The father loves his children, the mother loves her children, the children love their father and mother; but this is not like that, brothers. The wild beast also loves its young. But a man can be related only by similarity of mind and not of blood… ~ Gogol, Taras Bulba

The Steiner version of the three Vedic gunas — Ahrimanic, Luciferic, and Christic forces — may be more expressive for us. How do events appear using those categories? Appealing to the superstition of facts misses the forest for the trees. This is a recent comment I wrote:

The temperature and pressure of a gas can be measured without knowing the positions and motions of each individual atom. That is because the gas is a totality, so the differences in individual atoms turn out to be irrelevant as they average out. Moreover, the individual atoms are not even aware that they are participants in a larger process.

The theologian Michael Heiser wrote the book, The Unseen Realm, a few years ago. His thesis is that the stories about angels, Nephilim, demons, divine councils, etc., in the Bible need to be taken seriously. In practice, this means that there are influences in the world that transcend the combined actions of individuals. Whatever their individual intentions, higher intelligences, both benign and malign, are manipulating them for their own purposes. They have no power over physical events, but work through the hearts and minds of individuals.

I heard one pastor claim that the seraphim are dragons with wings and the cherubim are bulls with wings. That makes for beautiful symbolism, but that is not how we recognize their activity in thw world. Rather they reveal themselves — both angels and demons — through constellations of thoughts. It is necessary to become aware of those worldviews. Here, Nietzsche can offer us some insights. The worldviews are expressions of the Will to Power, not topics suitable for intellectual debate.

On the individual level, the first temptation of sinister forces is doubt — double-mindedness. Like every negative thought, detach yourself from the thought, find an anchor point, and observe it. THERE IS NO INTELLCTUAL ARGUMENT TO MITIGATE YOUR DOUBT. It is an existential problem, not an intellectual problem. Recall Tomberg’s discussion of the fall, for reference.

Esoteric teaching — as least true esoteric teaching and not pop spirituality — is not anti-theology. Actually, just the opposite, because it teaches a worldview in which theology makes sense. The alternatives are inscrutable theological conundrums, like this discussion between intelligent and educated theologians. If your dog goes to heaven, then do his fleas also go to heaven? If you want to be a Zen Buddhist, then treat it as a koan and let me know.

Today, on the Ides of March, we celebrate the assassination of the Roman worthy Julius Caesar. Instead of killing Julius Caesar today, purge your mind of useless and vain thoughts.

What happiness: it is night and we are alone!
The river is like a mirror, all ablaze with stars,
And there – lean your head back and look up –
What profundity and purity there is above us!
Call me mad! Call me what you will:
At this moment
Reason fails me,
And in my heart I feel such an outpouring of love,
That I cannot be silent, I won’t, I can’t!
I’m sick, I’m in love, but anguished and in love –
Just listen! Hear me well! – I cannot hide my passion.
And I want to say that I love you,
It is you, you alone that I love and desire!

[youtube “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr7BJ67xv3o”]