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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Alternative belief systems > Syncretist & eclectic religions & belief systems > Post-renaissance syncretist / eclectic systems > Theosophy & Anthroposophy
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 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.
The so-called 'supplementary exercises' - to be carried out
alongside the 'review exercises' and meditation - are integral to
the path of personal development presented by Rudolf Steiner.
Together they form a means of experiencing the spiritual realm in
full consciousness. Meditation enlivens thinking, the review
exercises cultivate the will, whilst the supplementary exercises
educate and balance feeling. Conscientiously practised, this path
of self-knowledge and development has the effect of opening a
source of inner strength and psychological health that soon make
themselves felt in daily life. In six stages these exercises enable
the practise of qualities that can be summarized as: control of
thoughts, initiative of will, equanimity, positivity,
open-mindedness and equilibrium of soul. When carried out
regularly, they balance possible harmful effects of meditative
practice and bring inner certainty and security to the soul. They
are also of inestimable value in their own right due to their
beneficial and wholesome effect on daily life. In this invaluable
small book, the editor has drawn together virtually all Rudolf
Steiner's statements on the supplementary exercises, supporting
them with commentary and notes. With a chapter devoted to each
exercise, they are described in detail and from different
perspectives.
This Is A New Release Of The Original 1918 Edition.
This Is A New Release Of The Original 1910 Edition.
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.
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.
Within the Mystery cultures of ancient history, art, science and
religion formed a unity that offered direction and spiritual
nourishment to the broader society. Today, art, science and
religion can again be reunited. However, as Marie Steiner indicates
in her introduction to these lectures, these aspects of our culture
need rejuvenation through fresh spiritual understanding and
knowledge. Art cannot be renewed through compromise, but only by
returning to the spiritual foundations of life. As she says: "The
remedy lies in unlocking the wisdom of the Mysteries and presenting
it to humanity in a form adapted to contemporary needs." In these
wide-ranging lectures, Rudolf Steiner offers spiritual insight for
the modern day into a revitalised world of the arts. His themes
include: the relation of art to technology, the moral experience of
the worlds of colour and music, the legendary Norwegian Dream Song
of Olaf Asteson, and the relationship between the various arts of
architecture, sculpture, painting, music, poetry, eurythmy and the
human being.
In the Middle Ages, Astronomia - one of the Seven Liberal Arts -
was as much about astrology as astronomy. In fact the two
disciplines only parted company in the seventeenth century, as the
materialistic world-view gained greater prominence. Where once
human destiny was connected to stars and planets, and spiritual or
soul qualities were associated with the natural world, now the
cosmos was seen as consisting of gases, fire and dead rock. Rudolf
Steiner brings a new spiritual perspective to our study of the
heavens. Humanity, he says, is intimately connected to cosmic
beings, who in turn are related to planets and stars. There is
meaning in the cosmos. Although Steiner rejects the simplistic
notion of the planets determining our lives and behaviour, he makes
a clear connection between the heavenly bodies and human beings.
Whilst criticizing the superficial nature of much astrology,
Steiner shows that as individuals, and with the guidance of
spiritual beings, we choose an appropriate time of birth to match
the destiny we are to live. This enlightening anthology, expertly
collated by Margaret Jonas, features excerpts of Steiner's work on
the spiritual individualities of the planets, the determination of
human characteristics by the constellation at birth, the cultural
epochs and the passage of the equinox, cosmic influences on the
individual and humanity, life in the planetary spheres between
death and rebirth, solar and lunar eclipses, comets, and much more.
Education for Nonviolence describes how we can actually do
something about our increasingly violent world. Few in the media
draw a clear connection between the all-too-frequent tragedies we
hear and read about in the news each day and the way as parents and
teachers we raise and educate our children. Abstract concepts, rote
learning, and standardized tests cannot develop the emotional and
social intelligence our children need later in life to build
relationships, contribute to society, and succeed in the workplace.
The author describes how Waldorf independent and charter schools
provide much-needed pathways toward wholeness--sensory and
nature-based education; the arts; character education; community
building; traditions of hospitality; meeting the needs of boys...to
name just a few of the topics covered in this book. Waldorf schools
are founded on the social ideals grounded in an abiding belief that
our schools can make a crucial difference in building a future
society that is less violent, more just, and truly compassionate.
May this book help us rededicate ourselves to our social mission as
we celebrate a century of Waldorf education in 2019.
"Only in our time has it become possible once again to unlock the
sources of Rosicrucian wisdom and allow them to flow into the whole
of culture... Christian Rosenkreutz has always lived among us and
he is with us today too as the guide of spiritual life.... "The
spiritual stream related to Christian Rosenkreutz offers the most
potent assistance to those who strive to understand the Christ
impulse." -Rudolf Steiner Rudolf Steiner spoke often of the
relationship of Anthroposophy or Spiritual Science to
Rosicrucianism, but he spoke less of the being of Christian
Rosenkreutz himself. As he said, "To speak of Christian Rosenkreutz
presumes a profound trust in the mysteries of the life of the
spirit-a trust or faith not in the person of Christian Rosenkreutz,
but in the mysteries of spiritual life." For Steiner, Christian
Rosenkreutz was active in at least three ways. First, as one of the
"great leaders of humanity," he worked to bring esoteric
spirituality into the modern world and to lead it into the future.
Second, as "the greatest teacher of Christianity" he worked to
bring to humanity true "heart knowledge" of Christ through the
continued unveiling of the Mystery of Golgotha in the etheric.
Third, as a concrete, particular individual being, Steiner had a
living, actual, personal relationship with him. As such, because of
our failure to understand, Steiner called him "a noble
martyr...who, through his way of working, endured, and will in
future endure, more than any other person. I say 'person, ' for the
suffering of Christ was the suffering of a god." In the first part
of this inspiring book-a work of devotion both to Rudolf Steiner
and to Christian Rosenkreutz-Peter Selg, as "The Great Servant of
Christ Jesus," gives a detailed, chronological, and fascinating
account of Steiner's portrayal and, as much as possible,
experiences of Christian Rosenkreutz. He shows how Steiner had
essentially two teachers: the Master Jesus (Zoroaster) and
Christian Rosenkreutz. Moreover, Selg shows how these two, with
Rudolf Steiner, unfolded spiritual science for our time. In the
second part, he shows how all this culminates, astonishingly and
miraculously, in the Michael School as it manifested in the First
Class. Rudolf Steiner and Christian Rosenkreutz concludes with an
appendix containing the text of the original (1614) Fama, or
"Announcement of the Rosicrucian Brotherhood." Anyone interested in
the esoteric foundations of Anthroposophy or in the true meaning of
Rosicrucianism will be find this book of great value.
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