The Calendar of the Soul – Compilation

The Calendar of the Soul: A Compilation of Six Different Translations

Rudolf Steiner’s German verses are presented side by side with six different translations plus a paraphrased text by Owen Barfield, each representing a facet of the multifaceted original.

Mirroring the passage of the sun between the equinoxes, from Easter to Michaelmas and back again, The Calendar of the Soul is composed of corresponding verses that reveal the polarity of the earth’s rhythm of breathing out and breathing in.

May the light of the Soul Calendar’s true language—which is neither German nor English but the language of the soul—shine through the translations of these 52 mantras and enable those who contemplate them to carry them into their own soul’s individual language.

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.