traveling light

Transcription

traveling light

Books for Spirit, Soul, Body & Ear th — plus Exclusive Ar ticles & Excerpts
SteinerBooks
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ww w .s teinerbo o ks . org 703-661-1594
Renewal Courses 2008
Join us in the peaceful rolling hills of Southern New Hampshire for a
5-day retreat of reflection, artistic immersion, and social sharing. This
year’s course titles bring personal rejuvenation and social renewal
through anthroposophical study, art, healthy food and good fun.
WEEK 1: JUNE 29-JULY 4
Turning Darkness into Light: How Can
We Live a Spiritual Life in a
Materialistic World?
with MariJo Rogers and Torin Finser
Practical Arts in Grades 1, 2, & 3: Bringing the Curriculum into the Hands of
Children with Elizabeth Auer
WEEK 2: JULY 6-11
Awakening to Nature: Biodynamic Gardening & Nature Observation as a Path of
Spiritual Development with Chris Korrow
Teaching the World Languages: From
Imagination to Cognition with Lori
Johnson, Robert Sim and Julia Nunez
The Quest for Social Renewal: The Threefold Nature of Our Society and the Role of
Money with Michael Spence
The Art of the Actor/ The Art of Living:
Transformation and Renewal through
Imagination, Movement, and Space
with Glen Williamson
Light, Darkness and Color:
Veilpainting to Keep the Heart Warm
with Karine Munk Finser
Transformational Cooking: Cooking
from Within with Master Chef Hiroshi
Hayashi and Barbara Sustick
Personal and Organization Renewal:
From Survival to Success with Leonore
Russell and Torin Finser, with guest
presentation by Siegfried Finser
Deepening the Waldorf Curriculum through
Painting, Drawing, and Clay Modelling in
6th, 7th & 8th Grade with Georg Locher
Yellow Sound: A Creativity Studio in Poetry
and Visual Arts with Patrice Pinette
and Susan Quaglia Brown, with guest
presentation by Thomas Moore
Transformation of Self through Intuitive
Thinking and Artistic Perception with
Georg Locher, Douglas Gerwin and
Martha Rose Kelder
Keep Them Moving! How to Enliven the
Curriculum in the 6th, 7th & 8th Grades
with Christopher Sblendorio
Teaching the Sciences in Grades 7 & 8:
Anatomy, Physiology, Physics, Chemistry
with Roberto Trostli
The Healing Art of Handwork: Creating a
Stuffed Animal with Sandy Pearson and
Teresita Gomez
Teaching the Sciences in Grades 5 & 6:
Botany, Geology, Astronomy and Physics
with Roberto Trostli
CONTACT: Karine Munk Finser, Coordinator
P. O. Box 545, Wilton, NH 03086
telephone 603.654.2566 • fax 603.654.5258
[email protected] • www.centerforanthroposophy.org
Projective Geometry with Jamie York
The Extra Lesson for the Whole Class:
Helping Children and Adolescents Overcome
Hindrances with Connie Helms and
Hanneke van Riel
The Art of the Puppet:
Archetypes Versus Stereotypes
with Janene Ping
Preparing for the Sixth Epoch
with Christopher Bamford
During springtime, fresh growth and
renewal surround us in the world, which we
can feel reflected in our own lives. When we
turn that feeling into action, we not only begin
to improve our own well-being, but we also
affect our communities and the Earth itself
in positive ways. This Spring Reader focuses
on our participation in the cycles of nature, soul, and spirit.
Here, you will find new and noteworthy books in which the
authors encourage us to go beyond ourselves through interactions with the Earth and communities, through the food
we grow and consume, and through the ways in which we
develop ourselves inwardly.
Of special note are two new books by Marko Pogacnik, in
which he shows ways to view and heal the Earth and, in the
process, ourselves. We are also pleased to publish Traveling
Light: Walking the Cancer Path, a special and unique work
from the heart by William Ward. The recent and popular
Green Hermeticism: Alchemy and Ecology by Peter Lamborn
Wilson, Christopher Bamford, and Kevin Townley connects
Western esoteric streams with the ways we care for nature.
New additions to the Collected Works of Rudolf Steiner
include Death as Metamorphosis of Life (including “What
Does the Angel Do in Our Astral Body?” and “How Do I
Find Christ?”); Youth and the Etheric Heart (an appropriate
sequel to Becoming the Archangel Michael’s Companions);
and The Bhagavad Gita and the West, the classic that connects East and West in truly profound ways.
Also in this issue, we are pleased again to bring our readers
exclusive articles and excerpts. The growing concern over the
diminishing bee population prompted us to include Günther
Hauk’s excellent introduction to Bees, Rudolf Steiner’s deep,
prophetic lectures on these very important beings of nature.
Other excerpts are from Secrets of the Stations of the Cross
and the Grail Blood by Judith von Halle and from William
Ward’s Traveling Light, his account of the outer and inner
events following the diagnosis of a brain tumor. In addition,
we present a review by John H. Beck of Dostoevsky: The
Scandal of Reason, an important work by Professor Maria
Nemcová Banerjee. And from Christopher Bamford, “The
Gifts of Death,” his insightful talk at the recent “Befriending
Death” conference.
We hope you enjoy this issue and that you will be inspired
to share it with your friends and colleagues.
All best wishes,
Gene Gol logly
P. S. Your financial gifts are vital to our efforts to bring you a
wide range of literature on spiritual science and related issues.
The generous support of readers like you is greatly appreciated
and, of course, always tax-deductible. Please send your donation to SteinerBooks, PO Box 58, Hudson, NY 12534, or call
(413) 854-1125 for more information on how you can help.
please note: all prices are subject to change.
Copyright © 2008 SteinerBooks/Anthroposophic Press.
Spring Reader
Dear Friend,
Books
New & Featured Titles
2–45
Ar ticles
“Welcome back to Earth”
by Marko Pogacnik
5
“Bees — Introduction”
by Günther Hauk
30
“Transformation of the Fallen
Blood”
by Judith von Halle
46
“Dostoevsky:
A Book Review”
by John H. Beck
49
“The Gifts of Death”
by Christopher Bamford
52
“Traveling Light:
Walking the Cancer Path”
by William Ward
60
An Esoteric Cosmology
From the Foreword
by Edouard Schuré
64
“The Barfield School of
Sunbridge College”
by Gertrude Reif Hughes
66
Index
69
How to Order
71
New
Venice
Discovering a Hidden Pathway
Marko Pogacnik
I
n this book Marko Pogacnik reveals the inner meaning and patterns that
give Venice its unique beauty and transcendent atmosphere.
The tools for this inner work include the classic four elements of earth,
water, air, and fire; the Chinese polarity of yin and yang; and the alchemical
concept of creation as the wedding of feminine and masculine. Using this
process, he discovered that nothing in Venice is happenstance, including its
shape, which suggests a great fish; its overall layout, architecture, and location; the locations of palaces and places of worship; and even Venetian works
of art. The “hidden pathway” is revealed when he joins the results of his
intuitive research with rational modes of perception.
With gorgeous photography throughout by Bojan Brecelj and original
drawings by Marko, Venice: Discovering a Hidden Pathway offers not only
a new way to see and appreciate Venice, but also new insights and ways to
go beyond the surface of any cultivated cityscape.
G
SteinerBooks Spring Reader
2
iven the rapidity with
which rational thought
has developed during the last
two centuries, I can understand why, today, we find
ourselves in a world in which
we analyze everything in the
minutest detail. On the other
hand, we have largely lost the
ability to recognize the unity
of all things within the universe and the intimate place
each one of us occupies in it.
In this unbalanced situation
it is not surprising that I feel
drawn to the very opposite
of the rational, to the intuitive realm. Here, the separation of subject from object
ceases to exist; the structure
of space, which constantly
separates the personal psychic world from the worlds
of other beings and other
dimensions, tends to be transcended; the boundaries of
time are lifted, and the message of the past becomes relevant for the present.
Marko Pogacnik was born in 1944 in Kranj, Slovenia. He
studied sculpting at university and acquired an international
reputation in conceptual land art. He has developed this further
into Earth “lithopuncture,” with the goal of healing disturbed
landscapes and Earth’s power points. He leads seminars in environmental healing throughout the world and provides advice
on landscape matters for communities and businesses. He is
president of the Hagia Chora School for Geomancy in Germany
and is a faculty member of the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York. In
1997, he helped establish LIFEnet, a worldwide network for geomancy and
transformation. He is the author of numerous books, including Sacred Geography: Geomancy: Co-creating the Earth Cosmos (2008) and Turned Upside
Down: A Workbook on Earth Changes and Personal Transformation (2004).
isbn: 9781584200550
paperback
Lindisfarne Books
$35.00
9 x 8½ inches
264 pages
A l s o a va i l a b l e :
How Wide the Heart
The Roots of Peace in Palestine and Israel
Marko Pogacnik & Ana Pogacnik
T
he central purpose this book to help reestablish
a bridge to landscape. It describes ways that life
energy is anchored in a specific energetic structure in
the landscape surrounding the Sea of Galilee, revealing
the important role that this area plays and reflects.
isbn: 1584200391
paperback
Lindisfarne Books
$20.00
216 pages
New
Traveling Light
Walking the Cancer Path
William Ward
“A rare story of love, a unique kind of faith, and a reverence for the
committed life.” —Richard Grossman, psychotherapist and author
T
As we part, here at the edge of Death Valley, I feel like an old prospector
handing over a weather-stained chart. “You take this map, sonny. Where
I’m goin’ I won’t be needin’ it no more. But while you’re here on the
earthly plane, I want you to know there is water, the water of life, deep
down, right here. Yonder, atop Solomon’s knob, is the Mother Lode—pay
dirt, pure gold, the sun’s tears. The way up is steep. Just keep putting one
foot in front of the other. Up on top you can see forever.
Goodbye, God bless and good luck!”
William Ward is a native of Michigan. He majored in
English literature as an undergraduate at Columbia University and then studied elementary education at the Waldorf
Institute of Adelphi University, receiving a master’s degree
there. For the past twenty-five years, he has been a class
teacher at the Hawthorne Valley School in Harlemville, New York. A lover
of the theater, William has written many class plays and festival presentations and collaborated in all-school musical productions.
isbn: 9781584200611
paperback
Lindisfarne Books
$20.00
6 x 9 inches
240 pages
Read an excerpt from this book on page 60.
C
ancer is an illness that
has touched millions of
people one way or another.
Each
person
touched
becomes a seeker. Cancer
is not just the Grim Reaper,
stalking through the land
with his scythe. Cancer is a
mirror holding up a picture
of our time. It carries vital
life and death messages for
us that we urgently wish to
decipher. The most powerful
of these is the healing power
of love. The gentle influence
of love does not necessarily
stop or indefinitely delay the
spread of cancer, though that
is also a miraculous possibility and potent hope. But love
is the great healer of body,
soul, and spirit, both in life
and in life after death. Without the abundant love I have
received, I would not be able
to give back this story.
ww w. stein erb oo ks . or g a n y ti me — 7 03 - 6 6 1 - 1 594 9 a.m.–5 p.m. es t
his generous, courageous, and wise book offers a selfless glimpse behind
the curtain of a journey with cancer — from shock to inner rebirth and a
gradual discovery of light in the darkness.
William Ward has written a personal account of his life following a fateful
diagnosis of a brain tumor: gliablastoma multiforme Phase IV cancer. With
no trace of self-pity and rising above sentimentality, he describes the landscape of his outer path through hospitals, surgeons, pain, powerful drugs,
and the support of family, friends, and community. At the same time, with
fearless honesty he invites the reader to accompany him on his inner path of
inevitable regrets, self-examination, fears, and hopes in the face of a potentially terminal illness.
Until it happens to us, we can never know for sure how we would respond
as individuals to such a catastrophic event in life, but by telling the most
personal of all stories, William shows a way forward that goes well beyond
personal differences. With compassion and humor, Ward bears witness to the
presence of living light in the darkest of human experiences, demonstrating
how, if we face it, the Dark Night of the Soul necessarily leads to awaking in
the light of a new dawn.
Fierce hope shines through the final words of Traveling Light:
3
New
Sacred Geography
Geomancy: Co-creating the Earth Cosmos
26
X
S acred G eography
Landscape, Gea-consciousne
Marko Pogacnik
Exercise 1
While walking through a given landscape, move slowly and be fully present.
Imagine, as you move forward, stepping
deeply into the ground, beyond what is
physically possible (like walking on fresh
snow). Be conscious of any feelings,
images or sensations that may arise.
Exercise 2
Imagine that a double of yourself is walking in step with you, underground. With
each step forward, the double is moving
deeper into the earth. All the while you
are moving above your double. How do
you feel within your (real) body?
Once your double has moved so
deeply into the Earth that you cannot
follow it any longer, stop and unite with
it. How do you feel now? What quality
of information has your double gathered for you while walking through the
Earth?
Exercise 3
Imagine that while you walk you are carrying a double of yourself standing upon
your shoulders. Be open to unexpected
sensations, be centered, and be alert.
After you have walked several steps,
stop and let the information from your
double sink down into your body. How
does it feel? Then continue walking.
M
arko Pogacnik
has written several books based on the
results of his research
into and practice of
what he terms geomancy.
In this book, however,
he presents the fundamentals of this new science of the spirit. As the
author writes:
Geomancy
is
an
ancient word denoting knowledge of the
invisible and visible dimensions of the Earth and
its landscapes. I see it as an essential complement
to modern geography, which is interested exclusively in one level of reality, the material level
of existence. To convey the idea that geomantic
knowledge in a very specific way complements the
material point of view of geography, I refer to geomancy as “sacred geography.” By “sacred” I mean
that the task of geomancy in our present day is
not simply to foster public interest in etheric, emotional and spiritual levels of places and landscapes,
but also to promote a deeper, more loving, and
more responsible relationship toward the Earth,
the Cosmos, and all beings, visible and invisible.
This book is conceived not just as a theoretical introduction to the worlds of sacred geography, but primarily as a practical guide through
different dimensions of places and landscapes. It
includes more than 170 practical examples from
different parts of the world, all of them presented
as original drawings. Much of the text, drawings,
and exercises are intended to describe and explain
methods of pluri-dimensional perception, so that
the reader will feel encouraged and supported to
explore and develop her or his own experiences of
the geomantic phenomena presented in the book.
This is the essential text for an understanding of this
vital work.
isbn: 9781584200543
paperback
Lindisfarne Books
$20.00
248 pages
Earth Soul as a Life-Giving Goddess
We l c o m e b a c k t o t h e E a r t h !
f r o m S a c r e d G e o g ra p hy
as a civilization we have been folF
lowing the instructions of modern natural sciences
concerning the identity of the Earth and its landor too long
scapes. The results of a strict rational perception of
the planet’s life can now be seen all around the globe
in the form of innumerable degraded environments
and an alienated consciousness of the Earth’s inhabitants. The moment has arrived to recognize that the
classical natural sciences are insufficient to deal properly with the heritage of the Blue Planet. The moment
is ripe to search for another, more holistic approach
to the Earth’s identity and to its breath of life. Once
found and formulated, this holistic venue can become
a solid basis for developing a different, more loving
and cooperative approach to the living planet and its
evolutions.
One can see the ecological movement surging up
within the last three decades as a kind of alternative
to the classical natural sciences. Unfortunately, as a
daughter of classical natural sciences, ecology refers
to the same rational paradigm that does not allow the
Earth to be loved while being explored and protected.
As a result, ecological endeavors stay on the surface of
life’s web, ignoring the subtle dimension of Earth, its
beings, and its environments.
The holistic approach means not only to acknowledge all levels of existence, the so-called visible and
invisible, but also to foster a human presence within
the web of life. The moment has come to open to the
multidimensionality of the Earth and its evolutions.
The moment has come to renounce the highly prized
distance between the human being as a subject and the
Earth as the object of interest and research. Or, more
precisely, within the holistic paradigm, the subjectobject approach is only one of the possible entries to
the organism of the Earth. Knowledge equally rich can
be obtained through loving the Earth and perceiving it
through the means of one’s intuition.
Geomancy as an Alternative to
the Language of Geography
of a need to develop a holistic approach
Inessto theandEarth,
its vital-energy network, its consciousits sacred dimensions, we do not intend to
f we speak
revive one of the geomantic systems related to ancient
cultures and past epochs. The Earth is an organism of
constant change, and is even more rapidly affected by
cycles of transformation in human consciousness.
The effort invested into the present book project,
and the related practice, aims at formulating a basic
knowledge upon which an updated relationship to the
planetary organism/consciousness can be developed.
This new holistic relationship can further serve as an
inspiration toward a more harmonious way of cooperation between human culture and the Earth, locally
and globally.
It may sound a bit contradictory, but the holistic
language presented through this book project is called
“geomancy”—contradictory in the sense that we are
aiming at a modern approach to nature and the Earth
Cosmos, and yet we are using an ancient term. Geomancy is composed of two Greek words—one standing for the Earth (Gea, or Gaia)—and the other one
for divination (Gr. mantein)—Geomancy.
The decision to use the term geomancy refers to
the modern use of the name Gaia for the living and
conscious Earth. The term divination might properly
express our interest for the sacred and invisible dimensions of the Earth as complementary to those visible
and material extensions described through the language of geography.
Blending Ecology and Shamanic Tradition
What are the decisive steps we can take to develop
and support this new holistic approach, allowing geomancy to rise to public awareness and propose relevant solutions to our current planetary crisis? First of
all, forget about any geomancy teaching of the past!
The geomancy we are considering here rises out of the
creative imagination of many individuals who love the
Earth and its multifaceted cosmos, who are willing
to listen to its message without being attached to any
tradition.
Second, forget about any conceptual predispositions.
Experience is what secures a solid foundation for geomantic knowledge to be developed and made practical.
We must learn to listen to the multidimensional reality
of the Earth. Heart-to-heart experience is needed as a
basis upon which scientific patterns of understanding
can then be formulated.
Third, ecology has inspired us to undertake practical
steps in protecting life upon the Earth. However, in
order for our efforts to become more successful, we
need to integrate our common shamanic heritage that
all cultures worldwide share. What do we mean by the
shamanic heritage? Talk to the Earth, to the animals,
plants, and nature spirits. Be present within the whole
of which you are a holographic part. Talk to the stars,
to our ancestors who are our predecessors. Celebrate
the beauty and systematic order of the visible world,
yet also gather the knowledge of the Earth Cosmos
to which the eye of our mind might be blind. Find the
points of synergy. Combine inner experiences with the
capability of the rational mind to make geomantic
knowledge work practically in our epoch of crisis and
transformation.
Let us put aside our preconceptions. It is life that
matters!
A Holistic Approach to Natural Sciences
5
New
R
6
udolf Steiner (1861–1925)
was born in Kraljevic, Austria,
where he grew up the son of a
railroad station chief. As a young
man, he lived in Weimar and Berlin,
where he became a respected and
well-published scientific, literary,
and philosophical scholar, known
especially for his work with
Goethe’s scientific writings. At the
beginning of the twentieth century,
he began to develop his earlier
philosophical principles into an
approach to systematic research
into psychological and spiritual
phenomena. Formally beginning
his spiritual teaching career under
the auspices of the Theosophical
Society, Steiner came to use the
term Anthroposophy, or spiritual
science, for his philosophy,
spiritual
research,
and
its
results. The influence of Steiner’s
multifaceted genius has led to
innovative and holistic approaches
in holistic medicine and therapies,
philosophy, religious renewal,
Waldorf education, education
for special needs (including the
Camphill Village movement),
threefold economics, biodynamic
agriculture, Goethean science,
architecture, and the arts of
drama, speech, and eurythmy.
In 1924, Rudolf Steiner founded
the General Anthroposophical
Society, which today has branches
throughout the world. He died in
Dornach, Switzerland.
Death as
Metamorphosis of Life
Becoming the Archangel
Michael’s Companions
Including “What does the
Angel do in our Astral Body?”
& “How do I Find Christ?”
Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Steiner’s Challenge
to the Younger Generation
Rudolf Steiner
Introduction by Christopher Bamford
Translated by Sabine Seiler
13 lectures, Stuttgart, October 3–15,
1922 (CW 217)
7 Lectures, various cities, Nov. 29,
1917–Oct. 16, 1918 (CW
182)
H
ere, Steiner deals
with aspects of life
after death. The first
describes the three realms
after earthly life: that of
intense, surging sensation (sympathy
and antipathy); that of the ebb and flow
of will impulses that stream into the
human sphere, affecting in increasingly
wider circles human life on Earth (karmic relationships, animal existence);
and that of the spiritual hierarchies. As
Steiner says: “As I see it, my primary
mission these days is to make people
aware again, with the help of such
ideas, that the dead are working and
contributing to human development.”
The following lectures amplify this
mission in different ways, both explicitly and implicitly. At stake is the need
to understand that we are spiritual
beings and live in perpetual interaction with the spiritual world—not only
the dead, but also with Christ and the
angelic worlds. These realities, along
with the presence of the dead, permeate this book. The final two lectures
make this explicit with a clarion call to
awake to the demands of human evolution, which the entire spiritual world
is working for—freedom and love,
which in turn requires our work with
the angels and with Christ to overcome
egotism, the sole obstacle to the spirituality of the future.
isbn: 9780880106078
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160 pages
Translated by René M. Querido
“The younger generation is always
faced with the dilemma of being heir
to the old while about to become a
guide for the new.... This cycle of
lectures ‘to the younger generation’
speaks of a pathway to a Michaelic
harvest for ears that have the goodwill to hear.” —Carlo Pietzner
S
teiner gave these
lectures to about a
hundred German young
people who hoped to
bring Waldorf education
into the culture of their
time and for the future.
Steiner stressed upon his
listeners the great importance of “selfeducation” as a prerequisite to all other
education. His was an attempt to guide
the youth toward understanding themselves within the world situation.
Steiner showed how the stream
of generations had been interrupted
by eighteenth-century intellectuality,
emphasizing that they would have to
reject the general acceptance of impersonal social routine, dead intellectual
thinking, and personal and social egotism. Steiner discussed the need, instead,
for a form of education permeated
by art and feeling, which brings inner
nourishment that can grow throughout
one’s life. It was his view that, without such an education, society will not
reach a future built on moral love and
mutual human confidence—a truly
human culture.
isbn: 9780880106092
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SteinerBooks
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240 pages
New
Rudolf Steiner Speaks to the
Younger Generation
Rudolf Steiner
Translated by Catherine E. Creeger
16 lectures, various cities, 1920–1924
(CW 217a)
Cosmic New Year
Thoughts for New Year 1920
Rudolf Steiner
Translated by Peter Clemm
5 lectures, Stuttgart, December 18,
1919–January 4, 1920 (CW 195)
“Just as the ‘I’ was filled for the
human being of the past with atavistic, clairvoyant content, so in our
time our ‘I’ should fill itself with
a new spiritual content, received
in full consciousness, which once
again provides the tie that binds
our soul to the soul being of the
divine.” —Rudolf Steiner
The Spiritual Hierarchies
and the P hysical World
Zodiac, Planets & Cosmos
Rudolf Steiner
Translated by René M. Querido
10 lectures, 1909 (CW 110)
S
teiner affirms the human being
as an integral part of
an
evolving, dynamic unihese
lectures
verse
of living spiritual
describe the essence
beings:
a living universe,
of this lecture course.
whole
and
divine. He does
Although the younger
so
in
concrete
images,
generation of Rudolf
capable
of
being
grasped
Steiner’s time was not
by human consciousness
yet aware of it, the quesuring the Christas if from within.
tion “How can we find the spirit?” was
mas season of 1919,
How is this possible? Implicit in
the driving force of the times, leading Rudolf Steiner was in StuttRudolf
Steiner’s view is the fact that,
to the “youth movement.” In fact, as gart to celebrate the end
essentially,
the universe consists of
Steiner emphasized, the spiritually of the first semester of the
consciousness.
Everything else is illuactive forces that produced the youth first Waldorf school and
sion.
Hence,
to
understand the evolumovement were manifesting as such participate in its Christmas
tion
of
the
cosmos
and humanity in any
for the first time. University students festivities. During his visit,
terms
other
than
consciousness
is also
were affected as well by the struggles he gave two courses for teachers (The
an
illusion.
Whenever
we
are
dealing
of the early twentieth century, but it Light Course and The Genius of Lanwas Steiner who brought clarity to the guage), as well as these five lectures for with grand cosmic facts, we are dealing
with states of consciousness.
myriad of forms that resulted from the Anthroposophical Society members.
But states of consciousness never
difficulties young people were experiAs with all of Steiner’s lectures
exist
apart from the beings who
encing. These were the connections of given around the Holy Nights, these
embody
them. Therefore, the only true
destiny that lay just beneath the sur- jewel-like lectures are both inspiring
realties
are
beings in various states of
face of ordinary consciousness; those and sobering. The Archangel Michael
consciousness.
In this sense, Steiner’s
forces were struggling to take form.
is once again the “world regent.” He
spiritual
science
is a science of states
Youth and the Etheric Heart is a shows us a new path to Christ and to
of
consciousness
and the beings who
great companion volume to Becoming the spirit world, calling on us to create
embody
them.
Indeed,
any science—
the Archangel Michael’s Companions. new relationships to spiritual realities.
physics,
chemistry,
botany,
psycholDuring the early 1920s, following the Yet, inertia or lack of will, materialism,
ogy—is
a
science
of
beings.
And
the
disaster of World War I, the youth and powerful opposing forces make
sensory
perception,
or
physical
trace,
of Europe faced many hardships and his and our task more difficult. World
questions about their destiny in the War I had ended, but peace was still is simply the outer vestment of the
world. The situation today is certainly a distant hope. Prescient to our own activity of beings in various states of
different, but the questions are no less moment, these stirring lectures are consciousness.
To describe these beings, Steiner
urgent.
more relevant than ever, still inspiring
speaks of the evolutionary states of
isbn: 9780880106160
a call to awaken.
paperback
Saturn, Sun, Moon, and so on; the nine
isbn: 9780880106139
SteinerBooks
choirs of angelic hierarchies; elemental
paperback
$25.00
beings
and nature spirits; and the eleSteinerBooks
256 pages
ments
of
fire, earth, air, and water.
$20.00
T
D
128 pages
isbn: 9780880106016
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SteinerBooks
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256 pages
Youth and the
Etheric Heart
7
New
The Bhagavad Gita
and the West
The Esoteric Meaning of the
Bhagavad Gita and Its Relation
to the Letters of St. Paul
Rudolf Steiner
Introduction by Robert McDermott
Foreword by Christopher Bamford
Revised by Mado Spiegler
Bhagavad Gita translation by
Eknath Easwaran
isbn: 9780880106047
paperback
SteinerBooks
$29.95
464 pages
An Esoteric Cosmology
Evolution, Christ &
Modern Spirituality
Introduction by Christopher Bamford, Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Steiner
Translated by Jann Gates
5 lectures, Berlin, Oct. 31–Dec. 7, 1911
(CW 132)
I
n this most remarkable and in many ways
unique course of lectures,
Rudolf Steiner describes
the inner experience of
5 lectures, Köln, Dec. 28–Jan. 1, 1913
the states of consciousness
(CW 142); 9 lectures, Helsinki, May
known as the Saturn, Sun,
28–June 5, 1913 (CW 146)
Moon, and Earth stages of
evolution.
his book consists of
Lecture by lecture, Steiner details
two lecture courses:
the experiences of these states avail“The Bhagavad Gita and
able to one who practices the spiritual
the Epistles of St. Paul”
scientific path of meditation. By this
and “The Esoteric Meanmeans, these stages and states gain
ing of the Bhagadvad Gita.”
an unexpected and existential reality:
In the first, the main purpose, as Robert McDermot shows, is suddenly, we recognize what Steiner
to integrate the flower of Hindu spiri- is talking about. Most remarkable of
tuality into his view of the evolution all, perhaps, is the description of the
of consciousness and the pivotal role Earth state with its experience of death,
played in it by the incarnation, death, which Christ knew on the Cross at
Golgotha, transforming earthly and
and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Steiner sees Krishna as a great spiri- human evolution.
These lectures were previously part
tual teacher and the Bhagavad Gita as
a preparation for the Christ impulse of The Spiritual Hierarchies & the
as the living embodiment of the world, Physical World: Reality and Illusion
law, and devotion as represented by the (Anthroposophic Press). A previous
three Hindu streams of Veda, Sankhya, translation also appeared as Evolution
and Yoga. For him, the epic poem of in the Aspect of Realities (Garber).
isbn: 9780880106023
the Bhagavad Gita represents the “fully
paperback
ripened fruit” of Hinduism, whereas
SteinerBooks
Paul is related but represents “the seed
$20.00
of something entirely new.” In the last
144 pages
lecture, Steiner reveals Krishna as the
sister soul of Adam, incarnated as
Jesus, and claims Krisha’s Yoga teachings streamed from Christ into Paul.
Steiner also engages the text of the
Bhagavad Gita as signaling the beginning of a new soul consciousness.
This volume includes the complete
text of the Bhagavad Gita.
T
8
Inner Experiences
of Evolution
Lecture notes and foreword by
Edouard Schuré
Preface by Bernard Garber
Fully revised edition
18 lectures in Paris, May 25–June 14,
1906 (CW 94)
S
teiner presented
these lectures to students in the Theosophical Society, many of
whom viewed Theosophy as a sort of Europeanized Indian philosophy. Thus, one purpose of these
lectures was to outline Steiner’s Christcentered spiritual science in contrast
to the more Eastern orientation of
Theosophy. He carefully connected
the essence of his spiritual science to
the role of the Christ in human evolution, as well as to the Rosicrucian
and Christian mystery traditions, the
primary carriers of the esoteric Christian stream. To accomplish this, Steiner
presented the roots of Christianity in
the ancient mysteries and in the evolution of the universe itself.
The miracle of these lectures, perhaps,
is that Steiner was able to outline such
a grand cosmology into these eighteen
lectures, and that Edouard Schuré was
able to capture their essence in the relatively brief notes that constitute this
book. A few years later, the substance
of these lectures was expanded and
presented in Steiner’s Outline of Esoteric Science. Consequently, these lecture notes will prove invaluable for all
those who wish to better understand
that book. It also provides an excellent
entry to Steiner’s Christian cosmology
and his perspective on esoteric Christianity and the Christian mysteries.
isbn: 9780880105934
paperback
SteinerBooks
$18.00
132 pages
Read an excerpt from this
book on page 64.
New
The Lord’s Prayer
The Mystery of Transformation
Judith von Halle
Translated by Matthew Barton
The Living Word of God
Judith von Halle
A
“The contents of this volume have
arisen from my own spiritual experience and do not represent any
kind of hypothesis or speculation,
except where I expressly say that
I am unable to make any definitive
statement about a particular event
or set of circumstances.”
—Judith von Halle
fter receiving the
stigmata in 2004, the
author began to experience vividly events that
occurred at the time of
Christ. These continuing experiences are not
udith von Halle’s
visionary or clairvoyant in
continuing experiences
nature, but constitute an actual partici- of actual participation
pation, involving all human senses, in in events at the time of
the events themselves. To complement the Mystery of Golgotha
this method of witnessing Christ’s life, allow her to delve deeply
von Halle applies a spiritual-scientific into the Lord’s Prayer, the
mode of observation. It is a form of archetypal prayer of humanity, and
research based on one’s true being, the Christ’s presentation of it to those
“I,” crossing the spiritual threshold closest to him, as well as the context
during full consciousness. Combining in which he gave it.
the results, here she describes, in her
Von Halle considers the historical
most powerful book to date, secrets circumstances at the time of Christ, the
connected to various events of Christ’s preparations he made for passing the
Passion.
prayer on to others, the prayer’s meanVon Halle discusses the Mystery ing to the disciples, and how the Lord’s
of Golgotha in its relationship to the Prayer acts as a mediator between
formation of the Resurrection Body; worlds. Moreover, she reflects on the
the Mystery of the Spear Wound in doxology of the Lord’s Prayer and its
Christ’s side and the Grail Blood; and relationship to the Sephiroth Tree.
how Christ’s Seven Words on the Cross
This volume will be of value to anyrelate to the Stations of the Cross.
one interested in a deeper understandJudith von Halle attended school ing of the Lord’s Prayer and its meanin Germany and the U.S. and studied ing for the world.
architecture. She met Anthroposophy
isbn: 9781902636856
hardcover
in 1997 and began working as a staff
Temple Lodge
member at Rudolf Steiner House in
$20.00
Berlin, where she also lectured and
96 pages
maintained an architectural practice.
In 2004, her life was transformed
when she received the stigmata. Her
first book was published in German in
2005. She works mainly as a lecturer
and author and lives with her husband
in Berlin.
J
isbn: 9781902636894
hardcover
Temple Lodge
$24.00
160 pages
Read an excerpt from Judith von Halle’s book on page 46.
And If He Had
Not Been Raised . . .
The Stations of Christ’s Path
to Spirit Man
Judith von Halle
Translated by Brian Strevens
T
he
author
has
explored the events
of the life of Christ
through spiritual scientific research, sometimes
called “continuity of consciousness.” In these lectures, she offers commentary to the Mystery of Golgotha, the
“turning point in world history.” Her
intention is to stimulate the reader to
reflect patiently and repeatedly upon
this great mystery and to enter a relationship ever more closely with the
Christ.
Contents:
1. About the Knowledge and Reality
of the Resurrection of Christ
2. The Significance of the Phantom, the Resurrection Body, for
an Understanding of the Human
Being
3. The Mystery of Golgotha as the
End of the Old and Beginning of
the New Initiation
4. An Account of the Events between
Death and Resurrection (Descent
into Hell)
5. The Transfiguration on Mount
Tabor and the Last Night on the
Mount of Olives
6. The event of Easter at the Time of
Christ
7. The Event of Whitsun at the Time
of Christ and Its Connection with
Anthroposophy
Includes three pages of color plates.
isbn: 9781902636887
paperback
Temple Lodge
$30.00
192 pages
Secrets of the
Stations of the Cross
and the Grail Blood
9
New
Thinkers, Saints, Heretics
New Edi t ion
New Edi t ion
Spiritual Paths of
the Middle Ages
Virginia Sease &
Manfred Schmidt-Brabant
The Death of Merlin
The Tree of Life
and the Holy Grail
T
Ancient and Modern Spiritual
Paths and the Mystery of
Rennes-le-Château
Sylvia Francke
he story of King
Arthur and the Grail
still holds a remarkable
fascination for many peoased on her groundple. In this classic work,
breaking
research,
Walter Johannes Stein
Sylvia
Francke
traces
the
traces its origins in early
ancient
spiritual
paths
Christianity and classical and Nordic
mythology, and follows its develop- of knowledge from the
ment in medieval and modern times. In Cathars, the Knights
particular, Stein explores the parallels Templar, and the enigbetween the quest for the Grail and matic Rosicrucians to the work of
the medieval alchemists’ search for the Rudolf Steiner in the twentieth century.
She concludes that this is true Grail
Philosopher’s Stone.
The Death of Merlin collects Stein’s knowledge explained in a metaphysiessays and lectures from the 1920s and cal context. She suggests a solution to
1930s. The first section contains Stein’s the mystery of sudden wealth and the
memoirs, which provide context for his strange behavior of Bérenger Saunière,
the mysterious priest of Rennes-leresearch within the culture of the era.
Château in southern France.
Dr. Walter Johannes Stein, born
True Grail knowledge, Francke
in 1891, was a personal student of concludes, is unrelated to bloodRudolf Steiner. In 1919 Steiner asked lines or worldly status; rather, it is an
him to become a faculty member at ancient lifeline to the spiritual origins
the Waldorf school in Stuttgart as a of creation. Its energetic forces raditeacher of German Literature and His- ate out from Earth and inward from
tory, even though his education was in the constellations and planets, while
Philosophy, Mathematics, and Physics. interacting with human individuals. It
Through Stein’s efforts to master this represents the key to fulfilling humannew material, he was able to bring a ity’s quest and the next step in human
fresh approach to the epic of Parzival. evolution.
Virginia Sease taught in a university Through the use of unconventional
Recent increased interest in revisionand a Waldorf school in Los Angeles research methods and concepts of reinist
Christian history prompted Francke
and has been a member of the Execu- carnation and karma, he developed
to
update this book, first published in
tive Council of the Goetheanum since revolutionary new insights into the
1996.
The result offers a powerful and
1984.
mystery of the Grail.
convincing refutation of newly disisbn: 9780863156410
torted esoteric facts.
Manfred Schmidt-Brabant became
paperback
a member of the Executive Council of
Sylvia Francke studied for the stage
Floris Books
the General Anthroposophical Society
and trained to be a teacher of drama at
$26.95
and served as Chair of the Council
Rose Bruford College in Kent. She is a
240 pages
from 1984 until his death in 2001.
writer, lecturer and a trustee of RILKO
T
he authors suggest here that our
sense of self depends on creating
a true relationship to the
present age. To do this,
however, we must understand the spiritual roots of
our time. The authors suggest that those roots may
be found in the Middle
Ages. The impulses that originate from
that time continue to flow into the
present, helping to shape our thinking,
feeling and actions. Even the history
of Europe is determined largely by the
thinking of people during the Middle
Ages, which has endured to be believed
and fought over. This emerges today in
individual consciousness as well as in
the fabric of our communities.
Readers are treated to a broad survey of the culture and history—exoteric and esoteric—of the Middle Ages,
including King Arthur and the Celtic
mysteries, Francis of Assisi, the Franciscans and the School of Chartres,
Thomas Aquinas, Averroes and the
Dominicans, Cabala and Jewish mysticism, the Cathars, Templar secrets,
spiritual alchemy, and much more.
10
Arthurian Myth and Alchemy
Walter Johannes Stein
isbn: 9781902636900
paperback
Temple Lodge
$30.00
224 pages
B
(Research Into Lost Knowledge Organization). Her spare time is taken
up with her ever-expanding circle of
grandchildren.
isbn: 9781902636870
paperback
Temple Lodge
$30.00
240 pages
New
The Mystery of the
Warrior Monks
Rudolf Steiner
The Healing Power
of Prayer
Hans-Werner Schroeder
Translated by Jon Madsen
T
their visit to the temple in Jerusalem.
Emil Bock (1895-1959) helped establish the Christian Community (the
movement for religious renewal) and
became its leader, a position he held
until his death. He remained a priest,
writer, and lecturer until his death in
Stuttgart. Bock’s other books include
Genesis; Moses; Kings and Prophets;
Caesars and Apostles, The Three Years;
and Saint Paul.
here are times in our
lives—for instance, a
uring
the
early
bereavement or a sudtwelfth century, the
den job loss—when we
Knights Templar were
need to work to find inner
established, allegedly, to
peace to help us through.
protect Christian pilgrims
Often, we may feel that we
isbn: 9780863156199
traveling to the Holy Land.
want to turn to something
paperback
In the process, the knights
greater than ourselves for support.
Floris Books
became famous for their pioneer bank$30.00
Hans-Werner Schroeder looks at
ing system, crusading zeal, and strict
320 pages
various aspects of prayer and describes
vows of obedience, chastity, and povhow we can call upon powers within The Lord’s Prayer
erty. As membership grew to around
ourselves to help restore us. He gives
15,000, they came to be seen as a
practical advice on how to build prayer An Esoteric Study
threat by Philippe le Beau of France,
into our lives on a regular basis and Rudolf Steiner
who disbanded the group in 1307 and
offers ways to maintain inner harmony Introduction by Judith von Halle
tortured their leaders for confessions
and peace.
Translated by Pauline Wehrle
of heretical practices. King Philippe
Hans-Werner
Schroeder,
born
in
1931,
accused the order of heresy, sodomy,
4 lectures (CWs 96, 97)
is a priest of the Christian Community.
and blasphemy.
he Lord’s Prayer is at the very
Recent fictional works and popular He teaches at the seminary in Stuttgart
heart of Christianity.
histories have created a renewed inter- and is the author of several books.
Over the past two milest in the mysterious Knights Templar,
isbn: 9780863156243
lennia, it has been recited
with numerous contradictory and fanpaperback
many millions of times by
Floris Books
tastic claims made about them, thus
millions of people around
$11.95
adding to the enigma surrounding the
the world. Here, Steiner
64 pages
warrior monks of France.
affirms the power of the
In this unique collection of lectures
prayer given by Jesus Christ, encouragand writings by Rudolf Steiner, a new
ing us to understand its most profound
perspective emerges. Based on his spiri- The Childhood of Jesus
meanings. Such understanding, he tells
tual perceptions, he speaks of the TemThe Unknown Years
us, has become necessary for humanplars’ connection to the esoteric traity’s continued development.
dition of St. John and the Holy Grail Emil Bock
In these four lectures, Rudolf Steiner
and their spiritual dedication to Christ.
ospel accounts, in
penetrates the esoteric significance of
He describes a secret order within the
particular, Matthew
the Lord’s Prayer by relating the seven
Templars and their strange rituals. He and Luke, give very differpetitions in the prayer to the seven spiralso sheds light on the Templars’ atti- ent versions of Jesus’ birth
itual and physical human bodies. He
tude toward the Roman Church and and the events that folalso discusses the difference between
the spiritual forces that inspired their low. A long obscured traprayer and meditation and shows how
torture and confessions.
dition has held that there
real prayer is truly selfless.
were
two families and two
isbn: 9781855841796
This volume features an introduction
Jesus children—one from the kingly
paperback
by Judith von Halle, whose work is
line of Solomon and the other from
Rudolf Steiner Press
valued for her experiential knowledge
$22.00
the priestly line of Nathan—whose
of the Lord’s Prayer and the events of
176 pages
destinies were to join and be fulfilled
Christ’s life.
through the Divine plane. Emil Bock
isbn: 9781855841642
shows how the pattern and structure
paperback
of the four Gospels support the stories
of two boys called Jesus, living side by
$16.00
88 pages
side in Nazareth until the age of twelve,
and right up to the dramatic day of
Compiled by Margaret Jonas
D
T
N o w i n pa p e r b a c k
G
The Knights Templar
11
New
Green Hermeticism
Alchemy and Ecology
Peter Lamborn Wilson
Christopher Bamford
Kevin Townley
Introduction by Pir Zia Inayat-Khan
D
uring spring and summer 2006,
Pir Zia Khan convened a series of
gatherings to begin to unfold the contemporary meaning of ancient, sacred
science for our time. Green Hermeticism is a partial record of that meeting.
Peter Lamborn Wilson explores the
many ramifications of the alternative
worldview offered by Hermeticism;
Christopher Bamford provides a broad
historical overview of the tradition
from the Ancient Mysteries to contemporary manifestations of the alchemical
tradition; while Kevin Townley brings
a practical dimension to the gathering, teaching the preparation of herbal
elixirs and demonstrating that cosmology and philosophy can become a truly
healing path for the Earth.
Green Hermeticism is important
reading for anyone seeking a spiritual
and cultural path for the healing of the
current ecological and cultural crisis.
isbn: 9781584200499
paperback
Lindisfarne Books
$20.00
224 pages
12
From Neurons to Notions
Brains, Mind, and Meaning
Chris Nunn
N
unn builds a picture of our
minds that is especially suitable
for the twenty-first century. This picture is rapidly developing in ways very
different from the dominant views of
even twenty years ago. He outlines the
ways our minds behave during sleep;
how the craze for alien abduction Life from Light
came about; and possible bases for our
sense of beauty. In the final chapters, Is it possible to live without
the author extends his ideas to cover food? A scientist reports on his
near-death experiences (NDE), mysti- experiences
cism, and other topics.
Michael Werner
Nunn’s account covers theories
and research evidence throughout the Thomas Stöckli
erner has become an open chalpast 150 years, bringing the reader up
lenge to all scientists: Test me,
to date with modern views of brain
using all the scientific monitoring and
scientists.
data you wish. Here, he describes one
Chris Nunn has spent the last fifteen
such test, in which he was kept withyears exploring consciousness in relaout food in a strictly monitored envition to mind and body and is currently
ronment for ten days. Werner describes
associate editor of the Journal of Conin detail how and why he gave up food
sciousness Studies.
in the first place and what his life is
isbn: 9780863156175
like without it.
paperback
Life from Light also features reports
Floris Books
from others who have attempted to fol$35.00
low this way of life, as well as supple224 pages
mentary material on possible scientific
explanations of how one could “live
The Hidden
on light.”
Qualities of Water
Michael Werner was born in 1949
Wolfram Schwenk, editor
and holds a PhD in Chemistry. He has
heodor Schwenk, the acclaimed
worked in the chemical industry as well
author of Sensitive Chaos, develas pharmaceuticals and has taught secoped the “Drop Picture Method” to
ondary school chemistry and biology.
analyze water quality. This collection
For the past fifteen years, he has been
of articles from the Institute of Flow
managing director of a cancer research
Sciences, which he founded, provides
institute at Arlesheim, Switzerland.
detailed information on how the
Since the publication of this book in
method works, how impartiality is
German, he has embarked on an everassured, and how research into various
increasing schedule of lectures and a
parameters affects the images.
lively correspondence with numerous
The Hidden Qualities of Water
individuals.
includes the study of a section of polluted river that demonstrates self-puri- Thomas Stöckli has worked as a freefying properties, as well as an evalua- lance journalist, as a teacher at middle
tion of various issues surrounding our school level, and as a lecturer on teacher
drinking water.
training and educational research.
W
T
isbn: 9780863156106
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Floris Books
$35.00
144 pages
isbn: 9781905570058
paperback
Clairview Books
$26.00
232 pages
New
Holistic Approaches to
Treating Skin Conditions:
A Practical Guide Based on
Anthroposophic Medicine
Lueder Jachens
T
while influencing business, politics,
and medicine.
Peter Russell is the author of several
books, including From Science to God:
A Physicist’s Journey into the Mystery
of Consciousness (2003) and Waking
up in Time: Finding Inner Peace in
Times of Accelerating Change (1998).
He lives in London and California.
his expertly written “owner’s
handbook” by a dermatologist,
isbn: 9780863156168
allergist, and physician offers wise
paperback
advice and insights into various skin
Floris Books
conditions, their causes, and how to
$35.00
treat them. He also presents a holis288 pages
tic understanding of the skin itself—
the largest human organ—to help us A nimal Pharm
develop better health and harmony in One Man’s Struggle to Discover
the longer term.
the Truth about Mad Cow
Specific conditions include psoriasis,
Disease and Variant CJD
dermatitis, acne, boils, hayfever, alopecia (hair loss), melanoma, abscesses, Mark Purdey
impetigo, fungal infections, herpes,
ark Purdey’s life changed one
scabies, head lice, sunburn, and much
day in 1984, when a Ministry of
more.
Agriculture inspector in England told
Lueder Jachens, m.d., specialized him he must administer a toxic organoin dermatology and allergies before phosphate pesticide to his dairy herd.
working in medical departments at an Passionately committed to organic
anthroposophically oriented hospital. farming and convinced of the harmful effects of chemicals in the environHe has a private practice in Germany.
ment, he refused to comply. “It was
isbn: 9781902636917
as
if my whole life became focused,”
paperback
he
explained later. Before they had a
Temple Lodge
chance
to prosecute, Purdey took the
$32.00
Ministry
to court and won his case.
224 pages
Those experiences led him to challenge
The Global Brain
the orthodox line on the origins of Mad
The Awakening Earth
Cow Disease and its human counterpart, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
in a New Century
Purdey was certain that toxic environPeter Russell
mental factors would provide answers,
n acclaimed author and speaker and so embarked on a self-funded
weaves together modern technol- worldwide odyssey to investigate.
ogy and ancient mysticism to present a
isbn: 9781905570119
startling vision of the world to come—
paperback
Clairview Books
one in which humanity is a fully con$26.00
scious super-organism in an awaken288
pages
ing universe. He shows that the human
potential movement is growing quickly
M
A
Living on Purpose
Meaning, Intention, and Value
Graham Dunstan Martin
T
his book addresses several large
issues, including the problem of
evil, the mystery of the afterlife, and
evidence for a spiritual dimension to
human experience. Ultimately, the
author insists that our human intuitions offer genuine hope of a moral
and rational order in the universe.
Graham Dunstan Martin is the
author of many books, including novels
for children, fantasy for adults, translations of French poetry, and works of
literary criticism.
isbn: 9780863156328
paperback
Floris Books
$40.00
288 pages
The Lives of Camphill
An Anthology of the Pioneers
Johannes Surkamp, editor
T
his fascinating book gathers 129
short biographies and more than 70
photographs that span those thirty formative years during which the movement spread across the globe. Each
story tells of a fascinating individual
and together they form a remarkable
whole that documents the history of
Camphill Villages in the most appropriate way—through the people.
Johannes Surkamp was born in Stuttgart in 1928. He joined Camphill in
1952 and has worked in Camphill
schools and villages in Aberdeen, in
Thornbury near Bristol, and in Ochil
Tower, Perthshire.
isbn: 9780863156076
paperback
Floris Books
$40.00
352 pages
Healing the Skin
13
New and Noteworthy
Michaelmas
An Introductory Reader
Rudolf Steiner
T
Contents include: Midsummer Dream, the Earth Breathes
Out; Finding the Greater Self; “He Must Increase, I Must
Decrease”; Creating Vision.
isbn: 9781855841741
paperback
$12.00
4¾ x 6¾ inches
112 pages
his introductory reader collects excerpts from Steiner’s works on Michaelmas, one of the key spiritual festivals of the yearly cycle. The volume also features an editorial introduction, afterword, commentary, and notes.
Whitsun and Ascension
Chapters: Sinking Earth, Rising Spirit; Michael and the
Dragon; Michael, Spirit of Our Age; Toward a Michael An Introductory Reader
Rudolf Steiner
Festival.
isbn: 9781855841598
Translated and Compiled
paperback
by Matthew Barton
$13.00
4¾ x 6¾ inches
160 pages
Christmas
Rudolf Steiner
T
his reader contains excerpts from Steiner’s talks and
writings on the significance of Christmas. This volume
features an editorial introduction, afterword, commentary,
and notes by Matthew Barton.
Chapters: Christmas in a Grevious Age; Christmas and
the Earth; Delving to the Core; The Child and the Tree;
Toward a New Christmas.
isbn: 9781855841895
paperback
$13.00
4¾ x 6¾ inches
176 pages
14
St. John’s
Rudolf Steiner
Translated and Compiled
by Matthew Barton
B
arton collects excerpts from Steiner’s works on the
festival of St John’s Day (June 24), which celebrates the
nativity of St. John the Baptist. It is one of the oldest festivals of the Christian church. The book features the editor’s
introduction, afterword, commentary, and notes.
H
ere are excerpts from Steiner’s many talks and writings on the festivals of Whitsun (“White Sunday”), or
Pentecost, the forty-ninth day following Easter Sunday. and
the Ascension. The book features Barton’s editorial introduction, afterword, commentary, and notes.
Chapters include: Rising to the Clouds, Tethered to
Earth; Suffering’s Open Door; All One to Alone to One in
All; Human Freedom and the Word.
isbn: 9781855841697
paperback
$12.00
4¾ x 6¾ inches
128 pages
Atlantis
The Fate of a Lost Land and Its Secret
Knowledge
Rudolf Steiner
T
hese excerpts are related to Atlantis. Includes editorial
introductions, commentary, and notes.
Chapters: The Continent of Atlantis; The Moving Continents; The History of Atlantis; The Earliest Civilizations;
The Beginnings of Thought; Etheric Technology: Atlantean
Magical Powers; Twilight of the Magicians; The Divine
Messengers; Atlantean Secret Knowledge: Its Betrayal and
Subsequent Fate; The Origins of the Mysteries; Atlantis and
Spiritual Evolution.
isbn: 9781855841949
paperback
$10.00
4¾ x 6¾ inches
112 pages
New Editions
The Flaming Door
Easter
The Mission of the Celtic Folk-Soul
Eleanor C. Merry
The Legends and the Facts
Eleanor C. Merry
H
his book is perhaps Eleanor Merry’s best known work.
ere is a perfect companion to The Ascent of Man. In
The secrets of initiation slumber in the ancient legends, in
this volume, Eleanor Merry applies her remarkably
which men and women found their way through the “flam- wide-ranging knowledge of world religion and mythology
ing door,” the threshold between the physical and spiritual to the Easter story. She focuses on three legends: that of
worlds. Part one covers the time before Christ and includes The Holy Grail and Parzival; an old Irish legend, and the
studies of the Bards, the Cauldron of Ceridwen, and Hu legend of Faust. With the Sun, the Moon, and Nature formthe Mighty. Part two discusses the time since Christ and ing a continuous background to her ideas, Merry draws out
includes the legends of Odrum, St. Columba, and the Rose the common themes that lead, ultimately, to the Christian
and the Lily.
Easter story.
isbn: 9780863156434
Eleanor C. Merry (1873-1956) was a poet, artist, musipaperback
cian and anthroposophist with a strong Celtic impulse and
Floris Books
a life-long interest in esoteric wisdom. Born in Eaton, Eng$26.95
land, she studied in Vienna and met Rudolf Steiner in 1922
136 pages
after becoming interested in his teachings. She went on to
organize summer schools for which Steiner gave important
The Trinity
lectures, and she was secretary for the World Conference on
Hans-Werner Schroeder
Spiritual Science in London in 1928.
Translated by Eva Knausenberger
isbn: 9780863156441
paperback
Floris Books
$30.00
304 pages
T
he Trinity—the idea of God as three persons in one—
is a central, defining feature of Christianity. Rev. HansWerner Schroeder, an ordained priest of the Christian Community, focuses his considerable experience and wisdom on
the issues surrounding the Father God, the Son God, and
The Ascent of Man
the Spirit God. He goes into depth in his discussion of their
individual
theologies and characteristics before going on to
Eleanor C. Merry
the spiritual implications of the Trinity itself.
erry offers an overview of the spiritual developThe Trinity is a valuable addition to the literature on the
ment of humankind. She applies her wide-ranging Trinity, especially as this important subject is viewed within
knowledge of esoteric wisdom to assert that the world’s past the Christian Community.
ages must be reviewed before the significance of our own
age can be understood. Her grand survey covers the major Hans-Werner Schroeder, born in 1931, is a priest of the
ancient civilizations, religions and thinkers, including India, Christian Community. He teaches at the seminary in StuttPersia and Zarathustra, Egypt, Greece, Hibernia, Krishna gart and is the author of several books.
isbn: 9780863155796
and Buddha, Heraclitus and Aristotle, Melchisedek, and
hardcover
Zion and Gnosis. She then turns to the Middle Ages and
Floris
Books
to the Renaissance before finishing with twentieth-century
$40.00
philosophy and materialism.
M
isbn: 9780863156427
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Floris Books
$30.00
304 pages
224 pages
T
15
Th e B i b l e a n d A n t h r o p o s o p h y
Jesus, Lazarus,
and the M essiah
Unveiling Three Christian
Mysteries
Charles S. Tidball
With Robert Powell
Foreword by Christopher Bamford
A
t the heart of the Christian mystery, we encounter the divinity of
Jesus Christ—the revelation of the
descent of God from the spiritual world
into the material world for the sake
of humanity. To unveil the meaning
of this cosmic event, authors Charles
Tidball and Robert Powell (in his two
chapters) draw on four very different sources: the Gospels themselves,
medieval and Renaissance tradition
and art, the visions of Anne Catherine
Emmerich, and the spiritual science, or
Anthroposophy, of Rudolf Steiner.
Viewing the former in the light of
the latter, the authors unravel three key
riddles: the nature of Jesus, the identity of Lazarus and the meaning of his
initiatory “raising from the dead,” and
the Messianic mystery of the incarnation of the Christ. In the process, much
is learned of the actual dating of the
Gospel events, as well the repercussions of these events in history.
16
The Soul’s Long Journey
How the Bible Reveals
Reincarnation
Edward Reaugh Smith
E
A Short History of
Esoteric Christianity
mphasizing the organic provi- John van Schaik
sions of the Old Testament, Smith
shows both what the assumptions of
the Master’s hearers were and how the
New Testament confirms the ancient
heritage. Arising from the fullness of
the canon is an exciting story of the
long journey of humanity and every
human soul, each a “beloved sheep”
whom the Creator is unwilling to lose.
Combining a lifetime of biblical
study and teaching, fifteen years investigating and contemplating Rudolf
Steiner’s vast works, and almost three
decades of applying the analytical skill
required in an intense law practice,
Smith has produced a potential classic
the serious Bible student can ill afford
to ignore.
This volume is a valuable companion to The Burning Bush and David’s
Question, also by Ed Smith.
Edward Reaugh Smith is
an Illinoisan transplanted
to Texas at mid-century. He
is a husband, father, and
grandfather with broad
interests in life. A successful
Charles
S.
Tidball, lawyer and businessman, amateur
an M.D. and professor musician, and athlete, his lifelong
emeritus at George Wash- search for the deeper meaning of
ington
University,
has the Bible—which he taught for over
served at the Washington twenty-five years before discovering
National Cathedral and is a student the writings of Steiner—expresses itself
of Anthroposophy. Jesus, Lazarus, and in this extensive work. For more, visit
the Messiah is his first book in the area www.bibleandanthroposophy.com.
of spiritual science.
isbn: 9780880105583
paperback
SteinerBooks
$25.00
306 pages
Why Jesus Didn’t
Marry Mary Magdalene
isbn: 9780880105354
paperback
SteinerBooks
$19.95
360 pages
O
ne of the more sensational theories of Christianity today is that
Jesus married Mary Magdalene, an
idea that has caught the popular imagination worldwide and has sparked
much debate concerning Jesus’s personal relationships. Holy Blood, Holy
Grail and The Da Vinci Code draw on
ideas from the history of Christianity
to present unorthodox scenarios difficult for established Christian churches
to address.
While mainstream clergy and theologians have tried to dismiss the question
altogether, this concise and fascinating
book addresses the matter directly and
provides serious consideration of all
the evidence.
Why Jesus Didn’t Marry Mary
Magdalene is a clear, readable antidote
to the vague and sensational theories
and claims that have long surrounded
the question of the relationship between
Jesus and Mary Magdalene.
Though it may disappoint some conspiracy theorists, van Schaik concludes
firmly that Jesus and Mary Magdalene
were not in fact a couple.
John van Schaik studied medieval
mysticism and gnosticism, specializing
in the relationship between esoteric
Christianity and the Church. He helped
establish and directs the Origenes Institute in the Netherlands.
isbn: 9780863155826
paperback
Floris Books
$18.00
144 pages
Th e Wo r l d o f O w e n B a r f i e l d
Owen Barfield
A Study of Owen Barfield,
C. S. Lewis, Charles Williams,
and J. R. R. Tolkien
R. J. Reilly
Romanticism Come of Age:
A Biography
Simon Blaxland-de Lange
T
his pioneering study examines the
theological and philosophic implications of the work of that remarkable group of writers now called the
Oxford Christians. In focusing on the
central religious concern of the group,
Reilly provides an approach destined
to become the standard. This is not a
work of convention literary biography
or conventional literary history. Rather,
it is intellectually informed criticism
that makes possible a deep understanding of the enduring dimensions of the
work of four of the most attractive and
challenging writers of our time.
With the republication of Romantic
Religion, this wise, penetrating picture
of our own possibilities is put before
us once more.
R. J. Reilly received Ph.B.
and M.A. degrees from the
University of Detroit and a
Ph.D. from Michigan State
University. He is a professor
of English (emeritus) at the
University of Detroit, where he taught
for thirty-three years. He has written fiction as well as critical essays in
American history and literature and is
coauthor of the two-volume Barnes &
Noble Guide to American Literature.
He lives with his wife Lena in St. Clair
Shores, a lakeside suburb of Detroit.
isbn: 9781584200475
paperback
Lindisfarne Books
$25.00
220 pages
Foreword by Andrew Welburn
“Barfield towers above us all . . . the
wisest and best of my unofficial
teachers.” —C. S. Lewis
O
wen Barfield, a philosopher,
author, poet, and critic, was a
founding member of the Inklings, a
private Oxford society that included
leading literary figures of the time:
C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and
Charles Williams. Writing of their
many heated debates, Lewis—who
was greatly affected by Barfield during their long friendship—remarked,
“I think he changed me a good deal
more than I him.”
Blaxland-de Lange studies the influences on Barfield by the Romantic poet
Coleridge and the philosopher Rudolf
Steiner, while also focusing on Barfield’s profound personal connection
with C. S. Lewis. This book also features a biographical sketch in Barfield’s
own words and describes his strong
relationship with North America as
well as his dual profession as a lawyer
and writer.
History in English Words
Owen Barfield
“In our language alone, not to speak
of its many companions, the past
history of humanity is spread out
in an imperishable map, just as the
history of the mineral earth lies
embedded in the layers of its outer
crust. . . . Language has preserved
for us the inner, living history of
our soul. It reveals the evolution of
consciousness.” —Owen Barfield
F
or more than three-quarters of a
century, Owen Barfield produced
original and thought-provoking works
that made him a legendary cult figure.
History in English Words is his classic excursion into history through the
English language. This popular book
provides a brief, brilliant history of the
various peoples who have spoken the
Indo-European tongues. It is illustrated
throughout by current English words
whose derivation from other languages,
and whose history in use and changes
of meaning, record and unlock the
larger history.
Owen Barfield (1898–1997), the
British philosopher and critic, has
been called the “First and Last Inkling”
because of his influence and enduring
role in the group known as the Oxford
Inklings. It was Barfield who first
Simon Blaxland-de Lange,
advanced the ideas about language,
an educator for special needs,
myth, and belief that became identiis a prolific writer and transfied with the thinking and art of the
lator. He has been a student
Inklings.
of Owen Barfield’s work for
isbn: 9780940262119
the past thirty years.
isbn: 9781902636771
hardcover
Temple Lodge
$45.00
356 pages
paperback
Lindisfarne Books
$17.95
192 pages
Romantic Religion
17
Th e L i b e r a l A r t s
Dostoevsky
Time Stands Still
The Scandal of Reason
New Light on Megalithic Science
Maria Nemcová Banerjee
Keith Critchlow
“Maria Banerjee provides an elegant, provocative reading of two of Dostoevsky’s masterworks, Notes from
Underground and The Brothers Karamazov. Her theme
is the harm that reason can do to the human soul if it
is divorced from the higher spiritual powers within it.
The separation of reason from the other human faculties
is a fundamental theme of Russian religious philosophy.
Thus her understanding of Dostoevsky’s worldview is
formed by the philosophical commentaries of Solovyov,
Ivanov, and Berdiaev. In passing, she gives us a panorama of Russian intellectual life of the nineteenth century, showing how Dostoevsky was influenced by and
reacted against such figures as Belinsky, Bakunin, Chernyshevsky, and Herzen. Banerjee has successfully accomplished what should be the final goal of such a work: to
send us back to the masterworks themselves, which we
will now reread with a deeper comprehension.”
—Boris Jakim, preeminent translator of works by
S. L. Frank, Pavel Florensky, and Sergei Bulgakov.
18
I
n Time Stands Still, Keith Critchlow adopts a technique
of cross-cultural comparison to uncover some previously
unknown characteristics of the Neolithic peoples. Using
ancient manuals on temple building from Indian Vedic
sources, for example, he applies them to British sites with
fascinating results. He examines Chinese pictographs for
evidence of sighting instruments and scientific tools. And,
perhaps most significantly, he offers evidence that carved
stone spheres having regular mathematical symmetries in
Scotland predate Plato’s writings on geometric figures by
more than a thousand years.
The findings in this groundbreaking book will awaken a
renewed sense of wonder for our ancient human past.
Keith Critchlow trained as a painter and discovered
geometry intuitively. Following a period of intensive geometric practice (and work with Buckminster Fuller), he recognized that universal principles of geometry are revealed
in nature and in sacred architecture. He has been a senior
lecturer at the Architectural Association in London, and has
taught Islamic Art at the Royal College of Art. Keith Critchlow is Director of Research of the Prince of Wales Institute
of Architecture.
Maria Nemcová Banerjee was born in
Prague, where she spent her childhood. Her
family fled from Czechoslovakia and lived
in France for three years before emigrating
isbn: 9780863155871
to Canada. Maria Banerjee holds a Ph.D. in
paperback
Slavic languages and literature from Harvard
Floris Books
University. A professor of Russian and com$40.00
parative literature at Smith College, she lives in Northamp224 pages
ton with her husband, the poet Ron D.K. Banerjee. Her
published works include Terminal Paradox: The Novels of Keith Critchlow is also featured in:
Milan Kundera and The Lime Tree in Prague, as well as
Homage to Pythagoras
numerous articles on Russian literature and philosophy and
translations of Russian and Czech poetry in collaboration Rediscovering Sacred Science
with her husband.
Christopher Bamford, editor
isbn: 9781584200413
paperback
Lindisfarne Books
$25.00
176 pages
See the review on page 49.
T
hese articles—both scholarly and sympathetic to the
Pythagorean perspective—are proof of the contemporary interest in Pythagoras’ philosophy as a living reality
and provide a major addition to the field of Pythagorean
studies and traditional mathematics.
isbn: 9780940262638
paperback
Lindisfarne Books
$18.95
256 pages
Th e L i b e r a l A r t s
Drawing Geometry
Colour
A Primer of Basic Forms
for Artists, Designers, and Architects
A Textbook for Anthroposophical
Painting Groups
Jon Allen
Liane Collot d’Herbois
Foreword and Translation
by Keith Critchlow
T
A
paperback
Floris Books
$20.00
96 pages
Number and Geometry in
Shakespeare’s M acbeth
The Flower and the Serpent
Sylvia Eckersley
E
ckersley, who studied scene symmetry in Shakespeare’s
plays, was struck by the exact middle lines of Macbeth:
See they encounter thee with their harts thanks
Both sides are euen: heere Ile sit i’th’ mid’st
She uncovered numerical patterns and rhythms in Macbeth
that could profoundly influence future interpretations and
productions of this great and timeless work.
Sylvia Eckersley developed her ideas on Shakespeare for
more than twenty-five years. With the help of dedicated colleagues, she completed this book before her death in 2001.
isbn: 9780863155925
hardcover
Floris Books
$50.00
304 pages
isbn: 9780863156250
paperback
Floris Books
$35.00
160 pages
Words in Place
Reconnecting with Nature
through Creative Writing
Paul Matthews
Drawings by Margaret Shillan
P
oet Paul Matthews offers a rich variety of creative
techniques and exercises, including “haiku hikes,” word
and story games, written conversation, collaborative writing, and “tiny tales.”
Paul Matthews, poet and teacher of Spacial Dynamics, is
the director of Language Alive, the creative writing course
at Emerson College. He writes and has traveled widely with
his work, giving poetry readings and talks and leading workshops. He recently founded Poetry Otherwise to encourage
poetry in communities.
isbn: 9781903458693
paperback
Hawthorn Press
$30.00
288 pages
he author was a pioneer of spiritual color theory who
explored the artistic and therapeutic qualities of light
and
darkness in painting. This book is a combination of
llen shows readers how to draw two-dimensional
two
works that originally presented her remarkable ideas.
geometric shapes in simple step-by-step instructions
Preferring
to write in “pictures” rather than “chapters,” she
and provides step-by-step instructions for constructing twoexplains
the
principles behind her work and how each color
dimensional geometric shapes, which can be readily folhas
its
own
unique
movement and inherent quality.
lowed by a beginner. Drawing Geometry is an invaluable
source book for both students and professionals.
Liane Collot d’Herbois (1907–1999) was
Includes 26 color and 118 line illustrations.
born in Cornwall, England. After studying paintJon Allen has been a practicing architect for twenty-five ing in Birmingham and London, she encounteryears and has developed a particular interest in the appli- ing the work of Rudolf Steiner, which became an
cation of geometry in architectural design. He lives in important stimulus to her artistic and therapeutic career. She was led to collaborate with Dr. Ita Wegman,
London.
with whom she developed a unique approach to painting
isbn: 9780863156083
therapy.
19
P r ay e r , R e l i g i o n , a n d S o c i a l I s s u e s
Islam Is . . .
The Church of the Second Chance
An Experience of Dialogue and Devotion
2nd Edition
Sr. Mary Margaret Funk
A Faith-Based Approach to Prison Reform
Jens Soering
T
oday, criminal justice experts and legislators are struggling to fix the public
Afterword by Shahid Athar, M.D.
health and safety disasters resulting from mass
his book records Benedictine nun Sr. Mary
incarceration in the United States. The Church
Margaret’s multi-year engagement in interof the Second Chance explains how victims,
faith dialogue with American Muslims. She
offenders, and society at large can heal through
examines the controversial issues of terrorism,
the careful, considered and Christian applicawomen’s rights and economic power, and offers Christians
tion of the same key that freed Moses, David, and others
everywhere and Catholics in particular a way of viewing
to do great things after they broke the law. Each chapter
Islam that is honest and authentic. The book concludes with
begins with a fruitful Bible study, goes on to examine a cruan afterword by Islamic scholar Dr. Shahid Athar, who diacial problem besetting our jails and penitentiaries, and ends
logues with and explores Sr. Mary Margaret’s ideas.
with an interview that demonstrates how people are workSr. Mary Margaret Funk, author of Thoughts Matter ing today, in and out of prison, to apply God’s word to our
(1997) and Tools Matter (1999), is a former executive direc- own lives and times.
tor of Monastic Interreligious Dialogue. She lives at Our
Jens Soering is a German citizen and Centering Prayer
Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove, Indiana.
practitioner. Incarcerated since 1986, his case has been feaisbn: 9781590561256
tured on Court TV and A&E’s City Confidential. Soering
paperback
has written for America, Sojourners, The Merton Annual,
Lantern Books
and other publications. He is also the author of An Expen$14.00
sive
Way to Make Bad People Worse and The Way of the
128 pages
Prisoner.
Spirituality, Contemplation
T
& Transformation
Writings on Centering Prayer
Thomas Keating, OCSO, and others
L
isbn: 9781590561126
paperback
Lantern Books
$22.00
356 pages
eading practitioners of centering prayer
Centering Prayer and
write about the many and varied benefits of
the Healing of the Unconscious
this dynamic and intimate means of connecting with the
Fr. Murchadh Ó Madagáin
Divine. The essays, originally published in the Sewanee
he author illustrates how, by bringing the
Theological Review, contribute to the growing body of literinsights of contemporary psychology to bear
ature on centering prayer—its practice, theory, applications
and effects—offering valuable points of entry for anyone on this ancient method of prayer, Fr. Keating
interested in beginning or deepening regular spiritual prac- has not only revitalized the contemplative tratice and fostering a more profound relationship with the dition, but also has enabled it to become a powerful tool for people of faith to gain insight into
Divine.
themselves and God, whom Keating calls the
Thomas Keating, ocso, founder of the Centering Prayer
“divine healer.” Fr. Murchadh Ó Madagáin also unpacks the
movement, is an author, teacher, and monk who has worked
processes at work in centering prayer and clears up some of
for many years to foster understanding among the world’s
the common misunderstandings that surround it.
religions. A member of the Cistercian Order in the Benedictine tradition, Father Keating has served at monasteries in Fr. Murchadh Ó Madagáin, a priest in Galway, Ireland,
Colorado and Massachusetts and currently directs retreats lectures in Spiritual Theology. Fr. Ó Madagáin is also the
in the practice of Centering Prayer, a cornerstone of contem- author of Thérèse of Lisieux: Through Love and Suffering
porary Christian contemplative practice. He is the author of (St. Paul’s, 2003).
several books, including Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit (Lanisbn: 9781590561072
tern Books 2007).
paperback
T
20
isbn: 9781590561102
paperback
Lantern Books
$20.00
348 pages
Lantern Books
$18.00
336 pages
P syc h e a n d S o c i e t y
Silence
Ecce Mulier
Introduction by Therese Schroeder-Sheker
Nietzsche and the Eternal Feminine
An Analytical Psychological Perspective
Gertrudis Ostfeld de Bendayán
W
e all need Silence to maintain and enlarge
our inner connection with the mystery of
the world, to find a sense of spiritual direction,
and to become more receptive to healing from
the spiritual worlds. Robert Sardello’s exquisite descriptions
of previously unrecognized dimensions of Silence, along
with exercises, can help us find what we most long to feel—
an intimate sense of being cared for.
Silence is nothing less than a gorgeous, sustained epiphany on Silence itself. From the trials of St. Anthony to
Anthroposophy, depth psychology, and phenomenology,
Sardello’s erudition is always present, but never intrusive. It
is a palpable entry into Silence as it unfolds, offering each
reader an intimation of its secrets.
Robert Sardello, ph.d., is cofounder of the School of
Spiritual Psychology and author of the popular Facing the
World with Soul: The Reimagination of Modern Life.
isbn: 9780977982523
paperback
Goldenstone Press
$17.98
132 pages
I Connecting
The Soul’s Quest
Kristina Kaine
Foreword by Robert Sardello
C
reativity and madness, sparked by the
intrusion of unconscious symbolism, arise
from the feminine depths that Jung, following Goethe’s example, called the realm of the
Mothers. The strength of the ego, under the
onslaught of unconscious contents, determines
whether creativity or madness triumphs. In
this psychobiography, the author enters the realm of the
Mothers to better understand the creativity and madness of
Nietzsche, while charting the developmental course of that
ego and its archetypal aspects.
Gertrudis Ostfeld de Bendayán, ph.d. a Jungian analyst, is a member of the International Association for Analytical Psychology (IAAP) and the Asociación Venezolana de
Psicología Analítica (AVPA). Dr. Ostfeld de Bendayán lives
in Caracas, Venezuela, and is the author of Anima Mundi.
isbn: 9781888602432
paperback
Chiron Publications
$24.95
306 pages
The Olive and the Tree
The Secret Strength of the Druze
Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer & Gil Sedan
A
ccording to Druze custom, they predate
eaders are invited to become participant-observers in
the Hebrew people in the Palestine region,
the life of soul and spirit. I Connecting goes beyond and, like many indigenous peoples, they do not
“the way it is” and encourages us to discover how the gaps in feel bound by the customs and religions of later
meaning we experience arise from a lack of contact with our settlers, which has led to a long history of strife
inner life. Yet, this is not a book of lonely meditative prac- with their neighbors.
tices that fail the requirements of real life. Rather, this book
Based on the author’s documentary film, The
helps us recognize the inner, qualitative nature of mostly Olive and the Tree describes the roots of the Druze’s remarkunnoticed subjective experiences at the center of our busy able strength, their long history, how they have influenced
and practical lives.
the Middle East, and what Westerners can learn from them
Kristina Kaine has developed methods of assessing people and their way of life.
on an inner level so that, in her human resources enter- Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer, is best known for her pioneering
prise, compatible people can be referred to one another. She work in the field of media psychology, specifically sex. Her
leads Soul Questing workshops to support the work in this doctorate from Columbia University is in the Interdisciplingroundbreaking book. Visit www.i-connecting.com.
ary Study of the Family, and she has created several books
and documentary films investigating the family. She teaches
isbn: 9780977982530
paperback
seminars at Yale and Princeton and writes. Dr. Ruth is also
Goldenstone Press
working on a documentary on Bedouin women.
R
$15.95
208 pages
isbn: 9781590561027
paperback
Lantern Books
$20.00
160 pages
Robert Sardello
21
We s t e r n Pa t h s
An Endless Trace
The Voice of the Eagle
The Seer’s Handbook
The Passionate Pursuit
of Wisdom in the West
Christopher Bamford
The Heart of Celtic Christianity
Christopher Bamford
John Scotus Eriugena
A Guide to Higher Perception
Dennis Klocek
Introduction by Philip Zaleski
Introduction by Thomas Moore
T
wo powerful motives weave
beneath the surface of our spiritual history: the desire to know and
the desire to love. The secret history of
the West is the story of saints, mystics,
alchemists, poets, and philosophers
trying to unite these two streams and
celebrate—in the world and in their
own persons—the sacred marriage of
Logos and Sophia, Word and Wisdom.
An Endless Trace is an impressionistic history of the Western spiritual
tradition that follows the traces—from
ancient Greece into modern times—of
those who sought to know the world
and themselves, while realizing that
they must overcome themselves to love
the world and one another.
22
Christopher Bamford is
Editor in Chief for SteinerBooks and its imprints. A
Fellow of the Lindisfarne
Association, he has lectured,
taught, and written widely on Western spiritual and esoteric traditions.
He has translated and edited numerous books, including Celtic Christianity: Ecology and Holiness; Homage to
Pythagoras; and The Noble Traveller.
HarperSanFrancisco included an essay
by Mr. Bamford in its anthology Best
Spiritual Writing 2000.
isbn: 1930337078
paperback
Codhill Press
$19.95
304 pages
I
n this practical and accessible guide,
Dennis Klocek builds on the alchemical tradition and the Western path of
ohn Scotus Eriugena was born
initiation developed by Rudolf Steiner,
and raised in Ireland during the
showing how the soul’s latent ability
early ninth century. Neither monk nor
can be awakened by conscious acts
priest but a “holy sage,” he carried the
of will and rhythmic practices. The
flower of Celtic Christianity to France.
practices begin wherever we are in
His homily, The Voice of the Eagle, is
our everyday lives and take the seeker
a jewel of lyrical mysticism, theology,
through the levels of concentration—
and cosmology, containing the essence
the ability to create and hold an inner
of Celtic Christian wisdom. He mediimage; contemplation—the ability
tates on the meaning and purpose of
to transform the image and make it
creation as revealed by the Word made
dynamic; and meditation—the ability
flesh, distilling into twenty-three short
to reverse the image, or think it backchapters a uniquely Celtic, non-dualward into inner silence.
istic fusion of Christianity, Platonism,
Dennis Klocek teaches at
and ancient Irish wisdom.
Rudolf Steiner College in CalChristopher Bamford’s enlightenifornia, where he is director
ing “reflections,” which make up the
of the Consciousness Studies
second part of the book, attempt to
Program. He is involved in
unfold some of the deep meaning
implicit in Eriugena’s luminous sen- many fields, including weather, gardentences. Inspired both by his personal ing, color therapy, meditation and the
search for a living Christianity and by human organism, embryology, and sena sense of the continuity of Western sory transformation. He is the author of
culture, Mr. Bamford’s reflections offer Bio-Dynamic Book of Moons, Weather
a contemporary, meditative encounter and Cosmology, Drawing from the
with the Word—the Logos—as medi- Book of Nature, and Seeking Spirit
ated both by St. John’s Prologue and by Vision. Dennis also oversees a unique
website, www.docweather.com, and
Eriugena’s Celtic homily.
The Voice of the Eagle is a perennial is the founder of the Coros Institute
(www.corosinstitute.org) and China
favorite of Celtic Christianity.
isbn: 9780970109705
Trends (www.china-trends.com).
J
paperback
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228 pages
isbn: 9780880105484
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SteinerBooks
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288 pages
Ca r e o f S o u l & S p i r i t
The Planets Within
The Speech of the Grail
On Life’s Journey
The Astrological Psychology
of Marsilio Ficino
Thomas Moore
A Journey toward Speaking
that Heals & Transforms
Linda Sussman
Always Becoming
Daniel A. Lindley
M
oore focuses on one of the
most psychological movements
of the pre-scientific age—Renaissance
Italy, where a group of inner explorers
charted territories that continue to give
us a much-needed sense of who we are
and where we came from, as well as the
right routes to take toward fertile and
unexplored places.
Marsilio Ficino, the presiding genius
of the Florentine Academy, taught that
all things exist in soul and must be
lived in its light. Ficino was a “doctor
of soul” whose insights teach us the
care and nurture of soul. The author’s
guide is Ficino’s own fundamental tool:
imagination. Respecting the integrity
and autonomy of images, The Planets
Within unfolds a poetics of soul in a
dialogue between the laconic remarks
of Ficino and the need to give these
remarks a life and context for today.
Thomas Moore is the
author of Care of the Soul,
which spent forty-six
weeks on the New York
Times bestseller list, and fifteen other
books on deepening spirituality and
cultivating the soul in every aspect of
life. He has been a monk, a musician,
a university professor, and a psychotherapist, and today lectures widely on
holistic medicine, spirituality, psychotherapy, and ecology. He lives in New
England.
isbn: 9780940262287
paperback
Lindisfarne Books
$16.95
228 pages
I
n Speech of the Grail, Linda Sussman explores a new way of speaking
that heals and transforms. She takes for
her guide Wolfram von Eschenbach’s
Parsival, an epic tale of the Grail. She
shows how it depicts a path of initiation toward healing speech—toward
aniel Lindley applies insights
“doing the truth” in both word and
gleaned from many years of studyaction.
ing
literature
and psychoanalysis to
Speech of the Grail begins with a
show
how
we
are always becoming—
beautiful retelling of the story, allowand
always
obligated
to care for that
ing readers to reproduce inwardly the
archetypal
child.
potent inner images of the text. SussDrawing on psychological truths
man then shows that it is not so much
expressed
by Shakespeare, Wordsa path toward perfection as the recovworth,
Eliot,
and others, Lindley illuery of a proper relationship with our
minates
the
process
of individuation
own imperfections. She shows, too,
through
personal
experience,
art, and
that it is a path in which male and
archetype.
From
birth
to
old
age, he
female aspects work together to overshows
that,
even
in
our
separatecome evil.
ness, we share an archetypal ground.
Linda Sussman, ph.d, edu- According to the author, at any point
cator, storyteller, ceremoni- in our lives, the path we walk is not
alist, counselor, holds her unknown but has purpose and direcdoctorate in Spiritual Psy- tion. We live out stories, which existed
chology and Oral Tradition. long before we did and will continue
She helped to create the Center for the long after we are gone.
Healing Arts in Los Angeles, which for
Daniel A. Lindley, ph.d.,
ten years offered a psycho-spiritual
l.c.s.w., is a training analyst
healing program for persons with lifeat the C. G. Jung Institute
threatening illnesses. In Portland, she
of Chicago and is in private
performed, taught, and sponsored stopractice. He is also the author
rytelling events through her business,
Oregon Supporters of the Spoken Arts. of This Rough Magic: The Life of
A licensed minister since 1991, she Teaching.
works with individuals, couples, and
isbn: 1888602406
hardcover
groups to create Ceremonies by Design
Chiron Publications
to honor life transitions.
D
isbn: 9780940262690
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Introduction by Noel Cobb
“In every adult there lurks a child–
an eternal child, something that
is always becoming, is never completed, and calls for unceasing care,
attention, and education. That is
the part of the human personality
that wants to develop and become
whole.” —C. G. Jung
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and
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roots; the
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and
experimental
studies
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nington College, she studied
by neuroscientists; and the thoughts of
Venerable Yifa is a nun in the reli- at Gallaudet University, the Waldorf
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she contributed to Benedict’s Dharma: husband in Massachusetts. Claire is the
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we can once again work in harmony
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with nature to achieve true sustain- Extreme Weather
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the remarkable life of Rudolf Steiner, new art, a new design, a new economunyard, an interTresemer demonstrates the Oracle of ics, and new patterns of responsibility.
nationally recogthe Solar Cross, whose four points We must be willing to give nature its
nized
expert on cliinteract throughout each of our lives due—we must recognize what we actumate
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and
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recent
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selfish exploitation.
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David Tresemer, ph.d., Professor Brian Goodwin received
events, including Hurcofounded the StarHouse in his Ph.D. at the University of Edinricane Katrina, the Alpine floods of
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graphs, this book looks at what hapisbn: 9780863155963
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pened, the human cost, the causes, and
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Peter Bunyard studied natural sciThe Astronomical
Jan Martin Bang
ences at Cambridge and Harvard and
Letters of Elizabeth
is adjunct faculty on the University
ollowing his first
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of Boston Study Abroad Program. A
book, Ecovillages: A
Elizabeth Vreede
founding editor of The Ecologist magPractical Guide to Susazine, he is a fellow of the Linnean
tainable
Communities,
mong the many topSociety. He lectures regularly in South
Jan Bang looks at what
ics Dr. Vreede considAmerica on the climatic importance of
comes next. Groups are
ers are the role of nutation,
the Amazonian rainforest. He is also
precession, and other movements of the not fixed by their earthe author of The Breakdown of CliEarth in human evolution and life; the lier decisions and direccomets; the relations of the heavenly tions but grow and develop—and not mate and the editor of Gaia in Action.
bodies to spiritual beings; horoscopes; always as expected. Here the author
isbn: 9780863155680
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solar and lunar eclipses; and the deeper provides a comprehensive overview of
Floris Books
meaning of the Christian holidays such the changes that groups can experience
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and offers experienced advice on how
as Easter and Whitsun.
8¼x9½
to handle the many situations that can
isbn: 9780880105880
256
pages
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This guide for intentional communi$45.00
ties includes numerous case studies of
I
A
F
B
400 pages
25
B o o k s b y S e r g e i O. P r o k o f i e f f
The Heavenly Sophia and
the Being A nthroposophia
P
rokofieff describes the path
that led him to experience the
being of Anthroposophia. That path
is clearly outlined here so that the
reader can follow it as well. In the
second part, beginning with Steiner’s
few statements on the subject, Prokofieff considers the position of the living
Anthroposophia in the cosmic hierarchy, specifically her relationship to
Christ, the heavenly Sophia, and the
Archangel Michael.
Finally available in paperback, this
work will be of special interest to all
those who have a close connection to
Rudolf Steiner’s Anthroposophy.
isbn: 9781902636795
paperback
Temple Lodge
$30.00
312 pages
Sergei O. Prokofieff
was born in Moscow
in 1954, where he
studied fine arts and
painting at the Moscow School of Art.
At an early age he came across the
work of Rudolf Steiner and soon
realized that his life was to be dedicated to the Christian path of esoteric knowledge. He wrote his first
book, Rudolf Steiner and the Founding of the New Mysteries, while living in Soviet Russia. After the fall
of Communism, he helped establish
the Anthroposophical Society in
Russia. At Easter 2001, he became
a member of the Executive Council
of the General Anthroposophical
Society at the Goetheanum.
The Occult Significance
May Human Beings Hear It! of Forgiveness
And the Future of the
Anthroposophical Society
P
rokofieff traces the three stages
of heavenly preparation of Anthroposophy—the
“spiritual
thunderstorm,” the Michael School in the Sun
sphere, and the “imagination-based
cultus” in the spiritual word nearest
the Earth. These events involved the
nine spiritual hierarchies, associating
them with the karma of the anthroposophic movement.
isbn: 9781855841543
paperback
$6.00
48 pages
The Mystery of
John the Baptist and
John the Evangelist at
the Turning Point of Time
rom Tsarist Russia and the concentration camps of Nazi Germany
to the infighting during the early years
uring Christmas season of of the Anthroposophical Society, the An Esoteric Study
1923/24, Rudolf Steiner reestab- author offers striking examples of
n this brief, enlightening work,
lished the Anthroposophical Society in those who have been able to forgive
Prokofieff addresses the mystery of
Dornach, Switzerland. That important frequently terrible crime and shows the the “two Johns,” solving many unanevent—the “Christmas Conference”— benefits of each act of forgiveness. As swered questions. In particular, he
can be studied on many levels, and its he develops his theme, the importance throws light on issues of “incarnation
mysteries have long been central to of forgiving—not simply for personal and incorporation,” the nature of John
Prokofieff’s anthroposophic research. salvation but for the advancement of the Baptist’s and John the Evangelist’s
He begins with the enduring ques- human evolution—is revealed in all its respective initiations, the significance
tion: What did Steiner mean when he healing truth.
of their mutual work at the “Turning
The Occult Significance of For- Point of Time,” and its relevance to
called that conference the “start of a
world turning point of time”? In this giveness has been read and loved by our day.
far-reaching work, the author, working thousands for years and may be the
isbn: 9781902636672
paperback
from several perspectives, guides the most valuable, accessible, and sucTemple
Lodge
cinct
of
Prokofieff’s
works
on
inner
reader toward an answer.
$15.00
isbn: 1902636538
development.
The Mystery of the
Christmas Conference
D
26
F
The Esoteric Significance
of Spiritual Work in
Anthroposophical Groups
hardcover
Temple Lodge
$64.00
944 pages
I
isbn: 9781902636603
paperback
Temple Lodge
$22.00
208 pages
48 pages
Tr a n s f o r m i n g S o c i e t y a n d M o n e y
How to Apply the Wisdom
of the Body to Develop
Healthy Organizations
Torin M. Finser, Ph.D.
D
r. Finser asserts that we need a
new ecology of organizations and
that it is time to create dynamic, living
organizations by and for people. Moreover, he shows us how to achieve this
seemingly impossible task by “organizing” organizations. Just as democracy
has transformed much of the world,
through the genius of the human body
we can transform organizations into
living systems that serve and protect
human interests.
Organizational Integrity shows a
truly unique approach to the age-old
process of bringing people together in
healthy, effective organizations to better the world we live in.
Torin M. Finser, ph.d., is Director
of the Waldorf Teacher Education Program at Antioch
University New England and
founding member of the Center for Anthroposophy, Collaborative Leadership Training, and
Templar Associates in New Hampshire. An educator for three decades,
he speaks at conferences worldwide.
Dr. Finser is also Co–General Secretary of the Anthroposophical Society
in America. He is author of several
books, including the popular School as
a Journey.
isbn: 9780880105828
hardcover
SteinerBooks
$30.00
268 pages
isbn: 9780880105781
paperback
SteinerBooks
$25.00
Money Can Heal
University and an MA in Educational
Psychology from New York University.
Evolving Our Consciousness
He frequently lectures on the nature
The Story of RSF and Its
of money and the healing potential
in
monetary transactions. Mr. Finser
Innovations in Social Finance
lives in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and
Siegfried E. Finser
Delray Beach, Florida, with his wife
xploring the wonders of every of fifty-one years, a teacher and therakind of monetary transaction, Sieg- peutic eurythmist. He has two sons,
fried Finser reveals how all transactions an adopted daughter, a foster son and
interact with the human psyche. Hav- daughter and seven grandchildren.
ing evolved through the ages, money
isbn: 9780880105736
is no longer an object so much as a
paperback
“worldwind” of circulation, moving at
SteinerBooks
various speeds and achieving a myriad
$25.00
of results.
248 pages
Our human intentions give money its
qualities and determine its speed and
Revisioning
its effect on people everywhere. From
object to pure movement, money is Society and Culture
now poised to serve our highest goals. Classic Articles from
As we have nurtured money in its evoThe Journal for Anthroposophy
lution, we must now take responsibility for directing its great potential in Douglas M. Sloan, editor
transforming social life, thereby bring- Series editor Robert McDermott
ing healing to the world. The author
“To find living ideas, living concepts,
gives RSF Social Finance as an examliving viewpoints, living feelings,
ple of an organization working to heal
not dead theories—that is the task
our social life.
of this age.” —Rudolf Steiner
Money Can Heal shows a way
hese articles discuss our most
beyond money as “a thing one acquires”
crucial task today: to transform our
toward money as “movement” among
dominant
ways of knowing the world.
human souls. You’ll never see money
Contributors
include Georg Kühlwind,
the same way again.
Adeline Bianchi, Dieter Rudloff, Rex
Siegfried Finser was a
Raab, Cornelius Pietzner, Christopher
Waldorf schoolteacher, manSchaefer, Clopper Almon, Herbert Witaged a division of Xerox,
zenman, and Virgina Sease.
and was Director of Execuisbn: 9780967456263
tive Development worldwide
paperback
for ITT. He has consulted with many
Anthroposophical Society
large corporations and was president
in America
of the Threefold Educational Founda$15.00
tion, treasurer of the Anthroposophi128 pages
cal Society in America, and founder of
the Rudolf Steiner Foundation (RSF),
where he continues on the Board of
Trustees. He has a BA from Rutgers
E
T
Organizational Integrity
27
Sophiology
The Sophia Teachings
The Emergence of the Divine
Feminine in Our Time
Robert Powell
R
separation and isolation as a result
of self-awareness. Nonetheless, it is
one in which we can share spiritual
liberation. MacDermot’s engaging
discussion relates this work not only
to ancient teachings but also to Jung,
Swedenborg, and Cabala.
twenty-five years of labor camp. All of
his previous writings were destroyed.
He was released to his waiting wife
in 1957, his health ruined by a heart
attack in prison.
isbn: 9780940262836
obert Powell, cofounder of
paperback
the Sophia Foundation of North
Lindisfarne
Books
American, uncovers a secret stream of Violet MacDermot studied Egyp$24.95
wisdom that flows through the heart tology at University College, London,
416 pages
of Christianity: the feminine principle, and was a board member of the Egypt
known in Greek as “Sophia,” the being Exploration Society. She has translated The Most Holy Trinosophia
of Holy Wisdom herself. This sacred two Coptic texts, Volumes IX and XIII The New Revelation of
embodiment, named in the Old Testa- in the Nag Hammadi Studies series: the Divine Feminine
ment as the first living being made by Pistis Sophia and The Books of Jeu and
Robert Powell
God, has comforted and guided seek- the Untitled Text in the Bruce Codex.
ers of truth in every age and in every
owell discusses Sophia as a
isbn: 9781584200000
human culture.
Trinity-as Mother, Daughter, and
paperback
Lindisfarne Books
Holy Soul- and as the feminine aspect
Robert Powell received a master’s
$18.00
of Divine Godhead. He connects our
degree in mathematics from the Uni224 pages
reawakening to the feminine aspect of
versity of Sussex and a Ph.D. from the
God
with many of the changes now takT
he
R
ose
of
the
W
orld
Polish Academy of Science in Warsaw.
ing
place
in the world. Also included is
He cofounded the Sophia Foundation Daniel Andreev
an
introduction
to the Divine Feminine
of North America and is a euryth- Tranlated by Jordan Roberts
by
Daniel
Andreev,
author of The Rose
mist and movement therapist in Kinompleted in 1959 and hidden of the World.
sau, Germany, as well as the author of
from the Soviet secret police for
isbn: 9780880104807
numerous articles and books, including
paperback
twenty years, The Rose of the World
the forthcoming Mystery, Biography,
SteinerBooks
was first made public in 1989. It is
and Destiny of Mary Magdalene.
$16.95
a unique, poetic cosmology, passion144
pages
isbn: 9781584200482
ately written from personal spiritual
paperback
experience. It offers a prophetic call Threefold M ary
Lindisfarne Books
for the spiritual reunification of all Emil Bock
$20.00
people and an open and harmonious
176 pages
Afterword by Michael Debus
relationship among the great world
The Fall of Sophia
n November 1, 1950, Pius xii
religions. For Andreev, the “Rose of
proclaimed
the Dogma of the
the World” is a spiritual flower whose
A Gnostic Text on the
Assumption—Mary’s
bodily assumproots are in heaven—each petal a
Redemption of Universal
tion
into
heaven.
Emil
Bock’s response
unique image of the great world reliConsciousness
was
these
lectures,
which
broaden the
gions and cultures, the flower their
scope
to
include
the
Mary-Sophia
mysViolet MacDermot
co-creation with God.
tery in human history and the meaning
Foreword by Stephan A. Hoeller
Daniel Andreev (1906–1954) was
of the feminine element in the evolun this accessible book, Egyptolo- born in Berlin. His father was the tion of consciousness.
gist Violet MacDermot offers a well-known Russian writer Leonid
isbn: 9780880105330
fresh translation of the Pistis Sophia Andreev. He was arrested during the
paperback
SteinerBooks
from the Coptic and discusses it in Stalinist years, along with his wife,
$15.00
its historical context. She shows how and sentenced to twenty-five years
96 pages
Sophia’s story is also the story of our in prison, while his wife received
P
C
28
O
I
Sophiology
Isis Mary Sophia
the Anthroposophical Society, under The Goddess
whose auspices he lectured in Holland
Her Mission and Ours
and England and wrote on his under- From Natura to
standing of the Bible, Anthroposophy, the Divine Sophia
Rudolf Steiner
and esoteric Christianity. Later, he left Rudolf Steiner
the Anthroposophical Society and its
his concise reader gathers what
ere are most of Steiner’s state- internal struggles and converted to
Steiner had to say about the femiments on Sophia. Each chap- Catholicism. He died while vacationnine principle in all her guises. Topics
ter explores various relationships of ing in Majorca.
include: Rediscovering the Goddess
Sophia: Sophia and Isis, Sophia and
isbn: 0880105658
Natura; Retracing our Steps—Mediaethe Holy Spirit, Sophia and Mary, the
hardcover
val Thought and the School of Chartres;
mother of Jesus (and Mary Magdalene),
SteinerBooks
The Goddess Natura in the Ancient
Sophia and the Gnostic Achamod, and
$50.00
Mysteries; The Goddess in the BeginSophia and the New Isis. Above all, in
7 x 10 inches
ning—the Birth of the Word; Esoteric
a remarkable way, Steiner makes clear
472 pages
Christianity—the Virgin Sophia; The
the relationship of Christ and Sophia.
The Archetypal Feminine in Search for the New Isis; The Renewal
isbn: 9780880104944
paperback
the Mystery Stream
of the Mysteries; and The Modern Isis,
SteinerBooks
the Divine Sophia.
of Humanity
$24.95
224 pages
Christ and Sophia
Anthroposophic Meditations
on the Old Testament, New
Testament, and Apocalypse
Valentin Tomberg
Translation by R. H. Bruce
I
n these meditations on the true
Christian nature of the scriptures,
Tomberg shows how the central story
of the Bible is really a history of the
Christ being. He describes the cosmic
and earthly preparations for the Mystery of Golgotha, its significance and
results for humanity and the world,
and the central role of the Sophia being
and her relationship to the Christ, the
Holy Spirit, the Disciples and Pentecost,
and all of humanity. He also imagines
the Grail nature of the Christ’s involvement in earthly history.
Valentin Tomberg (1900–1973)
was strongly influenced by Vladimir
Soloviev and had a personal experience of the Sophia. In 1925, he joined
Towards a New
Culture of the Family
Manfred Schmidt-Brabant
& Virginia Sease
T
he Authors’ survey of the feminine archetype attempts to illuminate the spiritual significance and
meaning of the feminine principle
today as well as its future destiny. By
considering the mystery behind human
and earthly evolution, they arrive at
clear and accessible perspectives that
can help to transform human life today,
especially the culture of family.
Beginning with Eve in tradition
and legend, the authors comment on
the Queen of Sheba, the image of the
Virgin in esoteric Christianity, IsisSophia and the Great Mother, the birth
of art from the primal feminine, and
the importance of women for modern
esotericism.
isbn: 1902636120
paperback
Temple Lodge
$18.95
112 pages
isbn: 9781855840942
paperback
$15.95
112 pages
Ancient Myths and
the New Isis Mystery
Rudolf Steiner
Introduction by Signe E. Schaefer
8 lectures, Dornach, 1918, 1920 (CWs
180 & 202)
S
teiner looks at the Egyptian,
Greek, and Hebrew myths and
illustrates how the myths expressed
the consciousness of the people of that
time. He sees in the Osiris-Isis story
an expression of the loss of a direct
experience of the suprasensory world.
He shows the connection between this
loss and the challenge we face today to
bring new life to our abstract ways of
knowing.
isbn: 9780880103770
paperback
SteinerBooks
$14.95
184 pages
T
H
29
Bees
Rudolf Steiner
Introduction by Günther Hauk, Essay by David Adams
8 lectures, Dornach, February–December 1924 (GA 348)
I
n 1923 Rudolf Steiner predicted the dire state of today’s
honeybee. He stated that, within
fifty to eighty years, we would
reap the consequences of having
mechanized forces that had previously operated organically in the
beehive. Such practices include
breeding queen bees artificially.
The fact that much of the
North American honeybee population has died during the past
twenty years, and that this trend
continues worldwide, should
make us aware of the importance
of the issues discussed in these lectures. Steiner began this
series of lectures on bees in response to a question from an
audience of workers at the Goetheanum.
From physical depictions of the bees’ daily activities to
the most elevated esoteric insights, these lectures describe
the unconscious wisdom of the beehive and its connection
to our experience of health, culture, and the cosmos.
Bees is essential reading for understanding the true nature
of the honeybee and for learning how to heal the contemporary crisis of the beehive.
Also included is an essay by David Adams, “From Queen
Bee to Social Sculpture: The Artistic Alchemy of Joseph
Beuys.” The art and social philosophy of Joseph Beuys
(1921–1986) is among the most influential of the twentieth century. He was strongly influenced by Rudolf Steiner’s
lectures on bees. The elemental imagery and its relationship
to human society played an important role in Beuys’s sculptures, drawings, installations, and performance art. Adams’s
essay on Beuys adds a whole new dimension to these lectures, generally considered to be directed more specifically
to biodynamic methods and beekeeping.
Includes 13 of Steiner’s relevant blackboard drawings.
30
Günther Hauk is director of the Pfeiffer Center, a biodynamic research center sponsored by Threefold Educational
Foundation and Sunbridge College, Spring Valley, N.Y. He
started a training program in biodynamic gardening there in
1996. He has worked with bees since 1975 and has been a
beekeeper since 1980. He gives workshops throughout the
United States on the plight of the honey bee.
isbn: 9780880104579
paperback
SteinerBooks
$25.00
240 pages
Introduction by Günther Hauk
L
ooking back at the twentieth century, we can certainly see tremendous progress in all fields of technology.
Advancement in this sphere of our human lives, however,
has been achieved at the cost of a gradual loss of the instinctual, holistic knowledge that has guided and protected life
on Earth for great spans of time. But it would be wrong to
nourish a desire for a return to the “good old days.” Fortunately, they cannot be retrieved. New ways of tapping this
knowledge must be found while retaining the accomplishments of our scientifically trained intelligence.
In order to focus with our sharpened intellect on the
physical, material side of nature, we have had to neglect
the dimension that constitutes the underlying cause and support of our physical world: the spiritual world. Whether we
acknowledge that world or not, the fact that we are confronted with an avalanche of life-negating and life-destroying events cannot be denied, and the underlying causes must
be found if we, the Earth, and all its life are to survive. The
dying of honeybees in large areas of the world is only one
fragment in this whole picture.
What can we do about a situation of such global dimensions? Times of crises, whether personal, nationwide,
or global, are times of chance and opportunity. These
“moments” in history wake us and shake us up so that we
can abandon the path of (self ) destruction, change our
course, and head in a new direction that offers possibilities for life. Without regaining an all-encompassing knowledge—this time not instinctual or traditional—we can gain
no real truth. We are floundering on a sea of hypotheses
about the origin of life, about our cosmos, evolution, and
the goal of evolution. It takes an honest scientist such as
Steven Hawkins to acknowledge that our worldview today
is based on assumption: “Any physical theory is always provisional, in the sense that it is only a hypothesis: you can
never prove it. . . . Today scientists describe the universe in
terms of two basic partial theories. . . . The major theme of
this book . . . is the search for a new theory.”* The problem,
however, is that the general public takes these assumptions
as facts—and lives by them.
Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925) did not discard the intellectual accomplishments of our scientific age but, by utilizing them, researched another dimension, which is needed
to complement the admirable achievements of the natural,
physical and psychological sciences of our time. His method,
called “spiritual science,” or “Anthroposophy” (anthropos
= humankind, sophia = wisdom), can be learned by anyone
who applies great stamina of will, concentration, and intent.
By reaching into the realms of the reality that causes and
affects the sense-perceptible, material world, Steiner was
able to cut through the jungle of hypotheses and theories
that directly or indirectly influence our everyday actions.
* Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time, pp. 10–12, (New York:
Bantam Books, 1988).
Steiner passed on his research results
in approximately forty written works
and two thousand lectures. The results
of his investigations into spiritual realities are not intended to be “believed”;
rather, we are to verify them through
common sense and wakeful, open, and
unbiased minds. Through application
to everyday, practical life, the fruits of
these insights have become abundant
throughout the world—in pedagogy,
curative education, medicine, agriculture, religion, the arts, the sciences,
and in the social realm.
We can be immensely grateful that
we also have these lectures on bees
from a spiritual scientific view. Steiner
gave these lectures to the workers at
the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland. Among the workers was a professional beekeeper, Mr. Müller, who contributed to these lectures in the form
of insights and questions. Mr. Müller
rebelled vehemently and showed no
understanding, however, when Steiner
explained the intricacies of the queen
bee, mentioning that the modern
method of breeding queens (using the
larvae of worker bees, a practice that
had already been in use for about fifteen years) would have long-term detrimental effects—so grave that “a century later all breeding of bees would
cease, if only artificially produced bees
were used” (appendix, extract, Nov.
10, p. 177–178). The answer came in
another lecture: “It is quite correct that
we can’t determine this today; it will
have to be delayed until a later time.
Let’s talk to each other again in one
hundred years, Mr. Müller, then we’ll
see what kind of opinion you’ll have at
that point” (Dec. 5, p. 75).
Seventy-five years have passed, and
the kind of queen breeding Steiner
spoke of has not only continued, but
has become the standard, and is now
supplemented with artificial insemination. Now that over sixty percent of
the American honeybee populations
have died during the past ten years,
we should certainly become more
alert and open to such statements. Of
course, this would force us to take a
pause from looking at what appears to
be the cause of this crisis—the varroa
mite—and pose more difficult questions. These are questions about the
general health of the animal and questions that probe basic issues, such as
our attitude toward the bee and our
depth of understanding for this being.
These two factors, which are certainly
interrelated, essentially determine the
myriad aspects of beekeeping: the form
and material of the hive, wax production, artificial foundations, modern
queen breeding (including artificial
insemination), swarming or its prevention, manipulation of the drone population, sugar feeding, pollen substitutes, moving the hives from location
to location, and the yearly exchange
of queens. Certainly other “external,”
physically detrimental factors play a
role in beekeeping, but they are also
related to our lack of a true understanding of intricate interrelationships
and life processes in nature: the effects
of mineral fertilizers on the quality of
nectar and pollen, insecticides, air and
water pollution, and the constantly
dwindling variety and quantity of wild
flowers.
In order to do justice to an animal—
and as human beings this is, or should
be, a moral obligation—we must have
a deep understanding of its nature.
We cannot simply consider our own
comfort and calculate our economic
situation. If we do, we will face dire
consequences.
Rudolf Steiner never intended to
turn the clock back to old ways, and
as we study these lectures we can
glimpse deeply into the nature of the
bee. We will then, out of freedom and
insight, be able to keep bees in ways
that are appropriate to them; we will
be able to help them regain life forces
and, thereby, heal some of the wounds
we have inflicted through shortsightedness, ignorance, and greed. Such study
can help us to realize the immensely
important role not only of the bee and
her honey, but also of the wasp and
the ant in nature and human evolution. Can we ignore doing everything
possible in attempting to help these
creatures? They certainly deserve our
active gratitude.
Steiner wanted to look at the situation again with Mr. Müller in a hundred years. Three fourths of that time
has passed, and, in all probability, the
next few years will be decisive; we
will either reverse the trend or see the
results Steiner foresaw. Such a development will have an inconceivable
impact on the whole ecosystem and on
all of nature’s intricate interrelationships. The last two of these lectures to
the workers should make this clear.
This new translation will help the
reader of today understand what
Steiner intended to say; in my opinion, it has come just in time, and we
are very grateful for it. May these ideas
reach the minds and hearts of many!
Bees — Introduction by Günther Hauk
31
B i o dy n a m i c G a r d e n i n g & Fa r m i n g
Bees and Honey
From Flower to Jar
Michael Weiler
W
32
Extraordinary Plant
Qualities for Biodynamics
Jochen Bockemühl
e all know that bees make honey. Kari Järvinen
The mystery for most of us is
n biodynamic gardening and agriwhat happens between the time when
culture, one of the most important
those bees are buzzing around our gar- uses of plants is to make spray prepaden and when we stick our knife in the rations and compost mixtures in which
jar. Based on careful observation and the various plants can each provide
years of experience, Michael Weiler unique benefits.
reveals the secret life of bees. He looks
This beautifully illustrated book
at all aspects of a bee’s life and work considers the qualities of seven plants,
and vividly describes their remarkable showing how their nature and habits
world.
relate to the positive characteristics
Did you know, for example, that it they bring to biodynamic methods.
takes approximately 12,000 bee hours The nettle, for example—with its geoto produce a single jar of honey? If metrical leaf growth and extensive desbees earned minimum wages, one jar iccating root system—can bring order
would cost almost $100,000 (plus to otherwise chaotic soil decay.
retail markup).
This book offers much to those who
Bees and Honey is a fascinating book are serious about biodynamic methods
for anyone interested in the intricacies and about improving the quality of
of nature and the life of these fascinat- their garden or farm produce.
ing insects.
Jochen Bockemühl was born in
Michael Weiler has lived in Kassel 1928 in Dresden. He studied zoology,
since 1985 and is the father of five. botany, chemistry, and geology and,
In 1982, he began beekeeping while since 1956, has been a coworker at the
studying agriculture. After working as Research Institut at the Goetheanum.
an agricultural consultant, he attended From 1970 to 1996, he was director of
the teacher training at the free Rudolf the Natural Science Section, and since
Steiner School in Kassel and taught at 1980 he has led seminars on landscape
the Jean Paul School until 1996. He in Europe and elsewhere. His English
currently does research in biodynam- publications include: In Partnership
ics. He is editor of the magazine Leb- With Nature; Dying Forests; Toward a
endige Erde. Since 1992, he has helped Phenomenology of the Etheric World;
to develop guidelines for approaches and Awakening to Landscape.
to ecological beekeeping and leads
seminars on the life of bees and healthy Kari Järvinen was a gardener and
now lectures in biodynamics at Snellbeekeeping.
man College in Finland.
isbn: 9780863155758
paperback
Floris Books
$17.95
120 pages
I
isbn: 9780863155765
paperback
Floris Books
$30.00
8 ½ x 8 ½ inches
160 pages
Principles of
Biodynamic Spray and
Compost Preparations
Manfred Klett
R
enowned biodynamic expert
Manfred Klett begins by providing
a fascinating overview of the history of
agriculture. He then goes on to discuss
the practicalities of spray and compost preparations and the philosophy
behind them.
This book is essential for any biodynamic gardener or farmer who wants
to understand the background to core
biodynamic techniques.
Based on keynote talks by Manfred
Klett at Biodynamic Agricultural Association conferences.
Dr. Manfred Klett is a founder of
a biodynamic farming community in
Germany. He is the former director of
the Department of Agriculture at the
Goetheanum in Switzerland and has
more than twenty years’ experience in
biodynamic agriculture.
isbn: 0863155421
paperback
Floris Books
$14.95
112 pages
Biodynamic Agriculture
Willy Schilthuis
A
concise, illustrated introduction to biodynamic agriculture,
in which farmers and gardeners work
with the spiritual dimensions of the
earthly environment, enabling the life
processes and ecological interconnections of plants and animals to function
at their best.
isbn: 9780863153976
paperback
Floris Books
$14.95
128 pages
B i o dy n a m i c G a r d e n i n g & Fa r m i n g
The Biodynamic Year
The Biodynamic Farm
Increasing Yield, Quality and Flavour
Agriculture in Service of the Earth and Humanity
100 Helpful Tips for the Gardener or Smallholder Herbert Koepf
Maria Thun
iodynamics is “the oldest alternative agricultural
B
M
Maria Thun has gardened all her working life and is an
authority on biodynamics. Her annual sowing and planting
calendar is published in eighteen languages.
isbn: 9781902636863
hardcover
Temple Lodge
$32.00
128 pages
The Biodynamic
Sowing and Planting Calendar 2008
Maria Thun & Matthias K. Thun
H
isbn: 9780880101721
paperback
SteinerBooks
$30.00
260 pages
What Is Biodynamics?
A Way to Heal and Revitalize the Earth
Rudolf Steiner
Introduction by Hugh Courtney
7 selected lectures
T
his introductory volume collects seven seminal
ere it is again—just in time to begin planning your
lectures—four on developing a spiritual perception of
spring garden. This is the original biodynamic sowing nature and three from his Agriculture Course, dealing with
and planting calendar, now in its forty-sixth year! In addi- the preparations. Hugh Courtney of the Josephine Porter
tion to suggestions for the best days to plant, thin, weed, Institute for Applied Biodynamics contributes an informaand harvest, this year, the calendar also includes, for the first tive, passionate, and visionary introduction.
time, a pullout wall chart to display in the barn, shed, or
Whether you are concerned with the quality of agriculgreenhouse for convenient, on-the-spot reference.
ture and gardening in particular or have a broader interest
No biodynamic gardener should be without this in the ecological crises facing us today, this book offers a
classic reference.
transformative approach that can truly change the way we
live
together on Earth.
isbn: 9780863156113
paperback
Floris Books
$13.95
64 pages
isbn: 9780880105408
paperback
SteinerBooks
$18.00
200 pages
movement in the world.” It is based on the concept of
the whole farm as a single organism. Its goals are to proaria Thun, a preeminent expert in biodynamic methtect and nurture the soil, improve the quality of food, and
ods of cultivation, or “premium organic,” has colorganically integrate the farm into the environment as a
lected more than a hundred of her best gardening tips from
whole.
fifty years’ research.
The Biodynamic Farm is an essential reference for all
Discover how to produce abundant and flavorful crops;
farmers who are unsatisfied with conventional methods and
how special preparations can transform soil and plants;
for gardeners who wish to improve the quality of life around
how the moon affects planting and growth; the difference
them as well as the food they serve their families.
between root, leaf, blossom, and fruit plants; the best storHerbert Koepf received his Ph.D. from Germany’s leadage methods; and much more.
Join the author on a journey through the seasons and dis- ing agricultural university and later became the head of
cover great new tips and suggestions. The Biodynamic Year the School of Biodynamics and Earth Sciences at Emerson
contains a wealth of advice for gardeners who wish to care College in England. Dr. Koepf has lectured extensively in
Europe, Canada, and the U.S.
for and manage nature more responsibly and successfully.
33
Food and Health
The Biodynamic Food
& Cookbook
Real Nutrition that
Doesn’t Cost the Earth
Wendy E. Cook
I
llustrated with hundreds of color
photographs, The Biodynamic Food
& Cookbook explains the principles
behind biodynamic methods and places
it in the context of food and cooking
through the ages. Wendy Cook, author
of the bestselling Foodwise, takes us
on a journey through the four seasons
with more than 150 delicious recipes
based on many years of working with
biodynamic nutrition. She considers
the ethics of food, the foundation of a
balanced diet, and conjures up the color
and vibrancy of Mallorca, which has
contributed so much to her personal
approach. Included are supplementary
sections on breads, sauces, salads, desserts, drinks, and much more.
The Biodynamic Food & Cookbook
will find a permanent place in every
healthy kitchen.
34
Foodwise
Understanding What We Eat
and How It Affects Us
Wendy E. Cook
“At last, here is a book that tells
you the whole truth about food!...
an astonishing ensemble of history, culture, aesthetics, and recipes
related to food. It is a book that
unites taste and transcendence.”
—Satish Kumar,
editor of Resurgence
Gardening for
Health & Nutrition
An Introduction to the Method
of Biodynamic Gardening
John & Helen Philbrick
I
n his introduction, John Philbrick
talks of how each morning he was in
the habit of meditating and communing in his garden at sunrise. He came to
realize that “life is the key to existence
on this planet.” He also realized that
most gardeners were more concerned
hrough her daughter’s illness, with death, with getting rid of things—
Wendy Cook began to study the bugs, weeds, fungi—than with life.
deep aspects of nutrition, and partic- Biodynamics is based on the interrelatularly the effects of foods on human edness, or the dynamics, of life forces.
health and consciousness. In Foodwise As Philbrick says:
she presents a cornucopia of ideas,
When you become aware of bioadvice and commentary, informed by
dynamics, you become aware that
the work of Rudolf Steiner.
everything that is alive is depenCook relates human evolution to
dent
upon everything else that’s
changes in consciousness and the conalive,
and it’s all a marvelous netsumption of different foods, considerwork
of living things which are
ing among other topics the importance
constantly
changing.
of agricultural methods, the nature
of the human being, the significance
This book provides a simple and
of grasses and grains, the mystery of practical guide for the beginning garWendy E. Cook is a writer and speaker human digestion and the question of dener. It deals with planning a vegon nutritional issues. She studied mac- vegetarianism. She also analyzes the etable garden; how, when, and where
robiotics, as well as Rudolf Steiner’s nutritional (or otherwise) qualities to plant seeds; tools; compost making;
approach to nutrition and agriculture of carbohydrates, minerals, fats and raised beds; crop rotation; mulching;
(biodynamics). Having discovered how oils, milk and dairy products, herbs companion plants; harvesting; cooklife-changing nutrition can be, she and spices, salt and sweeteners, stimu- ing; and preserving There are also
devoted herself to cooking and teach- lants, legumes, the nightshade family, sections on flowers, lawns, and home
ing in clinics, communities and schools. bread, water and dietary supplements. orchards.
More recently she was resident at She ends this comprehensive survey of
Gardening for Health & Nutrition
Schumacher College while simultane- nutrition with practical tips on cook- concludes with a useful chapter on
ously studying for a degree in Waldorf ing, planning menus, children’s food “most frequently asked questions.” If
Education at Plymouth University.
and sharing meals—and some mouth- you are planning a garden—or need a
watering recipes!
isbn: 9781905570010
few tips for the one you have, this is
paperback
the book for you.
isbn: 9781902636399
Clairview Books
$39.00
8 ¼ x 11 ¾ inches
256 pages
T
paperback
Clairview Books
$34.00
6 ½ x 9 ½ inches
352 pages
isbn: 9780880104036
paperback
SteinerBooks
$15.95
112 pages
Food and Health
Brian McCarthy
The Vegan Diet as
The World Peace Diet
Chronic Disease Prevention Eating for Spiritual Health and
Evidence Supporting the New
ow that you’re a vegan (or Four Food Groups
thinking of becoming one), you
Kerrie K. Saunders
may know lots of ways to prepare
N
Social Harmony
Will Tuttle
B
y eating the plants and animals
of our Earth, we incorporate them.
Through the act of eating, we partake
of our culture’s values and paradigms
at the most primal levels. Clearly, however, the choices we make about food
are leading to environmental degradation, health problems, and cruelty
toward our fellow creatures.
Incorporating
systems
theory,
mythology and religion, and the human
sciences, The World Peace Diet presents the outlines of a more empowering understanding of our world, based
on a comprehension of the far-reaching implications of our food choices
and the worldview those choices reflect
and mandate. The author offers a set
of universal principles for all people
of conscience, from any religious tradition, that they can follow to reconnect with what we are eating, what
was required to get it on our plate, and
what happens after it leaves our plates.
Tuttle suggests how we might
advance our consciousness to become
freer and more intelligent, loving, and
happier in our choices.
“A compelling and concise argutofu, but someone may be starting to
ment for the overwhelming benefits
miss macaroni and cheese, turkey dinto
the human being of a pure vegners, pumpkin pie and birthday cake.
etarian
diet.”
Maybe you and your family feel self—John McDougall, m.d.,
conscious (and hungry) at holidays,
Director, McDougall
picnics, and parties. Or perhaps just
Residential Program
one person in your household is vegan,
he U.S. is one of the sickest nations
and you need to create meals that
on Earth. Most Americans accept
everyone wants to eat.
degenerative
chronic diseases such as
Since the day Brian McCarthy and
obesity,
diabetes,
atherosclerosis, heart
his wife, Karen, chose a vegan diet for
disease,
osteoporosis
and cancer as
their family ten years ago, Chef McCapart
of
the
normal
aging
process. Disrthy has created over 400 simple vegan
cover
how
a
diet
based
on
the
new four
recipes with easy-to-find ingredients
food
groups
can
help
prevent
or allevifor traditional favorites like biscuits,
ate
the
chronic
diseases
that
affect
so
corn bread, stews, pastas, pizzas, cakes,
many
Americans—often
without
the
pies, and even eggless nog. All the recipes come from the McCarthy home need for pills, surgery, or fad diets. In
kitchen and have passed the test of this thoroughly researched guide, Dr.
many family meals. For individuals or Saunders points the way to new stanfamilies who are concerned about ani- dards of health and health care for the
mals, the environment, or their health, twenty-first century.
mealtimes just got a whole lot easier.
Dr. Kerrie Saunders, ph.d., m.s.,
l.l.p.,
took doctoral level coursework
Chef Brian P. McCarthy has been
at
Miami
University in Ohio and the
a professional cook for twenty-five
University
of Michigan before graduatyears. While attending culinary coling
with
a
doctorate
in Natural Health
lege, he and his wife, Karen, began to
from
Clayton
College
in Birmingham, Will Tuttle, Ph.D., has for years preeducate themselves on the dangers of
sented vegetarian and human potential
the typical American diet. The McCa- Alabama. Her work has appeared in
conferences.
In July 2007, he received
rthy family lives in Oregon, where they several newspapers, e-zines, and healththe
prestigious
Courage of Conscience
have enjoyed a vegan diet for the past related magazines, including VegNews.
Award
from
The
Peace Abbey. He lives
ten years. The McCarthy family will Dr. Saunders currently provides conin
Healdsburg,
California.
donate ten percent of their royalties to sultation to clinic patients and profesisbn: 1590560833
nonprofit agencies dedicated to help- sionals through an Integrated Medicine
paperback
clinic
in
Port
Huron,
Michigan.
ing the Earth’s environment.
T
isbn: 9781590560877
paperback
Lantern Books
$20.00
336 pages
isbn: 9781590560389
paperback
Lantern Books
$20.00
220 pages
Lantern Books
$20.00
352 pages
The Lantern
Vegan Family Cookbook
35
Anthroposophic & Holistic Medicine
Practical Home Care
Medicine
A Natural Approach
Sophia Christine Murphy,
editor
M
urphy offers a wealth of practical information, tinctures, teas,
and ointments, along with helpful
information on their preparation and
uses. These practical medicines provide a wide assortment of useful methods for dealing with common ailments.
Drawn from the broad experience of
parents, nurses, and physicians, Practical Home Care Medicine is an easyto-follow health guide that will help
keep your family healthy and become
a trusted companion in the home.
Sophia Christine Murphy is a specialist in anthroposophic homeopathic
medicines and therapies. She was, for
many years, Director of Weleda USA
and later founded Lilipoh magazine.
The author of several books, she lives
in Ireland.
Herbal and Homeopathic
Treatments for Use at Home
Otto Wolff, m.d.
H
Extending Practical
Medicine
Fundamental Principles Based
on the Science of the Spirit
Rudolf Steiner & Ita Wegman
ere is a handbook you will turn
to for practical advice on how to Foreword by Michael Evans
deal with health problems by using
natural methods. In direct language, Written 1924–1925 (GA 27)
udolf Steiner worked with the
it describes herbal and homeopathic
physician Ita Wegman to revitalremedies and shows how they can be
ize the art of healing through spiritual
used in your home.
Included are sections on asthma, knowledge—yet in so doing they did
fever, skin conditions, migraine, arthri- not underrate or dismiss modern allotis, and diabetes. Also included are pathic medicine; rather, they illumined
suggestions for stocking your medicine ordinary medicine beyond its materialchest, along with a convenient index istic outlook to a fuller realization of
that helps you quickly research specific the human condition. As Ita Wegman
wrote in her preface: “The aim was not
ailments.
isbn: 9780880103626
to underestimate scientific medicine in
paperback
an amateurish way; it was given full
SteinerBooks
recognition. But it was important to
$12.95
add to existing knowledge the insights
124 pages
that can come from true perception of
Complete Healing
the spirit, enabling us to understand
Regaining Your Health through the processes of illness and healing.”
R
Dr. Ita Wegman (1876–1943) became
a close student of Rudolf Steiner, who
encouraged her to acquire a medical
degree. She established the Institute of
he authors provide an excellent Clinical Medicine in Arlesheim, Switintroduction to the anthroposophi- zerland, where she developed a mediThe Vaccination Dilemma
cally extended practice of medicine.
cal practice based on principles of spirSophia Christine Murphy
itual
science. She was also leader of the
Dr. Michael Evans received mediresenting the question of vacci- cal training in Britain, Germany, and Medical Section of the Anthroposophinations from multiple perspectives, Switzerland and helped establish Park cal Society.
Murphy helps educate parents about Attwood Clinic in Worcestershire, UK.
isbn: 9781855840805
the dilemma and prepares them make Iain Rodger is a BBC producer and
paperback
educated decisions about vaccinations freelance writer.
$19.95
for their children.
isbn: 9781584200505
paperback
Lindisfarne Books
$15.00
100 pages
36
Home Remedies
Anthroposophical Medicine
Michael Evans, m.d.
& Iain Rodger
T
p
isbn: 9781930051102
paperback
Lantern Books
$15.00
144 pages
isbn: 9780880104890
paperback
SteinerBooks
$14.95
192 pages
144 pages
Anthroposophic & Holistic Medicine
A Guide to the Emergence of
Sensible, Comprehensive Care
Robert Zieve, m.d.
Foreword by Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt
& Dr. James Oschman
D
r. Zieve presents a new paradigm
for health care that shows us how
to go beyond the limitations and severe
deficiencies of our current sickness care
system. It embraces and synthesizes the
emerging models of integrative medicine, energy medicine, and energy psychology into an effective and affordable approach to healing for everyone.
This guide is for those who wish
to provide a more complete form of
health care for their patients and for
those prepared to make the necessary
changes in daily life to initiate and
maintain a movement toward healing. This includes understanding the
daily disciplines of a healing process,
the deeper psychological processes of
illness, and the creative arts in their
therapeutic roles.
Robert J. Zieve, m.d., graduated
from the Ohio State University College of Medicine. He is an author, lecturer, and practitioner of comprehensive medicine, homeopathy, European
biological medicine, anthroposophic
medicine, neural therapy, nutrition,
and energy medicine. He is cofounder
and director of the Pine Tree Clinic for
Comprehensive Medicine in Prescott,
Arizona (www.pinetreeclinic.com).
isbn: 9780880105606
paperback
Bell Pond Books
$24.95
400 pages
Blessed by Illness
L. F. C. Mees, md.
D
Lifting the Veil of
Mental Illness
r. Mees traces the history of
An Approach to
our changing concept of healing, from the so-called temple sleep of Anthroposophical Psychology
ancient Egypt through the herbal lore William R. Bento
of ancient Greece and the healings of
n his unique approach to anthroChrist, to the rise of modern medicine,
posophic psychology, or “psychosobased primarily on treating symptoms. phy,” William Bento views imbalances
Leendert F. C. Mees, m.d. of the human soul in an experiential
(1902–1990), was a medical and human way. Basing his views on
doctor and a lifelong stu- the work of Rudolf Steiner, the author
dent of Anthroposophy. He looks not only at the human body, soul,
practiced general medicine and spirit, but also at the way the whole
in The Hague, where he was also a doc- environment of physical phenomena,
tor and teacher at the Waldorf school. life forces, and spirit beings affects us
With his wife, he established a clinic as individuals. Going well beyond our
for artistic therapy and began writing immediate, earthly surroundings, the
extensively and lecturing worldwide author considers the cosmic effects of
on medicine, evolution, education, and sun, planets and stars, offering a holistic view of the human soul.
other topics.
Lifting the Veil of Mental Illness is a
isbn: 9780880100540
valuable
addition to the field of anthropaperback
posophical
psychology and to the study
SteinerBooks
of
spiritual
science as a whole.
$24.95
I
250 pages
William R. Bento has
worked in the field of human
development for more than
Form in Metamorphosis
thirty years. He is a recogL. F. C. Mees, md.
nized pioneer and author in
the
field
of
psychosophy (soul wisdom)
n this seminal study of human bone
and
astrosophy
(star wisdom) and
forms, Dr. Mees reveals the skeleton
travels
extensively
as a speaker, teacher,
as an articulate work of art. But who
and
consultant.
He
lives in Palo Alto,
is the artist? Using a blend of phenomCalifornia.
enological observations and artistic
intuition, the author carefully explores
isbn: 9780880105309
the anatomical facts of the human skelpaperback
SteinerBooks
eton, with the beauty of many bones
$20.00
impressively described and illustrated
128
pages
through numerous parallel photographs and illustrations.
Secrets of the Skeleton
I
isbn: 9780880100878
paperback
SteinerBooks
$25.00
7 x 10
108 pages
Healthy Medicine
37
Bac h F l ow e r R e m e d i e s
Bach Flower Remedies
Form and Function
Julian Barnard
I
n the 1920s, the physician and homeopath Dr. Edward
Bach made his great discovery of the healing effects of
various flower essences. Intense and revelatory, his experiences in nature resulted in thirty-eight “flower remedies.”
He describes these as bringing courage to the fearful, peace
to the anguished, and strength to the weak. But the therapeutic effects of the remedies were never limited to emotional states. They are equally effective in the treatment of
physical disorders.
Barnard begins the process of explaining this phenomenon. He describes how Bach made his discoveries and
examines the living qualities of the plants in their context
and how the remedies are actually produced. The result is
remarkable. The author recounts his observations so that
readers can experience, in a living way, the complex ways in
which the remedy plants grow—their gestures and qualities,
ecology, botany, and behavior.
This exciting book is a trumpet call to attend to nature in
a new way. Fully illustrated.
38
Stars of the M eadow
Medicinal Herbs As Flower Essences
David Dalton
F
lower essences are a perfect complement to many
of today’s health practices. They enhance the effects of
energy work, physical therapy, acupuncture, psychotherapy,
cranial-sacral work, massage, aroma therapy and many
other forms of healing and treatment. Flower essences are
safe, natural, and non-toxic.
Continuing the work of Edward Bach, Stars of the
Meadow looks deeply into the relationship between health
and the human personality. David Dalton takes us on a
thorough and soulful exploration of how to use more than
forty medicinal herbs as flower essences, portraying each
flower in a way that is both substantive and inspired. Each
description is organized to present a picture of how the
flower essence affects the adult personality as it has been
formed through life, and describes its direct clinical effects
on children and animals.
Dalton also connects different types of flowers—based on
the number and arrangement of petals as well as associated
colors and qualities—to the system of human chakras, or
Julian Barnard has lived and worked in Wal- energy centers. This innovative approach allows the reader
terstone on the Welsh border for the past twenty to discover new ways to employ flower essences to focus on
years. Born in the Thames Valley in 1947 to specific areas of one’s being, from the most physical to the
a family with connections to the great English highest levels, allowing a kind of flexibility rarely found in
botanists John Henslow and Joseph Hooker, he any single system of healing.
Stars of the Meadow is a valuable guide not only for those
was brought up with a love of plants. He went
who
are new to flower essences, but also for seasoned herbto school at Oxford and trained at the Architectural Assoalists
who wish to deepen their knowledge of this effective
ciation in London. Finding a copy of The Twelve Healers
method
of healing body, mind, and soul.
led to a training in herbal medicine with Dorothy Hall in
Australia. The author of a series of books about Dr. Bach’s David Dalton is the founder and director of
flower remedies, including The Healing Herbs of Edward Delta Gardens in southern New Hampshire, a
Bach: An Illustrated Guide to the Flower Remedies, he has center for flower essence research and educaalso edited and published the Collected Writings of Edward tion. The center treats adults, children, and
Bach, the first complete edition of Bach’s works. In 1986 he animals and also trains practitioners from
was instrumental in establishing the Bach Educational Pro- many professional fields for the ongoing
gram to bring flower remedies to a wider public. Still active inquiry into the effects of flower essences on the body, mind,
in education, Barnard has given talks and workshops in and emotions.
more than a dozen countries in Europe and the Americas.
isbn: 9781584200352
isbn: 9781584200246
paperback
Lindisfarne Books
$25.00
7 x 10 inches
320 pages
paperback
Lindisfarne Books
$20.00
7 x 10
128 pages
Fa m i ly & H e a l t h
How I Feel
Mistletoe and Cancer Therapy
Sophia Christine Murphy,
editor
A Book About Diabetes
Michael Olson
R
ecently, the plant-based cancer
therapy Iscador has been gaining
increased media attention. But Iscador
has been known for its therapeutic benefits for over eighty years. As early as
1917, Rudolf Steiner suggested using
injections of mistletoe extract for the
treatment of cancer. His recommendations were taken up and put to clinical
use by Dr. Ita Wegman, a Dutch physician. Wegman, who founded a clinic
that later became the Lukas clinic, also
first developed Iscador in 1917.
In this book, Christine Murphy gathers together some of the work of doctors and clinicians who have been using
Iscador today. Dr. Richard Wagner, a
German physician, answers many of
the questions about Iscador asked him
by his patients during his many years
of practice as an oncologist in general
practice, treating cancer patients with
both conventional and alternative therapies. Dr. Thomas Schuerholz, a medical doctor specializing in cancer, offers
an overview of the terms, procedures,
and different approaches to cancer.
W
hen Michael Olson’s sevenyear-old brother Steven came
down with juvenile diabetes, Michael
and his family were shocked to find out
how little information was available
to help explain the disease to a child.
Michael, who was in third grade at the
time, resolved to learn as much as he
could about the illness and to write
and illustrate his own book based
upon Steven’s experience. His hope
was that hospitals and clinics would
give the book to children and families
who must suddenly face this life-long
illness.
In wonderfully evocative cartoons
and illustrations, How I Feel depicts
Steven’s experience. He describes what
Steven went through before the disease was discovered, how he felt in
hospital and during the recuperation
period, and how his life changed once
he became a child who would now be
insulin dependent.
How I Feel presents not only a definitive understanding of juvenile diabetes in a charming, easy-to-understand
way, it is also an invaluable resource
for children, parents, teachers, and
doctors who are dealing with juvenile
diabetes.
A Thought Is
Just a Thought
A Story of Living with OCD
Leslie Talley
Foreword by Michael A. Jenike, M.D.
P
owerfully
illustrated,
A
Thought Is Just a Thought is the
compelling and sympathetic story of
Jenny, who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It describes
Jenny’s visits with her mother to a doctor. He notices that Jenny is afraid to
stop tapping the wall with her fingers
for fear that her sister won’t come
home, and that she is afraid to walk on
the white squares of the kitchen’s black
and white, tiled floor.
The kind Dr. Mike helps Jenny overcome her fears by showing her how to
rethink the bad thoughts, and eventually she stops dwelling on the thought
and its irrational consequences, realizing that, after all, a thought is just a
thought.
A Thought Is Just a Thought is the
first book for children and parents that
confronts OCD, a surprisingly common childhood illness. It is an excellent resource for parents and doctors
who wish to understand better ways to
help children deal with this debilitating
psychological illness.
Sophia Christine Murphy is a specialist in anthroposophic homeopathic
Leslie Talley, an author and illustramedicines and therapies. She was, for
tor, lives in Eden, North Carolina.
Michael
Olson
is
currently
a
stumany years, Director of Weleda USA
dent
at
Rutgers
University
in
New
Jerand later founded Lilipoh magazine.
isbn: 1590560655
paperback
An author of several books, she cur- sey. His family livees in in Sioux Falls,
Lantern
Books
South
Dakota.
rently lives in Dingle on the southwest
$10.00
coast of Ireland.
isbn: 9781590560372
isbn: 9781930051768
paperback
Lantern Books
$20.00
208 pages
paperback
Lantern Books
$15.00
80 pages
8 x 8 inches
32 pages
Iscador
39
F a m i l y, E d u c a t i o n , a n d C h i l d D e v e l o p m e n t
What Is a
Waldorf Kindergarten?
compiled and introduced by
Sharifa Oppenheimer
Joan Almon, Editor
Afterword by Cynthia K. Aldinger
E
Heaven on Earth
A Handbook for Parents of
Young Children
Sharifa Oppenheimer,
Photography by Stephanie Gross
S
pages, letter forms to avoid, and tools
to assist in teaching handwriting are
also included.
Jennifer Crebbin, Life Coach and
Certified Handwriting Consultant,
teaches a writing style that prepares
individuals to be powerful contributors in the world.
harifa Oppenheimer balances
theoretical understanding of child
isbn: 9780880105873
development with practical ideas,
paperback
resources, and tips that can transform
SteinerBooks
family life. Readers will learn how to
$20.00
establish the life rhythms that lay the
128 pages
foundation for all learning; how to
design indoor play environments that Understanding
allow children the broadest skills devel- Children’s Drawings
opment; and how to create backyard
play spaces that encourage vigorous Tracing the Path of Incarnation
Sharifa
Oppenheimer movement and a wide sensory palette. Michaela Strauss
was the founding teacher Through art, storytelling, and the festihildren’s drawings often end
of
the
Charlottesville val celebrations, this book is a guide to
up in the wastebasket. Yet early
Waldorf School, Virginia, build a “family culture” based on the artistic expressions contain important
where she taught kinder- guiding principle of love. Such a cul- statements about their development.
garten for twenty-one years and served ture supports children and allows the From the first scratches and scribbles
as day care director of the early- free development of each unique soul.
to the detailed sketches of houses
isbn: 9780880105668
childhood program. She has helped
and people, children’s drawings are
paperback
develop new teachers through teachersignificant manifestations of inner
SteinerBooks
training programs at Sunbridge Colprocesses—indications
of the gradual
$25.00
lege in New York State, and at Rudolf
incarnation
into
a
physical
body.
256 pages
Steiner College near Sacramento as
First issued in 1978, this revised edia master teacher offering practicum Soul Development
tion has improved reproductions and a
and internship opportunities. She is through Handwriting
larger format.
the author of the popular Heaven on
Fully illustrated in color.
Earth and has written many articles The Waldorf Approach to the
Michaela Strauss built on the work of
on Waldorf education, helping the Vimala Alphabet
her father Hanns Strauss (1883–1946),
parents of her students create support- Jennifer Crebbin
a
painter and art teacher who collected
ive home environments. Recently she
he book considers personal thousands of children’s drawings and
initiated a home-based kindergarten
characteristics, which can be compared and evaluated them. Followprogram, The Rose Garden. Sharifa is
transformed through certain letters. ing her father’s early death, Michaela
the mother of three grown sons, who
Included are a summary of the Waldorf continued his research and brought
received Waldorf educations. She lives
method of teaching writing to young this book to publication.
in an enchanted forest in Virginia.
children; ideas for introducing the
isbn: 9781855841994
isbn: 9780880105767
Vimala Alphabet into different grades;
hardcover
paperback
and details on using the practice of
Rudolf
Steiner Press
SteinerBooks
the Vimala Alphabet as a transforma$30.00
$15.00
8¼ x 9 inches
tive tool for children. Descriptions of
112 pages
96 pages
the letters and their qualities, practice
xperienced teachers describe
the Steiner approach to early childhood education. They show what lies
behind the Waldorf kindergarten methods and the practical ways in which it
is applied by teachers in the classroom.
Readers are guided by the sure and
compassionate hand of Sharifa, as she
introduces the authors and each topic.
Illustrated in color.
C
40
T
Steiner Education
and Social Issues
From Early Childhood
to Adolescence:
With Practical Exercises
Anne-Maidlin Vogel
How Waldorf Schooling
Addresses the Problems
of Society
Brien Masters
Preface by Michaela Glockler
Edited by Norman Francis Vogel
asters asserts that education
has a central role to play “in
bringing into human lives those qualities that can take us forward to a progressive future.” He proposes that
Rudolf Steiner’s educational approach,
which is practiced primarily in the
Waldorf schools around the world, is
well equipped to enable this.
In Steiner Education and Social
Issues—via a series of short, engaging chapters and based on his broad
personal experience of teaching and
teacher-training—Masters tackles a
wide range of modern social issues,
from drugs and nutrition to boredom,
the influence of television, and multicultural societies. This is a wise and
informative guide for parents, teachers, and anyone interested in the future
development of our children and our
culture.
T
hese are eurythmy therapy exercises performed with premature
infants, babies, and young children
up to four. Although based firmly on
Anthroposophy and Steiner’s recommendations for eurythmy, anyone can
follow the descriptions and sketches
for exercises, which are based on
healthy movement of the developing
human organism.
Speech eurythmy are included for
postural problems, enuresis, lack
of concentration, and more. These
encourage readers to study the principles behind the practice of eurythmy
performance and eurythmy therapy.
Therapeutic Eurythmy for Children
will inspire the work of therapists,
deepen holistic pediatrics, help teachers understand how to approach students through movement, and encourage parents to be more effective in their
children’s health and development.
Anne-Maidlin Vogel (d.1999) was
one of the three leading teachers of
the Therapeutic Eurythmy Training
in England. For fourteen years, until
1998, she training more than 500
eurythmists.
isbn: 9780880105682
hardcover
SteinerBooks
$45.00
8 x 11 inches
264 pages
M
isbn: 9781855842007
paperback
$24.00
240 pages
A Guide to Child Health
Third Edition
Michaela Glöckler
& Wolfgang Goebel
N
ew edition of the classic guide
for holistic health in children.
Part one covers childhood ailments
and home care. Part two looks at the
healthy development of children and
how to create the ideal conditions for
them.
The authors also examine issues of
raising and educating children and how
this affects them later on in life. This
book is extremely practical. It presents
cases of conflict and crisis, along with
potential solutions. The new edition
lists medical and health practices in
North America, Southern Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.
Dr. Michaela Glöckler is leader of
the Medical Section of the Anthroposophical Society.
Dr. Wolfgang Goebel co-founded
the pediatric department at the community hospital in Herdecke.
isbn: 9780863156069
paperback
Floris Books
$40.00
480 pages
Balance in Teaching
Rudolf Steiner
Introduction by Douglas Gerwin
8 lectures, Stuttgart, 1919–1923 (CW
302a)
S
teiner explores the effects on the
child of what he calls the etheric, formative forces and on the astral forces.
Balance comes through movement and
stillness and in working with polarities
in the body’s structure and functions.
In doing so, teachers are not working only on their students, but also on
themselves through self-development
and a meditative approach to teaching
and to the children they teach.
isbn: 9780880105514
paperback
SteinerBooks
$24.95
220 pages
Therapeutic Eurythmy
for Children
41
Knitted Animals
Puppet creations can bring magic Knitting for Children
into
everyday life. They can be used
Anne-Dorthe Grigaff
to transform storytelling, ease bed- A second book
ere is an irresistible collection time rituals, and make a birthdays and Bonnie Gosse & Jill Allerton
of animals to knit in soft, natu- other occasion truly special. Puppet
ollowing the success of A First
ral materials: ducklings, teddy bears, theater is a great activity with children;
Book
of Knitting for Children, in
lambs, piglets, hedgehog, a handsome it builds the imagination and encourthe
second
book the authors bring
rooster, and many more.
ages children to create their own char- many new skills and more patterns for
Most of the projects can be knitted acters and stories.
children and adults to make. Each patquickly and cheaply with small odds
tern is given with clear instructions and
Maija
Baric
studied
puppetry
at
the
and ends of wool, and many can be
illustrated
by artistic photographs.
Prague
Academy
of
Performing
Arts
completed in an hour or two—ideal
Color
illustrations
throughout. Recand
is
the
artistic
director
of
Nukketefor knitters looking for ways to reduce
ommended
for
all
ages!
atteri
Sampo
(Puppet
Theater
Sampo),
their yarn clutter.
isbn: 9780946206537
The step-by-step instructions for a professional theater company based
paperback
making over twenty delightful, soft, in Helsinki. She leads courses in pupWynstones
Press
knitted animals are illustrated with petry, directs and performs puppet
$24.95
beautiful color photography through- shows, and designs and creates theatri108 pages
out. Knitted Animals provides a good cal puppets.
Creative Felt
isbn: 9781903458723
range of projects suitable for older
paperback
children with basic knitting skills; the
Felting and Making Toys and
Hawthorn Press
finished designs make enchanting chilGifts
$30.00
dren’s toys and gifts, decoration for
Angelika Wolk-Gerche
88 pages
the school nature or season table, and
or three thousand years, people
A First Book of Knitting
items for fairs and raffles.
made felt without specialized tools.
Anne-Dorthe Grigaff is a Waldorf for Children
Creative Felt systematically shows how
teacher in Denmark. She has a passion- Bonnie Gosse & Jill Allerton
anyone can make felt in easy stages.
ate interest in handcraft work.
lthough written for children, Helpful photographs and diagrams
isbn: 9781903458686
this book is a valuable resource for accompany the text.
hardcover
adults. Handwork teachers, parents,
The second half contains a wealth of
Hawthorn Press
and other adults who want to learn ideas for projects to make with felt—
$29.95
how to knit will find that the simple from toys and dolls to beautiful acces64 pages
instructions, the interesting patterns, sories and gifts.
Puppet Theatre
and the artistic photographs make this
Includes seventeen color illustrations
book a must-have for their collection and seventy line drawings.
Maija Baric
of handbooks and references.
Color illustrations by Kristiina Louhi
Angelika Wolk-Gerche was born in
Bonnie
Gosse
is
an
experienced
1951
and studied design in Hanover
ith wit and ingenuity, Maija
teacher
with
an
interest
in
learning
and
before
becoming an art teacher. She
Baric shows how to transform
teaching
crafts.
She
is
also
the
author
now
works
as a freelance illustrator
wooden spoons, pieces of string, old
of
Soapstone
Carving
for
Children
and
textile
designer,
as well as leadsocks, outgrown clothes and other
and
Keep
it
Green,
an
environmental
ing
courses
in
arts
and
crafts. She lives
scrap materials into beautiful, duraboard
game.
near
Stuttgart.
ble, and functional theatrical puppets.
Once the puppets are finished, the
isbn: 9780946206551
isbn: 9780863156137
paperback
paperback
author shows ways to bring them to
Wynstones Press
Floris Books
life; how to build stages, scenery, and
$19.95
$16.95
props; how to create sound effects; and
96 pages
96 pages
how to devise performances.
H
F
F
A
42
W
Waldorf Kindergarten
Snack Book
Edited and Arranged by Andrea Huff
Illustrated by Jo Valens
Illustrated by Jo Valens
Collected by Marsha Post
W
hether as a quick snack, part
of a full-course dinner, or as the
whole meal, there is nothing quite like a
good bowl of soup. These recipes reflect
the care and awareness that goes into
providing proper nutrition for children
and adults alike, while never ignoring
the palate. Many Waldorf schoolteachers, staff, parents, alumni, and friends
of the Waldorf school movement have
contributed their favorite recipes to
make up this collection. You will find
everything from stocks and broths to
selections of vegetable, bean, cream,
tomato, seafood, chicken, beef, and
dessert soups ... and, of course, no book
of soups would be complete without a
recipe for Stone Soup! This cookbook
has something here for everyone.
The Waldorf School Book of Soups
is certain to become a favorite in every
kitchen with kids.
Collected by Lisa Hildreth
H
ere is a useful compendium of
information, recipes, and anecdotes from Waldorf kindergarten
teacher Lisa Hildreth—a rich book
for teachers, parents, and anyone who
cares for young children. Create soups,
breads, and fruit dishes with children,
while learning and teaching them how
various foods affect us and how to use
healthy ingredients to make delicious
and nutritious snacks.
Whimsically and joyously illustrated
by kindergarten teacher Jo Valens, you
will find yourself turning to this book
time and again when it’s snack time.
The author has also included a chapter
on birthday and festival foods.
Living Literacy
The Human Foundations of
Speaking, Writing, and Reading
Michael Rose
“An extraordinarily thoughtful book
that understands the value and the
importance of literacy, not simply
as a tool but as a living, breathing
part of our selves and our relation
to the world ... should be read by
all parents and teachers.”
—Kate Atkinson, author of
Behind the Scenes at the Museum
T
he author investigates the nature
of literacy and how it relates to child
development. It explores how teachers
and parents can prepare for the transition to literacy through conversation, story, song, and play, followed by
relevant and living ways to introduce
reading and writing formally.
Living Literacy makes the case that
Lisa Hildreth worked for ten years
the
very life and nature of language are
as a technical writer in the computer
breaking
down under the pressures of
industry before she learned of Rudolf
modern
society.
Michael Rose attriSteiner and Anthroposophy. She holds
butes
these
threats
to inappropriate
an master’s degree in education, with
electronic
media
and
to fundamental
a focus on Waldorf early childhood
flaws
in
modern
educational
systems,
Marsha Post is senior editor, transla- education, as well as a masters in Engwhile
examining
what
really
works
in
tor, and Waldorf and adult education lish. Lisa is a kindergarten teacher at
teaching
and
preparing
for
literacy.
coordinator for SteinerBooks.
the Susquehanna Waldorf School and
lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with Michael Rose is a founding teacher at
Andrea Huff founded one of the first her husband Arthur and sons David the York Steiner School and a tutor for
organic food school lunch programs and Robert.
the North of England Steiner Teacher
in the U.S., known as “Lunch at the
Training Course. He is a coauthor of
Waldorf.” She has been an organic and Jo Valens teaches kindergarten at the Ready to Learn (2002).
biodynamic foods caterer since 1991, Rudolf Steiner School in Great Barisbn: 9781903458525
and has worked as a personal chef rington, Massachusetts.
paperback
since 2001.
isbn: 9780880105637
isbn: 9780880105750
spiral binding
Bell Pond Books
$14.95
64 pages
spiral binding
Bell Pond Books
$12.95
64 pages
Hawthorn Press, Education Series
$27.00
192 pages
The Waldorf School
Book of Soups
43
The Last Night
of R amadan
Maissa Hamed
Illustrated by Mohamed El Wakil
T
he focus of this book is on the
Holy Month of Ramadan and its
traditions. The Last Night of Ramadan
entertains as it unveils the significance
of Ramadan and Eid El Fitr. Children’s
imaginative powers will be enriched as
the events unfold through the beautiful
medium of a puppet show—something
parents can enjoy creating with their
children and teachers can create for a
primary school context.
It is important for both Muslims
and non-Muslims to develop an understanding of Islam devoid of misconceptions and to understand the reasons
behind Islam’s broad appeal. As children read The Last Night of Ramadan, they will sense the traditions and
moral values that Islam shares with
other religions, such as the importance
of the family, respect toward older
family members, and the special place
afforded to mothers.
The illustrations in this unique book
for children give life to this important
time of the yearly cycle for Muslims
around the world.
African and
Caribbean Celebrations
Gail Johnson
44
Mohamed El Wakil, an Egyptian
American architect, has lived and
worked in the U.S. for more than
twenty years.
isbn: 9780880105866
hardcover
Bell Pond Books
$19.95
32 pages
Sven Nordqvist
H
ere is the first story in the adventures of farmer Pettson and his cat
Illustrated by Caroline Glanville
Findus. Pettson wants to bake a birthhis introduction to the rich day cake for Findus, who has three
festival traditions of the African birthdays a year. But how will they get
diaspora shows the history and tradi- the eggs while the bull is in the way?
tions of Junkonnu, Carnival, Crop Over,
Findus and Pettson live in a ramand the other key events of the festival shackle cottage in the country, with a
calendar—all beautifully illustrated henhouse, workshop, and woodshed.
and brought to life with stories, songs, Their fascinating, magical world is
games, recipes, crafts, and activities. inhabited by tiny creatures who move
Contents include Festivals and Food; Pettson’s things about when he isn’t
Music, Dance, and the Oral Tradition; looking.
Rites of Passage; and a bibliography of
Sven Nordqvist, a leading Swedish
resources for further reading.
children’s illustrator and writer, draws
Gail Johnson was born in inspiration from playful adventures
England, the daughter of a with his two sons.
Jamaican father and Engisbn: 9781903458792
lish mother. She works as a
hardcover
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sionate about recording the history of
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8¼ x 11¾ inches
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The Singing Day
Songbook and CD for
Maissa Hamed, an Egyptian Ameri- Singing with Young Children
can, is a former UNICEF staff member. Candy Verney
She is dedicated to increasing understanding of Islam in the world.
Pancakes for Findus
28 pages
Little Red Riding-Hood
A Grimm’s Fairy Tale
Marjan van Zeyl, illustrator
T
his is the classic Brothers Grimm
fairy tale of a little girl who goes
through the woods to deliver food to
her grandmother.
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Marjan van Zeyl was born in Amsterhis easy-to-follow songbook dam. A prolific artist, she has illusand CD helps parents and teach- trated numerous books for children,
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isbn: 9781903458259
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Hawthorn Press
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160 pages
isbn: 9780863156229
hardcover
Floris Books
$17.95
20 pages
Gerdt von Bassewitz
Illustrated by Hans Baluschek
Translated by Marianne H. Luedeking
Bremen Town Musicians
What’s Hiding In There?
A Grimm’s Fairy Tale
Ruth Lieberherr
L
H
Daniela Drescher
ift the the flaps to discover what’s
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inative fantasy and adventure tells Bremen to become the town musicians.
the story of how Peter and Anneli help This story, with its singularly satisfyMr. Zoomzeman, a June Bug, bring his ing happy ending, is made especially
delightful by the enchanting illustra- Daniela Drescher was born in
leg back from the Moon.
Long ago, a thief—stealing wood tions of Hsin-Shih Lai and the inven- Munich and trained in art therapy
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Mr. Zoomzeman’s great-great grand- will bring a smile to young and old Switzerland. She has worked intensively
with children in a therapeutic capacity
father’s leg and was banished to the alike.
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Moon. Unfortunately, he took the leg
illustrations for a parenting magazine.
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isbn: 9780880105835
She has written and illustrated several
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Anneli.
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The three set off together on an
The Sun Seed
16 pages
astonishing journey filled with marvelous encounters, fantastic beings, Jan Schubert
Hansel and Gretel
he colorful illustrations in this
and exciting events. Reaching the
book are made by the author from A Grimm’s Fairy Tale
Moon, they must challenge the ferodyed
wool fibers, felted together to Grimm Brothers
cious Moon Man and, with the help
create
a solid piece of “fabric.” She
of the Nature Forces, try to restore Mr.
Illustrated by Anastasiya Archipova
employed
a technique known as “dry,”
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n this favorite Grimm Brothers tale,
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describes the experience as “painting they find a tempting house made of
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old woman inside?
(Ages 3–5)
(Ages 5–8)
Jan Schubert a Waldorf early education teacher, has a lifelong love of Anastasiya Archipova is a freelance
handwork and textiles, expressed in illustrator living in Moscow.
her visual storytelling and puppetry.
isbn: 9780863156236
T
T
I
isbn: 9780880105859
hardcover
Bell Pond Books
$17.95
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hardcover
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Peter and Anneli’s
Journey to the Moon
45
Tr a n s f o r m a t i o n o f t h e F a l l e n B l o o d
From
Secrets of the
Stations of the Cross
and the Grail Blood:
Th e M y s t e r y o f
Tr a n s f o r m a t i o n
Judith von Halle
the seven falls and the seven words
Ispiritual-scientific
from the Cross, I would now like to give some deeper
insights that reveal a quite different
n relation to
kind of mirroring.
Christ was nailed to the Cross on Golgotha because—
as Rudolf Steiner describes this in various ways—He,
as representative of humanity, allowed the unpurified
“egotistical blood”* to flow out of the physical organization. Behind this reality stands one of the mysteries
of the Stations of the Cross and the flowing of Christ’s
blood at the Crucifixion.
We know from Rudolf Steiner that there were two
Jesus children, the so-called Solomon child and the
Nathan child of the Luke Gospel.† This is also, in fact,
one of the most vital discoveries in relation to the
Mystery of Golgotha. The Solomon Jesus child bore
in himself the “I” of Zarathustra. At the age of twelve,
the soul and the “I” of the Solomon child had matured
to such an extent that he could lay aside his body and
enter the pure, intact body of the Luke child; then, at
the age of thirty, he departed from this body again
when the Logos entered it at the Jordan baptism.
This Zarathustra “I” was, basically, a profoundly
mature, earthly “I,” so highly developed that the laws
of the normal rhythm of incarnation no longer applied
to it. The Zarathustra individuality belongs to the
so-called twenty-four Elders described by John in his
Apocalypse. He is a kind of impulse spirit who, together
with twenty-three other such spirits, enhances the destiny of earthly and human evolution. Just as a day has
twenty-four hours, so the whole period of planetary
evolution passing through seven planetary stages has
twenty-four impetus-giving spirits of humanity. However, we should not imagine that the many hundreds of
thousands of years of our embodiment could be subdivided into twenty-four equal periods like the hours in a
day, according each of these equal periods to an Elder.
In this case, time plays a subordinate role. Human evolutionary impulses are not necessarily tied to a fixed
schema but correspond to Earth and human evolution.
Just as one can cut a cake into slices of different sizes,
* See the lecture of March 25, 1908, in Rudolf Steiner, The Gospel of St. John, Anthroposophic Press 1962.
† See Rudolf Steiner, The Spiritual Guidance of the Individual
and Humanity, Anthroposophic Press 1992.
46
so the influence and working of the twenty-four Elders
seated by God’s throne vary in their effect on earthly
periods of time. These twenty-four Elders incarnate in
their true impetus-giving mission in one—we could call
it “chief”—incarnation. Three very well known Elder
spirits were Zarathustra, Moses, and Elijah. Now it
might be objected that Zarathustra, Moses, and Elijah incarnated very closely together, compared to the
many thousands of years of our Earth evolution. In a
different context,‡ I previously developed the following sketch:
Drawing on this schema, I described the path of the
Redeemer through the depths of the Earth during His
descent to the abyss, which made possible a simultaneous ascent of the resurrection body of Christ (see lower
and upper spirals). The seven planetary embodiments
on the lengthways axis show that, in passing through
the depths of the Earth, the Christ spirit also penetrates the Earth as total organism in its comprehensive
evolution—as it were, passing through past, present,
and future conditions of the Earth.
If we now return to the question of why three of
the twenty-four Elders, Zarathustra, Moses, and Elijah, incorporated their impulses into humanity over a
relatively short successive period, the sketch can help.
It is striking that the planetary conditions of Moon
and Jupiter lie much closer to the focal, or crown,
point, the Mystery of Golgotha, than do the planetary
conditions of Moon and Sun to each other, or Jupiter
and Venus. This is because the density of evolutionary
potential is greatest when in proximity to the Christ
intervention. This is similar to the way a water vortex
speeds up everything lying in immediate proximity to
its core compared to what lies farther from it.
In Zarathustra, Moses, and Elijah, we have three
successive leaders of humanity who prepare the Sun
‡ In the lecture of January 30, 2004, in my book And If He Has
Not Been Raised…, Temple Lodge, 2007.
mystery. At the time of the birth of the Solomon Jesus,
Zarathustra had already given his impulse to the world;
his incarnation as Solomon Jesus child should not be
seen as a normal consecutive incarnation. This spiritual being acquired a special role by creating the conditions needed to allow worldly wisdom—which can
develop at all only by encountering hindrances such
as ahrimanic and luciferic temptation—to stream into
a body that was free of these luciferic and ahrimanic
influences. Thus, when he was twelve, the wisdom of
the Solomon Jesus child flowed into the
body of the intact, unsullied Luke child
and continued to form this body until the
point when the Logos descended at the
baptism. It was only this pure body of the
Luke Jesus, to the largest possible extent
unsullied by the influence of the adversarial powers, that could provide a dwelling
place for the Logos on Earth. This unsullied boy was, accordingly, born to a different mother than was the Solomon child,
who did not stand at the foot of the Cross
in her own physical body, since she had
died previously. This mother of the Luke
child may also be called the virginal Mary.
The Jesus body hanging on the Cross was the Luke
Jesus body, the intact and inviolate one.
Once we have grasped all this, a profound question
arises. How can “luciferic” blood flow out of Christ’s
wounds from the intact Luke body, on behalf of all
humanity, if this body was unsullied by the luciferic
influence? After all, the “new dweller” in this body—
the Christ Spirit Himself—had also overcome the
temptations of Lucifer in the desert. How did impure
blood enter this wholly pure body?
We should not pass over such questions or details too
easily, since they lead us to the true secrets of human
evolution. Through conscientious preoccupation with
such questions, which may initially appear insoluble,
we can come eventually to fundamental insights. Let
me here encourage readers to pursue the questions
they have in relation to a spiritual phenomenon, for
only by doing so will they find the answers.
Let us recall the Lord’s last night on the Mount of
Olives. The “sweated blood” that comes from Jesus
Christ owes not only to expectation of the pain and
suffering awaiting Him on His last journey, but also
from a vision of the whole weight of sin that He will
have to bear for humanity. At that moment, He is sentenced; Jesus Christ’s path of sacrifice is unalterably
sealed.
This is roughly comparable with the following phenomenon: The human spirit beyond the threshold
undertakes quite particular things for a forthcoming
life. Immediately before the next incarnation, before
conception, it has a pre-vision of these intentions. As
the spirit incarnates, initially this life plan is forgotten.
However, at some point in our lives, we come to a time
when we must put this plan into practice. Then, usually, realization proves less self-evident that the soul
perceived it to be before birth.
Thus, before His descent into the Jesus body, the
Logos had made His aim self-sacrifice out of endless love for the human race. Now that the time had
come to realize this intention, the divine Spirit found
Himself in a human body, an intact one,
without experience of the adversary powers; and the divine Spirit now had a prevision of how, in this “sin-free” body, He
would bear the sins of the world accruing
from the past, the present, and the future.
Words relating to the “innocent lamb
of God” that takes away the sins of the
world’ are still used today in the Catholic
Mass. He wanted it thus and still wanted
it, even as He foresaw the immeasurable
suffering He would bear. Nevertheless,
for this very reason He sweated blood.
He foresaw that this whole burden of sin
must enter Him, His intact body, before
the Crucifixion, in order for it to be possible for the
unpurified blood to flow out of Him again.
Thus, we can gain a sense of the significance of the
Stations of the Cross, for this path from sentencing to
nailing on the Cross is the step-by-step assumption of
humanity’s burden of sin. The burden of the wood of
the Cross that Christ had to bear, the crossbeams and
the upright, were not the only weight on His shoulders.
Humanity’s sins were the real burden. At every step of
the Stations of the Cross, they weighed upon Him and
increased with every step; for, with every step, something entered that had not previously inhabited this
body and was not innate to it. It had to enter through
and during the path to Golgotha to be able to flow out
again on the Cross. The sentencing by Pontius Pilate
rendered Christ the true Redeemer of humanity from
the burden of sin, which had driven humanity out of
Paradise. Step by step, He took one ill after another
onto His shoulders, imbuing His pure blood on behalf
of humanity with its unpurified luciferic inheritance.
He bore this burdened andm likewisem burdening
blood as Cross to Golgotha, where He redeemed it at
this same Cross. In unspeakable pain, this blood was
able to flow out again. It bore everything of a luciferic
nature, and its vessel was pierced when He was nailed
to the Cross.
When He fell for the seventh time, humanity’s
luciferic inheritance had found its way fully into Him.
It pressed Him to the ground. After this, He no longer took up the Cross of humanity’s sins. Here, let us
Tr a n s f o r m a t i o n o f t h e F a l l e n B l o o d
47
recall a remark by Rudolf Steiner, which may strike
one as a passing comment, but is in fact extraordinarily
precise: Rudolf Steiner speaks of the exact quantity of
luciferic blood that was finally contained in Jesus’ pure
body and ran out from it on the Cross through the nail
wounds.* This formulation once again points to the
fact of Christ’s incarnation, for all spiritual impulses
also have to occur in a physical, sensory process and
sequence. The authentic integrity and workings of the
world of spirit impinge, right into an exact amount of
out-flowing blood, on the material world.
As terrible as it may seem, the torments and falls,
which led to considerable loss of blood, fulfilled a
higher purpose. During those dire sufferings, the
Redeemer lost precisely as much of His own, pure
blood as the luciferic blood was formed in Him during
the Stations of the Cross. Thus, at the time of the nailing, the same amount of blood was contained in Jesus’
body, but part of this had been replaced by the blood
He had taken upon Himself as humanity’s sins.
This blood, which collected on the path to the Cross,
flowed out again through the nail wounds. Moreover,
it flowed out by stages, just as it was absorbed in stages
through Christ’s steps on the path to Golgotha.
preservative properties. It was absolutely necessary to
impart these natural preservatives to the Lord’s body;
if He had not drunk the vinegar, something would have
occurred that would have rendered the further course
of humanity’s redemption impossible. At the moment
of death, with the seventh word, exactly the amount
of luciferic blood flowed out of Him again that had
collected in Jesus’ body by the time of the seventh
fall. At the moment of death the Lord had become
utterly human, yet, from the same moment, only the
pure Grail blood was contained in Him. If, shortly
before His death, He had not drunk the vinegar, the
pure, divine Grail blood would have burst the physical human body asunder. The physical body could no
longer have contained this suprasensory blood within
it, since, as pure “I” bearer, this no longer belonged in
the old, physical sheath.
But, for the above reasons, the body would not be
damaged by bursting apart. It was not until Cassius
gave the spear wound that the living blood was liberated intentionally from the “grave” of the physical
corpse of Jesus of Nazareth.
Reprinted courtesy of Temple Lodge Publications;
copyright © 2007 Judith von Halle
See page 9 for this and other books by Judith von Halle.
The
Nature
Institute
Here, we witness the cosmic rhythm of small reflections of events, with their central focal point in the
nailing of the Lord to the Cross. At the moment of
death, precisely the amount that collected during the
Stations of the Cross flowed out again.
As previously described, the etheric constituents of
the pure blood that flowed out during Christ’s torture
and falls were gathered together again by the hierarchic beings who descended to Earth for this purpose,
to ensure the pure body would be intact again. This
body had to be taken up in its entirety by the Earth
to fulfil its mission for the Earth’s planetary body and
create the resurrection body.
This is how we can also understand the deeper purpose of Christ drinking the vinegar. Vinegar has highly
* See lecture of March 25, 1907, in Rudolf Steiner, Original
Impulses for the Science of the Spirit (Completion Press, 2001).
48
SUMMER COURSES 2008
June 22-28
The Plant as a Teacher
of Living Thinking
July 6-12
Bringing Science to Life
for high school teachers
_____________________
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Ghent, NY 12075
518-672-0116 [email protected]
www.natureinstitute.org
Dostoevsky
Th e S c a n d a l o f R e a s o n
M a r i a N e m c ov á Ba n e r j e e
Lindisfarne Books, 2006, 176 pages.
of Reason is a penetratD
ing exploration of two key aspects of the thought
world of the great Russian novelist and thinker. Readostoevsky: The Scandal
ers having some acquaintance with or prospective
interest in his novels, and with European literature,
history, and ideas, especially of the nineteenth century,
will particularly appreciate this book, but anyone who
has worked with history and ideas would find this
short volume rewarding. The author specifies that she writes with her former students
in mind, and it is a most stimulating book
for an old Dostoevskian.
Profiled in the Smith College Sophian,
Professor Banerjee observed that “every
language is a foreign language” for her. Her
childhood in Czechoslovakia saw Hitler’s
occupation, the brief democratic restoration,
and the Communist takeover. Her family fled
to France and then Canada, where she spent
her teens. Entering graduate school directly
at age nineteen, she earned a Ph.D. in Slavic
Languages and Literature from Harvard.
She taught at Brown before settling with her
husband, poet Ron Banerjee, in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she teaches comparative literature and
chairs the Russian department at Smith College.
Banerjee recently wrote the introduction to a new
edition of The Meaning of History by Nikolai Berdyaev [Transaction Publishers Rutgers, 2006]; her earlier book, Terminal Paradox: The Novels of Milan
Kundera [Grove Press, 1992], is highly regarded. Literature “expands your moral imagination—especially
with suffering heroines,” she told The Smith College
Sophian, and the shifting perspectives and insights of
new generations of students rekindle a teacher’s enthusiasm. This new study of Dostoevsky is both morally
acute and attuned to generational shifts of attitudes.
The Scandal of Reason has relevance beyond the
academy. Europe’s disastrous collapse of 1914 to 1945
left its two extremities, Russia and the U.S., facing
each other in fear and ideological hostility. As the Red
Army cast its shadow across Western Europe, “the
bomb” hovered over the whole world. It was perhaps
too much to hope that Americans would try to understand Russia at that moment. Indeed, it is plausible
that some more farsighted Americans were aware of
the use of Russia for “socialistic experimentation” as
Rudolf Steiner had pointed out, based on a stunning
map published in a London magazine in 1890. In the
land of old Leo Tolstoy, where the peasant commune
and Eastern Orthodoxy indicated a deep communitarian undercurrent, socialism would be unleashed
in extreme ideological abstraction, and in due course
would discredit itself and vindicate capitalist individualism. For Steiner this also reveals an opposition to
the role the eastern Slavs would be able to play many
centuries in the future, when individuals have been
strengthened enough to receive a new and truly social
impulse.
Dostoevsky and Steiner have much in common. In
reviewing “the social question” as presented in Anna
Karenina, Dostoevsky explicated the French Revolution’s slogan of liberty, equality, and brotherhood from
a Russian, Christian point of view, in a
way that is completely congruent with
Steiner’s exposition of the threefold social
organism forty years later. Elsewhere
Dostoevsky concluded that the separation
of the intellectual from the peasant—a
dramatic fact in a country that traveled in
one century from medievalism to modernism—could not simply be reversed. The
intellectual’s egotism and isolation would
have to be carried further until it could
surpass itself. And the great novelist was
a close friend of the philosopher Vladimir
Soloviev, in whom Steiner found prescient
descriptions of the Antichrist.
Feodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky lived in a vast contiguous empire that had been expanding in all directions for many generations after the terrible centuries of subjugation by the Mongol and Tatar powers.
“Scratch a Russian, find a Tatar” is an old slur, and the
specter of Russia as a peril is being ramped up again in
2007. Geography alone makes Russia intimidating: it
crowns the “global chessboard” of which British, and
more recently American, strategists have written. To
dominate Eurasia you must suppress Russia.
If we look at the revolutionary and evolutionary
flows of ideas, we come to something quite different
from this Asiatic peril. Russia in 1800 was a vast nation
of serfs, topped with a thin crust of merchants, nobility, and the first intelligents. In Napoleon’s celebrated
march from Paris to Moscow and his disastrous return,
we forget the Russian army that followed him home,
almost two hundred years ago. French was already
a language of the Russian elite, and in Paris Russian
officers met post-medieval ideas in action, in life, for
the first time. In 1825 these French-inspired officers
demanded a constitution from the Russian autocrat.
At the same historical moment Russia had been
given her first and decisive genius of words, Aleksandr
Sergeievich Pushkin. A Mozartean and Byronic dandy,
A Book Review by John H. Beck
49
one-quarter Ethiopian by birth, who liberated his people’s language as dramatically as Shakespeare did English, Pushkin died young in a duel. It was Dostoevsky
at the end of his own career who brought home to
Russians the full measure of Pushkin’s greatness.
The officers’ rebellion was put down, and Pushkin’s
sympathy with them was noted. The dandy expressed
his fierce inner spirit in a poem “The Prophet,” after
Isaiah, which he took to his interview with the Tsar.
It ends with the divine injunction, “Rise up now,
prophet! See this all, and understand! Be filled with
My Will, and so bear across the land and sea words to
light again the fire in every human heart!”
Feodor Dostoevsky
50
Almost a quarter century later Dostoevsky’s rebellion and punishment went much further, but they
also led the novelist into a deep spiritual penetration.
With both Pushkin and Dostoevsky, it is clear that
some great ancient fire, already passé in Paris or London, could burn in a Russian soul alongside the most
sophisticated art and thought.
Such personal drama is the stuff of art, and Professor
Banerjee teaches a course in “the philosophical novel,”
a form that is a conjunction of art and mind. Dostoevsky and Tolstoy are two of the master artists who
engaged ideas and their guiding and motive power in
human individuals. Steiner’s Riddles of Philosophy
(Anthroposophic Press, 1973) is a complementary gesture from the side of philosophy, using a 2500-year
survey of philosophers to reveal the evolutionary journey of the human soul.
Banerjee divides her book in two large parts. The
first, “A Mouse in the Crystal Palace,” describes Dostoevsky’s relationship to the ideas of Western Europe
and the Russian Westernizers. This outer challenge
of ideas worked on Dostoevsky and his generation
quite fiercely. It alienated some from Russia, a path he
describes later in The Demons, which points toward
the Bolshevik terror. His own near-execution and years
in Siberia formed a different path for Dostoevsky, and
they are the passageway to the second part of Banerjee’s book, “The Russian Oedipus,” which explores the
inner shattering of the isolated rationalistic mind faced
with humanity’s moral dilemmas. Here is an example
of Banerjee’s examination of the mind of Dostoevsky’s
hero/antihero in Notes from Underground:
A paradoxalist is, by definition, someone who
pits his insights against accepted opinions (paradoxa). The underground man, whom his editor
calls “this paradoxalist,” is well practiced at
that. But the art of paradoxy also encompasses a
higher form of dialectic, predicated on the coincidence of opposites. The logic of coincidentia
oppositorum, which describes a circle of meaning beyond the linear chain of rational causality, generates significance out of contraries. This
paradoxical logic is implied in the underground
man’s notion that there is good in human evil
and suffering, because they connote the possibility of moral choice. In spite of this insight, the
underground man is not a mystic but a subversive polemicist. Stuck on negation, his mind will
not travel full circle. (p. 45)
Such a mental-spiritual state becomes familiar in Western Europe only in the twentieth century.
Dostoevsky’s human insight and social critique are
still at arm’s length in this stage. Banerjee’s second part
takes us into his fullest accomplishment, in the terrible
intimacy of the Karamazov family. There the middle
brother Ivan “makes a scandal” (an archetypal gesture in Russia) with his rejection of God and Christ
in the “Legend of the Grand Inquisitor.” His spiritually awakening brother Alyosha, who is not touched
by Ivan’s rationalism, responds with an enduring love,
but the admiring half-brother Smerdyakov acts out the
intellectual’s flawed logic, like Raskolnikov in Crime
and Punishment. Again Banerjee exposes the soul of
Dostoevsky’s character in a few words:
The pathos of Ivan’s rationalism lies in his
need to convert “his own ache” into an objective proposition about human nature. He seeks
refuge in abstraction from the ugly disorder of
a life marked by parental abandonment and a
humiliating dependency on distant relatives. In
his displacement from a legitimate identity, a
condition he shares with Sophocles’ Oedipus,
Ivan learned early that his intellect could serve
as a protective shield. In his adolescence, he
hones the sharp edge of analytical reasoning as
a tool in his contest with the powers that had
dispossessed him. (p. 85)

John Harris Beck is currently completing a sequel to
Buckminster Fuller’s Operating Manual for Spaceship
Earth. He was general manager of the New York Open
Center from 2001 to 2005.
He has also been active in the
Anthroposophical Society and was an early leader of
the public radio/tv system in the U.S. Selections of his
poetry may be found online at jhbeck23.gather.com.
This book review first appeared in the spring 2007
issue of the biannual Rudolf Steiner Library Newsletter. Subscriptions are $16.00 per year through the
Anthroposophical Society in America: 1924 Geddes
Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48104. As the national library of
the Anthroposophical Society in America, The Rudolf
Steiner Library lends books by mail throughout the
U.S. to society members and to those who join the
library for an annual fee. Visit the library online at
rslibrary.anthroposophy.org.
Dostoevsky lived with and exalted these inner lives
with their terrible struggles with ideas. What can that
mean to us? To bring it very close we might ask, how
far is a contemporary jihadist from the “Underground
Man”? Do we attempt to understand his or her dispossession? Must the struggle of a soul to experience
its own validity turn a human being into a weapon
of asymmetrical warfare before we can reckon it significant? And is America’s guiding foreign policy doctrine of the “clash of civilizations” so far from the
logic of the Grand Inquisitor, who told Christ that he
overestimated human beings and that he should leave
and never return?
That we’d rather be doing something than thinking
about it is perhaps a factor in the dreadful karma of
untruthfulness, the karma of Anglo-American world
empire, which Steiner pointed out in 1916. To pause
to “entertain” ideas, offer them a cup of tea, ask
where they come from, what great minds they have
lived in—that we may be unlikely to do until we can
see the development of the human soul as a concrete
and practical project. So we gain our wisdom by hard
experience. Insight into great art is a powerful ally
in cultivating that wisdom. To vivid and significant
moments of art, history, ideas, and biography—all
living parts of the social organism and of the individual journey—this small book by Maria Banerjee
is a guide of very fine quality.
51
Th e G i f t s o f D e a t h
A Ta l k a t t h e
“Befriending Death”
Conference
October 2007
By Christopher Bamford
Sponsored by the Taconic Branch of
the Christian Community
Co-sponsored by SteinerBooks
little of death
R
and dying. He spoke of the soul’s
journey between death and rebirth, of
udolf Steiner spoke
52
reincarnation, and of the community of
the living and the dead. But rarely, and
only briefly, did he address death itself.
The mystery of “Death” was the task of
the previous age; the present and future
task is the mystery of “Evil.” Clearly,
Steiner thought that anthroposophists
understood, as he taught, that death is
a “metamorphosis of life”—that to die
is not different from traveling to another
country; moreover, he assumed that the
practice and internalization of Anthroposophy is an
adequate preparation during life for that journey. At
the same time, he alluded frequently to the reality that
the meaning of human life—and death—had changed
following the Mystery of Golgotha, and that now the
Christ is present, if we come to know him, in our living and in our dying. However, he did not spell it out.
Thus, anthroposophists today (as Peter Scaller pointed
out as we were preparing for this conference) often die
with as much resistance—with as much difficulty—as
those who are not anthroposophists, which is why he
proposed this conference on befriending death.
One reason we hesitate to focus on death and
dying is that it is so difficult, because they are intimately connected to the secret springs of human life
itself—so intimate, in fact, that they almost define
who we are. Humanity is the only species—animal
and spiritual—that dies, as Christ confirmed when
he died on the Cross as the culmination of his becoming human. For Christ, as for us, death marks the
absolute point of human life, its flowering, so that
perhaps all human life, up to that point, should be
conceived and practiced as a preparation for it—not
in any morbid sense, but in the sense that if we lived
a Gospel life, we would die an enchristed death. The
poet Rainer Maria Rilke, who understood death as
the fruit of life, wrote:
We are nothing but the husk and leaf.
Great death, that each bears within
Is the fruit around which all revolves.
In reality, death is our oldest friend. It closes the
cycle of earthly life, just as birth opens it, and accompanies us throughout our lives. We begin to die from
the moment we are conceived to the moment of death
itself. We all die and are dying all the time. Secretly
and silently death lives with us, giving us both our
individuality and the frame of mortal life within which
to develop it and all the spiritual faculties that we can
give to the cosmos.
At the same time, of course, we carry our death with
us as a sign of falling away, a separation
from the spiritual world. Had we not
fallen away, separated, there would be no
death; we would not be tempted by finitude; we would live effortlessly, automatically, and unconsciously in the spirit. But
then we would not be individuated beings.
Death is thus a paradox: a happy fault.
While enabling our egotistic temptation to
believe that we can control and know all
things for our own purposes, it is also the
friend who can make us conscious—and
free—of that pathology, and who gives us
the possibility of entering, freely and consciously, into
the spiritual world.
Death, then, which deep down we recognize as
wrong, is the price of freedom and consciousness. Had
we not been separated, did we not die, our relation
to the whole—the infinite and spiritual world—would
remain unconscious and unfree. Death is thus the
source of the Earth as we know it and its transformation: both the place of egotism and the only place where
freedom can become conscious, egotism transformed,
and selfless love, imagination, language, thinking, feeling, and willing developed. Such are the gifts of death,
if we use them properly. Transforming our faculties,
which come into being and become conscious precisely
because of death, we are given the gift of passing with
that consciousness through death.
Dying and death thus frame the task of earthly life—
of consciousness.
Yet, during the last few centuries we have, as a culture, preferred to deny death, just as we have denied
the spiritual world, by making it an end so final that
it is unthinkable: a void, absolute negation, nothing.
We thought we did so because we loved life. In fact,
we did so because in our obsession with finite, material things occupying space and our egotistic desire to
control everything, we lost the ability to understand
that life—and truth, goodness, and beauty—extend far
beyond the limits of our five senses and are infinite.
This was brought home to me with great intensity
when, after my wife died, a friend received a vision in
which, living in luminous form, my wife looked down
onto the Earth and said, “Love me, and live with me
in the great life.” Live now, consciously in the infinite
reality. This is, in fact, what death can teach us, but
we prefer not to.
One reason, as I say, is that death is a reality so close
to us, so bound up with who we are, that in ordinary
consciousness it is difficult, if not impossible, to speak
about it directly. In a sense, it is unthinkable for the
untransformed consciousness soul. Death, after all, is
what modern philosophers have called, paradoxically,
the possible “impossible” experience; “impossible”
because, although we shall all experience it, we won’t
be there in any ordinary sense when we do so. No one
has spoken it nor has it been rendered into communicable experience. “Near-death” experiences are just
that: they are not death experiences. We will never
know our own death—or the death of others from the
inside. Death is, in fact, the unknown. What we know
of death is always the outer death of others. To what
extent, however, can we claim to know their experience? The moment of death, the gap between being
alive and having died, like the gap in which a free
decision is made, always eludes us. For those present, it is as though at that moment, at the edges of
their consciousness, time stops, almost, it seems, as
it stopped at the moment of Christ’s death, while the
entire universe held its breath to see what would happen next. Though we can certainly always learn something from the death of others, death today is always
personal and singular, always individual. No one else
can die for me; only I can die “my death,” which is
the fruit of my life. My death makes me who I am; my
death makes me individual, gives me an individual life.
And so it is with each of us. There are no anonymous
deaths. It is our death that makes us irreplaceable and
gives us a loneliness, and it is our task to overcome
death. As for the others who die, whose deaths we
witness—perhaps, as we say, “accompanying them
over the threshold”—we know them either as living
or perhaps in their after death state; but their experience, their actual encounter with death, remains
outside time and, thus, beyond our ordinary consciousness. Death, which is the sole certainty of our
lives, the single indubitable event of our destiny, must
remain always for us, the living, the unknown—a gate
perhaps to another mode of existence, but unknown
and a mystery.
As the sole certainty of our lives, death is the only
thing we cannot negate. All our ordinary thinking and
being is based on the brain, whose processes are death
processes; ordinary thinking and being depend upon
negation, comparison, and judgment. It is only death
that teaches us assent and to welcome the unknown.
In this sense, learning to live with death—befriending
death—is learning to say “Yes.” It is learning to think
with the heart—the attentive, tender, sensitive, actively
receptive heart, purified of all hardness, indifference,
prejudice, judgment, and hatred.
Thus, the fact that the experience of death seems
beyond what we can experience does not mean that
we are helpless before it; far from it. We have guides
in life; in a sense, sleep is also a kind of daily death
and forgetting. If we raise ourselves above brain consciousness, meditation, too, prepares us in a similar
way, as well as moments of true acceptance, forgiveness, and gratitude in which we feel washed clean and
ready to start life anew. In other words, as we shall
see, the way we live is the best preparation for dying.
Once we acknowledge the primacy, or omnipresence,
of the unknown, the impossible, and the infinite in
our lives and learn to let life pass through us—not
holding onto it but letting it draw us into future—a
path can open up that prepares us for dying, helping us overcome our egotism and creating a living,
receptive space for the I AM. In this way, we can create a medium through which spiritual realities can
enter our lives and the earthly sphere. Death, as the
unknown, can thus teach us an “epistemology of selflessness,” or an “epistemology of assent.” That is, all
of our experience, marked and accompanied by death
if we acknowledge it, can open us in countless ways
to what we may call the impossible, the unknown, or
the infinite, if only (to put it in the simplest form) we
learn to say “Yes, come.” But say to what? For now,
let’s say to the future, or what is coming and breaking
into the present on its own terms.
Before getting into that, however, I want to look
briefly at what we might call the history of dying, since,
as Rudolf Steiner taught, all such mysteries are “evolving mysteries.”
In the beginning, according to the likely story,
human beings were less physicalized. The world was
less dense. Human beings, not yet fully incarnated,
hovered over their bodies. Nature and grace were continuous. Little distinction existed between inside and
outside, subjective and objective. Death hardly existed.
Human beings swam as it were in the infinite. Everything spoke, sounded, was a kind of music, and all
human beings were prophets, able to hear the infinite
songs of the gods in all phenomena. Everything was
alive: Heaven, Earth, angels, spirits, living, and dead
were one world. Human beings, still heavenly beings,
felt woven into and part of a great symphonic stream.
Gradually, we lost this sense of floating between
worlds. We descended into our bodies and slowly
became more conscious of death. We began to take
care of our dead, for we understood they were still
53
with us. From this, culture arose. Burials mark the
first signs of human presence on the Earth: we housed
our dead before we housed ourselves. From primitive
burials and proto-tombs, settlement, architecture, art
(cave paintings are contemporary with the first ritual
burials) slowly came into being; in other words, the
creation of the Earth as a human place arose.
However, as evolution unfolded, human beings
descended more deeply into body consciousness. We
began to forget one side of the paradox of life and
death: the mystery of divine-spiritual-cosmic Life, infinite and divine.
For a long time, we continued to remember our
heavenly, infinite nature. The great cultures of ancient
India, Persia, and Egypto-Chaldea celebrated the living continuity—the unity—of cosmos, Earth, and
divinity. But as we sank more deeply into matter, cosmic realities began to separate from Earth, and death
seemed increasingly final and devastating. The story
of Gilgamesh marks such a moment. Remember how
Gilgamesh, half divine, falls in love with Enkidu, the
wild man, and they become the friends and have many
adventures. But Enkidu dies. And Gilgamesh is broken
open. Grief is born. Enkidu is dead; Gilgamesh realizes
that he, too, must die. Filled with fear, he sets out for
the fountain of youth. Offered a chance at it, he fails;
he falls asleep. He, like all mortals, must die. Thus,
together with friendship and grief, a new, more fearful
awareness of death arose, and human beings began to
doubt their heavenly nature.
About fifteen hundred years later, by the time of
the Greeks, death had begun to seem final, if not an
absolute end, and then, at best, a sort of extended
half-life. “Better beggar on Earth than a shade in
Hades,” wrote Homer. The Hebrews’ scheol was not
much better: a shadowy world. To counteract this
mood, messengers, or forerunners, were sent, one
of whom was Orpheus. A fragment from an Orphic
Book of the Dead (guidance for those who have died)
gives us a sense of his message as it instructs the soul,
when it reaches Hades, to find:
54
The spring, from the Lake of Memory,
Cold water flowing from it, guardians before it.
Say: “I am a child of Earth and starry Heaven;
But my race is of heaven. You know this.
I am parched with thirst. Quickly, give me
Cool water flowing forth from the Lake of Memory.
Pythagoras, Plato, and their successors took up
this Orphic teaching of the continuity of life, with its
emphasis on remembering our heavenly origin. However, as the millennium before Christ unfolded, though
this was known, human beings descended ever deeper
into bodily matter. Earthly life became increasingly cut
off from the spiritual world. Despite the new Orphic
teaching, many continued to believed that it was “better to be a beggar on Earth than a shade in Hades.”
The Orphists knew otherwise. Their orientation was
toward the spiritual world. They saw that the human
task is to connect with heaven as individuals through
their own conscious efforts. Socrates taught that this
was done by a soul process of purification, which he
called “dying”: dying to the visible, so that the invisible could be all in all. Socrates believed that death is
overcome with the soul purified of visible things. But
Socrates, like Orpheus, was only a precursor. The Platonists still wanted to “escape” the Earth. Earthly, visible life was still seen as secondary. The Earth was a
prison; the body, a tomb. Redemption meant escaping
it, not transforming it. The supreme sanctity of human,
earthly embodiment had not yet been announced.
Christ’s life and death had not yet affirmed the centrality of earthly existence. Yet, when the announcement
came on the Mount of Golgotha and on Easter morning, the full import of Christ’s deed of “overcoming
death” was not recognized immediately. Nor is its
meaning understood fully even today.
Here we must pause to remind ourselves briefly,
in the simplest terms, of the enormity of this deed:
a god—or God—entered human, earthly, material
life, entered creation, became flesh, died, penetrated
to the very depths of matter and rose again for the
sake of creation—not just for the comfort of fallen,
skin-bound, human beings, but so that these beings
might again assume their true function as infinite,
cosmic, divine-spiritual beings. As St. Paul’s wrote,
“The whole of creation has been groaning in pain and
labor until now, awaiting the revelation of the children of God.”
In contrast to Orpheus and the Buddha of early
Buddhism, who taught the cessation of suffering and
the path to escape from the well of birth and death,
Christ in Jesus accomplished his path not by escaping
earthly life but by embracing all of it, birth, joy, suffering, and death, and by transforming these through
his resurrection. It’s not that suffering and death do
not remain after Christ—and do not remain a sign of
something amiss—but that they now become a means
to their transformation and to the reuniting of Heaven
and Earth and the final restoration of all things. From
this point of view, Christ’s teachings—forgiveness,
love, Christ in each human being, welcoming the
stranger, gratitude, friendship—all become a path to
the transformation of life through the transformation of suffering and death. Christ’s own being, above
all, teaches this path: the path of an infinite being in
a finite frame. As St. Paul famously writes, “Let the
same mind be in you that was in Jesus Christ, who,
though he was in the form of God, did not regard
equality with God as a thing to be exploited. Rather,
he emptied himself, assumed the form of a slave, and selfless love could pass through death, as Christ himwas born in human likeness. Further, being found in self had done.
human form, he humbled himself and became obeFor this reason, the central act of preparing for
dient to the point of death—even death on a cross.” death was the Eucharist. Receiving and participating
Christ, too, taught this kenosis, or emptying: on in Christ’s death on Earth—eating the bread of sufferHoly Thursday, as he washed his disciples feet, called ing and drinking the wine of his risen spirit—would
the disciples “friends,” and enjoined them to “love ensure reception by him in heaven. Just as angels bore
one another as I have loved you,” unconditionally; witness and rejoiced to witness Christ’s cosmic sacriin the Garden of Gethsemane, when he taught the fice, so too angels would descend rejoicing to accomtrue meaning of will, praying, “Not my will but thy pany the soul to God. God, the giver of life, was also
will be done,” and when he proclaimed
its resurrector.
from the Cross, “Father, forgive them for
Entering the early Middle Ages, howthey know not what they do,” and “Into
ever, consciousness began to change.
thy hands I commend my spirit.” In all
Faith weakened and death’s unknown
was no longer
this, he taught, as Mary likewise taught,
aspect began to appear. For a period, fear
feared; to die was
the epistemology of selflessness, or selfgrew. The focus began to shift. At first,
emptying, which is a great “Yes,” assent,
this took the form of increased penance to
to go home—to
receptivity, radical openness: “Be it unto
avoid the fires of hell. Increasingly, howChrist, but also to
me according to thy Word.”
ever, and with greater frequency, prayers
one’s friends and
The first Christians understood that, as
to accompany the dead and masses for
loved ones. It was
Christians, if they walked this path, they
the dead came to play a more important
to continue life’s
died “into Christ,” who is eternal infinite
role. The sense grew that those on Earth
journey. Death
life. They understood that Christ, who
could aid the dead and help them in their
had embraced all creation, all earthly
passage. Living and dying grew closer.
was a friend.
things, had died and had risen, sanctifyThe primitive idea of the Communion
ing all.
of Saints—the single community of the living and the
This was new. The Greeks, under the influence of dead—gained a new reality. Heaven quickly became a
Orpheus, recognized “I am a child of Earth and starry crowded place. And through the spreading influence of
heaven, but heaven is my home.” They strove to ori- the Celtic Church, the reality of the resurrection, death
ent their lives toward heaven. But with Christ’s uniting actually overcome—that is, the true spiritual continuof his destiny with the Earth and humanity, the good ity of life—began to take stronger hold.
news was that Heaven and Earth are one: here and
At the same time, death and dying changed. Death
now. Christ had united with the Earth, with humanity. was no longer feared; to die was to go home—to Christ,
Thus the first Christians strove above all to embody but also to one’s friends and loved ones. It was to conChrist on Earth and in community.
tinue life’s journey. Death was a friend: “Sister Death”
Spiritual practice was therefore not so much a matter St. Francis called her. People tended to know when
of achieving exceptional inner states as of learning to they were going to die. They would tell their friends,
live together—a life of sacrifice, mutuality, and com- speak of their passing, sometimes even arrange their
munion (Eucharist)—in selfless, humble, meek, for- own funerals. Sudden death, however, was regarded as
bearing, forgiving, unconditional love, openness, and rather shameful—just as a hidden death or one withforgiveness.
out witness or ceremony was. For, mostly, deaths were
Thus the first Christians teach us that working with public events: if there was a death, anyone could attend,
death—befriending death—is not different to working everyone was invited. The dying person would reflect
with life—befriending life. And, most important, that it on his life, weep for his sins, regret what he was about to
is not for our own sake—for our own comfort and ego lose, and accept his fate, as the next stage of his life. In
needs—that we take it up: that we live (or die).
other words, death—like birth—was both a completely
For early Christians, then, living and praying natural and a spiritual event. No doctors were present.
together in love, interceding for each other, Christ Death was not a medical affair. A priest might officiate,
was present through the selfless love, openness, for- but a layperson could do just as well. The dying person
giveness, receptivity, they bore to one another, as well would express remorse for his or her sins. Prayers were
as to strangers and the dead. And not only Christ— said, and the dying person was commended to God’s
for they understood that in Christ the whole spiritual mercy. In the monasteries, priests officiated, the dying
world was present and prayed and interceded with person was annointed, and liturgical payers and music
them. Dying—falling asleep in Christ—was simply a accompanied him or her across the threshold. There
part of this, for they knew that what was formed in was as yet no fear of judgment. The dead person went
DeAth
55
56
to sleep in Christ to rise again at the Last Judgment,
which was still a collective, not an individual event.
During the later Middle Ages, things began to change
again. Judgment and resurrection separated. Judgment
was beginning to be seen as occurring shortly after death,
not collectively at the end of time. Consequently, death
began to become more individual, while how one lived
and died became more critical. A new attitude toward
pain and suffering also began to emerge, along with
the understanding that as each person sought to live in
imitation of Christ, so in death they could continue his
work of world purification. There was a sense of suffering in death (and life) as continuing Christ’s work
on the Cross. To suffer was not necessarily to suffer for
oneself or one’s own sins, but, as an individual, to aid
Christ in his healing sin as such.
To meet this situation, two widely read illustrated fifteenth-century books—one shorter, one longer—on the
“Art of Dying” (Ars moriendi) appeared. In these, the
moment of death—the final moment—fades in importance. One dies, as one lives. The best preparation for a
good death is a good life. Thus the first chapter enjoins
people to “live in such a way . . . that they may die safely
at any hour that God wills” and gives prescriptions for
“a good life.” The second chapter deals with the process
of dying. Five temptations—impediments to a good
death—are listed, along with five remedies: 1) loss of
faith / reaffirmation of faith; 2) despair / hope; 3) impatience / patience and love; 4) complacency / humility and
recollection of faults; 5) attachment (to family, possessions) / detachment. Thus the dying person is enjoined
to pratice faith, hope, love, humility, and detachment—
all of which clearly are prescriptions as much for living,
as for dying. The same is true also of the following
chapters which enjoin people to imitate Christ: to live
and die as Christ lived and died. None of which as we
shall see is too different from what Steiner will teach,
but in another form.
This late Medieval moment unfortunately was shortlived. With the fullness of the consciousness soul, the
scientific revolution, and the rise of materialistic modernism, everything changed. Death became devalued and began to lose its “sacred,” “magical” qualities. Faith began to disappear. For those still religious,
heaven became an empty place, a desert where one was
“alone with the alone.” What had lived in the Middle
Ages began to be seen as a fantasy. What remained,
which was little, was aesthetized. For a period, one
spoke of “beautiful deaths,” as if they were artistic,
aesthetic events. But even that was short-lived. By the
mid-nineteenth century, the apex of materialism, in a
secular world constituted of matter and space—a spatialized, observer world—there was no longer any place
for a spiritual world, no way to understand human
beings as spiritual beings. By the mid-nineteenth cen-
tury, when Steiner was born, death as the absolute end
ruled. Completely secularized, death became a purely
medical issue. But things were already changing.
First, in 1847, Spiritualism was born in upstate
New York. It may seem odd to mention spiritualism, which certainly led to fantastic excesses and
materialistic delusions, in such august company.Yet,
for all its errors, spiritualism accomplished three
great feats. It exploded the idea of death as final, and
life as limited to the finite, material body, affirming
instead the continuity of life and presence of an invisible, spiritual world permeating this one. It made a
spiritual—invisible—world thinkable and practicable,
available to all, a contemporary, anti-elitist, nonsectarian, completely democratic form. In these ways, it
prepared a fertile ground for Theosophy, and so also
for Anthroposophy, as well as for Jungian psychology and most modern Western spiritual movements.
Indeed, according to esoteric tradition, spiritualism
was “created” by adepts for just these purposes: to
break open materialism and open the possibility for a
new spirituality.
At the same time, philosophers also strove to overcome materialism and dualism out of the resources of
human consciousness alone. German idealism—from
Kant, through Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel—tried
to esablish the spiritual nature of humanity through
thinking. Much was achieved; but the shadow was
also great. Starting with Fichte, the “I” became foundational in establishing the world—but which “I”?
A slippery slope connects “I” and “me:” the true “I”
from egotism, which sets itself up as God. The ego
thinks that it can know everything, that it is the master and creator of the universe; the “I” knows that
it is a servant, that what it knows it receives, that
what it creates it gives back. To explode this paroxi,
Nietszche’s madman declared: “God is dead and we
have killed him.”
Such was the context, then, in which Steiner began
to teach. His students came from spiritualism and
Theosophy and, of course, he himself was a philosopher, gifted with a clairvoyance that was able to
follow those who died in their continuing journey.
Perhaps this was why, as I said at the beginning, he
took it for granted that anthroposophists already
understood death as a transition—a metamorphosis
of life—and did not address death directly, beyond
describing from the outside the intricate processes
whereby the various spiritual members of the human
being separated from the physical body at death. At
the same time, by his Catholic childhood, and by
his own cognitive path of meditative research that
brought him to experience the Mystery of Golgotha
in the spirit, he was fully aware of the process of
“enchristing” death. In other words, he was aware of
The heart is the key to life and the world (Novalis wrote). If our life is as precarious as it is, it
is so only in order that we should love and need
one another. Because of the fact that we are each
of us insufficient, we become open to the intervention of another, and it is this intervention,
which is the goal. When we are ill, others must
look after us; and only they can do so. From this
point of view, Christ is indisputably the key to
the world.
Earth, therefore, is the place for creating connections and relationships, but selfless, enchristed, nonegoistic relationships. In this sense, the meaning of
the Earth is relationship. Our emphasis, our practice,
here on Earth must therefore be on developing the
virtues needed for such relationship. These, of course,
are the fundamental Gospel virtues of unconditional
friendship, hospitality, love, and openness to others,
which depend on forgiveness, meekness, poverty of
spirit, purity of heart, acceptance, turning the other
cheek, and others we know only too well in theory.
These are actually practices of dying to egotism and
since egotism is finally the obstacle we face both in
dying and in entering the spiritual world in this life,
they are practices to prepare us both for death and
for life. Therefore Steiner stresses the importance of
creating living, loving relationships both for our life
on Earth and in the spiritual world. Repeatedly, he
calls upon us to overcome our egotistic tendencies
toward hatred, antipathy, aversion, and negation and
to strive to develop selfless love, sympathy, affirmation, interest in one another, affinity, and so on. That
is the first precondition.
Steiner says, “Hatred creates hindrances; love takes
them away.” This is to say that we must learn to meet
one another without prejudice, preconception, and prejudgment, but with openness. Novalis says, “To love
is to hold the wound always open.” We must learn to
let go of prescribed, habitual meanings and responses.
Put another way, we must learn increasingly to adopt
a soul mood of affirmation, assent, acceptance, and
receptivity—the “Yes” I spoke of earlier.
Second—and these all follow one from each other
and are, in fact, variants of one practice—we must
learn to develop what Steiner calls the moral disposition that acknowledges the unity and ultimate value
of all human beings, every human being, that we have
a relationship with all human beings. This, as Steiner
stresses repeatedly, begins with developing an interest in and love for everyone we meet. But it does not
stop there. Our interest and love should extended to
all humanity, every human being. There are no anonymous humans, just as there are no anonymous deaths.
In other words, “I was hungry and you gave to eat, I
the task of death and so, indirectly, he does give us
precious indications about to how prepare for dying.
He does give us an ars moriendi—an art of dying—
but it is, as it must be, in the guise of an art of living
in a way that prepares us for dying. In other words:
he teaches us the gifts of death for an art of living,
which is also an art of dying.
He does not do so explicitly. And while, in a sense,
all his spiritual teachings implicitly point in this direction, I want to focus briefly on a set of teachings that
explicitly seem to do so.
In the context of working with the dead, that is in the
context of creating a bridge over death, Steiner spoke
of certain preconditions for such a bridge to occur. By
this he meant the practice of a way of being—indeed, a
way of life, or disposition—that, as it were, constitutes
another set of subsidiary exercises. However, in this
instance he spoke of them not as “self-development,”
or exercises, but as creating the “air” or “atmosphere,”
a medium or way of crossing, through which the spiritual world can unite with this world. In fact, these practices and the soul mood they create constitute a path of
life that, while helping us live more fully and joyfully,
train and prepare us so that the spiritual world, the
other side of death, can approach us. In this way, too,
it can prepare us for our own crossing of the threshold.
These practices, therefore, are ways to befriend death.
Through them, we can learn to overcome loneliness,
isolation, separation, and fear, both in the spiritual
world and on Earth.
Two things are interesting about these practices. First,
they are very simple, or at least they seem so, whereas,
in fact, when you think about them or try to practice
them, you find they are very high and go very deep.
Second, they are Earth-centered, life-centered, as are
all of Rudolf Steiner’s teachings.
This should not be surprising; for Steiner, human
beings, living and dead, and the whole spiritual word
have but one ideal: human and earthly evolution to the
point where the Earth might become a sun. This is the
task of the Earth—that wisdom become love—upon
whose outcome the whole spiritual world depends, but
one that only human beings can accomplish, which
is why Christ incarnated on and into the Earth, so
that the Earth became his body. In this sense, devotion
to Christ, risen from the dead, the infinite within the
finite, and devotion to the Earth and earthly life go
hand-in-hand. Therefore, Steiner always taught that
our spiritual focus must be on service—to heaven certainly, but more especially on Earth and to earthly life;
above all, it is because Earth is the only place where
love, the quintessential human capacity, can develop
and where relationships can be formed. Only on
Earth can we learn to love and experience the Christic
nature of love:
57
58
was thirsty and you gave me to drink.” Christ—divinity—is in everyone. We are all related.
Third (and perhaps this should be first), he says we
must learn to cultivate a feeling of devotion and reverence. This is fundamental. I would say that the anthroposophic approach to dying begins with reverence,
which is, again, a kind of “Yes.” Every action, every
thought, every feeling—like each meditation—should
begin and arise out of a mood of reverence.
It is worthwhile to meditate on what Steiner means
by reverence or devotion. What is a mood of reverence? It seems that reverence has to do with openness,
receptivity, trust, and listening. Reverence is a kind of
“receptive attention,” leading to “patient, inner, waiting quiet.” Like Samuel in the Old Testament, reverence says, “Here I am, Lord; I am all yours.” Such reverence, slowly acquired, helps us develop selflessness
and the willingness to let the other enter. The purer our
reverence is, the greater is our ability to become one
with what we revere and what we receive.
Fourth, Steiner says that we must not only learn to
meet one another and the world out of reverence, but
also, through reverence, seek to unite with the presence of the ever-present universal spirit. In other words,
our practice of reverence should lead also to prayer or
meditation. At the same time, and no less important,
reverence should lead us outward to pay attention to
life and to interest in all that happens around us.
Fifth, and this is implicit in reverence, Steiner says
that we must seek to acquire a feeling of “community,”
or “solidarity,” with all life and all that exists. We must
develop the understanding that whatever we do leaves
its mark and is part of a greater pattern and much
greater whole. On the one hand, we do not live only
for ourselves but are part of something much greater,
while, on the other hand, whatever we do makes a difference. We are responsible. We must realize that we
are part of the world, the web of Earth. We are woven
into the fabric of the Earth and the cosmos.
Sixth (perhaps again this should be first), we must
learn to develop a sense of gratitude. We are given
everything; everything is a gift. All that we can do is
give it back. Steiner speaks of developing “a feeling
of universal gratitude for all the experiences of life.”
This is a vast topic, for to develop gratitude, we must
learn to receive, which is not easy. In other words, we
must learn to become vulnerable, open, and willing
to be seen.
Seventh and last and perhaps most important, we
must learn to develop and practice “trust in life.”
Whatever happens, “Life, you lift and bear me; you
make certain that I move forward.” This is Steiner’s
way of speaking of faith, which is a kind of mystical certitude without an object. For trust in this sense,
which must be absolute, is not based on any evidence
or imagined end. It is trust despite the evidence and
without any reason.
To these seven I would add a couple more. First,
“negative capability.” This phrase comes from the
poet John Keats, who talks of walking home from a
Christmas pantomime with two friends. One, Dilke by
name, Keats characterizes as a person who never felt
he had a personal identity unless he had “made up his
mind about everything.” Dilke “will never come at a
truth as long as lives; because he is always trying at
it.” Listening to Dilke, Keats writes, “several things
dovetailed in my mind, and at once it struck me what
quality went to form a Man of Achievement . . . I mean
negative capability, that is, when a man is capable of
being in uncertainties, mysteries, without any irritable
reaching after fact and reason. Coleridge, for instance,
would let go by a fine isolated verisimilitude caught
from the penetralium of mystery, from being incapable
of remaining content with half knowledge.”
Negative capability is not only the ability to divest
one’s consciousness of egotistic desires, needs, purposes, preconceptions, and prejudices so as to live
with mystery, it is also to understand that there is
another way of knowing than what craves egotistic
certainties, one that remains content with “verisimilitudes,” likenesses, or images of the truth. Negative
capability, in this sense, is a kind of feeling cognition.
It is how the heart knows. The French poet René Char
asks, “How can we live with the unknown always
before us?” Negative capability seeks to welcome the
unknown without detaining it. Any kind of egotistic
effort, anything to do with power, is alien to it. It is
important always to have a sense of improvisation,
experimentation, and play. In other words, our spiritual life must be “an-economic”: there is no economy
in the spiritual life such that we feel we do our spiritual work to get something in return. We do it for its
own sake, just so, without any fixed or preconceived
goal, simply out of love of life itself.
Taken together, all these practices, which essentially are a non-religious, spiritual description of the
Christian path, seem to add up to the practice of what
Georg Kühlewind called the “soft will.” By this he
meant not the “hard” will we use to push a boulder
up a mountain, but the will we use for meditation or
to play a musical instrument. But I think it has much
wider application. It is the will we need both for life
itself and to befriend death.
This “soft” will, we may say, is the receptive will.
In a sense, it is the selfless will, or the servant will.
Above all, it is the will to receive, to accept, to say
“Yes, Come.” It is oriented toward the future, not the
past; it receives what the future gives. In a way, it is
the will that Christ must have used on Golgotha, the
will that says, “Not my will but thy will be done.” In
fact, though we don’t usually see it that way, Christ’s
entire deed, like Mary’s life, can be seen as a great deed
of assent—a great “Yes” to the will of the Father: “Be it
unto me according to thy word.”
What, then, is the mystery of “Yes”? Certainly, it overcomes egotism, which says “No” and is negation based
on the past. In a way, “Yes” is the way of the heart, which,
unlike the brain, can only say “Yes,” assent. Assenting,
it opens the way to love, reverence, trust, gratitude, and
knowing without end. When we can say “Yes” unconditionally, finite and infinite, Heaven and Earth become
one; wisdom becomes love; the world begins its transformation. “Yes” is always inclusive: it accepts all as way
stations on the soul’s endless journey. It knows no difference between knowing and being known. In that sense,
it is the reflection of the Divine “Yes,” whereby everything is. Like the Divine itself, in fact, Yes, though empty
and without object, always listens, moving from “Yes”
to “Yes” on its journey of endless knowing, through
meaning upon meaning upon meaning without end. It is
“Yes,” too, that makes relationship possible. “Yes” creates relationships, while “No” creates things.
To learn to live these things, finally, is to begin to
learn to live with the infinite. It is to receive our finitude,
which death gives us, and to return it, with a great “Yes”
to the infinite whence it came.
I end with a poem by Rilke, the great poet of assent,
of “Yes.” It is the last poem he wrote and is unfinished.
He was dying of leukemia, and in true Rilke fashion
he refused all drugs. He wanted to assent to the fullness of the incredibly hard experience he was about to
undergo.
Come, you, the last that I admit,
incurable pain in the body’s fabric;
as I burned in the spirit, see, I burn
in you; the wood has long resisted
assenting to the flames you blaze;
but now I feed you and burn in you.
In your rage my native mildness becomes
a rage from hell, not from here.
Absolutely pure, without plan, free of future
I climbed up suffering’s tangled pyre,
certain of nowhere buying what’s in store
for this heart, whose store is silent now.
Is it still I, who burn here beyond recognition?
I will not pull memories inside.
O life, life: to be outside.
And I ablaze. No one knowing me.
(Valmont, mid-December 1926.
Last entry in last pocket-book).
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Voice of the Eagle (pg. 22) and coauthor of Green Hermeticism (pg. 12).
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59
Traveling Light: Walking the Cancer Path
An excerpt from the new book by
William Ward
fight, flight, or freeze! Brain surgery in a sterile, cool,
controlled environment is far from the battlefield, but
a surgical saw to the cranium is for the self-preserving, evolutionarily conditioned reflexes of the reptilian
brain indistinguishable from an ax, even if one is mercifully “unconscious.” I was in for a crash course in
modern pharmacology.
After I was settled in the neuro-ward for post-op
observation, I could see my family. It had been awful
for them to confront the possibility that I might die
from the virulent cancer or that I would be permanently brain damaged from the surgery, hardly able
to remember things, hardly able to speak. But even
these giant specters hid in the shadows. Something
only
slightly less disturbing arose. I was not myself.
My life changed dramatically, drastically, and
As
relieved
as they were that the surgery was over,
irrevocably on November 17, 2005. That was
it
was
clear
that Dad had gone mad! I was over the
my death day and re-birthday. The external
edge,
talking
about some vision. I was a rapper, a
event was surgical removal of a glioblastoma
speed
freak.
Why
couldn’t I just stop and rest and
multiforme tumor phase IV from the left occipcome
round
normal?
The fact was I was desperately
ital-parietal lobe of my cranium. Though I was
concerned
that
the
whole
gossamer dream, the vision
unconscious during surgery, what I experienced
of
THE
GIFT,
would
vanish
into thin air. There was
was transcendent, like being turned inside out
precious
little
time
to
spit
it
out, get it down. I was
and hovering in timelessness, between this
holding
a
treasure
map
written
in invisible ink. It was
world and the life after life, and returning to
on
fire,
letters
appearing
for
an
instant in the flames
here and now—changed forever. What sounds
before
they
vanished
in
smoke.
like a cliché describes literally what I felt.
From my urgent perspective, I was trying to share
The following excerpts from this remarkable book something that had profoundly changed the way I
offer a rare look at the path that William has been looked at the world and my life. I had a burning sense
of purpose on behalf of the Children of the Future.
negotiating for the past few years.
Time was running out. I saw the love and concern in the
eyes of Andy and Claire and Rosie. Apparently, I was

not coherent. What I was saying sounded fragmented
and ranting. They were in the turbo tunnel of my torrent of words, getting windburn. They could not hide
Dark Night of the Soul
their worry that I was exhausting myself when I should
be resting from surgery. I tried to throttle down. But I
hen Icarus flew too close to the sun, the wax of insisted repeatedly that I needed a digital tape recorder
his wings melted and he plummeted into the sea. to retain the rapidly retreating fragments of THE GIFT.
To prevent seizures during surgery and to stop the They got me my son-in-law’s analog recorder that
swelling and inflammation surrounding the tumor, I lasted an hour. How could I begin to record the scope
was given two powerful drugs, Decadron and Kep- of the live streaming insights flooding in? I was simulpra. When a warrior is wounded in battle the entire taneously tuned to many channels and desperate to
endocrine system goes on red alert. The adrenal glands preserve all guidance received. “Please get me a digital
instantaneously squirt adrenaline and cortisone into recorder!”
When alone, perhaps I could begin to halt the ebbing
the veins like white lightning. In milliseconds the whole
body responds — respiration, heartbeat, circulation, of the threshold experience with the recorder in my
and the muscles. Blood rushes to the vital organs, the hand. The directions for its use were microscopic, labsenses go hyper-vigilant, and the involuntary reflexes yrinthine techno-speak. Thwarted. One menu option
of the brain stem go into hyper drive. Life is at stake: sent a shudder through me: DELETE ALL. The ahri-
William Ward, a native of
Michigan, majored in English
literature as an undergraduate at
Columbia University and then
studied elementary education at
the Waldorf Institute of Adelphi
University, where he received his
master’s degree. For more than
two decades, he has been a class
teacher at the Hawthorne Valley
School in Harlemville, New York. In Traveling Light,
William describes the genesis of his new life and the
beginning of the events that led to writing his book:
60
W
manic gremlins would allow me to gather pitiful bits
and bites of digitized cosmic scale Imaginations, which
I would attempt to store. Then I would press DELETE
ALL by mistake. This fear caused me great anxiety. No
one would believe me unless I had “evidence” of what
I had received as vision.
Early that evening: “Do you know where you
are?” Who speaks out of the blinding light?. . . .
“Albany. . .Med. . . .” A week before on
Dilantin I had responded, “Hawthorne
Valley School.” Progress. “What is your
date of birth?” “October. . .25. . .umm
1946.” My retrieval system was a little
slow on the uptake. “What day is it?” No
clue. I was in the twilight zone, and I was
flyyyyyyyiiiiiiiing on Decadron. This ritual interrogation would recur every hour
all night, like a broken record as I tried
to figure out who I had been and who I
was now. I had gone through the Looking
Glass and was not sure which side I was
on.
I felt like a peeled rabbit. I had no
skin, no protection. I had dis-integrated on the
threshold between this world and the next. Humpty
Dumpty — my egg-shaped dome, had been blown to
smithereens. Now, every sensory stimulus was amplified. I heard multiple conversations in other parts of
the ward. I could not lock out the multitude of sounds.
Several TVs were on. The decadent exhibitionism and
tawdry conflict of the Jerry Springer Show came at
me with my defenses down. The movement-activated
towel dispensers sounded like roaring crowds. Eyelids
were no defense against the lights. With clairaudience I
was convinced I could hear electricity humming in the
lines and lights along with the hissing and ultra-high
frequency ringing of my internal systems. Electronic
signals, monitoring machines, and call bells randomly
went off, each giving a little spurt of adrenalin to my
hyper-vigilant nervous system. Electric motors would
intermittently whir to raise or lower a bed or swing a
mechanical arm into place. The continuous bombardment of sound felt intentionally devised to prevent
sleep. I was being kept awake on purpose. “What’s
your name? Do you know where you are? What is
your date of birth? Now I’m going to shine a light
into your eyes.” The intrusive light invades the optic
nerve and frightens the bats in my belfry. The drill
was repeated every hour.
The nurse told me not to move because of my head
bandage. I took it literally and froze in a knotted position for an interminable period. Time crawled, then
stopped dead. This Dark Night of the Soul would be
eternal. The Shadow of Death was waiting in the wings.
There would be no day. No exit. No resurrection. I was
already in Purgatory, part of a sensory overload experiment. I was paranoid that I would be kept in constant
wakefulness. They would not let me go home. The
room and rounds were designed not to let patients slip
into the healing waters of sedated oblivion. The drill
was to rouse them and monitor them to keep them here
and not let them slip over the edge into the Never Never
Land of a coma.
I have never longed for unconsciousness so intensely. I wanted to be entombed,
enwombed in total darkness, in total silence.
If only I could reintegrate in a subterranean crypt where I could be consoled and
refreshed in a haven of peace, and get myself
together. I began to redesign in my overactive mind the neuro ward as it should be for
human beings with walls of color, soft celestial music, the wash of the sea. Lazurus-like
neophytes in padded sarcophagi slept the
temple sleep in silent, underground caverns
in my hospital of the future. Hierophant
nurses, the Therapeutae, ministered to their
patients’ needs in body, soul, and spirit as
healing streams of peace and light washed the weariness and fear from their blood and bones.
Speaking softly into the recorder, doubting whether
anything was being stored, I began to monitor the
number of sounds per minute to pass the time, since
sleep was impossible. I understood why sleep deprivation is a form of torture and how it leads to a disintegration of the personality.
The night nurse worked on the accumulated paperwork from the day. The necessary act of stapling
papers together sent the amplified sound straight
through me. I was being stapled alive. By perhaps
two a.m. I so longed for oblivion that I asked to be
knocked out. I was given Ambien. I entered a Twilight
Zone where Ambien and Decadron could duke it out
over my wounded body and soul.
Later I discovered that there is an epidemic of
sleeplessness in our land. Ambien and Lunesta have
annual gross sales of about 1.5 billion annually, with
around fifty million prescriptions each year for sleep
aids. That is the downer side of the spectrum. Big
pharma rakes it in. But why is it people’s sleep is
so disturbed that this avalanche of pharmaceuticals
is needed? As I expressed to one of my nurses my
reluctance to put so many chemicals in my body, she
commented matter-of-factly, but out of earshot of
those who might think differently, “We are a nation
of drug addicts.”

Traveling Light
61
Traveling Light
Shadow and Daylight
I don’t want to tell you about my Shadow. The shame
is too great. It is a skeleton in the closet, too painful to
the Valley of the Shadow of Death. “Where there acknowledge. It is a weight, a burden of guilt, a feelis great light, there is great shadow.” What I had ing of unworthiness. Behind my mask, I’m no good. I
experienced as a resurrection, waking to the fullness have failed myself, my possibilities of becoming. I have
of life, and a reprieve from death was bound to its betrayed the trust placed in me at birth to seek my star.
opposite: a Night Journey too intense at the time for Having fallen far short of my humanity, I must keep
me to speak about.
the beast, the truth, hidden and chained.
According to ancient rituals of initiaDoes this resonate with anyone out
tion, one of the inevitable steps toward
there? But there is one who knows and
awakening to consciousness of the spiriaccepts what I choose not to share. This
tual world was dismemberment; the
generous spirit is my witness and guide.
Jonah, fleeing This
lower self had to die before the higher self
is the gentle brother, “friend of my
could be born. Two difficult nights from
heart.” This is he who sees me as I am
God and the
nightfall till dawn were part of my death
and would lead me in my becoming. I
path set for
process. “Dissolution,” “disintegration,”
am the prodigal son who has wasted his
and “dismemberment” are too abstract
inheritance.
I am Jonah, fleeing God and
me, swallowed
for what I am referring to. Let me give
the path set for me, swallowed up in the
a picture: Open your art history book to
up in the belly belly of the whale. But One comes bearHeironymous Bosch; examine the goads,
ing the healing cup of forgiveness. He
of the whale.
the fires, the demons, the implements of
frees me from the chains that bind me to
torture, the chaos and fear, the sores, the
my Shadow and leads me into larger life.
animal heads on human bodies, the dance of death.
A decade ago, a friend was struggling with AIDS.
Imagine that you are no mere onlooker, but stripped In his final year, I sent him a print of a painting by
and flogged; you have been sucked into the nightmare Holman Hunt. I was wrestling with my Shadow at
vortex and abandoned all hope. This demonic realm the time I encountered the painting, as I have many
confronts you with the grotesque, bizarre emanations times since. The work is The Light of the World from
of the lower self. You lose yourself in the astral entice- Keble College, Oxford. With cosmic irony, the light
ments and torments of living hell until its refining fires illuminating it went out as I was looking on. Now,
have purged away the dross. When the molten gold of since I have jettisoned baggage I had been carrythe sun’s tears alone remains, the alchemical process of ing, the picture has resurfaced. The light has come
transformation is complete.
back on. I had forgotten that my friend’s mother had
I was not swept into the maelstrom. Whoever was returned it to me at his death. During recovery from
guiding my little boat managed to steer between surgery, I found it in my attic. Now it’s by my bed,
Scylla and Charybdis. My helpers were there to cut the first thing I see when I wake up. It is a night scene.
off the hydra’s heads of my once rampantly pro- There are faint stars and a bat. A seldom-used door is
liferating glioblastoma multiforme and cauterize overgrown with dried weeds. Christ, his face faintly
the stumps. I felt protected. Undeniably my senses illumined by the lantern he holds, knocks on the door.
were too open, as described earlier, and a part of The inscription reads:
me was “flayed” by sensory overload. But I had
fully entrusted myself to the guidance and guardianBehold I stand at the door and knock
ship of the spiritual world to see me through. My
If any man hear my voice and open the door
fear of death in this world was obliterated by the
I will come in to him
conviction that I had already died and mysteriously,
And will sup with him
joyfully was called back to take care of unfinished
And he with me.
business. To receive the grace of this reprieve I had
Open the door if you would receive the Guest.
to give up my Shadow. In my case, the prospect of
death allowed me to drop some of the burden of my
On my release from the hospital, as I reviewed my
karmic baggage and lighten my load. There is a lot
life
through papers and photos filed away, a copy of
more to do. There was a cleansing, purging process
under the sign of cancer that now allows me to take the poem I wrote for my friend, dead for ten years,
further steps along my healing journey. To do this I also resurfaced for the occasion of my return, having
must find the resolve.
come through a Dark Night into daylight.
T
he Dark Night of the Soul is a passage through
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62
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Traveling Light
63
A n Esoteric Cosmology
From the Foreword
by Edouard Schuré
Rudolf Steiner came to Paris with a
Itures
number of students to give a series of private lecto a small circle of friends. I myself had never
n May 1906,
64
seen him and did not even know of his existence, but
I had begun correspondence on the subject of one of
my dramas (The Children of Lucifer) with his friend
Mademoiselle von Sivers, who later became his wife
and his most understanding colleague. She brought
her teacher to my house one happy morning.
I shall never forget the extraordinary impression
made upon me by this man when he entered
the room. As I looked at that thin, powerful
face, at the black mysterious eyes flashing light
as if from unfathomable depths, it struck me
that for the first time in my life I was facing
one of those supreme seers who have direct
vision of the great beyond. Intuitively and
poetically, I had described such seers in The
Great Initiates, but I had never hoped to meet
one in this world. The impression was instantaneous and irresistible, unexpected as well
as already known. Even before he opened his lips, an
inner voice said to me: Here is a true master, one who
will play an all-important part in your life.
Our subsequent relations would prove that this first
impression was not an illusion. The program of the
daily lectures, of which the speaker told me in advance,
aroused my keenest interest. The lectures would cover
the whole field of his philosophy, although it was possible to develop only certain outstanding points. One
would have said that the teacher’s purpose was to offer
a vista of the general plan from its own heights. His
fervent, convincing eloquence, irradiated by invariable clarity of thought, struck me at once as possessing two outstanding and unusual qualities.
First was its artistic power. When Rudolf Steiner
spoke of the phenomena and beings of the invisible
world, he seemed at home. With striking details and
in familiar terms he told of events in these unknown
realms, just as though he were speaking of the most
ordinary matters. He did not describe but actually saw
and made others see the objects, scenes, and cosmic
vistas in clear-cut reality. Listening to him, one could
not doubt the power of his astral vision; it was as limpid as physical vision, but much more penetrating.
Another characteristic, equally remarkable was
that this philosopher and mystic, this thinker and
clairvoyant, connected all experiences of soul to
the immutable laws of physical nature. Those laws
were used to explain and classify the suprasensory
phenomena that appear before the seer, initially, in
an overwhelming variety and almost bewildering
abundance. Then, by a wonderful counter-stroke, these
subtle, fluidic phenomena, proceeding from cosmic
powers grouped in a great hierarchy, began to illumine
the edifice of material nature. The diverse parts of
nature were linked together, related to these cosmic
powers from the heights to the depths, from the depths
to the heights, and a vista of the grand architecture of
the universe opened up from the inner world, where
the visible is forever coming to birth from the womb
of the invisible.
I took no notes of the first lecture, but it made such a
vivid impression upon me that, once I reached home, I
felt a need to write it down without forgetting a single
link in the chain of these illuminating thoughts.
I had absorbed the lecture so completely that I
found no difficulty at all. By a process of involuntary and instantaneous transmutation, the
German words, which had ingrained themselves in my memory, changed into French.
The same thing, repeated after each of the
eighteen lectures, gradually grew into a dossier
that I keep as a rich and rare store of treasure.
These lectures, which were never transcribed
or revised by Rudolf Steiner, do not exist in
the archives of his public lectures or in the collection of
lectures duplicated for members of the Anthroposophical Society. They are, therefore, entirely unedited. A
number of members of the French Group of the Society
have expressed the desire to publish them as a book,
and Mademoiselle Rihouet, the editor of La Science
Spirituelle, kindly offered the pages of that magazine.
I respond all the more readily to this desire, because
these priceless lectures mark a significant phase of
Rudolf Steiner’s thought: the spontaneous burst of his
genius and its first crystallization. Moreover, it gives
me joy to pay this new tribute to that teacher to whom
I owe one of the great revelations of my life.
The Origin of
Esoteric Christianity
These lectures offer a kind of summary of what Rudolf
Steiner calls Anthroposophy. In this foreword, I do not
pretend to give anything like a resumé of this vast, allembracing philosophy. Its principles are contained in
a theogony, cosmogony, and psychology, complete in
themselves. It lays the foundation of a moral philosophy, an art of education, a science of aesthetics. The
teaching of this thinker and seer extends into all and
every area of life. His sweeping vision embraces the
whole history of humanity and imbues modern science
with spiritual concepts, without even a hair’s breadth
distortion from its exactitude and pristine clarity. My
A n Esoteric Cosmology
* Cf. Rudolf Steiner, Spiritualism, Madame Blavatsky, and Theosophy: An Eyewitness View of Occult History, Great Barrington,
MA: Anthroposophic Press, 2001.
ened to engulf them. Civilization itself was in peril.
The human psyche—having freed herself from primitive darkness through long struggle—was threatened
by the decadence of Greece and the orgies of Rome.†

Anthroposophy is the most potent means in our present era to restore the severed harmony between the
worlds of matter and spirit, between science and religion. It is also the agent for reestablishing peace in
social affairs.
In truth, the hour is serious. Humanity
has never faced such a great danger. The
forces of evil are mobilized, but not those
of goodness. This is proven by the unprecedented ravages of Bolshevism, the relentless application of destructive materialism. A gathering of all the spiritual forces
available to humanity will be needed to
combat this scourge. But a wide and high
ideal is necessary. Human beings would
gladly know where feet are taking them
in this world and in the one beyond. They
need a sublime goal in the one, and the
beginnings of actual realization of the
other. “Evil can be conquered only by a
high ideal,” says Rudolf Steiner. “Those without an
ideal are weak and powerless. In a person’s life, ideals
play the role of steam in an engine; they are the driving force.”
The knowledge gained by Rudolf Steiner during his
life and his apostolate of a quarter of a century is scattered throughout his writings and numerous lecture
courses, most of which have been recorded. The special
interest attached to these lectures of 1906 is that they
show the genius of this thinker-seer at the beginning of
his career and the zenith of his inspiration, at the very
moment when his all-embracing thought was coming
into its own, fully armed. Those who read these notes
may catch, here and there, an echo of the power of
the master’s living words. A striking example of this
impressed itself upon me during a lecture he once gave:
“The thoughts of the Gods are not as human thoughts.
Human thoughts are images; the thoughts of the gods
are living beings.”
Revelations like this flash out into the Infinite.
They are an echo from far away of the Word creative
invoked by St. John at the beginning of his Gospel.
Their vibrations thrill through us like the Sound Primordial whence shines the light—the Sound whose
harmonies bring worlds to birth.
only purpose here is to point out the most strikingly
new chapters, for they lead us again to the very roots
of this sublime thought.
At the time he was delivering these lectures, Rudolf
Steiner was still the General Secretary for Germany
of the Theosophical Society, whose headquarters is in
Madras. The society, originally founded by H. P. Blavatsky, has Mrs. Annie Besant as its present president.
Despite the many gaps and ultimate digressions, this
theoretical system of Eastern thought—which originated in India and derived its name Theosophy from
Alexandrian tradition—served to recall for the uninitiated West the two fundamental tenets of
all esoteric tradition: 1) The plurality of
progressive lives of the human soul under
the law of karma, and 2) ascending human
evolution under the influence of spiritual
powers. When Rudolf Steiner entered the
Theosophical Society (which he had chosen
as his initial field of activity), he had already
mastered fully the doctrine he owed to his
own initiation. These lectures, given in the
year 1906, are proof of this fact.*
The essential difference between Indian
Theosophy and Anthroposophy lies in the
supreme role that Anthroposophy attributes to the Christ in human evolution, as
well as its connection with Rosicrucian tradition. This
appears clearly in the first two lectures, entitled: “The
Birth of the Intellect and the Mission of Christianity”
and “The Mission of Manicheism.” More clearly than
any other esotericist, Rudolf Steiner saw the profound
change that has come about through the ages in the
human constitution of body and soul and in the human
means of perceiving truth. In ancient, pre-Christian
times, human beings were endowed universally with a
faculty of “atavistic” clairvoyance. During the Atlantean period, human beings lived more in the “world
beyond” than in this world. Clairvoyance was the outstanding faculty and the chief mode of human cognition, but perception of higher worlds was confused and
chaotic. That faculty weakened and gradually faded in
the course of evolution; reason and the mere observation of nature came to the forefront. The yoga of the
Indian rishis (the source of Aryan mythology and religion) represents an effective endeavor to regain the lost
power of clairvoyance and, at the same time, to regulate it according to cosmic laws. But shortly before the
coming of Christ, humanity had reached the last stage
of descent into matter and passed through a perilous
crisis. The passions emanating from the animal stage,
beyond which human beings had now passed, threat-
† Cf. Rudolf Steiner, An Outline of Esoteric Science, Hudson,
NY: Anthroposophic Press, 1997.
65
Th e B a r f i e l d S c h o o l o f S u n b r i d g e C o l l e g e
a Conversation with Gertrude Reif Hughes
Following the introductory courses, students deepen
their
work in contemplation, biography, and the arts
With William Jens Jensen
through further short residencies and online courses,
while also beginning to focus on their special
ost of us sense, from the time we are quite
areas of study. Working with an advisor allows
young, that our life work will demand
the students to develop their thesis project
much from us. Some of us expect it will be cenand to create a coherent, individually devised
tral to our lifelong interests, others that it may
course of study. Electives and online courses
have only a peripheral role. Either way, many
might typically include: Vision, Style, and the
of us find that eventually we are facing essential
Evolution of Consciousness in Western Art;
questions of meaning—the purpose of our life
Cognition, Contemplation, and Biography;
and work. For those who look beyond physical
and Krishna, Buddha, and Christ.
existence and a single lifetime, this question of
The second summer emphasizes qualitative and
purpose requires going to a deeper level of knowledge. quantitative research methods, and students develop
We develop a heartfelt desire to engage our questions a Degree Completion Plan (DCP). The third and final
and tend to give them more precise, adequate, spiritual residential summer session offers students an opportuattention.
nity to present their master’s project research to peers
This felt need was the genesis of The Barfield School and other members of the learning community.
in 2001, when a number of individuals—professors
Now that the first student cohort is launched on its
well along the way in their chosen paths—saw how thesis projects, SteinerBooks thought we would ask
the power of spiritual practice and understanding had SteinerBooks board member Gertrude Reif Hughes,
contributed to their own life and work and decided who is also a member of the Barfield core faculty, how
that they could share and encourage others in this way. the Barfield School is doing as it prepares to receive the
This group of professors from leading institutions— next cohort in August 2008.
including Amherst College, Wesleyan University, the
University of Michigan, and the California Institute of

Integral Studies—gathered to articulate their vision of
a new graduate school devoted to cultivating creativity
SteinerBooks: How many new students will be
and empowerment in vocational life. Students would
starting the Liberal Arts Masters Program in the
be encouraged to join their intellectual and vocational
coming summer?
pursuits with their spiritual aspirations.
For several years, the pioneering faculty of this ini- Gertrude Reif Hughes: It looks like we’ll have about
tiative—The Barfield School—offered courses around the same number as the first group—about twelve,
the country and investigated the possibility of distance maybe fifteen.
learning.
SteinerBooks: Can you describe the kind of person
The Barfield School eventually discussed collabo- who comes to the Barfield School?
ration with Sunbridge College, the only accredited
anthroposophically based college in North America. Gertrude Reif Hughes: Well, for one thing they’re
During the summer of 2005, the State of New York all amazingly unalike, compared to the undergraduates
approved and accredited The Barfield School of Sun- I’m used to. I’m not sure that our students can be said
bridge College, allowing it to award master’s degrees to form a “demographic” but I can give you a sense of
in liberal studies. A year later, the first class arrived to the group. The majority of students are in their forties
and fifties, but there are some in their twenties, sixties,
participate in its inaugural “Common Core” session.
and seventies as well. Almost all of them have careers
or have retired from their careers. They come from all
The Common Core
over—we have a student from France, one from CaliEach new class begins with a residency session—the fornia. Others come from Western Canada, Arizona,
Common Core—which introduces students to con- Wisconsin, Texas, and New York. At least two of our
templative education and offers the tools needed to students have lives that put them on the road a good
approach studies from a contemplative perspective. portion of the time. Two or three are Waldorf teachers
Typical courses in the first-year summer core program but they’re not looking for a pedagogical course. They
include: Contemplative Inquiry; The Language and want to devote some organized thought and study to
Metamorphosis of Living Forms; Imagination: Its Role areas that speak to their own biographies and life quesin Cognition, Ethics, Social Activism, and Scientific tions. They love to bond and have turned themselves
Method; Poetry as Spiritual Perception; and Biography into a tight, trusting learning society in the past twoand Vocation in the Light of Spiritual Inquiry.
and-a-half years.
M
66
SteinerBooks: I read about your curriculum on
exactly what our curriculum is organized to offer. Patti
your website. It sounds as if the students you’ve been
Smith brings the biographical side, and Fred Amrine
describing would be well served by it.
and I have been bringing the cognitional side through
literature
and philosophy, along with Arthur Zajonc,
Gertrude Reif Hughes: I’m not sure if you are
whose
contemplative
inquiry course runs during every
referring to the online aspect of the curriculum or
session
on
campus
and
sometimes on line, too. Kathy
our four-way emphasis on vocation/
Gower
has special interest and
biography, cognition, contemplative
experience
in qualitative research.
inquiry, and artistic work. Actually,
And
cofounder
Robert McDermott
both those aspects apply. Being able
teaches
a
range
of online or on-site
to work online most of the time and
courses
organized
much like the
keeping the face-to-face sessions
one
I
already
mentioned.
We are
intensive allows students to live anyconvinced
that
integrating
graduwhere in the world, as long as they
ate
study
in
this
fourfold
way
will
have internet access and can come
address
life
questions,
as
well
as
to the U.S. twice a year. By the way,
enable
students
to
earn
credentials
that goes for the faculty, too, since
they need for career goals.
almost all of us have day jobs, like
most of our students.
SteinerBooks: We’ve spoken
Our summer intensives have fifabout the Barfield School students
teen consecutive days of classes,
and the way the curriculum
Arthur Zajonc with a student
including the weekends. Our Januworks. We haven’t touched on the
ary gathering has been a long weekquestion of tuition.
end consisting of credit-bearing artistic, contemplative, Gertrude Reif Hughes: It’s certainly an important
and cognitional/biographical units. Students have the question. The cost of our twenty-five–month Master’s
option of coming three days early and taking an inten- Program matches what other such programs cost. We
sive elective as well. That’s a course that’s been open wish students could be guaranteed grants, but we can
to non-Barfield School members, too—local anthrop- offer only loans. Students in all of Sunbridge College’s
osophists, Waldorf parents, or others interested in the accredited, Master’s level degree programs are eligible
course topic, people who are considering enrolling, for federal loans, and a number of our students do
and so on. Robert McDermott taught “From Buddha have them. Canadian and other non-U. S. students are
to Christ” in that format in January 2007.
not eligible. Fortunately, generous donors, some of
So yes, low residency is crucial, but our students also them in Europe, have donated funds to support such
come because our blending of biography and vocation students. Still, neither The Barfield School nor Sunwith knowledge and contemplative inquiry draws them. bridge College has an endowment. That would make a
Actually, all our students come with active inner lives real difference; we would be able to make grants, not
and a desire to work with deeper levels of knowledge. just facilitate loans. Many Master’s level liberal arts
Almost all prospective students mention this when they programs draw students, as we do, who are employed
attend our open houses. I love to hear their earnest adults looking for intellectual enrichment and acatales of searching for the kind of seriously introspec- demic challenges, and they are sometimes able to pay
tive yet rigorous study we are offering.
their own way with small or no loans.
SteinerBooks: Can you say more about that?
SteinerBooks: Thank you for giving us a closer
Gertrude Reif Hughes: Well, I mean that almost all look at the Barfield School Liberal Arts degree of
prospective students say they want to work with the Sunbridge College, Gertrude. Is there anything you
arts and with contemplative inquiry, and they all want would like to add to what you’ve told us?
their academic aspirations to harmonize with their bio- Gertrude Reif Hughes: Yes. I’d like to mention
graphical intentions, questions, and needs. In addition, the thesis topics our current students are working on.
they do not want to do any more academic work that These are the students who will be ready to present
lacks these perspectives. They want academic work their work in August ’08, their third summer. Here’s a
that serves their lives as well as their careers, and The list of their working titles:
Barfield School does both.
What has the New Spiritual Impulses of the
In their previous academic work, our students have
1907 Munich Congress Contributed to the
found the orientation toward spirit conspicuously
Gesamtkunstwerk?
absent, so they come to us thirsty for the Barfield
Burning into the Planetary Consciousness: An analySchool’s way of learning and thinking. They thirst for
sis of the Functional Role of the Burning Man
67
Arts Festival in the Transition from the Atlantic
to the Planetary Cultural Ecology.
Creating Social Sculpture: Aesthetic Vision in the
Social Artist.
Applying “U Theory” in a Waldorf Seminar
Program
Applying the Goethean Phenomenological Method to
Counterspace
The Unfinished Lesson: Teacher Presentation and Student Participation in a Waldorf Middle School
Understanding the Journey from darkness to light
through artistic process
Witness Consciousness in the development of the
Individual
68
of culture. Offering its students an open, nonsectarian academic and social environment, the program
honors many philosophical paths, while recognizing
Anthroposophy as its core.
The school is essentially a part-time, graduate degree
program of academic research, meditative inquiry,
and artistic exploration. Through meditative attention to academic subjects, the program enriches and
broadens the lessons of conventional scholarship into
an extended scholarship, bringing about a greater
capacity for intellectual, psychological, and spiritual
understanding.
The next cycle of course work will begin summer
2008.
The Faculty
The Barfield School can claim a very distinguished faculty. In addition to an impressive adjunct faculty, the
main faculty includes:
Arthur Zajonc, Ph.D. (author, professor of physics at
Amherst College)
Robert McDermott, Ph.D. (author and president
emeritus and professor of philosophy and religion
at the California Institute of Integral Studies)
Gertrude Reif Hughes, Ph.D. (author, Professor
Emerita of English and Feminist Studies, Wesleyan University)
Patti Smith, Ed.D. (Program Director; Senior Director of the Center for School Design, National
Academy Foundation)
Fred Amrine, Ph.D. (Academic Affairs, Arthur F.
Thurnau Professor of Germanic Languages and
Literature, The University of Michigan)
Kathy Gower, Ph.D. (Student Affairs and IT Supervisor, founder of American Pilgrims on the
Camino)
Each member of the core faculty mentors at least one
thesis. All the students are telling us that they experience the benefits of contemplative inquiry and count
on it for inspiration, but also for confidence in their
writing process and in the conclusions they are coming to. As you know, Arthur has just finished his new
book about contemplative inquiry. I’m happy to learn
that he’ll be publishing it with SteinerBooks and that
it should be out in ’08.
Thanks for having me speak about the Barfield
School, and thanks for planning to print some details
To learn more about the Barfield School M.A. degree
from our website at the end of this article. I’ve enjoyed program or to request application materials, please
our conversation and I hope the readers of your widely contact Anna Claire Novotny, Administrative Coorpraised catalog will, too.
dinator, by phone at (845) 425-0055 ext. 18 or send
email to [email protected].
Online, visit www.barfieldschool.org for more inforThe Program
mation on classes and a complete list of the adjunct
faculty members.
The work of the British writer and philosopher Owen
Barfield forms the ground of the school’s curriculum.
The program also adheres to the work of Rudolf
Steiner, whose anthroposophic path of consciousness
and wisdom leads to knowledge based on understanding others and ourselves as beings of spirit, soul, and
body. In keeping with anthroposophic ideals, The
Barfield School embraces multiple means to this end
and welcomes all positive contributions to the renewal
Index of Books and Authors
Bach Flower Remedies
Form and Function 38
Balance in Teaching 41
Bamford, Christopher 12,
18, 22, 52
Bang, Jan Martin 25
Barfield, Owen 17
Baric, Maija 42
Barnard, Julian 38
Beck, John H. 49
Becoming the Archangel
Michael’s Companions
6
Bees 30
Bees and Honey 32
Bento, William R. 37
Bhagavad Gita and the
West 8
Biodynamic Agriculture 32
Biodynamic Farm 33
Biodynamic Food &
Cookbook 34
Biodynamic Sowing and
Planting Calendar 2008
33
Biodynamic Year 33
Blatchford, Claire 24
Blaxland-de Lange, Simon
17
Blessed by Illness 37
Bock, Emil 11, 28
Bockemühl, Jochen 32
Bremen Town Musicians
45
Bunyard, Peter 25
Extending Practical
Medicine 36
Extraordinary Plant
Qualities for
Biodynamics 32
Extreme Weather 25
Camino Walk 24
Centering Prayer and
the Healing of the
Unconscious 20
Childhood of Jesus 11
Christ and Sophia 29
Christmas 14
Church of the Second
Chance 20
Collot d’Herbois, Liane 19
Colour 19
Complete Healing 36
Cook, Wendy E. 34
Cosmic New Year 7
Creative Felt 42
Crebbin, Jennifer 40
Critchlow, Keith 18
Fall of Sophia 28
First Book of Knitting for
Children 42
Flaming Door 15
Francke, Sylvia 10
Finser, Siegfried E. 27
Finser, Torin M. 27
Foodwise 34
From Neurons to Notions
12
Funk, Mary Margaret 20
Dalton, David 38
Death as Metamorphosis of
Life 6
Death of Merlin 10
Dostoevsky 18
Drawing Geometry 19
Drescher, Daniela 45
Dunstan Martin, Graham
13
Gardening for Health &
Nutrition 34
Global Brain 13
Glöckler, Michaela 41
Goddess 29
Goebel, Wolfgang 41
Goodwin, Brian 25
Gosse, Bonnie 42
Green Hermeticism 12
Grigaff, Anne-Dorthe 42
Grimm Brothers 45
Growing Eco-Communities
25
Gruenewald, Peter 24
Guide to Child Health 41
Easter 15
Ecce Mulier 21
Eckersley, Sylvia 19
Endless Trace 22
Eriugena, John Scotus 22
Esoteric Cosmology 8
Esoteric Significance
of Spiritual Work in
Anthroposophical
Groups 26
Evans, Michael 36
Experiences with the Dying
and the Dead 24
Hamed, Maissa 44
Hansel and Gretel 45
Hauk, Günther 30
Healing Power of Prayer 11
Healing the Skin 13
Healthy Medicine 37
Heavenly Sophia and the
Being Anthroposophia
26
Heaven on Earth 40
Hidden Qualities of Water
12
Hildreth, Lisa 43
History in English Words
17
Homage to Pythagoras 18
Home Remedies 36
How I Feel 39
How Wide the Heart 2
Hunter’s Trance 24
I Connecting 21
Inner Experiences of
Evolution 8
Iscador 39
Isis Mary Sophia 29
Islam Is . . . 20
Jachens, Lueder 13
Järvinen, Kari 32
Jesus, Lazarus, and the
Messiah 16
Johnson, Gail 44
Kaine, Kristina 21
Keating, Thomas 20
Klett, Manfred 32
Klocek, Dennis 22
Knights Templar 11
Knitted Animals 42
Knitting for Children 42
Koepf, Herbert 33
Lamborn Wilson, Peter 12
Lantern Vegan Family
Cookbook 35
Last Night of Ramadan 44
Lieberherr, Ruth 45
Life from Light 12
Lifting the Veil of Mental
Illness 37
Lindley, Daniel A. 23
Little Red Riding-Hood 44
Lives of Camphill 13
Living Literacy 43
Living on Purpose 13
Lord’s Prayer (Steiner) 11
Lord’s Prayer (von Halle) 9
MacDermot, Violet 28
Masters, Brien 41
African and Caribbean
Celebrations 44
Allen, Jon 19
Allerton, Jill 42
Ancient Myths and the New
Isis Mystery 29
And If He Had Not Been
Raised . . . 9
Andreev, Daniel 28
Animal Pharm 13
Archetypal Feminine in
the Mystery Stream of
Humanity 29
Ascent of Man 15
Astronomy and Spiritual
Science 25
Atlantis 14
Authenticity 24
69
Index of Books and Authors
Matthews, Paul 19
May Human Beings Hear
It! 26
McCarthy, Brian 35
Mees, L. F. C. 37
Merry, Eleanor C. 15
Michaelmas 14
Money Can Heal 27
Moore, Thomas 23
Most Holy Trinosophia 28
Murphy, Sophia Christine
36, 39
Mystery of John the Baptist
and John the Evangelist
at the Turning Point of
Time 26
Nature’s Due 25
Nemcová Banerjee, Maria
18
Nordqvist, Sven 44
Number and Geometry in
Shakespeare’s Macbeth
19
Nunn, Chris 12
70
Occult Significance of
Forgiveness 26
Olive and the Tree 21
Olson, Michael 39
Ó Madagáin, Fr. Murchadh
20
On Life’s Journey 23
Oppenheimer, Sharifa 40
Organizational Integrity 27
Ostfeld de Bendayán,
Gertrudis 21
Owen Barfield 17
Pancakes for Findus 44
Peter and Anneli’s Journey
to the Moon 45
Philbrick, John & Helen 34
Planets Within 23
Pogacnik, Ana 2
Pogacnik, Marko 2, 4
Post, Marsha 43
Powell, Robert 28
Practical Home Care
Medicine 36
Principles of Biodynamic
Spray and Compost
Preparations 32
Prokofieff, Sergei O. 26
Puppet Theatre 42
Purdey, Mark 13
Quiet Heart 24
Reif Hughes, Gertrude 66
Reilly, R. J. 17
Revisioning Society and
Culture 27
Rodger, Iain 36
Romantic Religion 17
Rose, Michael 43
Rose of the World 28
Russell, Peter 13
Sacred Geography 4
Sardello, Robert 21
Saunders, Kerrie K. 35
Schilthuis, Willy 32
Schmidt-Brabant, Manfred
10, 29
Schroeder, Hans-Werner
11, 15
Schubert, Jan 45
Schuré, Edouard 64
Schwenk, Wolfram 12
Sease, Virginia 10, 29
Secrets of the Skeleton 37
Secrets of the Stations of
the Cross and the Grail
Blood 9
Sedan, Gil 21
Seer’s Handbook 22
Silence 21
Singing Day 44
Sloan, Douglas M. 27
Smith, Edward Reaugh 16
Soering, Jens 20
Sophia Teachings 28
Soul Development through
Handwriting 40
Soul’s Long Journey 16
Speech of the Grail 23
Spiritual Hierarchies and
the Physical World 7
Spirituality, Contemplation
& Transformation 20
Stars of the Meadow 38
Star Wisdom and
Rudolf Steiner 25
Steiner Education and
Social Issues 41
Steiner, Rudolf 6, 7, 8, 11,
14, 29, 30, 33, 36
Stein, Walter Johannes 10
St. John’s 14
Stöckli, Thomas 12
Strauss, Michaela 40
Sun Seed 45
Surkamp, Johannes 13
Sussman, Linda 23
Talley, Leslie 39
Tender Heart 24
Therapeutic Eurythmy for
Children 41
Thinkers, Saints, Heretics
10
Thought Is Just a Thought
39
Threefold Mary 28
Thun, Maria 33
Thun, Matthias K. 33
Tidball, Charles S. 16
Time Stands Still 18
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traveling light

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