Now – what kind of book is this? Strangely enough this book is a general analysis of the cause and powers of evil in our time, based on experiences of extrasensory reality together with aspects of their cultural dynamics. This rather unusual understanding in turn paves the way for a criticism of some of the lines of development and popular trends in our modern culture, especially in the field of neo religious movements and guruism. By the same token the book attempts to establish a philosophy of man in broader terms and tries to comprehend the human predicament. Finally the book comprises a philosophy of life and a set of values and guidelines towards evil based on the teaching and revelation of Jesus Christ.

The philosophical and existential question of evil and its origin has always intrigued men, because evil is often a source of suffering, and humans perceive suffering as evil and try to avoid and escape it. But life is not possible without suffering, and surely many times we have to suffer evil and endure evil suffering. Here we are confronted with the vital need of perspective and discrimination, because things conceived now as evil and suffering may very well turn out to be good and wise, and vice versa. Some day we really have to ask ourselves in earnest, whether there is any case in which the experienced evil is not in the right place and timely? Is it not always possible to live by freedom, integrity and responsibility, and should we not believe in a higher order, purpose and identity of everything within this beautiful creation?

For instance we inevitably experience sickness, decay and death, but maybe that is ultimately appropriate and serves only a higher life! None the less we are prone to distinguish between self-inflicted evils and those forced upon humanity by extraneous powers or circumstances. Like when we reflect on disasters, accidents or misery and we see them as either caused by the victims themselves, provoked by other men and befalling the innocent, or brought about by nature. In this way we sometimes end up with a seemingly unjust or even meaningless suffering of evil, and that is shattering to our love of life. But how could we know or reach something truly good if we never confronted evil? And how could life be accomplished or qualified without suffering and ending? Anyway, at least the evil and suffering, that we evidently attract and see coming as a result of our own behaviour, has the goodness to teach us this connection. Last, but not least, humans suffer a more subtle psychological and existential pain often experienced within or without relationship. Again we are apt to see ourselves mainly as victims of suffering and many use this understanding as an excuse to inflict pain on others.

So the sources of evil and suffering are plenty and the matter is urgent, but in reality this is all a question of acceptance and purity of heart. When there is no love, there is suffering, and when there is no hope, there is evil suffering, and when there is no faith, there is evil! We must never forget that the one who suffers and confronts evil is free to respond and make wonders out of it. That is why we cannot judge the problem of evil and suffering independent of the structures of meaning and belief, the system of values and the interpretative standpoint. The most important question is, whether experience of evil contributes to the elevation of human life or results in a degradation of it. Suffering without meaning is evil and evil without suffering turns bad. The flood of suffering can either deliver us in God or take us to the Evil One. To understand a little better how, why, when, and where this crucial choice is made, the author has written this book from his own experience.

It is not an academic work and serves no such interest. Accordingly there are no notes and no discussion with the tradition at hand in an academic style. Contributions from texts and other references are drawn into the exposition as it unfolds from the gradual uncovering of the author’s personal experiences with the structures of evil. These experiences are believed to be representative, rare and of universal interest, which is also the sole motive for the production of the text. The experiences are extrasensory either in the form of lucid dreaming and etheric-astral vision or direct encounters with other-worldly realities in a fashion not commonly witnessed. In all cases the visionary content and experienced events are prior to the subsequent interpretative understanding and the strong coherence between the initial intuitive insights and the later explanation from different theoretical contexts have convinced the author of the validity and relevance of this material. In no circumstances is there any construction of evidence. The author is a firm adherent of truth, and it has required personal effort and dedication to persevere for long periods in absolute uncertainty and terror, working only with hypotheses and tentative understanding in some of the darkest and loneliest regions of human knowledge. Experiences of this character naturally demand from any human being, who worries about himself and other people and respects the common good, that they be shared. Even when limited insight, obscurity and personal mistakes are clearly involved, these erroneous conditions are nothing but a common denominator of humanity, and there is a need and a responsibility to study any phenomenology, which presents itself, and try to carry the analysis further into a general theory in order to contribute to human orientation when possible. On this basis the author has formed working ideas and preliminary conclusions, which are of course not absolutely demonstrable. Some are reasonable and even probable, while others are more speculative and perhaps a little fanciful, yet within an intelligible context. But again, the universe has demonstrated itself to be an unexpected marvel and in no way predictable, so we have to leave room for speculation if we are ever to fathom reality.

In addition to this, the author’s consciousness of his own sin and folly, his deep faith and love of Christ, the Lord, and his sincere belief in God has been a significant motive for this presentation. In this respect the book is a personal testimony and confession.

Beside personal experiences based on introspection and extrasensory perception, the author has a broad experience and background in the movement of personal growth, self-development and New Age spirituality, and he holds university degrees in theology, philosophy and comparative religion. This is mentioned here only in order to signal his lasting, profound and radical involvement with the issues at hand and point to some level of professionalism and existential seriousness behind his efforts.

The book is written under a pseudonym in accordance with its general motivation. This provides the author with freedom of personal confidentiality, openness and frankness. In the same manner the author will refer indirectly to people, situations, relations and connections pseudonymously and without respect of person. Neither self-interest nor reverence of pomposity is a matter of concern for the author, who tries to avoid false consideration and pretence. Any personal or interpersonal description is used only as an example for generalization and illustration, and there is no malice or offence taken or given in any of this. No one is blamed or judged, since it is only a question of the necessary demonstration and clarification of argument. In the same spirit the author puts forward personal experience with no attachment or feeling of shame. Thus everyone is free to recognize or distance himself and put his own experience into perspective when reading this text.

In this way the book is absolutely non-fictitious and at the same time impersonal in its intended use of biographical material. Every description is as accurate and precise as possible in the sole pursuit of truth, and every reflection or interpretation rests on a relentless search for reality in a field of great uncertainty. In fact the book could have been composed as a traditional biography, naming persons and dating events, but the author has deliberately chosen a different style of presentation in order to escape focus on person and image. Hopefully he has succeeded in this!

ADAM MICHAELIS