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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Alternative belief systems > Syncretist & eclectic religions & belief systems > Post-renaissance syncretist / eclectic systems
This Is A New Release Of The Original 1918 Edition.
This Is A New Release Of The Original 1910 Edition.
H. P. Blavatsky introduces and clarifies her theosophical movement
to the curious reader in this detailed text, which is written in
the style of questions and answers. The Theosophic Society
attracted popular interest for its esoteric and unusual nature;
theosophy unites numerous mystical, spiritual and occult principles
with the stated mission of finding the hidden truths of existence.
This was accomplished through investigating ancient societies and
writings, together with Medieval and Renaissance era authors,
occultists and other mystics. With The Key to Theosophy, Blavatsky
intended to demystify and clarify many of the finer points of the
movement she founded. She not only discusses what topics the
Theosophical Society has an interest in, but the organizational
structure and leadership under which it operates The agreed beliefs
among its members concerning man's place on the Earth, and how
nature affects and controls humans perceptibly and imperceptibly,
are likewise detailed.
Saved by good fortune from the flames that engulfed the first
Goetheanum, Rudolf Steiner's wooden sculpture of the Christ - 'the
Representative of Humanity' - standing between the adversary forces
of Lucifer and Ahriman, remains intact and on display, although
unfinished, to this day. Unique in the history of art, the
Sculptural Group was deeply connected to Rudolf Steiner's inner
being. The great Christian initiate even died by its side, having
made efforts to work on the sculpture just days before he crossed
the threshold. The essential source from which this work was
created, says Sergei Prokofieff, '...lay in Rudolf Steiner's ego,
in his spirit...It was only out of this intuitive connection of his
own ego with the Christ Being that he was able to create this work
of art.' Beginning with the Sculptural Group's early history, and
Steiner's collaboration on its creation with Edith Maryon,
Prokofieff enters into deeply esoteric perspectives, studying the
artwork's relationship with the mysteries of the Holy Grail, the
etherization of the blood, the Seventh Apocalyptic Seal, the Legend
of the New Isis, as well as the being Anthroposophia.
Rudolf Steiner taught that, beginning in the twentieth century,
Christ would reappear in the etheric (or 'life') realm of the
Earth. And he made two further predictions in relation to that
event: firstly that, before such a reappearance could take place,
mankind 'must have passed through the encounter with the Beast,
which will appear in 1933'; and secondly that, around the end of
the twentieth century, 'Sorath' - the Sun Demon - would oppose
people's personal vision of the etheric Christ. Taking these
statements as his starting point, Tradowsky examines the question
of evil and its relationship to Christ. He describes Sorath and his
activities, asserting that knowledge of this elusive and terrible
being helps individuals to overcome him; and he explains the role
of the 'Apocalyptic Beast' in relation to Ahriman - or Antichrist -
and the latter's physical incarnation on earth. Intended for those
with a close concern for anthroposophy, this book provides
essential background information to understanding the events of our
time and clarifying our tasks in relation to Christ, evil and the
new millennium.
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.
'I first saw the Goetheanum as a fifteen-year-old through
binoculars. I was fascinated and wanted to know more about this
incredible building. What am I seeing? Why these forms? What
happens in this building?' - Hans Hasler The Goetheanum in Dornach,
Switzerland, was conceived as a visible expression of Rudolf
Steiner's spiritual philosophy - a living experience of
anthroposophy in the form of art. Whilst Steiner conveyed his ideas
and concepts in many books and lectures, the Goetheanum - with its
pioneering concrete forms built in the 1920s - is a manifestation
of spirituality in architecture, painting and sculpture. This
essential handbook, packed with colour photos and illustrations,
gives a broad background to Rudolf Steiner's architectural
masterpiece and the work that goes on within it. Hasler explains
how the present Goetheanum was built, and describes its recently
remodelled great hall and stage, with its painted ceiling and
sculpted walls. He details the building's context and landscape
design, the other significant structures in its vicinity, and gives
a description of the first, wooden, Goetheanum and its destruction
by fire. Today the Goetheanum's remarkable external contours house
theatres and studios, laboratories, offices and libraries. Apart
from its major stages for drama and eurythmy, it serves as the
headquarters of the Anthroposophical Society and the School of
Spiritual Science, with the latter's sections for medicine,
agriculture, education, the arts, science, and so on. The
Goetheanum is also home to numerous conferences, meetings and
events. This book provides a marvellous visual and textual guide to
one of the most original buildings of our time.
Rudolf Steiner's superb thesis provides deep insight into spiritual
science, and the history of mankind as viewed through the
philosophy of the anthroposophy movement he founded. An Outline of
Esoteric Science attempts to reconcile mankind's spiritual being
with the scientific exactitude which had emerged among scholars in
the 19th century. Steiner lays out the spiritual realms which are
invisible to us, attempting to use a defined precision similar to
that which had emerged in science. In the final section, this book
refers to the spiritual development and contemplation necessary for
individuals to see the spiritual realms and planes which comprise
existence and the universe. The means by which individuals may
train themselves introspectively to see are detailed by Steiner,
whose theosophical philosophy was, by the time of this book's
publication in 1909, well-developed.
In an extraordinary exposition, Lorenzen - an expert beekeeper and
student of contemporary spiritual science - describes the `Logos
mysteries', based at the ancient temple of Artemis in Ephesus,
where priestesses were known as `Melissas' (`honeybees') and the
sacrificial priests were called `Essenes' (or `bee-kings'). These
cultic mysteries, he says, bore remarkable parallels to the
workings of a bee colony - specifically in the relationship between
the queen and worker bees to the spiritual `group-soul' of the
bees. Lorenzen commences his unique study with a discussion of
flowers and insects, exploring their common origins. He then
describes the beginnings of the honeybee, its connection with the
fig wasp, and the subsequent controlled transformation of the
latter that took place in pre-historic mystery-centres. Breeding
the honeybee from the fig wasp - a sacred deed performed at
consecrated sanctuaries - was part of the `Fig-tree mysteries'. The
initiates behind this task developed the ability to commune with
the bees' group-soul and to work consciously on the mutual
development of the hive and humanity. This concise but rich work
features an illuminating foreword by Heidi Herrmann of the Natural
Beekeeping Trust as well as a lucid introduction by translator Paul
King that explains the anthroposophical concepts employed by
Lorenzen in his text.
"A milestone in modern research on the the harmony of the spheres."
- Novalis magazine "This book reignites the debate on the harmony
of the spheres." - Das Goetheanum Is the solar system ordered, or
is it simply the result of random and chaotic accidents? This book
takes us on a powerful and compelling journey of discovery,
revealing the celestial spheres' astonishingly complex patterns.
The movements of the planets are found to correspond accurately
with simple geometric figures and musical intervals, pointing to an
exciting new perspective on the ancient idea of a "harmony of the
spheres". Hartmut Warm's detailed presentation incorporates the
distances, velocities and periods of conjunction of the planets, as
well as the rotations of the Sun, Moon and Venus. Numerous graphics
- including colour plates - illustrate the extraordinary beauty of
the geometrical forms that result when the movements of several
planets are viewed in relation to one another. In addition, the
author describes and analyses the concepts of the "music of the
spheres", with special consideration given to Johannes Kepler's
revolutionary ideas. Current scientific beliefs about the origin of
the universe and the solar system are explained, enabling the
reader to understand fully how Warm's remarkable research
supplements contemporary materialistic views of the cosmos. An
appendix includes his mathematical and astronomical methods of
calculation as well as detailed discussion of their accuracy and
validity based on modern astronomical algorithms.
We live in a world characterized by intolerance, war, environmental
degradation and economic collapse. In contrast, might it be
possible to build a society in which tolerance, love and peace are
the abiding principles? In this positive and inspiring book
Danielle van Dijk shows how, beginning with our personal
development, we can contribute to such a new, transformed world.
She describes how we can develop a universal spiritual
consciousness - what she refers to as 'Christ Consciousness'. Van
Dijk emphasizes that the Christian mysteries took place on the
physical plane, and distinguishes with great clarity between Jesus
as a human being, the incarnation of Christ on earth, and the
cosmic Christ. She builds bridges between the spiritual research of
Rudolf Steiner, the Nag Hammadi writings and the gospels of Mary
Magdalene and Judas, culminating in a comprehensive and
wide-ranging picture of Christ. By gaining insight into the nature
of Christ's being, and undertaking practical exercises described
here, each of us can achieve the new Christ Consciousness. In
ancient times, selected individuals underwent rites of initiation
within secret mystery schools. Disclosing the knowledge obtained
there was punishable by death. In our time, however, the spiritual
mysteries have become open and available to all. Initiation, says
the author, involves 'walking the inner path to all-embracing love,
which is known in gnostic and esoteric lore as Christ, the highest
divine Being', leading to 'a sublime cosmic-orientated
consciousness, which comes into existence when the higher self
wholly exists within the individual human being.
Biodynamic agriculture, which has consistently increased in
popularity over the years, was born from a single course of eight
lectures delivered by Rudolf Steiner in Koberwitz (now in Poland)
in June 1924. In The Agriculture Course Peter Selg presents an
unprecedented study of the context within which the lectures took
place, conveying a tangible sense of the celebratory mood and
atmosphere of those Whitsun events. He highlights Steiner's
intentions for the course - as well as the parallel lectures he
gave in Breslau - by drawing widely on the available literature and
numerous archive materials. Recognizing that chemical manipulation
of agriculture was neither desirable nor sustainable, Rudolf
Steiner helped launch an agricultural movement with a truly
pioneering outlook. As Selg describes, Steiner saw that '...what
was needed instead was new, conscious insight into life forces and
laws, into the nature of organisms, into the diverse realms of
nature, and the determining factors of both earth and cosmos that
influence them.' The vivid picture painted here reveals the
importance Rudolf Steiner placed on launching this work, and the
extent to which his initiative offered an answer to the emerging
forces of cultural and political destruction that would lead to the
Second World War.
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