Russian Spirituality And Other Essays : Mysteries of Our Time Seen Through the Eyes of a Russian Esotericist

These wisdom-filled articles are gems offered us by the Russian esotericist Valentin Tomberg (1900-1973). Written in the 1930s, at the time he was also writing important studies on the Old Testament, New Testament, and the Apocalypse, these early articles presage Tomberg's later, more mature works on Christian Hermeticism. This was the 'anthroposophical' phase of his life, which ended during World War II, when he followed Christ's call to join the Catholic Church in order to bring the Christian esotericism of the Church of John into the exoteric Church of Peter-a step that truly represented a sacrifice on the part of this remarkable man. For in following this call of Christ to the Catholic Church, Tomberg took the step of leaving his karmic community-that of the anthroposophical movement founded by Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925). This step was a fulfillment of the words of Christ, of the Risen One, to Peter concerning John: 'If it is my will that he should wait until I come again, what is that to thee?' (John 21:22). These words relate to the task of the Church of John to 'wait'-that is, to cultivate the esoteric teachings 'behind the scenes'-until the onset of Christ's Second Coming, which began during the 1930s, when they could begin to emerge by bringing the esoteric teachings into the Church. For students of Christian Hermeticism, these early articles by the founder of this new spiritual stream reveal in particular something of the esoteric teachings underlying the author's Russian spirituality. The penetrating insights they offer are seeds that subsequently blossomed in his later works. As well as being of interest to students of Christian Hermeticism, these essays are relevant to anyone interested in Russian spirituality and, moreover, to everyone interested in esoteric perspectives concerning the present situation of humanity. The author of this work was a spiritually enlightened teacher whose care and concern extended beyond the plight of the Russian people under Soviet communism to include the challenges facing every human being in our time. Understood as a manual for enlightenment, to be worked with meditatively over and over again, this work is one of the great treasures of humanity's spiritual literature-a priceless jewel for every spiritual seeker in our time PART ONE: EARLY ESSAYS Introduction The Gospel of St John as a Way Toward Understanding the Spiritual Hierarchies The Metamorphoses of Logic: The Logic of the Material, Soul, and Spiritual Worlds The Metamorphosis of Thinking through the Study of Spiritual Science The Formulation of Meditation in East and West The Study of Spiritual Science as an Esoteric Schooling H.P. Blavatsky’s Secret Doctrine and Rudolf Steiner’s Occult Science Western Occultism, Vedanta, and Anthroposophy The Philosophy of Taking Counsel With Others The Significance of a Free Anthroposophical Group Resurrection as a Process Within the Human Organism John Dee of London: Two Book Reviews Midnight Sun: A Christmas Meditation PART TWO: RUSSIAN SPIRITUALITY & THE EAST Anthroposophy in the East Christianity in Russia The Mission of East Europe in Relation to the Mission of the West Movements Opposing Spiritual Science in the East The Spiritual Life of Asia China and East Europe Mongolianism and East Europe The Finnish Impulse in Russian Spiritual Life The Saga of the Holy City of Kitezh as Revelation of the Essential Forces of the Russian Folk-Soul The East European Conception of Suffering The Possibilities of Development in Eastern Christianity Solovyov, Dostoevsky, and Tolstoi Reveal the European Way of Thinking, Feeling, and Willing Anti-Christianism in the European East Anti-Christianism Seen in Relation to the Destiny-Paths of Judas, Saul, and Peter Anti-Christianism in East and West Possession and Enlightenment Seen in Relation to the Destiny-Paths of Judas and Paul The Antichrist in the View of Vladimir Solovyov The Deepening of Conscience Which Results in Etheric Vision Suffering as a Preparation for Etheric Vision The Secret Motto of Bolshevism Collectivism and Sophia (Tolstoi, Lenin, and Solovyov) The Spiritual Basis of the East European Tragedy List of Original Sources Further Reading