The Easter Festival in the Evolution of the Mysteries

The Easter Festival in the Evolution of the Mysteries
Author: Rudolf Steiner
Publisher: SteinerBooks
Total Pages: 76
Release: 1988
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780880102568

4 lectures, Dornach, April 19-22, 1924 (CW 233a) "The original idea of any sacred festival is to make the human being look upward from his dependence on earthly things to those things that transcend the Earth." (from lecture 2) Rudolf Steiner leads us to an understanding of the true meaning of Easter by tracing its history from the pre-Christian era to our time. He shows that it is ultimately through knowing the true significance of Easter that we come to understand our relationship to spiritual reality. This book is a translation from German of Die Weltgeschichte in anthroposophischer Beleuchtung und als Grundlage der Erkenntnis des Menschengeistes (GA 233a).

The Mysteries

The Mysteries
Author: Rudolf Steiner
Publisher:
Total Pages: 200
Release: 1997
Genre: Religion
ISBN:

Around this collection of extracts from Steiner's books and lectures, the author examines the Mystery schools of the ancient world, and their revevance to Christianity and the world today.

ROSICRUCIANISM AND MODERN INITIATION

ROSICRUCIANISM AND MODERN INITIATION
Author: Rudolf Steiner
Publisher: Rudolf Steiner Press
Total Pages: 251
Release: 2020-06-26
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1855846179

'Steiner has been able to clarify the historical reality behind the Rosicrucian story, with all its aura of glamour and fantasy. That effected, he points to the enormity of its vision for the future evolution of ideas...' – Dr Andrew Welburn (from the Introduction)In the immediate aftermath of the 'Mystery-act' of the Christmas Foundation Conference, Rudolf Steiner chose to speak on the subject of 'Rosicrucianism and Modern Initiation, Mystery Centres of the Middle Ages'. Clearly connected to the events that had just taken place in Dornach – in which he not only refounded the Anthroposophical Society but took a formal position within it – Steiner begins by exploring the intellectual life of the Middle Ages and the role that Mystery culture played within it. He throws new light on the foundations of Rosicrucianism, its principles of initiation and its inherent impulse for freedom. Steiner also discusses the secret teachings of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the dawn of the age of the Archangel Michael.In the second series of lectures, entitled 'The Easter Festival and the History of the Mysteries' (April 1924), Steiner describes how festivals grew out of the Mysteries themselves. He speaks of Mysteries connected to Spring and Autumn, Adonis and Ephesus, and the significance of Sun and Moon. Throughout the volume he discusses the roles of Alexander the Great and Aristotle in world history and the significance of Aristotle's 'Categories'. Published for the first time as a single volume, the freshly revised text is complemented with an extensive introduction by Dr Andrew Welburn, detailed notes and appendices by Professor Frederick Amrine and an index.

The Festivals and Their Meaning

The Festivals and Their Meaning
Author: Rudolf Steiner
Publisher: Rudolf Steiner Press
Total Pages: 423
Release: 2013-09-10
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1855843706

In this selection of thirty of Rudolf Steiner's most important lectures on the Festivals, he identifies and illumines the true meaning behind Christmas, Easter, Ascension and Pentecost, and Michaelmas, emphasizing both their inner-spiritual and outer-cosmic aspects. He shows that the Festivals are not merely the commemoration of mighty historical events or truths within the Christian tradition, but are in themselves - each year - spiritual events, manifesting in seasonal and natural rhythms, which carry a significance that grows and deepens with the developing of human evolution.

Approaching the Mystery of Golgotha

Approaching the Mystery of Golgotha
Author: Rudolf Steiner
Publisher: SteinerBooks
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2009-04-09
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0880107057

"Truths cannot be transmitted simply as stable dogmas. Truths are always of a given moment and, at each moment, must be grasped anew. This demands at each moment a renewed activity in relation to the human gift of understanding." -- Jörgen Smit (from the foreword) The goal of this study is to cultivate the experience of living, intuitive thinking, such as we experience with every new understanding. As Kühlewind puts it, this unique contribution to practice of anthroposophy has a twofold purpose: "to stimulate working with spiritual science through exercises, and to stimulate independent new formulations of its content on the basis of experience." Working with Anthroposophy will help guide beginning students and inspire longtime students of the path opened up by Rudolf Steiner. As with all of Kühlewind's works, this book opens new insights with each reading.

The Mysteries of Initiation

The Mysteries of Initiation
Author: Rudolf Steiner
Publisher: Rudolf Steiner Press
Total Pages: 122
Release: 2021-10-14
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1855845911

In a concise study, Rudolf Steiner presents an inspirational sketch of the evolution of the Mysteries – from ancient Persia through Egypt and Greece, to the Christian era and the present day. He traces the line of initiates from Egyptian divinities Isis and Osiris to Moses, King Arthur’s Round Table and the Holy Grail in the twelfth century. Steiner focuses on the process of initiation as a historical topic: how initiation worked in ancient Egypt and in the late Middle Ages. But his presentation is also inspirational, leading to the question: How can we advance to initiation now? He underscores the potential for achieving enlightenment today without a teacher in the flesh, and explains the four stages of the process towards initiation. He also highlights the need for strenuous efforts to overcome the subtle power of evil – in the form of Lucifer and Ahriman – through selfless work. The four lectures collected here form an important landmark in Rudolf Steiner’s biography: the first being delivered on 3 February 1913 – the very day that the Anthroposophical Society was founded. First published in English under the title The Mysteries of the East and of Christianity and unavailable for many years, this edition has been re-edited by Professor Frederick Amrine and features appendices, an index as well as an introduction by Robert McDermott.

The Christ Impulse

The Christ Impulse
Author: Rudolf Steiner
Publisher: Rudolf Steiner Press
Total Pages: 184
Release: 2014-12-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1855844486

Rudolf Steiner's teachings of Christ are unique. Christ, he says, is an objective universal force, existing independently of Christian churches and confessions, and working for the whole of humanity. The impulse that Christ brought to earth acts for the advancement of all people, irrespective of religion, creed or race. Among the myriad other themes that emerge here are the introduction of the 'I' (or self) in human development and its connection to Christ and the meaning of the Ten.

The mystery of Easter island

The mystery of Easter island
Author: Katherine Routledge
Publisher: Good Press
Total Pages: 387
Release: 2023-07-10
Genre: Travel
ISBN:

"The mystery of Easter island" by Katherine Routledge. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.

Reverse Ritual

Reverse Ritual
Author: Rudolf Steiner
Publisher: SteinerBooks
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2001
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 9780880104876

Religious ritual is often seen as a way of bringing divine influences down into the material world. In this profound and stimulating work, Rudolf Steiner and Friedrich Benesch introduce the idea of "reverse ritual"--a way that each of us can raise our souls to the spiritual realm. In this process, the everyday world becomes a portal through which we can enter the dimension of the sacred. Here, each of us can be a "priest," and each of our actions can be a cosmic, ritual act. This stimulating collection of writings on spiritual communion of humanity includes two further lectures by Steiner that show how this process can engage our social lives. Also included are two additional essays as appendices: "Sacramental and Spiritual Communion" by Dietrich Asten and "Human Encounters and Karma" by Athys Floride. The introduction by Christopher Schaefer brings these ideas into focus for modern seekers. Contents: Part One: "The Spiritual Communion of Humanity" (5 lectures from GA 219) Part Two: "Preparing for the Sixth Epoch" Part Three: Commentaries by Friedrich Benesch Appendices: Selections from Dietrich Asten: "Spiritual and Sacramental Communion" & Athys Floride: "Human Encounters and Karma."