Tolkien depicted the nature of evil with a depth and power only possible to a good Man. But what is the extremity of evil as depicted in The Lord of the Rings?
Which sentences would you nominate?
My candidate is quoted over at The Notion Club Papers blog.
To my eye, drawing lines between the five brightest stars; Auriga (the charioteer) is a great pentangle in the night sky; and one that includes Capella (meaning "chapel") - which one of the brightest stars, and one that is usually high overhead.
Because I have "a thing" about pentangles; my keen-ness is easily explained.
Plus, when visibility is good; Auriga includes the little isosceles triangle of "the Kids", which points at Polaris - "the North Star".
I have begun to think so.
It is impossible to be sure, because the whole world of communication is full of lies and fakes; as well as sheer ignorance and honest error.
But the attempts to maintain some kind of civilization outside of the West - which is long-since committed to suicide - are apparently unravelling by the day.
It seems that positive feedback may have set-in, when one problem leads to several* - multiplying in a series; and the response to each problem actually makes it worse...
And, if this is so; then collapse will accelerate and soon become undeniable - and unstoppable.
The new-ish factor is that the self-loathing Western civilization has become so consumed by resentment and spiteful sadism; that a significant portion of the Western-globalist ruling class have decided to do everything possible actively to bring down the rest of the world, during their own self-inflicted death throes.
These people are negatively-motivated: they do things primarily in order to harm others - and they will do them, even when their own actions will harm themselves - and even when their actions will harm themselves even-more than they will harm others.
Nowhere is exempt - the scope is as wide as their fear, resentment, and spiteful sadism... which is continually widening.
And in this entropic world; destruction is just so much easier to accomplish than generating and sustaining functionality - that effort and resources invested with intent to harm, may go a long way and achieve a great deal.
But I could be wrong again, as I have been wrong before; because I don't know - and nobody knows - what is really happening, and what is important, or how people will react.
It should become clear, one way or the other, quite soon.
*Each shortage leading to several more; one supply failure leading to several others that depended on the first; a war that leads to more wars, in more places etc -- all such iterating and interacting. And when resources are mobilized to solve one lethal problem, then this creates other fatal weaknesses elsewhere.
As a complement to William Wildblood's reflections on the potential value for Christians in what might be termed pagan-ism; Laeth makes an interesting point about the possibility of a future pagan religion in The West (edited):
Jupiter stopped answering the Romans, and Jesus stopped answering the Christians. This is obvious.
There is no power or magic left in the churches...
Lots of people may say: "but my church is wonderful, we do this and do that, and so on". But that doesn’t change the fact that the spirit going through your local, or even home, church is not infecting and affecting the world the way Christianity as a whole thing did...
The fact is, no religion moves the West (and beyond) anymore.
But it obviously did, as any look into history will show.
Look around: the remnants of that incredibly strong motivation are still here. We like to visit such places. But we don’t do there what our ancestors did; and even when we do, we don’t feel like they did doing it.
C. S. Lewis, I think, once said that this was doubly true for paganism; that if we are removed from Christianity, we are even more so from paganism.
But now I think it’s pretty much the same. That "gap" has been closed.
The more a body decomposes, the more it looks like the one next to it.
That point about the "gap" between Christianity and pagan religions having closed strikes me as a genuine insight from Laeth.
It is probably what underpins such pagan revivalism as has been evident over the past half century or so: Wiccan witchcraft; Druidism; Shamanism; and revivals of neo-Celtic, -Norse, or -Anglo-Saxon polytheistic rituals and symbolism - and the like.
This has been possible because - experientially - such invented neo-paganism is overall, pretty much, just as motivating and powerful as Christianity...
The trouble is that this level power and motivation is Not Enough - in either case.
So that Christianity and the varieties of paganism are way too feeble to overcome pre-existing political beliefs.
So that both Christianity and paganisms now operate at the level of lifestyle, hobbies, fandoms - and do not do what religion historically "obviously did".
From such a recognition we may look back into history and recognize that - in terms of theosis (i.e. learning and developing spiritually during mortal life) and salvation (resurrection into Heaven after death) - None Of This Matters.
Christianity was essentially not/ never supposed-to-be a socio-economic state programme.
And it was supposed to be possible for all individuals who wanted what Jesus offered; regardless of their time, place, or personal circumstances.
In a geopolitical world where treachery and gratuitous murder are openly and officially celebrated; it's become pretty easy to appear "good" - merely by defending The System, and its continued functionality.
When contrasted with a mainstream moral system increasingly based-upon paranoid resentment and Schadenfreude - those whose vision of the future is 2020-on-steroids may begin to look "good by comparison".
When routine usage of mass-scale and indiscriminate assassination, and the parasitic scavenger-of -corpses presented as a moral ideal; with its implicit Hobbesian future of eternal war of each against all...
It is easy to fall into supporting the only publicly available and organized alternative: a totalitarian world of omni-surveillance and micro-control (ostensibly) supervised by "AI" and implemented by "robots".
In other words; the greedy lying tyrants of the lockdown-era start to seem "not so bad" after all...
(By reasoning that "at least" they don't actively support industrial-scale torture and slaughter, sabotage of production and trade, and environmental annihilation.)
The stage has been set for the masses eagerly to invite their own mental slavery to a materialist-computerized society, built upon absolute denial and exclusion of the divine and human - hoping thereby to avoid the alternative.
Unless we are alert to this spiritual danger; we will fall willingly into this long-prepared trap of not just choosing between two evils; but inwardly-endorsing that which we regard as the lesser evil - and thereby coming to regard in our hearts that which is fundamentally opposed to God, divine creation and salvation - as if it was good.
All this is presented as a forced-choice - either embrace the global totalitarianism and the systematic destruction of spirit; or else embrace a world of deliberate and spiteful destruction.
The System is presented as the only bulwark against forever-everywhere war; and chaos is presented as the only escape from eternal mental slavery.
These are not, of course, the only options; but nobody with power/ influence/ high status is going to tell you about the good alternatives.
Note added: We also need to ask how it became normal and acceptable among the ruling classes to celebrate treachery and assassination; even when these harm the ruling classes own long-term self-interest. This leads to a consideration of the trajectory of evil, of how unrepented evil is dynamic and feeds upon itself - how evil becomes "purer" with time: meaning that it becomes more wholly-negative.
In my reading of Rudolf Steiner I came across a fourfold division of Beings into what he called "bodies" but which might better be understood as "levels".
Ego - Astral - Etheric - Physical*
The first and last are easy to grasp - Ego is me-my real-self which is eternal; and Physical is the mortal material body.
But although there seems to me to be some validity to Steiner's posited in-between levels of Etheric and Astral, I have found it difficult to understand, distinguish and grasp these - especially when I see how the terms sometimes get used in practice.
For instance Steiner sometimes tries to draw a bright-line between the levels, and use them to divide and separate discrete categories of minerals, plants, animals and humans - on the basis that the etheric plane corresponds to "life"; the astral to "consciousness", and the ego to something-like "will".
For Steiner (in some of his writings) plants are minerals plus the etheric; animals are plants plus the astral; humans are animals plus the ego.
However; I believe that all Beings have all these attributes, but to widely varying degrees...
Such that we are talking about distinctions, not divisions; levels not planes or "bodies".
So; to make coherent sense from these "planes" I think it must be acknowledged that all Beings (mineral, plant and animal) have all these planes of reality to some degree, but in widely varying degrees.
It could reasonably be decided to merge etheric and astral, to regard them as a continuum bridging the spiritual qualities in-between our mortal physical bodies and the eternal true-self.
And this must be true in an ultimate sense. Nonetheless, the fact that these levels are often distinguished suggests that individual consideration may have value.
Here are some thoughts on distinguishing Etheric and Astral that seem broadly valid:
The Etheric "field"
This realm is localized, and surrounds the physical body - extending into the surroundings but falling off rapidly with distance.
The etheric can be understood as rather like a "field" surrounding the body - it is both sensory and imposes itself. For example, the etheric field is what enables people to realize that another person, or large animal, is near; or if we are being watched.
We can reach-out with our etheric field to explore our surroundings, so it operates as a sixth sense - in addition what is perceptible to "the five senses".
Charisma and sexual "chemistry" operate mostly at the etheric level - and so do "gut feelings" of fear, and the perception of threat from others.
In such situations, our own etheric field interacts-with another person's etheric field; in a way that is qualitatively distinguishable from the five senses.
It is by etheric communications that we may feel comfortable and happy to sit in silence beside those we love; and feel uncomfortable and miserable when we are nearby those whom we regard as hostile or manipulating.
By etheric interaction we may be aware, and we may influence - and etheric interactions may be spontaneous and passive; or they may be active and willed.
Someone may project their dominance or their sex appeal etherically - entering the room and all attention is upon them. Or people may project the opposite.
Or even withdraw their etheric field; to the point of a kind of willed etheric-invisibility, so they tend to pass un-noticed.
The etheric level is also that of ghosts and the like: localized spirits, spirits tied to a place or situation; spirits that may be detected by our etheric awareness, and many interact directly with physical bodies.
The Astral "realm"
The astral is de-localized, it is more like a realm than a field - a realm that we may enter and explore; and in which distance is irrelevant, and past and present are both experienced.
The astral is the realm of dreams.
In dreaming we (mostly) leave-behind our everyday physical bodies and our etheric awareness - the dreamer lying on the bed asleep; and our egos instead travel in astral realms, equipped with astral "simulations" of the body and etheric field.
In the astral realm of dreaming we may interact with other Beings using five physical sense plus the etheric - but in the astral realm these are "virtual" communications, all-but detached from the sleeping person's physical self, who is mostly cut-off from his surroundings.
Since Beings are eternal and not localized - the astral realm potentially extends across all reality.
In the astral realm we can therefore interact with those who have died, and those from far away - from anywhere and from past or present; in an as-if fashion, communicating by quasi-sensory virtual-versions of vision, language, touch etc.
[In the Astral we are not "in" the past, not re-living it; but instead may experience here-and-now the past of our own earlier experience (including our pre-mortal experience as spirits), and also here-and-now experience the past as has been experienced by the other Beings we encounter.]
But the astral is a realm that includes all Beings - to some degree.
Therefore we should not suppose that the astral is wholly, or even mostly, "good". It is not a realm exclusively for wish-fulfilment and pleasure.
Since we inhabit primary creation, and since the astral is a realm in this mortal world, the astral is potentially open to all manner of Beings; although the ego remains conscious and always retains a measure of control - and of responsibility.
The evil we encounter and do in the astral realm, is some kind of reality, for which we bear some kind of responsibility - which is why dreams are important.
But the astral realm is not only a matter of dreaming; it is always present to some degree; and may be substantially or (almost) fully entered in other circumstances: for instance in meditation or trance states, in intoxication and delirium states.
When we are aware of a kind of inner pressure to think, travel, read or otherwise do something; this may be a matter of communications from other Beings operating at the astral level.
Astrally-communicating Beings may be good and loving (perhaps benign ancestors, or our beloved who have died, or those who love from their books or music or suchlike). However, just as in this mortal world; among these well-meaning benign Beings, none are infallible, and some are much wiser than others.
But the astral Beings trying to influence us may instead be hostile. The thoughts and activities that these Beings encourage will be intended to harm us, spiritually.
In other words (amongst others) the astral realm is that in which we are most likely to encounter both angels and demons; and our guide must be a combination of our own discernment with the guidance of the Holy Ghost - which guidance is above and independent from the astral realm.
The astral realm is a realm of indirect communication; in which our interactions are symbolic and perceptual (even the etheric is a kind of perception) and require interpretation.
While the level "above" the astral is that of the Ego, the real, ultimate, divine Beings that populate creation.
And at this level where there is direct and unmediated - Being to Being - knowing.
*My understanding is that this division - or at least this formulation of it - originated in Theosophy, and with Helena Blavatsky. Steiner began as a Theosophist. The idea therefore spread far beyond Steiner, and both in the West and the East (Gandhi was a Theosophist in his early adulthood, thus Theosophy influenced modern Hinduism. Several Theosophical concepts - such as Atlantis - have been widely incorporated into the New Age. So the etheric and astral are discussed all over the place.
I have written before about the scam that is dark chocolate - how everyone really wants milk (and/or white) chocolate; but gets coerced, shamed, or indoctrinated into that inversion of enjoyment which is dark chocolate.
Dark chocolate is the decadence of the over-indulged and satiated; and in this respect it is analogous to modernist classical music.
Everybody who genuinely likes classical music, most enjoys and appreciates pre-20th century music of one sort or another - the music that came before Schoenberg and Stravinsky - whether from the renaissance, baroque, classical or romantic era. The music of (for example) Tallis, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, or Wagner.
However, when people attend or watch on TV a classical music concert, or listen to a classical radio station, they are nearly-always compelled to hear a significant percentage of "modern" classical music - relentlessly dissonant, atonal, or in some fashion raucous, or simply incoherent and mediocre.
This is because the classical music producers, conductors, performers, and composers have - by the time they reach adulthood - gorged on pre-modern music for hours-per-day from early childhood until they are heartily sick of it; and they want nothing other than to hear good music subverted, twisted, mocked, parodied, or spoiled - hence the liking for "modernism" in music.
Modernist music is the decadence of the satiated professional, being force-fed to the amateur and music-lover, in a spirit of revenge or sheer spitefulness.
And the same applies to the chocolate chefs, designers, manufacturers, and connoisseurs; they have stuffed themselves with sweet milk or white chocolates until their palates crave bitterness, sourness or and salt.
Instead of the smooth creamy texture of good milk/ white chocolate; they instead desire dry, powdery, brittle, even salty (!) experiences.
But rather than do the rational thing and eat something else other than chocolate, something that gratifies their anti-chocolate desires; they instead ruin the chocolate.
Instead of leaving ordinary people to enjoy their sweet and smooth chocolate - they spitefully demand to insert dark chocolate where it is not wanted:
In selection boxes, when they mix nasty dark with delicious mild/ whites. Or (when prevented) by encrusting or lacing or dusting the creamy-sweet milk or white chocolate, with the bitter-dryness of The Black Stuff.
And it is the moderate, common-sense, chocolate-loving amateur who must suffer the consequences of the professionals' dark depravity.
It has been my contention since the second half of 2020 that the nature of dominant "establishment" evil has evolved and transformed from the goal of global totalitarianism (international omni-surveillance and micro-control of populations) to a resentment-rooted and spitefully-motivated destructiveness.
The totalitarians have lost power since their peak in early 2020; and the Agents of Chaos have become increasingly dominant.
This is how I understand the ongoing Western war against "modern Zoroastria".
While there are a dozen or so theories about how this is a strategic war, aiming at power domination, resource extraction, geopolitical balance, security, territory, or whatever -- I regard these as disinformation; merely a smorgasbord of deliberately-confusing false excuses (pick your favourite!) for starting and escalating what is meant to be (at the highest level of control*) a process of mass mutual destruction.
In other words; while the mid-level explanations of this war as driven by the interests of particular groups or individuals is partly and proximately correct - in that selfish-interest is indeed what motivates many of the active participants; I contend that these self-interested groups are being duped and used by those who actually seek their destruction.
The overall aim and methods are designed, at the top-level, to induce destruction hence chaos; the chaos then generating further destruction in a positive feedback cycle.
My explanation at least has the virtue of being almost certainly right immediately and for the medium-term of months and a few years!
What is disputable is how this for-sure chaos, is related to some hoped-for-and-planned positive strategic outcome of whatever interest-group is genuinely dominant.
There will be for-sure a vast and lasting increase in bilateral destruction of infrastructure, people and the land; and there will be regional chaos.
The main question is whether this for-sure chaotic destruction is a side-effect, or whether it is the actual plan itself.
Whether this definite chaos and destruction truly motivated by some-or-another optimistically-intended long-term (i.e several to many years ahead) strategic Master Plan; will become clear and evident to most people only after several to many years - but then only if they can conceptualize and recognize the reality and possibility of chaotic evil.
It is spiritually important that we, here, now; become able to conceptualize and recognize that chaotic-destructive evil is a real thing, a real possibility, thus a real and possible motivator of world (as well as local) events.
*The highest level of control of the pursuit of Chaotic Evil is the demonic, which explains the intent of maximum and mutual destruction of human life and society. Humans are involved at lower levels - highest are the demonically possessed/ enslaved and the willing/ whole-hearted servants of evil. Tese are covert. Below them, and in public view, are the great mass of selfish dupes and pursuers of money, sex, and power over others - the middle managers and henchmen of totalitarianism.
I was reflecting on the fate of the New Age spirituality, which began in the late seventies but hit public consciousness from the middling 1980s.
There was a tremendous growth in this (loose) "movement" - involving huge numbers of people thousands of whom were professionals (made a living from it), thousands of book titles - with sections in mainstream bookshops and multiple specialized bookshops, a huge expansion of participation in workshops, conferences, residential weekends, pilgrimages and the like.
It seemed to most people at the time that this was evidence of an on-going mass spiritual transformation: which would lead to a much more spiritual and personal; less materialistic and bureaucratic world.
And yet here we are.
Masses of people spend many hours per day interacting with the internet and social media.
A world where small scale institutions are subordinated or co-opted or assimilated to the agenda of globalist or multi-national institutions; a world where all the crafts, guilds or professions of 1980 are now either destroyed or converged into a depersonalized (increasingly computer-mediated) totalitarian bureaucracy.
What we got instead of spiritual transformation was spiritually-themed fandom - which is simply a component part of The System: an aspect of the Leisure Industry.
And almost exactly the same has happened to the churches.
Whatever hopes may have been cherished for a positively-transformative religious revival, a church-based Christian revival; have devolved into merely Religious themed-fandom.
To be a "devout" Christian church person is nowadays a part of the leisure industry, and implicitly regarded as such - as was evident in 2020 when the churches formally acknowledged themselves to be (unlike gardening shops, for example) a part of the non-essential economy - and therefore collaborated eagerly in their own closure.
The churches offer a variety of leisure time and sociable activities; and the really keen Christian will spend hours a day getting updates and inspiring Christian quotes from social media, reading and commenting on Christian social media and (if serious Christians) various essays and blogs - and during their holidays can make Christian pilgrimages, and post photos of their Christian devotion onto their favoured media.
Really-really serious Christians can be internet "creators": generating their own visual and audio material to stimulate others -- and perhaps gathering a bit of extra income from running advertisements, getting sponsorship, amassing a band of admiring virtual-Patrons, or facilitating drive-by consumers to but them a virtual "cup of coffee".
Christian church activity is nowadays just like any other Leisure activity - except that it "about" Christianity, has a Christian-themed content - instead of being about movies, popular TV series, bestsellers, celebrities, or sports teams and stars.
Such activity is precisely analogous to, no deeper than, no more religiously significant than, any of the many other fandoms of sports, franchise products, hobbies and pastimes; special interest groups and charities; with which the mass/social media abounds.
As with New Age - this kind of religious "growth" may be enjoyable (else people wouldn't do it); but it has demonstrably-feeble religious depth or motivational power; because the whole activity is encapsulated within the ruling mainstream totalitarian and materialist ideology.
Christian churches here-and-now are just a subtype of System-assimilated fandom - and have no more spiritual significance than any other such.
