Esoteric Lessons for the First Class (Vol. 3)

Esoteric Lessons for the First Class of the Free School for Spiritual Science at the Goetheanum (Volume Three)

Seven Lessons given in Dornach, Switzerland, 6 September through 20 September 1924

During the re-founding of the Anthroposophical Society at Christmas 1923, Rudolf Steiner also reconstituted the ‘Esoteric School’ which had originally functioned in Germany from 1904 until 1914, when the outset of the First World War made it’s continuance impossible. However, the original school was only for a relatively few selected individuals, whereas the new school was incorporated into the Free School for Spiritual Science at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland. Rudolf Steiner was only able to give nineteen lessons – plus seven ‘recapitulation’ lessons – for the First Class before his illness and death. His intention had been to develop three classes. The lessons were recorded by a stenographer, then typed in clear text without having been reviewed by Rudolf Steiner. They had not been publicly accessible until recently.

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. 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.

Frank Thomas Smith is an American expatriate writer, editor, and translator who has been a long-time and active proponent of anthroposophy, the spiritual philosophy founded by Rudolf Steiner. He has dedicated a significant portion of his life to translating Steiner’s works and writing his own fiction and non-fiction books that explore anthroposophical themes.