Letters to the Editor
Re: Mysticism at the Dawn of the New Age – by Rudolf Steiner
Wow! Just that short intro on the site blows my mind. Exactly what I needed on MY PATH:
"Now there are three roads — in the main — upon which one can walk when one arrives where Nicolas [of Cusa] had arrived: one is positive faith, which comes to us from outside; the second is despair: one stands alone with one's burden and feels all existence tottering with oneself; the third road is the development of man's own deepest faculties. Confidence in the world must be one leader along this third road. Courage to follow this confidence, no matter where it leads, must be the other..."
Gil Magno
Coconut Grove, FL, USA
Re: The Intelligence Analyst plus nudes
Regarding your 'Intelligence Analyst': If this isn't true, its a damned good lie!
What a wonderful one paragraph portrait of the awakening of a modern initiate - a Dostojevskij devotee; fortunately there are many Jim Tates coming and going . . .
You publish two grumbling and critical remarks on your apparent use of nudes to adorn or bracket issues of Southern Cross Review. As a new reader I have only managed to sample the two most recent issues (please provide prominent links in each issue to still available previous editions), but I find the depictions wonderful.
If you haven't already done so, consider throwing in a male nude or two for comfort, but the female nude apparition seems superior both as challenge and fulfillment to most artists (and other viewers) as far as I know.
'The nude' as artistic endeavour - enlightening reminder and display - might have several inspirations, but I sense - in the end - the main driving force is to explore and possibly habitate/civilise the apparent void between the strangely haunting and touching image of the outer human form in its many appearances and the often less obvious/visible inner form; very commendable and extremely hard I think, but probably still worth its while - both to create and to publish.
A new SCR reader
Jo Selsjord
Dear Mr. Smith,
I'm certainly no donkey-abider, but I cannot understand your willingness to drag the Queen of Heaven herself down into the filthy, smutty world of donkeys with your very young appearing nude and dare I say obscenely posed donkey illustration which serves as a navigational aide no less!
Righteously outraged and judging you in earnest,
*Lucius Apuleius*
Re: Critique of Rudolf Steiner by Osho
Osho´s critique of Steiner's reliance on thinking. R. Steiner once and again pointed out the ineffectiveness of the contemporary intellectual mind in order to reach both subtler and more powerful spiritual dimensions of reality and experience. However, he did stress that the scientific mode of thinking was a secure starting point for gaining knowledge of higher worlds... but only a starting point, because as students of his anthroposophy know, he went on to describe forms of cognition far removed and beyond intellectual thinking, which he termed technically Imagination, Inspiration and Intuition. One senses in this article, that Osho puts down all things mental as merely "mind". However, far from being circumscribed by an idiosyncratic "mind", Steiner places intellect as one particular stage of many ascending cognitional modes, including what he called Thinking of the Heart, where each stage is a developmental cornerstone for the next.
Meditation. Steiner never equated meditation to concentration -which is only one among many diverse fundamental preparatory mental exercises and activities that he recommended in order to achieve meditation by honing body-free willing and intentionality. Fundamental to his meditation technique are a sequence of steps in which the last is a contentless, free-form attention which remains open to revelation and insight from a higher source than the daily consciousness. (See the Rose Cross meditation sequence in Occult Science). So, concentration is not meditation but a preparatory exercise or in the case of a focused meditation it serves as preliminary orientation towards the region of the spiritual world one wishes to be open to.
Religion vs. Awakener of faculties. That Steiner did not wish to found a religion is clear from many of his remarks, such as "anthroposophy is not a religion but of benefit to man´s religious needs" (Jan 24, 1922) and "anthroposophy does not teach the final truth but what is appropriate for this age" (Feb 9, 1906). Rather, he considered anthroposophy as an awakener of human faculties on an evolutionary scale in which he stressed that its effect on development was more important than its actual content (see Jan 18, 1909; Aug 20, 1920; Nov 29, 1918)
Salutations from Buenos Aires
Freddy Halbrich
It is clear that Osho does not know much about Steiner, and even less about Christ. Osho says that all thinking is wrong, but he is explaining himself through thinking. I do agree with him on one point -- his thinking is wrong (although I would not have been as harsh). It was an entertaining read. I could not take his 'thoughts' seriously. Enough said.
Eric Muller,
NYC
It was quite illuminating. I have tried to start on Osho from time to time but never got long enough to see the difference to Steiner, but this article did it just fine. He defines the difference between the Eastern tradition and the Western tradition just as Steiner did, he just doesn't understand why the difference is as it is.
Steiner said that the Eastern tradition worked on the etheric chakras from the physical side, through meditation and yoga, to build the chakras as they were not yet fully developed at the time. He said also that the chakras, etheric organs, are fully developed today, and it is dangerous to use the old methods, as it is possible to harm the chakras, maybe even duplicate the chakras. Instead of working on the chakras from the physical side we should work on the chakras from the Astral side, and that needs different methods. When you close your eyes you separate the etheric and astral body a little, and when you sleep you separate them fully. When you meditate with closed eyes you can manipulate the etheric body from the physical side without the astral body intervening, when you meditate (think) with open eyes you can manipulate the etheric body from the astral, and if you fast the astral can manipulate without intervention from the physical.
The difference is also of another kind. The work to build the chakras was hard, and either they were built or not built, no place for loving attitudes from the gods.
This is different today, Christ and your higher I have love for us, and lots of patience, we get lots of help on the initiation path.
Steiner said the following, about dreams and the student's relation to the higher self, From the Content of the Esoteric Classes, 10-26-’09:
“Anyone who has a hidden opposition to his teacher will find that this feeling soon breaks through and adversely influences the effect of meditation. In an esoteric's daily meditations he should keep it in mind that he’s mainly trying to get through to his higher self, and he should reflect on what this higher self is. He shouldn’t think that he’s supposed to bring something to this higher self — he should have an expectant attitude towards him and expect everything from him. Usually there are three ways in which it approaches a pupil on his path. The first way is a rather flitting one and it requires the attentiveness that an esoteric should have for all things. Namely, this is in a dream, and what happens there is what one calls a doubling of the ‘I’. For instance, one has a problem or wants to do something. Then someone appears to one in a dream who tells one what to do or who solves the problem, one who is better and cleverer than oneself. One should pay attention to such dreams.”
From: “Dream Interpretation in Esoteric Work”
Kind Regards,
Kim Graae Munch,
Denmark
Dear friend,
my name is Tal. I have been living in India and Nepal for almost 5 years, studied Buddhism, Hinduism etc. Osho is definitely one of my favorites. After almost 8 years of studying, I came to meet the Anthroposophy which I'm studying for 3 years and work as an educator.
I just read the article “Critique of Rudolf Steiner”.
Even though most of what Osho says makes one know that he has been in contact with the higher sphere of being, the ignorance in his studies about R. Steiner made it possible for him to write what he wrote in his article. This is totally a misunderstanding of all what R. Steiner brought. The aspect of religion which Osho spoke about is one of the 3 aspects we, as human beings, have to work [on] in our path of development. The religious path, of course I mean by it religious as in Osho's terminology, is included in the perception we get through the eyes of anthroposophy. Osho couldn't see that and he therefore criticized R. Steiner for being a being walking in the path of religion. What he missed is that all Krishnamurti's teaching, and many of what Osho brought are included in that whole perception which brought by anthroposophy, but what Osho teaches doesn't. In fact, there is nothing outside the perception of anthroposophy, as it includes all the aspects we humans have. Steiners method, the scientific method, was used on purpose in order to open up the knowledge to the modern man. For the same reason that the western modern man finds understanding in the sect the Dalai Lama stands as the head of, the Gelukpa school. This is the LOGIC school. Steiner talked about the No mind supreme motto of Osho, but what Osho missed, is the way one goes in order to get there. Osho wanted us to go the way of leaving everything and through emptiness - HOP - get it. Steiner pointed out that on our path to become humans who hold the consciousness of infinite wisdom, we need to get "IT" not by letting go of ourselves and our ego, but with ourselves, knowing this is the path, because that is right in terms of what is right to the man and the whole - at once. This is being one with the whole, but not losing yourself in it. Steiner pointed out why that way of thinking is no longer relevant to the modern man. it was relevant to the periods of ancient India.
Steiner made a work of understanding how thoughts happen, who generates them, and what is thinking, which is not individual at all!!! Osho didn't have this understanding; if he had, he could have come to the understanding that Steiner didn't do what he does because of his ego, but because of perception of the WHOLE. Whoever reads Steiner and has guidance in understanding the text, will realize that nothing outside of what I myself can reveal would be irrelevant for our development. Osho points out that Steiner's works are in the field of ming, knowledge, but that is not the case at all with anthroposophy.
It is very hard to explain via mail all this, especially with my English, but this is very "unprofessional" article and not totally correct.
May all being be happy.
Will be glad to hear your reply.
Tal
Re: The History and Acuality of Imperialism by Rudolf Steiner
Hello,
Thank you for translating to English and publishing the three lectures, "The History and Actuality of Imperialism", by Rudolf Steiner. They can help us to understand better the complicated world events which we are entangled in. Until now, I found only a little excerpt in English from the lectures in the booklet “Islam study notes” which has been compiled by Steven Roboz. I didn't find the lectures yet in the The Rudolf Steiner Archive internet site.
I and some other friends are studying in a group the Islam and Judaism and their contribution to human evolution, from the anthroposophical point of view. Most of us are members of various Israeli branches of the Anthroposophical Society. We also share lectures by Rudolf Steiner with other readers in the site of our friend Daniel Zehavi.
The new Hebrew Rudolf Steiner Lectures Archive in the site of Daniel:
www.daniel-zehavi.co.il/lectures/nf_lectures_knisa.asp
We have to translate English texts to Hebrew for some of our members, and need your permission to do it. It be very kind by you to let the people in Israel get acquainted with the three lectures in Hebrew.
Many Thanks,
Benzion Porat
Ofaqim,
Israel
Re: The Great Israeli Security Scam
Editor,
My interest in Southern Cross is in the occasional excellent articles on Steiner’s philosophy, and how anthroposophy applies or relates to the real world. To access that valuable material, I must wade through an undergrowth of hard-left, anti-American drivel that I suspect would disappoint Dr. Steiner if he were to review the SC website. I can’t imagine how hard-left collectivism is derived from anthroposophy, nor even compatible with it, nor how that malignant strain of thought has entered the Southern Cross editorial flow. One guess is that Argentina is full of social discontents for whom the economic successes of Western civilization (USA) are magic, and therefore find the religion of envy, Communism and Communism-lite, socialism, attractive. That’s all I can come up with, shallow as that viewpoint might seem. Perhaps someone there can educate me on why a Steiner-centered website has such hostility toward the USA, which, after all, fought the good fights against grotesque tyrannies of the 20th Century.
Jack Trimpey
Re: Überlegungen zur Gestaltung gesunder gesellschaftlicher Verhältnisse
Querido,
Qué malo eres. Todavía que me da trabajo leer la revista en inglés, me añadís artículos en alemán!!! Tendré un año más cuando termine de leerla! Voto por más artículos en castellano, cordobés atravesado.
Elena Herbón,
Buenos Aires
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