Books by Sergei O. Prokofieff

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.

"I asked Rudolf Steiner, 'What will remain of your work thousands of years from now?' He replied, 'Nothing but The Philosophy of Freedom. But everything else is contained in it. If one realizes the act of freedom described there, one can discover the whole content of Anthroposophy.'" -- Walter Johannes SteinSome people's path to Anthroposophy leads them directly to Rudolf Steiner's early work Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path: A Philosophy of Freedom, which becomes the philosophical basis for further exploration. Steiner referred to this as a "safe" approach. However, the destiny of many leads them directly to Anthroposophy itself, perhaps through one of its practical initiatives such as Waldorf education or biodynamics, sometimes making it difficult to relate to the cognitive basis of Anthroposophy.In this unique study, Prokofieff offers a fresh approach to Steiner's crucial book, Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path. He shows why the book is so important to Anthroposophy as the work in which Steiner lays a foundation for his method of spiritual research. In Steiner's own words, "One who is willing can indeed find the basic principles of Anthroposophy in my Philosophy of Freedom."Prokofieff discusses the Christian nature of the anthroposophic means of cognition and how it is integral to freedom and love. This in turn reveals the deeply Christian roots of Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path and its importance for modern Christian esoteric work.In considering its multifaceted cosmic and human dimension, Prokofieff discusses Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path in relation to the mystery of the Resurrection, the work of the hierarchies, the being Anthroposophia, the "Fifth Gospel," Steiner's path of initiation, the Rosicrucian and Michaelic impulses, the life between death and rebirth, the Foundation Stone, the Christian mysteries of karma, and the science of the Grail.

A study of the spiritual biography of Rudolf Steiner.

An esoteric study of human individuality and the meaning of the ego.

An esoteric study of the work of Rudolf Steiner.

An esoteric study of the spiritual origins of Eastern Europe and its future tasks.

"It depends on the human being whether one merely conceives of Anthroposophy or whether one experiences it." -- Rudolf SteinerDuring the Christmas period of 1923-24, Rudolf Steiner reestablished the Anthroposophical Society at its headquarters in Dornach, Switzerland. This important event, which has come to be known as the "Christmas Conference," can be studied on many levels, and its many mysteries have been central to Sergei O. Prokofieff's anthroposophic research over the years. His beginning point has been an enduring question: What did Rudolf Steiner mean when he called the Christmas Conference the "start of a World Turning point of Time"? In this far-reaching work, the author--working from several different viewpoints--guides the reader toward an answer.Prokofieff suggests that the impulse of the Christmas Conference can be reenlivened today only through conscious action by individuals to experience its spiritual essence. Rather than offering dogmatic conclusions, he opens up paths of approaching this goal by throwing light on different aspects of the Conference and what lies at its heart: the Foundation Stone and its meditation. In particular, Prokofieff explores three key perspectives: the connection of the Christmas Conference to humanity's evolution; the inner relationship of each individual anthroposophist to the Christmas Conference; and the significance of the Conference to Rudolf Steiner himself.Although this is major work of some length, the individual chapters of May Human Beings Hear It! are complete in themselves, and can therefore be studied independently of each other.

Prokofieff developed this booklet from talks to members of the Anthroposophical Society. They became opportunities for many to question potential membership of the First Class in a more conscious way, and for some to take the decisive step of entering the Michael School.

It is not the author's concern to persuade the reader in an outward way to join the Anthroposophical Society. He is concerned with the communication of a few esoteric viewpoints and possible motives, so that the decision in this regard can develop in a fully aware and responsible manner, based on a solid inner cognitive foundation. For only when the decision in regard to membership in the Anthroposophical Societyfor whatever reason the individual might make itoccurs on such a basis, does it also have spiritual justification" (from the preface).

Based on the author's own experience of the supersensible being who stands behind the science of the spirit known as Anthroposophy. This book aims to show that the being Anthroposophia is not a poetic image or an abstract concept, but is an actual spiritual entity who works in the higher worlds for the good of earthly evolution.

From 2009 to 2010, Sergei Prokofiev and Peter Selg-two leading authorities and spiritual researchers into the life and work of Rudolf Steiner-gave a series of conferences on the Christological foundations of Anthroposophy. Their aim was to show the power of anthroposophic Christology. Consequently, they focused on key turning points in Rudolf Steiner's exposition: his major work, An Outline of Esoteric Science; the first Goetheanum; the Reappearance of Christ in the etheric realm and the relationship of this event to Rudolf Steiner's lectures on the Fifth Gospel; and the Christmas Conference (1923-24) and the founding of the New Mysteries. The lectures from the conferences (published as four booklets in German) are collected here in a single volume. The Creative Power of Anthroposophical Christology is essential reading for all those who are interested in the true meaning and depth of Rudolf Steiner's experience and understanding of Christ's deed on Golgotha and his continuing presence among us and within Anthroposophy.

Illuminating various dimensions of spiritual science, this work talks about, among other aspects, the relationship of the Foundation Stone Meditation to the being Anthroposophia, the spiritual hierarchies, human karma, the Rosicrucian, Michaelic and Grail streams, the Mystery of Golgotha, the two Jesus boys, and more.

In this inspiring lecture, addressed primarily to the anthroposophic movement, Prokofieff gives an overview of how the spiritual hierarchies and Christ, the Lord of Karma, work in the ordering of human karma. We are led to the karma and mission of the Anthroposophical Society, with indications as to what needs to happen before that karmic mission can be fulfilled. Prokofieff explains why true modern Christian research into karma does not arise out of intellectual speculation, curiosity or nebulous mystical experiences. The process of karmic research based on spiritual science should lead to a fundamental transformation of human nature, leading to a full experience of the cosmos.

Saved by good fortune from the flames that engulfed the first Goetheanum, Rudolf Steiners wooden sculpture of the Christ, "the Representative of Humanity," standing between the adversary forces of Lucifer and Ahriman, remains intact, although unfinished, and on display to this day. Unique in the history of art, the Sculptural Group was deeply connected to Rudolf Steiners inner being. The great Christian initiate even died by its side, having made efforts to work on the sculpture days before he crossed the threshold.

Prokofieff's thoughtful commentary sheds new light on the connection between Rudolf Steiner's early work and what he developed later in life. Study of the relevant texts reveals that the roots of Steiner's early work lie in the same spiritual reality--the Christ impulse--as that of the later Anthroposophy he would develop.

This major work comprises a comprehensive study of Eastern and Western esoteric streams and the occult powers that stand behind them. In Part 1 Prokofieff discusses the spiritual movement of Agni Yoga, presented to the world by Helena Roerich and her husband, the painter Nicholas Roerich. Part 2 focuses on the teachings developed by Alice Bailey, whilst Part 3 considers the relationship between Eastern and Western spiritual masters and the occult streams they represent. The first two Parts of the book give descriptions of both the Roerichs' and Alice Bailey's philosophy, based on their own perspective, together with anthroposophical commentaries that give an understanding of these two streams in the light of modern Christian esotericism. As Prokofieff points out, both the Roerichs and Bailey were convinced that the occult teachers who inspired them were the same as those referred to by the founder of Theosophy, Helena Blavatsky. Part 3 deals directly with the mystery of the Eastern teachers, or mahatmas, and their relationship to Christian esotericism. On the basis of extensive research, Prokofieff comes to the startling conclusion that the occultists whom both the Roerichs and Alice Bailey named as their leaders actually have nothing in common with Blavatsky's Eastern mahatmas. In Prokofieff's words: 'Hence...one has to do not with the Eastern mahatmas but with quite different occultists who had illicitly appropriated their names and then tried - while deliberately misleading their followers - to attain their highly dubious occult political aims with the help of the occult movements which had already been initiated.' Prokofieff argues that this appropriation led to a distortion of the age-old Eastern philosophies, giving them an anti-Christian character, and led to phenomena such as 'occult materialism', insidious political goals, and prophecies of a physically incarnating 'Messiah'. Previously available only in German as three separate books, with just an early version of Part 1 published in English, this long-awaited translation of Prokofieff's incisive study offers a fine schooling in discernment, judgement and spiritual insight.

Focusing on the central Christological insights, which form the core of Rudolf Steiner's philosophy, this work reflects an individual's own endeavors to build a connection to anthroposophy. It is a useful addition to the introductory literature on anthroposophy.

"It is my personal conviction that the question of our relationship to Rudolf Steiner is fundamental to the life of Anthroposophy itself." -- Sergei O. ProkofieffEven within the Anthroposophical Society and the anthroposophic movement, people's relationship to Rudolf Steiner is weakening and dissipating. This is problematic, says Prokofieff, as the future of both the Society and movement depends on a sufficient number of people aspiring to and realizing a true spiritual connection with the founder of Anthroposophy. Prokofieff deals in detail with this issue and asks, "Can one be an anthroposophist without being Rudolf Steiner's pupil?"In the second part of this book, Prokofieff elaborates on the mysteries surrounding the laying of the spiritual Foundation Stone at the Society's Christmas Meeting that began 1923. That event, he asserts, ensured that a personal relationship with Rudolf Steiner "would not remain within the realm of the generally abstract or intellectual, but would become a real inner deed." Thus, Steiner gave each anthroposophist the possibility of connecting with him through free inner work on the Foundation Stone.Both parts of this book are linked, in the sense that once a relationship with Steiner is established, an inner longing to work with the "new mysteries" will follow. In Prokofieff's words, "The will to take the foundation of the new mysteries seriously leads to a real, inner connection with Rudolf Steiner."Relating to Rudolf Steiner includes an essay on the "problem" of digitally publishing Steiner's most important esoteric texts and the esoteric background of the internet and electronic media in general. In response to readers' questions about how to counteract the harmful consequences of these developments, Prokofieff has expanded and developed his original essay on this subject.

Traces the 3 stages of heavenly preparation of anthroposophy: the spiritual thunderstorm, the Michael School in the Sun sphere, and the imagination-based cultus in the spiritual word nearest to the Earth. This book elaborates the tasks of the Anthroposophical Society and indicates how these are connected with the spiritual hierarchies, and others.

"We live today at a time when the full mystery of the Resurrection body can become manifest to human beings out of the inspirations of Michael.... This was accomplished by Rudolf Steiner not just in a theoretical sense but also practically, and came about through the establishing of a path, accessible to all human beings, which leads to a union with the forces of the Resurrection body."Sergei Prokofieff approaches the deepest mysteries of the Turning Point of Time (the Christ event) through Rudolf Steiner's spiritual research. At its heart stands the question of the restoration of the "phantom" of the physical body and its transformation into the resurrected body of Christ through the Mystery of Golgotha. The author draws a broad and differentiated picture of the tasks and possibilities that the Easter event--as well as Ascension and Pentecost--present, both for the individual and humanity.The final chapter considers the mystery of Easter Saturday, through which the two polar aspects of the Mystery of Golgotha--death and resurrection--interconnect, also explaining the relationship between the Earth Spirit and the interior of the Earth. An appendix tackles the phenomenon of stigmatization from a spiritual-scientific perspective.

In this powerful and moving book, Prokofieff shows how the forces that lead to forgiveness can be consciously and freely developed. Without preaching a morality of forgiveness, he sets before us the spiritual facts that speak for themselves. From Tsarist Russia and the Nazi concentration camps to the early battles in the history of the Anthroposophical Society, the author offers striking examples of those who have been able to forgive frequently terrible crimes. He provides a multilayered analysis, pointing to the beneficial consequences of every act of forgiveness. As he develops his theme, the importance of forgiving?not simply for personal salvation, but for the advancement and benefit of human evolution?is revealed in all its healing truth.