Download or read book The Development of Anthroposophy since Rudolf Steiner s Death written by T.H. Meyer and published by SteinerBooks. This book was released on 2014-11-01 with total page 331 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume begins with Thomas Meyer's assessment of Anthroposophy's evolution since Rudolf Steiner’s death and its future prospects. He offers an overview of the eighty-seven years of the development of the anthroposophic movement and the Anthroposophical Society, the worldwide organization headquartered in Dornach, Switzerland, since the death of its founder. The Society went through a very difficult and controversial period in the ten years following Steiner’s death, which culminated at its Annual Meeting in 1935. The result was the expulsion from the Society of two members appointed by Rudolf Steiner to its Executive Board (Vorstand)—Ita Wegman and Elizabeth Vreede—as well as the British and Dutch branches of the Society and many important anthroposophists who opposed the expulsions. Meyer—whose many books include Rudolf Steiner's Core Mission—reveals the extraordinary concordance of four November 17 dates highly significant in the development of Anthroposophy. On November 17, 1901, the anniversary of the founding of the Theosophical Society in 1875, Marie von Sivers asked Rudolf Steiner to create an esoteric path suited to the Western mind, which set Steiner on his mission. On November 17, 1923, Ita Wegman urged Steiner to establish a new Society, with Steiner himself joining as both a member and its president. Twelve years later, on November 17, 1935, the remaining three individuals of the Executive Board wrote to Adolf Hitler to plea for the Society's continued existence in Germany after being banned in Germany by the Nazi regime. Profound connections underlie these events. Four appendices supplement the present volume. Appendix 1 presents a Chronology that denotes, by year and day, significant episodes in Steiner’s life and in the development of Anthroposophy. The remaining appendices feature, for the first time in English in one volume, significant documents pertinent to the Anthroposophical Society’s Easter 1935 Annual Meeting. Appendix 2 contains the “Memorandum,” written by supporters of Marie Steiner, setting forth a list of grievances in support of the expulsion motions adopted at the 1935 Annual Meeting. Appendix 3 records Ludwig Polzer-Hoditz’s address in response to the 1935 Annual Meeting, counseling against the expulsion measures. Appendix 4 contains the letter (in English and German) written by the Society’s Executive Board to Adolf Hitler. This important book offers profound insights into the struggles for individual freedom and voice during the early years of the Anthroposophical Society. Seeing the dynamics of that struggle can help us today to overcome differences to work toward common purpose, both in the context of our everyday lives and within a spiritually oriented community.

Download or read book The Dead Are with Us written by Rudolf Steiner and published by Rudolf Steiner Press. This book was released on 2006 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 1 lecture, Nuremberg, February 10, 1918 (CW 182) "All historical life, all social life, all ethical life, proceed by virtue of the co-operation between the so-called living and the so-called dead. Our whole being can be infinitely strengthened when we are conscious not only of our firm stand here in the physical world, but are filled with the inner realization of being able to say of the dead whom we have loved: they are with us, they are in our midst." --Rudolf Steiner In this important lecture, Rudolf Steiner clearly describes life after death and explains how those on the Earth can maintain a connection with loved ones who have passed on. He describes the conditions in the environment of the dead; both the advantages and the dangers of connecting with the dead; the important moments of waking up and going to sleep; the significance of dying in childhood or in old age; and the appropriateness of various kinds of funeral services.

Download or read book Life Beyond Death written by Rudolf Steiner and published by Rudolf Steiner Press. This book was released on 2015-03-05 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although western humanity has conquered the outer world with the aid of technology and science, death remains an unsolved and largely unexplored mystery. Rudolf Steiner, an exceptional seer, was able to research spiritually the question of what happens to human consciousness after the physical body passes away. In these remarkably matter-of-fact lectures he affirms that life continues beyond death. Far from being dissipated, the individual's consciousness awakens to a new reality, beginning a great journey to the farthest expanses of the cosmos. Here it embarks on a process of purification and preparation. Rudolf Steiner indicates that one of the most important tasks for our present civilization is the reestablishment of living connections with those who have died. He gives suggestions as to how this can be done safely, and describes how the dead can be of help to those on earth.

Download or read book Milestones written by T. H. Meyer and published by Temple Lodge Publishing. This book was released on 2015-10-26 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why was the act of arson that destroyed the first Goetheanum so devastatingly successful in its malicious intent? What was the nature of the poisoning that Rudolf Steiner suffered in 1923? What was the significance of Steiner’s encounter with an unknown Master in 1879, and his later meeting with Friedrich Nietzsche on his sickbed? Rather than presenting an accumulation of data, Meyer takes a symptomatological approach to the evolution of Rudolf Steiner’s thinking, pinpointing specific moments in his biography, whilst making numerous links to contemporary issues. Seemingly unimportant details are significant – such as Steiner’s boyhood habit of smashing dishes, or the droplet of water that adorned Steiner’s forehead at his funeral. The often overlooked language of such images is evaluated within the scope and grandeur of Rudolf Steiner’s life’s work. An incisive theme running through Milestones is the dual nature of time – ‘involution’ and ‘evolution’ – and how it affects the Anthroposophical Society and movement. Following Steiner’s death, a one-sided involution process has been evident in the overemphasis on the Christmas Foundation Meeting, as well as Steiner’s supposedly ‘indissoluble’ connection with the Society. This is coupled with distorted evolution processes, as seen in the urge to enter the public domain by jettisoning anthroposophy altogether. Such disharmonies can only be healed, says Meyer, by seeing the reality. This book serves as an essential guide to understanding the task of anthroposophy in the modern world.

Download or read book The Path of the Soul After Death written by Peter Selg and published by SteinerBooks. This book was released on 2010-10 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 14 lectures, Kassel, June 24 - July 7, 1909 (CW 112) Beginning at the turn of the century, Rudolf Steiner began to express a passionate interest in Christianity. For him, the event he called the "Mystery of Golgotha" is more than the central event of Christianity; it is, in fact, the turning point in time for all human and earthly evolution. In his Autobiography, Steiner clarified his views on Christianity: Some of what I said and wrote during that period [1890s] seems to contradict the way I described Christianity later on. This is because, when I wrote the word Christianity, I was referring to the teachings of a "world beyond" that was active in all Christian doctrines at the time. The whole meaning of religious experiences pointed to a world of spirit, one that was supposed to be unattainable by human intellect. Whatever religion might have to say and whatever precepts for moral life it might offer arise from what is revealed to human beings from outside. My own direct, inner perception of spirit objected to this; it wanted to experience the worlds of both spirit and the physical in perceptions of the human being and nature. And my ethical individualism objected to this. It rejected the external support of commandments for morality; such support came instead as the result of spiritual soul development within the human being, where divinity lives. That was a trying time for my soul as I looked at Christianity. This period lasted from the time I left the Weimar work until I wrote my book Christianity as Mystical Fact. These kinds of tests are obstacles, placed in one's path by destiny (or karma), and they must be overcome through spiritual development. In these talks, Rudolf Steiner offers his profound insights into the essential truths behind the Christ event, as well as the historic and prehistoric events--on Earth and in the spiritual worlds--leading up to the turning point in time. He shows that the ancient mysteries of the East, the Persians, the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the streams behind those impulses--going back to Atlantis and Lemuria--all lead to the event of Christ's incarnation and the Mystery of Golgotha, through which the Earth became the body of Christ. Further, Steiner talks about what those events mean for the future of humanity and the Earth. The Gospel of St. John and Its Relation to the Other Gospels is an essential document in the literature of Christology and for understanding the central place of esoteric Christianity in Anthroposophy. The Gospel of St. John and Its Relation to the Other Gospels is a translation of Das Johannes-Evangelium im Verhältnis zu den drei anderen Evangelien, besonders zu dem Lukas-Evangelium (GA 112).

Download or read book The Life and Work of Rudolf Steiner written by Guenther Wachsmuth and published by SteinerBooks. This book was released on 1995-06 with total page 1037 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Zanoni, first published in 1842, was inspired by a dream. Sir Edward, a Rosicrucian, wrote this engaging, well-researched, novel about the eternal conflict between head and heart, between wisdom and love, played out by the Rosicrucians before the dramatic background of the French Revolution. He described his book Zanoni as "a truth for those who can comprehend it, and an extravagance for those who cannot." Following his introduction, the novel is divided into seven parts, whose titles indicate the sevenfold path of spiritual development. The fourth section, "The Dweller of the Threshold," is the book's centerpiece, revealing significant esoteric facts and experiences. A novelist, a dramatist, a scholar, an editor, and an active member of Parliament, Sir Edward was an extremely successful author whose writings were widely read throughout England and Europe. He poured into this esoteric work all of the ancient esoteric wisdom that he felt he could reveal to the public during an age buried deeply in materialism. This work remains one of the great, pioneering landmarks of esoteric writing.

Download or read book Life Between Death and Rebirth written by Rudolf Steiner and published by SteinerBooks. This book was released on 1975-04 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "He listened extremely attentively, apparently not looking at me at all, but totally devoted to my words." --Franz Kafka "The only love that you can show me is to call me anytime, day or night, when you need me." --Rudolf Steiner (to Friedrich Rittelmeyer) For Peter Selg, if Anthroposophy to be a living reality, we must learn to know and love Rudolf Steiner as he appeared to those who knew and loved him: namely, as a spiritual teacher. To help us do so, he gathered recollections of those of who knew Steiner personally--"historical witnesses to the 'living phenomenon' of the 'figure of the teacher." It is his hope that these firsthand accounts will help readers see and experience the amazing, ever-mysterious person that Rudolf Steiner was--a dynamic, energetic "dual citizen" of both the spiritual and the physical worlds. He moved constantly between these two realities, while his whole life was dedicated in service to the spiritual evolution of humanity. Nonetheless, he was also deeply sociable and a true friend, convivial, cheerful, humorous, and always able to enjoy--and tell--a good joke. He was also austere and painfully serious. In other words, Rudolf Steiner was a paradox. Steiner was "imposing," but it would be difficult to say why. He was slim; there was no heaviness in him. Indeed, what seemed to strike most people first was his lightness. He moved rhythmically, youthfully, artistically, with quick, light steps, his posture erect but fluid, his head seeming to float between Heaven and Earth. Yet he was fully grounded. When he stood, it was as if nothing could move him. When he spoke, his gestures and tone expressed perfectly what he had to say. He was completely one with what he said, so that he changed as the content changed. Those who listened to his lectures found themselves transported to the source of what they were hearing. Sometimes "ten Steiners" would pass before them. To hear a lecture, was a meditation experience. Quite another figure appeared in conversations, which filled his every public moment. One experienced luminous kindness, selfless interest, and intense listening attention. It was as tough one were singled out in the world and having a sense of being allowed complete inner freedom. All who came to him for advice felt Steiner's love. They felt that he saw the best in them and spoke from that point of view, whether it was a matter of life's journey or esoteric training. By his example, then, he sought to exemplify the kind of spiritual community toward which he hoped anthroposophists would strive. For anyone who has wondered what Rudolf Steiner was like, this book will open many windows.

Download or read book Staying Connected written by Rudolf Steiner and published by SteinerBooks. This book was released on 1999 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The idea of maintaining, continuing, and enhancing our relationships with those who have died was a fundamental part of Rudolf Steiner's work. This volume collects a rich harvest of Steiner's thoughts on this subject gathered over many years. Steiner speaks from his own experiences, providing some of the meditation practices and verses that worked for him. We learn of the value of reading to the dead; of using verbs (rather than nouns) when talking with them; of the importance of the sacred moments while falling asleep and awaking for asking questions and receiving answers; of the way our memories of the dead are like art to them; and of key moods we must develop -- community with the world, gratitude, confidence in the current of life.

Download or read book The Influence of the Dead on Destiny written by Rudolf Steiner and published by SteinerBooks. This book was released on 2007-12 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 6 lectures, Stuttgart, Dec. 26, 1919 - Jan. 3, 1920 (CW 299) To one who understands the sense of speech The world unveils Its image form. To one who listens to the soul of speech The world unfolds Its true being. To one who lives in the spirit depths of speech The world gives freely Wisdom's strength. To one who lovingly can dwell on speech Speech will accord Its inner might. So I will turn my heart and mind Toward the soul And spirit of words. In love for them I will then feel myself Complete and whole. Rudolf Steiner (Translated by Hans and Ruth Pusch) During the first year of the first Waldorf school, Rudolf Steiner agreed to give a science course to the teachers, which was to be on the nature of light. At the last minute, he was asked to give an additional course on language, which he improvised. "The Genius of Language" is the result. Steiner demonstrates how history and psychology together form the different languages and how ideas, images, and vocabulary travel through time within various cultural streams. He describes how the power to form language has declined, but that we can still recover the seed of language, the penetration of sound by meaning. He also explains how consonants imitate outer phenomena, whereas vowels convey a more inner sense of events; he talks about the differentiation of language as it is influenced by geography; he speaks of the "folk soul" element and the possibility of "wordless thinking"; we hear about the capacity of language to transform us and of its importance to our spiritual lives. This is not just a course on language for those who love words but demonstrates ways to teach children. This little book will prove tremendously valuable to both educators and parents-in fact, to anyone who wants a deeper understanding of language and its significance for our lives. This volume is a translation from German of Geisteswissenschaftlische Sprachbetrachtungen (GA 299).

Download or read book The Formation of Destiny and Life After Death written by Rudolf Steiner and published by Steiner Books. This book was released on 2013 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 6 lectures, Berlin, November 16-December 12, 1915 (CW 157a) This is a fully revised edition of the book previously published as The Forming of Destiny and Life after Death Rudolf Steiner delivered these lectures near the end of 1915 and the beginning of World War I, when the issue of death and destiny weighed on the minds of many in Europe. He describes, from a spiritual perspective, the process of crossing the threshold of death to life in the spiritual world; the soul's experience immediately after death; and the process of forming one's destiny, or karma, while we remain on Earth and later in the spirit world. Steiner also discusses the importance of our connection with those who have died and how love and reverence to the memory of the dead must be united with our love for the physical world, and how we can strengthen ourselves through meditation. In the final lecture, given on December 21, Steiner stresses the esoteric importance of the thirteen nights of Christmas and how we can consciously affect our future karma during that time. This edition includes "The Dream Song of Olaf steson," a Nordic poem (discussed in lecture 6) that describes in pictorial language the deep mysteries of the Christmas nights. CONTENTS: Spiritual Life Now and after Death "I"-consciousness is proof of immortality. Birth and death. Humility. What we forget of sleep is remembered in Kamaloka. Seven-year periods of life. Young people who die in war. The Formation of Destiny War. Similarity between classes. Our view after death. "I"-consciousness. Perceiving souls after death. Kamaloca. Those who die before 35. Early and late death. Spiritual decay and future spiritual flowering. The Subconscious Strata of the Soul Life Ancient Greeks and the mind soul. Sculpture as inner experience. Homer, color, and form. The etheric as prophet. Geometry, our unconscious, and the Greeks. The astral, the unconscious, and clairvoyance. Sudden and premature death. Perception of the spiritual world by our own activity. Idealists. A child who dies. Martyrs for the world. The Physical and Spiritual Worlds The dead, imagery, and inner activity. Perception after death. The dead and those who remember them. Unexpected answers to questions about the spiritual world. Art, memory, and the dead. All Souls Day. Memory of the dead and love for the physical world. "You are that." Expansion in the outer world. The Guardian Angel. Egoism and the spirit world. The mystery dramas. Consciousness and egoism. Difficulty of Steiner's books enables readers to overcome egoism. The etheric body and the aging physical body. Subconscious Impulses of the Soul Path to the spirit. The subconscious and life after death. "I"-consciousness and memory. Spiritual sight, memory, and the veil of memory. Reality and philosophical reflection. Meditation, revelation, and grace. Incarnation and spirit. Subconscious fear of spirit. Death and the hierarchies. Human will before birth. Today's Spiritual Darkness Thirteen nights of Christmas. Olaf steson. Knowledge and dogma. Kant. Vanity. Lucifer leads humankind to Ahriman. Spiritual Science and modern materialistic science. Authority and freedom. The Christ impulse. Physical proof and Ahriman. Finding Christ through the spirit. Presence of the Christ. "The Dream Song of Olaf steson" This book contains 6 of the 7 lectures originally published in German as Schicksalsbildung und Leben nach dem Tode (CW 157a) by Rudolf Steiner Gesamtausgabe. Spiritual Life Now and after Death is a fully revised edition of The Forming of Destiny and Life after Death (Garber, 1989).

Download or read book The Sun Mystery and the Mystery of Death and Resurrection written by Rudolf Steiner and published by SteinerBooks. This book was released on 2006-07 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 12 lectures in various cities, 1922 (CW 211) "We must understand that if we relate only to dead matter, we ourselves become dead and ahrimanic, but if we have sufficient courage and love for all the beings around us to relate to them directly (not to our dead ideas about them), we discover the Christ in everything and victorious spirit everywhere. When this happens, we may need to speak in ways that seem paradoxical to our contemporaries. We may need to speak about the individual spiritual beings that live in the solid and fluid elements and so forth. As long as we avoid talking about these beings, we are talking about a dead science that is not imbued with the Christ. To speak about them is to speak in a truly Christian sense. We must imbue all of our scientific activity with the Christ. More than that, we must also bring the Christ into all of our social efforts, all of our knowledge--in short, into all aspects of our life. The Mystery of Golgotha will truly bear fruit only through human strength, human efforts, and human love for each other. In this sense, Anthroposophy in all its details strives to imbue the world with the Christ." --Rudolf Steiner These lectures were given midway between World War I and Steiner's death in 1925. They will be of particular interest to anyone wanting to comprehend Rudolf Steiner's mature understanding of his mission: "enchristing" the world. The first two lectures constitute a call to arms or return to basics. Steiner speaks existentially and phenomenologically, building upon recognizable descriptions of actual experiences. His theme is the three states of consciousness (waking, dreaming, and dreamless sleep), and he shows how these ordinary human functions have initiatory possibilities. The next four lectures deal with the evolution of consciousness in relation to the universal significance of the Christ event. Through the resurrection, Christ's being entered earthly evolution. As a result, we see the world differently. Where ancient humanity experienced, "Not I but the divine spirit around me," we can experience, "Not I, but the Christ in me." With this insight, we reach the heart of this volume--esoteric Christianity. For Steiner, our most important task as human beings is to learn to overcome death by uniting with the Christ, who overcame death. Humanity's survival depends upon the "enchristing" of the world. It is the purpose of Anthroposophy to bring this reality into world evolution, to enable all religions and all human beings to experience the new reality. LECTURES: The Life of the Human Soul in Sleeping, Waking, and Dreaming The Three States of Night Consciousness The Transformation of Worldviews Historical Changes in the Experience of Breathing The Human Being as Portrayed in Greek Art Investigating and Formulating the Cosmic Word in Inhalation and Exhalation Exoteric and Esoteric Christianity The Teachings of the Risen Christ Spiritual Insight and Initiation Perceiving the Christ through Anthroposophy The Threefold Sun and the Risen Christ Anthroposophy as an Attempt to Enchristen the World Cover image Burial by Ninetta Sombart. The Sun Mystery and the Mystery of Death and Resurrection is the first complete English translation of Das Sonnenmysterium und das Mysterium von Tod und Auferstehung. Exoterisches und esoterisches Christentum (GA 211). Eight lectures were published in an earlier English translation as part of Festivals and their Meaning II: Easter (1956).

Download or read book Biography written by Rudolf Steiner and published by Rudolf Steiner Press. This book was released on 2009 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The path of an individual human life, our biography, is a kind of mystery. Despite the abundance of published biographies and autobiographies of celebrities and historical figures, scientific study of human biography remains in its infancy, with little understanding of the inherent laws in the path of an individual's life. Yet as Rudolf Steiner shows here, every biography--regardless of one's place in life or a person's perceived importance or success--is ruled by archetypal influences, patterns and laws. This broad-ranging anthology addresses critical and still-unanswered questions: What are the effects of education--especially contrasting educational methods--on later life? How are the stages of one's life interrelated? Do the effects of events on the individual become immediately evident, or is their true impact delayed, perhaps for decades? To what extent can we shape the stages of our individual biographies? How much freedom of choice do we have, and how much of life is predetermined? Drawing on his capacity for higher knowledge through spiritual research, Steiner describes the human individuality as a being with a continuing existence, both before birth and beyond death. Our eternal being experiences a myriad of conditions and situations, the effects of which may be observed in one's biography. This book addresses these and other issues such as freedom and destiny, the effects of heredity, illness, and the impact of education, offering answers based on a profound knowledge of the human being.

Download or read book Reincarnation and Immortality written by Rudolf Steiner and published by SteinerBooks. This book was released on 1970 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rudolf Steiner's science of spirit--occult wisdom--is presented here in a way that is readily understood by the modern reader through five lectures and one essay presented to the general public. In keeping with all of Steiner's writings, this book in line with the Western esoteric tradition and the great esotericists of the West. With a short introduction on Steiner's life, the themes are developed in modern terms. Steiner shows that immortality is not just a continuation of life after death, but also involves a continuation of life in the spiritual world through reincarnation in the physical world. He shows how we can begin to understand the mysteries of reincarnation and immortality by developing our higher faculties of imagination, inspiration, and intuition. Steiner also explores the mysteries of the human being, human evolution, the nature of Anthroposophy, and social issues. This small book is an excellent introduction to Anthroposophy and the Western concepts of reincarnation and karma.

Download or read book How the Spiritual World Projects Into Physical Existence written by Rudolf Steiner and published by Rudolf Steiner Press. This book was released on 2014 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ‘By cultivating spiritual thoughts here on earth we can provide nourishment for the dead... When fields lie fallow they produce no crops to feed humanity and people may die of starvation. The dead cannot die of starvation, of course; all they can do is suffer when spiritual life lies fallow on earth.’ – Rudolf Steiner The founding of the Anthroposophical Society in 1913 marked a major change in Rudolf Steiner’s work. Although Steiner had always been an independent spiritual researcher, the break with the theosophists removed all constraints, allowing for a full flowering of anthroposophy. These lectures, presented to audiences in Germany, France and Sweden, are filled with a freshness and vitality that reflect this new beginning, providing intriguing glimpses of great themes that Steiner was to develop in the years ahead. A predominant topic here is that of death. Rudolf Steiner seeks to explain how people on earth can reach the dead in a non-mediumistic way, and how such interaction between ‘living’ and ‘dead’ is mutually beneficial. Startlingly, he states that people who do not recognize the being of Lucifer during their earthly life – who have not ‘already got to intuit and know the luciferic impulses in the human soul properly whilst here in life’ – will be ‘vampirized’ by this being after death. Rudolf Steiner also elaborates on the activities of the adversary beings in present-day civilization – spiritual powers that play a necessary role in Earth evolution – and how we can counteract them. The longer someone can stay alive, for example, is a victory over Ahriman’s activity. Even the losing of teeth has beneficial aspects, allowing us to ‘... gain certain impulses and these overcome Ahriman’. Steiner relates the actions of such spiritual entities to child development too, indicating the various influences in the seven-year cycles of growth. Also included are lectures on the Christian festivals and various artworks, including ‘The Triumph of Death’ in the Composanto cemetery at Pisa, which reveals great secrets of humanity’s evolution. Whatever the subject addressed, it soon becomes apparent that these lectures were not just relevant to Steiner’s audience in 1913, but also speak to contemporary souls around the world seeking spiritual orientation and understanding.

Download or read book Aspects of Human Evolution written by Rudolf Steiner and published by SteinerBooks. This book was released on 1987 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 8 lectures, Berlin, May 29-July 24, 1917 (CW 176) How to Keep Your Soul Alive after Twenty-Seven This could have been the title of this book. The author shows that the natural development of the soul stops at around the age of twenty-seven. After that, nothing happens for our inner being unless we learn to make it happen. Part of the tragic nature of our time is that more and more people allow their soul life to die at twenty-seven, so that the remainder of their life becomes a kind of mummification. Steiner explains how, by exerting our thinking and feeling, we can keep our soul alive and growing. This is ultimately the only way we can make this incarnation a satisfactory one. Through such effort, we can continue to develop inwardly until a very advanced age--each year, becoming richer and more interesting than the one before. Aspects of Human Evolutionis a book that gives real meaning to the idea that we live in a state of becoming This book is a translation from German of Menschliche und menschheitliche Entwicklungswahrheiten. Das Karma des Materialismus (vol. 176 in the Bibliographic Survey).

Download or read book An Introduction to Anthroposophy written by Francis Edmunds and published by Rudolf Steiner Press. This book was released on 2013-04-02 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Athough many of the practical activities that arise from Rudolf Steiner's work are well publicized, the philosophy that stands behind them remains largely hidden. Thousands of parents send their children to Rudolf Steiner (Waldorf) schools around the world, while biodynamic farming (the Demeter label) and anthroposophical medicine are gaining increasing recognition. Yet despite all this and much other visible work, few are aware of the richness of Rudolf Steiner's world view, anthroposophy. Steiner's original contribution to human knowledge was based on his ability to conduct 'spiritual research', the investigation of metaphysical dimensions of existence. With his scientific and philosophical training, he brought a new systematic discipline to the field, allowing for conscious methods and comprehensive results. Francis Edmunds' introduction - here revised and updated - covers the fundamental areas of Steiner's philosophy, beginning with a brief outline of his life. Edmunds describes anthroposophy as a 'way to higher knowledge', and outlines the threefold nature of the human being. He delves into the secrets of human evolution and history, the basic elements of child development, and many further aspects of Steiner's vast teaching. This is a warm and clear introduction to anthroposophy which will prove of value to anybody wishing to understand Steiner's work. FRANCIS EDMUNDS began his studies as a medical student, but the driving force in his life was a quest for insight into the nature of the human being. This journey led him to anthroposophy and his vocation as a teacher. In 1962 he founded Emerson College, an adult educational establishment based on Rudolf Steiner's work. He travelled and lectured extensively around the world, and authored the perennially popular An Introduction to Steiner Education. Francis Edmunds died in 1989.

Download or read book Memory written by Rudolf Steiner and published by Rudolf Steiner Press. This book was released on 2020-05-07 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is the meaning of memory in the information age? When all knowledge is seemingly digitised and available for reference at any time, do we actually need human memory? One consequence of the proliferation of digitization is the deterioration of our capacity to remember – a symptom that is apparent in a steady increase in dementia within contemporary society. Rudolf Steiner indicates that memory is the determining factor in awareness of oneself. Even a partial loss of memory leads to loss of self-consciousness and the sense of our ‘I’. Thus, memory is crucial for the development of I-consciousness – not only for the individual, but for humanity as a whole. Rudolf Steiner’s research on memory, recollection and forgetting has many implications for the way we learn, for inner development and spiritual growth. This unique selection of passages from his works offers insights into how consciousness can remain autonomous and creative in a digital environment. It also provides ideas for improving education and emphasizes the importance of life-long learning. Chapters include: ‘The Development of Memory Throughout Human History’; ‘The Formation of Memory, Remembering and Forgetting in the Human Individual’; ‘Remembering and Forgetting in Connection with Education’; ‘How Remembering and Forgetting are Transformed by the Schooling Path – Imagination and Inspiration’; ‘Remembering Backwards (Rückschau) and Memory Exercises’; ‘Subconscious Memories of the Pre-birth Period and of Life Between Death and a New Birth’; ‘Memory and Remembering after Death’; ‘The Development of Memory in the Future’.