Michaelmas
Conquering the Ahrimanic Forces of Darkness
September 17, 2023
This time of year, we recognize the power of the spirit known as Michael and his victory over the forces that would drag us down. The Michaelmas Festival coincides with the autumn equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, September 23, 2023. We invite you to explore Rudolf Steiner’s teachings on the battle of Michael and the Dragon, Michaelmas, and the importance of the seasons in our soul development.
In this article, we highlight Steiner's teachings on how:
- There arose a revolt of divine spirits seeking free will prematurely before men came into human form. Ahriman, the Dragon, was their leader.
- Michael banished the super-sensible Dragon to the earthly realm where he did not belong.
- The battle with the Dragon moved from the outer cosmos into human nature.
- The Dragon and leagues of Ahrimanic beings repeatedly attack Michael and his army but are always defeated.
- Both human freedom and our increased materialism resulted from these uprisings.
- With the Dragon now entrenched in human nature, mankind must fight those inner forces that would hinder our spiritual development. We do this through our will and heartfelt thinking. In this way, we align ourselves with the forces of Michael.
- While Easter commemorates the death and resurrection of Christ, Michaelmas represents the reverse: the resurrection of the human soul and physical death, like waking up from summer's dreamy slumber and the withering of autumn foliage.
Through our efforts to resurrect our souls, we no longer remain chained to the material realm like Ahriman but can be confident in our death that we will continue to evolve spiritually as intended.