Based on personal knowledge and intimate interviews with his subject, as well as access to W.J. Stein's archive of letters and documents, Tautz's biography is a thoroughly-researched and lovingly-detailed study of an exceptional life. Walter Johannes Stein (1891-1957) was one of the original pioneers of anthroposophy. A student of the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, Stein met his spiritual teacher whilst studying at Vienna University. After serving in the First World War, Stein was invited by Rudolf Steiner to teach History and Literature at the fledgling Waldorf school in Stuttgart, despite the fact that Stein's doctorate was in Philosophy and his training in Mathematics and Physics. Through his efforts to master the new disciplines, and with the aid of unconventional methods of research, Stein developed groundbreaking new insights into the story of Parzival and the mystery of the Holy Grail, which led to his seminal book The Ninth Century and the Holy Grail. Tautz describes Stein's close friendship with Eugen Kolisko, his struggles to help establish the threefold social order, his work as a Goetheanum lecturer, and his eventual estrangement from the Anthroposophical Society following Rudolf Steiner's death. After journeys of discovery across Europe, Stein landed in London in 1933 - a refugee from the Nazi aggression in Central Europe - where he met his mentor D.N. Dunlop. Dunlop employed him to help establish the first World Power Conference. Based in England for the last 24 years of his life, Stein became a prolific and popular lecturer and the editor of the important anthroposophical journal The Present Age. Long out-of-print, the new edition of this important work is a welcome addition to the growing number of biographies on the founders of anthroposophy.

Uno de los filosofos mas influyentes durante el periodo de la Ilustracion y un fundador de ateismo moderno. Edicion, prologo, epilogo y notas del celebre critico literario Juan Bautista Bergua. Paul Henri Thiry, nacido como Paul Heinrich Dietrich von Holbach (1723-1789), Baron de Holbach, fue un filosofo frances de origen aleman que abogo por el ateismo y el materialismo. Apasionado de la libertad, creia que la religion es una consecuencia de la ignorancia explotada por el despotismo y que las doctrinas religiosas son instrumentos del absolutismo. Fue colaborador de la Encyclopedie, lo cual le puso en condiciones de poder juzgar las teorias expuestas en los sagrados libros. Su Christianisme Devoile (1767) es una de las mas violentas requisitorias que jamas se han hecho contra la religion cristiana y la religion en general. Publico, pero de forma anonima y bajo seudonimo por temor a represalias, Esprit du Clerge, La Contagion Sacree, Bon Sens y Le Systeme de la Nature, incluida en el indice de libros prohibidos. Vio las instituciones del cristianismo como un obstaculo para la mejora de la sociedad. El fundamento de la moral no deberia ser buscado en las Escrituras, sino en la felicidad. Moises, Jesus y Mahoma son "tres impostores" segun Holbach, declaraciones arriesgadas durante este periodo de la Ilustracion anterior a la Revolucion francesa.

Un estudio de ateismo tolerante por el Conde de Volney. Edicion, prologo y notas por el celebre critico literario Juan Bautista Bergua. Constantin-Francois Chasseb uf de La Giraudais (1757-1820), conde de Volney, conocido simplemente como Volney, fue un filosofo, politico frances y uno de los mas ilustres sabios y escritores franceses del siglo XVIII. Es autor de Viaje por Egipto y Siria (1788) y Meditaciones Sobre Las Revoluciones de los Imperios (1791), tambien conocido como Las Ruinas de Palmira, su obra mas famosa y notoria de su tiempo en la que proclama un ateismo tolerante, la libertad y la igualdad. Las Ruinas de Palmira fue traducido a numerosos idiomas tanto que el Vaticano la incluyo en el Indice de Libros prohibidos en 1846. La obra ponia en un mismo plano a la religion catolica y a las demas religiones, sirviendo de escenario las ruinas del poderoso imperio de Palmira, cuyos dioses tuvieron tanto poder...pero cayeron. Un oasis de palmeras en el desierto sirio, Palmira fue un simbolo de la fugacidad del poder y la riqueza de la reina Zenobia, hasta su destruccion por el emperador romano Aureliano en el ano 272. En las palabras de Volney: " Ah Como esta eclipsada tanta gloria ... Como perecen las obras de los hombres ... Asi los imperios y las naciones desaparecen ."

Das gro e Tier 666," Aleister Crowley, ist heute, wie zu seinen Lebzeiten, immer noch die schillerndste Figur innerhalb des Okkultismus. Seine exzentrische Pers nlichkeit, bizarre Rituale und starker Drogenkonsum bilden die Grundlage f r eine abenteuerliche Legendenbildung um einen der kreativsten und intelligentesten Protagonisten der okkultistischen Subkultur des 20. Jahrhunderts. Allerdings hat diese Entwicklung dazu gef hrt, da Crowley au erhalb von esoterischen Zirkeln kaum bekannt ist oder aber durch Unkenntnis seiner tats chlichen Lehre einer oftmals sehr verzerrten Darstellung unterliegt. Die vorliegende religionswissenschaftliche Studie liefert erstmals eine grundlegende Systematik sowohl der Doktrin als auch der Methodik des letzten gro en Magiers" und versucht dem Leser die oftmals komplexe spirituelle Lehre des selbsternannten Antichristen" zu erl utern. Gest tzt auf ausgiebige Zitate aus dem umfangreichen literarischen Werk Crowleys, werden die Kernelemente seines wissenschaftlichen Erleuchtungsweges" sorgf ltig herausgearbeitet und jenseits konfessioneller Stigmatisierung einer objektiven Beurteilung zug nglich gemacht.

Rudolf Steiner's beautiful meditative verses for the yearly cycle have been used by countless people over the years. Their purpose is to awaken a feeling of unity with nature, and at the same time to stimulate a discovery of self. In listening to the changing language of the year and awakening a profound sympathy for it, we can in turn discover our own individual nature. Steiner's original and unique meditations facilitate this process, leading to a healthy feeling of being at one with the natural world. This edition features Anne Stockton's 52 celebrated and evocative paintings, which are a wonderful complement to Steiner's text. Steiner's words are newly translated for this edition by John Thomson.

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, as 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. One's consciousness embarks on a journey and process of purification and preparation. Steiner indicates that one of the most important tasks for our present civilization is to reestablish 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. Life Beyond Death is an ideal introduction to the spiritual scientific views of our continuing journey.

Born in Holland in 1893, Zeylmans van Emmichoven was one of the original pioneers of anthroposophy, the science of spirit established by Rudolf Steiner. As General Secretary of the Anthroposophical Society in the Netherlands, he worked closely with Steiner. A medical doctor and founder of the Rudolf Steiner Clinic in Scheveningen, he also conducted important research into the influence of colours, the psychology of peoples and nations, and individual human psychology. Emanuel Zeylmans' biography of his father draws on some beautifully written and moving autobiographical extracts as well as numerous other first-hand source materials. He traces Zeylmans' remarkable life from his upbringing in Holland and his first contact with Rudolf Steiner to his later attendance at the momentous Christmas Foundation Meeting and his many travels around the world to further anthroposophy. He examines the spiritual conflicts in which Zeylmans became embroiled, his life during the war years, and his innovative work in many fields. The author also catalogues Zeylmans' written works, and gives a full chronology of his life. Willem Zeylmans van Emmichoven is a compelling documentation of a leading figure connected with Rudolf Steiner. It brings to life the context of his biography - an exciting and yet difficult time in the development of new spiritual ideas - and the vibrant individuals around him. Zeylmans is portrayed as a warm, dynamic and fascinating individual, with enormous interest in people from widely differing cultures and backgrounds. A real 'world citizen', he recognized that every nation has its own particular task and importance.

"Anthroposophy can become fruitful in the world when a community of people is actively working with the Foundation Stone Meditation. When Zeylmans van Emmichoven revived this Meditation around the whole world, a process began though which the Anthroposophical Society itself, which has been through many conflicts and battles, could be healed again" (Joop van Dam). During the Christmas Conference of 1923-24 when the Anthroposophical Society was refounded, Rudolf Steiner presented to its members for the first time the Foundation Stone Meditation. On consecutive days during that week, Steiner showed how elements of the Meditation could be rebuilt into new meditations (sometimes referred to as "rhythms"), which could be inwardly practiced. Zeylmans van Emmichoven was present at that formative meeting and lived intensively with these "rhythms" for more than thirty years. Initially in the Netherlands, and later during his many journeys around the world, Zeylmans began to make people aware of the germinating forces contained within the Meditation. This volume remains a seminal book that has inspired generations of students of Anthroposophy. C O N T E N T S Translator's Note The Foundation Stone Meditation (Jan. 13, 1924) Introduction The 1913 Foundation Stone The Goetheanum as Revelation of the Cosmic World The Fire The Laying of the Foundation Stone, 1923 From the Philosophers' Stone to the Stone of Love The Seven Rhythms The Lord's Prayer Concerning the Nature of the Foundation Stone Man and Humanity The Pentagram and the Sun of Christ The New Isis The Foundation Stone Meditation (Jan. 1, 1924)

This collection of essays explores the rhetoric and practices surrounding views on life after death and the end of the world, including the fate of the individual, apocalyptic speculation and hope for cosmological renewal, in a wide range of societies from Ancient Mesopotamia to the Byzantine era. The 42 essays by leading scholars in each field explore the rich spectrum of ways in which eschatological understanding can be expressed, and for which purposes it can be used. Readers will gain new insight into the historical contexts, details, functions and impact of eschatological ideas and imagery in ancient texts and material culture from the twenty-fifth century BCE to the ninth century CE. Traditionally, the study of "eschatology" (and related concepts) has been pursued mainly by scholars of Jewish and Christian scripture. By broadening the disciplinary scope but remaining within the clearly defined geographical milieu of the Mediterranean, this volume enables its readers to note comparisons and contrasts, as well as exchanges of thought and transmission of eschatological ideas across Antiquity. Cross-referencing, high quality illustrations and extensive indexing contribute to a rich resource on a topic of contemporary interest and relevance. Eschatology in Antiquity is aimed at readers from a wide range of academic disciplines, as well as non-specialists including seminary students and religious leaders. The primary audience will comprise researchers in relevant fields including Biblical Studies, Classics and Ancient History, Ancient Philosophy, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Art History, Late Antiquity, Byzantine Studies and Cultural Studies. Care has been taken to ensure that the essays are accessible to undergraduates and those without specialist knowledge of particular subject areas.

What is truly real? Rudolf Steiner sheds light on everyday reality through spiritual knowledge, repeatedly urging us to bring anthroposophy into daily human existence. We might consciously experience the difference between consuming a potato as compared to cereals such as rye, for example - or we could grasp ordinary phenomena, such as sleepwalking, through an understanding of the threefold human being. Likewise, we might strive to comprehend how our head is the transformed organism of our previous life. Throughout, Steiner emphasizes that we can achieve spirituality on earth if only we make anthroposophy real. The twelve lectures here were delivered during the portentous year of 1923, in the context of increasing attacks from Steiner's opponents. His architectural masterpiece, the first Goetheanum, had already been destroyed by fire, but he was yet to refound the Anthroposophical Society at the Christmas Conference. In these uncertain times, Steiner speaks of the decline of European culture and the development of materialism as a philosophy, leaving anthroposophy with no exoteric foundation on which to build. But Rudolf Steiner strikes a positive note with an exciting and constructive way forward, providing us with the tools to see the world through three key perspectives of anthroposophy: the physical, the soul and the spiritual dimensions of reality. This previously-unpublished volume is translated by Elizabeth Marshall and includes an introduction, notes and index.