1-28-98 RICHARD WAGNER

To fully grasp the contributions of this great man, we must understand the field of living I call dharma or caste nature. Dharmic activity is that external activity which is moral, ethical and evolutionary for all life including our own. The only way we can ensure that our every action is moral is to follow our caste nature. By this I do not mean the perverted caste nature of the modern Hindus, which is externally enforced and based on birth and heredity. I mean the natural tendency of each person to follow one of the five caste tendencies I discuss elsewhere on this web-site.

Wagner was a great Brahmin. Brahmins are, by nature, leaders in the field of knowledge. One of the most important contributions a Brahmin can make is to give a vision of humankind's evolutionary development in its various stages so that humankind is clear as to its present obligations and inspired to perform them. This Wagner accomplished with great skill and artistry in his many operas culminating in "Percival". The essence of Wagner's vision is that human beings were required to leave the protective influence of the Gods in order to develop their own individuality. Only with this development could humanity then freely choose to become the loving custodians of the earth. However, this egoic development was not without its risks, and only with the entry of the Christ force, was humanity's victory over the darker aspects of its egoic nature assured.

A gifted Brahmin lives to give knowledge to others in a very selfless way, but they demand great freedom in how they do so. This is the major problem with our educational system today -- too much interference from the other two societal castes relating to government and economics. Freedom no longer reigns supreme in the field of education.

Wagner was also highly gifted in another field of living called creative play. Here, a strong Mars ruled and Mars signifies the creative ability to establish a powerful and dominant theme(s) in any work of art. If you carefully study his use of musical motifs in his operas, you will see this Martian principle at work.

Despite all his marvelous gifts and artistic contributions, I foresee the possibility that Wagner's works will become less popular over time, largely because his spiritual nature made him inclined to create works of art whose appreciation require virtues not found in abundance today -- virtues such as patience, clear focus, long attention spans and a love of slowly developing, detailed themes. I hope I am wrong in this last assessment, because Wagner has the capacity to give moral instruction in ways which are exceedingly inspiring and offer a tremendous treasure to humanity.