Our Hero's Journey


Rudolf Steiner's concept of the Hero's Journey is wrapped around civilization's journey and how this challenge with its forces of light and dark call the human to balance.  


First light, then dark, then light, then dark and so on through history, through time, and through a human being's life span the challenges arise.  As individuals and as society, we are called upon to bring a balance to civilization in growing Christ consciousness (the divine esence in all faiths) on Earth.  We are all doing our part.


Most students of Steiner are familiar with his seven Post-Atlantean Epochs and the course of human development that each epoch calls from us.  According to Steiner (Zurich, 10th October, 1916, How Can the Destitution of Soul in Modern Times be Overcome--Social Understanding--Liberty of Thought--Knowledge of the Spirit), we are in the 5th Epoch where 'our' present task is the cultivation of  'Consciousness Soul' that requires mankind to 'work together.' 


As with every hero's journey where success hinges upon achieving the seemingly unachievable, 'working together' is challenging us.  


In the 4th Epoch, the preceding Greco-Roman period where humans developed an intellect and common understanding as a matter of course; now we must work to develop our intellect and our common understanding-to demonstrate our greater thrust forward in our spiritual freedom of choice and independence.


The risk we face as a civilization and as human beings in this epoch is that we fail to reach social understanding, deeper compassion and love for one another, and we fail to gain 'liberty of thought,' free from the dogma of our era.


In Steiner's body of work, our development as a civilization is likened to the development of each human along his/her own personal path of incarnation.  Steiner looks deeply into the forces of light and dark that play in civilization and in human events.  For example, he sees the role that Judas played in the Mystery of Golotha and calls us to deeper appreciation for Judas.  But for Judas, human beings would not be as clearly aware of life after death nor of the possibility for resurrection.


Once incarnated, a human's individual journey matches the development of our civilization's journey as played out in the four fold nature of human development.  First, a child, age 0-7, is primarily developing his/her physical form, a time which children most dearly resonate with the fairy world and beings of the elements and learn through imitating.  Next, ages 7-14, the individual has an 'enfolding etheric body' where a child becomes aware of suffering and through successful transitioning of this phase, learns to work with strengths within that allow him/her to find ways of overcoming suffering.  Ages 14-20, the human encounters astral body development, the emotional and passionate forces within that can unravel an individual, but if successfully transitioned lead to true Ego--individuality development and mission for this life. Age 21-41, the individual's quest is focused upon the 'development of Soul' (Biographical Phase and Inner Development-Archetype: 9-Fold Man-Life Chart). According to Steiner, the Ego works in the  "sentient soul, intellectual soul and spiritual soul and enables man to feel an outpouring of human brotherly love." (The Christ Impulse and the Development of the Ego-Consciousness, Lecture 4, Berlin, 8th February, 1910,  The Sermon on the Mount). 


Each phase of human development, as with civilization's development, brings with it forces of light and dark as embodied in the concepts of Lucifer and Ahriman.  According to Steiner, it is our karma, our life mission, to balance these forces and bring to earth an ever deepening divine consciousness. According to Steiner, we are the carrier of the Christ consciousness on earth (embodied in all divine essence of faiths in the world) and as such are called upon to successfully transition through our various challenges of light and dark and deliver through ourselves the gifts of this consciousness to human kind. (see Three Streams of Human Evolution, http://www.kheper.net/topics/Antroposophy/Steiner-3streams.htm) 


In Ahriman we have the forces of materialism and tangible, physical life so dense that little light or spiritual insight penetrates the world. In Lucifer, the glamours of light are so pronounced as to prevent incarnation on earth.


And here we are, as human being, upon our own life paths so seemingly insignificant in this vast array of civilizations working themselves out for the greater good.  Yet, as with every human incarnate, we each have our own karmic role and, in tiny part, our own successful playing out of these roles contributes to the greater success and well being of civilization.  


Awareness of our own karmic challenges, our own hero's journey, allows us to see others more clearly, support each other more appropriately, and teach others more consciously.  It is our duty to explore our own karmic journey and to clear ourselves, thereby lessening the risk of damaging others with whom we enliven with our own energies.


I forgive myself as failing myself and others so often.  I embrace the greater truth of our mutual redemption and willingness to stay the course through time.  I acknowledge that although there may be turns and tribulations, for each of us, our love and devotion calls us back again and again and again.


I am deeply grateful to be drawn into association with others that are travelling similar life paths, despite the seeming difficulty of our 'social understanding' as it often disharmoniously permeates in the greater sphere of life, .  Among us, we are doing our part to bring the Christ consciousness (the divine of all) to Earth,  however we may each individually perceive it--an ever-expanding concept of One and Atonement.


Each transitional phase is fraught with risk and failure. I myself have gotten stuck in fear, despair, grief and anger.  Still the light calls me forth from the dark and I am here in the present able to contribute to the greater good in whatever ways I can be of service.  I am doing my best and, in the end, that is all I can ask of myself.


Nothing more can be asked of any of us.  Success and failure, just nomenclature, is determined not so much in outcome as with our willingness to 'get up' an try again. In this, we are rich.  We have 'the will to live' and we have chosen to be 'guardians of the Light' come what may.  With such insights as Steiner and others provide us, we can use everything that manifests for our growth and upliftment and in this I am so grateful.