Four of Rudolf Steiner's best-loved lectures are collected in this book. They are some of the most accessible presentations of the anthroposophic approach to life available in English. Included are:

• Practical Training in Thought
• Overcoming Nervousness
• Facing Karma
• The Four Temperaments

The first lecture concerns the fundamental human activity of thinking. Everything we do, we do through thinking. The first task, then, is to realize the reality of thinking. To help us do this, Steiner gives exercises that will allow us to experience the cognitive, even...

14 lectures, Munich, May 22- June 6, 1907 (CW 99)

The work of Rudolf Steiner is unique in the way it combines esoteric teaching with practical suggestions for the development of social life. Indeed, we know Steiner today mostly because of the various applications of his ideas in such areas as education, medicine, and agriculture. However, society could not have developed any of these without the coherent and profound body of spiritual knowledge at the core of Steiner's work.

In Rosicrucian Wisdom--one of Rudolf Steiner's most complete introductions to...

What is the meaning of Life? Rudolf Steiner discusses this ancient enigma with refreshing directness, offering profound and enlighten-ing answers. In this inspiring collection of talks, Steiner speaks on themes related to health, reincarnation, destiny, luck, and the trials of modern life. Most of these talks were originally published in booklet form and have been out of print for some years.

The variety of topics is unified by the fact that all the lectures address practical and fundamental issues facing us in our modern lives: "Growth, Decay and Reincarnation," "Human Participation in...

'Leading thoughts' and 'Letters' written for members of the Anthroposophical Society (CW 26)

"The leading thoughts here given are meant to open up subjects for study and discussion. Points of contact with them will be found in countless places in the anthroposophic books and lecture courses, so that the subjects thus opened up can be enlarged upon and the discussions in the groups centered around them."
--Rudolf Steiner

This key volume contains Rudolf Steiner's "leading thoughts," or guiding principles, and related letters to members of the...

This collection of special prayers is a wonderful companion for parents and caregivers and will help guide children on their journey to adulthood. It includes verses for every occasion--for parents to recite as the incarnating soul prepares for birth, for the baby after birth, and for children of all ages. Also included are prayers for morning and evening and graces for mealtimes.

A lecture by Rudolf Steiner provides context for the prayers, offering insight into the greater cosmic relationships in which individuals are immersed before birth, during life, and after death.

Although this book was first published in 1919, it remains highly relevant to social problems encountered today. Uniquely, Steiner's social thinking is not based on intellectual theory, but on a profound perception of the archetypal spiritual nature of social life. As he suggests in this classic work, society has three distinct realms--the economic, the political (individual human rights), and the cultural (spiritual). While social life as a whole is a unity, the autonomy of these three sectors should be respected if our increasing social problems are to be resolved.

Steiner...

These five profound lectures look at the cosmic forces behind the four great festivals of the year, providing a wealth of material for fruitful thought and meditation. Steiner presents great imaginative pictures that unite the heavens and the Earth through a portrayal of the activities of the archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel.

In the course of the lectures, Rudolf Steiner offers spiritual insight into subjects that include the alchemical processes of sulfur, mercury, and salt in the cosmos; the realms of humankind and plants; spiritual "combustion" processes; crystals;...

In 1924--in response to questions about the depletion of soils and a general deterioration of crops and livestock--Rudolf Steiner gave eight lectures on "the spiritual foundations for a renewal of agriculture." Based on his suggestions and spiritual science, generations of farmers, gardeners, viticulturist, and researchers developed biodynamics as a healing, nurturing, holistic, ecological, organic, and spiritual approach to a sustainable care of the Earth.

Biodynamic methods consider the farm or garden to be a self-contained organism, embedded in the living landscape of the Earth, which...

Lectures to 57 priests in Dornach Sept 5-22, 1924 (CW 346)

John's Book of Revelation, the Apocalypse, has been subjected to countless theological and academic interpretations over the years, usually based on theories and abstract speculations. Rudolf Steiner, however, discussed the Book of Revelation through direct experience and knowledge of the spiritual truths contained in John's mysterious imagery.

Rudolf Steiner had already presented his insights on the Apocalypse to various audiences, but in 1924 he presented a completely new perspective. This time, his...

These talks were given in 1923--three and a half years after the founding of the first Waldorf school--to an audience of Swiss school teachers, most of whom have little knowledge of anthroposophy. This is the context of these lectures, among Steiner's most accessible on education.

A teacher who attended the lectures wrote in the Berne School Paper:

Every morning, as we listened anew to Dr. Steiner, we felt we had come closer to him and understood better what he had to say and how he had to say it. Daily, we newcomers gathered, asking ourselves, "Why are more of our colleagues...