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.
Description
C O N T E N T S:
Background and Context
Editor’s Notes
PART ONE
The Soul Dynamics of Human Encounters in Modern Life
Soul Dynamics within Thinking, Feeling, and Willing during Human Encounters
Listening with the Soul—Being Tolerant and Respectful of Other People’s Opinions
Control of Thinking and Forming Imaginative Pictures
The Creation of Undesirable Elemental Beings through Inappropriate Speech, Soul Attitudes, and Social Arrangements
Spiritualized Human Encounters and Associations
Rituals and Reverse Rituals as Acts of Invocation
Brief Review of Part 1
PART TWO
In Harmony with the Fundamental Social Law and the Threefold Social Organism
PART THREE
Future-Bearing Work: Developing an Objective Understanding of Other People’s Faults and Weaknesses
PART FOUR
The Mission of Christ and the Mystery of Golgotha Related to Key Ideas in Parts 1–3
APPENDIX
1: Earth Evolution: Seven Cultural Ages
2: Time Spirits and their Reigns
Bibliography
Acknowledgements