The End of the Millennium and Beyond (Used)

The End of the Millennium and Beyond: From the Work of Rudolf Steiner

Rudolf Steiner declared in 1919: “The forces that have so far guided human progress will be exhausted by the middle of this century.” Elsewhere he spoke of “an acute illness of civilization” or “a real blind alley that will end in catastrophe — the beginning of the Earth’s death”.

Today it is dear that we live in the midst of a tremendous spiritual battle for the future of civilization. Materialistic thinking and technology are leading toward destruction of the environment and a degeneration in the quality of human life. However, many individuals are working for a new spiritual understanding, and their work enables new forces to unfold. If these healthy forces are taken up in the right way, they can lead toward the respiritualization of mankind and the earth; yet if misused for egotistic ends, they can only lead into the depths of evil. The choice lies with each individual.

Richard Seddon has gathered together many of the comments Steiner made regarding the end of the millennium, creating a rich mosaic of his indications on this subject.

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.

Richard Seddon studied moral sciences (philosophy, ethics, logic and psychology) with Bertrand Russell and John Wisdom—an advocate and colleague of Ludwig Wittgenstein—at Cambridge. He spent his working life as a personnel manager. A student of anthroposophy for seven decades, he is the author of several books.