TheMissing Michaelic Millions loel Kobran The PrOblem unite with the other participantsof the spiritual Schol in orderto daselopa liaing spiitual- In recent years,a number of Anthroposophists hav Yichael written or spokenabout the so-calledMiihaeiic millions," iQ within a creatiuecontext' often numbered at six or sevenmillion, claiming thai Therelevantchapterof Ben-Aharon'sbookisnum- four, "The Rebirth of Anthroposophy," in which he although all or most of them are incarnated in ouitime, Tt the ovJrwhelming majority have not found *r"ii*uy to statesthat "the Michael school on the Earth is divided Anthroposophy ind io joining the Anthroposoph'ical int9.1*"groups,betweenwhichasyetnoconsciousand Society.They are also referred to as MichJelic'so,rls, fruitf.ulconnectionexists,"rbuthedoesnotdaimthatthe in kinds of Michaelites, the Michael(ic) stream,and the uictraet(icj "much larger SouP . exPressesitself all movement.* we are further told that thosewho identifv organizations in what is now called the civil society newsletter themselvesasAnthroposophistsareobligedtoruchoit movement'" No doubt the authors of the have in an attempt to find tlie others and to unile with them in article may have heard Ben-Aharon speakof this or their realmi of activity. readitinanarticleof hiselsewhere,butthisisyetanother ideas Whenever my co-editor and I questioned those we typical exampleof the carelessway such are being in could who have referred to thesenumbered miliions. not presented.This particular idea is certainly circulation to rruch that is being put one could tell us where this idea can be found in the and has a direct relation has works of Rudolf Steiner. And ye! due to tie apparen, forward by Nicanor Perlas'with whom Ben-Aharon finds following lack of scrupulosity of most of [hosewho bring tiris idea often collaborated'For example,one the '"Working for forward, ^uny u." led to believe it comesai.&tly f.r- in the origrnal, undated version of Group and Steiner's lectures,even as it continues to sprJ'*ithir, Global Threefolding," co-authored by Ben-Aharon "The with the Society membership and beyond. ft is r"pporea Perlas: primary task of the Working Group anthropo- knowledgL is being ,rsedin ar, obvious attempt tf influ- regard to unconrious Michaelitesoutside the err." p"o!I" and to createpolicy within the inthropo- sophicalmovementistodevelopwaysofinformallyand and sophical bociety as it relatei to t-herest of ttre world. in fglmltty linking up with global cultural creatives* e^amplewouldbetheAnthroposophicalconferencesthat gt"b.i] civil society at all levels--global' national' and (p' devote far more time to meetingsof membersand local" 10)' The beginning of the corresponding Pas- frimds of this (that is, non-members)than to membersmeetings.' sage-ofthe "Short Version Updated May 20(X)" Group Another example can be found in the operiing para- article was changedto:."One task of the Working (p.2) (The of graphs of the lead article in the newsletter or tfi.i a"- is to develop ways . .,.." founding members theworkingGroupincludeBen-Aharon'Perlas'andthe t"nroposoptricalSociety in America, Newsfor Membus, of the newsletterarticle, Brodal, Blomberg, and Septemb'er 1999, wiitten by Hans Brodal, HAkan 3u,th?rs Blomberg,and Alexander Iviin for the Organizing Group, Iviin ) follows: Anthrop;sophical Society,Gothenburg] SwedJn, titl# Chapterfour of Ben-Aharon'sbook beginsas "seriesoflnternationalConferencestoEfolorethePresent In his memoirsRmE Maikuaski reportson an SocialIntentions of Michael,,: imprtantconaersatianwithRudolfSteiner,inwhich Inhisbook,ThespiritualEoentof theTwmti- the questionconcuning the numberof potential anthroposophistsin the world was discussed'After eth Century, JesanhBen-Nraron describeshow the Steinermade it clear that nme millions of strmm of tte'Michaelic Schoolwas split into tio ludolf separategroups, a small one consistingof themexist,headded,noticingMaikunski'sbewil' anthroposiphistsand a muchlarger group thai i duedexpression:'ThesoulsthatseekAnthroposophy pressesitsetf in attkinds of organ"imtions'inwhat is areincarnated;butweilon't speaktheirlanguage!' greater now calledihe ciail societvmiaement. These irgani- Today, at theend of the[20thl cmtury , a still zations now wield porn, but they lactcspiiiiial numberof Michaelpupils are incarnated'but there scrcnce r o ar rt cu I at e tn etr Nltcnaet tc, mpu Ises I w ntcn drasticatrydecresses theirefficiency. ;:I'K!:":r{l'J;:,:j,f}'l'jl'ff: iln:f;:*:lX'.'-'^[",:: Theret'ore,the mostimportant taskfor theanthro- chapterseven, "tultiral Creativesaird the Cultural Revolu- posophicatmoaement intheaseof to slobatimtionis iil|";,:lf:::k::Awk{,X7:i;I;i"rih:i;fl,trrtJli:!l:; *Michaelisthearchangelwho,accordingtoRudolfSteiner,has Alternative Deielopment Initiatives, Qu6zon tity, fnitip- beenihecuictingspirftofourAgesincel8T9' ,.Jti,,, Ga,y L* * L osteJ .ui(e ;:71??io,t of - 3B F-tl ?OoO-tstvq Ho,(1 TheThreefoldReview hasbeen little real increasein the numberof human given at Arnhem, Holland, on July 20,'l.gT4,another at beingswho seek actiae identificatian with anthropo- Dornach, Switzerland, on july 28,1924,and another at sophicallife and thought . Wemust askourselua: Are Torquay, England, on August 2'1,,1924. The following is weyet spenkingthe appropriate language of spiritual taken from the Arnhem lecture: science,or is a considerablepart of our anthropo- Michnelgathered his hosts,he gatheredfrom the sophicallife and thanghtstraying behindthe super- realmsof theAngeloi and the Archangeloithe super- sensiblemoaementofurTime Spirit,Michael.. ?z smsibleBeings uho belongedto him,but hegathued, The _ _ following should be noted about this quotation. tn,human soulswho in oneway or anotherhad been When my researchbegan over oneyearago,Ben-Aharon,s connected[to] him. And thus therearose [something book was the only referencein English I could find to I ikela grwt andarcr-widming supersutsible schnl. Maikowski's memoirs. However, it is Ben-Aharon who . a supersensible[schmlingl nno took place,from places the emphasis on certain words, not Maikowski. thefiftemth into theeightemth centuries, undu the The latter's memoirs are the acfual source of one of direct leadershipof Michael-a supersensible Steiner's referencesto the missing millions, a fact un- schmling in uthichthe great Teachu, ordained by known to all those my colleagueand I had queried. cosmicdecree, was Michael himself. Thus,. num- Before continuing on to Maikowski's memoirg it is bers of human suls hadalrudy receiaedasupu *nsible necessary for the sake of clarity to address the related xhmling whreeresults they ww carry[uncansciouslyl matter of the Michael School already referred to in the within them.Thes raults comcto etprasion in the newsletter article. One of the authors of that article, urge by su& to ame to Anthroponphy.s -S€ek- felt ryaple HAkan Blomberg,has also written the lead article, Turning now to the relevant passagein Maikowski's ing a Culture of Active Will,- in the May 2000issue of book, one finds this record of a conversationhe had with Anthroponphy Worldwide:Lit'e in theAnthioponphical So- Rudolf Steiner in7922: ciety, U.S. Edition, a publication addressedto members Anothertime I wasreporting about a studentwho, andfrimds of the Society,where he discussesthe Michael at theuniaersity,had handed in a paperthat Rudolf School at greater length: Steinerhad adaised him on. It was rejected.Where- IesaiahBm-Aharon writes in his book,The Spii- uponRudolf Steiner suddenly asked me: " How mnny tual Eoent of the Twentieth Century, that membersdowe actuallyhaue?" I gaaehim a certain anthroposophy is usentially isolated.Ithas not suc- figure of severalthousand, as well as I knew at the ceededin reachingmost of thoseindiaiduals who, time. Thenhe said, "lf we had that many million while in the spirihnl world, had beenactiue in the members,one wutld haaeto listen to us, and such Schoolot' Michael. Thesepmple arefilled with the work could no longu be rejected."I was somewhat puoerful impulsesof the Michael School,but they astonished;henoticed this and added,suiously and may lacka consciousttasof thescience of thespirit anphatically:"The souls who are seekingAnthro- andthus cannot effectiuely work with theirMichaelic Wophy haaeincarnated, but we do not speaktheir impulses.Most of themare also not consciousof their language!"a directrelationship to theanthroposophical sais with Accordingto Martin Barkoff,inDas Goetheanum(the whomthey had dnelopedtheir impulses. Anthroposophical Society newsletter from Dornach, '1.,1997, It must bethe gml of thepeople within theanthro- Switzerland),December writing when he was '?en6 posophicalmouement to rannite with their karmic still editor of that publication: Maikowski is said brothersand sisters.This necessitvand the ruliza- to haveasked Rudolf Steinerhow many people took part tbn of Michael'sintentiont rue ihe decisiaemotit's in the Michael School in the spiritual world. 'About ot' the conference."Michael's intentians encornpass sevenmillion' was Rudolf Steiner'sreply." This incident all peoplein all cultures. Thty presupposebrmd is not reported in Maikowski's book, and thus this sup- collaboration arnng diuerse int er est s. posed conversation recedesinto the dubious realm of Nowhere in this article does Blomberg describe the hearsaywithout a named source.Barkoff then goeson to Michael school,nor does he provide the readerwith any suggestthat thesesouls would incarnate "in the course helpful references.And manyof thosewhodobringitup of sevengenerationsbetween 1900and about2l5Q" with