My guest on this episode of Born Free Method: The Podcast is Robin Lanier, pedagogical director at the Waldorf School of Louisville. Robin has been teaching children for over 20 years, meaning he’s been working on his own spiritual growth for at least that long. In this conversation we discuss Archangel Michael through the lens of Rudolf Steiner, the story of Parzival the knight, and even tie in some J.R.R. Tolkien to keep things interesting. This is a fascinating and beautiful conversation that is especially important for the work that I bring to the world through childbirth and as a father, husband, and friend during especially trying times.

Here is some important background context…

Archangel Michael has played a prominent role in a variety of the abrahamic and esoteric traditions for ages. Michael can be seen as Christ’s second-hand man. He carries “cosmic intelligence”. As human beings moved toward more independent, earthly thinking, Michael “released” this intelligence to be developed by humans themselves, through free will and reason rather than divine revelation.

Michael is also the adversary of Ahriman, one of the “devils” in Steiner’s cosmology. Ahriman is not “Satan”, per say. Ahriman embodies the reductive materialistic ways of the modern world, with its mechanization and reduction of the spirit to pure calculation and technology. Michael doesn’t reject the material or intellectual world, but wants it infused with spiritual awareness rather than dominated by soulless rationalism.

As a small aside…let’s review some basics of esotericism:

* Lucifer = too much spirit, too little earth (illusion, escapism)

* Ahriman = too much earth, too little spirit (materialism, mechanization)

* Christ = the balance point between them

* Michael = Christ’s “regent” or forerunner in the present age, specifically tasked with keeping Ahrimanic forces in check so humans can find that balance through free, conscious thinking rather than old-style mysticism or cold rationalism

This is important today because Steiner taught that we are living in the “Age of Michael”, a period (he said starting in the last quarter of the 19th century) where Michael’s influence makes it possible — and necessary — for humans to consciously choose spiritual knowledge rather than have it given to them. This is tied to Steiner’s broader idea of anthroposophy as a path of free, thinking cognition of spiritual reality.

If you are new to the idea of materialism and are already doubtful about what has been said about Ahriman, consider what has happened in technology and artificial intelligence over just the past decade, and you’ll begin to see what Steiner alluded to when he spoke to the “Ahrimanic forces” of the world. These are the forces that Archangel Michael is actively working against in order that the spirit of each human is not consumed by earthly forces but rather balanced between earth and spirit, like a cosmic antenna.

We are now entering the season of Michaelmas, which is punctuated - even in medieval times - by a great feast around September 29th, marking the re-embodiment of the ego consciousness into our earthly, vital bodies. This time of year is associated with themes of courage, willpower, and confronting fear (symbolized by Michael slaying the dragon) as inner qualities needed for this age, which explains the deeper meaning of the Dragon Faire for Waldorf children around ages 6-7.

The essence of Archangel Michael also comes through in the Middle High German poem: Parzival, written by Wolfram von Eschenbach between roughly 1200 and 1210, running to about 24,800 lines across sixteen books. The story follows a naive young knight raised in isolation by his widowed mother, who eventually leaves home, is inducted into King Arthur’s court, and stumbles into the mysterious Grail castle — where his failure to ask a simple question of compassion condemns him to years of wandering and further trials before he can return, mature and enlightened, to finally heal the wounded Fisher King and receive the Grail. It is ultimately Michaelic influence through which Parzival finds strength and will within himself to “do the right thing” which brings that which he is seeking within reach.

This theme is relevant to our work as people living within a community, and it’s especially relevant to birthwork, where the birth attendant must support a family sometimes out of impropriety for the rules and procedures of society. This work is a sacred calling, but fully expressing your unique human genius is also a sacred calling, and it is this time of the year that we are impressed with the importance of exercising our will to find our heart center and answer the call.

References from this conversation:

* Parzival: A Romance of the Middle Ages, by Wolfram Von Eschenbach (author), Helen M. Mustard (translator) (Best translation for prose)

* Parzival, by Wolfram Von Eschenbach (author), Jessie L. Weston (translator) (Best translation for poetry)

* The Hobbit And The Lord Of The Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien

This episode was sponsored by Born Free Method.

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Medical Disclaimer: Born Free Method: The Podcast is an educational program. No information conveyed through this podcast should be construed as medical advice. These conversations are available to the public for educational and entertainment purposes only.

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