Life today poses many questions, both in our personal lives and in our participation in nature and the broader culture. We often focus on the outer needs for social, political, technological, or environmental change. However, can we really meet the challenges around us without also attending to our inner life and to our own evolving biography as it reflects and informs the outer world? This book starts from the premise that each of our lives expresses uniqueness of spiritual intention within the unfolding of universal rhythms and possibilities. Can we wake up to the developmental opportunities offered to us through different life phases? Are we able to step out of the narrowness of the dualistic naturenurture argument and experience that we are both more than our genetic composition and more than a product of the social and educational influences that have shaped us? Can we come to appreciate the learning that our I has received through heredity, ethnicity, schooling, and gender without losing a sense of our true individuality? Waking up to our unique self as it grows through interaction with the world and other human beings helps us recognize the significance we all play in one anothers biographies and in the unfolding of our larger human story. Signe Schaefer invites us to explore our own meaning-filled life journey, to bring conscious attention to how we go our path, so that we may more freely perceive our possibilities and our responsibilities along the way of our personal and shared becoming.
Contributions from experienced anthroposophic nurses combine to create this landmark work, highlighting the importance of this holistic approach to healthcare.
A comprehensive picture of the evolution of the earth, and life on earth in a single monumental work by an esteemed geologist.
The author makes the case that Plato is engaged not only in thinking but also, and more important, in doing--that what we do with the knowledge is crucial, because it can determine the meaning and purpose of our own life. She saw that he was not merely engaging in rational philosophical discussion, but that the dialogues of Plato, especially up to the Republic, embody the Socratic exhortation for each individual to "take care for the soul." The dialogues therefore embody both a rational philosophy and a system of spiritual/religious principles and doctrines whose purpose is to lay out--in a public forumthe path a true disciple needs to take to have a personal and direct experience of spiritual illumination, or enlightenment.
A in-depth study of one of the most under-recognised mathematicians, bringing Pythagoras's true legacy to light.
A comprehensive owner's manual for the human body, discussing human physiology and the hidden life forces and processes that sustain life on Earth.
Classic study on the origin of human language, tracing it back to pre-Columbian America.
Celebrates a century of eurythmy.
Covers all aspects of communicating with nature, learning to read the language of plants in connection with healing.
A Consideration from an Anthroposophical Point of ViewThe reflections in this book by Peter Selg and Sergei Prokofieff on the soul-spiritual, ethical, and medical-therapeutic issues surrounding physician-assisted suicide (and suicide as such) will provoke one's thought, feeling, and volition. Its inspiration arises from both Rudolf Steiner and the Hippocratic Oath.Peter Selg begins by showing how Rudolf Steiner views the principle of life as immanent spirit and the living medium of the "I," or individuality and as inviolable and wise beyond our understanding. It is the sacred task of healing always to attend to, honor, and serve life in this sense--to affirm, enhance, and strengthen the life forces of the sick. As Rudolf Steiner puts it, "The will to heal must always function as therapeutically as possible...even when one thinks that the sick person is incurable." These words were spoken before the full consummation of materialist, technologically enhanced medicine, but Rudolf Steiner, as Peter Selg shows, was well aware of the dangers related to the direction of modern medicine.Sergei Prokofieff links the initiatory origins of Hippocratic medicine in the Mysteries with the return of the Mystery origin of medicine and healing in Anthroposophic medicine. Turning to Steiner's spiritual research, he considers suicide to be an "illness" of our time and examines the spiritual consequences of suicide for the after-death experiences of those who have taken their own lives--specifically, that suicide results in the soul's profound disorientation. He goes on to show how suicide makes the after-death experience of Christ infinitely more difficult, as it does the "resurrection of the spirit" and the relation to the spiritual world. Far from being a "free" act, Prokofieff concludes, suicide is quite the opposite.Anyone seeking insight into suicide will find in this book a profound and esoteric introduction to this controversial problem.
Argues that taking on some of the characteristics of plants will help us and our relationship to our world.
A survey of the teachings associated with the feminine principle of Sophia in Christianity's mystical past.
Both an exposition of Eckhart's mysticism and an exemplary work of contemporary philosophy.
A study of the presiding genius of the Florentine Academy.
Written in 1889 (CW 5)Steiner met Nietzsche's work in 1889. At once fascinated by Nietszche's style and repelled by certain pathological aspects of his consciousness, Steiner recognized Nietzsche's spiritual preeminence as a "fighter for freedom."Six years later, as a result of meeting Nietzsche's sister, Steiner encountered the dying philosopher himself. Thereafter, he spent several weeks in the Nietzsche archives. The result was this book, an essential stepping stone toward an understanding of anthroposophy.This book is a translation from German of Friedrich Nietzsche, ein Kämpfer gegen seine Zeit (GA 5).
11 lectures in Oslo, Berlin, Dornach & Basel, Nov. 24-Dec. 31, 1921 (CW 209)The Human Being as an Earthly and Cosmic BeingFather-consciousness and Christ-consciousnessThe Festival of the Appearance of ChristCosmic New YearThis previously untranslated volume in The Collected Works of Rudolf Steiner comprises eleven lectures given to members of the Anthroposophical Society in Norway, Germany, and Switzerland in November and December of 1921. In Rudolf Steiner's biography, 1921 was a year of many trials. These lectures stand between the earth-shattering years of the First World War and the tragic destruction of the First Goetheanum. Indeed, precisely one year after the final lecture published in this volume, the Goetheanum--the house of the Word to which Steiner devoted all his forces--burned to the ground through an act of arson.Though separated geographically, the lectures share a common thematic thread: the need for modern humanity, freely and out of inner initiative, to learn once again the language of the cosmos. This theme is taken up strikingly in the lecture of December 18, 1921, in which Steiner describes the spiritual reality of the human being not in familiar spiritual-scientific terms as consisting of physical body, etheric body, astral body, and "I," but instead imbues these otherwise abstract designations with inner content--the physical body as an echo of the activity of zodiacal forces and expressed as cosmic consonants, while the etheric body reveals an echo of the weaving of planetary spheres in the realm of vowels.This interplay of the planetary forces in vowels and the zodiacal forces in consonants--which accompany the soul on its descent to Earth--was once perceived instinctively by ancient humanity. It was understood that names are not given arbitrarily based on the whim of the parents but are designations that correspond to those planetary and zodiacal forces that played the greatest role in that individual's path to earthly incarnation.Abounding with penetrating insights, inspirations, and profound wisdom, this book speaks to all who seek a new understanding of humanity's place in the universe.This book is a translation from German by Agnes Schneeberg-de Steur of Nordische und mitteleuropäische Geistimpulse (2nd ed.), Rudolf Steiner Verlag, Dornach, Switzerland, 1982 (GA 209). Cover image: Schöpfung (Creation) by Ninetta Sombart (1925-2019), tempera on canvas, 55.5" x 112". With gratitude to the Sombart family for their kind permission and to Thomas Spalinger, Raffael Verlag, for providing the image.
Author's summary and summaries of 34 lectures, 1901-1905; with reports on Rudolf Steiner's activity in the "Giordano Bruno Association," 1902 (CW 51)"Steiner's approach was at first a surprise for the students, who had been schooled in Marxist thought and tended to view all spiritual matters as 'byproducts' of material, economic processes. For them, it was questionable whether the spiritual striving of individual human beings could really be a driving force in history. Steiner knew the soul disposition of his students and the 'inexpressibly tragic situation' that the proletariat's intense desire for knowledge had so far been 'satisfied only through the grossest form of materialism.' But the materialistic ideas that had been absorbed by the workers from popular scientific literature and from Marxist writings contained 'partial truths.'" (introduction)Wide-ranging, illuminating, and entirely unique in Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works, this volume consists of lectures given at the Worker Education School and at the Independent College in Berlin (along with a lengthy appendix on Steiner's activity in the Giordano Bruno Association). Concerning his teaching activities in the Worker School, Steiner later reflected in his autobiography, "I had to find a completely different way of expressing myself than I had become used to until then" (p. 193). This was due largely to his students' working-class background. Steiner's new approach involved allowing "idealism to arise from materialism." The result was the foundation for what he called "historical symptomatology"--that is, the study of the deeper causes behind history through their symptomatic expression in concrete historical events. This volume is therefore an exceptional resource for anyone interested in Steiner's approach to history.Steiner's lectures at the Independent College, which form part two of the volume, are concerned, on the one hand, with the philosophies of the medieval and early modern mystics--forming a companion to his book Mystics after Modernism (CW 7)--and, on the other, with the remarkable figure of Friedrich Schiller. Speaking on the occasion of the centenary of Schiller's death, Steiner's lectures are a brilliant homage to the great thinker and dramatist, brimming with insights into this extraordinary individual and the significance of his contributions for our time.The appendix contains unique documents outlining Steiner's work in the Giordano Bruno Association for a Unified Worldview. The lively exchange of ideas and Steiner's unique role within the Association are evident in the selected lectures and discussions. This book is a must-read for both long-time students of Steiner's work and newcomers seeking a fresh, enlivened, and enlivening approach to philosophy, history, and literature.On Philosophy, History, and Literature is a translation from German of Über Philosophie, Geschichte, und Literatur. Darstellungen an der Arbeiterbildungsschule und der Freien Hochschule in Berlin, Zusammenstellung edition, Rudolf Steiner Verlag, Dornach, 1983 (GA 51).
"Published simultaneously in German by Verlaag am Goetheanum, Dornach."--Title page verso.
In this practical guide to consciousness work -- it is both a spiritual psychology and a manual of spiritual practice -- the author of Stages of Consciousness and Becoming Aware of the Logos begins by laying our very clearly the unhealthy nature of contemporary consciousness, its blinders and automatisms. He then demonstrates how, starting with the free attention available to all, a person may begin to expand the range of his or her possibilities of understanding and ability to act.
17 lectures, Berlin, May 29 - September 25, 1917 (CW 176)"When faced with the way events are depicted in history, we should sense how necessary it is to rethink them. We should sense that today's difficult time, which has brought such misery upon humanity, is the karmic effect of distorted, superficial thinking. We should sense that the painful experiences we are going through are in many respects the karma of materialism."--Rudolf SteinerWe read in modern history books about external events isolated within themselves or subject to the random, blind working of mechanistically conceived causes and effects. But is it possible to view the events of our times--pandemics, war, political upheaval, etc.--as symptoms of an underlying disease, karmic consequences of humanity's fall into materialism? In these lectures, given in the midst of World War I, Rudolf Steiner addresses this question with insight, nuance, and a deep love for humanity and the collective spiritual mission of our Earth.Science--which should not be a set of beliefs or dogmas but a method and practice of inquiry--has become wedded, especially since the nineteenth century, to the worldview of materialism. This problematic union is most dangerous when erroneous concepts and lines of thought are extended beyond the domain of theory into the sphere of practical life. In these lectures, Steiner implores his audience "to become conscious of where humanity will be led if what today calls itself science is allowed to set the tone and to insinuate itself into realms where concepts become realities." Although given more than one hundred years ago, the message of these lectures is more urgent today than ever before.This volume is a translation of Menschliche und menschheitliche Entwicklungswahrheiten. Das Karma des Materialismus, 2nd edition, Rudolf Steiner Verlag, Dornach, Switzerland, 1982 (GA 176). Cover image: Materia by Umberto Boccioni (1882-1916).
In his Timaeus and Critias dialogues, Plato wrote of two ancient civilizations that flourished more than 9,000 years before his time. Socrates accepted the account as true, and modern archaeological techniques may yet prove him right.In Plato, Prehistorian, Mary Settegast takes us from the cave paintings of Lascaux to the shrines of Çatalhöyük, demonstrating correspondences both to Plato's tale and to the mystery religions of antiquity. She then traces the mid-seventh millennium impulse that revitalized the spiritual life of Çatalhöyük and spread agriculture from Iran to the Greek Peninsula--at precisely the time given by Aristotle for the legendary Persian prophet Zarathustra, for whom the cultivation of the earth was a religious imperative.This new edition of Mary Settegast's ground-breaking synthesis of classical and archaeological scholarship features an appendix by Alistair Coombs on the recent excavations at Göbekli Tepe in southeastern Turkey, which have upended the conventional view of the rise of civilization.
"From the richness of his experience and extensive medical training, Dr. James Dyson has forged an authentic, holistic understanding of the human being into a practical psychotherapeutic discipline. In mid-career, with more than fifty years of deep engagement with the esoteric teachings of Rudolf Steiner, the spirit at work in medicinal substances, and the therapeutic art of eurythmy, Dr. Dyson undertook the study of psychosynthesis psychology, nonviolent communication, and organizational development. This book sets out the resulting synthesis of these paths as a unique and powerful interdisciplinary approach to human health with practical tools for those engaged in healing, health care, counseling, and psychotherapy, as well as for anyone searching for insights to support their own healthy soul life." -- publisher's website
6 lectures at The Hague, April 7-12, 1922; A written report by Rudolf Steiner on the course (CW 82)"There is no contradiction, if you look into the matter correctly, between destiny and freedom. However, in order to be able to present the concept of destiny to the world later on, it was first necessary that the concept of freedom be presented in the book The Philosophy of Freedom." -- Rudolf Steiner (lect. 6)Published here for the first time in English, these six public lectures are among Rudolf Steiner's most inspired--and inspiring--explorations of Anthroposophy as a true science of the spirit.Our age provides abundant explanations of the universe, its nature and evolution. But underlying most scientific modalities is a passive engagement with self and world, a taking-for-granted of the faculty of thinking, and, as a result, an indifferent arranging of phenomena through logical inference. But the question remains: What is thinking? A product of chemical processes in the brain, or a spiritual activity through which we become participants in a spiritual cosmos?This is Steiner's starting point in all his work. He aims to cast off the unnecessary limits imposed on knowledge by a science that fails to examine its most fundamental epistemological premises. The lectures here are a remarkable contribution to this lifelong project--a compelling, eloquent, insightful study and affirmation of our very humanness.Speaking to a youthful academic audience, Steiner does not confine himself to the arbitrary delineations of codified academic disciplines; on the contrary, he breaks down barriers, builds bridges, envisions a future academy in which the paths of knowledge are broadened through a genuine science of initiation to encompass our role as members and, ultimately, co-creators of the physical, soul, and spiritual universe."Those who seek to prove something show, through the very fact that they seek to prove it, that for them what must be proved is not readily perceptible. We actually seek to prove something whenever we have no direct perception of it.... When in older, instinctive cognition people had a perception of what they called the divine being, they did not need proofs. Historically, the proofs for the existence of God began only when the perception was lost. Evidence is required wherever there is no perception." -- Rudolf Steiner (lect. 6)This volume is a translation from German of Damit der Mensch ganz Mensch werde. Die Bedeutung der Anthroposophieim Geistesleben der Gegenwart (GA 82), 2nd ed., Rudolf Steiner Verlag, Dornach, Switzerland, 1994. Cover image: The Golden Cell by Odilon Redon, 1892. Oil and coloredchalks with gold, 30.1 cm x 24.7 cm. The British Museum, London.
Scoochie Mouse makes her home in the chicken coop beneath the nest of her friend Henrietta, on the farm of a kind, loving family with two children, Tom and Jessica, their friend Birdie, and their dog Woof.Scoochie's adventures and growing knowledge of the world are interwoven with farm and family life, with the circle of the seasons, and with fairy tales told during quiet evenings. The world in which Scoochie and the farm family live is our world, too, seen through the innocent eyes of childhood.Our play, our work, our song, In us becomes a light.We carry it along, 'til stars shine through the night.With the stars we share our light, filled with love, shining bright.Born from the wisdom of the Waldorf approach to early childhood learning, Scoochie Mouse and the Miracle of Life (as well as its companion, The Adventures of Scoochie Mouse) is a gentle, healing book about deep reverence for the natural world, abiding kindness toward all creatures, love, and goodness.The 56 short chapters are perfect for reading aloud to young children and are appropriate for early readers (and grown-ups!) to read themselves.(Ages 3-6+ years)
"Since the coming of Gautama Buddha, Eastern mystics have spoken especially about a future condition when earth will be bathed in a moral etheric atmosphere. Ever since the time of the ancient rishis, they had hoped that this moral impulse would come to earth from Vishva Karman (or from Ahura Mazda, as Zarathustra proclaimed). Eastern mysticism foresaw that this moral atmosphere would come to earth from the being we call the Christ. Eastern mystics had set their hopes on the being of Christ." -- Rudolf Steiner (p. 125)The first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles describes Christ's Ascension: "and a cloud received him out of their sight." As the disciples were looking up, two angels appeared and said, "the same Jesus, taken up from you into heaven, shall come again in the same way as you have seen him go."Starting in 1910, Rudolf Steiner initiated a series of lectures announcing the advent of Christ's appearance in the sphere of the earth's etheric or life body. This he said would begin between 1930 and 1940, but at first, only a few people would be aware of it. In time, more and more people--regardless of their religious affiliation--would be infused by Christ's living presence. Such "Damascus experiences," bespeaking a new natural clairvoyance, Steiner said, would become increasingly common.The Christ will become a living comforter. Though it may seem strange now, it is nevertheless true that even large numbers of people sitting together and wondering what to do will see the etheric Christ. He will be there and confer with them; he will cast his word into their gathering. We are approaching these times when this positive, constructive element will take hold of human evolution." -- Rudolf Steiner (p. 122)The lectures collected here on the second coming of Christ also contain significant related issues, such as spiritual science and etheric vision, the etheric vision of the future, the Sermon on the Mount and the land of Shambhala, the etherization of the blood, the mysteries of comets and the moon, Buddhism and Pauline Christianity, and the three realms between death and rebirth.
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