffered in many ways from the pandemic lockdowns and restrictions. I have a son and grandson who make a living, or did, as musicians. They are economically impacted with no contact to Covid.
On the other hand the big Pharma bosses and investors, the mail order Emperors and presumably Communication/ Internet firms have got very rich.
The Karma of Cash seems a possible topic for another thread.
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Kyle, you really think it will be “interesting” to see in a few years time who was right or wrong? It sounds like you’re waiting for the next episode of a TV drama. Are you that confident? Have you forgotten that this is the time you are allotted for developing your Consciousness Soul? Conspiracies are entertainment. They are used as justifications, or distractions. They keep us from our real work – deeper self-awareness. They distract us from experiencing that we are not physical beings – rather, we are spiritual beings in physical bodies. They are the doorway to obsessions and compulsions as a way of binding anxiety – a way of avoiding/distancing ourselves from our lived reality. You already know the next chapter – continuing famine, war, pestilence and death – until the possibilities of this epoch are exhausted.
Steiner teaches us there is an unseen Observer in us- something aware of everything we think, feel and do. Without its presence we would have no self- consciousness. Our work is to cultivate awareness of the Observer and develop our Consciousness Soul. By its very definition, the Observer within can never be grasped. Yet our work, our efforts should be consumed in the trying. This is because we are not physical beings with an Observer – we are an Observer with a physical body.
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“Kyle, you really think it will be “interesting” to see in a few years time who was right or wrong? It sounds like you’re waiting for the next episode of a TV drama. Are you that confident?”
You summed up my main contention with mainstream media today. It has been effectively just like a TV drama, stoking fear in the masses over this virus. It’s on the record that CNN has deliberately done this, because, ‘fear’ sells:
Richard Philps’ comment (May 6, 2021 at 4:46 pm) sums up many important factors in this issue. I think he is spot on.
My disagreement with you lies in your presupposition that the mainstream view is factual, true, and represents true journalism/science. How else does that explain your disdain for every contrary, dissident view, that is deemed as conspiracy – no different than entertainment? I understand there are psychological ramifications of entertaining ‘every’ conspiracy theory out there… but that point is like throwing sand in the eyes, and it doesn’t discredit every contrary and opposing view, either. Again, Richard’s comment is telling, and it’s very much the case in the US as well.
I don’t see this as forfeiting our own responsibility for our own personal evolution, or simply placing blame on others for our own short comings. In matters of ‘good and evil’ it should be recognised what constitutes both qualities (even within ourselves). Evil is inevitable, but it shouldn’t let anyone mistakingly invert the two – i.e. seeing what is ‘evil’ as ‘good.’ The underlying protest on my behalf is the apparent support for draconian measures all masked in the ‘benefit of safety and good for all,’ as though that is the only moral standard here? Steiner made it clear that any amount of coercion used is not the way. So why support it? Do you think letting evil take its course is the best, and only way, to let things happen naturally as they should? That’s an honest question, not a ‘gotcha’ question. And being that evil has it’s place in our evolution, well, seems like we have quite the material to work with now!
We can take on our own personal work ourselves, regardless of what is happening in the world. No substitute for that. But shouldn’t part of our work also involves others? I see discussions as these part of that work.
Censorship, scapegoating, marginalising, penalising, incarcerating – all forms of coercion, no matter how they are justified.
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Kyle, I do not presuppose that mainstream views are factual and true – just look at how they persist in ignoring the alien presence on Earth – though not for much longer! Neither do I feel disdain for “contrary/dissident” views – I revel in them. I am an Aires, an extrovert and was a sixties “flower child”. Having experienced “censorship, scapegoating, marginalizing, penalizing AND incarcerating” – all with hair down to my butt – I stand before you as a “radiant angel” (thank you, Hans!), sister of Michael and Seeker of the Consciousness Soul.
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I like the descriptions, Kathy. Thank you for sharing.
“‘radiant angel’ … sister of Michael and Seeker of the Consciousness Soul.”
Can’t go wrong with that!
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Kyle, regarding your earlier questioning of present quality of democratic practice I totally agree that we are in a dare state. And the covid crisis, if not climate emergency, only demonstrate how inadequate our political organisms are. That by the way is the reason why citizens in China, Russia, Iran, Hungary and you can add Thailand, often say they are fine under authoritarian regime ( or “disciplined” democracy – by military power) as after all it is more effective than liberal democracy. Now one thing is analysing how bad it is with all sorts of evidence. Another thing is generating impulses to make our democratic system, if we believe in it, work better. In my eyes stopping at analysing how bad it is means denying responsibility. And conspiracy theories (good ones less than the stupid ones) are mostly ways of shifting responsibility to “others” who have done it. So my spiritual exercises and concrete efforts try to focus on finding “solutions”. Anthroposophy and in particular threefolding are beacons of hope into this direction. But in order to reach out in order to gain critical mass, we have to leave the 19th and early 20th “Theosophical” frameworks to small elite groups who love to study the details of that (and help inspire people in the frontline if they can) and translate our insights and moral ideals into common language and into policies. Yes, the art of consensus building deals to a high extend with mediating diversity and articulating common ground.
Recently suddenly for me the dime fell into the slot about one important aspect. I by the way also learned about this from Jaromer’s joyful dealing with his life dilemmas.
An anthroposophical medical doctor (I will search for the source in a later post, if needed) explained – again – in lively wording that disease in the anthroposophical worldview is a meaningful challenge. Overcoming it properly strengthens the person’s constitution. This is one of the reasons why many anthropoppers reject the vaccine. But then he added that also spiritually digesting the vaccine when you take it (voluntary or semi-compulsary) can have a similar strengthening effect if you take the challenge. For me an eye opener towards an opportunity for consensus building. Maybe in order to prepare ourselves for a next stage in consciousness development and realisation of consequent transformation of society towards genuine sustainability and wellbeing of future generations, we have to fight an externally induced autism by vaccine (if not by the disease itself) in order to ultimately overcome it and strengthen our true freedom and capabilities to face the challenges of our time. In terms of anthroposophical conspiracy theory: maybe Ahriman incarnates into humanity by this (and coming attempts with more sophistacated vaccines) very vaccine in our physical constitution. It is up to us to transform Ahriman into the Angel she wants to be.
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@Hans
“An anthroposophical medical doctor (I will search for the source in a later post, if needed) explained – again – in lively wording that disease in the anthroposophical worldview is a meaningful challenge. Overcoming it properly strengthens the person’s constitution.”
My belief, without chapter and verse, is the Ita Wegman suggested that for some ‘soul conditions’ severe illness could ‘move’ what could not be raised to consciousness and sorted out.
For most of my life I suffered from depression, unpleasant for me and hell for my family.
After my month on a ventilator in induced coma (with no near death experiences) I was weak and helpless. Moved to a normal hospital room, unable to move or eat or anything I remember noticing that I was no longer depressed. I was there for another 8 weeks and never depressed. Brilliant!
What is more I gave up smoking too.
Illness can have positive outcomes- including , of course, crossing the threshold.
If vaccine prevents a possible ‘cure’ by illness- well that is a choice.
The Medical Section at the Goetheanum see Covid Vaccine as part of dealing with the pandemic. But without compulsion.
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Many great points, Hans. Thank you for your insight.
“Now one thing is analysing how bad it is with all sorts of evidence. Another thing is generating impulses to make our democratic system, if we believe in it, work better. In my eyes stopping at analysing how bad it is means denying responsibility. And conspiracy theories (good ones less than the stupid ones) are mostly ways of shifting responsibility to “others” who have done it.”
There definitely seems to be an inexhaustible amount of evidence on how “bad” things are, sound evidence and even baseless (I suppose). I am, however, still unconvinced that working through our current democratic system will do any good. Why? First of all, It just seems so corrupt beyond repair – I think that is pretty self evident. Also, just like how you mentioned leaving the 19th-20th century Theosophical framework, then why must we cling to an even older framework that really belongs in the past era (Greco-Roman)? Consensus is decided upon elected individuals (and now it’s not just up to elected officials like politicians and such, but self appointed individuals of institutions or billionaires) who we assume has everyone else’s best interests at hand. Instead, we don’t see the actions of public servants, but rather that of oligarchs. I just don’t see how ‘their’ consensus serves the best interest of all us ‘little’ people. In a time that we should be doing everything to encourage the growth the of the individual (fully autonomous) Conscious Soul, I really see our current system as an outdated shell of something that once served the best interests of the people (that ‘once’ served – as in, the past, not now).
Ok, I admit, I’m just pointing out the ‘bad’ stuff here. Well, on a positive note, I think that the system will crumble under it’s own dysfunction, eventually. It’s simply not sustainable, and when it starts making enemies of it’s own people rather than serving them, to me thats a sign it’s hanging on it’s last threads. The danger of it falling is creating a vacuum for something worse to take it’s place, but, as you mention of generating impulses, perhaps that is the best time for something more positive to come to the forefront as a beneficial change for everyone. Hopefully! And yes, perhaps this Covid situation is a silver lining, in that, it serves as a catalyst for some positive change individually and collectively, and indeed a challenge for us all and one we can come out stronger (and that’s good!). But again, the cynic in me sees that we are on the fence of either going towards a positive change or one that is worse than before (or even now) – in terms of oppression, liberties, autonomy, etc.
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Just in case you think I gave in to the global vaccine promotion, even if I have to accept it because of social pressure (my wife and sisters-in-law who are medical doctors really care for my health) or my desire to travel, I think dissenting people including leading medical experts, business people and lawyers DO have a point and I hope they/we will not surrender until we shake up all levels of decision making to look at it from all angles. But that should not imply we perceive each other as enemies. Instead let’s foster new frienships. Please read this recent opinion piece:
https://thoughtleader.co.za/they-call-it-a-pandemic-it-isnt/
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Thank you for the link to this very good article, Hans!
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Hans’ Link is indeed interesting. but so is this from Anthroposophy Worldwide .Feb 24th.
From the Sections: Medical Section
Vaccination against Sars-CoV-2
Sebastian Jüngel
For the Medical Section, vaccination against Sars-CoV-2 is an important element in containing the Covid-19 pandemic – aside from comprehensive strengthening of resilience.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, anthroposophic physicians have been caring for patients with Covid-19 as outpatients and inpatients, including intensive care. In doing so, they integrate state-of-the art conventional and anthroposophic treatment methods. They also comment on vaccination in this context.
According to the Medical Section and the International Federation of Anthroposophic Medical Associations, the registration studies to date on the vaccines approved in the USA and the EU show good efficacy and safety after two vaccinations. Rare, serious side effects can only be ruled out once a large number of people has been vaccinated and followed up on for a sufficiently long time and compared to unvaccinated people. This is even more important for technologies such as mRNA vaccines, which had not been widely used in humans before.
“We see the voluntary nature of vaccination as a fundamental right as well as a prerequisite for a sufficiently high level of acceptance among the population, not least because of the still unanswered questions about efficacy and safety,” emphasizes Georg Soldner, paediatrician and deputy head of the Medical Section at the Goetheanum. “This includes access to detailed information, for example in a conversation with a trusted doctor.” A direct or indirect vaccination obligation should not be implemented, especially since it is still open as to whether vaccinated people can continue to infect others.
“In particular, vaccination must be accompanied by measures that strengthen health and promote individual resilience,” Georg Soldner added. “Nutrition and psychological and social factors must also be taken into account, as the pandemic is not just a virological challenge.”
Of course Dornach is not ROME and so not infallible but at least of passing interest to Anthropops.
The message seems to be one of: ‘Love it or Leave it, Make your choice, if you believe it’. (apologies to ABBA)
An interesting situation is brewing here in Germany. Fully vaccinated people will be able to travel abroad and return without quarantine. However, most of the fully vaccinated will be old folk, and even if younger age groups do get a jab and a vax pass, families will have parents excused quarantine but the unvaccinated children confined for 14 days on return.
The regulators are starting to tie themselves, and ‘the people’ in knots.
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Anti-vaxxers are rebels, ‘heretics’ against (Christian) traditionalism, ‘old souls’ in the description of Steiner, and therefore stand in contrast with the ‘pagans’, the young souls (GA0237/19240708).
“Recognising one another by these common peculiarities of their inner life, they had generally lived in communities. And among the other Christians, who became more and more attached to Rome, they were regarded as heretics. Heretics were not yet condemned as harshly as in later centuries. Still, they were regarded as heretics. Indeed the others always had a certain uncanny feeling about them. They had the impression that these people saw more than other folk.” (GA0237/19240711)
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Kyle, I found an interesting story about future role of Russia. Hope you can access this link
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=4221554111239407&id=100001545800521
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Good article Hans and very pertinent as I am just now finishing reading ‘The Rose of the World’.
One detail: I believe Robert Powell has revised his starting date for his assertion that Ahriman will inevitably hold sway for 3 1/2 years to a couple of years in the future but forget the exact prediction.
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According to the same Powell (2021) “everybody who received the vaccine will be dead within 5 years”.
https://www.sophiaschoolofmovement.org/more-podcasts, 29 A the big Picture, 12:56
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I certainly hope this will not be the case but Robert Powell is not alone in this view…
Dr Vernon Coleman:
https://vernoncoleman.org/videos/why-and-how-they-plan-kill-seven-billion
Dr Carrie Madej:
Pfizer ex-VP Dr Michael Yeadon:
https://odysee.com/@PlanetLockdown:6/Michael-Yeadon-full-interview:8?src=open
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Powell’s opinion on ‘the globalist depopulation agenda’, referring to the first commandment of the Georgia Guidestones (‘Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.’): “They have to get rid of 7.3 billion human beings” (Podcast 29 A, 24:21)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Guidestones
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Five years? Hey, at my age that’s good news.
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@ Frank: Exactly. The vaccination program prioritised the over 80s, especially those with underlying illness. Vaccinated or not a lot of them will have crossed the threshold in 5 years.
@ Ton Major. I checked out Robert Powel’s talk- where he spoke of the 5 year death threat to vaccinated folk. I also checked out Suramin- a useful, if rather dangerous drug, against tropical parasites. RP says he couldn’t get any. I got an offer within half an hour of checking the talk.
Produkt
Menge
Preis
Anzahl
Summe
1.
ABIN629232
Suramin Hexasodium Salt
250 mg
654,44 €
654,44 €
Zwischensumme:
654,44 €
Lieferkosten (Region Deutschland):
20,00 €
Umsatzsteuer (19%):
128,14 €
Gesamtsumme:
802,58 €
He will be wise to stick to pine needle tea. Cheaper and less side effects.
Powel recommended just about everything on Trump’s list except injecting bleach or sticking a light bulb up your bottom.
Bobby P. may be sincere but I get the impression he has fallen down the Qanon rabbit hole. Some of the connected literature is of the dangerous sort that combines confirmable facts with wild fiction. The inclusion of TRUTH with wishful thinking, and half baked second hand propaganda is a useful method of making some wild suppositions credible.
There is a lot to be said for doing a quick internet search to see who says what about which.
The depopulation ‘plot’ is interesting. I have been wondering about World Population for years, as I have mentioned on this blog before. My ‘feeling’ that there could be a big fall in population appeared before anyone suggested that it needed a ‘plot’.
The ‘Elite’ would have problems with too big a population reduction . Who would service their yachts and wipe their baths, maintain the power and water systems and clear the fatbergs from the sewers?
That my failing ‘second childhood’ intellect is unable to appreciate the range of the ‘plot’ is probable.
However, I did ask in a previous post if anyone had serious information about the fact that there does seem to be an ‘Elite’ in terms of wealth and power. What is the Karma behind ‘rags to riches’ biographies, There is a mystery.
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For Steiner (1918), in all countries a conspirational elite of occult ‘powers’ and financial ‘circles’ was behind World War I. In the same vein, this world-wide elite (also from Russia and China) would be behind the present pandemic.
“Now things were so for Austria that there were financial circles in Vienna and Austria who for several years would have liked to have been able to help their economy through a war, who were interested in bringing about a war. … The real initiators of the war at this time were not the rulers on any soil, but the powers that were behind it. A year ago I spoke sufficiently here of important [occult] powers that were now completely behind it. But then again there were the advanced posts, and these were essentially financial circles and entrepreneurs, big business circles. Etc.”
CW 185a, 1918/11/09, Historical-Developmental Foundations for Forming a Social Judgement (not published in English)
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Thanks Ton.
I remember my Grandpa talking about ‘war mongering capitalists’. At least the current ‘manipulations’ have long heritage.
The Covid Plot is really clever: First create a mildly fatal pandemic and THEN persuade the frightened population to PAY for the lethal vaccine. ONce again I am ashamed of my naivity. Why didn’t I think of that? Perhaps I am simply not evil enough.
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Jaromer, I think you have hit the nail on the head. It’s hard for regular folks to understand the level of evil at the top of the totem pole.
After all they look like just normal people, don’t they?
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The Covid Plot is supposed to be a perfect plan: a ‘slow kill’ within months or years with no apparent connection between the vaccination and the time of death (Powell podcast 29 B, 17:00).
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Yes they already tried ‘fast kill’ eg Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Dresden etc and have decided this time ‘slow kill’ will be much more effective.
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Without the alleged deadly vaccine, a less than 5 years additional life expectancy for males is correlated with an age in 2021 of more than 86 years …
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I am re-listening to Robert Powell’s podcasts on
sophiaschoolofmovement.org
and on number 26A minute 29.00 he talks about the 3 1/2 years of Ahrimanic influence beginning Nov 2 2020.
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The only reason why the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction of November 2, 2020 (heliocentric) or December 21, 2020 (geocentric) is so very important to Powell seems to be that Kepler thought it was the Star of Bethlehem.
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Thanks for the link to the article, Hans, yes I was able to access it. I skimmed past the last half of all the prophesies mentioned, but still, yes it sheds some interesting light on the topic. I haven’t given Powell an honest listen, but seems that people are divided on his judgement, safe to say? To address your more recent comment, I also, am a bit sceptical of some prophesies for instance Y2K or 2012, what exactly happened then? But Steiner? A century later and he’s spot on! I think many of us here have seen verifiable proof and evidence through corroboration that he wasn’t only ‘making this stuff up.’ I actually see Steiner as being able to see trajectory rather than simply prophesying like Nostradamus (for example). He does make it clear, of noting patterns, and long term patterns in history, and I think that is where his foresight comes from (or at least part of it) – one thing begets another which begets another and so on. I really don’t see how crazy these things (like prophesies or even ‘ some’ conspiracies – just some) are when you actually take the time to think about them in depth in the manner of following the thought, and following it through. I mean, really think about it and permeate the subject in as many facets as possible.
At any rate, regarding some other prophesies not of Steiner, it is amusing to read from many who were so sure that everything was going to fall to the pits at specific times. Is now any different? Hopefully not. I guess time will tell, but there is one difference between then and now, is that now actual things have changed and life definitely hasn’t been the same, and the whole world is different and on a fast track to who-knows-where (Great Reset perhaps? The great mantra you hear many world leaders say “build back better,” and that makes me wonder ‘are they actually happy about all that has happened since early 2020?’ It’s rather convenient, you know, and how exactly is ‘building back better’ supposed to manifest? Better for who?). It seems that events just further rationalise (yes, rationalise) a totalitarian state through the guise of ‘safety.’ It’s really tricky, because you can get people to voluntarily ‘get in line’ and they will also voluntarily (and happily brag about) enforce others to do the same. It all just wreaks of coercion in every nook and cranny.
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Regarding Robert Powell I admire his anthroposophical erudition. He’s a hundred floors above me to paraphrase Leonard Cohen. The interesting thing is that he is fully ‘red pill’ (to use a rather tired Matrix metaphor) and therefore quite controversial in anthropop circles.
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Needless to say (again) that – although I pased on the text with Powell (I don’tknow anything about him) to please Kyle – I am skeptic about all prophesies including those of Rudolf Steiner. Maybe there is something similar to the earlier mentioned “prevention paradox” at work: you never can prove whether it would have happened as it was prevented. The more and better you foretell the more unlikely it is going to happen as people expect it and anticipate, which changes the course of events.
In particular military leaders here in SE Asia consult fortunetellers. However the advice General Hlaing, Burmese dictator, was told to shoot demonstrators in particular in the head to scare the masses off, which the soldiers did, at the end did not work and the resistance against the army only strengthened.
So, once you know there could be a danger that you die within 5 years after the jab, you can better fight off that danger and it won’t happen. So, thank you for the prophesy.
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