Rudolph Steiner
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org,
please feel free to visit the school website)
(1861-1925)
Rudolph Steiner was born on Murr Island in Croatia in 1861. His childhood was spent in Austria, where his father was the station-master of a Southern Austrian Railway station. Early in his childhood, Steiner showed an awareness of that which could not be seen by others. When speaking of this time in his youth, he says, "The reality of the spiritual world was as certain to me as that of the physical. I felt the need, however, for a sort of justification for this assumption."
His father, recognizing his potential, sent him to an excellent school to begin his education. He eventually studied at the Technical University in Vienna. He mastered many subjects, even those outside this area of study. However, the thing that engaged him the most was thinking itself. He pondered the origins of consciousness, of ego, and the understanding that these were spiritual matters. He said of this, "Much more vital at that time was the need to find an answer to the question: how far is it possible to prove that in human thinking real spirit is the agent?"
He studied philosophy, particularly the writings of Kant. He was seeking to find an established philosophy that made sense to him. When he could not, he developed his own philosophy of the origins of consciousness. Steiner began to translate his direct perceptions of the spiritual world. He claims he perceived these directly from the Akashic records, and organized them into a philosophical structure. He called the process "introspective observation following the methods of Natural Science." During this time he wrote several books, including The Philosophy Of Freedom (1894), Riddles Of Philosophy (1901), and Mysticism And Modern Thought (1901). During this time he lectured often, bringing his ideas to the scientific, philosophical, and academic community. He was disappointed when he saw a narrow view of, and reception to, his work.
He became involved in the Theosophical Society, and their philosophy greatly influenced his own life. He was also initiated into the Rosicrucian Order. At this time his area of interest was European mysticism, and he lectured widely on the Gospels. The Theosophists were focusing more and more on the wisdom of the East. When they stated that they had found the new Messiah, or World Teacher, in Jiddu Krishnamurti, at that time a 16-year-old Indian boy, Steiner chose to disassociate himself from the group.
Steiner began calling his world view Anthroposophy, meaning wisdom of or about man. His voluminous writings concerning his version of cosmology, especially in his later years, is very complex and somewhat tedious reading, making it difficult to understand.
Of all his teachings, the legacy that is received most widely today is his educational philosophy, called Waldorf. He originally created the school for the children of the employees of Waldorf-Astoria tobacco company. Today Waldorf education is one of the fastest-growing alternative education philosophies. The aim of Waldorf education is to educate the whole child, "head, heart and hands." The idea is to create a genuine love of learning within each child.
One central tenant is that no formal academics are taught until 2nd grade. The reason for this is to allow the child's natural intelligence to unfold and blossom in a gentle, organic way. The young child is still very connected to the world of spirit, becoming familiar with residing in the human body, and creating relationship with the environment. These are the main focuses at this age. Body movement, including use of rhythmic games, as well as a creative exploration of the inner and outer world of the child through playing in nature and creating art from natural materials, prepare a firm foundation for the child's later academic studies. Waldorf teachers are considered to be in the unfolding process also, and are encouraged to explore their own inner and outer world in similar ways, continually growing and discovering more about themselves through teaching. This educational philosophy has become increasingly more popular as an alternative to the current public school teaching methods.
Quotes from Rudolph Steiner:
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"People must come closer to one another than they used to be, each becoming an awakener of everyone he meets. Modern human beings entering life today have stored up far too much karma not to feel a destined connection with every individual they encounter. In earlier ages, souls were younger and had not formed so many karmic ties. Now it has become necessary to be awakened not just by nature, but by the human beings with whom we are karmically connected and whom we want to seek."
"Esoteric science is the science of what takes place esoterically, in the sense that it is perceived not outside in nature but where one's soul turns when it direct its inner being toward the spirit. Esoteric science is the opposite and counterpart of natural science."
"All knowledge pursued merely for the enrichment of personal learning and the accumulation of personal treasure leads you away from the path; but all knowledge pursued for growth to ripeness within the process of human ennoblement and cosmic development brings you a step forward."