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This course of lectures was given at a pivotal point in the development of the anthroposophic movement. Just months before, an act of arson had caused the destruction of the first Goetheanum, and its darkened ruins appeared to reflect the fragmentations within the Anthroposophical Society. Divisions were appearing amongst members and friends, with individual energies increasingly routed to external initiatives and practical projects. It became apparent that a new impetus was needed. In this turbulent context, Steiner delivers these lectures in a calm, lively and informal style. In the last decades of the nineteenth century, he says, a yearning for spiritual nourishment arose within Western culture, and organizations such as the Theosophical Society gained in popularity. Despite his direct involvement in these events, Steiner describes in dispassionate tones how the spiritual movements behind theosophy and anthroposophy were able to work together harmoniously, before an unavoidable separation took place. Steiners expansive review of the anthroposophic movement is an important narrative account of the developing Western spiritual tradition and the history of the Mysteries. These lectures also offer rare perceptions of the life and philosophy of Rudolf Steiner. Those who identify with the movement he founded will discover revelatory insights to its background and possibilities for its future development within the broader evolution of humankind.

Truth is simple only for those who first wrestle their way through multiplicity. It is like a thread of many pearls. Rudolf SteinerLike pearls in the oyster, pearls of thought are easily overlooked. Lying hidden in texts, they keep their light under a bushel, serving the greater framework and context. But if we draw them out they begin to shine, revealing their translucent facets and intrinsic harmony.In this meditative treasure, the editor has harvested and threaded together such pearls from Rudolf Steiners books, creating new textures and striking panoramas. Dynamic constellations of thought arise, allowing us unusual and surprising access to Steiners spiritual and philosophical thinking. In contrast to the prevailing view that meaning arises only in context, these self-sufficient verbal universes show us that the opposite can also be true. The pearls of thought in this compact pocket book acquire enhanced meaning in isolation, mysteriously becoming independent of the thoughts and phrases that precede or follow them.This collection of quotations, free of jargon or technical terminology, is accessible to all readers interested in developing a meaningful understanding of the human beings place in the world and cosmos.

The ancient mystery saying called on the human being to Know Yourself! Rudolf Steiner explains that this maxim is not asking us to study subjectively our own personal character, but rather to come to a knowledge of our true, archetypal human nature - and with it the position we occupy in the universe. In these eloquent lectures - formerly published as Man, Hieroglyph of the Universe - Rudolf Steiner speaks of the human being as the model of creation, the primary focus of the cosmos. In an extensive exposition he talks of the constellation of cosmic forces, zodiac and planets amongst which we find ourselves situated. Only a true knowledge of our human nature and the spiritual forces which surround us - the microcosm within the greater macrocosm - can enable humanity to progress, he says. This book is an important contribution to that goal: the development of a contemporary spiritual science of the human being.

During 1924, before his last address in September, Rudolf Steiner gave over eighty lectures on the subject of karma to members of the Anthroposophical Society. These profoundly esoteric lectures examine the underlying laws of reincarnation and karma, and explore in detail the incarnations of certain named historical figures. In Rudolf Steiners words, the study of karma is a matter of penetrating into the most profound mysteries of existence, for within the sphere of karma and the course it takes lie those processes which are the basis of the other phenomena of world-existence? In this volume Steiner deals with individual karmic relationships in history - for example Marx and Engels - as well as surveying karma in human life, the shaping of karma after death, and the "cosmic form" of karma.

A single lecture taken from the volume Life Beyond Death

Rudolf Steiners fundamental handbook for spiritual and personal development has grown more modern as time has passed, although his methods remain clearly distinguishable from the many others now in circulation. For one thing, Steiners path of spiritual growth is based on the clarity of thought normally associated with scientific research. Rather than denying clear thinking, his aim is to extend it beyond its present limitations. Secondly, Steiner recognizes - as all genuine disciplines always have - that the path to spiritual experience is an arduous and dangerous one, calling for self-control in thought, word and deed. Human beings comprise a unity, and we cannot develop knowledge without a corresponding development in feeling and will. Rudolf Steiner foretold that humanity would begin to experience a longing for forms of experience that transcended intellectual, materialistic thinking. More than one hundred years after the first publication of this book in 1904, there are countless means to achieve such experience, such as eastern meditation, channelling, remote viewing and astral projection. In addition, there has been a huge growth in people reporting extrasensory perceptions of various kinds, such as near-death experiences and meetings with angels. In this context, Steiners key spiritual workbook - reproduced here in the classic Osmond/Davy translation - is needed more than ever, given its unique, precise instructions for inner training, its protective exercises, and its indications for grounding and centring. Knowledge of the Higher Worlds begins with the conditions required for personal development, and guides us through the stages of initiation, its practical aspects and its effects.

Alchemy and the Rise of the Modern Mysteries; The Loss of the Divine and the Alchemical Quest; Mysteries of the Metals; The Standpoint of Human Wisdom Today; Alchemy and Consciousness - the Transformation; Alchemy and Archangels; The Alchemy of Nature - Mercury, Sulphur, Salt; Beyond Nature Consciousness - the Spiritual Goal.

How are we connected to the world around us? This question, says Rudolf Steiner, is one that lives subliminally, drawing us into the depths of the psyche. There, our candle of consciousness tends to flicker and go out. But spiritual schooling can relight it, so that we learn to perceive realms of our being beyond the restricted self.Whilst Steiner was undertaking major lecture tours of Germany and England, he took time to address his followers at the world centre of anthroposophy in Dornach, Switzerland. He speaks here on three major topics: The Life of the Human Soul, Spiritual Striving in Relation to Earths Evolution and The Contrast Between East and West. The common theme, however, is our mutual responsibility for what the human being and the world will eventually become which, according to Steiner, is far from a foregone conclusion. Even the way we think can change and affect the future: the degree, for example, to which we concentrate our picturing in meditation, infusing head thinking with warmth of heart.Rudolf Steiner reveals a hugely complex picture of interrelationships between humanity and the cosmos. Our head, heart, lungs and limbs all reveal subtly different qualities of connection with the invisible realities that continue to sustain us. Our eyes, for instance, only gradually evolved into organs of sight and were once vital organs, as our lungs are now. The lungs, in turn, will similarly evolve to provide us with another form of perception.As is usually the case, Steiner addresses a wide variety of topics in addition to those above. Included in this volume are thoughts on the significance of the cinema; the nature of the halo; technology as the true foundation of the modern worldview; asceticism in the Middle Ages; the world of machines and the world of rite and worship; yoga and modern meditation exercises; pain as an awakener of knowledge; the emergence of the belief in ghosts; and the connection between stomach acid and soul qualities.

This volume - which brings together two classic booklets for the first time - features Steiners valuable thoughts and guidelines regarding the Foundation Stone Meditation and the new character of the Anthroposophical Society, given during and after the Christmas Conference of 1923/24.

Like so much of Renaissance Art, Shakespeares work bears an open secret. The esoteric spiritual content is undisguised, though it may be unexpected and not always immediately recognized. And, like all the great artistic achievements...this work remains incomplete until we recognize and respond to its open invitation that we become active participants. - from the IntroductionThe perennial universal appeal of Shakespeares work is well established. His core themes explore the challenges of the human condition whilst celebrating the potential of human beings to achieve and develop in earthly life. But what is it that enables Shakespeares characters to live and breathe beyond the confines of their written roles, some 400 years after the plays were first performed? In these collected lectures, edited with an extensive introduction by Andrew Wolpert, Rudolf Steiner throws new light on the Bards work, describing the on-going life that flows from it, and the profound spiritual origins of Shakespeares inspirations. He shows how Shakespeare can enliven us in our longing for contemporary ideals and truths; indeed, in our goal of becoming fully human. Our engagement with the plays, not just as actors and directors, but also as students and members of an audience, can thus become a co-creative participation in the redemptive potential of Shakespeares enduring legacy. Steiner speaks about Shakespeare in connection with the evolution of the arts of poetry and drama, and the transitions between cultural epochs. He reminds us of the sources and characteristics of classical Greek drama, recalling Aristotles definition of drama as catharsis, and pointing to Shakespeares connection to these cultural and historical wellsprings.

Mysticism and beyond: the importance of prayer; The meaning of sin and grace; Rediscovering the Bible; What is true communion?; Rediscovering the festivals and the life of the earth; Finding ones destiny: walking with Christ; The significance of religion in life and death; Christs second coming: the truth for our time; Universal religion: the meaning of love.

As soon as you start thinking about the living sphere, you have to make the thought itself mobile. The thought must begin to gain inner mobility through your own power. Rudolf SteinerRudolf Steiner divides these absorbing, previously-untranslated lectures into three sections, opening with The Value of Thinking. Here, he discusses the quality of thinking itself, contrasting dead physical cognition, living imaginative cognition, inspired cognition, and the latters connection with previous periods of human and planetary development. He clarifies how visionary clairvoyance can relate to individual intelligence, and also speaks of the submergence of ideas the effects of sad or joyful experiences and feelings into the unconscious. These can be life-promoting or life-inhibiting.In the second section he speaks about The Relationship between Spiritual Science and Natural Science, using a contemporary publication as a case study for how texts can be fruitfully analysed. He characterizes the spiritual-scientific method as allowing facts or personalities to speak for themselves, rather than making personal judgements. Finally, he deliberates on Episodic Observations about Space, Time, Movement kinetic formula and concepts such as the speed of light introducing, directly from his spiritual observations, notions such as light ether.The lectures are supplemented with an introduction, comprehensive notes, line drawings and an index.Eleven lectures, Dornach, Aug.Oct. 1915, GA 164

Our instinctive knowledge of which foods are helpful and which are harmful appears increasingly to be fading. We are bombarded with advice, information and prescriptions as to what we should eat and drink, but the issues surrounding nutrition - questions of health, diet, taste, even ecology and sustainability - remain largely unresolved.Unlike most commentators on this subject, Rudolf Steiner tackles the theme of nutrition in a refreshingly open way. At no point does he try to tell us what we should or should not be putting into our bodies - whether with regard to an omnivorous or vegetarian diet, smoking, drinking alcohol, and so on. The job of the scientist, he says, is to explain how things act and what effect they have; what people do with that information is up to them. However, he emphasizes that our diet not only determines our physical wellbeing, but can also promote or hinder our inner spiritual development.In this carefully collated anthology, with an introduction, commentary and notes by Christian von Arnim, Rudolf Steiner considers nutrition in the light of his spiritual-scientific research. He explains the impact of raw food, vegetarian and meat diets, the effects of protein, fats, carbohydrates and salts, individual foodstuffs such as potatoes, beetroots and radishes, as well as the impact of alcohol and nicotine. His insights are vital to anybody with a serious interest in health, diet and spiritual development.

Delivered in the context of post-war cultural and social chaos, these lectures form part of Rudolf Steiners energetic efforts to cultivate social understanding and renew culture through his innovative ideas based on threefolding. Steiner develops a subtle and discerning perception of how social dynamics could change and heal if they were founded on real insight into our threefold nature as individuals, social beings and economic participants in the world. He doesnt offer a programmatic agenda for change, but a real foundation from which change can organically grow.Social forms and reforms, says Steiner, are created together, not imposed by lone geniuses. Nevertheless, the detail of some of the thoughts and ideas he presents here as a possible model down to the economic specifics of commodity, labour, taxation, ground rent and capitalism itself are staggering in their clarity and originality. This is no mystic effusion but a heartfelt plea, backed by profound insights, to change our thinking and the world we live in. As he points out, thoughts create reality, and so it is vital how and what we think.Among the many contemporary and highly-relevant topics Steiner discusses here are: the nature of money and capital; taxation and the state; free enterprise and initiative; capitalism and Marxism; the relationship between employer and employee; added value theory and the concept of commodity; and class consciousness, the proletariat and the bourgeoisie.

Whatever turbulent outward events occur in the world, whatever form is taken by things seeking to work their way out of the depths of human evolution, we only really hearken to the true, underlying nature of these events ... if we observe the world from a spiritual perspective. Rudolf Steiner. In seeking to heal the many social crises of our time, Rudolf Steiner urges us to turn away from fixed principles, theories or social dogmas and to rediscover the real nature of the human being. This inner reality that cannot be understood in materialistic or deterministic ways is the only basis on which society can truly be founded. But it is not sufficient to speak of well-meaning ideas, he says, unless we are also active in working for change; change that begins with each of us. In 1919, a year marked by strong social and political upheavals, Steiner was deeply concerned with questions relating to society. Having published a book on the subject (Towards Social Renewal), he embarked on a major campaign to publicize his threefold social ideas. In addition to public lectures, however, Steiner sought to deepen the subject in a series of talks to members of the Anthroposophical Society. These lectures, gathered in this volume, reveal the inner or esoteric aspects of the social question. They complement Steiners very practical efforts to realize threefolding in the historical context of his time. Whilst Steiners suggestions for social change may not seem self-evident to pragmatic thinking, they will strike a resonant chord in many who seek deeper answers to the social problems of our times problems that politicians seem unable to remedy. Amidst the many themes tackled here, Steiner addresses the issue of nationalism as a retrograde tendency; the tasks of Central Europe and Britain in relation to the East; the incarnation of Ahriman in the West, and the historical incarnation of Lucifer in the third millennium BC.

The Foundation Stone Meditation holds a central place in the inner life of many students of Rudolf Steiners work. First presented during the refounding of the Anthroposophical Society at the Christmas Conference of 1923/24, it is a powerful and penetrating meditative text which many consider to be a key to the spiritual mysteries of our time. This version features three alternative translations (by George Adams, Pauline Wehrle and Richard Seddon), together with the original German verses and an introduction by Michael Wilson.

The intention is to take a practical subject and show how our spiritual science with anthroposophical orientation truly can play an effective role in everyday life. Rudolf Steiner Following his first major lecture course for medical practitioners, Rudolf Steiner sought to elaborate and deepen his extension of the art of healing from a spiritual-scientific perspective. In this collection of addresses, discussions, question-and-answer sessions and lectures running parallel to his major medical cycles Steiner comments on contemporary medicines emphasis on experimental, materially-based research and its subsequent lack of attention to therapy. Steiners intention is not to detract from developments in medical science but to build on them with spiritual science not quackery but a true art of medicine. The medical practitioner has an important task: diseases must be cured, and it is wrong not to intervene and simply to allow karma to take its course. Speaking to audiences ranging from members of the general public to small groups of medical professionals, Steiner offers new insights into our understanding of human organs such as the brain, kidneys and liver, as well as the efficacy of healing substances including arsenic, sulphur, arnica and essential plant oils. He studies a broad range of specific medical conditions, giving advice on cancer, hysteria, rheumatism, gout, skin eruptions, typhoid, diabetes, haemophilia, syphilis, gonorrhoea, asthma, glaucoma, leukaemia, smallpox, insomnia, and childhood diseases such as measles. His commentaries on a raft of contrasting subjects such as psychiatry, sexual maturity, memory, poisoning and detoxification present challenging perspectives for patients and medical practitioners. Steiners surprisingly non-dogmatic advice on vaccination, for example, gives a refreshingly balanced, and perhaps unexpected, point of view. This volume also includes a lecture on eurythmy therapy, a comprehensive introduction, index and notes, and nine full colour plates of Rudolf Steiners blackboard drawings.

Rudolf Steiners original contribution to human knowledge was based on his ability to conduct spiritual research, the investigation of metaphysical dimensions of existence. Samples of his work are to be found in this introductory reader in which Beth Usher brings together excerpts from Steiners many talks and writings on Eurythmy. The volume also features an editorial introduction, commentary and notes.Chapters: In the beginning, God created out of movement; School eurythmy - a kind of spiritual gymnastics; Eurythmy therapy - the word of the heavens is the being of man; Silent soul: speaking soul. Eurythmy as a performing art; How eurythmy arises out of anthroposophy.

When we consider the plant world in all its greenery, or the stars with their golden glory; when we look at all this without forming any judgement from within ourselves but instead permit the things to reveal themselves to us... then all things are transformed from what they were in the world of the senses into something entirely different something for which no word exists other than one which is taken from our very life of soul... Rudolf Steiner. One of Rudolf Steiners most fundamental objectives was to show how the spiritual world connects to and penetrates the material world. In doing so, he was pioneering a modern form of Rosicrucianism countering traditional religious conceptions (that spirit and matter are polar opposites) as well as contemporary materialistic science (that ignores the existence of spiritual phenomena altogether). In this concise series of lectures, Rudolf Steiner shows how the human senses reveal the mysterious world of the will, which is at once a spiritual and physical phenomenon. The senses act as a portal connecting our physical and etheric bodies with what Steiner refers to as worlds of all-pervading will and all-pervading wisdom. He elaborates this theme, giving some unexpected and delightful insights into the senses of hearing and sight, and in particular how we experience colour. Steiner suggests that divine spiritual beings had different intentions for the formation of physical human beings, but that adversary powers caused disruption, leading to a more materialized constitution. He describes disorders in the connections between the human physical, etheric, astral and ego bodies, and the ill effects of one aspect overpowering the others. He gives insight into human glandular secretions, and why we need to eat and digest also connected to the intervention of adversary beings. Among the many other themes tackled here, Rudolf Steiner describes the transformation of the human senses and organs, giving special consideration to the function of the larynx, which in future times will develop a special kind of reproductive power.

At the end of his life Rudolf Steiner took up the task that was his special destiny; to bring to the West a knowledge of reincarnation and karma. To do this he gave over eighty lectures in 1924 in which he explicitly and concretely revealed the destinies of various individuals from one life to the next in order to show how the general laws of karma operate in individual cases. He also revealed many details of the karmic streams of the members of the Anthroposophical Society. These volumes constitute an immeasurable contribution to the understanding of reincarnation and karma, and the tasks of the Anthroposophical Society in connection with the Archangel Michael. First printed in English in 1953 with the title, Cosmic Christianity and the Impulse of Michael. Karma in the Life of Individuals and the Evolution of the World. Six lectures given at Torquay and London, England, between 12th and 27th August, 1924.