Esoteric Lessons for the First Class of the School of Spiritual Science at the Goetheanum
Esoteric Lessons for the First Class of the School of Spiritual Science at the Goetheanum

Author: Rudolf Steiner

Publisher: Rudolf Steiner Press

Published: 2020-11-04

Total Pages: 1733

ISBN-13: 1855845822

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During the refounding of the Anthroposophical Society as the General Anthroposophical Society at Christmas 1923/24, Rudolf Steiner also reconstituted, as the School of Spiritual Science, the Esoteric School he had led in three classes from 1904 to 1914, at the same time extending its scope by adding artistic and scientific Sections. However, owing to his illness and later death in March 1925, he was only able to make a beginning by establishing the First Class and the Sections. The actual step from the Esoteric School to the School of Spiritual Science was nevertheless an exceptional one. The Esoteric School from Helena Blavatsky’s time had been secret. Its existence was known only to those personally invited to participate. In contrast, the existence of the School of Spiritual Science was stated openly in the public statutes of the General Anthroposophical Society. From the Christmas Conference onwards, Rudolf Steiner worked within this publicly acknowledged framework. The Class Lessons comprise a complete spiritual course of nineteen fundamental lessons given between February and August 1924, several lessons given at other locations, and seven further lessons from September 1924 which take up the themes of the first part of the nineteen lessons in a modified form. This authentic, accurate and high-quality bilingual edition – with English and German texts printed side by side – is published in conjunction with the School of Spiritual Science at the Goetheanum. A compact four-volume clothbound set, it features plates with Rudolf Steiner’s handwritten notes of the mantras and reproductions of his original colour blackboard drawings. The translations of the mantric verses have been reworked by a committed group of translators, linguists and editors, expressing subtleties of meaning, grammatical accuracy and poetic style whilst retaining the original sound and metre of the German mantric forms. Three versions of the existing English translations are also included.

The School of Spiritual Science
The School of Spiritual Science

Author: Johannes Kühl

Publisher: Temple Lodge Publishing

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 145

ISBN-13: 1906999163

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In 1924, Rudolf Steiner established the School of Spiritual Science within the framework of the newly reestablished Anthroposophical Society. This book represents a beginning attempt at describing the nature, intent, and methods of this pioneering school and its place in modern culture. It describes the school's three prerequisites for membership and studies its connection with the Anthroposophical Society and the anthroposophic movement. It also examines the role of its "First Class" in relation to Rudolf Steiner's original intentions and the responsibilities of its representatives. The bulk of the book involves descriptions of the various sections in the School of Spiritual Science, contributed by those who are currently their leaders. These descriptions indicate how the school connects with daily work in various areas of life, in keeping with an esotericism based on the idea that "life and its depths can be confronted in the most energetic way." Also featured is practical information, including a description of the process for becoming a member and an appendix containing significant statements by Rudolf Steiner. In keeping with the transparency that Steiner requested from the outset, this book is suitable for anyone interested in the School of Spiritual Science.

The First Class Lessons and Mantras
The First Class Lessons and Mantras

Author: Rudolf Steiner

Publisher: Rudolf Steiner's Esoteric Lega

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781621481737

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The mantras of the Michael School are, in the truest sense of the word, a path for modern human beings--and indeed not just for our time between birth and death, but even more so for the time after death in the spiritual world. In that world, every soul that has crossed the threshold will experience beings and events that it can comprehend only if it has learned something on Earth about the beings there and processes that take place between them. In his eighteenth lesson Rudolf Steiner said: "People who have heard this in esoteric schools on Earth will go through the gate of death and will hear these words again sounding in harmony together--in the esoteric schools here and during the life between death and a new birth there. They will understand what rings forth. Or, people will be dull and unwilling to respond to what the esoteric schools, prepared by general Anthroposophy, have to say. They'll fail to perceive what can be heard through initiation science from the realms of the heights. They pass through the gate of death. There they hear what they should have already heard while here on Earth . . . but they do not understand it. These words of power--when the gods speak to one another--sound to them like an unintelligible clanging, mere cosmic noise." These words alone, heard in real earnestness, should be enough to dispel any reservations about spreading the teaching of the Michael School. This content does not belong only to those who are closely connected with Anthroposophy and its movement; every seeking human being should be able to find them as a path through life on Earth and after death.

A History of the School of Spiritual Science
A History of the School of Spiritual Science

Author: Johannes Kiersch

Publisher: Temple Lodge Publishing

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 298

ISBN-13: 9781902636801

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The School of Spiritual Science and its individual sections was initiated by Rudolf Steiner at the Christmas Conference (1923-1924). His intention, in his own words, was to present "the esoteric aspect." It was to have three classes, though only the First Class was instituted before Steiner's death in 1925. Recently, the written records on which the teaching of the First Class is based have been published in both German and English, which has given rise to a number of questions. Consequently, the council of the General Anthroposophical Society in Dornach, Switzerland, commissioned Johannes Kiersch to write a history of this unique organization. The result is an overview of the First Class and its development, from the early esotericism developed by Rudolf Steiner while still connected with the Theosophical Society, to the period following World War II. The author provides individual commentaries on the first "mediators" of the school, including Lili Kolisko, Harry Collison, and Count Polzer-Hoditz. The book also presents some thirty-seven original documents in an extensive appendix, which features personal notes, letters, and speeches connected with the Esoteric School. A History of the School of Spiritual Science presents a balanced history of the birth and development of the First Class and its struggles through the controversial splits and conflicts that followed Steiner's death. As Kiersch states, "The aim has been, above all, to come as close as possible to the sources and offer historical material for individuals to form their own opinion."

An Outline of Esoteric Science
An Outline of Esoteric Science

Author: Rudolf Steiner

Publisher: SteinerBooks

Published: 1997-10

Total Pages: 452

ISBN-13: 0880108398

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"Contemplative practice means, among other things, becoming practiced in solitude. This does not mean brooding or self-indulgent musing, but instead practicing a special form of recollection of the past, mindfulness for the present, and envisioning of the future in a manner that is enlivening, clear, and insightful. We learn to be properly solitary, and to carry the depth of our solitude into the world with grace and selflessness." -- Arthur Zajonc When we turn to meditation, we are turning toward renewal, peace, and insight. Initially, we may take up contemplative practice as a means of tapping into the abundant resources of the mind and heart that bring serenity, but the meditative journey leads further--to the place where wisdom and love unite. In Meditation as Contemplative Inquiry, Arthur Zajonc offers an overview of the meditative life, weaving practical instruction together with the guidance and inspiration of the world's great teachers, from Rudolf Steiner to Rumi, and from Goethe to the sages of Asia. Zajonc reminds us that an ethic of humility grounds all practice, and that care of the soul is the basis for sound spiritual reflection and understanding. The author carefully describes each stage of the path and includes many recommended practices. Meditation as Contemplative Inquiry is the fruit of many years of personal practice and teaching. Arthur Zajonc developed his orientation toward meditation through working with hundreds of university students and professors, as well as with contemplative groups in the U.S., Europe, and Australia.

The School of Spiritual Science
The School of Spiritual Science

Author: C. Kaliks et al.

Publisher: Temple Lodge Publishing

Published: 2024-04-25

Total Pages: 120

ISBN-13: 1915776163

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In a thoroughly revised and updated second edition, this important volume describes the character, intentions and working methods of the pioneering School of Spiritual Science, as established by Rudolf Steiner within the framework of the re-founded Anthroposophical Society in 1924. It explains the School’s prerequisites for membership and examines the role of the First Class and its representatives’ responsibilities. The main body of the book features descriptions of the sections within the School of Spiritual Science, contributed by individuals responsible for leadership of those sections. They indicate how the School connects with daily work in various aspects of life – including medicine, agriculture, education, science and the arts – and how they relate to contemporary society. Also included are significant articles and lectures by Rudolf Steiner regarding his original intentions for the School, and practical information on the process of becoming a member. In keeping with the transparency that he called for, The School of Spiritual Science is available to anyone who wants to explore the work of this invaluable cultural institution.

The Influences of Lucifer and Ahriman
The Influences of Lucifer and Ahriman

Author: Rudolf Steiner

Publisher: SteinerBooks

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 100

ISBN-13: 9780880103756

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In these lectures, Steiner focuses on the vital task of developing the proper orientation toward a free spiritual life. With great compassion and understanding, he offers telling examples of how humanity must walk a conscious middle way between the two tempting powers of Lucifer and Ahriman. He describes the incarnation of Lucifer in the third millennium before the Christ event, out of which flowed not just the wisdom of paganism, but also the conscious intellect we enjoy today. Ahriman, on the other hand, is shown approaching human beings through such phenomena as materialism, nationalism, and literalism, all in preparation for his incarnation in the third millennium. Keep in mind, however, that these two powers do not work separately; rather, they are working increasingly together. Our task as human beings is to hold them in balance, continually permeating one with the other. Steiner tells us that "Lucifer and Ahriman must be regarded as two scales of a balance, and it is we who must hold the beam in equipoise. How can we train ourselves to do this? By permeating what takes ahrimanic form within us with a strongly luciferic element." To accomplish this task we need a new, more conscious inner life.

Occult Science
Occult Science

Author: Rudolf Steiner

Publisher: Rudolf Steiner Press

Published: 2013-05-01

Total Pages: 425

ISBN-13: 1855842963

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Given his energetic involvement in practical initiatives and extensive lecturing, Rudolf Steiner had little time to write books. Of those he did write - belonging almost entirely to the earlier years of his work - four titles form an indispensable introduction to his later teaching: Knowledge of the Higher Worlds, Theosophy, The Philosophy of Freedom and Occult Science. The anthroposophy of Rudolf Steiner is not a theoretical system, but the results of research based on direct observation. As Steiner's research was so vast and conducted over such a long period of time, no single book can be said to contain the whole of his spiritual teaching. However, of all his books Occult Science comes closest. Steiner even referred to it as 'an epitome of anthroposophical spiritual science'. The book sets out, in systematic order, the fundamental facts concerning the nature and constitution of the human being and, in chronological order, the history of the universe and man. Whereas the findings of natural science are derived from observations made through the senses, the findings of spiritual science, or anthroposophy, are 'occult' inasmuch as they derive from direct observation of realities which are hidden to everyday perception. And yet these elements of humanity and the universe form the foundation of the sense world. A substantial part of Occult Science is occupied by a description of the preliminary training which is necessary to make such spiritual observations. Although Occult Science is not all-inclusive, it is indispensable to any serious student seeking to master Rudolf Steiner's extraordinary philosophy.

Reverse Ritual
Reverse Ritual

Author: Rudolf Steiner

Publisher: SteinerBooks

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 9780880104876

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Religious ritual is often seen as a way of bringing divine influences down into the material world. In this profound and stimulating work, Rudolf Steiner and Friedrich Benesch introduce the idea of "reverse ritual"--a way that each of us can raise our souls to the spiritual realm. In this process, the everyday world becomes a portal through which we can enter the dimension of the sacred. Here, each of us can be a "priest," and each of our actions can be a cosmic, ritual act. This stimulating collection of writings on spiritual communion of humanity includes two further lectures by Steiner that show how this process can engage our social lives. Also included are two additional essays as appendices: "Sacramental and Spiritual Communion" by Dietrich Asten and "Human Encounters and Karma" by Athys Floride. The introduction by Christopher Schaefer brings these ideas into focus for modern seekers. Contents: Part One: "The Spiritual Communion of Humanity" (5 lectures from GA 219) Part Two: "Preparing for the Sixth Epoch" Part Three: Commentaries by Friedrich Benesch Appendices: Selections from Dietrich Asten: "Spiritual and Sacramental Communion" & Athys Floride: "Human Encounters and Karma."

The Michael School
The Michael School

Author: Peter Selg

Publisher: Steiner Books

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781621481553

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When Rudolf Steiner embarked on the esoteric lessons of the First Class in the newly founded Esoteric School at the Goetheanum, he suggested that the School for Spiritual Science as an esoteric institution had, in the years preceding the Christmas Foundation Meeting of 1923, become estranged from its intrinsic task. This volume closely investigates those matters--to which Steiner referred only briefly--tracing the development of Rudolf Steiner's idea of the School in relation to the Michael community, which he first discussed at length in his lectures on karma, given in parallel to the First Class lessons. This book also describes Ita Wegman's path and her mission in connection with these undertakings. CONTENTS Foreword 1. The School of Spiritual Science 2. The Michael School and the First Class 3. Ita Wegman's Path Appendix: The Ritual of Admission into Joint Leadership of the Michael School The Relationship with the School: Teachers, physicians, and priests in 1924