8 lectures plus extracts and notes (CW 286)

This collection introduces Rudolf Steiner's vision of architecture as a culmination of the arts. Such architecture unites sculpture, painting, and engraving as well as drama, music and dance--a vital synthesis of all the arts working in cooperation through the common ideal of awakening us to our individuality and task in life.

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Steiner's ideas did not remain abstract. Within his lifetime he was able to design and construct a number of buildings, including his architectural masterpiece, the...

The wisdom contained in this book is not derived via the usual methods of scholarly and historical research, and neither is it based on theory or speculation. Rudolf Steiner acquired his original contribution to human knowledge from metaphysical dimensions of reality which are hidden to most people – but visible to anybody who is prepared to develop spiritual means of perception. With his philosophical and scientific training, Steiner brought a new systematic discipline to the field of spiritual research, allowing for fully conscious methods and comprehensive results. A natural seer, he...

The remarkable discussions in these two volumes took place between Rudolf Steiner and workers at the Goetheanum, Switzerland, who chose the varied subject matter. The astonishing nature of his responses the questions--their insight, knowledge, and spiritual depth--is testimony to his outstanding ability as a spiritual initiate and teacher. Accessible and stimulating, the records of these sessions are both entertaining and profound.
In From Crystals to Crocodiles, Steiner discusses

• speech and languages;
• lefthandedness;
• dinosaurs;
• Lemuria;...

Modern science cannot speak with justifiable authority about more than only a tiny fraction of the Earth's interior. We have, literally, scratched just the surface of our planet. Can we know what lies beneath our feet in the unimaginable depths of the Earth? Can spiritual investigation give us answers to our questions about something virtually impossible to perceive through our physical senses?

Rudolf Steiner's discussions of the subterranean spheres are gathered, along with notes and an introduction, for the first time in this comprehensive volume. His unique overview pictures of the...

According to the research of initiate Rudolf Steiner, humanity is in a continual process of transformation and evolution. Modern consciousness, based primarily on sensory perception and abstract logic, differs considerably from the consciousness of ancient human beings. Steiner tells us that the ancients saw human beings as microcosms, or concentrations, of cosmic laws and activities. The loss of such knowledge has led to an existential quest for meaning and even the cul-de-sac we know as atheism.

In these comprehensive lectures, delivered to an English audience, Steiner discusses the...

Given the upsurge of interest in complementary therapies and treatments, medical researchers are gradually being pressured to reassess and expand their knowledge of the structure and organization of the whole human body. Despite advances in modern technology, there are vast areas of human physiological activity that remain undetectable to conventional scientific observation. Those processes, according to Rudolf Steiner, are related to spiritual forces and beings.

In these revealing lectures, Steiner concentrates on the relationship between those forces and the human physical organs. In...

7 lectures (of 9), St. Gallen, Zurich, and Dornach, November 15-25, 1917 (CW 178)

In the age of the internet and the proliferation of "conspiracy theories," ideas that secret groups are trying to gain control of humanity are no longer rare. But this was not true in 1917 when Rudolf Steiner spoke of such matters in the extraordinary lectures contained in this book. His unique contribution to this controversial topic is not based on abstract theories; it arose from exact research methods that use advanced forms of perception and cognition.

Using the firsthand...

Ahriman is a significant figure of Persian mythology. Rudolf Steiner, however, spoke of Ahriman as an actual, living spiritual entity. This being, he said, works to embed human beings firmly into their physicality, thus encouraging dull, materialistic attitudes and a coarse, dry intellect. In these extraordinary lectures, Steiner assumes a rare prophetic mode. He talks about an actual incarnation of Ahriman on Earth and the potential consequences of this event. Just as Christ incarnated in a physical body, so would Ahriman incarnate in the Western world--before "a part" of the third...

In volume 2, Rudolf Steiner takes these lectures further, again, offering much insight into today's political spin, media distortions, propaganda and downright lies--all delivered by the media on a daily basis. Steiner's calm, methodological approach penetrates the smokescreen of accusations and counterclaims, illusions and lies, surrounding World War I. From behind this fog and under the guise of outer events, the true spiritual struggle is revealed. Steiner's words give the reader a deeper understanding of the politics and world conflicts that confront us today through the filter of popular...

1 lecture, Zurich, October 16, 1918 (CW 182)

"Once one has passed through powerlessness and re-finds oneself, one also finds Christ. Before we can gain access to the Christ Impulse we must plumb the depths of our own feelings of insignificance, and this can only happen when we view our strengths and capacities without any pride." --Rudolf Steiner

How does one find the Christ today? Steiner emphasizes the importance of working toward knowing one's Self ("I" being), the significance of experiencing powerlessness, and the eventual resurrection from...