DOC Occult View of the War by C.W. Leadbeater in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Into darknessBy Ashtar Command“Occult View of the War”; first published in April 1916; is a statement on World War I by C W Leadbeater; a central leader of the Theosophical Society Adyar. The article was written during Leadbeater's prolonged stay in Australia.The occult milieu split during the Great War. Rudolf Steiner's Anthroposophists supported Germany and the Central Powers (something they would later hotly deny); while the Theosophists supported Britain and the Allies. Both sides gave their respective positions an “occult” explanation; and this article is clearly Leadbeater's attempt to prove that the spirits are on the side of the British Empire and its allies. The world war is a recapitulation of an ancient conflict on Atlantis; where the Lords of the Dark Face overthrew the Golden Gate and were punished by the Deity by complete destruction. The souls of those fighting in Atlantis have been reborn at the present time; with the Lords of the Dark Face taking over Germany and twisting its advanced culture into barbarism and cruelty. If this is hard to believe; Leadbeater further claims to have conversed with Otto von Bismarck on the astral plane. At another point; Leadbeater compares the World War to the conflict between Adyar and the German section of the Theosophical Society; i.e. Rudolf Steiner! Steiner was the chair of the German Theosophical Society before founding the Anthroposophical Society as an independent group.Leadbeater's perspective is surprisingly Euro-centric; or even somewhat Anglo-centric. I say “surprisingly”; since Annie Besant; another central leader of Theosophy; supported the Allies in the hope that they would grant independence to India after the war. Besant was really a leader of the Indian nationalist movement! Yet; Leadbeater says nothing about India in his statement. Instead; he says that the Sixth Root Race will appear in North America or Australia; a remarkable statement; given the fact that Adyar's Messiah figure was the Indian boy Krishnamurti; “discovered” by none other than Leadbeater himself. Leadbeater also identifies the Fifth Root Race with the Europeans. (The Theosophists believe that humanity evolves through a number of “root races”; of which the “Aryan” race is the most important at present; but it seems their statements on the identity of each race aren't always consistent. In other works; Leadbeater says that even people who aren't Aryans by descent can still be Aryans “esoterically”.)Leadbeater believes that the original plan of the Deity was to unite the Fifth Root Race; by which he clearly means unite the European powers; and that such an alliance would eventually have fought a war against evil and less advanced races. Unfortunately; Germany has broken the race alliance and turned on its European neighbors instead. If Germany wins; Western civilization might be completely destroyed á la Atlantis! It's also interesting to note that Leadbeater isn't a consistent believer in democracy. To him; aristocracy is better than democracy; but the road to a true aristocracy goes through a transitional phase of democracy; during which the masses will have to learn by trial and error. The Lords of the Dark Face (or perhaps the astral presence of Prince Bismarck) believe that law and order can be imposed on the hoi polloi only by brute force; iron and blood.I'm not sure what to say about this article; but it was interesting that Charles Webster Leadbeater spinned the “occult” view of the war in a different way than his colleague Besant. It's not clear to me why. Was he less committed to the Indian nationalist cause? Or did he simply adapt his message to the Australian audience?In the end; I give this somewhat peculiar specimen of Allied war propaganda three stars.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Not your usual military history lesson!By AbraxusA great treatise on war in general even though it pertains specifically to WW1. Exposes hidden belief systems and undermines the mainstream political world view. A fascinating study for those serious students of occult that should not be overlooked!