What does it mean to be human? Human development unfolds in a twofold way. On the one hand, there is an ever-more profound incarnation, or "inhabitation," of the physical body. On the other hand, there is the increasing discrimination of the individual objects of the world.Difficulties and obstacles along this path can lead to so-called disabilities. König's approach to curative education allows us to see these disabilities as meaningful ways of coping with or resolving the various...

11 lectures, Aug. 28, 1923-Aug. 29, 1924 (CW 319)"The anthroposophical approach to medicine and healing has been waiting in the wings of conventional Western medicine for more than seventy-five years. Now with the burgeoning acceptance of alternative, natural medicine in North America, anthroposophical medicine may finally take its rightful place at center stage. Why? Because it offers something that both alternative and conventional models lack: a

Written in 1909 (CW 13)"Esoteric science is the science of what takes place esoterically, in the sense that it is perceived not outside in nature but where one's soul turns when it directs its inner being toward the spirit. Esoteric science is the opposite and counterpart of natural science." -- Rudolf SteinerThis masterwork of esotericism places humankind at the very heart of the vast, invisible processes of cosm...

15 discussions with teachers of the Stuttgart Waldorf School, Aug. 21 - Sept. 6, 1919; 3 lectures on the curriculum, Sept. 6, 1919 (CW 295)"In spiritual science we divide the human being into 'I'-being, astral body, etheric body, and physical body. In an ideal human being, the harmony predestined by the cosmic plan would naturally predominate among these four human principles. But in reality, this is not so with any individual. Thus, it can be seen tha...

10 lectures, Basel, September 15-26, 1909 (CW 114)Rudolf Steiner was born with clairvoyant capacities, but it was not until he was forty that he could connect his inner experiences with Jesus Christ. After that "solemn festival of knowledge," as he described it in his Autobiography, Steiner received ceaseless revelations about the significance of the Christ's incarnation. For the next twenty years, he spoke of the hidden background to all four gospels, the...

12 lectures, Berne, September 1-12, 1910 (CW 123)"If we read [Steiner's] lectures with an open and attentive inner eye, we may be able to see the Christ mystery, not as a collection of dogmas or facts, but as a spiritual impulse that stretches far beyond the limits of Christ's own time and even of the lifespan of Christianity itself. We may even catch a glimpse of the high powers that govern the life of civilizations and of the great entity known as th...

"He listened extremely attentively, apparently not looking at me at all, but totally devoted to my words." --Franz Kafka"The only love that you can show me is to call me anytime, day or night, when you need me." --Rudolf Steiner (to Friedrich Rittelmeyer)For Peter Selg, if Anthroposophy to be a living reality, we must learn to know and love Rudolf Steiner as he appeared to those who knew and loved him: namely, as ...

6 lectures, Berlin, March 24-June 7, 1905;2 lectures, Nov. 7, 1905 & Oct. 22, 1908;Questions & Answers, 1904-1922 (CW 324)The point, line, plane and solid objects represent the first three dimensions, but a kind of reversal of space is involved in the ascent to a fourth dimension. Steiner leads us to the brink of this new perspective--as nearly as it can be done with words, diagrams, analogies, and examples of many kinds. In doing so, he continues his...

Written in 1904 (CW 9)Theosophy is a key work for gaining a solid footing in spiritual reality as described by Rudolf Steiner. It is organized into four parts. First, Steiner builds a comprehensive understanding of human nature: physical bodily nature; soul qualities; spirit being, or "I"-being; and the higher spiritual aspects. This leads us to Steiner's description of the human being as sevenfold:• Material, physical body• Eth...

Rudolf Steiner received The Fifth Gospel--unrecorded events from the so-called lost years of the life of Jesus, obtained by grace and by spiritual research into the akashic record--as a "sacred obligation" to which he experienced a deep sense of responsibility. However, he never finished the project of unveiling it. Had he done so, not only Anthroposophy but also Christianity would have received an enormous spiritual gift: a concrete, soul-filled description of the Mystery of Golg...

"We are separated from the spiritual worlds only by states of consciousness, not by spatial circumstances. States of consciousness are what separate us." --Rudolf SteinerRudolf Steiner saw relationships with the dead as the "religious attitude of the future" in the highest sense. Becoming comfortable with thinking and speaking of the dead as concretely as we speak of the living will profoundly affect human activity. To Steiner, the "enliv...

12 lectures in various cities, March 21 - July 11, 1922 (CW 211)"We must understand that if we relate only to dead matter, we ourselves become dead and ahrimanic, but if we have sufficient courage and love for all the beings around us to relate to them directly (not to our dead ideas about them), we discover the Christ in everything and victorious spirit everywhere. When this happens, we may need to speak in ways that seem paradoxical to our contempora...