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Anthroposophy, also called "spiritual science", is a spiritual philosophy based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner,^[1] which states that anyone who "conscientiously cultivates sense-free thinking" can attain experience of and insights into the spiritual world.^[2] Those who engage in "anthroposophical research" say that they seek to attain in its investigations of the spiritual world the precision and clarity of natural science's investigations of the physical world.^[2] Steiner and the anthroposophists see anthroposophy as science, but it is generally not considered as such by the scientific community.^[3] Image File history File links EndlessKnot03d. ... Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Rudolf Steiner. ... Look up spiritual in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The lunar farside as seen from Apollo 11 Natural science is the rational study of the universe via rules or laws of natural order. ... Part of a scientific laboratory at the University of Cologne. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Anthroposophy is a path of knowledge to guide the Spirit of the human being to the Spiritual in the universe. It arises in man as a need of the heart, of the life of feeling: and it can be justified inasmuch as it can satisfy this inner need.

—Rudolf Steiner^[4]

Anthroposophical ideas have been applied in areas such as Waldorf education, curative education (including the Camphill movement), biodynamic agriculture, anthroposophical medicine, and eurythmy.^[5][6][2][7] A Waldorf classroom in Witten-Annen, Germany Waldorf education (also known as Steiner or Steiner-Waldorf education) is based upon the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, and his spiritual philosophy anthroposophy. ... The Camphill Movement is an international movement of therapeutic intentional communities for those with special needs or disabilities. ... // Biodynamic agriculture, or biodynamics is an organic farming system (but predates the term). ... Anthroposophical medicine is a holistic and salutogenetic approach to health. ... Eurythmy is a movement art originated by Rudolf Steiner in the early 20th century. ...

History

Rudolf Steiner.

In his early twenties, Steiner became the editor of Goethe's scientific writings for a major publication of that writer's complete works.^[2] He continued this work between 1890-1896 while he also worked at the Goethe-Schiller Archive in Weimar.^[8] In the course of this work, Steiner began publishing various works: chiefly, Goethe's Conception of the World and his commentaries on Goethe's scientific essays. His early work culminated in his Die Philosophie der Freiheit (translated variously as The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity, The Philosophy of Freedom, or Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path), published when he was in his early thirties. Steiner developed a concept of free will that is based upon inner experiences, especially those that occur in the creative activity of independent thought.^[2] Image File history File links RSteiner. ... Image File history File links RSteiner. ... Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (pronounced [gø tə]) (August 28, 1749–March 22, 1832) was a German writer, politician, humanist, scientist, and philosopher. ... The city hall Goethe and Schiller in front of the Deutsche Nationaltheater Weimar is a city in Germany. ... The Philosophy of Freedom is Rudolf Steiners fundamental philosophical work. ... Free-Will is a Japanese independent record label founded in 1986. ...

Steiner's interests led him further and further into explicitly spiritual and philosophical research. These studies were of interest to others who were already oriented towards spiritual ideas; among these was the Theosophical Society. Steiner took a leadership role in the Society's chapter in Germany, becoming its secretary. His work was distinct from that of most other members of the Society. At first, both he and Annie Besant, then president of the Theosophical Society, harmoniously "agreed to disagree". The Theosophical Society was the organization formed to advance the spiritual doctrines and altruistic living known as Theosophy. ... Chapter has multiple meanings. ... A Company Secretary is a senior position in a private company or public organisation. ... Annie Besant Plaque on house in Colby Road, London SE19 where Annie Besant lived in 1874. ...

By 1907, however, the split between Steiner and the mainstream Theosophical Society widened. While the Society was oriented toward an Eastern and especially Indian approach, Steiner was trying to develop a path that embraced Christianity and natural science.^[9] Besant intended to present to the world the child Jiddu Krishnamurti as the reincarnated Christ. Steiner strongly objected and considered any comparison between Krishnamurti and Christ to be nonsense. Steiner's continuing differences with Beasant led him to separate from the Theosophical Society Adyar; he was followed by the great majority of the membership of the Theosophical Society's German chapter, as well as members of other national chapters.^[9] 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Eastern Region may refer to: Eastern Region, Nigeria This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ... The lunar farside as seen from Apollo 11 Natural science is the rational study of the universe via rules or laws of natural order. ... Jiddu Krishnamurti Jiddu Krishnamurti or J. Krishnamurti, (May 12, 1895–February 17, 1986) was a well-known writer and speaker on fundamental philosophical and spiritual subjects. ... Reincarnation, literally to be made flesh again, is a doctrine or mystical belief that some essential part of a living being (in some variations only human beings) survives death to be reborn in a new body. ... The Theosophical Society - Adyar is a successor organization to the original Theosophical Society founded by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and others in 1875. ...

By this time, Steiner had reached considerable stature as a spiritual teacher.^[10] He claimed to have direct experiences of the Akashic Records (sometimes called the "Akasha Chronicle"), thought to be a spiritual chronicle of the history, pre-history, and future of the world. In a number of works,^[11] Steiner described a path of inner development that he felt would enable anyone to attain comparable spiritual experiences. Sound vision could be developed, in part, by practicing rigorous forms of ethical and cognitive self-discipline, concentration, and meditation; in particular, a person's moral development must precede the development of spiritual faculties.^[2] The Akashic Records (Akasha is a Sanskrit word meaning sky, space or aether) are said to be a collection of mystical knowledge that is stored in the aether; i. ...

In 1912, the Anthroposophical Society was formed. After World War I, the Anthroposophical movement took on new directions. Projects such as schools, centers for the handicapped, organic farms and medical clinics were established, all inspired by Anthroposophy. 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Based on the ideas of Rudolf Steiners spiritual science, Anthroposophy (based on Greek words meaning man-wisdom) is a philosophy (or, as some opponents claim, a religion) that was born within the setting of Helena Blavatskys Theosophy movement. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... A Waldorf classroom in Witten-Annen, Germany Waldorf education (also known as Steiner or Steiner-Waldorf education) is based upon the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, and his spiritual philosophy anthroposophy. ... The Camphill Movement is an international movement of therapeutic intentional communities for those with special needs or disabilities. ... // Biodynamic agriculture, or biodynamics is an organic farming system (but predates the term). ... Anthroposophical medicine is a holistic and salutogenetic approach to health. ...

Steiner died in 1925, but anthroposophical work has continued. Societies for the cultivation of anthroposophy now exist in fifty countries, and there exist about 10,000 institutions around the world, working on the basis of anthroposophy.^[12] The Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland is the world-wide center of the anthroposophic movement. 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar). ... The Goetheanum is a center for the anthroposophical movement in Dornach, Switzerland. ... Dornach is a municipality in the district of Dorneck in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. ...

Etymology of anthroposophy

The term anthroposophy is a construction from the Greek roots anthropo meaning human, and sophia meaning wisdom. Steiner began using the word to refer to his philosophy in the early 1900s as an alternative to theosophy, or divine wisdom. Previous authors who used the term had included Agrippa von Nettesheim and Immanuel Hermann Fichte.^[13] Emblem of the Theosophical Society (Adyar) described at [1] Theosophy, literally wisdom of the divine (in the Greek language), designates several bodies of ideas. ... Cornelius Agrippa, as portrayed in Libri tres de occulta philosophia. ... Immanuel Hermann von Fichte (July 18, 1797 - August 8, 1879), German philosopher, son of J.G. Fichte, was born at Jena. ...

Anthroposophy in brief

Spiritual knowledge and freedom

Anthroposophical proponents aim to bring the clarity of the scientific method into spiritual endeavors. They believe that anthroposophy is a way to extend the positive aspects of the scientific approach into the realm of spiritual phenomena. Steiner contrasted the anthroposophical approach to both conventional mysticism, one-sided in that it lacks the clarity necessary for exact knowledge, and natural science, one-sided by being limited in its application to the natural world. Steiner thought that the precision of scientific training should be applied to the phenomena of the soul and to spiritual experiences. Applying this training would require new skills of spiritual perception, which Steiner identified as imagination, inspiration and intuition.^[7] Scientific method is a body of techniques for investigating phenomena and acquiring new knowledge, as well as for correcting and integrating previous knowledge. ... Mysticism from the Greek μυστικός (mustikos) an initiate (of the Eleusinian Mysteries, μυστήρια (musteria) meaning initiation[1]) is the pursuit of achieving communion or identity with, or conscious awareness of, ultimate reality, the divine, spiritual truth, or God through direct experience, intuition, or insight; and the belief that such experience is one... The lunar farside as seen from Apollo 11 Natural science is the rational study of the universe via rules or laws of natural order. ...

Steiner hoped to form a spiritual movement that would free the individual from any external authority: "The most important problem of all human thinking is this: to comprehend the human being as a personality grounded in him or herself."^[14] For Steiner, it was the human capacity for rational thought that would allow individuals to comprehend spiritual research on their own and to bypass the danger of dependency on an authority.^[14] He stated that: "The anthroposophical schooling of thinking leads to the development of a non-sensory, or so-called supersensory consciousness, whereby the 'spiritual researcher' brings the experiences of this realm into ideas, concepts, and expressive language in a form that people can understand who do not yet have the capacity to achieve the supersensory experiences necessary for individual research."^[14] To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Human being: body, soul and spirit

Main article: Anthroposophical view of the human being

Steiner often described the human being as consisting of an eternal spirit, an evolving soul and a temporal body, giving a detailed analysis of each of these three realms. The anthroposophical view of the human being includes: // Steiner often described the human being as consisting of an eternal spirit, an evolving soul and a temporal body, giving a detailed analysis of each of these three realms: Spirit: though anthroposophical teachings describe the human spirit as eternal, it is becoming... The soul, according to many religious and philosophical traditions, is the self-aware essence unique to a particular living being. ...

Christ vs. Lucifer and Ahriman

The Representative of Humanity (detail).

Lucifer and his counterpart Ahriman figure in anthroposophy as two polar, generally evil influences on world and human evolution. Steiner described both positive and negative aspects of both figures, however: Lucifer as the light spirit that "plays on human pride and offers the delusion of divinity", but also motivates creativity and spirituality; Ahriman as the dark spirit that tempts human beings to "deny [their] link with divinity and to live entirely on the material plane", but also stimulates intellectuality and technology. Both figures "exert a negative and evil effect on humanity because man allows their influence to be misplaced and one-sided," yet their influences are necessary for human freedom to unfold.^[2][6] Image File history File links Representative_of_humanity. ... Image File history File links Representative_of_humanity. ... Lucifer, as depicted in Collin de Plancys Dictionnaire Infernal (1863). ... Angra Mainyu or Ahriman was the evil spirit in the dualistic strain of Zoroastrianism. ... In religion and ethics, evil refers to the morally or ethically objectionable behaviour or thought; behavior or thought which is hateful, cruel, excessively sexual, or violent, devoid of conscience. ... Look up Creativity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit. ... In philosophy, materialism is that form of physicalism which holds that the only thing that can truly be said to exist is matter; that fundamentally, all things are composed of material and all phenomena are the result of material interactions. ... By the mid 20th century humans had achieved a mastery of technology sufficient to leave the surface of the Earth for the first time and explore space. ... Look up freedom in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

According to anthroposophy, each human being has the task to find a balance between these opposing influences; each person is helped in this task through the mediating being of the Representative of Humanity, also known as the Christ being, a spiritual entity which stands between and harmonizes the two extremes.^[6] Christ is the English of the Greek word (Christós), which literally means The Anointed One. ...

Applications

Further information: Rudolf Steiner's Practical initiatives

Applications of anthroposophy include: Rudolf Steiner. ...

Waldorf Education

Main article: Waldorf education

Out of the anthroposophical movement have come over 900 schools world-wide.^[15] These are often called Waldorf Schools, after the first such school, founded in 1919; they are also sometimes called Steiner Schools. Sixteen Waldorf schools in 14 countries have been affiliated with the United Nations' UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network, a program which sponsors education projects which foster improved quality of education throughout the world, in particular in terms of its ethical, cultural and international dimensions.^[16] Waldorf schools receive full or partial governmental funding in some European nations and in parts of the United States (as Waldorf methods public or charter schools). Since the first school opened in Germany at the end of World War I, Waldorf education has spread to every continent, and has been characterized as "the leader of the international movement for a New Education",^[17] Schools based on Steiner education are found in a wide variety of communities and cultures: the impoverished favelas of São Paulo^[18] and the wealthy suburbs of New York City,^[19] in India, Egypt, Australia, Holland and Mexico. Though most of the early Waldorf schools were teacher-founded, the schools today are usually initiated and later supported by an active parent community.^[20] Waldorf education is one of the most visible practical applications of an anthroposophical view and understanding of the human being.^[21] A Waldorf classroom in Witten-Annen, Germany Waldorf education (also known as Steiner or Steiner-Waldorf education) is based upon the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, and his spiritual philosophy anthroposophy. ... Waldorf Schools were developed for Emit Molt of the Waldorf Astoria Tobacco Company in 1919 by Rudolf Steiner. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Biodynamic agriculture

Main article: Biodynamic agriculture

Biodynamic agriculture began in the 1920s; Steiner's Agriculture Course was one of the earliest works on organic agriculture,^[22] making him one of the founders of the modern organic farming movement.^[23][24] Numerous bio-dynamic farms now exist in a great number of countries. // Biodynamic agriculture, or biodynamics is an organic farming system (but predates the term). ... Organic cultivation of mixed vegetables in Capay, California. ...

Anthroposophical medicine

Main article: Anthroposophical medicine

Steiner gave several series of lectures to physicians, and out of this grew a medical movement that now includes hundreds of M.D.s, chiefly in Europe and North America, and that has its own clinics, hospitals and medical universities.^[2] Anthroposophical medicine is a holistic and salutogenetic approach to health. ...

Other fields of work include an original cancer therapy based on mistletoe extracts developed by anthroposophical researchers. This is a widely used medical treatment in Germany and the European Union.^[25] A review of studies of mistletoe includes studies showing that Iscador (mistletoe) has been shown to be effective against cancers in animals, but that its efficacy in humans is unclear.^[26] The National Cancer Institute has concluded that mistletoe extract "has been shown to kill cancer cells in the laboratory and to boost the immune system"^[27] in animals, and that "there is evidence that mistletoe can boost the immune system" in human beings, but that almost all of the studies done on human beings have major weaknesses that raise doubts about the reliability of their findings.^[28] Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ... Families Santalaceae (Viscaceae) Loranthaceae Misodendraceae Mistletoe Viscum album is a plant parasitic on the branches of a tree or shrub. ...

There is some evidence that children from anthroposophical families have a lower incidence of atopic allergic reactions, however this may be attributable to multiple lifestyle factors associated with anthroposophy that may lessen the risk of atopy in childhood.^[29]

Centers for helping the mentally handicapped (including Camphill Villages)

Early in the twentieth century, when proper care for the handicapped was largely ignored in many countries, anthroposophical homes and communities were founded for the needy. The first was the Sonnenhof in Switzerland, founded by Ita Wegman in 1922; slightly later, in 1940, the Camphill Movement was founded by Karl König in Scotland. The latter in particular has spread widely, and there are now well over a hundred Camphill communities and other anthroposophical homes for both children and adults in more than twenty-two countries around the world.^[30] Ita Wegman (* February 22, 1876 in Kravang, West Java; † March 4, 1943 in Arlesheim, Switzerland) is known as the co-founder of Anthroposophic Medicine with Rudolf Steiner. ... Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The Camphill Movement is an international movement of therapeutic intentional communities for those with special needs or disabilities. ... Karl König was an Austrian paediatric Doctor who in 1940 founded at Aberdeen, Scotland the Camphill Movement, an international movement of therapeutic intentional communities for those with special needs or disabilities. ...

Organizational development and biography work

Bernard Lievegoed founded a new study of individual and institutional development; this is represented by the NPI Institute for Organisational Development in Holland and sister organizations in many other countries. Clients of these institutions range from some of the world's largest industrial firms to ordinary people trying to understand their own lives. Bernard Lievegoed (1905-1992) was a Dutch medical doctor, psychiatrist and author. ...

Banking

Today around the world there are a number of banks, companies, charitable institutions, and schools for developing new cooperative forms of business, all working partly out of social ideas. The first anthroposophic bank was the Gemeinschaftsbank für Leihen und Schenken in Bochum, Germany; it was started in 1974.^[31] Socially-responsible banks founded out of anthroposophy in the English-speaking world include Triodos Bank, founded in 1980 and active in the UK and Netherlands, and the U.S.-based Rudolf Steiner Foundation, incorporated in 1984, and as of 2004 with estimated assets of $70 million. According to Co-op America and the Social Investment Forum Foundation, RSF is "one of the top 10 best organizations exemplifying the building of economic opportunity and hope for individuals through community investing." The GLS bank (full name GLS Gemeinschaftsbank) is a bank that was founded in 1974 as an anthroposophical intiative. ... Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... This article reads like an advertisement. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Co-op America is a nonprofit membership organization that promotes ethical consumerism, dedicated to harnessing the economic power of consumers, investors and businesses to promote social justice and environmental sustainability through helping responsible consumers and green businesses find each other in the marketplace. ...

Architecture

The First Goetheanum, 1920, Dornach, Switzerland.

Steiner himself designed around thirteen buildings, many of them significant works in a unique, organic-expressionistic style.^[32] Foremost among these are his two designs for the Goetheanum. Thousands of further buildings have been built by a later generation of anthroposophic architects.^[33] Well-known architects who have been strongly influenced by the anthroposophic style include Imre Makovecz (HU), Hans Scharoun and Joachim Eble (DE), Erik Asmussen (SW), Kenji Imai (Japan), Thomas Rau, Anton Alberts and Max van Huut (NL), Christopher Day and Camphill Architects (UK), Thompson and Rose (USA), Denis Bowman (CA), and Gregory Burgess (Australia).^[34] Image File history File links First_Goetheanum. ... Image File history File links First_Goetheanum. ... The Goetheanum is a center for the anthroposophical movement in Dornach, Switzerland. ... Imre Makovecz, born November 20, 1935 in Budapest, Hungary, is a Hungarian architect active in Europe from the late 1950s onward. ... Berlin Philharmonic Hans Bernhard Scharoun (born September 20, 1893 Bremen, Germany - November 25, 1972 Berlin, Germany), was a German architect best known for designing the Berlin Philharmonic concert hall and the Schminke House in Loebau/Saxony. ... Erik Abbi Asmussen born 2 november 1913 in Copenhagen, Denmark, died 29 augusti 1998 in Järna, Sweden. ... Anton Alberts 1929 - August 19, 1999 was a Dutch architect. ...

One of the most famous contemporary buildings by an anthroposophical architect is the ING Bank in Amsterdam, which has been given many awards for its ecological design and approach to a self-sustaining ecology as an autonomous building. ING Group N.V. (NYSE: ING), (Euronext: INGA)is a financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking, insurance and asset management services. ... Nickname: Motto: Heldhaftig, Vastberaden, Barmhartig (Valiant, Determined, Compassionate) Location of Amsterdam Coordinates: Country Netherlands Province North Holland Government  - Mayor Job Cohen (PvdA)  - Aldermen Lodewijk Asscher Hennah Buyne Carolien Gehrels Tjeerd Herrema Maarten van Poelgeest Marijke Vos  - Secretary Erik Gerritsen Area [1][2]  - City 219 km²  (84. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Off-the-grid. ...

Eurythmy

In the arts, Steiner's new art of eurythmy gained early renown. Eurythmy seeks to renew the spiritual foundations of dance, transforming speech and music into visible movement. There are now active stage groups and training centers, mostly of modest proportions, in many countries.^[35] Eurythmy is a movement art originated by Rudolf Steiner in the early 20th century. ... jus like my ass For other uses, see Dance (disambiguation). ...

Speech and Drama

There are also movements to renew speech and drama. The former go back to the work of Marie Steiner-von Sivers; among the better known of the latter is the approach founded by Michael Chekhov, the nephew of the playwright Anton Chekhov.^[36] Marie Steiner-von Sivers was the wife of Rudolf Steiner and one of his closest colleagues. ... Mikhail Aleksandrovich Chekhov (Russian: Михаил Александрович Чехов, August 29, 1891 in Moscow – September 30, 1955 in Beverly Hills, California) was an Academy Award-nominated Russian-American actor, director, author, and developer of his own acting technique used by actors such as Clint Eastwood, Marilyn Monroe, Yul Brynner, and Robert Stack. ... The house in Taganrog where Chekhov was born Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (Russian: , IPA: ) was a Russian physician, short story writer, and playwright. ...

Other areas

Other areas of anthroposophic work include:

• John Wilkes' fountain-like Flowforms. These sculptural forms guide water into rhythmic movement, and are used both in water-purification projects and as decorative fountains.^[37][38]
• Phenomenological approaches to science,^[2]
• Painting and sculpture.^[2]

To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The term phenomenology in modern science, especially in physics, is used to describe a body of knowledge which relates several different empirical observations of phenomena to each other, in a way which is consistent with fundamental theory, but is not directly derived from theory. ... For building painting, see painter and decorator. ... A sculpture is a three-dimensional object, which for the purposes of this article is man-made and selected for special recognition as art. ...

Social Goals of Anthroposophy

For a period after World War I, Steiner was extremely active and well-known in Germany, in part because he lectured widely proposing social reforms. Steiner was a sharp critic of nationalism, which he saw as outdated, and a proponent of achieving social solidarity through individual freedom.^[2] A petition proposing a radical change in the German constitution and expressing his basic social ideas (signed by Herman Hesse, among others) was widely circulated. His main book on social reform is titled Toward Social Renewal.^[2] “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Eugène Delacroixs Liberty Leading the People, symbolising French nationalism during the July Revolution. ... Hermann Hesse Hermann Hesse (July 2, 1877 – August 9, 1962) was a German author, and the winner of the 1946 Nobel Prize in literature. ...

Anthroposophy continues to aim at reforming society through maintaining and strengthening the independence of the spheres of cultural life, human rights and the economy. It emphasizes a particular ideal in each of these three realms of society:^[2] Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning to cultivate), generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ...

1. Freedom in cultural life
2. Equality of rights, the sphere of legislation and the judiciary
3. Fraternity in the economic sphere

Main article: Social Threefolding

Look up freedom in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning to cultivate), generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance. ... EQUAL is a popular artificial sweetener Equal (sweetener) Equality can mean several things: Mathematical equality Social equality Racial equality Sexual equality Equality of outcome Equality, a town in Illinois See also Equity Egalitarianism Equals sign This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might... For the direction right, see left and right or starboard. ... Legislation (or statutory law) is law which has been promulgated (or enacted) by a legislature or other governing body. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      In law, the judiciary or judicial is the system of courts which administer justice in the name of the sovereign or state, a mechanism for the resolution of disputes. ... Look up fraternity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Economy refers to the human activities related with the production, distribution, exchange, and consumption of goods and services. ... Social Threefolding is a social reform movement which aims to achieve constitutional reorganization of society by harmonizing its three realms of economy, polity and culture . ...

Esoteric path

Paths of spiritual development

According to Steiner, a real spiritual world exists out of which the material one gradually condensed, and evolved. The spiritual world, Steiner held, can in the right circumstances be researched through direct experience, by persons practicing rigorous forms of ethical and cognitive self-discipline. Steiner described many exercises he said were suited to strengthening such self-discipline; the most complete exposition of these is found in his book Knowledge of Higher Worlds and its Attainment. The aim of these exercises is to develop higher levels of consciousness through meditation and observation. Details about the spiritual world, Steiner suggested, could on such a basis be discovered and reported, though no more infallibly than the results of natural science.^[7] Look up Supernatural in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Ethics (from the Ancient Greek Ä“thikos, the adjective of Ä“thos custom, habit), a major branch of philosophy, including genetics is the study of values and customs of a person or group. ... Look up Cognition in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Discipline is any training intended to produce a specific character or pattern of behaviour, especially training that produces moral or mental development in a particular direction. ... Consciousness is a quality of the mind generally regarded to comprise qualities such as subjectivity, self-awareness, sentience, sapience, and the ability to perceive the relationship between oneself and ones environment. ... A large statue in Bangalore depicting Shiva meditating Meditation describes a state of concentrated attention on some object of thought or awareness. ... Observation is an activity of a sapient or sentient living being (e. ...

Steiner regarded his research reports as being important aids to others seeking to enter into spiritual experience. He suggested that a combination of spiritual exercises (for example, concentrating on an object such as a seed), moral development (control of thought, feelings and will combined with openness, tolerance and flexibility) and familiarity with other spiritual researchers' results would best further an individual's spiritual development. He consistently emphasized that any inner, spiritual practice should be undertaken in such a way as not to interfere with one's responsibilities in outer life.^[7]

In anthroposophy, artistic expression is also treated as a potentially valuable bridge between spiritual and material reality.^[39]

The esoteric path of spiritual training

The anthroposophic path of esoteric training can be articulated into three steps, which do not necessarily follow strictly sequentially in any single individual's spiritual progress. The first step in this esoteric training is to recollect and follow how thought processes proceed in a particular situation, contemplating their sequential progression. Usually we attend to the thoughts themselves, the content that arises through thinking, and ignore the process by which they arise. By attending to the latter, we are examining an aspect of our experience that is normally hidden to us by the content itself. Philosophy – especially epistemology –, logic, and aspects of mathematics contemplate the structure and origin of our experience in this way, and thus belong to this first stage of esoteric training. This stage can be called the philosophical state.^{[citation needed]}

A second stage is reached when we no longer, as is usual in philosophy or logic, reflect on past thinking processes, but rather focus our attention on our immediate thinking, on the thinking taking place in the moment of my attention. The unity of contemplating or experiencing subject and the object of contemplation/experienced content is complete here; my attention now focuses on itself, the content of my thinking is my thinking, is itself. This corresponds to the meditative state, known in some spiritual traditions as samadhi, yoga or simply union. My inner activity is now simultaneously subjective – I experience myself bringing it forth – and objective – I experience it given to me as the content of my experience.^{[citation needed]}

A third stage of esoteric training transforms the direction of the will, which is normally directed by the ego, i.e. from within, to an intended result in the outer world. When I seek to accomplish, not a transformation of outer conditions, but a transformation of my inner nature and self, I experience my inner condition – first of all, perhaps, my momentary thoughts, feelings and intentions, but later, my whole character and nature – as subject to my own conscious control. My soul life, which seemed to arise "naturally" and without my conscious participation, is progressively the result of my own conscious activity; I become the creator of my own inner life. Just as advances in technology allow us to progressively transform, more and more completely, the outer, naturally given world, that at an early stage of culture seems to be a factor beyond all human control, so do developments in our inner, moral capacities allow us to progressively transform our inner being to an extent – we discover on this path – only limited by our progress in developing these capacities.^[40]

Practical exercises

Steiner described numerous exercises for spiritual development, and other anthroposophists have added many others. A central principle is that "for every step in spiritual perception, three steps are to be taken in moral development". Moral development reveals the extent to which one has achieved control over one's inner life and exercises this in a direction in harmony with others' spiritual life. It shows the real progress in spiritual development, the fruits of which are given in spiritual perception. It also guarantees the capacity to distinguish between false perceptions or illusions (which are possible in perceptions of both the outer world and the inner world) and true perceptions, or, better said, to distinguish in any perception between the influence of subjective elements (i.e. viewpoint) and the objective reality to which the perception points.^[7]

Main article: Rudolf Steiner's exercises for spiritual development

Rudolf Steiner described numerous exercises for spiritual development, and other anthroposophists have added many others. ...

Place in Western Philosophy

Steiner built upon Goethe's conception of an imaginative power capable of synthesizing the sense-perceptible form of a thing (an image of its outer appearance) and the concept we have of that thing (an image of its inner structure or nature). Steiner added to this the conception that a further step in the development of thinking is possible when the thinker observes his or her own thought processes. "The organ of observation and the observed thought process are then identical, so that the condition thus arrived at is simultaneously one of perception through thinking and one of thought-through perception."^[7] Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (pronounced [gø tə]) (August 28, 1749–March 22, 1832) was a German writer, politician, humanist, scientist, and philosopher. ...

Thus, in Steiner's view, though all human experience begins being conditioned by the subject-object divide - this is a given -, through our own inner activity (through an act of free will) we can overcome this divide. In this connection, Steiner examines the step from thinking that is determined by outer impressions to what he calls sense-free thinking. He characterizes thoughts without sensory content, such as mathematical or logical thoughts, as free deeds. He thus located the origin of the free will in our thinking, and in particular in sense-free thinking.^[7]

Some of the epistemic basis for Steiner's later anthroposophical work is contained in the seminal work, The Philosophy of Freedom,^[41]. In his early works, Steiner sought to overcome the dualism of Cartesian idealism and Kantian subjectivism by linking on to Goethe's conception of the human being as a natural-supernatural entity: natural in that humanity is a product of nature, supernatural in that through our conceptual powers we extend nature's realm, allowing it to achieve a reflective capacity in us as philosophy, art and science.^[42] He thus became one of the first European philosophers to overcome the subject-object split that Descartes, classical physics, and various complex historical forces had impressed upon Western thought for several centuries.^[43] Though not well-known among philosophers, his philosophical work was taken up in the middle of the twentieth century by Owen Barfield (and through him influenced the Inklings, a group that included such writers as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis)^[44] and at the beginning of the twenty-first century by Richard Tarnas, author of The Passion of the Western Mind. It has been suggested that Meta-epistemology be merged into this article or section. ... The Philosophy of Freedom is Rudolf Steiners fundamental philosophical work. ... Cartesian dualism was Descartess principle of the separation of mind and matter and mind and body. ... Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant (April 22, 1724 – February 12, 1804) was a Prussian philosopher, generally regarded as one of Europes most influential thinkers and the last major philosopher of the Enlightenment. ... René Descartes René Descartes (IPA: , March 31, 1596 – February 11, 1650), also known as Cartesius, worked as a philosopher and mathematician. ... The term Western thought is usually associated with the cultural tradition that traces its origins to Greek thought and Jewish and Christian religion (See also Western culture). ... Owen Barfield (November 9, 1898–December 14, 1997) was a British philosopher, author, poet, and critic. ... The Eagle and Child pub (commonly known as the Bird and Baby) in Oxford where the Inklings met on Thursday nights in 1939. ... J. R. R. Tolkien in 1916. ... Clive Staples Lewis (November 29, 1898 – November 22, 1963), commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis, was an author and scholar. ... Richard Tarnas, author of The Passion of the Western Mind and Cosmos and Psyche, is a cultural historian and professor of philosophy and psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, and founding director of its graduate program in Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness. ...

Possibility of a union of science and spirit

Steiner believed in the possibility of uniting the clarity of modern scientific thinking with the awareness of a spiritual world that lives in all religious and mystical experience. Steiner tried to create an approach to what he called the "inner life" that would use the careful, systematic methodology created by modern science, but turn its attention to the soul and spirit.^[45] Steiner identified mathematics, which attains certainty through inner experience rather than empirical observations,^[46] as the basis of his epistemology of spiritual experience.^[47] Euclid, Greek mathematician, 3rd century BC, as imagined by by Raphael in this detail from The School of Athens. ... It has been suggested that Meta-epistemology be merged into this article or section. ...

Relationship to religion

Multicultural emphasis

Steiner was early in seeing the challenges of a multicultural society. He articulated the need for a spirituality that could respect and unite all religions and cultures (and spoke in this context of twelve equally valid religions or religious viewpoints).^{[citation needed]} His line of thought can be summarized as follows:

Many people, especially those of Eastern cultures, see the need for a spiritual basis for a culture. Others, especially in the West, live in a materialistic framework that has achieved astonishing results, especially through the achievements of modern science, but has abandoned its spiritual roots. Steiner suggested that, without a reconciliation of these two, a clash of cultures would be inevitable. He suggested that the East (for Steiner, characteristically spiritually centered people and peoples) would only respect the West (characteristically people and peoples who focus on external reality and achievements) when a new spirituality arose in the West, a spirituality that united the achievements of both cultures.^{[citation needed]}

The Christ being as the center of earthly evolution

Steiner's writing, though appreciative of all religions and cultural developments, emphasizes Western tradition as having evolved to meet contemporary needs.^[9] He describes Christ and his mission on earth of bringing individuated consciousness as having a particularly important place in human evolution.^[2]

Steiner emphasized, however, that:

• Christianity has evolved out of previous religions,
• The being that manifests in Christianity also manifests in all faiths and religions,
• Each religion is valid and true for the time and cultural context in which it was born,
• The historical forms of Christianity need to be transformed considerably to meet the on-going evolution of humanity.^[48]

It is the being that unifies all religions, and not a particular religious faith, that Steiner saw as the central force in human evolution. This "Christ Being" is for Steiner not only the Redeemer of the Fall from Paradise, but also the unique pivot and meaning of earth's "evolutionary" processes and of human history, manifesting in all religions and cultures.^[48] In Abrahamic religion, The Fall of Man or The Story of the Fall, or simply The Fall, refers to humanitys purported transition from a state of innocent bliss to a state of sinful understanding. ...

"Spiritual science does not want to usurp the place of Christianity; on the contrary it would like to be instrumental in making Christianity understood. Thus it becomes clear to us through spiritual science that the being whom we call Christ is to be recognized as the center of life on earth, that the Christian religion is the ultimate religion for the earth's whole future. Spiritual science shows us particularly that the pre-Christian religions outgrow their one-sidedness and come together in the Christian faith. It is not the desire of spiritual science to set something else in the place of Christianity; rather it wants to contribute to a deeper, more heartfelt understanding of Christianity."^[49]

Divergence from conventional Christian thought

Steiner's views of Christianity diverge from conventional Christian thought in key places, and include gnostic elements: Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

• One central point of divergency is Steiner's views on reincarnation and karma; these are explicated in the article on Anthroposophy (see sub-section titled "Anthroposophy in Brief/Reincarnation and Karma").

• Steiner differentiated three contemporary paths by which it is possible to arrive at Christ:
  • Through heart-filled experiences of the Gospels; this is the historically dominant path but is now falling away.
  • Through inner experiences of a spiritual reality; this is increasingly the path of spiritual or religious seekers today.
  • Through initiation, corresponding to the path of anthroposophical knowledge, whereby the reality of Christ's death and resurrection are experienced; this is the path people will tend to take in the future.^[6]

• Steiner also differentiated two different Jesus children involved in the Incarnation of the Christ: one child descended from Solomon, as described in the Gospel of Matthew, the other child from Nathan, as described in the Gospel of Luke.^[2] (The genealogies given in the two gospels diverge some thirty generations before Jesus' birth, and 'Jesus' was a common name in biblical times.)

• His view of the second coming of Christ is also unusual; he suggested that this would not be a physical reappearance, but that the Christ being would become manifest in non-physical form, visible to spiritual vision and apparent in community life for increasing numbers of people beginning around the year 1933.[14]

• He emphasized that the future would require humanity to recognize this Spirit of Love in all its genuine forms, regardless of how people named it this being. He also warned that the traditional name, "Christ", might be used yet the true essence of this being of love ignored.

Reincarnation, literally to be made flesh again, is a doctrine or mystical belief that some essential part of a living being (in some variations only human beings) survives death to be reborn in a new body. ... Karma (Sanskrit , act, action, performance[1]; Pāli kamma) ( ) is the concept of action or deed in Dharmic religions understood as denoting the entire cycle of cause and effect described in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist philosophies. ... Christ is the English of the Greek word (Christós), which literally means The Anointed One. ... For the genre of Christian-themed music, see gospel music. ... For other uses, see Initiation (disambiguation). ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... Look up incarnation, incarnate in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Christ is the English of the Greek word (Christós), which literally means The Anointed One. ... King Solomon Latin name (Hebrew: שְׁלֹמֹה, (Shelomo) (Shlomo pronounced with Yiddish accent)Standard Tiberian ; Arabic: سليمان, Sulayman; all essentially meaning peace) is a figure described in Middle Eastern scriptures as a wise ruler of an empire centred on the united Kingdom of Israel. ... The Gospel of Matthew (literally, according to Matthew; Greek, Κατά Μαθθαίον or Κατά Ματθαίον) is one of the four Gospel accounts of the New Testament. ... Nathan was the son of King David and Bathsheba. ... The Gospel of Luke is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament, which tell the story of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. ... This article refers to the religious usage of the term. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ...

The Christian Community

Towards the end of Steiner's life, a group of theology students (Lutheran as well as Catholic) approached Steiner for help in reviving Christianity, in particular "to bridge the widening gulf between modern science and the world of spirit."^[2] They approached a notable Lutheran pastor, Friedrich Rittelmeyer already working with Steiner's ideas to join their efforts. Out of their cooperative endeavor, the Movement for Religious Renewal, now generally known as The Christian Community, was born. Steiner emphasized that this help was given independently of his anthroposophical work,^[2] as he saw anthroposophy as independent of any particular religion or religious denomination.^[6] The Lutheran movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity by the original definition. ... The Christian Community (German: Die Christengemeinschaft) is a worldwide Movement for Religious Renewal. ...

Reception of Anthroposophy

Notable supporters

Anthroposophy has had many prominent supporters outside of the movement. Among these have been many writers, artists and musicians; these include Pulitzer Prize-winning and Nobel Laureate Saul Bellow,^[50] Andrej Belyj,^[51][52] Josef Beuys,^[53] Wassily Kandinsky,^[54][55] Nobel Laureates Selma Lagerlöf^[56] and Albert Schweitzer, Andrei Tarkovsky^[57] and Bruno Walter.^[58] Bellow as depicted in his Nobel diploma. ... Boris Budaev Andrei Bely (Андрей Белый) was the pseudonym of Boris Nikolaevich Bugaev (1880 - 1934), a Russian novelist, poet, theorist, and literary critic. ... Joseph Beuys (pronounced boyce) (May 12, 1921 – January 23, 1986) was a German artist who produced work in a number of forms including sculpture, performance art, video art and installations. ... Wassily Kandinsky Wassily Kandinsky (Russian: Василий Кандинский, first name pronounced as [vassi:li]) (December 16 [O.S. December 4] 1866 – December 13, 1944) was a Russian painter, printmaker and art theorist. ... Selma Lagerlöf, painted by Carl Larsson, 1908 Selma Lagerlöf receives the Nobel Prize in Literature The Swedish 20-krona bill, with Selma Lagerlöf   (November 20, 1858 – March 16, 1940) was a Swedish author and the first woman writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. ... Albert Schweltzer, M.D., OM, (January 14, 1875 - September 4, 1965) was an Alsatian theologian, musician, philosopher, and physician. ... Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky (Андре́й Арсе́ньевич Тарко́вский) (April 4, 1932 - December 29, 1986) was a Russian film director, opera director, writer, and actor. ... Bruno Walter (September 15, 1876 – February 17, 1962) was a German-born conductor and composer. ...

Religious nature

Anthroposophy has sometimes been called religious^[59] and there have been criticisms that any spiritual movement, anthroposophy in particular, is necessarily religious in nature. In 2005, a California federal court ruled that anthroposophy was not a religion for Establishment Clause purposes; the case is under appeal. In 2000, a court case was brought in France against a government minister for claiming that anthroposophy was a cult; the court ruled that the minister's comments were defamatory.^[60] The first ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. ...

Scientific basis

Though Rudolf Steiner studied natural science at the Vienna Technical University at the undergraduate level, his doctorate was in philosophy and very little of his work is directly concerned with the traditional realm of contemporary science, the natural world. His primary interest was in applying the methodology of science to realms of inner experience and the spiritual worlds, and Steiner called anthroposophy Geisteswissenschaft, a term generally used to refer to the humanities and social sciences.^[61] The humanities are those academic disciplines which study the human condition using methods that are largely analytic, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural and social sciences. ... The social sciences are groups of academic disciplines that study the human aspects of the world. ...

"[Anthroposophy's] methodology is to employ a scientific way of thinking, but to apply this methodology, which normally excludes our inner experience from consideration, instead to the human being proper."^[62]

Anthroposophy's claim to a scientific basis has been rejected by Sven Ove Hansson on the basis that its ideas:^[3] Sven Ove Hansson (born, 1951) is a Swedish academic, philosopher, author and skeptic. ...

• are not empirically derived
• are neither reproducible nor testable

One author calls such objections untenable on the grounds that Steiner demonstrated that the experiences of pure thinking possible within the normal realm of consciousness are already experiences of non-sensory, non-physical reality, and that if such a realm exists, it is impossible to exclude the possibility of empirically grounded experiences of other supersensory content.^[7] Though Steiner saw that spiritual vision itself is difficult or impossible for others to reproduce, he suggested open-mindedly exploring and rationally testing the results of such research; he also urged others to follow a spiritual training that would allow them to directly apply the methods he used to eventually achieve comparable results.^[7]

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