1. VALENTIN TOMBERG – AN ENIGMA
The printed works of Valentin Tomberg are profound, interesting and stimulating
BUT!
Tomberg was a Russian, born in St Petersburg in1900. As a young man he became
interested in esoteric topics, eventually encountering the work of Rudolf Steiner and
becoming an Anthroposophist and going on to give lectures on Anthroposophy in the
course of his own development. In the internal squabbles that followed the death of
Steiner in 1925, Tomberg incurred the wrath of Steiner’s wife, Marie von Sievers,
when he left his first wife, a friend of Marie Steiner.
He was rejected by a leading Dutch Anthroposophist @ 1940 and in his approaches
to the Russian Orthodox Church. He then became a Roman Catholic until his death
in 1973.
His first masterpiece is “Christ and Sophia” is a complete analysis/explanation of the
Bible from Anthroposophical understanding. A great contribution to the continuation
of Steiner’s work. Only a few passages might prove difficult to someone without a
good knowledge of Steiner’s work.
His second masterpiece is “Meditations on the Tarot” designated as from
‘anonymous’ to “an unknown friend”. A book full of deep stimulating and interesting
ideas. – BUT!.
Reading “Meditations” with a knowledge of Steiner’s works, you say “Yes, He states
re-incarnation as a given fact but where is “ the Evolution of Consciousness, the
current state of the “Consciousness Soul” with it’s need for individual freedom and
development?”. I am afraid, instead , we have the stress on hierarchial authority and
obedience to the will of God ( i.e. the Pope and the Church).
Let us consider a brief portion of the Evolution of Consciousness. 2 -3000 years ago,
people were directly aware of spiritual beings( the Gods – Gods being a general
term, referring to any of the 9 spiritual hierarchies , Angels , Cherubim etc above
man, before reaching the heights of God, Christ and the Holy Spirit) around them but
had little self awareness compared with today. As this direct awareness faded, belief
became necessary guided by a Church and a few more advanced souls who led it-
hence a stage of Obedience and direction of Belief.
Around 1413AD the stage of the Consciousness Soul began with greater individual
freedom and a need to develop Understanding of the Spiritual/God. I would suggest
that instead of Obedience we now require Humility. True Humility coming from awe
at the incredible complexity of spiritual evolution leading to our continued existence
and development. Often this can only be realised from a life experience of complete
Humiliation, feeling absolutely worthless and completely powerless in a bad situation
– and recovering from it. To understand this is a common and survivable experience
might stop some people from making the bad choice of suicide.
Obedience to the dogma and commands of any church or to act out of “our Christian
duty” is no longer enough. We must act increasingly out of “selfless” love which
really can only come from a deeper understanding. Some churches are really trying
to drag the “Kingdom of Heaven” down to Earthly realms and assert a worldly
2. authority and power over their members , in a harmful attempt to preserve an earlier
(then needed) stage of development.
The crucial difference is this “Was Christ ordered/ commanded to descend to
Earth? “ I think the answer is clearly NO, it was his CHOICE/SACRIFICE for our
benefit – not his. Note also – ACTION is necessary! If Christ had stayed in the
spiritual realms Feeling Sorry for humanity nothing would have changed.
Considering the work of Rudolf Steiner he agreed to take on various tasks, because
he UNDERSTOOD why they were necessary, sometimes tasks that should have
been taken on by someone else. He wasn’t OBEYING or TAKING ORDERS but
agreeing to spiritual guidance.
These are very difficult ideas to grasp. At present, how can these play out in the lives
of us ordinary humans, who aren’t initiates or barely at the start of our spiritual
development?. Taking the spiritual view of seven yearly cycles of development,
roughly, up to seven years old – the physical body develops, between 7 and 14
years the Etheric or lIfe body and 14 – 21 years the Astral/Emotional element. Only
at 21 does the individual soul/ego take full command and individual responsibility
really start. So in 7 year cycles ( see Phases of Life) we have the experiences and
encounters of our life. At age 70 we should have completed our Personal life tasks
but, of course, there will be work and opportunities to help others and for the general
good. The 70s are years to look back over our lives and see how events fitted into a
general pattern, many “mistakes” may have been necessary for us to learn.
This doesn’t help those of you who are a long way from seventy. You will face
difficult situations where decisions you take will cause pain to yourself and others.
Are you doing it for the wrong reasons ? your own selfish physical desires or for
money or power . In fact it may seem that the results might lead to the very opposite
of these selfish motives – poverty, loneliness – you don’t know. A leap of faith, a leap
into the dark is needed, enormously difficult the first time you do it. Ask yourself
again and again , “ Does this Feel like the right thing to do?” It is difficult. Taking the
easy way out or avoiding pain or even financial loss is very tempting.
After you have made and acted on your decision ( to leave your spouse( and maybe
children) or quit your job, etc.) you need to have PATIENCE. Waiting is a positive
thing to do. Trust that if you have made the right choice things will work out. The
spiritual powers can only start to re-arrange things for you when you have taken the
right action. From my own experience and observing others, it is surprising how often
that nine months ( the human period in the womb) is the period before unexpected
and positive developments start to happen.
What other advice can I give?. When you start to make the hard choices and
develop as a result, you may become aware of what I call a “spiritual nudge”. You
may think of doing some task/ some enterprise but think “ I am not really qualified to
do that, other people are better able to do it”. Over time the impulse comes before
you again, and again you resist. You may then find some outside person/people
(unaware of your idea) say “You should really do that”. Then the penny drops and
you realise it is something you should do, and so must have the ability to do it.
We have wandered a long way from our starting point of Valentin Tomberg. Read
“Christ and Sophia” you cannot fail to benefit from it each time you read it over the
years. “ Meditations on the Tarot” many illuminating insights , but read it with care.
3. Finally , a quote from Meditations on the Tarot, p222, Letter IX The Hermit, which
some might find helpful.
“ Solitutude – one has to be profoundly alone – in the face of contraries, binaries and
parts which divide and rend the world of truth. He who seeks synthesis, i.e. true
peace, can never take part for or against opposing things. And since it is precisely
“taking sides” which groups people into communities and divides them into sections,
he is necessarily alone. He can neither embrace any human cause without reserve,
nor be opposed to any human cause, being loyal to the cause of truth, which is
synthesis and peace. This is why he is condemned , whether he wants it or not, to
profound solitude. He is a hermit in his inner life, whatever his outer life may be. He
will never be given the joy of plunging himself in national, social ,or political
collectivity. He will never have the blissful experience of having shared out the
weight of responsibility with the multitude, and he can never fit in at festivals , - or
orgies – in the sense implied in the words “ we French, we Scots, we Jews, we
Socialists we Royalists, or we Republicans ( or we Man. Utd. Supporters) . The
intoxication of plunging into collectivity is not given to him. He must be sober, i.e.
alone. Because the pursuit of truth through synthesis - which is peace- implies
prudence, and prudence is solitutude.
He makes his way from opinion to opinion, from belief to belief, from experience to
experience – and traces his route so that he traverses the way of peace between
opinions, beliefs and experiences. He does so alone, because he walks, ( and no-
one can walk for him) and because his work is peace (which is prudence and
therefore solitude).
However, there is no need to take pity on him. For he has his joys, and these are
intense. When, for example , he meets another itinerant hermit on the way, what joy
and what happiness there is in this meeting of two solitary travellers!. This joy has
nothing in common with that intoxication of feeling free from the burden of
responsibility which plunging into collectivity brings about. On the contrary, it is the
joy of responsibility encountering the same responsibility.”
