The Invisible Man Within Us

The Invisible Man Within Us: The Pathology Underlying Therapy

Dornach, February 11, 1923 (GA 221)

Consider the embryonic membranes which nourish and protect the embryo before birth: the chorion, the amnion, the yolk sac, and the allantois. Dr. Steiner specifically explains the role of the soul-spiritual forces contained in these organs during embryonic development. After birth they are cast off; but the forces inherent in them work in the human ego, astral, etheric, and physical bodies, and become what Rudolf Steiner refers to as the invisible man, working in the realm of nutrition, healing, and eventually, the process of initiation itself.

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.