In 1919 Rudolf Steiner spoke about the future physical
incarnation of the being of Ahriman. This would take place
before ‘a part’ of the third millennium had passed, and was
inevitable – but it was also necessary that people were aware
of this event and recognized it, for earthly culture would be
destroyed if the world were to fall completely to Ahriman.
The situation we find ourselves in today shows Ahriman’s
unmistakable signature: the rapid destruction of nature,
zoonotic diseases and pandemics, huge social inequalities,
and the overall dominance of high finance. In this short book
Peter Selg presents a timely overview of the challenges we
face, beginning with a pithy and concise survey of Steiner’s
commentary on Ahriman’s incarnation and the conditions
that would characterize it. This is followed by a study of
Ahriman’s depiction in the mystery drama The Souls’
Awakening. Steiner’s remarkable personification of Ahriman
on stage – portraying his strategies and activities – provides
vital instruction for humanity.
Selg concludes with an evaluation of ‘the Battle for Human
Intelligence’ taking place in contemporary culture through
materialistic ideas such as transhumanism. In their recent book
Covid-19: The Great Reset, for example, Klaus Schwab and
Thierry Malleret propose wholesale economic, geopolitical,
environmental and technological revisions to society – ideas
that need to be understood and confronted in human thought
and consciousness. The Future of Ahriman is a crucial aid to
comprehending our times.
