Michael age

The Michael Age in which we stand today, which replaced the previous Gabriel Age (1510 - 1879 A.D.), began, according to Rudolf Steiner's spiritual research, in November 1879 after the overthrow of the Spirits of Darkness by the Archangel Michael. Michael thereby conquered the power by which men, if they follow him, can transform the materialistic intellectual power into spritual intellectual power. The paths, the "Michael paths", which lead to a contemporary spiritual knowledge, can be followed through anthroposophical spiritual science.

„The objective fact is simply that in November 1879, beyond the sphere of the sensuous world, in the supersensuous, that which can be expressed thus took place: Michael has conquered the power, when men come to meet him with all that lives in their souls, to penetrate them with his power in such a way that they can transform the old materialistic intellectual power, which had grown up in humanity up to that time, into spiritual intellectual power, into spiritual intellectual power. That is the objective fact; it has taken place. We can speak of it: Michael has entered into a different relation to humanity from that in which he stood before, since November 1879. But it is necessary that one should serve Michael.“ (Lit.:GA 195, p. 35)

This fact was already pointed out in earlier centuries in occult literature. Trithemus von Sponheim, for astronomical considerations based on the synodic lunar rhythm, had calculated September/October 1879 as the beginning of the Michael Age (for more on this see → Archangel regencies). Shortly before Rudolf Steiner, C.G. Harrison spoke very emphatically about the coming Michael Age and its significance:

„I have said that all great movements in the external world have their origin in the spiritual world, and that the conflict of opinions which marks the transition from one historical epoch to another is, so to speak, the after-image of a battle already fought and won in the spiritual region. We have just entered such a transitional period. The reader may take the following facts for what he believes they are worth. The year 1879 marked the end of an epoch in the intellectual life of Europe and America. In that year the hosts of light under the Archangel St. Michael won a decisive victory over the hosts of darkness, led by Beizebub and Mammon^*), in a series of battles which extended over a period of 30 to 40 years.

*)Belzebub has been called the god of flies; of germs would be more correct. The life of these microscopic creatures, which are the cause of zymotic disease, and indeed all forms of vegetable and animal parasitic life, are caused by influences of the moon and are therefore under the power of the Lord of the eighth sphere. This is well known to those who practise higher kinds of evil magic or sorcery. Mammon, whose name is derived from the Syriac word for wealth, is one of the "leaders of the darkness of this world" (Eph. VI 12). He is the god of "obstacles" and presides over all those bad influences which are produced by ignorance, prejudice and fear. For this reason he is thought to have a special connection with material wealth, which is a false measure of worth and dignity.“ (Lit.: Harrison, p. 79)

Literature

• C. G. Harrison: Das Transcendentale Weltenall, photomechanischer Nachdruck der Ausgabe um 1897, Verlag Engel&Seefels, Stuttgart (1990), S 79
• Rudolf Steiner: Die spirituellen Hintergründe der äußeren Welt. Der Sturz der Geister in die Finsternis., GA 177 (1985), Neunter Vortrag, Dornach, 14. Oktober 1917 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
• Rudolf Steiner: Weltsilvester und Neujahrsgedanken, GA 195 (1986), ISBN 3-7274-1950-4 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org

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