The Presence of the Dead of the Spiritual Path: (Paperback) by Rudolf Steiner

by Rudolf Steiner, Christian von Arnim (Translator), Joachim Reuter (Editor)

7 lectures, various cities, April 17-May 26, 1914 (CW 154) What is the relationship between those who have died and those who remain alive on Earth? Can we help those now in the spiritual world? Can they help us? In these talks, Rudolf Steiner deals with the spiritual relationships that the living can have with those who have crossed over the threshold between life and death. In a realistic, practical way, he shows how an understanding of our spiritual nature reveals ways of knowing a world undreamed of by materialists. The tone of these talks is warm and moving, clearly drawn from Steiner's own experience and the lives of those who had died and who were personally known to him―Robert Hamerling, Christian Morgenstern, and others. This important work is for those who are coming to terms with the death of a love one. This book is a translation from German of Wie erwirbt man sich Verständnis für die geistige Welt? Das Einfließen geistiger Impulse aus der Welt der Verstorbenen (GA 154).

Paperback

First published June 1, 1990

About the author

Author also wrote under the name Rudolph Steiner.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...


Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner was an Austrian occultist, social reformer, architect, esotericist, and claimed clairvoyant. Steiner gained initial recognition at the end of the nineteenth century as a literary critic and published works including The Philosophy of Freedom. At the beginning of the twentieth century he founded an esoteric spiritual movement, anthroposophy, with roots in German idealist philosophy and theosophy. His teachings are influenced by Christian Gnosticism or neognosticism. Many of his ideas are pseudoscientific. He was also prone to pseudohistory.
In the first, more philosophically oriented phase of this movement, Steiner attempted to find a synthesis between science and spirituality. His philosophical work of these years, which he termed "spiritual science", sought to apply what he saw as the clarity of thinking characteristic of Western philosophy to spiritual questions,  differentiating this approach from what he considered to be vaguer approaches to mysticism. In a second phase, beginning around 1907, he began working collaboratively in a variety of artistic media, including drama, dance and architecture, culminating in the building of the Goetheanum, a cultural centre to house all the arts. In the third phase of his work, beginning after World War I, Steiner worked on various ostensibly applied projects, including Waldorf education, biodynamic agriculture, and anthroposophical medicine.
Steiner advocated a form of ethical individualism, to which he later brought a more explicitly spiritual approach. He based his epistemology on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's world view in which "thinking…is no more and no less an organ of perception than the eye or ear. Just as the eye perceives colours and the ear sounds, so thinking perceives ideas." A consistent thread that runs through his work is the goal of demonstrating that there are no limits to human knowledge.

Reviews

[Heiki Eesmaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As common with Steiuner's lecture series, a number of issues tangential to the titular matter are addressed. He does describe, and repeatedly, how Christian Morgenstern and Maria von Strauch-Spettini, people who had worked with the anthroposophical movement, helped Steiner from "behind the scenes" after their departure. Many of the tangential topics are less relevant today (for example he repeatedly remarks on building the first Goetheanum).

[sosser · Rating 3 out of 5]

the title is deceptive. and rating is impossible.

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too dry/academic. Some very interesting points and stories...this book is comprised of lectures given by Rudolph Steiner in Europe; mostly Germany, on "spiritual science" (which seems like an oxymoron to me). Basically lends evidence to many's experiences and beliefs that communication with the dead is possible. I was hoping for more explicit guidance and examples of how the dead might be involved in spiritual development/evolution/enlightenment. Didn't happen.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and informative

I really enjoyed reading this book and it was hard for me to sit it down because of the information it relayed..a lot I have experienced and can identify with.