From the History and Contents of the First Section of the Esoteric School (CW 264)

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From the History and Contents of the First Section of the Esoteric School: Letters, Documents, and Lectures: 1904–1914

Letters, Documents, and Lectures (CW 264)

“Rudolf Steiner has become the pioneer in the very domain where, through his indications, human beings for the first time have been allowed freedom…he had to build a basis and create a spiritual attitude through which—by finding the solid moral support within—one might in this freedom avoid falling prey to temptation and aberration.” —Marie Steiner

This is an important text for anyone interested in the development of Rudolf Steiner’s teaching and for those wishing to explore the advice and admonitions Steiner provided for his early esoteric students. This collection of letters, circulars, and lectures offer a glimpse of the birth of the anthroposophic movement from the German section of the Theosophical Society of the late nineteenth century. One gains a clear picture of why Steiner could no longer work within the theosophic framework, as well as the events that led to the split between the Theosophical Society under the leadership of Annie Besant and the Esoteric School under Steiner’s guidance and leadership.

Primarily in the form of letters are the specific exercises and advice that Steiner gave to pupils who wished to further their spiritual capacities. Also included are his early lectures and teachings concerning the “Masters” and their relationship to human evolution.

From the History and Contents of the First Section of the Esoteric School 1904–1914 includes introductory and concluding remarks by Hella Wiesberger, the original editor of this book.

German source: Zur Geschichte und aus den Inhalten der ersten Abteilung der Esoterischen Schule, 1904–1914 (GA 264)

C O N T E N T S:

Introduction by Christopher Bamford
Translator’s Foreword
Introduction to the German Edition by Hella Wiesberger

PART I: The Founding of the First Section of the Esoteric School: 1904–1914

PART II: The History of the Separation of the Esoteric School into an Eastern and a Wester School in 1907

PART III: The Relationship between the Movement, the Esoteric School, and the Society

Appendices:
Preliminary Remarks by the German Editors of the Second Edition
A. Exegesis to “Light on the Path” by Mabel Collins
B. Rudolf Steiner’s Explanations of “The Voice of the Silence” by H. P. Blavatsky
C. Excerpt from the German translation of H. P. Blavatsky’s “The Voice of the Silence”
D. Notes from H. P. Blavatsky’s “ES Instructions No. III”

Biographical Notes

Chronological List of Letters, Documents, and Lectures

About the Author

Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925) was born in the small village of Kraljevec, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Croatia), where he grew up (see right). As a young man, he lived in Weimar and Berlin, where he became a 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 early 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 (and spiritual science) for his philosophy, spiritual research, and findings. The influence of Steiner’s multifaceted genius has led to innovative and holistic approaches in medicine, various therapies, philosophy, religious renewal, Waldorf education, education for special needs, 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.

Hella Wiesberger, an early and longtime editor of The Collected Works of Rudolf Steiner (Gesamtausgabe, or GA) and a leading figure of the Steiner archive in at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland, passed away in Hombrechtikon, Switzerland, in December 2014 at the age of ninety-five. She retained her full mental capacity and continued a full work schedule until the very end. After 1948, when Marie Steiner died, she devoted all her efforts to administrating the Rudolf Steiner estate.

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 is the author of The Voice of the Eagle: The Heart of Celtic Christianity (1990) and An Endless Trace: The Passionate Pursuit of Wisdom in the West (2003). He has also translated and edited numerous books, including Celtic Christianity: Ecology and Holiness (1982); Homage to Pythagoras: Rediscovering Sacred Science; and The Noble Traveller: The Life and Writings of O. V. de L. Milosz (all published by Lindisfarne Books). HarperSanFrancisco included an essay by Mr. Bamford in its anthology Best Spiritual Writing 2000.

Additional information

Weight 30 oz
Dimensions 6 × 1.2 × 9 in
Author

Translator

John Wood

Introduction

Christopher Bamford

Editor

Hella Wiesberger

ISBN13

9780880106405

ISBN10

0880106409

Published

December 2010

Format

Paperback

Pages

464

CW/GA

CW 264

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