Books by Rudolf Steiner

On February 3, 1913, the first general meeting of the newly formed Anthroposophical Society was convened in Berlin. Six weeks later in Holland, Rudolf Steiner spoke for the first time as an anthroposophist in a detailed, intimate way of the esoteric schooling of the individual human being in earthly life -- hence the fundamental importance of these lectures on anthroposophical inner development. Steiner deals here with the subtle effects of spiritual development at every level of the human being. Beginning with straightforward questions relating to the body's experience of food -- meat, coffee, alcohol, and so forth -- he unfolds the universe of spiritual striving until it includes direct perception of Paradise and the Holy Grail, and the role of the human being evolving between the forces of Lucifer and Ahriman. Included as a prologue is Steiner's crucial lecture on "The Being of Anthroposophy, " which has never before appeared in English. This edition also includes Steiner's "introductory words, " previousl available only in German typescript.

"The Social Future is a translation of Soziale Zukunft (CW 332a), Rudolf Steiner Verlag, 1977."

Modern science tells us that we are an insignificant accident in a vast, indifferent universe. Rudolf Steiner maintains instead that we are intimately enmeshed with the whole cosmos, right down to the physical structure of our bodies. In these talks, he explores our relationship as individuals to the spiritual cosmos, in which we will all become cosmonauts, eventually. The key to being at home in the universe is to understand the significance of our individual, physical lives on earth and what happens when we leave our physical bodies behind.Steiner encapsulates his view of our journey after death and our return to earth and a new life. He describes the "planetary" spheres through which we each pass and their effects on our future. He shows us how our character and actions on earth affect us after we die and how those experiences shape our next physical life.This is not merely information to be added to our already over-abundant store of abstract concepts: Steiner gives us imaginative exercises that help us explore our suprasensory, or spiritual, human nature. We can begin now to act more consciously by recognizing the concrete nature of morality and the real consequences of our present lives.The introduction and comprehensive afterword by Paul Margulies explain and contextualize Steiner's text, revealing a message that is more vital and relevant than ever in our frenzied, materialistic times. This book can help us experience more meaning in life and become more at home as spiritual citizens of the universe.

"Fourteen lectures and seminars on world economics; fourteen lectures held in Dornach, Switzerland July 24-August 6, 1922, translated by A.O. Barfield & T. Gordon-Jones; Six seminars held in Dornach, Switzerland July 31-August 5, 1922, translated by Peter Clemm."

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 Åsteson," a Nordic poem (discussed in lecture 6) that describes in pictorial language the deep mysteries of the Christmas nights.

The remarkable discussions in this volume took place between Rudolf Steiner and workers at the Goetheanum, Switzerland. The varied subject-matter was chosen by his audience at Rudolf Steiner's instigation. Steiner took their questions and usually gave immediate answers. The astonishing nature of these responses - their insight, knowledge and spiritual depth - is testimony to his outstanding ability as a spiritual initiate and profound thinker. Accessible, entertaining and stimulating, the records of these sessions will be a delight to anybody with an open mind. In this particular collection, Rudolf Steiner deals with topics ranging from limestone to Lucifer! He discusses, among other things, technology; the living earth; natural healing powers; colour and sickness; rainbows; whooping cough and pleurisy; seances; sleep and sleeplessness; dreams; reincarnation; life after death; the physical, ether and astral bodies and the 'I'; the two Jesus children; Ahriman and Lucifer; the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ; Dante and Copernicus.

Rudolf Steiner, the often undervalued, multifaceted genius of modern times, contributed much to the regeneration of culture. In addition to his philosophical teachings, he provided ideas for the development of many practical activities, including education - both general and special - agriculture, medicine, economics, architecture, science, religion and the arts. 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. A natural seer from childhood, he cultivated his spiritual vision to a high degree, enabling him to speak with authority on previously veiled mysteries of life. Samples of Steiner's work are to be found in this introductory reader in which Matthew Barton brings together excerpts from Steiner's many talks and writings on the festivals of Whitsun and Ascension. The volume also features an editorial introduction, afterword, commentary and notes. Chapters: Rising to the Clouds, Tethered to Earth; Suffering's Open Door; All One to Alone to One in All; Human Freedom and the Word.

Rudolf Steiner's achievement in these lectures--it has been said by Valentin Tomberg--"cannot be compared with the accomplishment of any contemporary seer or thinker, or with any of the Middle Ages or antiquity. It towers over them."

In addition to the outer manifestation of Christianity as we know it from history, there exists a second, hidden stream of Christian thought and development, sometimes referred to as 'esoteric Christianity' or 'Rosicrucian Christianity'. Displaying an intimate knowledge of his subject, Rudolf Steiner throws light on this once secret, spiritual movement. But rather than relying on historical tradition or teaching, he presents wisdom and insight directly from the original metaphysical sources of esoteric Christianity.In these dynamic lectures, Steiner describes the influence of Christ's power throughout history, the workings of karma, the role of the Buddha and the Bodhisattvas, as well as the vital work of Christian Rosenkreutz, Jeshu ben Pandira and other key historical figures.This new edition - indispensable for serious students of esotericism - contains all 23 lectures and addresses of the original German collection. It features previously scattered, classic lectures such as 'The Etherisation of the Blood', 'Faith, Love, Hope' and 'Cosmic Ego and Human Ego'.

20 lectures in Dornach, Switzerland, March 21- April 9, 1920 (CW 312)"Our task is to discover the real difference between those processes in the human organism that we call disease processes--which are basically quite normal, natural processes, even though specific causes must precipitate them--and the everyday processes that we call healthy. We must discover this radical distinction, but we shall not be able to do so if we cannot take up a way of looking at human beings that really leads to their essential nature." -- Rudolf SteinerIn these twenty lectures, given to medical doctors and students, Steiner presents a new approach to the art of healing, based on the insights of spiritual science.Considering modern medical knowledge and practice and deeply versed in alchemical, Paracelsian, and naturopathic approaches, as well as homeopathy, aroma therapy, and other "alternative" therapies, Rudolf Steiner demonstrates, based on his own research, how a truly integrated whole-person form of medicine is possible--one that accepts the human as a being of body, soul, and spirit, a microcosm in the macrocosm, a mirror of the earth and of the heavens.Steiner's enthusiasm and familiarity with his subject are in evidence everywhere in this volume. The wealth of insights and the range of topics are staggering--from the meaning of sickness, polarities in the human organism, and the relation of therapy and pathology, to the nature of plant, mineral, and animal in relation to the human being. Specific organs (heart, lungs, bladder, kidney, liver, and nervous system) and specific diseases (including cancer, tuberculosis, diabetes, and meningitis) are brought into extraordinary new relationships and interconnections. The whole question of diagnosis, health, and treatment is repeatedly viewed from various points of view. The result is an astounding new vision of medicine--one that is practical, spiritual, psychological, and fully human. This is no abstract view of medicine; much of the material arose in direct response to the questions of practicing physicians.This work is required reading for anyone interested in the possibility of a non-reductionistic, non-mechanistic, Western-based holistic medicine.Introducing Anthroposophical Medicine is a translation of Geisteswissenschaft und Medicin (GA 312)

8 lectures, Dornach & Oslo, May 18 - June 9, 1923 (CW 276)"Art, always a daughter of the Divine, has become estranged from her parent.... We should not mock scientific materialism and naturalistic art. These have their place in human culture. But the starting point for a new life of art can come only through direct stimulation from the spiritual realm. We must become artists, not by developing symbolism or allegory, but by rising, through spiritual knowledge, more and more nto the spiritual world. --Rudolf Steiner In these lectures, Rudolf Steiner offers insights into architecture, sculpture, painting, drama, costuming, music, poetry, and eurythmy.The Arts and Their Mission is a translation from German of Das Künstlerische in seiner Weltmission. Der Genius der Sprache. Die Welt des sich offenbarenden strahlenden Scheins - Anthroposophie und Kunst. Anthroposophie und Dichtung (GA 276).

Memorial, funeral, and cremation addresses, 1906-19242 lectures, Kassel, Germany May 9 and 10, 1914 (CW 261)Our Dead collects Steiner's memorial, funeral, and cremation addresses, as well as a sampling of prayers and meditations for the dead. The context, intimate and sober with grief, means that his intent is quite other than if he had been speaking in a lecture hall. His primary concerns--while based on spiritual-scientific research and, in some cases, the actual living expression of it in real time--are ethical and existential and, at the same time, ceremonial and communal.Rudolf Steiner stands as speaker before and for the living--relations, friends, and community members--and for the one who has died, even, in a way, for the greater "cloud" of all the dead. With his feet planted firmly on the Earth, Steiner moves seamlessly between the sensory-physical, embodied world and the invisible, suprasensory, discarnate one. Speaking in an intimate, personal manner to both worlds, he unites the living and the dead with words that are both practical and healing.We meet Rudolf Steiner in this book in a different way. Here, the substance of what he communicates is less what he says than how he says it; he emphasizes, above all, the tenderness and compassion with which he unites with both the souls of the departed in the spiritual world and those grieving on Earth. Through his words, Heaven and Earth, the spiritual and earthly worlds, are brought closer together. Through his example, embodied in his words filled with feeling, a bridge is revealed on which we, too, may cross.Shining through this book is Rudolf Steiner's love for humanity--how he loved his students and those with whom he worked, seeing the best in them as he lovingly crafted their biographies; how behind all of this stands his love for every human being and the whole of humanity as a single being; how, indeed, his interest in and care for each human being as a unique individual--in this case, members of the Anthroposophical Society--seems boundless.Those who love Rudolf Steiner, as well as those who are simply interested in him; those who seek comfort and guidance when grieving loved ones who have died; those who seek ways of entering a real relationship with the dead, who wish to understand how the dead might influence our lives--these will find in this volume irreplaceable substance for meditation, thought, and practice.This volume is a translation from the German of «Unsere Toten. Ansprachen, Gedenkworte und Meditationssprüche 1906-1924» (GA 261).

Rudolf Steiner tackles an eclectic series of subjects united by the common theme of rediscovering how spirit pervades life. Among these, he discusses: experiences during sleep; the human spirit and soul between death and a new birth; how spirit 'sculpts' the human organism; karma and the to a new life on earth; and the human being's faculties of hearing, speaking, singing, walking, and thinking. Together, these lectures offer a cornucopia of spiritual insights and wisdom for the present day.

Rudolf Steiner's teachings of Christ are unique. Christ, he says, is an objective universal force, existing independently of Christian churches and confessions, and working for the whole of humanity. The impulse that Christ brought to earth acts for the advancement of all people, irrespective of religion, creed or race. Among the myriad other themes that emerge here are the introduction of the 'I' (or self) in human development and its connection to Christ and the meaning of the Ten.

Returning from travels in war-torn Europe, Steiner gives a stark impression of the conditions of the time, encouraging esoteric work as a counter to the world-situation. Steiner analyses the gulf between contemporary culture and science - which he says are characterized by 'narrow-mindedness, philistinism and ineptitude' - and a scientific approach to the spirit. The wealth of spiritual thoughts and knowledge in these lectures remain as relevant today as they did when they were first delivered.

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 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.

Through a discussion of our true origins, this book offers a foundation for our lives, allowing us to realize our real value, dignity and essence. It shows our human connection with the world around us as well as our highest goals and true destiny.

In a radical approach to understanding current affairs and history, Rudolf Steiner presents a method of penetrating to the hidden causes and realities that lie behind outer appearances. Contemporary life cannot fully be understood by an analysis that is restricted to external events, he says. Deeper levels of meaning are revealed when one begins to view such events as symptoms. The causes of these symptoms - the reality behind them - are to be discovered on other levels of existence.

'We must eradicate root and branch any fear and dread in our soul concerning the future that is coming towards us... We must develop composure with regard to all the feelings and sensations we have about the future; we must anticipate with absolute equanimity whatever may be coming towards us, thinking only that whatever it may be will be brought to us by the wisdom-filled guidance of the universe.' - Rudolf Steiner. Based on brief, pithy quotations from Rudolf Steiner's collected works, the 'spiritual perspectives' in this volume present core concepts on the subject of fear. These brief extracts do not claim to provide exhaustive treatment of the subject, but open up approaches to the complexity of Steiner's extraordinary world of ideas. Some readers will find these fragments sufficient stimulus in themselves, whilst others will use the source references as signposts towards deeper study and understanding.

'If we can bring nothing up out of ourselves except fear of the illnesses which surround us at the seat of an epidemic, and if we go to sleep at night filled with nothing but thoughts of this fear, then we create unconscious replicas, imaginations, which are drenched in fear. And this is an excellent method for nurturing bacteria...' - Rudolf Steiner. ><br><br>Based on brief, pithy quotations from Rudolf Steiner's collected works, the 'spiritual perspectives' in this volume present core concepts on the subject of epidemics. These brief extracts do not claim to provide exhaustive treatment of the subject, but open up approaches to the complexity of Steiner's extraordinary world of ideas. Some readers will find these fragments sufficient stimulus in themselves, whilst others will use the source references as signposts towards deeper study and understanding.</p>

Meditating is a totally free undertaking; it is the epitome of an autonomous deed.' - Rudolf Steiner. Based on brief, pithy quotations from Rudolf Steiner's collected works, the 'spiritual perspectives' in this volume present core concepts on the subject of meditation. These brief extracts do not claim to provide exhaustive treatment of the subject, but open up approaches to the complexity of Steiner's extraordinary world of ideas. Some readers will find these fragments sufficient stimulus in themselves, whilst others will use the source references as signposts towards deeper study and understanding.

Notes written from memory by the participants and meditation verses by Rudolf Steiner (CW 266/2)"Many who enter esoteric training are very disappointed and say that they had imagined the exercises to be much more energetic and the effects of the exercises to be far more drastic. Those who tell this to themselves should quickly consider the possibility that they are caught in a great error, and that they should make the greatest efforts to correct this error as soon as possible. It is not the exercises that lack enough energy, but rather the individual. It is not the exercises that are ineffective, but rather the person who is not making them effective. By living an esoteric life, the student should become an entirely different person. One must add something new to the old." --Rudolf SteinerIn this second of three volumes from Rudolf Steiner's early Esoteric School, we find a further deepening of spiritual practice and training. Steiner explains the requirements one must meet to become a serious student of esotericism. In addition, he gives directions--always emphasizing the increasing need for earnestness--for the transformation of the inner life, for the development of new spriritual forces and capacities, and for recognizing and overcoming the dangers that arise on a spiritual path. Moreover, he shows how one should approach specific meditations. These lessons mark Rudolf Steiner's continued movement away from the Eastern path of the Theosophical Society at the time and his increasing focus on the Christian-Rosicrucian path, recognizing Christ as the leader of the path of his form of spiritual training.This volume is the English translation of «Aus den Inhalten der esoterischen Stunden, Gedächtnisaufzeichnungen von Teilnehmern. Band.2, 1910-1912» (GA 266/2).