Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2003, Page 136
doctrines and/or racist comments. (Staudenmaier, 2002, December 12,
http://www.waldorfcritics.org/active/archives.html search archive).
Steiner‘s hierarchical scheme of human evolution is subtly incorporated into the Waldorf
curriculum. As part of their ―history‖ lessons, pupils learn ancient Indian religious stories as
well as Persian, Egyptian-Chaldean, Greco-Roman and Germanic-Nordic myths which are
meant to jog past life memories. Uninformed parents might interpret the lessons as
―multiculturalism‖ in reality, however, pupils are being passed through a covert mystery
initiation, corresponding to Steiner‘s doctrine of the spiritual evolution of the Aryan. Steiner
believed that Manu saved an ―advanced‖ group of people from the Atlantis flood, guiding
them to India. They evolved ―upwards‖ after a Persian initiation, Egyptian initiation, etc.,
and according to Steiner, will continue to evolve ―higher‖ during his predicted future periods
of Earth. The following example from a Waldorf pupil‘s main lesson book reflects how
Anthroposophic myth-making is woven into the curriculum:
The Journey from Atlantis to India
Thousands of years ago there was a vast continent named Atlantis. The
people used their magic for evil and greedy purposes. On Atlantis there was
a wise man called Manu. Great love lived with Manu. Often he would spend
time alone thinking with his heart about God. One day when Manu was
sitting by a pond he saw a small fish that needed help. As the fish grew,
Manu continued to help the fish. When the fish was as big as a whale he told
Manu that the great rains were coming to wash away evil in the world. Manu
built an Ark and filled it with plants and kind people. The huge fish pulled the
Ark to the Northern Mountains of India. The people were overjoyed at the
sight of the rainbow and for the first time they saw the bright blue skies!
(Personal collection).
Steiner prophesied that the pure and advanced will evolve into various forms on their way
to becoming pure spirit, free from the restraints of the physical body. These future
evolutions of man include a plant-like body during Jupiter and a bee-like state when Earth
becomes Venus. By the Vulcan period, man‘s present organs of reproduction will atrophy
and the spiritually advanced will instead have a highly evolved larynx as an organ of
regeneration man will give birth by speaking another into existence. In other words, in
future, followers will return to spirit and become the creator, the ―universal human.‖ At one
point along Steiner‘s path of evolution, possibly during Earth‘s future Venus period, two
wings or antenna will develop on the forehead and the heart will become an organ of
knowledge—the brain of the ―chest-being.‖ He also predicted that in the future man will fly.
Those who don‘t comply with Steiner‘s way, who do not develop their ―I‖, will be destined to
life in his eccentric hell, when during Jupiter, they will become ―subordinate nature spirits.‖
(Steiner, 1995b, p. 70)
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, in Germany, Steiner and many others who undertook
occult quests, were inspired by the works of Goethe, who equated Christ with the Sun.
During this period, there was a push by volkisch movements to return to Germany‘s roots of
neopagan sun worship—replacing Christ worship—in order to restore the ―true‖ Teutonic
religion of the ancient Aryans (see Noll, 1995). Steiner‘s enlightenment incorporated a Sun
trinity that consists of the physical Sun, the second Sun, and most importantly, the first
Sun. ―Laggard beings‖ that should have evolved into spirits of wisdom, but instead
remained behind, live and work on the physical Sun. Within solar flares, laggard angelic
beings from Steiner‘s Ancient Sun period which ―are in fact ahrimanic beings‖ reside
(Vreede, 2001, p. 41). In the corona, laggard angelic beings, that remained behind from
Steiner‘s Old Moon condition, dwell. Within sunspots the laggard spirits of personality exist,
archai who completed their human stage on Steiner‘s ancient Saturn (p. 41). All the beings
doctrines and/or racist comments. (Staudenmaier, 2002, December 12,
http://www.waldorfcritics.org/active/archives.html search archive).
Steiner‘s hierarchical scheme of human evolution is subtly incorporated into the Waldorf
curriculum. As part of their ―history‖ lessons, pupils learn ancient Indian religious stories as
well as Persian, Egyptian-Chaldean, Greco-Roman and Germanic-Nordic myths which are
meant to jog past life memories. Uninformed parents might interpret the lessons as
―multiculturalism‖ in reality, however, pupils are being passed through a covert mystery
initiation, corresponding to Steiner‘s doctrine of the spiritual evolution of the Aryan. Steiner
believed that Manu saved an ―advanced‖ group of people from the Atlantis flood, guiding
them to India. They evolved ―upwards‖ after a Persian initiation, Egyptian initiation, etc.,
and according to Steiner, will continue to evolve ―higher‖ during his predicted future periods
of Earth. The following example from a Waldorf pupil‘s main lesson book reflects how
Anthroposophic myth-making is woven into the curriculum:
The Journey from Atlantis to India
Thousands of years ago there was a vast continent named Atlantis. The
people used their magic for evil and greedy purposes. On Atlantis there was
a wise man called Manu. Great love lived with Manu. Often he would spend
time alone thinking with his heart about God. One day when Manu was
sitting by a pond he saw a small fish that needed help. As the fish grew,
Manu continued to help the fish. When the fish was as big as a whale he told
Manu that the great rains were coming to wash away evil in the world. Manu
built an Ark and filled it with plants and kind people. The huge fish pulled the
Ark to the Northern Mountains of India. The people were overjoyed at the
sight of the rainbow and for the first time they saw the bright blue skies!
(Personal collection).
Steiner prophesied that the pure and advanced will evolve into various forms on their way
to becoming pure spirit, free from the restraints of the physical body. These future
evolutions of man include a plant-like body during Jupiter and a bee-like state when Earth
becomes Venus. By the Vulcan period, man‘s present organs of reproduction will atrophy
and the spiritually advanced will instead have a highly evolved larynx as an organ of
regeneration man will give birth by speaking another into existence. In other words, in
future, followers will return to spirit and become the creator, the ―universal human.‖ At one
point along Steiner‘s path of evolution, possibly during Earth‘s future Venus period, two
wings or antenna will develop on the forehead and the heart will become an organ of
knowledge—the brain of the ―chest-being.‖ He also predicted that in the future man will fly.
Those who don‘t comply with Steiner‘s way, who do not develop their ―I‖, will be destined to
life in his eccentric hell, when during Jupiter, they will become ―subordinate nature spirits.‖
(Steiner, 1995b, p. 70)
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, in Germany, Steiner and many others who undertook
occult quests, were inspired by the works of Goethe, who equated Christ with the Sun.
During this period, there was a push by volkisch movements to return to Germany‘s roots of
neopagan sun worship—replacing Christ worship—in order to restore the ―true‖ Teutonic
religion of the ancient Aryans (see Noll, 1995). Steiner‘s enlightenment incorporated a Sun
trinity that consists of the physical Sun, the second Sun, and most importantly, the first
Sun. ―Laggard beings‖ that should have evolved into spirits of wisdom, but instead
remained behind, live and work on the physical Sun. Within solar flares, laggard angelic
beings from Steiner‘s Ancient Sun period which ―are in fact ahrimanic beings‖ reside
(Vreede, 2001, p. 41). In the corona, laggard angelic beings, that remained behind from
Steiner‘s Old Moon condition, dwell. Within sunspots the laggard spirits of personality exist,
archai who completed their human stage on Steiner‘s ancient Saturn (p. 41). All the beings
