(“Vídar stabbing Fenrir” by W. G. Collingwood; 1908 (elongated)

From time to time, after the death of Rudolf Steiner in 1925, certain charismatic individuals have arisen within the anthroposophical movement offering novel and captivating interpretations and perspectives concerning spiritual science. Even though these individuals invariably attracted a number of dedicated and loyal followers within anthroposophy, unfortunately their ideas are actually antithetical and contrary to the anthroposophical knowledge as conveyed by Rudolf Steiner. As such, they have led many sincere anthroposophists astray.

Some examples of popular but misguided anthroposophists are Valentin Tomberg (1900-1973), Sergei O. Prokofieff (1954-2014) and Judith von Halle (b.1972). In Tomberg’s case, he distortedly viewed anthroposophy as just an “elevated theory” that leads to the “mysticism and magic of thinking.” This completely misrepresents anthroposophy as a “spiritual science.”

In Prokofieff’s case, he erroneously maintained that Rudolf Steiner’s mission was to establish the “New Mysteries” of Michael; when in fact Steiner’s mission was to establish “spiritual science.” As a spiritual science, anthroposophy was intended to study and better understand the new “Christ-Mysteries” (or “Mysteries of the Son”) established by Christ-Jesus himself.

In Von Halle’s case, her unauthenticated claims of experiencing stigmata, inedia and mystical visions indicate that she is pursuing more of a Mystic-Christian path of development, rather than a Rosicrucian-Christian path of initiation. Since anthroposophy, as a spiritual science, naturally promotes the intellectual initiatory path of Rosicrucian-Christianity, rather than the emotional initiatory path of Mystic-Christianity, von Halle’s personal path is an anomalous and intrusive deviation within anthroposophy.

The latest, controversial “anthro-celebrity” to arise is a Norwegian veterinarian and writer named Are Thoresen (b.1952). Thoresen’s ubiquity is a product of Zoom technology, which became popular during the police-state pandemic lockdowns. During that time, since anthroposophists around the world had great difficulty meeting in person, some lecturers such as Thoresen embraced Zoom technology to promulgate their ideas. Unfortunately, Thoresen’s novel and sensational “Northern Path of Vidar” is entirely antithetical to Rudolf Steiner and to anthroposophical spiritual science.

Although Thoresen has written several books and recorded some YouTube lectures, this critique of his radical ideas will focus entirely on a two-and-a-half page writing of his simply entitled “Article Number 1.” Though brief, the Article has sufficient detail to convincingly show the extent of Thoresen’s heterodox view of Steiner and anthroposophy.

Thoresen has subtitled “Article Number 1”: An investigation of the difference between “Knowledge” and “Path,” relating to the “Michael-School,” as described in “the 19 Class lessons of Rudolf Steiner,” and the “Vidar-School,” as described in my book “Travels on the Northern Path of Initiation.” Key to critiquing this Article is understanding what Thoresen means by “path” and by “knowledge.”

“Path” to Thoresen means “path of initiation.” “Knowledge” to him is any collection of esoteric information that is not a system of initiation. These definitions are rather idiosyncratic, since there can be a “path of knowledge,” as well as a “path of initiation.” Nevertheless, using Thoresen’s definitions we are in a better position to understand what he is saying.

In the very first sentence of the Article, Thoresen states: “the path into the spiritual world that he [Rudolf Steiner] had offered, and perhaps himself opened …” Using one of Thoresen’s definitions, he is saying “the path of initiation that Steiner offered/opened.” This is a clear indication that Thoresen is making the same mistake that Prokofieff made; which is that Rudolf Steiner’s mission was to establish a new Mystery path of initiation.

This of course is entirely erroneous; Steiner consistently declared and demonstrated that he established the first authentic “spiritual science” in human history. Anthroposophy as a spiritual science (just like the physical sciences) is a “path of knowledge” and not a “new path of initiation.” In fact, Steiner was clear that there already existed only two effective paths of Christian initiation: (1) the path of Mystic-Christianity, and (2) the path of Rosicrucian-Christianity. Moreover, the initiatory path of Rosicrucian-Christianity had been specifically formulated to satisfy the requirements of modern esoteric development in Western society (the ancient Yoga path of initiation, though effective, was historically designed for an Eastern physiology). In the words of Rudolf Steiner:

It will suffice, if we consider especially the three main types of initiation; the ancient Yoga, the    really specific [Mystic] Christian initiation, and that initiation which is entirely appropriate for men of the present day, the Christian-Rosicrucian initiation.
(From a lecture given on 30 May 1908 entitled: “Christian Initiation” and published in The Gospel of St. John)

Even though the Rosicrucian-Christian initiation was first established around the thirteenth century, Steiner is clear that it is still the best and only one for modern Western initiation. That being the case, there would be no need for Steiner to introduce another path of initiation to replace the Rosicrucian-Christian path. Likewise, there is no need for Thoresen to introduce a “new path of initiation” at this particular time either.

It also didn’t take long for Thoresen to denigrate Rudolf Steiner in his Article. In the very first sentence he states that Steiner’s “path into the spiritual world … was subsequently shut …” This clearly suggests that Steiner’s anthroposophical work was a failure. However, since Steiner did not establish a “new path of initiation”; but rather endorsed Rosicrucian initiation?he had no “path” to shut.

Nevertheless, as a spiritual scientist, Rudolf Steiner researched and described (as much as publicly possible) details of Rosicrucian initiation in such books as How to Know Higher Worlds and An Outline of Esoteric Science. This information was not establishing a new path of initiation; but was simply revealing previous secrets of the Rosicrucian path in a spiritual scientific way. Since the initiatory path established by the high initiate Christian Rosenkreutz and endorsed by Rudolf Steiner continues to be the exclusive path for today’s humanity, it was hardly “shut due to his [Steiner’s] follower’s lack of commitment.

Thoresen in the second paragraph of his Article continues to maintain that Steiner’s “path of initiation” not only failed, but caused damage to Steiner’s health as well.  As stated by Thoresen: “This inability of his friends and students to really walk the path that he had opened and/or described also caused a “back-firing,” hurting Rudolf Steiner himself.” While Rudolf Steiner, at a certain point, was certainly upset and frustrated by the internal wrangling, lack of cooperation and slow progress of many anthroposophists, that’s why he proactively arranged the Christmas Conference of 1923/24 to positively rectify the situation.

With the formation of the General Anthroposophical Society and the School of Spiritual Science, the spiritual sponsors of anthroposophy not only endorsed Steiner’s efforts, but increased their spiritual outpouring. As described by Rudolf Steiner:

It may now be said that ever since the founding of the [General] Anthroposophical Society at the Goetheanum those spiritual powers from whom our revelations are received look down upon us with even greater benevolence than before. Therefore in this respect a heavy care has been removed from the Anthroposophical Society.
(From a lecture given on 12 August 1924 as an “Address on the Christmas Foundation Meeting” and published in Cosmic Christianity and the Impulse of Michael)

According to Thoresen, however, he erroneously states: “The expected answer from the spiritual world concerning the progress of the Anthroposophic Society did not come. Rudolf Steiner said that his construction of a spiritual school for esoteric science had failed.” Thoresen also quotes Ita Wegman as saying that Steiner’s esoteric work had been stopped by “old forces”; and this resulted in his death. With these statements, Thoresen continues to denigrate and disparage Rudolf Steiner and anthroposophy.

Besides, esoterically understood, “old forces” or “spiritual forces from the past” are luciferic forces. Anthroposophy is a spiritual endeavour of St. Michael that was sanctioned and sponsored by the bodhisattvas of the West: Christian Rosenkreutz and Master Zarathas. These powerful spiritual sources of anthroposophy are more than capable of resisting any luciferic attack on the essential work of Rudolf Steiner now and in the future.

As for Steiner’s unexpected death, rather than any conjectured anthroposophical “work-stoppage,” it was more likely the physical result of being previously poisoned, and being physically drained during his illness by a constant flow of advice-seekers.

In paragraph three, Thoresen refers to some “supposed” communications from Steiner after death where he apparently conveys that “he could work no further, and had to die, because there were no ears or eyes to hear or see what he wanted to bring. He also added that the mysteries now were hidden and would remain so until he came back.” It’s sheer nonsense to think that Steiner would have said such things since there has always been a multitude of dedicated anthroposophists now and in the past studiously devoted to the teachings of spiritual science. Moreover, for any anthroposophist with eyes to see and ears to hear, the soul and spirit of Rudolf Steiner continues his essential anthroposophical work “from the other side.”

As for any “mysteries” being hidden today, it is true that the ancient pagan Mysteries have receded from human history; but they’ve been replaced by the new Christ-Mysteries of the Son. As succinctly stated by Rudolf Steiner in a lecture given on 27 November 1906 entitled “Esoteric Christianity”:

At the time of Christ Jesus, to the Mysteries of the Spirit were added the Mysteries of the Son, and these have been ever since the time of Christ … The Mysteries of the Son are cultivated in the Rosicrucian Mystery which is also Christian … Today we will concern ourselves with the Mysteries of the Son, and see how they differ from the ancient heathen Mysteries.

The truth is, the Christian esotericism is the most profound which has ever been brought to mankind … by that very Being Himself with whom one must be united.

The Christ-Mysteries of the Son are certainly not hidden today. In fact, spiritual science was established to help understand these Mysteries; one prime example being the “Mystery of Golgotha.”

In paragraph five, Thoresen posits a number of questions, specifically insinuating that the School of Spiritual Science established in 1923-24 is no longer functional or relevant. He states the following:

Is therefore this path that Rudolf Steiner gave in 1923-24 still closed? Or partly closed? Can it be re-opened if the 19 lessons are repeated and read by anthroposophists all over the world? Is the path somewhat reduced or made difficult? Are any of the anthroposophists able to travel this path? What is the foundation of the closing?

To find an answer to these questions, Thoresen states that he ventured “into the spiritual world through another path, the Nordic path.” Since there are only two safe and effective Christian paths of initiation recognized by spiritual science, Mystic-Christian and Rosicrucian-Christian, Thoresen’s “another path” is cause for concern, hesitation and suspicion. Furthermore, he states that after entering the spiritual world he contacts a spiritual entity, who he calls “Vidar.” Thoresen further states: “The answer from Vidar concerning the spiritual school, referred to as the Michael school today, was that it was both too old, too lofty, too difficult and not allowed today.”

Once again, Thoresen openly disparages and denigrates the anthroposophical work of Rudolf Steiner; in this case he specifically discredits and dismisses the School of Spiritual Science (also referred to as the “Michael School”). In paragraph one, Thoresen acknowledges that establishing the School of Spiritual Science (the “esoteric school”) was a “huge task” for Rudolf Steiner; and that it was “founded by the archangel Michael himself.” It’s entirely beyond reason to think that the mighty Archangel Michael would labour in the spiritual world from the thirteenth to the nineteenth century to establish an esoteric Christian school on earth that would be “too old” (after only 100 years); and would be “too lofty, too difficult and not allowed today”; and which “is and was locked with both key and lock by the spiritual world for at least some hundreds of years.”

On the second page of his Article, while continuing to criticize the Michael-School (the School of Spiritual Science), Thoresen actually correctly characterizes the School, and demonstrates his own misunderstanding. For example, Thoresen states: “The Michael-school contains a lot of lofty knowledge given by an Arkai, Michael himself, and also of material for discussion or for meditating, but it is no longer a path, it is today only knowledge.” The truth of the matter is that spiritual science in general, and the School of Spiritual Science in particular, were never established as a “path of initiation” by Rudolf Steiner. They were always established as a “path of knowledge” (just like any other science).

Thoresen then goes on to say: “Even the Mantras are, according to the conversations Steiner had with friends, not working as a path, more like developing one’s own soul or spirit.” Once again this is entirely correct in that the Mantras of the Nineteen Lessons of the School of Spiritual Science were never intended as a “path of initiation”; but as a “path of knowledge” to “develop one’s own soul or spirit.” Thoresen further misunderstands the transformative effects of the Michael path of knowledge in spiritual science and in the School when he declares: “if we only work with the Michael-School Knowledge, this work will not give us the living experience that walking a path will give …” Rudolf Steiner makes it clear that:

What we learn through spiritual science makes our soul different from what it was before … Spiritual science does not merely signify the acquisition of knowledge; it signifies most pre- eminently an education, a self-education of our souls. We make ourselves different … One ought not simply to say that only a person who has gone through esoteric development can attain to a connection with the spiritual world; esotericism does not begin with occult development. The moment we make any link with spiritual science with our whole heart, esotericism has already begun; our souls begin at once to be transformed.
(From a lecture given 03 April 1912 and published in Spiritual Beings in the Heavenly Bodies
and in the Kingdoms of Nature)

As to a spiritual being known as Vidar, we know from the clairvoyant research of Rudolf Steiner that Vidar was once the guardian angel of Gautama Buddha, who has since advanced to the rank of archangel. Knowing this, it is inconceivable that a junior archangel such as Vidar would deprecate and replace an indispensable esoteric school established by St. Michael (himself advanced to the rank of archai) with his own Vidar School.

Since the entity referred to as “Vidar” by Thoresen is obviously an imposter, this logically calls into question the veracity of Thoresen’s entire range of supersensible perceptions. Other statements made by him in this Article help us to gain a clearer understanding of Thoresen’s false Vidar. For instance, near the bottom of the second page Thoresen writes: “After venturing through the three realms of the elemental world, we reach the guardian on the threshold of the spiritual world, and this guardian today presents himself as Vidar.” This is entirely at odds with the Rosicrucian path of initiation as described in the writings and lectures of Rudolf Steiner. In this case, at the threshold of the spiritual world stands the “lesser guardian of the threshold,” a fearful astral apparition of one’s unredeemed negative karma, not an actual spiritual being such as Vidar.

We also know from spiritual science about a second spiritual guardian, “the greater guardian of the threshold” not specifically mentioned by Thoresen in his Article. This guardian is not a karmic apparition; but rather an actual spiritual being who guards the entrance to the higher levels of the heavenly worlds until we are sufficiently prepared. This guardian is also not Vidar or St. Michael (as conjectured by Thoresen) but Christ-Jesus. As explained by Rudolf Steiner:

“This “Greater Guardian of the Threshold” now becomes for him the Ideal, the Example that he will do his utmost to follow … For now this Greater Guardian changes for the eyes of the pupil into the figure of Christ …”
(From Chapter V in An Outline of Esoteric Science)

The entire esoteric significance and purpose of the “lesser guardian” is to block entry into the spiritual world until we have faced and transformed this “dark side” of ourselves. Otherwise, all experience and perception of the spiritual world would be corrupted and distorted by our negative karma from the past. As explained by Rudolf Steiner:

“Horrid as it may be, the [lesser] guardian’s appearance is, after all, but the consequence of our past lives. It is only our own character, awakened to an independent [astral] life outside of us.”  
(From Chapter 10 in How to Know Higher Worlds)

“If we were to enter the world of soul and spirit without encountering the [lesser] guardian of the threshold, we would succumb to one deception after another, because we would never be able to distinguish between what we ourselves were bringing into this world and what really belongs to it.”
(From Chapter 5 in An Outline of Esoteric Science)

Obviously, since there is no mention by Thoresen of encountering or passing by the lesser guardian of his unredeemed karma, the Vidar-path into the spiritual world will unavoidably result in falsehood and deception. Furthermore, Thoresen states that the Vidar-path of initiation “will lead us onto two paths of knowledge: the mysteries of the spirit and the mysteries of the earth …” Since “the mysteries of the spirit” (as quoted previously) are associated with the pre-Christian past, as are “the mysteries of the earth,” the Vidar-path of initiation is clearly luciferic. If Thoresen’s false Vidar is an actual spirit entity, then he is obviously a luciferic being or even Lucifer himself.

In the Article, Thoresen has also referred to the Vidar path of initiation as “the Nordic path” or “the Northern Path of Initiation.” Interestingly, in a lecture given on 21 December 1919 entitled “The Three Streams in the Life of Civilization” (and published in The Cosmic New Year), Rudolf Steiner equates the primitive “mysteries of the earth” with the “mysteries of the North,” as in the following:

I shall speak of this stream as “the Mysteries of the Earth”, the Mysteries of the North or of the
Earth. Now this stream which developed first as primitive spirituality out of the Mysteries of the
Earth …”

Referring to Steiner’s quotation, any renewal of the “mysteries of the earth, ”also referred to as “the mysteries of the North” (as Thoresen is attempting to do), would be a luciferic reversion to the pre-Christian past.

Thoresen makes a number of idiosyncratic statements about the elemental world that are not supported by anthroposophical spiritual science as well. For example, he states: “After entering the elemental world we must/can go through the three realms of the elemental world and finally reach the etheric or spiritual world “behind.” As stated by Rudolf Steiner, the etheric world is synonymous with the elemental world. One does not have to go through the elemental world to reach the etheric world. As stated in a lecture entitled “Concerning Man’s Etheric Body and the Elemental World” (and published in The Threshold of the Spiritual World):

“Man, as an etheric being, stands in an etheric, or elemental world. Man is always “experiencing” the fact, although in ordinary life he knows nothing of it, that he, as an etheric being, inhabits an elemental world.”

Furthermore, what does Thoresen mean by “the three realms of the elemental world”? According to spiritual science, the etheric world has four levels or gradations: (1) warmth ether, (2) light ether, (3) chemical (or sound) ether, and (4) life ether. As well, within the etheric world there are four classes of elemental creatures: (1) earth elementals (gnomes), (2) water elementals (undines), (3) air elementals (sylphs), and (4) fire elementals (salamanders). Where does the number “three” come in?

Thoresen also erroneously states that “This elemental world was partly closed at the time of Rudolf Steiner, and through this world the higher spiritual world could not be reached, or according to Rudolf Steiner it could be reached, but it was too dangerous.” This was only true up until 1879, when St. Michael won a decisive battle in heaven and banished the renegade ahrimanic beings to earth. In consequence, the spiritual world was opened to human intellection as never before in history. In the words of Rudolf Steiner:

“[S]pirituality will come to human beings because Michael won his victory in 1879. The fact that we have a science of the spirit is also entirely due to this. Otherwise the truths concerned would have remained in the spiritual worlds; they could not have come to dwell in human brains and would not exist for the physical world.”
(From a lecture given on 27 October 1917 entitled “The Fallen Spirits’ Influence in the World” (and published in The Fall of the Spirits of Darkness)

In conclusion, then, even a basic analysis of a two-and-a half page Article by Are Thoresen is more than sufficient to demonstrate the antithetical and inimical regard towards anthroposophy, Rudolf Steiner and the School of Spiritual Science. As well, the “Northern Path of Vidar” is not just a false path of initiation; it is clearly a luciferic path. Consequently, “anthroposophists beware!”