Theosophy and Anthroposophy Books

Book SynopsisContemporary science views our planet as an insignificant speck of dust in the vastness of space, with its four kingdoms as a random assemblage of atoms. Yvan Rioux presents a radically different perspective, demonstrating an indissoluble relationship between Heaven and Earth. Over aeons of existence, the four kingdoms have manifested a creative power that perpetually brings forth new expressions. With the goal of bridging science and spirit, Rioux helps revive the old intuitive awareness of an intimate communion between the outer perceptible life of nature, the inner life of the soul and the majestic spiritual formative forces that preside as architects - an organic whole where all levels co-evolve. The earth, nesting in its solar system, is connected with the Milky Way and the twelve constellations. The impact of the stars as an influence on human behaviour has been known for millennia. In the original edition of Rudolf Steiner's Calendar of the Soul, twelve illustrations of the constellations, made by Imma von Eckardstein, were published for the first time. These intuitive drawings differ greatly from the traditional ones, but Steiner stressed their importance for our modern consciousness. The images invite us to comprehend formative forces in their various guises in the kingdoms of nature. By exploring the gifts of each constellation, the author uses Imma's drawings as a template to elucidate the emergence of twelve basic forms as the common denominators of all creatures, leading eventually towards the human form. 'The [new] images of the zodiac constellations represent actual experiences connected with the waking and sleeping of particular spiritual beings. In these images we have a knowledge that needs to be renewed at this time...' - Rudolf Steiner (1912)Table of ContentsAcknowledgements - Introduction - 1. Cancer - 2. Gemini - 3. Taurus - 4. Aries - 5. Pisces - 6. Aquarius - 7. Capricorn - 8. Sagittarius - 9. Scorpio - 10. Libra - 11. Virgo - 12. Leo - Afterword - Notes

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Book Synopsis'The most important task of the bees, apart from the preparation of honey, wax and propolis, is the healing of the atmosphere! The honey bee, apis mellifera, alone, is able to perform this task. This is its first and foremost purpose.' - Ralf RoessnerDescribing the Genius of Bees as the 'group consciousness' of the hive, Ralf Roessner presents an extraordinary commentary based on first-hand spiritual-scientific research and experience. He studies the mission of the Genius of Bees, the hexagonal structure of 'the crystalline heaven' within which the bees operate, and the healing of the world through their work. Roessner elucidates the relationships between the Genius of Bees, the elemental world and the human being. He also speaks of his personal experiences with the organic 'earth hive', giving instructions on how they are made, and offers practical advice on tackling the varroa mite. In this unique and original work, the author, '...attempts to describe the secrets of creation as far as he has experienced these himself'. As he goes on to clarify: 'Many matters, which could only be vaguely perceived in former times, can now be investigated in a spiritual-scientific manner.A secret is only a secret to the extent it escapes the individual human being's powers of consciousness'. Anyone seeking deeper insights into the world of the honey bee will be enriched by the content of this book.Table of ContentsPreface - INTRODUCTION - The Signs of Change - THE MISSION OF THE GENIUS OF THE BEES - Cosmic Fertilization - About the Physical, Etheric, Astral and Spiritual Plane - The Influence of Elemental Beings - Plant Growth Within the Mantle of Warmth Ether - The Language of Form in Plants, Cosmic Fertilization of Blossoms - Further Details on the Act of Fertilization - THE HEALING OF THE WORLD THROUGH THE GENIUS OF THE BEES - The Crystalline Heaven - The Etheric Body of the Earth - On the Origin of the Genius of the Bees - The Influence of the Heart and the Mission of the Geniusof the Bees - STRUCTURE OF THE BEES, HEXAGONAL STRUCTURE OF THE CRYSTALLINE HEAVEN - THE HUMAN BEING AND THE GENIUS OF THE BEES - The Bee, the Human Being and Elemental Beings - Communicating with the Genius of the Bees - BEE LIFE WITHIN THE EARTH HIVE - A Special Experience - What the Genius of the Bees Wanted to Tell Me - How Can the Human Being Help? - THE GENIUS OF BEES - PRACTICAL TASKS - The Earth Hive From Masuria - Proportions/Recipe - Catching a Swarm with a Brood Comb - Further Advice When Working with the Earth Hive - The Varroa Treatment - Additional Feeding - FINAL THOUGHTS - The First Encounter of Man and Bee

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Book SynopsisIn this revised and expanded edition of his classic debut, Sergei O. Prokofieff investigates the deepest mysteries of Rudolf Steiner's life and individuality, from 'the years of apprenticeship' and 'the great Sun period' to 'the path of the Teacher of Humanity' and 'the birth of the New Mysteries'. He discusses the earthly and supersensible aspects of the first Goetheanum, the implications of the Christmas Conference of 1923-24, and the Foundation Stone meditation that Steiner left as a legacy to members of the Anthroposophical Society.In his very personal Introduction, Prokofieff describes, in moving detail, the events in his life which led to his discovery of anthroposophy whilst living in Communist Russia, and how eventually he came to write this extraordinary study of Rudolf Steiner. The resulting volume - a work of secondary anthroposophical literature unprecedented in its depth and significance - was first published in Germany in 1982, meeting with equal amounts of acclaim, astonishment and controversy. It is published in this paperback edition to mark the 35th anniversary of the original publication.Table of ContentsForeword - Introduction - THE MYSTERY OF THE PATH OF RUDOLF STEINER'S LIFE - 1. The Years of Apprenticeship - 2. The Great Sun Period - 3. The Path of the Teacher of Humanity - THE BIRTH OF THE NEW MYSTERIES - 4. The Earthly and the Supersensible Goetheanum - 5. The Christmas Conference of 1923-24 - 6. The Foundation Stone Meditation - ANTHROPOSOPHY: THE PROCLAMATION OF WORLD PENTECOST - 7. The Michael Age and the New Grail Event - APPENDICES - The Foundation Stone Meditation in English 347 The Foundation Stone Meditation in German - Afterword to the Second Edition - Notes - Bibliography

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Book SynopsisErnst Marti devoted his life to researching the 'etheric realm' - a subtle area that exists between the physical and spiritual. Taking the numerous statements and references by Rudolf Steiner as his starting point, Marti develops our understanding of the etheric world in various fields - from the theory of knowledge to the natural world, through to music, the realm of colours, eurythmy and medicine. In doing so, he proposes exciting bridges from the ancient and medieval worldview to the present and future of natural and spiritual science.The Etheric explores the fourfold realm of the ethers. Giving an overview of their cosmic origins in the evolution of the earth, Dr Marti shows how the ethers work in phenomena of warmth, light, sound and organic life. He brings a contemporary understanding and insight to the classical elements - fire, air, water and earth - as the media through which ethericity manifests and works in the world. Four physical forces are also explored which, as opposites to the ethers, have a constant tendency to break down and annul what life-giving ether creates.Dr Marti then studies the shadow aspects of the ethers connected to what he terms the 'sub-natural' forces of electricity, magnetism and nuclear force. Given that the author was unable to complete this book in his lifetime, his pupil and colleague Irmgard Rossmann edited the final version in the spirit of her teacher. It is published here in two volumes, with this first focusing on 'The World of the Ethers' and the forthcoming volume on 'The World of Formative Forces'.Table of ContentsPublisher's Note - Foreword, by Irmgard Rossmann - Introduction - 1. On the Development of Natural Science - 2. On the Development of Human Consciousness - 3. On the Evolution of Earth and Cosmos - 4. On the Idea and Evolution of Space - 5. The Polarity of Peripheral and Central Forces in Nature - Light-ether, air-element, force of densification - Tone-ether, water-element, force of 'gravity' - Life-ether, earth-element, force of fragmentation - Warmth-ether, fire-element, physical heat - 6. Overview of the Phenomena Treated Thus Far - Constructive and destructive forces in nature - The collaboration of elements, ethers and physical forces - 7. The Forces of Sub-nature: Electricity, Magnetism, Nuclear Force - 8. The 'Universal Formula' or the Constitution of World and Man - 9. Comparison of the Universal Formula with Aristotelian Categories and the Tree of Sephirot, by Irmgard Rossmann - Appendix: Irmgard Rossmann, Biographical Sketch; Life and Work of Ernst Marti, An Outline - Notes

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Book SynopsisWith love, humour and brilliant insight, Ben-Aharon addresses some of the most critical questions of our age, ranging from artificial intelligence and global politics to education and postmodern philosophy. Although tackling diverse subject-matter, this accessible anthology - delivered initially as lectures in locations as contrasting as New York, Oslo and Munich - features a coherent inner rhythm. With his lively and intense presentation, the speaker invites us to share and participate in the creative process and the dynamic activity of incarnating new ideas - indeed, to awaken to the very Spirit of our Time. Ben-Aharon discusses his investigations into the Spiritual Event of the 21st Century; the working of spiritual beings in America, Central Europe, Scandinavia and Israel; the renewal of education; the creative transformation of antisocial forces; Israel's diverse culture in the midst of the clash of civilizations; the new Christ Event and how it can break through our habitual patterns and our hardened thinking, feeling and will; and the mission of the anthroposophical movement in our time. Informed throughout by decades of spiritual research and intimate experience, this volume contains mature and illuminating explorations into contemporary culture, history and spiritual science.Table of ContentsLecture 1. Spiritual Science and Contemporary Philosophy in Dialogue (Colmar 2007) - Lecture 2. An Esoteric History of the 20th Century (JaErna 2004) - Part 1: The World Situation at Present - Part 2: Impulses of Resurrection - Part 3: Counterfactual History - Lecture 3. Changing Self Love into World Thinking (Orust 2012) - Lecture 4. The Incarnation of the Middle Stream and Vidar (Orust 2012) - Lecture 5. Can We Become the Guardian Angels of our Brothers and Sisters? (Orust 2012) - Lecture 6. The Working of the Christ in the Apocalyptic Conditions of the 20th and 21st Centuries (Utrecht 1997) - Lecture 7. The Beast and the Reversal (Gothenburg 2009) - Lecture 8. The Christ Event of the 21st Century (Stuttgart 2012) - Lecture 9. Israeli Civil Society and the Global Melting Pot (New York City 2002) - Lecture 10. Israel in the Midst of the Clash of Civilisations (Munich 2004) -Lecture 11. The Global Initiation of Humanity and Education (Oslo2006) - Lecture 12. The Transformation of Evil and the High Tor Archangel (New York City 2002) - Lecture 13. High Tor Part 2: The Fallen Angels and the Alchemical Processes in Initiation (Saratoga Springs 2002) - Notes

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Book SynopsisIs there truly life beyond death? What really happens when we die? Can the living stay connected with, or even help, their loved ones who have passed on? Answers to these questions have traditionally been sought for in Eastern religions but - perhaps surprisingly for some - they can also be found within the Christian tradition. In fact, such knowledge was prevalent in early Christianity, but was gradually suppressed and eventually forgotten.Turning to hidden - esoteric - sources that reveal lost meanings within the Bible, the Dead Sea Scrolls and other Gnostic texts, Hans Stolp and Margarete van den Brink describe the world of light that exists beyond death, and the 'seven steps' needed to progress through its realms. The authors draw on near-death experiences as well as the many profound personal encounters with deceased friends and family members described by people in recent times. With this knowledge, together with Rudolf Steiner's research, they offer answers to the following questions: - What is the world beyond death really like and what tasks await us there? - Why is love and wisdom gained in life on earth so important in the afterlife? - How can the living help or hinder the dead? - How do the departed themselves help loved ones who are left behind? - How does the Christ sustain the dead as they review their previous life and prepare for the next?This is an extraordinary guide to understanding what happens after death. It also offers invaluable advice on staying connected to our loved ones who have passed on.

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Book SynopsisRudolf 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.Table of ContentsForeword – PART ONE – Chapter One: Origins of Humanity – the Esoteric Aspects of Evolution – Chapter Two: The Fall From Paradise and the Genealogy of Jesus – PART TWO – Chapter One: In Ancient Times – Lemuria and Atlantis – Chapter Two: The Many Goddesses – Chapter Three: The Goddess Made Visible – Chapter Four: The Myths and Legends – PART THREE – Chapter One: The Mysteries of Egypt – Isis and Osiris – Chapter Two: The Mysteries of Greece – Artemis – Chapter Three: A New Consciousness – Demeter and Persephone – PART FOUR – Chapter One: Early Christianity and the Arts – Chapter Two: The Icons – PART FIVE – Chapter One: The Middle Ages – Coming Down to Earth – Chapter Two: Development and Diversity – Chapter Three: The Renaissance – I, The Southern Stream – Chapter Four: The Renaissance – II, The Northern Stream – PART SIX – Chapter One: Crisis and Turning Points – Transition and a New Freedom – PART SEVEN – The Calendar of the Soul – PART EIGHT – The Divine Children – PART NINE – Chapter One: Observing the Painting and the Individual Colours – Chapter Two: Incarnat and the Rainbow – PART TEN – Approaches to Painting the Motif – The Colour Sequences and Gestures – Notes – Bibliography

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Book Synopsis`This little book relates some experiences I had during the spiritual research which was eventually published in my book Cognitive Yoga. Usually I am concerned with communicating the objective results of my research and not what I experienced whilst doing it. But an objective description of what the individual soul undergoes during spiritual research can be valuable to the study of anthroposophy and to those who pursue the spiritual path themselves.’ Through faithful inner work, says the author, the path of spiritual science can become a living spiritual being – an intimate friend in the realms of soul and spirit. This being can blossom into an extended spiritual community or school. One can converse and co-create with this spiritual school, including the being of one’s teacher, by learning its inner language. In 2012, Yeshayahu Ben-Aharon was confronted with a major obstacle in his research work. After struggling alone, he felt he could not progress without consulting his colleagues in the spiritual world. The intimate soul experiences described in this book took place during such a gathering – a special, festive occasion with an active and engaged community of spiritual beings. `I want to share some aspects of what I experienced during this event, in the more personal and imaginative language of storytelling. It is a kind of new, individual, Christmas nativity tale, about the earthly ripening of a research problem, its heavenly conception, embryonic life, and finally the birth on earth of what becomes a physical book, printed black on white.’Table of ContentsForeword – Introduction – Four Stages of Development – The Mystery of Conception – An Insurmountable Problem – Some Soul Experiences on the Threshold – A Co-Creative Journey – The Author is Pregnant – A Book is Born

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Book SynopsisErnst Marti devoted his life to researching the `etheric realm' - a subtle area that exists between the physical and spiritual. Taking the numerous statements and references by Rudolf Steiner as his starting point, Marti develops our understanding of the etheric world in various fields - from the theory of knowledge to the natural world, through to music, the realm of colour, eurythmy and medicine. In doing so, he proposes exciting bridges from the ancient and medieval worldview to the present and future of natural and spiritual science. Having studied `The World of the Ethers' in Vol. 1, here Dr Marti explores the `The World of Formative (or Morphogenic) Forces'. Beginning with the sense qualities of the visible world, he studies the nature of sense perception, the origin of morphogenic forces and their phenomenology. In three key sections he examines the formative forces of shape or form (including the growth movements in plants and how they relate to eurythmy and the forces of colour); the formative forces of life (the planetary origin of the morphogenic forces of life and the seven life processes and their relation to rhythm; and the formative forces of substance (the zodiac and the planets and the formative forces of metals). In this concluding volume of his seminal work, Marti also offers pertinent comments on the nature of potentization in medicine.Table of ContentsTHE WORLD OF FORMATIVE OR MORPHOGENIC FORCES: – The Sense Qualities of the Visible World – The Nature of Sense Perception and the Formative Forces – On the Origin of Morphogenic Forces – Phenomenology of Etheric Formative or Morphogenic Forces – Formative Forces of Shape or Form – Growth movements in plants – Comparison of growth movements with movements of eurythmy – Origin in the stars of eurythmic formative forces – Formative forces of colour – Practical consequences – Sowing days according to Maria Thun – Curative Eurythmy – Formative forces of life – Planetary origin of the morphogenic forces of life – The seven life processes – The seven inner movements – Rhythm – Formative forces of substance – Substance, matter, processes – The three zodiacal substance crosses – The planets and the formative forces of substance in metals – On the nature of potentizing – Summary and outlook – Appendix – Notes – Outline Biography of Irmgard Rossmann Dr Marti’s life and work – Bibliography

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Book SynopsisContemporary life is so deeply reliant upon digital technology that the computer has come to dominate almost every aspect of our culture. What is the philosophical and spiritual significance of this dependence on electronic technology, both for our relationship to nature and for the future of humanity? And, what processes in human perception and awareness have produced the situation we find ourselves in? As Jeremy Naydler elucidates in this penetrating study, we cannot understand the emergence of the computer without seeing it within the wider context of the evolution of human consciousness, which has taken place over millennia. Modern consciousness, he shows, has evolved in conjunction with the development of machines and under their intensifying shadow. The computer was the product of a long historical development, culminating in the scientific revolution of the 17th century. It was during this period that the first mechanical calculators were invented and the project to create more complex `thinking machines’ began in earnest. But the seeds were sown many hundreds of years earlier, deep in antiquity. Naydler paints a vast panorama depicting human development and the emergence of electronic technology. His painstaking research illuminates an urgent question that concerns every living person today: What does it mean to be human and what, if anything, distinguishes us from machines?Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgements PART ONE: THE ANCIENT WORLD – CHAPTER ONE Participative Consciousness in Deep Antiquity; CHAPTER TWO The Gods and Technological Consciousness in the Ancient Near East; CHAPTER THREE Poets, Visionaries and the Rise of the Clever Man; CHAPTER FOUR Harnessing Logic to the Pursuit of Wisdom; CHAPTER FIVE Technology in the Greco-Roman Age; CHAPTER SIX The Eclipse of the Mystery Knowledge of Electricity; PART TWO: THE MIDDLE AGES – CHAPTER SEVEN Grammar and Logic in the Middle Ages; CHAPTER EIGHT The Logic Machine and the Cam Logical Devices; CHAPTER NINE The Mechanical Clock and Human Consciousness; CHAPTER TEN The Quantification of the World The Denial of Ideas in Nature; CHAPTER ELEVEN The Renunciation of the Upper Border; Notes, Index

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Book SynopsisAt a time of increasing volatility in healthcare provision, we are all having to become more responsible for our own well-being. This book - an imaginative, practical and accessible guide to our inner organs - is written for anyone who wants to improve their health and develop resiliency against illness. Although trained as a medical doctor, Olaf Koob has the vision and experience of a holistic physician. He has surveyed diverse medical systems - orthodox medicine, naturopathy, homeopathy, Chinese, ayurvedic and anthroposophic medicine - and found their common substance. Using this knowledge, he relates the essence of each human organ: its position, colour, form, embryonic development, function and characteristic attributes. Thus, the organs begin to tell their own stories, revealing their `biography', physiognomy and the illnesses they are prone to. Inspired by esoteric wisdom, Koob creates living images of the pancreas and the hormone system and shows how the spleen, liver, gall bladder, heart, kidneys, lungs and reproductive organs relate to the wider cosmos. He describes the nature of poison and detoxification, good and bad nutrition and the importance of secretion and elimination. If the Organs Could Speak is a unique work that enables us to think more creatively about our bodies and how they function, and to help us cope with crises, suffering and pain.Trade Review`This book can help us trace the secrets of our own body, to see it as a wonder of creation, and to marvel at it time and again with reverence and gratitude...' - Prof. Dr Volker FintelmannTable of ContentsPreface by Volker Fintelmann - Foreword - The Human Enigma - The Cosmic Language of the Human Form - The human being as constituted by the zodiac - The Planetary Order in the Organs - The spleen as the Saturn organ - The liver as the Jupiter organ - The gall bladder as the Mars organ - The heart as the Sun organ - The kidneys as the Venus organ - The lungs as the Mercury organ - The reproductive organs and silver - The Pancreas - The Hormone System - The Lungs, Liver, Kidneys and Heart as the Four Meteorological Organs - The lungs as the earth organ - The liver as the water organ - The kidneys and bladder as the air organs - The heart as the warmth organ - Poisoning and Detoxifying - Mineral poisoning - Plant poisoning - Animal poisoning -The Importance of Secretion and Elimination - Perspiration as the 'mummy' of life processes - Urine as the 'mummy' of soul activity - Intestinal excretion as the 'mummy' of I activity - Nutrition and Healing - Naturopathic and Herbal Medicine, Homeopathy, Chinese and Anthroposophic Medicine - Gleaned on the Journey - Notes and references

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Book Synopsis'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.Table of ContentsPreface - Introduction - Chapter One: The Event in Science - Part One: A New Synthesis - Creative Emergence and Becoming - The Web of Life - Humanity is evolution becoming self-conscious - The human as the growing edge of cosmic evolution - Individuation and future cosmic integration - The Two Cultures Revisited - The Structure of Scientific Revolutions - Ilya Prigogine - Katzir-Katchalsky: Pioneer of a bridge between natural science and the humanities - Part Two: The Whole is the Open and It is Outside - Philosophical Embarrassments: Is the 'I' Within or Without? - Embodied Cognition: The Santiago School - Out of Our Heads - "It's not what's in the Brain that counts, but what the Brain is in." - Part Three: The Involution of the Theory of Evolution - Evo-Devo and the Next Step - Growing Young - Chapter Two: The Event in History - Part One: Individuation and Reversal - In Search of the Ur-Phenomenon of Modern History 80 Modern Individuation - Failure, Regression, or Reversal? - Freedom, Privatization, Reversal - The Basic Cognitive Structure of Reversal - Part Two: Historical Reversals - The First Beast - The 21st Century and the Second Beast - Healing the Wound of Mortality - Reversal of reversal: Singularization - Chapter Three: The Event in Philosophy - Deleuze and Deleuze-Guattari (D&G) - De-actualization and Singularization - Virtual actualization and Re-actualization - Virtual actualization - Re-actualization - Body Without Organs - Deleuze-Foucault (D&F) - Jacques Derrida: The General Strategy of Deconstruction - Alain Badiou: The Subject of Truth - Emmanuel Levinas: The Entry of the Other - Chapter Four: The Event in Art - Threshold Identity - Initiation language - Sensation body - Vortex (metamorphosis) - Andrew Wyeth's World: the Becoming of Free Will - Comments on "Christina's World" - Consciousness crystal - Memory and destiny (Guardian of the Threshold) - History (Resurrection)

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Book SynopsisAlthough still in its earliest stages, artificial intelligence (AI) is radically transforming all aspects of society. With the immanent emergence of Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI) and the illusory temptations of `transhumanism’, mankind stands at a crossroads. In Humanity’s Last Stand, Nicanor Perlas makes an urgent plea. It is imperative, he says, that we take immediate steps to ensure that digitized technology is aligned to human values and priorities. Otherwise, ASI will kill the essence of our humanity. Further, if we do not master it now, ASI will transform mankind into its own image. Ultimately, it will destroy the human race. AI experts have not offered a single cogent solution to this existential threat. Rudolf Steiner, however, not only foresaw these developments, but gave clear alternatives. Steiner, the founder of a contemporary, scientific approach to spirituality, provided philosophical, ontological and social innovations to save humanity from the abyss. It is the task of the global anthroposophical movement to pioneer this civilization-saving work: to establish spiritual-scientific ideas in mainstream culture that would allow AI to emerge in a healthier societal context. Perlas gives an overview of the phenomenon of AI, together with its related transhuman concepts of `perfecting humanity’, and outlines the critical internal and external responses required to meet them with consciousness. In particular, he addresses the movement connected to the work of Rudolf Steiner, indicating its all-important tasks: to cooperate with progressive individuals and movements, including scientists and civil society activists; to mobilize its `daughter’ movements for action; and, ultimately, to cooperate with the spiritual powers that have guided and served humanity since the dawn of time. This, says the author, is humanity’s last stand, and failure is not an option.Table of ContentsPreface – Part I BRAVE NEW WORLD OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) – Chapter 1. The World is on Fire! – Chapter 2. Utopia or Extinction? – Chapter 3. Awakening to our True Humanity: The Way Out – Part II PREPARING FOR SPIRITUAL BATTLE – Chapter 4. Spiritual Opponents Fuelling the Potential for Technological Apocalypse – Chapter 5. Anthroposophy: In Defense of the Truly Human – Chapter 6. The Mission and Ways of Evil – Chapter 7. The Two Milestones of the Global Anthroposophical Movement – Part III SELF AND COLLECTIVE MASTERY TO SERVE THE WORLD – Chapter 8. Self Mastery: Preparing Our Self for Spiritual Battle – Chapter 9. Accessing the Support of the Keepers of Humanity – Chapter 10. Collective Human Intelligence (CHI) – PART IV ACTIVATING THE DAUGHTER MOVEMENTS – Chapter 11. Conditions for Decisive Action – Chapter 12. The Strategic Role of the Bio-Dynamic Agriculture Movement – Chapter 13. The Truth-Force of The Youth Movement – Chapter 14. The Original Daughter Movements: Dynamos to Awaken, Nurture and Defend the Truly Human – Chapter 15. The Second-Generation Daughter Movements: Widening the Horizon of Impact – PART V FORMING ALLIANCES WITH OTHER SPIRITUAL MOVEMENTS – Chapter 16. The Second and More Spiritual Scientific Revolution – Chapter 17. Answering the Four Grand Temptations of Artificial Intelligence – Chapter 18. The Sleeping Giant: Global Civil Society 2.0 – Part VI LEARNING FROM FAILURE: THE LAST STAND – Chapter 19. The Wisdom of Failure – Chapter 20. The Last Stand – Chapter 21. The Micha-elic Will and the Future of Humanity – Dedication – Appendix – For More Information – Notes

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Book SynopsisIn 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.Table of ContentsForeword - Introduction - BEES AND THE ANCIENT MYSTERIES: 1. Flowers and Insects - 2. The Origin of the Honeybee - 3. Fig-tree Mysteries - 4. Bee Realm and Logos Mysteries - Notes - Further Reading

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Book SynopsisIn this innovative anthology, Angela Lord presents a unique series of commentaries on art, aesthetics and colour by three of western culture’s greatest intellects. Her comparative study of the works of Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas and Rudolf Steiner illustrates how each of these towering thinkers employed an individual and groundbreaking approach. Yet, remarkably, there are common threads that weave through their collective works that have previously been overlooked. By selecting and extracting specific quotations and arranging them in particular sequences, Lord throws light on texts that have often been restricted to theological and academic study. Through this exposure, she reveals their relevance to the Arts today, showing how their content can stimulate an enhanced awareness of truth, beauty and knowledge in our lives. Art Aesthetics and Colour also offers us the opportunity to reinterpret the works of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas in the light of Rudolf Steiner’s contemporary spiritual-scientific insights. In addition to the extensive quotations from the three historical figures, Lord provides brief biographies, an introduction, notes and a bibliography. The book is well-illustrated throughout and includes colour plates.Table of ContentsIntroduction – Chapter One, Biographies – Chapter Two, Art – Chapter Three, Aesthetics – Chapter Four, Colour – Bibliography

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Book SynopsisHow are the internal and external forms of the human organism shaped? How does human consciousness emerge? These are questions to which conventional science has no answers. In The Seat of the Soul, Yvan Rioux invites us to consider new concepts that can explain these phenomena. His exposition is based on the existence of external `formative forces’ – or morphic fields – which, he argues, create the human body or organism in conjunction with forces that resonate within us from the living solar system. The psyche – or soul – emerges progressively as an inner world of faculties that in time learns to apprehend and understand the outer world. In his previous book The Mystery of Emerging Form, Rioux explored the formative forces of the twelve zodiacal constellations. In this absorbing sequel, he investigates how such activity from the planetary spheres works within us, as `life stages’ or metabolic processes. Through seven chapters, he explores the impact of each of these planetary spheres on our complex organic make-up and psychic activity. The link between organs and tissues, he says, produces five specific `inner landscapes’ in relation to the external rhythmic environment. Rioux also gives a description of Rudolf Steiner’s seven `planetary seals’ from a biological perspective. According to Steiner, these seals are: `…occult scripts, meaning that, as hidden signatures, they show their ongoing etheric impacts on the seven stages of our metabolism’. Between Steiner’s indications concerning human physiology and the ancient Chinese view on the subject, there is a convergence of ideas – as synthesized here – that breaks through the boundaries of modern reductionist science, offering exciting perspectives for understanding the human being. `The seat of the soul is where the inner world and the outer world meet. Where they overlap, it is in every point of the overlap.’ – NovalisTable of ContentsIntroduction – Chapter 1: Saturn process: Opening the door of perception, Towards the integration of subtle influences – Chapter 2: Jupiter process: Preservation of outer perceptions, Establishment and defence of the territory (immunity) – Chapter 3 – Mars process: The essence of pulsations, The beginning of the psychic world – Chapter 4: Sun process: The circulation of perceptions, Access to inner perception (insight) Chapter 5: Mercury process: From pictorial images (psyche) to material organs (soma) – Chapter 6: Venus process: Energized movements for growth, A constant search for the right fulcrum point – Chapter 7: Moon process: Replication (mitosis vs meiosis) Self-renewing life – Conclusion: A planetary alignment giving birth to our physical and psychic world

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Book SynopsisBased on a remarkable series of lectures delivered in his native Israel, Dr Ben-Aharon presents his illuminating research on the meaning of Judaism and the spiritual mission of the Jewish people in the past, present and future. The Hebrew people have been a central root in the development not only of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, but of the universal human spirit itself. Thus, a new understanding of their development and contribution to the spiritual biography of humanity is essential to understanding ourselves as human beings. The Jews were chosen to reveal the deepest secret of ancient times: the existence of one God above all gods, being the Creator of all human beings - beyond race, nation and gender - in his divine image. The great historical and spiritual figures of the Hebrew people - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joseph, the Judges, Kings and Prophets - prepared humanity for individuation - the true `I AM' - through devotion to the divine foundation of the world. `The Lord our God is one', who is to be loved with all one's heart, soul and being. Each person could now fulfill the Word, which could be actualized on earth - in the human being. In Jerusalem Dr Ben-Aharon describes the evolution of the Hebrew people and its role in the development of the human race. The journey continues to the present day, where the universal human Self has the potential to become a free participator in the ongoing creation of the universe. `The better I understand the roots of the Hebrew people and its universal-human mission, the better I shall understand the nature of humanity and its mission; and the more human I become, in the most universal sense, anchored in a new spiritual knowledge and practice, the more fulfilled, active and creative I can be at the roots of my existence as a Jew and an Israeli.' - Yeshayahu Ben-AharonTable of ContentsForeword - Introduction - The Evolution of Human Consciousness and the Stages of Individuation in the History of the Hebrew People - The Death of the Earth and its Resurrection, the Cosmic Picture - Creative Evolution - The Initiation of Isaac - The Initiation of Moses - The Initiation of King David - The Essence of Hebrew Initiation

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Book SynopsisMany people who are drawn to Buddhism today are seeking for spiritual knowledge as opposed to simple faith or sectarian belief. Hermann Beckh had a profound personal connection to the Buddhist path and the noble truths it contains, yet he was also dedicated to a radical renewal of Christianity. Assimilating the groundbreaking research of Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), Beckh's comprehension of Buddhism was neither limited to historical documents nor scholarly research in philology. Rather, from his inner meditation and spiritual understanding, he saw the earlier great world religions as waymarks for humanity's evolving consciousness. In the modern world, the apprehension of Christianity needed to be grounded firmly in a universally-valid, inner cognition and experience: `In this light, knowledge becomes life.' Hermann Beckh - Professor of Tibetan Studies and Sanskrit in Berlin, subsequently a founding priest of The Christian Community - first published this mature study in 1925. Having already produced the comprehensive Buddha's Life and Teaching in 1916, Beckh's sweeping perspectives combined with his extensive academic knowledge provided a unique grounding for authoring this work. As he notes, From Buddha to Christ follows a path of development, `both of method and goal'. Thus, studying this book is itself a path of knowledge and potential initiation. Beckh's universal insights remain relevant - and if anything have gained in value - to twenty-first century readers. This edition features an additional essay, `Steiner and Buddha: Neo-Buddhist Spiritual Streams and Anthroposophy' (1931), in which Beckh, for the first and last time, explains his lifelong personal connection to the Buddhist path. `Christianizing the Buddha's impulse at the same time broadens the Christian horizon...' - Hermann BeckhTable of ContentsPreface - I. The Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life - II. The Gospel of Birth and Death: The Knowledge of Repeated Lives on Earth and of the Law of Destiny - III. Knowledge: The Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Causes - IV. The Path - Appendix: Steiner and Buddha (Neo-Buddhist Spiritual Streams and Anthroposophy)

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Book SynopsisAlthough this classic text is more than one hundred years' old, its accurate scholarship, detailed research and lucid presentation make it no less relevant today than when it was first published. In 1916, Hermann Beckh was one of a handful of leading European authorities on Buddhist texts, reading Tibetan, Sanskrit and Pali fluently. At the same time, he was a member of the Anthroposophical Society and its Esoteric Section. In consequence, Beckh's seminal study on Buddhism has an entirely unique quality. It invites the reader to engage freely with the Buddhist Path, although in many ways re-expressed and renewed by Rudolf Steiner, whilst discovering its universal validity through the original texts. For the most part, Beckh allows these texts to speak for themselves, as eloquently now as ever. In the first section, Beckh presents Gautama Buddha's life from legend and history. The second part of the book details the `general viewpoints' of Buddhist teaching and the individual stages of the Buddhist Path, including meditation to ever higher levels. Both sections are expertly collated out of a wide knowledge of the primary sources. To this academic understanding, Beckh sheds new light on the subject from his own research, based on highly-trained meditation guided by Rudolf Steiner (with whom he carried out a long-lasting correspondence that has only recently been uncovered). Dr Katrin Binder has rendered the complete German text in a natural English idiom with great accuracy and professional insight, thereby making this timeless book available to English readers for the first time in a lucid translation. New notes and an updated bibliography are also featured. `The book before us here is not some kind of dusty text or just another undergraduate-level introduction to Buddhism. It is nothing less than the still, clear, luminous centre of a hurricane...' - Neil Franklin (from the Foreword)Table of ContentsForeword - Translator's Introduction - Regarding the pronunciation of Indian words (Sanskrit and Pali) - Abbreviations - Introduction - PART 1: THE BUDDHA - General considerations - A. The Buddha of the legend - a) The sources of the legend - b) The story of the Buddha's Becoming (according to the Lalitavistara) - c) The proclamation of the doctrine - d) The Buddha's Nirvana (according to the Mahaparinibbaanasutta) - B. The historical Buddha - a) The course of his life - b) The Buddha as a human being and spiritual teacher - PART 2: THE TEACHING - A. General Viewpoints - B. The individual stages of the Path - a) Faith (saddha) as prerequisite of the Path - b) First stage of the Path: Right Conduct (sla) - c) Second stage of the path: meditation (samaadhi) - d) Third stage of the path: realization (panna) - e) Fourth stage of the path: liberation (vimutti) - Notes - Bibliographical Review (Hermann Beckh 1916) - Additional Bibliographies (Heimo Rau 1958, Katrin Binder 2016) - Hermann Beckh: Later works on Buddhism - Glossary

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Book SynopsisThe two contradicting genealogies of Jesus in the Gospels have long puzzled biblical scholars. Rudolf Steiner's spiritual research led him to the controversial theological conclusion that historically there existed two Jesus boys, born of two holy families. These two boys, he said, were necessary as part of the spiritual preparation of forming a suitable human body for the incarnation of Christ into the earthly realm. Both apocryphal texts and the writings of the Essenes - as discovered at Qumran by the Dead Sea - now appear to support this conception, with references to Messianic figures from both royal and priestly lines. Various authors have developed Rudolf Steiner's observations - first presented in the early twentieth century - although much of this literature has lacked the rigour of accurate and broad scholarship. The Two Jesus Boys is not simply a derivative rehash of these previous publications. Rather, it offers a fresh investigation of primary sources, coupled with an objective determination to allow the facts to speak for themselves. Christoph Rau thus comes to the unavoidable conclusion that Steiner's presentation of the chronology of the two births needs revision; furthermore, the most recent discoveries and interpretations of Essene scrolls reveal that the Jewish sect expected not one but three Messiahs. Rau quotes from and analyses numerous documents from the landscape of early Christianity and Judaism. His findings provide a secure foundation for the historical existence of two Jesus boys in the prelude to Christ's incarnation on earth, as well as a revelation of the Essenes' long expectation of three Messiahs.Table of ContentsIntroduction - 1. The Riddle of the two Genealogical Trees - 2. Two Childhoods - 3. Astonishing Discoveries - 4. The New Insight is Cosmically Anchored and Confirmed in Writing - 5. Contradictions, Reasons and Objections - 6. Preparation for the Unique Union - 7. The Mystery of the Twelve-year-old Jesus - 8.The Actual Chronology as the Solution to the Contradiction - 9. The Death of Zechariah-a Milestone for the True Dating of Events - 10. Zarathustra and the Star of the Wise Men - 11. Zarathustra's Becoming and Progress - 12. Krishna and the Heavenly Adam-soul - 13. John and the Earthly Adam-soul - 14. Buddha and the Nathan-Jesus-boy - 15. Two Prophecies of the Messiah and their Fulfilment - 16. The Three Messianic Figures in the Essene Writings - 17. The Letter to the Hebrews-an Early Answer to Essene Expectations - 18. The Further Effects of the Messianic Prophecy - Epilogue1909-1959-2009 - Appendix - (1) The Childhood of Jesus, According to Matthew - Commentary - (2) The Childhood of Jesus According to Luke - Commentary - (3) The Protevangelium of James - Commentary - (4) From the Quran - Commentary - Notes - Bibliography

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Book SynopsisCivil Society has become a major power in the world. The stunning defeat of the controversial and secretive Multilateral Agreement on Investments, the massive worldwide WTO protests and the yearly meetings of the World Social Forum are testimony to its coming of age. From these significant victories, civil society continued to catch world attention with the Arab Spring, the grassroots movement that helped elect former US President Barack Obama and the significant gains of the anti-fracking campaign. With tens of millions of citizens and over a trillion dollars involved in advancing its agenda, civil society now joins the state and the market as the third key institution shaping globalization. However, it cannot fully mobilize its resources and power as it currently lacks clear understanding of its identity. Shaping Globalization argues that global civil society is a cultural institution wielding cultural power, and shows how - through the use of this distinct power - it can advance its agenda in the political and economic realms of society without compromising its identity. Nicanor Perlas outlines the strategic implications for civil society, both locally and globally, and explains that civil society's key task is to inaugurate `threefolding': the forging of strategic partnerships between civil society, government and business. Such authentic tri-sector partnerships are essential for advancing new ways for nations to develop, and for charting a different, sustainable type of globalization. Using the model of the Philippine Agenda 21, we are shown how civil society and progressive individuals and agencies in government and business are demonstrating the effectiveness of this new understanding to ensure that globalization benefits the environment, the poor and society as a whole. This reprinted edition includes a new Afterword.Trade Review`Nicanor Perlas has written a brilliant exposition of a new viewpoint in social theory and practice, one that applies to all of us in our everyday lives.' - Paul H. Ray, author of The Cultural Creatives; `Nicanor Perlas lays out a framework that integrates the social, the ecological, and the spiritual in a simple and yet profound view of 21st century society.' - C. Otto Scharmer, author of Theory UTable of ContentsForeword by Paul H. Ray - Message by Dr Ernst Ulrich von Weizsacker - Threefolding, the language of the new tri-polar world - Whose word? Surveying the terrain of contention - The Battle of Seattle - The threats and opportunities of globalization - Elite globalization and the world power structure behind it - Civil society as a global countervailing force - Identity crisis - Co-optation, the ironic fruit of the Battle of Seattle? - the cultural nature of civil society - Testing the framework - Cultural power - Cultural creatives and the cultural revolution of the 21st century - Civil society and the threefolding of national and global social space - Example of Philippine Agenda 21 - Tri-sector partnerships at the United Nations, boon or bane? - The juggernaut of tri-sector partnerships - Civil Society and the beginning of history - Notes - Bibliography - About the author - About Cadi - About Globalnet3 - Afterword to the 2019 edition

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Book SynopsisBuilding on her fundamental texts The Art of Acting and The Art of Speech, Dawn Langman shows how the great dramas of Western heritage illuminate the evolution of human consciousness – from the past and into the future – thus providing a context in which actors can consciously evolve their art. Having laid her foundation by exploring the Eleusis Mysteries – the seed point of Western drama – she moves to the end of the nineteenth century, when drama and performance practice prepared for its next great evolutionary leap. She explores the connection of this leap to the evolutionary threshold facing human beings at the end of what occult history calls Kali Yuga. Weaving back and forth between future, past and present – guided by the great cyclic themes of human soul and spiritual development – Langman shows how the inspiration of our greatest artists springs from a source of knowing that encompasses the high calling of the human being to mature beyond its biological inheritance, and to become a conscious co-creator with the macrocosmic powers that serve the evolution of the universe. In doing so, she clarifies the specific function drama has in our contemporary development within the spectrum of the arts.Trade Review`Building on the first two books of this extraordinary series, Langman’s meta-historical analysis of drama lays the foundation for her ongoing explorations into an art of acting that fully takes into account the multidimensional nature of the human being. Here, she masterfully contextualizes the 20th century contributions of Rudolf Steiner and Michael Chekhov within the broad trajectory of the Western dramatic and theatrical tradition’. Dr Diane Caracciolo, Associate Professor of Educational Theatre, Adelphi University, USATable of ContentsTable of Illustrations – Acknowledgements – Preface – Introduction – The true names of things: reading the script, poetic and literal consciousness – Chapter 1, The key to the Mysteries: The founding myth – Chapter 2, 'It takes so many thousand years to wake': drama at the threshold – Chapter 3, When will the lost word be found? – Chapter 4, 'The fabulous wings unused': towards a drama of the future – Chapter 5, 'We shall not cease from exploration' – Epilogue, The crucible of art – Appendices: Appendix A, Additional volumes in this series – Appendix B, Therapeutic applications of Speech Formation – Appendix C, DVD recordings of Dawn Langman's lecture series: 'A Dramatic Journey through the evolution of human consciousness' – List of plays quoted or cited – Bibliography – List of illustrations – Notes

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Book Synopsis`Finding unity with Christ is not a given; it depends on turning the ego - that provides our sense of experiencing ourselves as a unique being - into an instrument of loving perception that connects with other beings. Learning to do this makes the path to Christ a path of self-knowledge, where the freedom to make mistakes and consequent error lets us see ourselves with humility as we come to know how to bring love into what we say and do.' (From the Introduction.) In order for human beings to progress, contends the author, we can no longer rely on outer authority in the form of dogma, power and control. Rather, we need to find spiritual and creative solutions from within. Fundamentally, we should discover what makes us truly human and not merely animal. `The direction of this book is to indicate how this may be addressed in artistic and imaginative terms that touch the powder, so to speak, with a different fire that ignites a different future.' With Meditations, Michael S. Ridenour provides a fresh and varied look at themes explored in his recent book The Greatest Gift Ever Given. The more meditative, intimate format of this short volume allows content and mode of expression to complement each other by expanding these themes into realms of individual experience. Part One does this by making use of a shorter poetic-commentary presentation, allowing greater variety and flexibility of focus. Part Two builds on paths of individual initiation from the esoteric Christian tradition, showing how they address contemporary concerns for greater spiritual awareness and a more perceptive quality of consciousness. Meditations is a thoughtful work that offers support for understanding and practising the contemporary spiritual path.Table of ContentsAn Introductory Meditation - Part One - Coming through the Woods . . . - The Sea Today - Why We Need Coloured Periods - Copy? - Gloria - Yellow Woman - Touching Up Eternity - Heaven Written Low - The Joys of a Shelfless Life . . . - Night Climbing by Grail Light - An Alchemical Aperitif - Beyond Measure - Hatless in the Rain - Dragon Paint - The Picture Window - The Mummy's Curse - Helen Keller at the Beach - Part Two - A Gift of Blindness for Our Time - The Mystery Question of Parzival - Creating Out of Nothing - A Last Word: No Mistake About It . . .

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Book Synopsis`From time to time in the history of humanity, extraordinary individualities appear, carrying with them great tasks which are difficult to assess. Through this lens, the events around Kaspar Hauser (1812-1833) can be seen as signposts to one of the most important mysteries of modern times, which will radiate far into the future. Kaspar’s appearance and the essence of his being are deeply connected with the question of the identity of the human being itself.’ – From the Foreword. This book offers a unique, creative approach to the mystery of Kaspar Hauser – the teenage boy who was found abandoned on the streets of Nuremberg, barely able to walk, speak or write. Introducing the subject with a historical overview, Eckart Böhmer goes on to offer multiple artistic approaches to comprehending the enigma of Kaspar Hauser’s brief and tragic life. He presents poems from his cycle I not human, I Kaspar, a short story entitled `Crossing the Border’, and a play about Hauser’s mentor, `Feuerbach or an Example of a Crime Against the Human Consciousness Soul’. These are followed by transcripts of two lectures held during the Kaspar Hauser Festival in New York, which reflect on esoteric research carried out in the last twenty years. The volume concludes with short meditations followed by an interview with the author on his biographical connections to the theme. Inspired by the Kaspar Hauser Festival in Ansbach and the Kaspar Hauser Research Circle, this valuable book offers many imaginative gems for deeper contemplation.Table of ContentsForeword – Kaspar Hauser, Child of Europe, An Essay – Nine Poems – Crossing the Border, A Short Story – 'Feuerbach, or An Example of a Crime Against the Human Consciousness Soul' – An Introduction to the Play – The Play – The Unfulfilled Mission of the Hereditary Prince, Lecture I – The Fulfilled Mission of Kaspar Hauser, Lecture II – Four Meditative Verses – Guarding the Guardian, An Interview

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Book SynopsisAs a practising Christian priest, Hermann Beckh was profoundly aware that the mystery of substance – its transmutation in the cosmos and the human being – was a mystical fact to be approached with the greatest reverence, requiring at once ever-deepening scholarship and meditation. He viewed chemistry as a worthy but materialistic science devoid of spirit, while the fullness of spiritual-physical nature could be approached by what he preferred to call ‘chymistry’ or ‘alchymy’, thereby taking in millennia of spiritual tradition. In consequence, Beckh’s Alchymy, The Mystery of the Material World is not limited to the conventional workings of Western alchemy, nor to what can be found in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation – although he does unveil hidden riches there. Neither should Beckh be considered only as a learned Professor with impeccable academic qualifications and European-wide recognition. Beckh writes about such topics as ‘Isis’, ‘the Golden Fleece’, traditional fairy-stories and Wagner’s Parsifal in a way that enables the reader to catch glimpses of the Mystery of Substance; to share the writer’s authentic experience of the divine substantia – the living reality – of Christ in the world. Beckh’s Alchymy set an entirely new standard, and went on to become his most popular publication. This is the first time that it has been translated into English, along with updated footnotes, making his ideas and insights accessible to a wide readership. In addition, this edition features translations of Beckh’s ‘The New Jerusalem’, where theology could best be expressed in verse; his exemplary essay on ‘Snow-white’; observations on ‘Allerleirauh’, and a substantial excerpt from Gundhild Kačer-Bock’s biography of Beckh.Table of ContentsForeword – Introduction by Neil Franklin – Translator's note – I. Alchymy and Man's Past: – Rosicrucianism, the Virginal Earth, the Philosopher's Stone – II. Alchymy and Mankind in the Present: – Chemistry and chymistry; The 'construction of the atom'; Salt, mercury, sulphur and the mystery of the threefold human being – III. Alchymy and the Bible (Old Testament): – The Creation, the River of Paradise, the Deluge; The secret of gold and of precious stones; Chaos and Astra, primal matter, the chymical process – IV. Alchymy and Mythology: – Isis; The Rhinegold; the Golden Fleece; Venus-Urania – V. Alchymy and the Future of Humanity: – John's Gospel and the Apocalypse of John; The Mystery of Cana (Chymical Wedding) and the New Testament; The Mystery of the twelve precious stones – Appendices – Hermann Beckh: The New Jerusalem, a meditation in verse 1 – Hermann Beckh: Snow-white – Supplement: 'Allerleirauh' – Review: Mysteries of the Material World, Rudolf Bind – Excerpt from the biographical sketch of Hermann Beckh by G. KacÏer-Bock – Notes – The Works of Prof. Hermann Beckh

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Book SynopsisBuilding on the metahistorical exploration of drama that was the subject of Tongues of Flame, Dawn Langman explores the practical pathways through which the art of acting can evolve beyond the ‘body and soul’ paradigm still broadly accepted in contemporary culture. Through the integration of Rudolf Steiner’s research in the arts of speech and eurythmy, and together with Michael Chekhov’s acting techniques, Langman raises the spiritual dimension of the human being from that vague sensing which many actors intuit – but which has, however, little bearing on their practice – into a precise methodology. In this second volume in her series on ‘The Actor of the Future’, she offers performance artists a clear pathway ahead, enabling them to develop their work out of spiritual insight and consciousness. ‘Dawn Langman’s research into character creation invites the future into the present: suggesting the intriguing connection between the evolving universe, human consciousness and the mysteries at work in relationships and destiny.’ – Penelope Snowdon-Lait, Co-director, Spirit of the Word training, New ZealandTable of ContentsAcknowledgements – Prologue – Introduction – Rudolf Steiner's Speech and Drama Lectures – Chapter 1, Building the bridge between gesture, voice and speech – Chapter 2, Sound Experience (1): Expanding the horizon of the Vowels – Ensouling the vowel – Vowel moods from Shakespeare – Mapping a character's soul journey – Chapter 3, Sound Experience (2): Vowels as key to Laughing and Weeping – Chapter 4, Sound Experience (3) – Character-types and vowels – Blood/nerve-sense polarities – From soul type to individual soul – Approaching the planetary beings – vowels as a bridge to higher worlds – Chapter 5 Our High Work Masters (1): Vowels and the Planetary Beings – Chapter 6, Our High Work Masters (2): Vowels and the Planetary Beings in Shakespeare's King Lear – Chapter 7, Our High Work Masters (3): Consonants and the Starry Beings of the Zodiac – Chapter 8, Our High Work Masters (4): Consonants and the Starry Beings of the Zodiac in Shakespeare's King Lear – Appendix A: Additional texts for blood/nerve-sense characters – Appendix B: Table of phonetic symbols – Appendix C: Additional volumes in this series – Appendix D: DVD series: A Dramatic Journey through the Evolution of Human Consciousness, Dawn Langman – Bibliography – Notes

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Book SynopsisHermann Beckh's lectures on language - published here in English for the first time - offer a unique and penetrating discussion of the origins and evolution of speech. Based on his professional knowledge of Tibetan, Sanskrit and Pali - and complete fluency in at least six other ancient languages, not to count nine modern languages - and accompanied by a heartfelt understanding of anthroposophy, the lectures comprise an unparalleled marriage of academic and meditative insights. Further, they give a valuable introduction to the author's later works on music, the stars and the Gospels of Mark and John. The Source of Speech features Beckh's complete series of articles on the subject that were developed during the early, 'seeding' period of his life and work. These include: 'Rudolf Steiner and the East', an unprecedented study of Steiner's relationship to Sanskrit and Buddhist spirituality; 'Let There be Light', Beckh's exploration of the six Hebrew words forming Genesis 1:3; articles devoted to the origins of language, Indian philosophies and the names of the Divine in sacred texts; and essays published in Das Goetheanum which examine speech sounds, especially those of Sanskrit and Classical Hebrew. Also included are contemporaneous reviews of Beckh's articles by Albert Steffen and Eugen Kolisko and a lecture on academia, materialism and the undisciplined enthusiasm for Indian spirituality, held at the University of Berlin. Nearly one hundred years on, Beckh's perspectives and themes remain as exciting, relevant and fresh as ever.Table of ContentsIntroduction by Neil Franklin - Hermann Beckh: Rudolf Steiner and the East - Indology and Spiritual Science - I. Pragmatic Etymology and Genetic Etymology with special application to Sanskrit - II. Contribution to the Vedanta Philosophy: The Teaching of Atman and Brahman and its tangible Significance in the Light of Linguistics - III. Contribution to Sankhya Philosophy: sattva, rajas, tamas And their Relationship to Goethe's Theory of Colours in the Light of Linguistics - The Names of the Divine in the Primal Word of Sacred Languages - New Ways to the Origin of Speech, Three lectures (1921): 1. Etymology and the meaning of speech-sounds in the light of spiritual science - 2. The Physical and the Spiritual Origin of Speech - 3. 'Let there be Light': The Biblical Primal Words of Creation - Anthroposophy and University Knowledge - The Sun-Mantra of the Rig-Veda - Appendix, Reviews: Albert Steffen, Etymology and the Meaning of Speech Sounds in the Light of Spir-itual Science - Eugen Kolisko, Vom Lebenswerk Rudolf Steiners: Eine Hoffnung neuer Kultur - Notes - Bibliography

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Book SynopsisLost for decades, the manuscript of Hermann Beckh's final lectures on the subject of music present fundamentally new insights into its cosmic origins. Beckh characterises the qualities of musical development, examines select musical works (that represent for him the peak of human ingenuity), and throws new light on the nature and source of human creativity and inspiration. Published here for the first time, the lectures demonstrate a distinctive approach founded on the raw material of musical perception. Beckh discusses the whistling wind, the billowing wave, the song of the birds and particularly the theme of longing. Never losing the ground from under his feet, he penetrates perennial themes: from the yearning for real spontaneity and the 'Mystery background' uniting heaven and earth, to spiritual knowledge that can meet the demands of the twenty-first century. Out of the cosmic context, Beckh writes to the individual situation. From there, he seeks again the re-won cosmic context. He does not write as a musical specialist and then turn to universal human concerns; rather, Beckh writes from universal human concerns and reveals music as of special concern to everyone. In addition to the transcripts of fifteen lectures, this book contains a valuable introduction and editorial footnotes. It also features appendices including Beckh's essay 'The Mystery of the Night in Wagner and Novalis'; reminiscences of Beckh by August Pauli and Harro Ruckner; Donald Francis Tovey's 'Wagnerian harmony and the evolution of the Tristan-chord', and several contemporaneous reviews of Beckh's published works.Table of ContentsIntroduction by Alan Stott - The Human Being and Music - 1. The Polarity of the Musical Element: the Airy and the Sound-Etheric (the Earthly and the Cosmic Element) - 2. The Two Elements as the Soul and the Spirit of Music. The Two Biblical Creation Stories. The Human Soul-Air. The Fall of Man - 3. The Two Elements in the Music from Bach to Beethoven and Chopin. The Earthly Element - Dust. The recent Epoch of Music - 4. The Two Elements of Music as 'Wind and Wave'. Strindberg's The Dream Play. Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin - 5. The Union of both Elements in the Theme of Longing in Tristan and Isolde - 6. The Motif of Longing in Tristan and Isolde - 7. The Primordial Root va - 'blowing', and the Experience of Pain. The Hibernian Mysteries. The Magic of the Mother. The Christian Mystery and Parsifal - 8. Parsifal. The Starry Quality. Karfreitagszauber and the Liebestod. A 'Super-Tonal' Style. Bruckner's Ninth Symphony. Planets, Stars and the Musical Keys - 9. The Trinity of Instruments: Strings, Woodwind and Brass in Wagner and Bruckner - 10. The Mystery of Death in Tristan and Isolde and Bruckner's Ninth Symphony. The Key of D-minor - 11. Earthly and Cosmic Music. Strindberg's The Dream Play - 12. Novalis. Nature and the Musical Element. The Mastersingers. Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony - 13. The Life of Initiation. Opera and the Musical Future. Novalis and the Musical 'Homeland'. Wagner and 'not music'. Opera and Absolute Music. Mystery Back-grounds. Tannhauser - 14. Mystery Contexts in Wagner. The Mystery of Human Life; Prophecy, Fulfilment and the Future - 15. The Christian Mystery dramatised in Music - Appendix One: Hermann Beckh: The Mystery of the Night in Wagner and Novalis - Appendix Two: August Pauli: Memories of Hermann Beckh. Harro Ruckner: A Memory of Hermann Beckh - Appendix Three: Donald Francis Tovey: Wagnerian harmony and the [possible] evolution of the Tristan-chord. Chopin's Mazurka, op. 68, no. 4, bb. 11-14 - Appendix. Book Reviews: Hermann Beckh: Buddha's Life and Teaching, Hermann Beckh The Parsifal=Christ=Experience in Wagner's Music Drama. Hermann Beckh: The Language of Tonality in the Music of Bach to Bruckner. Christoph Peter: The Language of Music in Mozart's 'The Magic Flute' - Notes - Bibliography

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Book SynopsisFrom ancient times, people had knowledge of the zodiac’s intimate involvement in the creation of physical life. They understood that the twelve realms of constellations of fixed stars in the sky emanated specific forces that were brought to life and movement by the planets. These spiritual energies created and formed all living beings on earth – including, of course, the human being. This traditional awareness has been reenlivened and given new meaning in our time through Rudolf Steiner’s anthroposophy. Steiner gave specific indications involving twelve individual gestures and colours that depict the forces of the twelve zodiacal regions. In this richly-illustrated collation of original artistic research – which features exciting new work on the zodiac via the mediums of sculpture, graphics and painting – these new insights are explored and illumined in twenty-seven essays and numerous full-colour images. Led by editor Gertraud Goodwin, the various contributing artists offer a rich tableau of authentic, individual approaches to understanding the zodiac, throwing light on the vast realm of creative forces around us whilst acknowledging their primary source. ‘From the many relationships to other qualities, like the consonants, virtues, areas of the human body, colours, eurythmy gestures, elements (earth, water, air, fire), musical keys and many more, in which the zodiacal forces express themselves as if through different instruments, a harmony begins to emerge, which informs me of an ever rounder picture of one particular force of the Zodiac.’ – Gertraud GoodwinTable of ContentsForeword, Wolfgang Held – Introduction, Gertraud Goodwin – The twelve moods / introduction to Rudolf Steiner’s verses, Gertraud Goodwin – Relations - connections - correlations, Gertraud Goodwin – Rudolf Steiner's verses for the twelve moods of the zodiac, Gertraud Goodwin – Working with the zodiac during the 12 Holy Nights, Gertraud Goodwin – Working with colour during the Holy Nights of 2017-18, Gertraud Goodwin – Working with colour during the Holy Nights of 2018-19, Marije Rowling – The formative forces of the zodiac, Edwin Boeck – Exploration of the sculptural and graphic language of the zodiac, Dorothea Kuth – Zodiac, Manning Goodwin – The twelve constellations (zyklus), Philip Nelson – Twelve coloured exercises on the virtues, Stephan Krauch – Paintings on the zodiac, Rolf Janssen – Zodiac, Doris Harpers – Zodiac, Marije Rowling – Sound images, Gerard Wagner – First zodiac, Gertraud Goodwin – Twelve reliefs on the moods of the zodiac, Gertraud Goodwin – A graphic exploration, Gertraud Goodwin – Meditations on the zodiac, Gertraud Goodwin – Zodiac – sculptures, Gertraud Goodwin – Pisces zodiac, Gertraud Goodwin – Pisces zodiac and the present age, John Salter – The blue window in the first Goetheanum, Torsten Steen & Gertraud Goodwin – Carved reliefs of the zodiac, Reimar von Bonin – Exploring the relationship between Reimar von Bonin’s carved reliefs and the capitals of the small domed space of the first Goetheanum, Gertraud Goodwin – The formation of the capitals of the small domed space as vignettes, Gertraud Goodwin – the small dome of the first Goetheanum, Gertraud Goodwin – References - reading list – Further Reading – References – Biographies

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Book SynopsisFrom Joseph Vogelsang and his mysterious peep-box to Hollywood blockbusters and Netflix, R.A. Savoldelli’s survey of cinema and film is based on practical experience – he was once the enfant terrible of Swiss cinema – and years of contemplation and study. He examines the difference between film as the ‘hypnotic monster’ referred to by the Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini, and the art of film that Rudolf Steiner aspired to. The author depicts the historical development of cinema from its origins, paying particular attention to science fiction – from Star Wars to The Matrix – and influential filmmakers such as Eric Rohmer, Andrei Tarkovsky and Pasolini. As a scholar of anthroposophy, Savoldelli gives a comprehensive assessment of Rudolf Steiner’s attitude to film. In addition to frequenting the silent cinema of his time, Steiner made several statements about the new artform in his lectures, letters and private discussions. The author examines and interprets these and complements them with commentary on Steiner’s attempt to produce a film on the theme of reincarnation and karma as well as his explorations with Jan Stuten of ‘light-show art’. Other topics in this penetrating study include: ‘Basic philosophical stances in the pioneer period of media studies’; ‘Steiner’s prophetic warnings about a technocratic form of civilization that will destroy humanity’; ‘Nostalgia for the art-house cinema that emerged in the 60s’; and ‘The project discussed by Alexander Kluge and Andrei Tarkovsky for a film based on Rudolf Steiner’s From the Akashic Records’. Anyone interested in the cinematic arts will find a treasure of stimulating ideas and new thought in this unique book.

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Book SynopsisIn 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.Table of ContentsForeword – 1. Learning to Perceive Karma – 2. Rudolf Steiner’s Michael Prophecy and the Years 2012 to 2033 – 3. Michael Prophecy and Individual Karmic Insight – 4. Michael’s Call to Us – 5. Failure and Revival in the Anthroposophical Movement – 6. The Spiritual Goetheanum Today – 7. The Collaboration of Platonists and Aristotelians and the Michael Prophecy – 8. The Island of Stones: A Fairy Tale

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Book SynopsisThis unique work – the fruit of many decades’ research and experience – throws new light on the supersensible history and karma of the Michaelic movement since Rudolf Steiner’s death. It describes that movement’s evolution and transformation in the etheric world during the twentieth century, from the world-changing apocalypse of the 1930s and 40s through to the beginning of its incarnation on Earth at the end of last century. The book also focuses on developments in the practical and social work of building the community of the School of Spiritual Science, which embodies the new Michaelic movement in our time. As Ben-Aharon indicates, the Michaelic movement is searching for creative, courageous and enthusiastic souls to foster a strong community that develops – from one decade to the next – as a living organism. Based on the continuous resurrection of anthroposophy, this community strives to create a fully conscious meeting and communication with the school of Michael and Christ in the etheric world, in a form that is appropriate and demanded by the times. The transcripts of these lectures bring together the author’s experiences with anthroposophy over the last 42 years in the light of present communications from the spiritual world. It is based on contemporary spiritual investigation and individual, lived experience. From the Contents: ‘The Amfortas-Parsifal Duality of Modern Humanity’; ‘The Twilight of Humanity and its Resurrection’; ‘The Universal Language of Michael and the Being of Rudolf Steiner’; ‘The Anthroposophical Movement in the Present’; ‘The Etheric Form is Alive’; ‘The Resurrection of the Etheric Christ in the 21st Century’Table of ContentsPreface – Foreword – The Amfortas-Parsifal Duality and its Healing – The Twilight of Humanity and its Resurrection – The Universal Language of Michael and the Being of Rudolf Steiner – The Anthroposophical Movement in the Present – The Etheric Form is Alive – Afterword, The Resurrection of the Etheric Christ in the Twenty-first Century

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Book SynopsisIn the early part of the last century, Professor Hermann Beckh began a search to discover the truth about the Mystery wisdom of antiquity. As a recognized authority on Buddhist texts, he knew that complete knowledge of such Mysteries was not to be found within the limitations of waking consciousness, sense perception and logic. Beckh was already aware that Gautama Buddha had indicated the stages of higher knowledge. Furthermore, his studies of Rudolf Steiner’s anthroposophical teachings revealed that such knowledge could be experienced directly, given disciplined meditation. Clairvoyant cognition included the conscious penetration of sleep consciousness, the dream state and an experience of pre-natal consciousness. Both the Mysteries and Rudolf Steiner’s major books, he concluded, were founded on the same perceptions. Beckh – a worldwide expert on Tibetan, Sanskrit, Pali and Avestan texts – quickly became disenchanted with Madame Blavatsky’s Theosophy, as it displayed little precise academic knowledge of primary records. At the same time, university departments showed scant trace of understanding the texts they analysed through philology and sociology. Thus, based on comprehensive studies and personal experience, he resolved to present his own perceptions and vision to the public. The results are to be found in this invaluable book, bringing together for the first time in English three groundbreaking publications: Our Origin in the Light (Genesis 1-9) (1924); Zarathustra (1927) and From the World of the MysteriesTable of ContentsForeword – I. OUR ORIGIN IN THE LIGHT, PICTURES FROM GENESIS (1924) – Introduction to Our Origin in the Light: Pictures from Genesis (N.F.) – Preface – The Dream of Eden in the Consciousness of Humanity – Primordial Creation – The Second Creation – Paradise – Eve – The Fall – Cain – The Rainbow – II. ZARATHUSTRA (1927) – Introduction to Beckh’s Zarathustra (N.F.) – Foreword – Zarathustra in the Present Age – The First Zarathustra and Primordial Wisdom – Avesta – Appendix – III. FROM THE WORLD OF THE MYSTERIES (1927) – Introduction to From the World of the Mysteries (N.F.) – Foreword – The Sacred Primal Word of Zarathustra with excerpts from the Avesta – Postscript on the name Zarathustra – ISIS—the star-wisdom of the early Egyptian Mysteries and its connections with Zarathustra – The Name Isis – The Name Eve – Buddha’s Passing – The Tree of Life – The Christ-Secret of the Early Mysteries – IV. APPENDICES – The Rainbow’s Revelation – The Dream of Eden in the Light of Christmas – Queen Māyā: the Christmas-Mystery in the Indian Flower-Garden – Etheric Formative Forces and Hieroglyphs (1926) – Egypt in the Light of the Grave and Resurrection – Notes – Bibliography: The Complete Works of Hermann Beckh in German & English

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Book Synopsis‘I wrote this book out of the needs I see at the present time. I see diseases being translocated to others – humans or animals – despite the good intentions of many therapists or doctors. The diseases are translocated because they do not exist in energetic patterns, but as expressions of spiritual beings. Energy and energy-patterns only exist in the physical world, but in the spiritual world there are only spiritual beings.’ From ancient times, all cultures have known of the spiritual phenomenon of ‘translocation’ – the movement of a pathological entity from one human being to another, or from a human being to an animal. These pathological entities are spiritual beings, known as ‘demons’ in common parlance. Their translocation, says Are Thoresen, can take place as a result of conventional Western medicine, but also from the application of ‘alternative’ therapies such as homeopathy, acupuncture and herbal medicine. In order to have a positive therapeutic impact, Thoresen advises that practitioners, doctors and veterinarians need to acquire a deep understanding of the function and laws of pathological demonic entities and the means to influence them. Using the Middle Point or Christ-force, it is possible to transform – instead of simply translocating – the negative spiritual aspects that are at work in contemporary society. As the author states: ‘I have written this book to try to investigate these possibilities, and to give my fellow travellers in spirit the insights, tools and ability to make such a change.’Table of ContentsForeword, Why did I write this book? – Introduction – Chapter 1, Disease and Pathological Entities – Chapter 2, Understanding Translocation Through Knowledge of the Development of Man and Animal – Chapter 3, From Translocation to Transformation – Chapter 4, Homeopathy, Western Medicine and Translocation – Chapter 5, Translocation of Spiritual Forces in Electromagnetic Radiation – Appendix, My Background and Insights – Notes

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Book SynopsisIn conducting his research into the mysteries of antiquity, Frank Teichmann made a series of discoveries that connect directly to contemporary events and the tasks of the present-day. Whilst scholarly in nature and based on extensive documentation of historical sites, Teichmann’s work is no dry academic study. In The Origins of the Anthroposophical Society, he offers incisive new insights into Rudolf Steiner’s seminal esoteric deed – the refounding of the Anthroposophical Society at the Christmas Conference of 1923-24 – and considers how it impacts us today. The Conference itself, says Teichmann, ‘…did not just appear out of nowhere, nor did it happen merely as the result of a decision on Rudolf Steiner’s part. It was prepared for long beforehand.’ In the emergence of the anthroposophical movement, Teichmann reveals a conscious recapitulation and renewal by Rudolf Steiner of three types of primordial mystery. He states: ‘… the whole anthroposophical movement together with the Anthroposophical Society as it was re-founded at the Christmas Conference of 1923, was planned and prepared for in primordial times… All [Steiner’s] deeds, no matter how original they may appear in the foreground, have a deep esoteric background that contains the entire spiritual history of humanity.’ This renewal had been systematically prepared by Rudolf Steiner in three phases: through the evolution and intensification of thinking via the ‘mysteries of light’ in Greece; experiencing the spiritual through art via the ‘mysteries of space’ in Egypt; and, involving the ‘tasks of civilization’, the ‘northern’ or ‘earth mysteries’. Teichmann’s groundbreaking book – featuring dozens of images including his own original photos of British mystery landmarks – is published here for the first time in English translation.Table of ContentsForeword by Pieter van der Ree – Preface – Introduction – The Theory of Evolution and its Consequences – The Mysteries of the Light—the Evolution and Intensification of Thinking – The Mysteries of Space—Experiencing the Spiritual Through Art – The Malsch Building Model and the Society House in Stuttgart – The Munich Building Initiative and the First Goetheanum – The Inner Aspect of the Building Impulses – The Earth Mysteries and Taking Up the Tasks of Civilization – The Metamorphosis of the Idea of Destiny In Rudolf Steiner’s Life – The Founding of the New Mysteries – Appendix: The Foundation Stone Meditation – Notes – Illustrations – Bibliography of Works by Rudolf Steiner

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Book SynopsisDuring the brief window between the two World Wars, the Rev. Prof. Hermann Beckh led research at The Christian Community Seminary in Stuttgart. In those precious years he published on music, the gospels and the ancient Mysteries. By 1930, in his Contributions to the Priests' Newsletter, he had produced the most far-reaching account of the cosmic order ever written. The typescript of this great work was destined to gather dust in the Berlin Archiv, however, until it was discovered in recent years. Published here for the first time, it is the crowning masterpiece to Beckh's Collected Works. The translated and annotated text is accompanied by Rudolf Frieling's in-depth application of Beckh's principles of the cosmic starry order to the Creed of The Christian Community, and by a number of appreciations and relevant book reviews. Through ever-deepening meditation guided by Rudolf Steiner, and his vast knowledge of Tibetan, Sanskrit, Pali and Avestan sacred texts - scarcely to be equalled in Europe at the time - Beckh came to the first-hand realization that human and cosmic life was ordered. He perceived directly that this cosmic order was: good, as originating from the World-Will; true, as from World-Thinking; and beautiful, as from World-Feeling. All three could be personally experienced in disciplined consciousness that could enter dream, sleep and pre-natal life. This, then, was Beckh's method and inspiration, as shown in this extraordinary work.Trade Review'The time will come when Beckh's 'Christened' star-knowledge, which signifies a basic overturning of today's decadent astrology, will be appreciated for its significance.' - August PauliTable of ContentsZODIAC AND PLANETS IN RELATION TO THE HUMAN BEING with a chapter on the Anthroposophical Soul Calendar by Hermann Beckh and THE COSMIC RHYTHM IN THE CREED FOR READERS OF BECKH'S BOOKS by Rudolf Frieling with an Introduction and Reviews by Rudolf Frieling and others

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Book SynopsisWhat lies at the root of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the worldwide pandemic it has caused, affecting the health and livelihoods of untold millions of people? What are the deeper, spiritual realities behind COVID-19 and the global turmoil it has left in its trail? In an effort to answer these queries and many others put to her at the start of the pandemic, Judith von Halle composed two letters in March 2020, based on her own spiritual-scientific research. Published in this book together with an additional essay, she addresses questions such as: * Which entities stand behind the virus? * How and why does it affect human beings? * What measures can be taken for prevention and therapy? * What does the crisis mean to individuals and what possibilities does it offer for personal development? The author suggests that, apart from the material havoc triggered by coronavirus, the spiritual causes behind it are extremely serious and - if the present pandemic is not to be the first in a series of catastrophes - humanity is called upon to respond in a radically transformative way. In an additional article von Halle tackles the controversial issues relating to government lockdowns and the protest movements that have sprung up in opposition to them. How do these events point to real questions of individual freedom and, most importantly, how do they relate to the central event of our time - an event that, tragically, remains largely unknown? Revealing unexpected perspectives to the COVID-19 pandemic, Judith von Halle asks urgent and difficult questions and offers shattering insights for humanity's further development.Table of ContentsPreface - I. WHAT CAN ANTHROPOSOPHICAL SPIRITUAL SCIENCE CONTRIBUTE TO SARS-COV-2 AND COVID-19 RESEARCH? - The First Letter, Berlin, 22 March 2020 - 'Corona-Pandemic -Aspects and Perspectives' (Newsletter from the Medical Section of the Goetheanum) - About the 'Aspects' - About the 'Perspectives' - At Attempt at a Deeper Consideration of the Coronavirus Pandemic - About the Spiritual Cause of the SARS-CoV-2-Virus - On the Character of Bacteria - On the Character of Viruses - The Way SARS-CoV-2 Spreads - On the Symptoms of the COV-19 Illness - Spiritual Aspects - Commentary on Further Questions - II. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS RELATING TO ESOTERIC SUPPORT FOR WORK IN THE BRANCH - The Second Letter, Berlin, 22 March 2020 - Publisher's Foreword - Overcoming Fear - How Intensifying Meditation Can be Helpful in These Times - What Does It Mean When People Can No Longer Meet? - Starting Point: Consistently Practise Soul Exercises - Suggestions for Spiritual Support for the Ongoing Work in the Branch - III. THE GREAT DIVERSIONARY MANOEUVRE - The Awareness of the Central Event of our Time, the Perception of the Christ Entity as an Etheric Phenomenon - Everything is Upside Down - Appendix: The Eight Soul Exercises by Rudolf Steiner - Notes

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Book SynopsisToday some six million Freemasons around the world continue to perform their rituals regularly - an enormous legacy of spiritual endeavour, kept largely in secret. In Britain alone there are over 7,000 Lodges, with a quarter of a million members. What is this wealth, this appeal, and how did the philosopher and spiritual scientist Rudolf Steiner reinterpret or reconstruct Freemasonry's time-worn legacy? Unless one is a Freemason, the masonic world, with its arcane conventions and language, remains largely unknown: an obscurity that is almost impossible to fathom. Yet understanding its traditions and style are invaluable when approaching Goethe, Mozart, Herder, Lessing and Novalis - as well as Rudolf Steiner. Steiner himself renewed the 'Royal Art' of Freemasonry from 1906 to 1914 through his ritual work known as Mystica AEterna. When Steiner invigorated education, medicine, the social order and religion, he fully intended that committed and professional individuals should assume responsibility for the new initiatives. But this was not the case with the Masonic Order he founded, whose leadership he took upon himself. Even the celebration of his passing in 1925, led by Marie Steiner, was entirely Masonic in character. In the context of continuing resistance and misrepresentation, N.V.P. Franklin uncovers the living heart of Freemasonry and reveals why it was - and still is - immensely relevant to anthroposophy. With profound research into its older rituals and teachings, this detailed and conscientious study is a unique contribution to comprehending freemasonry and anthroposophy - both historically and in the present day.Table of ContentsPreface - Introduction - 1. Freemasonry and the Theosophical Societies. Son of Man, Can these Bones Live? - 2. The Esoteric Schools 1887-1914. The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha - 3. The High Grades of Freemasonry. And I will give thee the treasures of darkness - 4. Early Reports of Mystica AEterna. Rumour shall be upon rumour - 5. Masonic Types in Mystica AEterna. Behold, I make all things new - 6. The Rites of Misraim and Memphis. From One Degree of Glory to Another - 7. Rudolf Steiner and Freemasonry, Part 1. To cleanse the house of the Lord - 8. Rudolf Steiner and Freemasonry, Part 2. The Bright Morning Star - An Imagination - From a Lecture by Rudolf Steiner - Notes - Select Bibliography - Index to Principal Themes and Persons

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Book Synopsis'He [Harwood] is the sole Horatio known to me in this age of Hamlets...' - C. S. Lewis, from Surprised by Joy --- Cecil Harwood (1898-1975) - lecturer, Waldorf teacher, writer, editor and anthroposophist - pioneered and developed the first Rudolf Steiner (Waldorf) school in the United Kingdom (the New School in London, now Michael Hall School in Sussex). He also led the Anthroposophical Society in Great Britain for some 37 years. In 1922, at the age of 24, Harwood attended a festival of English folk song and dance in Cornwall, alongside his life-long friend Owen Barfield. It was here - and not in the academic citadel of Oxford University, where they were both part of the literary circle known as the Inklings - that Harwood and Barfield were to encounter the work of Rudolf Steiner through meeting Daphne Olivier. Sun King's Counsellor provides an intricate picture of the human connections, cultural movements and spiritual background that contributed to what came together in Cornwall in 1922, leading to Harwood's life's work. Featuring a colour plate section and full index, it documents Harwood's early years and antecedents, marriages to Daphne Olivier and Margaret Lundgren, friendships with Barfield and C.S. Lewis, his life-changing meeting with anthroposophy and Rudolf Steiner, teaching and educational work, and Harwood's critical role in healing divisions within the Anthroposophical Society. Based on extensive research of primary sources, Blaxland-de Lange's biography reveals the multi-faceted, flexible and sacrificial nature of this unique personality. Alfred Cecil Harwood - he preferred 'Cecil' instead of Alfred, with its meaning of 'wise counsellor' - began his career with the hope of becoming a writer, and had neither the intention nor ambition to become a teacher or the head of a national organization. Yet he became both an exemplary teacher and leader, as well as a celebrated author, editor, translator and lecturer.Table of ContentsIntroduction - PART ONE: 1. Ralph Vaughan Williams, Rudolf Steiner, and a Meeting in Cornwall - 2. Family Backgrounds: Lord Olivier and Minister Harwood - 3. Personal and Professional Engagement - 4. Marriage and the Founding Years of Michael Hall - 5. Early Writings - 6. Waldorf Translator, Editor, Playwright and Author - 7. Prelude to Chairmanship of the Anthroposophical Society in Great Britain - PART TWO: 1. The Minehead Years - 2. The Anthroposophical Society in Great Britain in a Time of War - 3. Family Man, Advocate and Adviser - PART THREE: 1. The Destiny of Britain within Europe and the Wider World and the Individual Human Spirit - 2. The Anthroposophical Society and the Healing of Divisions - 3. Anthroposophia, New Friendships and the Role of Eurythmy - Conclusion - Notes - Index

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Book Synopsis'Barfield towers above us all... the wisest and best of my unofficial teachers.' - C.S. Lewis --- 'We are well supplied with interesting writers, but Owen Barfield is not content to be merely interesting. His ambition is to set us free from the prison we have made for ourselves by our ways of knowing, our limited and false habits of thought, our "common sense".' - Saul Bellow --- Owen Barfield - philosopher, author, poet and critic - was a founding member of the Inklings, the private Oxford society that included the leading literary figures C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and Charles Williams. C.S. Lewis, who was greatly affected by Barfield during their long friendship, wrote of their many heated debates: 'I think he changed me a good deal more than I him.' Simon Blaxland-de Lange's biography - the first on Owen Barfield to be published - was written with the active cooperation of Barfield himself who, before his death in 1997, gave numerous interviews to the author and shared a large quantity of his papers and manuscripts. The fruit of this collaboration is a book that penetrates deeply into the life and thought of one of the most important figures of the twentieth century. It studies the influences on Barfield by the Romantic poet Coleridge and the philosopher Rudolf Steiner (founder of anthroposophy), and elaborates on Barfield's profound personal connection with C.S. Lewis. The book also features a biographical sketch in his own words (based on personally conducted interviews), and describes Barfield's strong relationship with North America and his dual profession as a lawyer and writer. This updated edition features vital new material including Barfield's own 'Psychography' from 1948 and an illustrative plate section.Table of ContentsForeword by Dr Andrew Welburn - Preface to the Second Edition - Preface - Introduction - PART ONE: 1. Owen Barfield: A Biographical Sketch Based on His Own Words - PART TWO: Elucidation and Recognition: The Lecturer (1964-97) - 2. Owen Barfield and America - 3. Barfield and Coleridge - 4. The Vancouver Lectures: Evolution of Consciousness - 5. Positivism and its Residues - 6. The Effects of Idolatry - 7. The Force of Imaginative Thinking - 8. 'Sir, I thank God for you...' - PART THREE: The Forging of a Key: The Man of Letters (1919-64) - 9. Owen Barfield and C.S. Lewis - 10. Owen Barfield and Rudolf Steiner - 11. English People - 12. Language as a Key to the Past - 13. Poetry, Drama and Magic - 14. Vision for a Future Social and Cultural Order - 15. Bonds of Love and Friendship - Conclusion - Appendix: Psychography (by Owen Barfield) - Notes - Bibliography - Index

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Book SynopsisHermann Beckh’s masterful study of Mark’s Gospel offers much more than scholarly argument. It is the work of a true visionary who allows his readers to discover the meaning of the Earth and of humanity for themselves. Beckh was in the forefront of entirely new research and recovery of the Gospel, writing more for the future than for his own time. It is not uncommon for biblical scholars to view St. Mark’s Gospel as little more than an assemblage of fragmentary sources and a copy of uncertain, early memories. The Gospel is said to have little historical veracity, harmony or guiding structure. Beckh’s contemporary, the German writer Arthur Drews, even argued that the text was nothing more than a simplistic solar myth, wherein another Sun-hero pursued his way around the Greco-Roman constellations. Mark’s Gospel: The Cosmic Rhythm is a response to such twentieth-century materialistic thinking. He was asked to write the book in the 1920s by the leaders of The Christian Community, who sought to rescue the desecrated Gospel from its opponents. Inspired by Rudolf Steiner and a vast knowledge of ancient languages – Tibetan, Sanskrit, Pali and Avestan along with Hebrew, Greek and Latin – the Rev. Professor Hermann Beckh perceived how the Gospel reflects God’s Everlasting Covenant, and meticulously expressed its aesthetic unity, the consonance of its parts and its consequent radiant clarity. His far-reaching understanding of sacred texts in the original languages, always associated with the disciplined meditation he had attained from anthroposophy, led to unprecedented insight. This new edition of his classic study has been revised and redesigned.

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Book Synopsis'This book describes an essential insight, namely that the core or the individual "I" of those with a mental health issue or a learning disability is always healthy.' --- This ground-breaking study describes six constitution types or syndromes that occur in children and adults with learning disabilities and behavioural disorders such as autism, ADHD, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), as well as neurological conditions such as epilepsy. The descriptions of these constitution pictures are the result of complementary scientific research based on the insights of Rudolf Steiner. In contemporary medicine, the source of behavioural problems and learning disabilities is believed to derive from genetic and environmental factors affecting the brain. The author expands on this knowledge, asking the vital question of what actually underlies these disorders at a deeper level. The answer leads to better understanding, fresh perspectives and new methodologies for therapeutic support. The author gives a comprehensive description of each constitution, including symptoms, causes, interpretations, treatments, approaches and therapy. These aspects are described in accessible, practical and concrete language with examples and illustrations, including analysis of patients' colour drawings. In addition, attention is paid to diagnostic methods and to the relationship of the six constitution types with conventionally-defined syndromes. A number of training exercises for educators and support workers provide further insight into the constitution images described. Written by a highly-experienced educator of children with special needs, this book is intended for teachers and counsellors at all levels.

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Book SynopsisHermann Beckh (1875-1937) was one of the co-founders of The Christian Community. A remarkable linguist and universal scholar, he mastered six European and six Oriental languages and published more than twenty works on the humanities, dealing with Christology, Cosmology and Musicology. Having first studied Law, he later channeled his extensive research of Hinduism and Buddhism into a renewal of sacramental Christianity. 'Without the Professor', wrote his colleague Rudolf Meyer, the beginnings of the new religious movement were 'unthinkable'. Gundhild Kacer-Bock - daughter of Beckh's priest-colleague and fellow author Emil Bock - creates a lively picture of a unique personality. Beginning with his birth in Nuremberg and education in Munich, she reviews Beckh's manifold studies and writings, his meeting with Rudolf Steiner in 1911, the founding of the Movement for Religious Renewal in Stuttgart in 1922, and the seminal Christmas Conference in Dornach in 1923. Having known Beckh personally, she builds on her own memories as well as Beckh's recorded memoirs, and utilizes newly-discovered letters and documents. This new edition contains Beckh's fairy-tale 'The Story of the Little Squirrel, the Moonlight Princess and the Little Rose' (with colour illustrations by Tatjana Schellhase), with additional appreciations of the author and an illustrative plate section. --- 'A University Professor, who had been a Judge and Orientalist, now became a priest with us. He actively took part in carrying the birth of the new ritual words; he was an expert in the mysteries of language... An abundance of books came into existence whose significance perhaps will only be properly appreciated in the future.' - Emil Bock (1959)

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Book SynopsisIn the popular imagination, the Holy Grail - part of the legendary romance of King Arthur - belongs to the realm of myth. The Knights Templar also have a legendary, enigmatic aspect. Despite the immense volume of historical research available, plausible explanations to the 'mystery' at the core of their practices have yet to be revealed. By studying these two themes side-by-side and showing their inner relationship, Veltman reveals valuable new perspectives. On the one hand he demonstrates that the 'poetic imagination' of the Grail mystery has its origin in concrete historical events; and on the other hand, that the true history of the Knights Templar is, essentially, esoteric. Combining historical research with insights gained from the work of Rudolf Steiner, Veltman presents an impressive survey of the subject, beginning with the pre-Christian Mysteries and ending with a vision of Michaelic Christianity. He analyses the significance of the holy city of Jerusalem, the Temple of Solomon, the Temple Legend, the Grail Temple, the Rosicrucians, the Templars' gold, and the fraught question of evil. In addition, he sketches the continuation or metamorphosis of the Grail and Temple impulses into the future, including the critical 'balancing' role of Europe between East and West. To become effective, this important European task - which, he says, is continually being thwarted - must be properly understood within the realm of human consciousness.Table of Contents1. Introduction - 2. The Mysteries - 3. The Temple and the Grail - 4. Occult history - 5. The Order of the Templars - 6. World Future - 7. Afterword - Notes

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Book SynopsisThis beautifully illustrated book presents a history of our relationship with nature, beginning with the civilisations of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, when gardens served as 'the dwelling place of the gods'. Tracing this history through subsequent epochs, the author shows how human awareness of the divine presence in nature was gradually eclipsed. As nature came to be viewed primarily as a physical resource to be controlled and exploited by us, this was reflected in the ordered, rational designs imposed on such gardens as Versailles. More recently, gardening has come to be seen less as an instrument of control than as an art in its own right, enhancing nature's inherent beauty. Jeremy Naydler suggests that the future of gardening lies not simply in its being regarded as an art but as a sacred art, which once again honours and works with the spiritual dimension intrinsic to nature.Trade Review'The main thrust of this profound and inspiring volume is to remind us that gardens are essentially sacred spaces in which we may work together with Nature in order that we may help her - and ourselves in the process - express more fully the divine presence hidden within the heart of her outward beauty.' (Resurgence)Table of ContentsAcknowledgments - Introduction: A Tension Unresolved - Chapter 1: The Garden in Antiquity - Chapter 2: The Garden in the Middle Ages - Chapter 3: From the Renaissance to the Eighteenth Century - Chapter 4: The Gardener as Artist - Chapter 5: Gardening as a Sacred Art - Illustration Sources - Bibliography - Notes - Index

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Book SynopsisRelationships are built through dialogue - through exploring heartfelt questions that lead to liberating personal insights. This book shows how such dialogue can transform relationships and build community. However, true meeting and healing conversations take effort. Encounter involves light and dark. Relationships bring out sympathy and antipathy. In an age of digital communications and internet-based encounters - when alienation and loneliness are very real issues - this new edition of Margarete van den Brink's classic work is more vital than ever. The process of inner development - leading ultimately to the unification of the human self with its higher, spiritual being - involves a transformation in our everyday selves. In this act of initiation, the art of conversation plays a central role. The words which people speak to each other contain a force that can work in an invigorating and life-enhancing way. This force - which can be more precious than light itself - is the highest creative principle, the Word referred to in the Gospel of St John, which created everything that exists. Informed by the insights of anthroposophy, More Precious than Light indicates the path towards the spirit and the lost power of the Word, transforming relationships and building community. True encounter can only be fostered through building real connections with our fellow human beings.Table of ContentsForeword - New Times - Meeting and conversing - Self knowledge and change - Paths to Christ - Notes - Biographies

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Book Synopsis'That in our times a kind of supernumerary person is appearing who is egoless, who in reality is not a human being, is a terrible truth.' - Rudolf Steiner -- Are there people on earth today who do not have a self - a human ego or 'I'? The phenomenon of 'egolessness' - the absence of a human being's core - was discussed by the spiritual teacher Rudolf Steiner in lectures and personal conversations. An egoless individual, he intimated, is an empty sheath through which other spiritual entities could operate. Erdmuth J. Grosse brings together many little-known quotations from Rudolf Steiner's spiritual research and supports them with a wealth of disquieting reports, testimonies and examples from literature and politics. He places these insights within the broader context of the riddle of the human self, throwing light on the spiritual development of the individual and humanity as a whole. In this thought-provoking study, Grosse goes on to discuss the role of comets, the effects of cyanide on the human constitution - especially in the light of the Holocaust - and the hidden effects of ceremonial magic, occult lodges, cults and sects. In conclusion, he offers positive solutions to humanity's present predicament by describing the healing impulses of social threefolding, the invisible spiritual beings seeking to help humanity, the role of the gods, the Christ impulse and the true goals of human evolution.Table of ContentsTranslator's note - Foreword - Introduction: The Ego and its sheaths - Are there people without an Ego? - Dementia and the Ego - Demonic beings - What is the nature of the Ego? - The sense of Ego - An egoless girl discussed by Rudolf Steiner at a teachers' meeting of the Waldorf School - The question of egoless individuals in Rudolf Steiner's discussions with the priests of the Christian Community - The effect of cyanide on bodily processes involved with the will - The task and effect of comets - Sorat - The situation prior to the First World War - Ceremonial magic-the technique of occult Lodges - An American sect - A brief description of the threefold social order as an aid to understanding the following chapters - The different nature of peoples in the West, in the Centre, and in the East, and the emergence of egoless individuals - What is a destiny motif? - Death by potassium cyanide and its effect on the Ego - A dream described by Ernst Lehrs - A conversation with Rudolf Steiner about potassium cyanide - The human Ego and spiritual economy in its development - The task of the gods - The Christ impulse - The goal of human evolution - Conclusion: Invisible spiritual beings helping humanity develop spiritual science

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Book SynopsisThat there is a living stream of Johannine Christianity can no longer be doubted. There is now an abundant literature from Rosicrucian and esoteric traditions - from the deepest prayer and meditation - that addresses the exalted nature of John the Evangelist as expressed through his Gospel, Letters and the Book of Revelation. Yet it fell to Hermann Beckh to elucidate clearly how the individual known as 'John' became the source of such undying love and wisdom in Christ. According to Rudolf Steiner, John was the ailing Lazarus, called from death to a new life as 'the disciple Jesus loved'. Beckh demonstrates how John's invaluable writings were based on personal spiritual knowledge and experience, expressing the divine work of the Cosmic Christ on human nature and on the Earth, leading far into the future. Whilst Beckh's authorship originated within the context of the emerging Christian Community founded in 1922, his profoundly original books could not be confined to its framework. Not only could Beckh tackle original texts in Tibetan, Sanskrit and Avestan, but - through his independent vision - he was able to establish new links with philosophical Alchemy, Jakob Boehme, Goethe, Nietzsche and Novalis. He thereby stands with these figures as a co-worker in a greater community. Having prepared the way with his Mark's Gospel of 1928, John's Gospel could be described as the capstone of Beckh's writings - as a triumphant announcement that theology and the study of John's Gospel have finally come of age. Appearing here in a freshly revised translation by Alan Stott, the current volume is enhanced by a series of valuable addenda that shed further light on Beckh's significant achievements.

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