Theosophy expresses modern versions of the ancient wisdom found in world religions. Ultimately, it concerns living fully by learning the meaning of life and thereby achieving self-transformation. These essays by a premier American teacher are grouped according to the four stages of the quest for meaning: The Human Condition, Our Hidden Potential, Esoteric Teachings, and Self-Transformation. Written over a lifetime, these essays comprise a reliable, inspiring guide for anyone on a spiritual path.

Ita Wegman, born in 1876 to a Dutch family living in Indonesia, first met Rudolf Steiner in Berlin in 1902 when she was 26 years old. She studied medicine at the University of Zurich and in 1917, following Steiner's indications, developed a treatment for cancer using mistletoe. In 1921 she founded the first anthroposophical medical clinic, in Arlesheim, Switzerland, followed in 1922 by the Sonnenhof home for children with special needs. Karl Koenig first met Wegman in 1927, and she quickly recognized his great potential, as well as his weaknesses. She invited him to work at the Arlesheim clinic as her assistant, and encouraged and advised him in his medical work. This book includes the complete correspondence between Koenig and Wegman.

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

In quiet moments of reflection, we have all been moved to ask: Why was I born in this time and not another? Why in this country, to this family, with this body? For Theosophy, as for Hinduism and Buddhism, answers to these questions can be found in the concept of infinite life. These teachings tell us that we all live countless lives, and that we are propelled from one to the next by karma, or cause and effect. Theosophist Helena Blavatsky called the individual self a Pilgrim, who journeys from life to life, learning, growing, and evolving toward the state of infinite purity from which we come and which is our true home. In this inspiring book, Robert Ellwood guides the Pilgrim who is each of us along the path of life, pointing out its essential signposts and suggesting answers to basic philosophical questions.

In this series of previously-untranslated lectures, Rudolf Steiner describes how myths and legends portray humanity's most ancient evolutionary and spiritual history. Folklore presents ancient mystical wisdom in the form of stories - clothed in pictures by initiates - that enable individuals to understand their content in a more intellectual form at a later time. Focusing on Greek and Germanic mythology, the lectures in the first part of this volume cover the chronicles of Prometheus, Daedalus and Icarus, Parzival and Lohengrin, the Argonauts and the Odyssey, and the heroic dragon-slayer Siegfried. From these focal points, Rudolf Steiner discusses a variety of themes - from the mysteries of the Druids and the founding of Rome to the esoteric background of Wolfram von Eschenbach; from good and evil and the unjust death sentence on Socrates to the significance of marriage. The second part of this book features lectures on the nature and significance of the musical dramas of Richard Wagner. Wagner's works, from his earliest attempts to his most mature opera Parsifal, are discussed from spiritual viewpoints. Although Wagner did not have a fully conscious awareness of the deeper meanings of his compositions, Steiner suggests that his shaping of Germanic legends was driven by an instinctive, creative and artistic certainty that accords with deep occult truths.

The definitive edition of HPB's writings in 15 volumes. Volume 14 includes posthumously published essays, written at various times; among them are some which may have been intended for another volume of The Secret Doctrine. Some of the subjects are: The Kabalah; Eastern and Western Occultism; The Last of the Mysteries in Europe; Symbolism of Sun and Stars; Cycles and Avataras; The Mystery of Buddha.

'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 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.

In Book Two of The Law of One, the nature of each of the densities or dimensions of this octave of creation is explored in detail with special emphasis given to how evolution for our third density to the fourth density is accomplished. The relationship between the densities of creation and the energy centres of the body is investigated so that each experience can be used as catalyst for growth to balance and crystallise the energy centres of chakras of the student of evolution. Wanderers, sexual energy transfers, the physics of Dewey B. Larson, Polarization in consciousness, ritual magic, and the nature and function of the Higher Self are all explored as they are related to the Law of One. Book Two contains Sessions #27 through to #50.

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.

"The New Essential Steiner" is an illuminating, completely new introduction to the philosophy and essential writings of Rudolf Steiner, introduced and edited by Robert McDermott, who also edited the now-classic "Essential Steiner." This new volume offers selections from a wide variety of Steiner's published works, presenting a broad, accessible overview of Anthroposophy. In his introduction, McDermott recounts Steiner's life and work, from his childhood and education to his work as a natural scientist, philosopher, scholar, educator, artist, interpreter of culture, and seer. He places Steiner in relation to major traditions of thought and explores the genesis and development of Anthroposophy. Although Rudolf Steiner is considered by many to be the greatest spiritual seer and philosophical thinker of the twentieth century and is credited with major cultural contributions such as the worldwide Waldorf school movement and the ever-growing biodynamic agricultural movement, he nevertheless remains relatively unknown to both academics and the public. The purpose of this volume is to redress that situation by introducing Steiner's work to a broader audience and making his name more universally recognized. "The New Essential Steiner" includes selections from Steiner's writings, which are grouped into chapters that demonstrate the breadth of his thinking and spiritual accomplishments.

"Am I going too far if I declare that not a single one of the opponents took a tenth of the pains I took with anthroposophy before I joined the movement?" -- Friedrich Rittelmeyer Born in southern Germany in 1872, Friedrich Rittelmeyer was a leading figure in the Lutheran church at the beginning of the twentieth century. His was an influential pulpit, and he was a pioneer of a new meditative approach, seeking to re-establish the relevance of the Gospels. His life took an unexpected turn when, in 1911, he encountered Rudolf Steiner for the first time. He spent the next ten years critically appraising and investigating Steiner's ideas. This book is a fascinating and insightful autobiographical account of those years, as well a rigorous scrutiny of anthroposophy. In 1922, he made the decision to leave the Lutheran church and lead a new movement for religious renewal, The Christian Community, in association with Steiner. His final conviction was that Steiner's ideas were truly inspired. First published in English in 1929, this book's honest struggle with key anthroposophical concepts has been influential for generations of people.

Who are the ancient astronauts? Why did they first come to Earth? Why are they returning now? What part did they play in building the great monuments of antiquity? What part did they play in the formation of present and earlier civilizations? With what other beings do we share our universe? And where does the Earth fit into the cosmic scheme of things? Almost twenty years of experimental work with telepathy led to the "breakthrough" contact recorded in this book. The Ra Material is an account not only of the events leading up to this contact, but of over 200 pages of verbatim transcripts of each and every conversation!

This title contains a series of 8 lectures, given in Ojai, California in 1955, from one of the 20th century's greatest philosophers and teachers. Krishnamurti confronts the typical grasping and confused mind which lies at the root of all violence and suffering. Though offered over fifty years ago, the ideas in these talks are fresh, relevant and offer an enduring message for today as Krishnamurti discusses a world in which booming productivity and scientific advancement should promise a happy future, but don't.He points also to the ongoing escalation of war, competition, envy and territoriality despite gains in education, religious ecumenism and the technologies of self-improvement. He asks his listeners to consider that all apparent progress is simply another illusion. In their brilliantly clear essays, his focus is singular, with no glib answers to eternal questions. To read this book is to venture into the unexplored assumptions that govern our lives. The workings of the mind are so simple and obvious in J Krishnamurti's explanations, yet so enormously challenging to confront. Like other classic texts, such as religious scriptures, the words ring true. The issues addressed include: the nature of violence; the problem of change; the conditioning of the mind; how to achieve "peace"; the nature of worship and spiritual practice; and how to really listen.

A facsimile reprint of the 1889 edition exactly the way Blavatsky wrote it, laying out the path of spiritual development. Includes an index and introduction by Boris de Zirkoff.

Rudolf Steiner shows how deeply and intimately human beings, the microcosm, are related to the macrocosm. But for Steiner the macrocosm is more than just the physical universe. It includes many hidden realms - like the world of Elements and the world of Archetypes - which lie behind outer manifestations such as our physical body. The macrocosm works within us continuously - in the daily alternation between sleeping and waking and in the great cyclical interchange between incarnation on earth and our time between death and rebirth. Steiner discusses the various paths of self-development that lead across the threshold to spiritual dimensions, transforming human soul-forces into organs of higher perception. In future we will even have the capacity to evolve a form of thinking that is higher than the intellect - the thinking of the heart. In this classic series of lectures, now retranslated and featuring a previously-unavailable public address, Rudolf Steiner also discusses: the planets and their connection with our sleeping and waking life; the inner path of the mystic; the 'greater' and 'lesser' guardians of the threshold; the Egyptian mysteries of Osiris and Isis; initiation in the Northern mysteries; The four spheres of the higher worlds; mirror-images of the macrocosm in man; the strengthening powers of sleep; the symbol of the Rose Cross; reading the Akashic Record; four-dimensional space; the development of future human capacities, and much more. The volume includes an introduction, notes and index.

The comprehensive index to the 14 volumes of HPB's writings.

The definitive edition of HPB's writings in 15 volumes. Volume 8 is from 1887, and includes articles such as: The Esoteric Character of the Gospels; The Origin of Evil; The Esotericism of the Christian Dogma (the spirited debate of H. P. B. with the Abbe Roca); The Signs of the Times.

It is not uncommon for children's drawings to end up in the wastepaper basket. Yet these early artistic expressions indicate how children communicate with their environment. From the first scratches and scribbles to the detailed sketches of houses and people, the drawings and paintings of our young ones are significant manifestations of inner processes, containing important statements about their development and gradual incarnation into a physical body. Michaela Strauss's classic work is a pioneer study that can strengthen observation, understanding and love for the being of the child, both in the home and the kindergarten. First issued in 1978, it is republished here with revisions, improved reproductions, a larger format and more than 40 pages of colour illustrations. 'In its drawings, the child describes for us different conditions of consciousness, which are parallel with those of cultural epochs.' - Michaela Strauss

"The butterfly flutters above and over the earth, borne on the air and shimmering with light...We ought really to see them as nothing other than beings of light, joyous in their colours and the play of colours. All the rest is garment and luggage." - Rudolf Steiner Truly poetic and deeply esoteric, these lectures by Rudolf Steiner have been gathered here in a single volume for the first time, with an in-depth introduction that traces and explains the stages of butterfly metamorphosis. The emergence of the butterfly from its pupa is one of the most moving phenomena we can encounter in nature. In this creature's visible transformations, we can experience a revelation of spirit. The butterfly, says Rudolf Steiner, is "...a flower blossom lifted into the air by light and cosmic forces". It is a being that develops from and through light, via a process of incorporation and internalization. By gazing into the world of these special and rarefied creatures, we can intuit that they, "...ray out something even better than sunlight: they shine spirit light out into the cosmos".

What if our teeth are a reflection of who we are? What if dental problems such as toothache, decay and malpositioning illustrate the deep functioning of our true self? What if, by harmonizing our mouths, we could allay many of our physical and mental ills? After years of dental practice, Michel Montaud made a breakthrough that would change his life and work completely. Without being fully conscious of what he was doing, he engaged in a dental therapy which would prove to be remarkably effective, going beyond the simple framework of mouth and teeth to extend to the human being as a whole. This guided self-therapy, which he refers to as Dentosophy, is a true alternative to the drastic measures of extraction, surgery and orthodontics. From personal experience, the author states that this approach can even remedy ailments such as chronic rhinitis and otitis, eczema, allergies, asthma, back problems and sleep disorders. Montaud describes his personal journey of discovery, initially to help his suffering son. Now, after decades of experience and numerous eloquent clinical results, he demonstrates that this human-based approach to our mouth and teeth can stimulate, at any age, the extraordinary healing potential of our bodies. With case studies and supporting photographic evidence, he shows that Dentosophy improves the general health of patients, both physical and mental. This illustrated and accessible book offers an exciting new perspective on our teeth and their innate wisdom.

In a series of vibrant and lively essays, Steffen Hartmann focuses on a little-known but critically important theme relating to the teachings of Rudolf Steiner. Steiner described the collaboration between human souls connected to the Platonic and Aristotelian 'schools' or groupings - both here on Earth and in the spiritual world. These groupings of souls work within a wider metaphysical collective known as the 'Michael School', led by the ruling Spirit of our age, Michael. Prior to their births, millions of human souls were prepared within this School to help them face the challenges of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. We may have forgotten these pre-existence experiences, but they can be reawakened within us, says Hartmann. Indeed, it is possible consciously to reconnect to our earlier incarnations and to perceive our karma. The book begins with this theme and leads to Rudolf Steiner's 'Michael Prophecy' of 1924 - to his vision of the millennium and the era in which we now live, especially the crucial period between 2012 and 2033. Dealing with the 'anthroposophical block' in the emerging holistic building of humanity, the author contextualizes the topic with reference to direct personal experiences. The sharing of such considered experiences can help to stimulate self-reflection in the anthroposophical movement and contribute real spiritual substance to contemporary culture. This little book provides stimulation to spiritual seekers who carry within them deeper questions about life in the modern world.