11 lectures, Aug. 28, 1923-Aug. 29, 1924 (CW 319)

"Rudolf Steiner's model of a spiritualized medicine could hold the key for the next growth phase in Western medicine, if it is to survive, flourish, and become consistently and deeply therapeutic instead of merely palliative." --Richard Leviton, author of Imagination of Pentecost: Rudolf Steiner & Contemporary Spirituality

Rudolf Steiner, a scientist by training, lectured and wrote, at different times on medical subjects and advised physicians on their work. His view of medicine was both...

10 lectures, Helsinki, April. 3-14, 1912 (CW 136)

In the architecture of Rudolf Steiner's great cosmological temple, this extraordinary course of lectures on spiritual beings forms the central pillar with other important texts such as the fourth chapter of An Outline of Esoteric Science (CW 13); The Spiritual Hierarchies and the Physical World (CW 136); and Inner Experiences of Evolution (CW 132). These works--outlining a revolutionary angelological cosmology--are at the heart of Steiner's mission to transform our understanding of the world by laying down a...

Notes written from memory by the participants and meditation verses by Rudolf Steiner (CW 266/2)

In this second of three volumes from Rudolf Steiner's early Esoteric School, we find a further deepening of spiritual practice and training. Steiner explains the requirements one must meet to become a serious student of esotericism. In addition, he gives directions--always emphasizing the increasing need for earnestness--for the transformation of the inner life, for the development of new spriritual forces and capacities, and for recognizing and overcoming the dangers that arise on a spiritual...

10 lectures, various cities, Jan.-Dec. 1913 (CW 150)

"By cultivating spiritual thoughts here on Earth we can provide nourishment for the dead.... When fields lie fallow, they produce no crops to feed humanity, and people may die of starvation. The dead cannot die of starvation, of course; all they can do is suffer when spiritual life lies fallow on Earth." --Rudolf Steiner


The founding of the Anthroposophical Society in 1913 marked a major change in Rudolf Steiner's work. Although Steiner had always been an independent spiritual researcher, the break...

Returning from travels in war-torn Europe, Rudolf Steiner gives a stark impression of the disastrous conditions of the time, encouraging deeper esoteric work as a counter to the world situation. Speaking under the broad theme of human development in the light of Anthroposophy, he analyzes the gulf between contemporary culture and science--which he says are characterized by "narrow-mindedness, ignorance and ineptitude"--and a scientific approach to the spirit. Steiner is clear about the shortcomings of his followers, mentioning past failures and a continuing tendency toward sectarianism and...

Rudolf Steiner's teachings of Christ--and in particular what he calls the "Christ impulse"--are unique. Christ, he says, is an objective universal force that exists independently of Christian churches and creeds, working for all humanity. The impulse that Christ brought to Earth acts to advance all people, irrespective of religion, creed, or race. Speaking in Berlin while still a representative of the largely Eastern-oriented Theosophical Society, Steiner presents multifaceted perspectives on the Christ impulse based on his independent spiritual research--from the vast cycles of time that...

Taking a truly holistic approach, Steiner tackles an eclectic series of subjects throughout these sixteen lectures, all united by the common theme of rediscovering how spirit pervades life. In addition to a focus on education in several lectures, he discusses experiences during sleep; the human spirit and soul between death and a new birth; how spirit "sculpts" the human organism; Christ from the perspective of Anthroposophy; the battle between luciferic and ahrimanic beings for human nature; karma and the creation of conditions for our return to a new life on Earth; human experience of the...

Steiner describes polarities of illness and derives courses of treatment from a comprehensive analysis. He considers many individual cases in detail and gives indications on therapeutic exercises, diet, and medicine. The "I," he states, relates directly to the physical body, and the spirit and soul need to be considered when making diagnoses. Throughout the lectures, Steiner offers valuable advice for the self-development of educators, emphasizing the need for enthusiasm, humor, and courage. As with Steiner's lectures on agriculture, this course has had a huge international impact, inspiring...

By "mantric sayings," Rudolf Steiner means content given by the spiritual world to be absorbed and experienced in meditation. Thus the volume contains intuitive insights received "from the spiritual world" and, as such, the vehicle to return us to it. The meditations were often given personally to others for general use, as well as for specific situations or needs such as healing and strengthening, in relation to those who had died, or for anthroposophic work. In other words, these short texts are to be performed--to be experienced. In this sense, they are directive--enjoining us to "Do this...

Rudolf Steiner understood that the history of art is a field in which the evolution of consciousness is symptomatically and transparently revealed. This informal sequence of thirteen lectures was given during the darkest hours of World War I. It was a moment when the negative consequences of what he called the age of the consciousness soul, which began around 1417, were made most terribly apparent. In these lectures he sought to provide an antidote to pessimism. After describing the movement of consciousness from Greece into Rome, coupled with influences from the Orthodox East, he showed how...