Books by Henk van Oort

In a series of short studies enlivened with colour illustrations, Henk van Oort takes the reader on a spiritual journey through a variety of topics relating to everyday experience. With chapters as diverse as 'The Human Will', 'Quantum Physics' and 'Good and Evil', the book's common theme is the dynamic nature of human consciousness.

Featuring more than 50 color images, The Inner Rainbow takes the reader on an inner journey through time, from Ancient India to the present day. This is the journey of human consciousness--the story of an eternal, metamorphic process. As the author suggests, consciousness is not a self-contained, unchangeable faculty. The way we perceive the surrounding world today--with the potential for sophisticated and exact observation of natural phenomena--has evolved over thousands of years. What was once a blurred and fragmentary perception in the time of Ancient India has evolved to a clear awareness of everyday reality. Using pictures as his starting point, Henk van Oort outlines a remarkable narrative, beginning with the age-old myth of Noah's Ark, in which a rainbow is presented to the survivors of the Biblical flood. This rainbow in nature, with its seven colors, is mirrored in the ancient teaching of the seven human chakras, also with seven colors. Through a gradual process of change over centuries, this outer rainbow has been internalized into an inner rainbow, shaping a bridge between body, soul and spirit. With its ever-changing consciousness, this inner rainbow is a wonderful sense organ, in process of reaching a new peak of development. Understanding our past--the progressive stages we have passed through--is a prerequisite for optimal use of our consciousness now. Ultimately, then, this book can be seen as a guide for working with your own inner rainbow: to expand, deepen and enliven your picture of the world and your true self.

Rudolf Steiner's spiritual philosophy is the inspiration for many successful initiatives in the world today, from the international Steiner Waldorf school movement to biodynamic agriculture and its increasingly popular produce. Steiner developed his philosophy in dozens of books and many thousands of lectures. His teaching contains dozens of new concepts and ideas, and as a result he had often to create his own vocabulary. In this practical volume - a companion to his Anthroposophy, A Concise Introduction - Henk van Oort gives concise definitions of many terms and concepts in Steiner's worldview, from the most commonplace to the more obscure. Anthroposophy A-Z can be used as a reference guide, but also as a gateway into Rudolf Steiner's manifold world of spiritual ideas and concepts. Anthroposophy can be seen to be a new language - a language that can lead to the world of the spirit. It was with this awareness that Henk van Oort took the initiative to write this glossary. Ultimately, he has written the sort of inspiring handbook that he wished had existed when he first became acquainted with anthroposophy over 40 years ago. HENK VAN OORT, born in 1943, trained as a primary teacher before taking a Masters degree in English at the Amsterdam University. He has taught for 40 years in primary and secondary education, including class teaching in a Steiner school, teaching English, and running educational courses and seminars for teachers and parents. His interest in literature and poetry has led to his appearance at storytelling and poetry seminars, and his introductory courses to anthroposophy have proved to be highly successful. Based in Bergen N.H. in the Netherlands, Henk van Oort is married and the father of three grown-up children. He is the author of Anthroposophy, A Concise Introduction.

People today recognize Rudolf Steiner's work largely because of initiatives such as the worldwide Waldorf school movement, biodynamic agriculture, and anthroposophic medicine. Nevertheless, the comprehensive spiritual philosophy behind these movements is not so well known. In this concise presentation, based on years of teaching introductory courses on the subject, van Oort presents an overview of key aspects of Steiner's thought. He deals with concepts such as body, soul, and spirit; the relationship between humankind and the animal kingdom; and the evolution of consciousness, a topic that opens panoramic vistas of human development in the form of successive cultural periods extending over thousands of years.Originally published in Dutch as Antroposofie, Een kennismaking (2006).