The Tree of Life and The Tree of Knowledge

The Tree of Life and The Tree of Knowledge: Four Lectures by Rudolf Steiner (CW 162)

Translated shorthand notes from the summer of 1915 in Dornach include:

• Where is the Tree of Life?
• The Right Relation between Lucifer and Ahriman through Christ Jesus
• Anthroposophy: A Musical Worldview
• Not I, but Christ in Me

The combined lectures help deepen the reader’s understanding of the Mystery of Golgotha.

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.