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Fourteen lectures, Dornach, Mannheim & Breslau, January-March 1922 (CW 210)What are the key differences between the contemporary spiritual path and that of the ancient mysteries?With remarkable clarity and insight, Rudolf Steiner throws new light on the contrasting methods of initiation in the ancient and modern day. The old mysteries worked to transform the physical body - 'the brain on the one hand, and the rest of the organism on the other' - whereas modern initiation 'transforms the element of spirit and soul, strengthening it with regard to the thought aspect on the one hand, and the will aspect on the other...'
These wide-ranging lectures additionally cover topics that include: the working of Lucifer and Ahriman in the human being; the relationship of the individual to the Folk Spirit; the development of religious life, particularly with reference to the pagan Old Testament streams; and the role of Imagination, Inspiration and Intuition in modern life. The final lectures examine the impulse of freedom behind the work of Goethe and Schiller, drawing connections with Shakespeare and the French Revolution. An overarching theme is the significance of the transition between cultural epochs and the importance of freeing ourselves from the intellectualism of our age through the spiritual quality of Imaginative consciousness.
This new edition features an introduction by Margaret Jonas, notes and an index.
About the author
Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) was born in the small village of Kraljevec, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Croatia), where he grew up. As a young man, he lived in Weimar and Berlin, where he became a well-published scientific, literary, and philosophical scholar, known especially for his work with Goethe's scientific writings. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he began to develop his early philosophical principles into an approach to systematic research into psychological and spiritual phenomena. Formally beginning his spiritual teaching career under the auspices of the Theosophical Society, Steiner came to use the term Anthroposophy (and spiritual science) for his philosophy, spiritual research, and findings. The influence of Steiner's multifaceted genius has led to innovative and holistic approaches in medicine, various therapies, philosophy, religious renewal, Waldorf education, education for special needs, threefold economics, biodynamic agriculture, Goethean science, architecture, and the arts of drama, speech, and eurythmy. In 1924, Rudolf Steiner founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which today has branches throughout the world. He died in Dornach, Switzerland.
