Fall of the Spirits of Darkness

LIST OF CONTENTS

Description of Contents

Introduction

Lecture I – Dornach, 29 September 1917
THE DRIVING FORCES BEHIND EUROPE'S WAR
True insight into the underlying causes of the Great War show that they are spiritual in origin — this must be understood and acted upon or the chaos would continue.

Lecture 2 – Dornach, 30 September 1917
HUMANITY'S STRUGGLE FOR MORALITY
Humanity labours under illusions based in the past — true insight requires a morality which is difficult to achieve but which must become part of human life.

Lecture 3 – Dornach, 1 October 1917
THE QUEST FOR A PERFECT SOCIAL ORDER
Efforts to create a perfect society based on non-spiritual impulses cannot succeed — yet a true spiritual-scientific viewpoint will not find easy acceptance.

Lecture 4 – Dornach, 6 October 1917
THE ELEMENTAL SPIRITS OF BIRTH AND DEATH
Humanity must accept that destructive spiritual beings — who previously held a rightful place — have entered into everyday life, bringing disruption and division.

Lecture 5 – Dornach, 7 October 1917
CHANGES IN HUMANITY'S SPIRITUAL MAKE-UP
The evolution of humanity means a gradual inner separation of the spiritual and physical, something that must be comprehended clearly and incisively.

Lecture 6 – Dornach, 8 October 1917
THE NEW SPIRITUALITY
Fruitful political ideas will arise if the previously separated realms of human thought and true spiritual impulses are bridged.

Lecture 7 – Dornach, 12 October 1917
WORKING FROM SPIRITUAL REALITY
Thinking, and subsequent action, must be based on actual even-day reality and not on abstract intellectual theory.

Lecture 8 – Dornach, 13 October 1917
ABSTRACTION AND REALITY
Concepts based on reality hold within them the active inner life which is also present in everyday outer life.

Lecture 9 – Dornach, 14 October 1917
THE BATTLE BETWEEN MICHAEL AND ‘THE DRAGON’
Ahrimanic beings — defeated by the Michaelic hosts — now influence human beings, especially through materialistic thinking.

Lecture 10 – Dornach, 20 October 1917
THE INFLUENCE OF THE BACKWARD ANGELS
The backward angels make themselves at home in human heads but can find no place in heads filled with true spiritual wisdom.

Lecture 11 – Dornach, 21 October 1917
RECOGNIZING THE INNER HUMAN BEING
People's inner soul life and their connection with the Cosmos must be taken into consideration by future scientists, educators and others.

Lecture 12 – Dornach, 26 October 1917
THE SPIRITS OF LIGHT AND THE SPIRITS OF DARKNESS
Until 1879 the Spirits of Light promoted hereditary blood bonds and the Spirits of Darkness the urge for independence — then this was reversed.

Lecture 13 – Dornach, 27 October 1917
THE FALLEN SPIRITS' INFLUENCE IN THE WORLD
The fallen spirits now work on earth, but their defeat in ‘the heavens’ meant a science of the spirit became available to humanity.

Lecture 14 – Dornach, 28 October 1917
INTO THE FUTURE
If humanity becomes fully conscious of spiritual realities — especially the influence of the Spirits of Darkness — then right attitudes and activities will manifest.

Chronology of Rudolf Steiner's Life

Notes