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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Alternative belief systems > Syncretist & eclectic religions & belief systems
'Could it not be that a tremendously important Event is taking
place in the world, taking place right now, of which our own
contemporaries have no presentiment? This is indeed so. A highly
important Event is taking place that is perceptible, however, only
to spiritual vision.' - Rudolf Steiner, 25 January, 1910 What if
matter is not solid, fixed and dead, but a living and creative
Event? Could the concrete 'stuff' of our existence be in the
process of development and becoming? Rudolf Steiner predicted that
the new Christ Event would penetrate and transform all earthly and
cosmic matter, life, consciousness and evolution. Through this
Event, we have the opportunity to participate in the vortex of
creative life. No longer detached, external spectators, we become
co-creators in the drama of evolution and in the transformation of
human consciousness. In this original and challenging work, Dr
Ben-Aharon describes how this momentous Event is expressed in the
fields of science, history, philosophy and art, and relates some of
the fresh and creative concepts that have been discovered and
applied in the disciplines of physics, biology, genetics and
artificial intelligence. The Event, he concludes, leads us to face
the central and world-historical question of our time: Are we as a
human race going to use the new creative forces that are available
to us positively, or will we allow this potential for good to
change into its - destructive - opposite? The choice is ours.
Olgivanna Wright, the last of Frank Lloyd Wright's three wives.
Neo-theosophist. Dancer. Musician. Businesswoman. Muse. The Life of
Olgivanna Lloyd Wright weaves a narrative from Olgivanna's
previously unpublished autobiography, together with vignettes from
her other writings books, newspaper columns, and presentations.
This informative and engaging chronicle takes a fresh perspective
on Wright's architectural prowess, examining the great woman who
inspired his productive later years.
Featuring more than 50 colour images, The Inner Rainbow takes the
reader on an journey through time, from Ancient India to the
present day. This is the journey of human consciousness - the story
of an eternal, metamorphic process. As the author suggests,
consciousness is not a self-contained, unchangeable faculty. The
way we perceive the surrounding world today - with the potential
for sophisticated and exact observation of natural phenomena - has
evolved over thousands of years. What was once a blurred and
fragmentary perception in the time of Ancient India has evolved to
a clear awareness of everyday reality. Using pictures as his
starting point, Henk van Oort outlines a remarkable narrative,
beginning with the age-old myth of Noah's Ark, in which a rainbow
is presented to the survivors of the Biblical flood. This rainbow
in nature, with its seven colours, is mirrored in the ancient
teaching of the seven human chakras, also with seven colours.
Through a gradual process of change over centuries, this outer
rainbow has been internalised into an inner rainbow, shaping a
bridge between body, soul and spirit. With its ever-changing
consciousness, this inner rainbow is a wonderful sense organ, in
process of reaching a new peak of development. Understanding our
past - the progressive stages we have passed through - is a
prerequisite for optimal use of our consciousness now. Ultimately,
then, this book can be seen as a guide for working with your own
inner rainbow: to expand, deepen and enliven your picture of the
world and your true self.
From rumors about gnostic orgies in antiquity to the explicit
erotic symbolism of alchemical texts, from the subtly coded
eroticism of medieval kabbalah to the sexual magic practiced by
contemporary occultists and countercultural translations of Asian
Tantra, the history of Western esotericism is rich in references to
the domains of eros and sexuality. This volume, which brings
together an impressive array of top-level specialists, is the first
to analyze the eroticism of the esoteric without sensationalism or
cheap generalizations, but on the basis of expert scholarship and
attention to textual and historical detail. While there are few
domains where the imagination may so easily run wild, the various
contributions seek to distinguish fact from fiction-only to find
that historical realities are sometimes even stranger than the
fantasies. In doing so, they reveal the outlines of a largely
unknown history spanning more than twenty centuries.
From the moment that Marie von Sivers met Rudolf Steiner in 1902,
their relationship became key to the development of anthroposophy.
Marie Steiner's immense contribution is well known in the fields of
eurythmy, speech, the arts, and in her management and publication
of Steiner's literary estate - but she also assisted in almost
every aspect of Rudolf Steiner's work. So why has she been so
neglected by the anthroposophical movement? Driven by this central
question, the authors of this penetrating study came to the
conclusion that the karma and mission of Marie Steiner-von Sivers
is of vital importance to the present and future spiritual and
cultural development of the West. They evaluate Marie's 23-year
partnership with Rudolf Steiner, but also her three previous
incarnations: in the Ancient Orphic Mysteries, as the Neoplatonist
Hypatia, and as Albertus Magnus. The lives, deeds, cultural
legacies and thought of these various personalities are addressed
through a series of lucid essays, interspersed with studies on the
missions of both Rudolf and Marie Steiner. These are supplemented
with short extracts from literature which reverberate with the
word, helping to reveal the intimately intertwined karmic missions
of Marie Steiner-von Sivers and her work-companion and
soul-partner, Rudolf Steiner.
'We must eradicate root and branch any fear and dread in our soul
concerning the future that is coming towards us...We must develop
composure with regard to all the feelings and sensations we have
about the future; we must anticipate with absolute equanimity
whatever may be coming towards us, thinking only that whatever it
may be will be brought to us by the wisdom-filled guidance of the
universe.' - 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 fear. 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.
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Esoteric Lessons
(Paperback)
Rudolf Steiner; Translated by James H Hindes
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Much plagiarized and its contents distorted over the years, Stein's
seminal work is a classic of original scholarly and spiritual
research. In studying the central Grail narrative of Parzival by
Wolfram von Eschenbach, Stein takes a twofold approach. On the one
hand he searches historical records in order to identify actual
people and events hidden behind the Grail epic's veil of romance,
and on the other hand he deciphers Eschenbach's hidden spiritual
messages, showing Parzival to be an esoteric document containing
mighty pictures of the human being's inner path of development.
Stein reveals the period of the ninth century to be of more than
historical and academic interest. It is the karmic ground out of
which the destiny of modern times grows - the mighty battle that
must take place between the powers of the Grail and the sinister
anti-Grail forces at large today.
From the ancient British tales of King Arthur and his knights
through the medieval Central European sagas of Parzival, right up
to modern-day blockbuster novels and films, the Grail has long
maintained its enigmatic presence in western culture. It is said to
be many things: a lost and priceless treasure, the chalice cup of
the Last Supper, the cup that caught Jesus Christ's blood from the
cross on Golgotha, or even a secret royal bloodline...Basing his
presentations on far-reaching spiritual research, Rudolf Steiner
gave profoundly esoteric, multifaceted insights into the mysteries
of the Holy Grail. Collected together for the first time in a
single volume, together with commentary and notes, these passages
offer vivid tableaux with a multiplicity of meanings: a story that
speaks to the human soul with a depth and complexity that
intellectual interpretations alone cannot begin to fathom. Just as
Parzival had to encounter and engage with veils of illusion and
valleys of shadow and doubt, Rudolf Steiner presents us with a
similarly challenging path. This book is more than a treasure of
thought and insight: it invites us to embark on a personal quest to
develop the abilities and vision required for grasping the elusive
Grail itself. As editor Matthew Barton writes: "The vessel of the
Grail gradually descends towards us and comes into focus as we
raise ourselves individually to it by piercing through the
illusions of materialism, acknowledging that we ourselves can
ultimately become true vessels for the spirit."
'All historical life, all social life, all ethical life, proceed by
virtue of the co-operation between the so-called living and the
so-called dead. Our whole being can be infinitely strengthened when
we are conscious not only of our firm stand here in the physical
world, but are filled with the inner realization of being able to
say of the dead whom we have loved: they are with us, they are in
our midst.' In this valuable lecture Rudolf Steiner speaks with
clarity about life after death, and explains how those on the earth
can keep a connection with loved ones who have passed on. He
describes the conditions in the environment of the dead, the
advantages as well as the dangers of connecting with the dead, the
importance of the moments of waking and going to sleep, the
significance of dying in childhood and old age, and the
appropriateness of different types of funeral services.
In his latest book, William Egginton laments the current debate
over religion in America, in which religious fundamentalists have
set the tone of political discourse--no one can get elected without
advertising a personal relation to God, for example--and prominent
atheists treat religious belief as the root of all evil. Neither of
these positions, Egginton argues, adequately represents the
attitudes of a majority of Americans who, while identifying as
Christians, Jews, and Muslims, do not find fault with those who
support different faiths and philosophies. In fact, Egginton goes
so far as to question whether fundamentalists and atheists truly
oppose each other, united as they are in their commitment to a
"code of codes." In his view, being a religious fundamentalist does
not require adhering to a particular religious creed.
Fundamentalists--and stringent atheists--unconsciously believe that
the methods we use to understand the world are all versions of an
underlying master code. This code of codes represents an ultimate
truth, explaining everything. Surprisingly, perhaps the most
effective weapon against such thinking is religious moderation, a
way of believing that questions the very possibility of a code of
codes as the source of all human knowledge. The moderately
religious, with their inherent skepticism toward a master code, are
best suited to protect science, politics, and other diverse strains
of knowledge from fundamentalist attack, and to promote a worldview
based on the compatibility between religious faith and scientific
method.
Rudolf Steiner spoke the Foundation Stone meditation at the
Christmas Conference of the General Anthroposophical Society in
1923, giving it to the Society's members for the strengthening of
their forces. The meditation's words contain, to quote Sergei O.
Prokofieff, 'the quintessence of the whole of anthroposophy'. Thus,
Steiner was bestowing on the members the potential to deal
resolutely with the specific tasks awaiting them. In this short but
potent volume, Peter Selg suggests further that the Foundation
Stone meditation represents the concerns of every individual of the
modern age, allowing each of us to maintain our humanity in the
face of the challenges and catastrophes of the present and future.
Rudolf Steiner said that one could hear the words of the meditation
'sounding' in one's heart. This process of 'hearing' will acquire
even more significance and reality in future, and can be of
enormous help to anyone who opens themselves to it. It is against
this background that Selg has written this introductory book: to
promote awareness of the meditation, understanding of its historic
place in the catastrophic twentieth century, and its critical but
latent contribution to the future.
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.
This ancient Gnostic text can be a companion for your own spiritual
quest. The Gospel of Philip is one of the most exciting and
accessible of the Gnostic texts found at Nag Hammadi in Egypt in
1945. The source of Dan Brown's intriguing speculations about Mary
Magdalene in his best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code, the Gospel
of Philip draws on ancient imagery—the natural world, the
relationships between women, men and family, the ancient
distinctions between lord and servants, free people and slaves, and
pagans, Jews and Christians—to offer us insight into the
spiritual interpretation of scripture that is at the foundation of
Christianity. The Gospel of Philip: Annotated and Explained
unravels the discourses, parables and sayings of this
second-century text to explore a spiritual, non-literal
interpretation of the Bible. Along with his elegant and accurate
new translation from the original Coptic, Andrew Phillip Smith
probes the symbolism and metaphors at the heart of the Gospel of
Philip to reveal otherwise unrecorded sayings of Jesus, fragments
of Gnostic mythology and parallels to the teachings of Jesus and
Paul. He also examines the joyful imagery of rebirth, salvation and
mystical union in the bridal chamber that was the pursuit of
Christian Gnosticism. Now you can experience this ancient Gospel
even if you have no previous knowledge of early Christianity or
Gnostic thought. This SkyLight Illuminations edition provides
important insights into the historical context and major themes of
the Gospel of Philip, and gives you a deeper understanding of the
Gospel’s overarching message: deciphering our own meaning behind
the symbols of this world increases and enriches our understanding
of God.
Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Anthroposophy, is a pivotal figure
in contemporary esoteric thought. Through his books and lectures he
provided an impetus for the spiritual renewal of many human
activities, including education (Steiner Waldorf schools),
agriculture, medicine, economics, the arts and religion. Steiner
showed how mankind has been evolving and explained the role of the
great spiritual world leaders in the process. Above all he showed
how the impulse to evolution given by Christ's death and
resurrection - what he referred to as the Mystery of Golgotha - is
of unique importance in the human being's struggle to reach the
summit of evolution: union with the higher self. Bernard
Nesfield-Cookson here shows how Rudolf Steiner's vision of love,
the transformative power brought by Christ, unites the forces of
the head and heart towards a spiritual awakening among mankind.
Gathering together references to the 'logic of the heart' from
throughout Steiner's work, the author encapsulates the great
teacher's revelations on the meaning of love, and indicates the
supreme importance of the greatest of all deeds of love: the
Mystery of Golgotha.
Despite dramatic advances in recent decades, medicine - like many
other scientific disciplines - is prone to materialistic
tendencies, viewing the human being as little more than a
biological machine that can be manipulated with 'interventions' and
drugs. In this collection of challenging lectures, Dr Glockler asks
if a new science of healing can be developed today - a discipline
that allows for realities of soul and spirit. With humanity
standing at the threshold of a new spiritual consciousness, this
question becomes increasingly relevant. Michaela Glockler speaks on
themes relating to the esoteric path of spiritual development and
its therapeutic task for the individual and community. Giving an
account of the evolution of the ancient mysteries in relation to
medicine, she discusses the application of inner work in outer
action, reflecting on modern social and ethical issues such as
organ transplantation and the termination of pregnancy. Whilst the
author primarily addresses those involved in the healing
professions, this book will be of interest to anybody concerned
with a new science of the spirit.
In 1924 at Koberwitz, the estate of Count and Countess Keyserlingk,
Rudolf Steiner gave a key course of lectures on agriculture. At a
time when industrial methods were being introduced into farming,
Steiner had a radically different, evolutionary, vision. Based on a
revitalized relationship with nature, his approach encompassed
knowledge of the cosmos, the elemental world and the earth, and
utilized special planting methods and preparations. Today his
biodynamic agriculture is widely valued and used around the world.
In addition to the lively and entertaining accounts of the
agriculture course held at Koberwitz, this extraordinary book
features Countess Keyserlingk's memories of her meetings with
Rudolf Steiner. Steiner told the Countess that she had a
consciousness which would be usual 'in the third millennium', and
her reminiscences reflect this uncommon quality! Also included are
essays by the editor which incorporate rare material such as the
communications received by Countess Keyserlingk after Steiner's
death. This book will be of interest to students of biodynamics as
well as those interested in how Rudolf Steiner worked to develop
anthroposophy. It is compiled and edited by Adalbert Graf von
Keyserlingk, the son of the Count and Countess who hosted the
Koberwitz conference.
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