The School of Spiritual Science

Author: Johannes Kühl
Publisher: Temple Lodge Publishing
ISBN: 1906999163
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 145

Book Description
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.

Constitution of the School of Spiritual Science

Author: Rudolf Steiner
Publisher: Rudolf Steiner Press
ISBN: 185584382X
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 86

Book Description
"If the intentions of the Christmas Conference are to be carried out, the Anthroposophical Society will in future have to fulfill, insofar as possible, the esoteric aspirations of its members. With this end in view, the School, consisting of three Classes, will be established within the General Society." --Rudolf Steiner, January 1924 A year after the first Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland, was destroyed by fire, Rudolf Steiner reestablished the Anthroposophical Society during the Christmas Conference of 1923-24. At the very heart of the Society, he created "The School of Spiritual Science," whose specific task is to present the "esoteric aspect" and to lead its members to knowledge and experience of the spirit. The school was to have "sections" that represent various fields of human endeavor, including medicine and education, as well as three "classes," of which the First Class was to be established immediately by Rudolf Steiner himself. This short book collects articles (from the society's official newsletter) and lectures by Steiner in 1924 that introduce and explain the purpose of The School of Spiritual Science for members of the Anthroposophical Society. This book is an excellent companion volume to The Foundation Stone/The Life, Nature and Cultivation of Anthroposophy.

The School of Spiritual Science

Author: C. Kaliks et al.
Publisher: Temple Lodge Publishing
ISBN: 1915776163
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 120

Book Description
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.

Rudolf Steiner and the School for Spiritual Science

Author: Peter Selg
Publisher: Steiner Books
ISBN: 9781621480181
Category : Anthroposophy
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
"Following Rudolf Steiner's death, the mysteries cannot be revealed further at the present time, but we must continue to cultivate a living, not only rational but also ritual, continuity of the mystery contents he has given, passing them to people who did not know Rudolf Steiner and yet seek to connect with him esoterically and not just intellectually" (Ludwig Count Polzer-Hoditz). Since Rudolf Steiner's death in 1925, little has been written about the "First Class" of the School for Spiritual Science in Dornach. The Class continues as an esoteric institution in the hearts of its disciples and in the mantras and meditations. This meditative work is hidden from view, yet, behind the scenes, it lives on in the inner striving for development of soul and spirit that is part of any mystery school. Rudolf Steiner himself guarded the content of the Class Lessons strictly, only intimating to members of the General Society that his esoteric school existed and how it worked. In this book, Peter Selg provides a context for the "reading" of the Class Lessons, the School for Spiritual Science itself, as well as for Rudolf Steiner's intentions for such an esoteric undertaking. The School for Spiritual Science was the work of an initiate, and through the esoteric collaboration of Rudolf Steiner and those who worked with him a Christian mystery center began to unfold. But Steiner's aim has not yet been achieved. Intense work is still needed for its realization--unwavering efforts with awareness of the foundations Rudolf Steiner laid down and consciousness of the mystery dimension of the endeavor. As an aspect of that wider mystery dimension, Peter Selg also looks back to Ita Wegman as Rudolf Steiner's "helper" in the First Class. He seeks to leave behind the conflicts of the 1920s and 1930s as Ita Wegman herself left them behind her. As Ita Wegman said, "For me the matter is settled. There are so many misunderstandings that I consider it better to leave things well alone. We all thought we were doing the right thing. Looking forward is more important now than looking back." In its exploration of the First Class, Rudolf Steiner and the School for Spiritual Science provides a much-needed perspective on what ought to be at the very heart of Anthroposophy and the movement for Spiritual Science that Rudolf Steiner brought into the world.

A History of the School of Spiritual Science

Author: Johannes Kiersch
Publisher: Temple Lodge Publishing
ISBN: 9781902636801
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 298

Book Description
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."

Perspectives and Initiatives in the Times of Coronavirus

Author: Ueli Hurter
Publisher: Rudolf Steiner Press
ISBN: 1855845148
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 182

Book Description
The School of Spiritual Science, with its headquarters at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland, has eleven sections that are active worldwide in research, development, teaching and the practical implementation of research results. During the early stages of the Corona pandemic of 2020, the sections of the School made individual contributions to the crisis in the form of sixteen essays that offer insights, perspectives and approaches to tackling the challenges of Coronavirus through spiritual-scientific knowledge and practice.The work of each of the School's sections seeks to develop anthroposophy – as founded by Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) – in a contemporary context through the core disciplines of general anthroposophy, medicine, agriculture, pedagogy, natural science, mathematics and astronomy, literary and visual arts and humanities, performing arts and youth work.The featured essays include: Creating Spaces of Inner Freedom – Training Approaches in Times of Uncertainty and Fear; The Hidden Sun – Reality, Language and Artin Corona Times; Consequences of COVID-19 – Perspectives of Anthroposophic Medicine; Aspects of Epidemic Infectious Diseases in Rudolf Steiner's Work; Challenges and Perspectives of the Corona Crisis in the Agricultural and Food Industry; Corona and Biodynamic Agriculture; Our Relationship with Animals; The Part and the Whole –On the Cognitive Approach of Anthroposophical Natural Science; Comparing the Constellations of the Corona Pandemic and the Spanish Flu; Aspects of Dealing with the Corona Crisis for Youth; 'Crisis Implies that it's Unclear...as to What,How, Why and by Whom Things Need to be Done'; Education in Times of Corona; Understanding History from the Future – Crisis as Opportunity; Social Challenges and Impulses of the COVID-19 Pandemic; Consequences of COVID-19 –The Perspective of Anthroposophic Curative Education, Social Pedagogy, Social Therapy and Inclusive Social Development; A Medicalized Society?

Approaches to Anthroposophy

Author: Rudolf Steiner
Publisher: Rudolf Steiner Press
ISBN: 9781855841512
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 80

Book Description
These lectures provide an excellent introduction to some of the leading themes of anthroposophy. Steiner carefully corrects certain misunderstandings that had arisen regarding his spiritual-scientific research and demonstrates how anthroposophy has nothing whatever to do with mysticism or spiritualism; nor is it simply a revival of ancient esoteric teachings. Rather, it is a genuinely modern spiritual teaching for Western humanity that builds upon the achievements of science and develops its exact methodology further into the investigation of spiritual realities through the awakening of higher organs of perception.

An Introduction to Anthroposophical Medicine

Author: Victor Bott
Publisher: Rudolf Steiner Press
ISBN: 1855843137
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 218

Book Description
In modern times western societies have become increasingly familiar and at ease with many complementary and alternative types of medicine, often derived from eastern sources. Rudolf Steiner's anthroposophical medicine, founded in the early part of the twentieth century, is a renewal of the original sources of western medicine. However, unlike many modern medical practices based on reductionist, materialistic thought, Steiner's truly holistic system encompasses a picture of the human being as an entity of body, soul and spirit. Anthroposophical medicine seeks to bring harmony to these various aspects of the human constitution. Victor Bott, a medical doctor, gives a comprehensive overview of this remarkable system of medicine, and presents a new approach to understanding the various types of diseases. His survey includes a discussion of the stages of human development, the roles of various organs such as the lungs, liver, kidneys and heart, particular diseases of many kinds, and pointers as to why people fall ill in the first place. He also discusses the increasing prevalence of cancer, and gives insights into specific phenomena such as the menstrual cycle. This volume will be illuminating both for medical practitioners and therapists who wish to learn more about anthroposophical medicine, and for patients who would like a deeper understanding of a key medical approach.

The First Class Lessons and Mantras

Author: Rudolf Steiner
Publisher: Rudolf Steiner's Esoteric Lega
ISBN: 9781621481737
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
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.

Rudolf Steiner's Intentions for the Anthroposophical Society

Author: Peter Selg
Publisher: SteinerBooks
ISBN: 0880108266
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 98

Book Description
Although the fruits of Anthroposophy --Waldorf education, biodynamic agriculture, Camphill, anthroposophic medicine, and so on --are relatively well known and moderately successful, their relationship to Anthroposophy and its vehicle for transmission, the General Anthroposophical Society, and the School for Spiritual Science, remains mysterious and unclear; sadly, the same is true of the meaning and purpose of those institutions. Related to this is the fact that, though these offshoots of Anthroposophy are well known, eighty-five years after his death and eighty-seven years after the re-formation of the Anthroposophical Society, what Rudolf Steiner brought into the world, what entered the world through him and what he sought to accomplish --that is, what spiritual science and spiritual-scientific research are and how one practices them --remain virtually unknown. In other words, something essential has been forgotten. Written both in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Rudolf Steiner's birth and in the context of the long-standing, episodically erupting, and ongoing confusion surrounding the mission and task of the Anthroposophical Society, Peter Selg seeks to recover what has perhaps been forgotten or overlooked in Rudolf Steiner's own words and life. He does so by describing, clearly and objectively, the historical background of Steiner's vision of the "civilizational task" of Anthroposophy and how he had hoped it might be accomplished. This book has two parts. First, the author offers a lucid description of the development and gradual sharpening --in the face of the crisis of Western culture epitomized by World War I and its aftermath --of the vision of spiritual science as a truly Michaelic task for the Michael Age. In part two, Peter Selg takes up the events following Rudolf Steiner's death, outlining deftly and subtly the struggles and developments that ensued, commenting tactfully on the questions and perspectives that arose and continue to arise. Rudolf Steiner's Intentions for the Anthroposophical Society is for all those who care about the reality and future of Anthroposophy. Originally published in German as Der Vorstand, die Sektionen und die Gesellschaft. Welche Hochschule wollte Rudolf Steiner? by Ita Wegman Institute for Basic Research into Anthroposophy.