The Slavic culture of the future

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THE SLAVIC CULTURE OF THE FUTURE

 

During his stay in America (1888-1895) Peter Deunov had become familiar with the Theosophical movement. He may have known that for H.P. Blavatzky and her followers, the new culture would be an American culture. In Theosophy the present culture is called the Teutonic (or Anglo-Saxon) sub-race. The Slavs are regarded as an offshoot of this sub-race. According to Blavatzky the new culture, called the ‘Australo-American sub-race’, will begin to evolve in the United States and Australia in the early 21st century. The sixth cycle of cultures, in this view, will also have its origin in America and not in the Slavic world.^[23]

 

This theosophical view about the domination of the world by the Anglo-Saxons, given through mediums like Blavatzky by invisible masters, has been incorporated into the American ideology of living in ‘God’s own country’ and of being blessed by God. This ideology is used to justify the global activities of the Anglo-Saxon spiritual, political and economic elites.

 

In the 19th century Western spiritual circles recognized the youthful character of the Slavic peoples and believed that the Slavic nations should be educated by the West. The education the Western world has given to the Slavic world so far, however, is highly problematic. Western interest groups have been instrumental in spreading materialistic ideas to Russia and in creating the socialist experiment of bolshevism that seemed to spread the ideals of brotherhood, but in fact perverted them.

 

The rise and fall of bolshevism is an important episode in the spiritual conflict about the Christian or antiChristian character of human culture in the future. The message of Elohil from 1898 clarifies what is at stake – the future of Slavic culture as the dwelling of Christ among humanity. His message is also the refutation of the Theosophical views about the new culture. Being instructed by the angel Elohil, Peter Deunov was the first spiritual teacher to announce that after the present (fifth) culture of ego-development the coming (sixth) culture of community-development will be a Slavic culture (and not an American culture). He did not indicate when this culture would begin, but obviously it is intimately connected with the return of Christ. “Until the end of the 20th century, many Evolved Beings will incarnate into the Slavic nations. They will bring a great spiritual upliftment. But they are not only the vanguard: they are the main forces”, Peter Deunov said in 1944.^[24]

 

Independently from Peter Deunov and a few years later, Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), the Austrian founder of Anthroposophy, brought the same message about the coming of the Slavic culture. His views support the prophesy of the New Age of Christ and of the new Slavic culture given to Peter Deunov. Both spoke out of an experience of the same spiritual reality and for this reason the views of Rudolf Steiner can complement the prophetic message given to the Teacher Peter Deunov. It is true that they assign different years to the end of the Kali Yuga (according to Steiner this was in 1899, hundred years earlier than the year given by Peter Deunov) and to the beginning of the Second Coming, but this is not essential – between ages there is a transition period and the return of Christ is a long process with different stages.

 

Rudolf Steiner created a time schedule of the seven post-Atlantic cultures, each with a duration of 2160 years. The present Anglo-Saxon-Germanic culture began in 1413 and will end in 3573, while the Slavic culture will begin in the year 3573 and last until 5733. In Anthroposophy a distinction is made between the age of Aquarius (which will begin in 2374) and the culture of Aquarius (which will begin 1199 years later). It takes time before the new inspirations will work with full force and will be absorbed by humanity. Their seed will be the new Slavic culture, which in this view will only begin when the age of Aquarius is already more than halfway. In Anthroposophy the centre of the Slavic culture is thought to be in the northern part of European Russia, the Baltic countries and Finland. It will be a global culture.

 

From the year 1910 onwards, also Steiner publicly spoke of the return of Christ in the 20th century, beginning around 1933. He described the Second Coming as a process that would last 2500 years, during which more and more people would experience Christ as a comforter, helper and advisor. They will develop new senses to see Him in the ‘etheric sphere’. This period of 2500 years almost coincides with the Age of Light (Satya Yuga) which began according to Steiner after the end of the dark age Kali Yuga in 1899 and will last for 2500 years.

 

Steiner also spoke about the successor of Gautama Buddha, called the Maitreya Bodhisattva, who will become the Maitreya Buddha after about 2500 years. The title Maitreya means ‘bearer of the Good’. He is incarnated now and will be the ‘actual herald of Christ in his etheric form’, Steiner said in 1911.^[25] This Bodhisattva incarnates almost every century. He will make people conscious of the new presence of Christ and he will through his words strengthen the moral forces of humanity. In 2007 the thesis has been brought forward that this being incorporated in Peter Deunov around 1897, who then became the Master Beinsa Duno, the spiritual name by which he was known among his disciples.^[26]

 

Inspired by the same spiritual sources, Peter Deunov and Rudolf Steiner worked in different cultures (Central European and Slavic), from different perspectives, with different missions and with people of different soul qualities. Peter Deunov focussed on the development of Christian virtues and of a new social life. Rudolf Steiner stressed the development of consciousness and of new spiritual faculties, necessary for a new spiritual science.

 

These two teachers of esoteric Christianity described the coming Slavic culture in similar terms. This culture will be dedicated on the one hand to the evolution of man into a harmonious and pure being and on the other hand to the creation of communities founded upon love, in which Christ can live among humanity. In Anthroposophy the first aspect is related to the being of Sophia (Divine Wisdom). Through the purification of the astral body the human soul will transform into a vessel that can receive the higher Self of man. Symbolically this vessel has been described in medieval traditions as the Cup of the Holy Grail. Human beings will share a common cosmic wisdom, which will form the basis of peace and brotherhood among them. In esoteric Christianity the purified astral body is symbolically called Holy Sophia.[27]

 

In his lectures Peter Deunov also spoke about Divine Wisdom. “God is Love, Wisdom and Truth”,^[28] he often said. Rudolf Steiner saw the second aspect of the new culture (the creation of communities in the spirit of love) in relation to the work of the Manicheans, of which the Bulgarian Bogomils had been representatives. In these two aspects, wisdom and love are the two fundamental qualities of the new culture.

 

For Peter Deunov and Rudolf Steiner love is the cornerstone for the foundation of the new culture. Both of them described the illusions people usually have about love. Very often love is in fact self-love, because sympathy and self-interest mask themselves as love. Only when we are able to surrender ourselves to another person, there is true love.^[29] Steiner called the Christ-impulse the impulse of love. When we love unselfishly and when we create space for others in our consciousness, Christ can live in us. According to St.Paul, then instead of “I” we can speak of “Christ in me”. This is the turning point from involution, which strengthens the ego, to evolution, which connects us with the higher self. It is the personal entry into the New Age of Christ.

 

The Slavic people are predestined to prepare the ground for the New Age of Christ. In 1944 Peter Deunov said: “The Slavic people will bring something new. They come now to create the new culture. In a sense, they are now the spiritual Israel. (...) In general, Western people have a developed intellect. In the Latin people, the feelings and heart are developed. The Slavic people now carry the power of the soul – Love. They are the people of Love for humankind. They carry the culture of Brotherhood. (...) One of the great characteristics of the Slavic nations is self-sacrifice. (...) A beautiful quality of the Slavic nation is altruism. (...) All Slavic people need to unite into one. After the unification of the Slavs, the whole world will unite. The future race will unite all. The Slavs will introduce a spiritual element into the world – that we may become as brothers. Their mission is the unification of all nations.”^[30]

 

In 1918 Rudolf Steiner described how in the 9th century AD a historical process began that prepared in Eastern Europe the formation of the ‘proper nation of Christ’, which is the Russian nation. In this process a territory was created where people kept their souls open for the continuous influx of the impulse of Christ, for the ongoing presence of the ‘breath of Christ’. He remains present in their souls as ‘an inner aura that permeates the thoughts and feelings of this nation’.^[31]

 

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23 Arthur E. Powell, The Solar System – A Complete Outline of the Theosophical Scheme of Evolution, London, 1930. (accessible on Google Books)

 

24 The Wellspring of Good, p 364.

 

25 Rudolf Steiner, lecture from 4 November 1911, in: Das esoterische Christentum (Esoteric Christianity, Col- lected Works, vol. 130), Dornach, 1995.

 

26 Filip Filipov, Preslav Pavlov and Dimiter Kalev, The Bodhisattva in the 20th Century, Sofia, 2007. See also Rob- ert Powell and Estelle Isaacson, Gautama Buddha’s Suc- cessor, Great Barrington, 2014.

 

27 Rudolf Steiner, lecture from 31 May 1908, in: Das Johannes-Evangelium (The Gospel of St John, Collected Works, vol. 103), Dornach, 1995.

 

28 Beinsa Douno, The Master Speaks (compiled by Georgi Radev), Los Angeles 1970, section on Wisdom.

 

29 Bernard Nesfield-Cookson, Rudolf Steiner’s Vision of Love, Wellingborough, 1983, pp 227-237.

 

30 The Wellspring of Good, pp 362-365.

 

31 Rudolf Steiner, lecture from 2 November 1918, in: Ge- schichtliche Symptomatologie (Historical Symptomatology, Collected Works, vol. 185), Dornach, 1982.