Coping with Evil

Coping with Evil

“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot grasp it now. But when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into the whole truth: for He will not speak on His own authority but will tell what is told Him, and will announce to you the things that are to come.” —John 16:12,13 (Williams translation)

Coping with Evil addresses one of the most important topics for all humanity—evil. The menace of evil seems stronger today than ever before. Can evil be defeated? Do we have the courage even to look at its root causes? Drawing on the spiritual investigations of Rudolf Steiner, Sri Aurobindo, and others and from his own inner work, Bruce McCausland takes us on a fascinating journey into the hidden recesses of this very timely subject, helping us understand and cope with today’s events and our daily lives.

What is evil? What is its source or sources? How should we view evil and those who perpetrate it? Using what he calls a holoscopic approach, McCausland stresses the importance of how we look at a problem. Traditional means no longer suffice and have proven inadequate to the task. By its very nature, evil is illusive and fraught with emotion. These obstacles must be overcome if we are to succeed in examining this manifold menace in a meaningful, productive manner. But whatever we do, we cannot ignore it. The greatest evil, it has been noted, is indifference toward evil.

McCausland discusses the sources of evil in the form of spirit beings—“spiritual adversaries”—called Lucifer and Ahriman. He explains how these two beings interact with each other and with humanity as the two extremes of evil, with goodness in the center. In the end, we discover ways to deal with evil, both as individuals and as a society.

In today’s climate of fear and its exploitation on every side, the question of evil has become an urgent matter of human survival. Those who watch or read the news can use this guidebook to understand the forces at work behind daily events. It guides the reader through the confusion caused by evil and toward inner freedom.

“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot grasp it now. But when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into the whole truth: for He will not speak on His own authority but will tell what is told Him, and will announce to you the things that are to come.” (John 16:12,13)

About the Author

Bruce H. McCausland has been a keen student of the Western mystery tradition for more than thirty-six years and has conducted seminars and workshops on a wide variety of subjects. As a retired business executive, he is now an active observer of current events and enjoys reading his own poetry at local salons. Before retiring he was active in a number of roles, including owner of the Living Seed Health Center in Toronto Health-food shop and bookstore; chair of the Michael Group, the Anthroposophic members group in Toronto; secretary of the Canadian Lorian Association; elected to Village council of the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland; founding president of the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association of Southern Ontario; and founding chairman of the Aurora members group.