In ancient times humanity possessed an innate knowledge of the spiritual foundations of existence. Such knowledge could be acquired through inwardly accompanying the cycle of the year and its connected great seasonal festivals. But this instinctive knowledge had to be lost in order for human beings to discover individual freedom. In our time, as Sergei O. Prokofieff demonstrates in this comprehensive work, '...this knowledge must be found anew through the free, light-filled consciousness of the fully developed human personality'. Tracing the spiritual path of the yearly cycle, Prokofieff penetrates to the deeper esoteric realities of the seven Christian festivals of Michaelmas, Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Ascension, Whitsun and St John's Tide. Basing his research on the work of the twentieth-century initiate Rudolf Steiner, he reveals how these festivals are spiritual facts that exist independently of religious traditions and cultural customs. Working with the festivals in an esoteric sense can provide a true path of initiation, ultimately enabling an experience of the Being of the Earth, Christ. The journey of study through this book can thus lead the reader to an experience of the modern Christian-Rosicrucian path, along which '...it is possible to take the first steps towards life in partnership with the course of cosmic existence'.

Many spiritual traditions speak of a 'guardian' or 'dweller' who protects the threshold to the spiritual world, warning the unprepared to pause in their quest for access to higher knowledge. The Guardian reveals the consequences of our negative actions and points to the full reality of our untransformed nature. This experience is said to be one of the deepest and most harrowing on the inner path, but is an essential precondition to any form of true initiation. The words 'Know thyself' were inscribed at the forecourt of the ancient Greek Temple of Apollo. Those who sought initiation in 'the mysteries' were thus instructed first to look within themselves. Likewise today, as spiritual seekers we need true self-knowledge, to distinguish between what belongs to our consciousness and what is objectively part of the spiritual environment. Rudolf Steiner taught that as long as we draw back from such knowledge, our spiritual quest will be unsuccessful. When we begin engaging with anthroposophy, it becomes clear that Steiner's teachings are not a doctrine or set of dogmas, but a path towards deeper insights. In this essential handbook, the editor has drawn together many of Rudolf Steiner's statements on the intricate and arduous path of self-knowledge, offering ongoing support and guidance. Chapters include: The Importance of Self-Knowledge for Acquiring Higher Knowledge; Seeking to Form an Idea of the 'Guardian of the Threshold'; The Guardian of the Threshold and Some Characteristics of Supersensible Consciousness; Morality on the Path of Knowledge; Self-Knowledge and Nearness to Christ; The Powers of Christ in Our Own Life; Knowing Ourselves in the Other; Self-Knowledge - World-Knowledge.

Life today poses many questions, both in our personal lives and in our participation in nature and the broader culture. We often focus on the outer needs for social, political, technological, or environmental change. However, can we really meet the challenges around us without also attending to our inner life and to our own evolving biography as it reflects and informs the outer world? This book starts from the premise that each of our lives expresses uniqueness of spiritual intention within the unfolding of universal rhythms and possibilities. Can we wake up to the developmental opportunities offered to us through different life phases? Are we able to step out of the narrowness of the dualistic nature-nurture argument and experience that we are both more than our genetic composition and more than a product of the social and educational influences that have shaped us? Can we come to appreciate the learning that our "I" has received through heredity, ethnicity, schooling, and gender without losing a sense of our true individuality? Waking up to our unique self as it grows through interaction with the world and other human beings helps us recognize the significance we all play in one another's biographies and in the unfolding of our larger human story. Why on Earth? invites us to explore our own meaning-filled life journey, to bring conscious attention to how we go our path, so that we may more freely perceive our possibilities and our responsibilities along the way of our personal and shared becoming.

These messages are not only of historical significance, but address many issues confronting us today: the growth of psychism, our spiritual development, the need for brotherhood and altruism, and the role of theosophists and the Theosophical Society in the modern world. An essay by Kirby Van Mater provides the historical setting. Sketching important events from the founding of the Society to H P Blavatsky's death in 1891, it gives the reader a better understanding of the major currents affecting H P Blavatsky and her lifework.

Delivered more than 60 years ago, the lectures in this booklet demonstrate Alfred Heidenreich's gift for kindling understanding of the essence of Christianity and the nature and being of Christ. Guided by spiritual science or anthroposophy, as founded by Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), Heidenreich presents an imaginative and insightful reading of the meaning of Christ's 'resurrection body', addressing the significance of 'original sin' and 'the Fall', and how they relate to this metaphysical body. In his second lecture, Heidenreich addresses 'the greatest mystery of our time', relating to the true meaning of Christ's 'Second Coming' or 'appearance' in the etheric realm of the earth. It is our responsibility, says the author, to bring '...the awe and wonder of our thought, the mercy and love of our hearts, the conscientiousness of our deeds', to help illumine and strengthen this esoteric reality.

'An external view of states of health and sickness must be augmented by what we can also know about the inner, spiritual reality within the human being.' - Rudolf Steiner In a series of nine lectures to doctors, pharmacists and students, Rudolf Steiner presents a wealth of medical ideas with numerous therapeutic and diagnostic insights. As with his first series of lectures on medicine held a year previously (Introducing Anthroposophical Medicine), the range, depth and scope of Steiner's subject-matter is breathtaking. Speaking at the international centre of anthroposophy, the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland, Rudolf Steiner begins by describing the interplay of physical and metaphysical aspects of the human being, presenting a paradigm in which the four bodies - physical, etheric, astral and ego or 'I' - interrelate in contrasting ways with the threefold human organism of head, thorax and metabolism, and with our capacities for thinking, feeling and will. These challenging but enlightening concepts unlock a wonderful diagnostic tool for the appraisal and understanding of patients. Steiner considers the medicinal actions of various substances - including silica, phosphorus, sulphur, arsenic, antimony and mercury. Among numerous other subjects, Rudolf Steiner discusses the methodology of medical examination; the treatment of developmental irregularities; the four types of ether; raw food diets; the I and assimilation of food; metal therapy and the actions of lead, magnesium, tin, iron, copper, gold, mercury and silver; the use of root and herbaceous parts and flowers in medicine; the rhythmic balancing process between the action of salutogenic and pathological forces; and the nature of death. This volume also features Rudolf Steiner's answers to questions, an introductory lecture to eurythmy therapy, a comprehensive introduction, notes and index, colour plates of Steiner's blackboard drawings, and facsimiles and translations of his notes for the lectures.

During 1924, before his last address in September, Rudolf Steiner gave over eighty lectures on the subject of karma to members of the Anthroposophical Society. These profoundly esoteric lectures examine the underlying laws inherent in reincarnation and karma, and explore in detail the incarnations of specific historical figures. In Rudolf Steiner's words, the study of karma is "...a matter of penetrating into the most profound mysteries of existence, for within the sphere of karma and the course it takes lie those processes which are the basis of the other phenomena of world existence..." In this volume, Steiner discusses the karmic relationships within the anthroposophical movement, including the predispositions which lead souls to anthroposophy, the two streams within the movement, plus Rosicrucianism, Arabism, Aristotelianism, the Platonists and the School of Michael.

`I fall asleep. Until I awaken my soul will be in the world of spirit, and there will meet the guiding impulse-giver of my earthly life, my genius, who dwells in the world of spirit, hovering round my head...' - Rudolf Steiner The night is an essential counterpart to the day. By day we possess the capacity of conscious, logical thought, whilst at night - leaving the physical body to regenerate during sleep - we give ourselves up to a different form of consciousness. Rudolf Steiner describes the night as the realm of intuition, a place of deep spiritual encounter, but also as a wellspring of renewal and healing. With its lucid introduction and notes, The Night seeks to conjure the special atmosphere and quality of the nocturnal hours, so that the real spiritual encounters of night-time can fruitfully inform our daily life, helping us to live in a fuller, healthier way. Night-time is when we can, consciously or unconsciously, meet our higher self; we have the opportunity to work with angelic beings, and even to access the world of the dead. The night can be a source of poetic and artistic inspiration, whilst for initiates it provides a field for conscious awareness. It is also a special time - before going to sleep and upon waking - for specific esoteric exercises. Edited by Edward de Boer, the textual passages, lecture extracts, exercises and the many verses and prayers in this anthology are an invitation to readers to engage more consciously with the starry heavens and the nightly realm.

'The intention is to take a practical subject and show how our spiritual science with anthroposophical orientation truly can play an effective role in everyday life.' - Rudolf Steiner Following his first major lecture course for medical practitioners, Rudolf Steiner sought to elaborate and deepen his 'extension' of the art of healing from a spiritual-scientific perspective. In this collection of addresses, discussions, question-and-answer sessions and lectures - running parallel to his major medical cycles - Steiner comments on contemporary medicine's emphasis on experimental, materially-based research and its subsequent lack of attention to therapy. Steiner's intention is not to detract from developments in medical science but to build on them with spiritual science - not quackery but a true art of medicine. The medical practitioner has an important task: diseases must be cured, and it is wrong not to intervene and simply to allow 'karma to take its course'. Speaking to audiences ranging from members of the general public to small groups of medical professionals, Steiner offers new insights into our understanding of human organs such as the brain, kidneys and liver, as well as the efficacy of healing substances including arsenic, sulphur, arnica and essential plant oils. He studies a broad range of specific medical conditions, giving advice on cancer, hysteria, rheumatism, gout, skin eruptions, typhoid, diabetes, haemophilia, syphilis, gonorrhoea, asthma, glaucoma, leukaemia, smallpox, insomnia, and childhood diseases such as measles. His commentaries on a raft of contrasting subjects - such as psychiatry, sexual maturity, memory, poisoning and detoxification - present challenging perspectives for patients and medical practitioners. Steiner's surprisingly non-dogmatic advice on vaccination, for example, gives a refreshingly balanced, and perhaps unexpected, point of view. This volume also includes a lecture on eurythmy therapy, a comprehensive introduction, index and notes, and nine full colour plates of Rudolf Steiner's blackboard drawings.

First published in the run-up to the new millennium, van Manen's seminal study remains a unique and important source for understanding the spiritual and karmic background to the Anthroposophical Movement and Society, as founded around the work of the twentieth-century seer and scientist Rudolf Steiner. In his lectures on karma given in 1924, Steiner spoke of the principal Aristotelian and Platonic traditions - and the movements based on their thinking. Van Manen studies the streams of destiny connected to these groups, and elaborates upon Steiner's presentations - also tackling the apparent contradictions in the Karmic Relationships lecture series. The author discusses the background to these groupings of destiny, beginning with the cosmic Michael School in the life before birth. He throws light on many different esoteric aspects connected to anthroposophy, including the archetypal representations of thinking arising from the Middle Ages; the Arthurian and Grail movements; the mystery of 'Old' and 'Young' souls; the individuals identified as 'Seekers for Christ' and 'Servants of Michael', and the 'Shepherds' and 'Kings'. We are led to the point at which the two principal groups of souls incarnate and meet together on earth for the first time ever - an event which is to take place within the contemporary anthroposophical movement. In an inspiring conclusion, the author presents his thoughts on a great Whitsun happening at the end of the twentieth century, and expounds on the tasks of the new millennium and the future of anthroposophy.

As a spiritual teacher, Rudolf Steiner wrote many inspired and beautifully-crafted verses. Often they were given in relation to specific situations or in response to individual requests; sometimes they were offered simply to assist in the process of meditation. Regardless of their origins, they are uniformly powerful in their ability to connect the meditating individual with spiritual archetypes. Thus, the meditations provide valuable tools for developing experience and knowledge of subtle dimensions of reality. Matthew Barton has translated and selected Steiner's verses, sensitively arranging them by theme. In this collection - to promote courage and tranquility - Rudolf Steiner highlights the balancing, harmonizing forces of the heart, which are so much under attack in our cerebral culture. The verses aim to strengthen the heart by warming and enlivening thinking, allowing for genuine peace of mind; by drawing feeling into the dark depths of our will, in order to help develop courage; by nurturing a real sense of peace within the heart; and by helping us to help others. Together they provide a powerful antidote to the stresses and strains of modern life.

In this seminal work on a new art of speech, Rudolf and Marie Steiner demonstrate how the Word can truly be brought to life. From the authors' perspective, the audible sound of speech is only the end result of a much greater process that begins inwardly. In contrast to the belief that speaking is entirely a matter of correct placement in the mouth, Rudolf Steiner advises speakers to concentrate on what takes place before the mechanical production of sound is made in the physical organism. Relevant to actors, teachers, therapists and anybody seeking to reinvigorate the art of the Word, this book will be an invaluable friend and guide to improving clarity and restoring beauty to communication.

14 lectures, Dornach, Jun 30 - Sept 24, 1924 (CW 354) The remarkable discussions in this volume took place between Rudolf Steiner and workers at the first Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland. At Rudolf Steiner's instigation, the varied subjects were chosen by his audience. He took their questions and usually gave immediate answers. The astonishing nature of these responses--their insight, knowledge, and spiritual depth--is testimony to Steiner's outstanding ability as a spiritual initiate and profound thinker. Accessible, entertaining and stimulating, the records of these sessions will be a delight to anyone with an open mind. Here, Steiner discusses Lemuria and Atlantis; vegetarianism; children's nutrition; manure and soil; hardening of the arteries; the sense of smell; weather and its causes; origin of the human being; Darwinism; earth strata and fossils; Biela's comet; lightning; volcanoes; and much more. This volume is a translation from German of Die Schoepfung der Welt und des Menschen. Erdenleben und Sternenwirken (GA 354).

Book Five of The Law of One is comprised of the 56 fragments of personal material that were originally omitted from the first four books of this series. Both Jim, the scribe, and Carla, the instrument for the Ra contact, have added their comments to these fragments to give the reader an idea of what it was like to be part of this contact and to show how every persons experience can be used for personal growth and service to others. A wide variety of topics is covered, from Eisenhowers meeting with extraterrestrials in 1954 to UFO/government conspiracies, Wanderers, sexual energy transfers, anger, balancing, Aleister Crowley, the Tunguska crater in Russia, pre-incarnative choices, psychic greetings, alternate and orthodox healing modalities, the ball lightning phenomenon, and the many facets of the spiritual journey in general.

Mani, the founder of the spiritual movement which has come to be known as Manichaeism, established an influential teaching that spread swiftly across Asia, Africa and parts of Europe but was later brutally suppressed. Little was known about this 'Gnostic religion' until archaeological findings in the twentieth century revealed important aspects of Mani's biography and philosophical thought. Many years before these physical discoveries, Rudolf Steiner provided key esoteric insights, based on his personal spiritual-scientific research, into Mani's life and work. Richard Seddon assembles pieces of the academic and esoteric puzzle, offering a lively and colourful picture of Mani and Manichaeism. He gives a succinct outline of Mani's life, the fundamental aspects of his teachings, and a description of Manichaeism's future spiritual role. Seddon creates an image of a mighty Christian initiate leading a movement with the critical task of transforming, and ultimately redeeming, evil.

'Spiritual knowledge is not given to us as in ancient times. By spiritual means it must be struggled and striven for against a host of demons...We must therefore get to know the powers that would cover up and obscure all spiritual knowledge.' - from the Preface 'The world seems to be standing within a demonic storm that threatens to overwhelm it', states T.H. Meyer at the outset of this rousing call for a wide-ranging, spiritual-scientific knowledge of the world. Appeals to traditional religious belief will no longer pacify this storm, and neither will 'good will' suffice. Building on Rudolf Steiner's anthroposophy, In the Sign of Five tackles the central task of our epoch: the epistemological struggle with evil, and presents the five most important spiritual events since the beginning of the Age of Michael: 1879 - the rise of Michael to the rank of Time Spirit; 1899 - the end of Kali Yuga; 1933 - the appearance of Christ in the Etheric; 1998 - the assault of Sorath, 'one of the greatest ahrimanic demons'; The present - the incarnation of Ahriman. These events are linked to the five main tasks of the Age of Michael, the great challenge of inner knowledge and spiritual consciousness posed by the epoch as a whole. In the light of world history, and within the context of 'the sign of five', we stand today at the fifth place - at the point of the incarnation of Ahriman. Is humanity prepared for this decisive event? Have we recognised the phenomena of evil that surround us on a daily basis? Have the tasks corresponding to the five events been identified, and to what extent have they been carried out? How is evil related to 'the good' that guides the world, and specifically to the Christ impulse? Meyer provides a vital, pithy, aphoristic handbook for our apocalyptic times.

In a quest to discover the truth behind the twentieth century's disastrous record of conflict and war, Terry Boardman considers two contradictory approaches to history: so-called cock-up theory and conspiracy theory. Could there be truth to the often-dismissed concept of conspiracy in history: the manipulation of external events by groups and individuals mostly hidden from the public eye? In the work of philosopher and scientist Rudolf Steiner, Boardman finds convincing evidence of the existence of secretive circles in the West, which have plans for humanity's long-term future. Steiner indicated that such 'brotherhoods' had prepared for world war in the twentieth century, and had instructed their members, using redrawn maps as a guide, on how Europe was to be changed. If these brotherhoods existed in Steiner's time, could they still be active today? Based on detailed research, Boardman concludes that such groups are directing world politics in our time. As backing for his theory, he studies a series of important articles and maps - ranging from an 1890 edition of the satirical journal Truth to more recent pieces from influential publications that speak for themselves. He concludes that vast plans are in progress for a New World Order to control and direct individuals and nations, and he calls us to be vigilant, awake and informed.

"Every moral deed and every physical action in human life is connected in the human heart. Only when we truly learn to understand the configuration of he human heart will we find the true fusion of these two parallel and independent phenomena: moral events and physical events." -Rudolf Steiner Today we know very little about the true nature of the human heart. Our knowledge arises only from a materialistic or an emotional standpoint. However, the human heart, as Rudolf Steiner knew and taught, is both spiritual and physical-the place where body and soul come together. It is the place of their unity. We have lost this knowledge, yet it is integral to the Western understanding of what gives humanity its vocation-our spiritual/physical, our earthly/heavenly nature. In this astonishing and inspiring book, Peter Selg focuses on the evolution of the spiritual understanding of the heart as transmitted through Aristotle, the Gospels, and Hebrew Scriptures to the Middle Ages, when, in the light of the Mystery of Golgotha and its sacramental life, it was synthesized and transformed by Thomas Aquinas, after whom, with the rise of modern science it, was lost until Goethe began a process of recovery and development that led to its complete renewal and transformation in Rudolf Steiner. The Mystery of the Heart tells this story in three parts. Part one, "The Anthropology of the Heart in the Gospels," examines the spiritual anthropology of the heart in the Gospels in the light of Ezekiel's prophetic saying: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a living heart of flesh." Part two, "De Essentia et Motu Cordis," describes Aristotle's understanding of the heart and its transformation and deepening in Aquinas. Part three, "The Heart and the Fate of Humanity," examines the spiritual-scientific view of the heart as developed in Rudolf Steiner's teachings. Also included is an appendix containing selected meditative verses and therapeutic meditations for the heart.

Rudolf Steiner's intuitive artistic knowledge enabled him to use colours in a unique way, giving expression to their individual natures. Together with his many lectures on art, Steiner's paintings provide artists with fresh ways of understanding colour, allowing for an entirely new creativity and aesthetics. In 1924, Steiner painted a watercolour of the Madonna and Child, giving it the title `New Life'. Through Steiner's depiction of Mary, mother of the Divine Child, this painting draws us to the feminine expression of spirituality. In this highly-illustrated, full-colour book Angela Lord studies this feminine principle, beginning with the very earliest stages of human evolution - the `Fall' from paradise and the pre-historic periods of Lemuria and Atlantis. From the Mysteries of Egypt and Greece to the development of Christian art, she offers insights to the myths and legends of female deities and goddesses. According to Rudolf Steiner, at the time of Jesus's birth humanity had entered a decadent phase of development. Small groups of initiated individuals, however, were preparing for a sacred birth: the descent of a heavenly being into earthly existence. The God of the Old Testament would be revealed `in flesh', born to a virgin mother. In the second part of New Life - Mother and Child, Angela Lord takes us on a journey through two thousand years of Christian art, covering Iconography, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. We see how artistic images of Mary and her Child have changed, why these variations have occurred and how they reflect the changing consciousness of humanity. Finally, the `New Life' painting is considered from the interactive processes of colour and composition, illustrated with a series of artistic colour sequences.

What is Whitsun, and how can its impulse be furthered for the future of society? How can social life become the bearer of the Christ impulse, and how can Christ Himself enter directly into social life? In this small booklet Prokofieff speaks of the significance of spiritual work conducted in a social setting, and its crucial role in preparing for the future epoch of the Spirit-Self. The spiritual-social tasks set before us, he says, '...can only be achieved through mutual efforts with one another.' And for such social activity, the General Anthroposophical Society, '...with all of its different groups and branches, which unite all anthroposophists in the world', plays a fundamental role. Thus, concludes Prokofieff, '...the spiritual tasks of the General Anthroposophical Society are gradually combined with the tasks of all mankind.' This booklet, consisting of a report of a lecture supplemented with an essay, is an important companion to the publication by the same author, The Esoteric Significance of Spiritual Work in Anthroposophical Groups.

Heiner Ruland charts a practical path towards a deepened musical understanding, illuminating the panorama of humanity's musical past. Indicating what may happen - and needs to happen - to music in the immediate and more distant future, the implications of this book for composition, musical education and therapy are immense. The author shows how the fundamental elements of music embody distinctive modes of consciousness. He examines the musical systems of ancient humanity and goes on to draw a vivid picture of our contemporary musical situation. This seminal work is more than a theoretical treatise on the nature of music, but a book to be understood and experienced through musical practice. With the help of the monochord, the reader, with a minimum of technique, is able to explore new and unfamiliar musical realms. 'Rudolf Steiner believed that an expansion of our tone-system was a necessity...In this book of Ruland's, we have for the first time an account that is penetrating enough and of sufficiently large scope to enable us to understand why.' - Jurgen Schriefer

'If the intentions of the Christmas Conference are to be carried out, the Anthroposophical Society will in future have to fulfil, as far as possible, the esoteric aspirations of its members. With this end in view, the School, consisting of three Classes, will be established within the General Society.' - Rudolf Steiner, January 1924 A year after the burning of the first Goetheanum building in Dornach, Switzerland, Rudolf Steiner refounded the Anthroposophical Society during the Christmas Conference of 1923/24. At the heart of the Society he created 'the School of Spiritual Science', which has the specific task of presenting 'the esoteric aspect', and leading its members to knowledge and experience of the spirit. The School was to have 'Sections' to represent various fields of human endeavour, such as Medicine and Education, and three 'Classes', with the First Class to be established immediately by Rudolf Steiner. This short book is a collection of articles (from the Society Newsletter) and lectures by Rudolf Steiner from 1924, introducing and explaining the purpose of the School of Spiritual Science to members of the Anthroposophical Society. It forms a companion volume to The Foundation Stone / The Life, Nature and Cultivation of Anthroposophy.