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Classics in Anthroposophy
Knowledge of the higher worlds: How is it achieved?
Rudolf Steiner's fundamental handbook for spiritual and personal development continues to grow more "modern" each day. His methods nevertheless remain clearly distinguishable from the many others that are generally available today. First, Steiner's path of spiritual growth is based on the clarity of thought normally associated with scientific research. Rather than denying clear thinking, his aim is to extend it beyond its present limitations. Second, Steiner recognizes-as all genuine disciplines always have-that the path to spiritual experience is arduous and dangerous, calling for tremendous self-control in thinking, speech, and action. The human being is a unity, and we cannot develop real knowledge without a corresponding development of feeling and volition.
As the twentieth century progressed Steiner foretold that humanity would begin to experience a longing for forms of experience that transcended intellectual and materialistic thinking. A hundred years after its initial publication in 1904, there are countless ways to achieve such experience-Eastern forms of meditation, channeling, remote viewing, and astral projection, to mention a few. There has also been huge increase in people reporting various kinds of suprasensory perceptions, such as near-death experiences and encounters with angelic beings.
In this context, Steiner's key spiritual workbook-reproduced here in the classic Osmond-Davy translation-is needed more than ever, given its unique, precise instructions for inner training, its protective exercises, and its indications for grounding and centering. Knowledge of the Higher Worlds begins with the conditions required for personal development, and guides us through the stages of initiation, its practical aspects, and its effects.
222 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1904
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5574 people want to read
About the author
Rudolf Steiner
4,370 books1,112 followersAuthor 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
August 20, 2011
Despite the seemingly poor translation, the heavy, sludge like writing of the early 1900s, and very little organization, this volume contains some of the most descriptive visualizations of supersensible phenomenon. Extremely detailed, often pontificating, and always slow reading, this book is screaming out for a modern translation, or even a remake. But although it took me 10 times longer than a book of similar length to finish, I have never received this level of knowledge from any source.
November 19, 2007
I learned that the path to true knowledge lies outside of the perception of our normal senses. The esoteric knowledge can only result in a quieting of our mind and a focus on the improvement of the individual within us while recognizing the dependence of ourself on the world around us and the traits of others. The meaning of life is the question and not the answer.
April 16, 2009
I have put various Steiner books on my goodbooks shelves - and have read more than I can track down here. Rudolph Steiner was a remarkable man whose unusual ideas about Occult History and the nature of man did not prevent him form leaving a formidable stamp on the practice of education, medicine and agriculture. Indeed it is because his ideas have worked so well (particularly in education - I did a study of a Steiner school for my MA and can attest to its success) in practical fields that it rasies the possibility that his other speculations have merit also. There is a wonderful resource on line that has all his published works available for download. I find that on many topics (of myth, religion, history, civilisation and so forth) he often had really interesting thisgs to stay. His lectures generally stimulate fresh thinking, which is hwat he intended when he gave them.
This was the first book of his that I read and it remains a favourite; I see I have attached it to the CD version, that was not intentional and I know it is still in print as a book.
This was the first book of his that I read and it remains a favourite; I see I have attached it to the CD version, that was not intentional and I know it is still in print as a book.
August 8, 2008
What can I say? Wow. If you ever want to read the very finest book ever written by a not-at-all-flaky clairvoyant scientist genius saintly guy, this would be my highest recommendation. It's almost too much to handle, especially the description of meeting The Guardian of the Threshold. And it's NON FICTION. Don't need no vampires to make this interesting.
February 27, 2010
Practical ways to apply more philosophical advice from Steiner. When I read this book, my life got really intense. Warning, if you don't want to be initiated, don't read this book. Seriously, every lesson I read in here gave me a life lesson as a test. Do you really want to become stronger spiritually? The golden road is a bitch, someone said that to me once, and it is so true. Reading this book will land you on the golden road. Worth it? I think so.
April 5, 2014
I've had this book sitting on my shelf for nearly 20 years. Even though I am familiar with much of Steiner's work, every time I attempted to read this over the years, something always seem to get in the way. I understand now the perfection of timing & the depth of readiness that was necessary for me to receive the knowledge contained in this wonderful book. A must for all serious students on the spiritual journey.
October 20, 2024
If I have said it once, I have said it a 1000 times, Rudolf Steiner is the next best thing to the Master Within. It is a shame that 100 years ago we were headed toward a new Age of Enlightenment until Henry Ford and other self proclaimed elites (whom I refer to as Dark Lodge members) decided this information should be kept from us plebeians. Now it takes a litcheral act of God for one of us to stumble upon the magnum opus of many soldiers a century ago. I think it bears repeating now what Steiner said 98 years ago about how very fucked we are today. “You must consider the whole part played by electricity in nature. Human beings cannot go on developing in the same way in an atmosphere permeated on all sides by electric currents and radiations. It has an influence on the whole development of man. This life of men in the midst of electricity, notably radiant electricity, will presently affect them in a such a way, that they will no longer be able to understand the news which they receive so rapidly. The effect is the damp down the intelligence. Such effects are already seen today. Even today you can notice how people understand the things that come to them with far greater difficulty than they did a few decades ago.”
I would like to point out how little electricity there was in 1908 compared to today’s wifi, 5G and now from Space! Thanks Elon. Wonder how they will weaponize Space X someday? The Master Within is telling me Sound Weapons, but the Master tends to be a liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittle Psychic these days as a Benevolent Lodge Trained Wizard.
I would like to point out how little electricity there was in 1908 compared to today’s wifi, 5G and now from Space! Thanks Elon. Wonder how they will weaponize Space X someday? The Master Within is telling me Sound Weapons, but the Master tends to be a liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittle Psychic these days as a Benevolent Lodge Trained Wizard.
June 13, 2008
This is the second time I've read this. It is more meaningful to me now than in the past.
February 7, 2013
This book captured my life for several years, and changed my way of thinking. I did find a lot of frustration in the practice of steiners ideas and philosophy which delves into the deep waters of Gnosticism, and esoteric metaphysics, as I tried to understand the methods. Still looking back, I know subtle changes did take place. The book does require a lot of introspection, and that is why it is hard to rate it as one would rate a book on its entertainment or literary merit.
February 27, 2015
Reminder that some religious beliefs that are against proper medication have killed many innocent yet ignorant people and those that force these ideals HAVE to stop and research actual biology or seek professional doctors and not con-artists that will lie in your face that your body's bad health is important for your magical powers.
June 13, 2011
This is a great way to listen to this book. Having it on tape made me understand it in a different way, and I listened to it over and over. This book really changed my life because it has exercises in it, that when applied, really work! I cannot recommend this enough, for any student of Anthroposophy, or someone interested in learning about the path of Anthroposophy.
April 4, 2013
Although the language may challange the reader from time to time, the knowledge inside this book is a real gem for the individuals walking on the spiritual path...
October 23, 2012
What if the internet never existed and cocaine-fueled quacks were given legitimate platforms? Well, welcome to the true sub-text of Waldorf education! If these believers in Anthroposophy simply practiced their freedom of religion/speech/etc. that would be great! However, they pretend to be interested in the education of children, solely for their own eugenic means. Waldorf is a cult! Rudolph Steiner was a drug-addicted lunatic with racist affiliations.
November 5, 2023
A fascinating and challenging work that provides direct instruction for how to gain increasing awareness and cognition of the "supersensible" realms. If you're a materialist then there's nothing here for you; but if you're not a materialist, then you recognize the importance of the mental and spiritual worlds that we all inhabit, even if you haven't really thought about them as things that can be actively explored, so to speak. This book tells you how to embark on that journey.
Why? Because man does not live by bread alone. We are spiritual beings, and, whether we know it or not, we are engaged in a long-term path of self perfection. One of the most thought-provoking revelations of this book, for this reader, was that although we are fundamentally spiritual beings, we can only improve our spiritual condition here in the physical world. Our time on Earth matters, every moment of it. So this book is really about how to make the most of it.
Why? Because man does not live by bread alone. We are spiritual beings, and, whether we know it or not, we are engaged in a long-term path of self perfection. One of the most thought-provoking revelations of this book, for this reader, was that although we are fundamentally spiritual beings, we can only improve our spiritual condition here in the physical world. Our time on Earth matters, every moment of it. So this book is really about how to make the most of it.
December 20, 2010
It is interesting to find all the accoutrements of 1980s New Age endeavors in a book first published in 1904! Meditation, chakras, auras, spirit bodies -- the whole shebang. The translation from the German was less than crystal clear, although I do not know if that is because of terminology or the ideas themselves. While I find the text too impenetrable to be useful for my own spiritual growth, it is an intriguing artifact in the history of culture and ideas.
November 27, 2012
A really, really good book that prepares the student and demystifies a lot of rumors and stigma from non-Occultists.
May 30, 2018
What are we to make of Steiner’s claims, much less of his curriculum for attaining verification? He is not a moonchild and a dreamer only, nor is he a scientist walking us through his experimental results. In a nutshell, he claims to be able to teach clairvoyance.
Steiner himself pre-empts our doubts about his work at the outset by explaining that it is scientific knowledge for someone who has developed the same abilities as he has, but to those who have not developed those abilities they must take his claims somewhat on faith. So this rhetorical double-bind leaves us relying on feelings and interactions to assess his work. Not a good start.
His path to cognitive verification involves feeling and making time for reflective veneration, devotion, wonder and awe. He says that recollection, quiet time, and tranquility - essentially the Buddhist idea of shamatha - helps develop supersensible cognition. He says we should develop spiritual ears and eyes - whatever that means - in order to verify his findings.
Chapter two concerns developing these organs of cognition in three stages.
In the first stage PREPARATION he makes three directions for developing this cognition: first by meditating on the inner feelings of flourishing and decaying, second by distinguishing the inner quality of living sound versus inanimate sound, and third by listening to other humans selflessly.
In the second stage ENLIGHTENMENT he directs us to cognise the order of a stone, plant, and animal; meditate on the inner nature of a seed and plant; strive to cognise the astral form of a human desire; strive to cognise the astral form of a fulfilled human desire. Many warnings about morality, silence, modesty and basic decency hedge these suggestions.
In the third stage INITIATION Steiner suddenly talks about all kinds of esotericism: three trials by fire, water and air. He talks about strength of character (fire), reliance on some kind of astral writing based on the grammar of the previous two stages (water), and some kind of initiatory commitment (air).
Chapter three gives advice on developing supersensible cognition successfully: patience, gentleness, stability, understanding, observation. Chapter four concerns itself with high quality morality as a help in this cognition.
Chapter five gives detailed advice for using thoughts and feelings to develop the chakras. It is long, detailed, technical, confusing, and a bit overwhelming.
Chapters 6&7 are a short dull digression on sleep and dream. This provides the basis for Chapter 8 where Steiner announces that thinking willing and feeling will become separate persons!
Chapter 9 presents an unusually poetic way of dealing with first personal then collective karma. It seems kind of oddball.
In the appendix he says that the proposed course of action occurs all in thought and the everyday self goes about its business while the inner life flourishes along quite different lines. He justifies the long chapter five on the chakra by saying that knowing these chakras enables one to be aware of their astral body without which one would be a baby.
What to say about all this? I think the main thing is to judge his work on a thorough test or else ignore his ideas. Also, it’s clear Steiner is talking about INNER practice only; spiritual trappings are the opposite of what he has in mind. So clearly he is suggesting an inner course of reflection and contemplation aimed at verifying non-physical realities. And it is up to the reader whether she wants to pursue that course of verification.
Steiner himself pre-empts our doubts about his work at the outset by explaining that it is scientific knowledge for someone who has developed the same abilities as he has, but to those who have not developed those abilities they must take his claims somewhat on faith. So this rhetorical double-bind leaves us relying on feelings and interactions to assess his work. Not a good start.
His path to cognitive verification involves feeling and making time for reflective veneration, devotion, wonder and awe. He says that recollection, quiet time, and tranquility - essentially the Buddhist idea of shamatha - helps develop supersensible cognition. He says we should develop spiritual ears and eyes - whatever that means - in order to verify his findings.
Chapter two concerns developing these organs of cognition in three stages.
In the first stage PREPARATION he makes three directions for developing this cognition: first by meditating on the inner feelings of flourishing and decaying, second by distinguishing the inner quality of living sound versus inanimate sound, and third by listening to other humans selflessly.
In the second stage ENLIGHTENMENT he directs us to cognise the order of a stone, plant, and animal; meditate on the inner nature of a seed and plant; strive to cognise the astral form of a human desire; strive to cognise the astral form of a fulfilled human desire. Many warnings about morality, silence, modesty and basic decency hedge these suggestions.
In the third stage INITIATION Steiner suddenly talks about all kinds of esotericism: three trials by fire, water and air. He talks about strength of character (fire), reliance on some kind of astral writing based on the grammar of the previous two stages (water), and some kind of initiatory commitment (air).
Chapter three gives advice on developing supersensible cognition successfully: patience, gentleness, stability, understanding, observation. Chapter four concerns itself with high quality morality as a help in this cognition.
Chapter five gives detailed advice for using thoughts and feelings to develop the chakras. It is long, detailed, technical, confusing, and a bit overwhelming.
Chapters 6&7 are a short dull digression on sleep and dream. This provides the basis for Chapter 8 where Steiner announces that thinking willing and feeling will become separate persons!
Chapter 9 presents an unusually poetic way of dealing with first personal then collective karma. It seems kind of oddball.
In the appendix he says that the proposed course of action occurs all in thought and the everyday self goes about its business while the inner life flourishes along quite different lines. He justifies the long chapter five on the chakra by saying that knowing these chakras enables one to be aware of their astral body without which one would be a baby.
What to say about all this? I think the main thing is to judge his work on a thorough test or else ignore his ideas. Also, it’s clear Steiner is talking about INNER practice only; spiritual trappings are the opposite of what he has in mind. So clearly he is suggesting an inner course of reflection and contemplation aimed at verifying non-physical realities. And it is up to the reader whether she wants to pursue that course of verification.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2015
This was one of the first books that led me to spirituality and still remember its first sentence by heart: "There slumber, in every human being, faculties by means of which the knowledge of the higher worlds is attained..." I loved the archaic language it was written in, and felt like I was uncovering a hidden treasure.
Eager to experience some of this hidden potential within me, I immediately put some of it to practice, for example about observing the forces of death and life in everything. I also really liked the chapter on chakras, and how they are slowly developing in us accordingly to our inner merits. How, for example by lying, the petals of some of these chakras become crooked and don't develop harmoniously, which then causes us to have twisted perception of the higher worlds. However, after a while I realized that it didn't provide very detailed descriptions or methods to achieve inner transformation and awakening, maybe due to the time it was published, where some things had still to be kept hidden.
Despite the mentioned limitations, I found a lot of truth in this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone just starting to delve into the mysteries of higher worlds.
Eager to experience some of this hidden potential within me, I immediately put some of it to practice, for example about observing the forces of death and life in everything. I also really liked the chapter on chakras, and how they are slowly developing in us accordingly to our inner merits. How, for example by lying, the petals of some of these chakras become crooked and don't develop harmoniously, which then causes us to have twisted perception of the higher worlds. However, after a while I realized that it didn't provide very detailed descriptions or methods to achieve inner transformation and awakening, maybe due to the time it was published, where some things had still to be kept hidden.
Despite the mentioned limitations, I found a lot of truth in this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone just starting to delve into the mysteries of higher worlds.
Read
June 30, 2022Love > critique
Progress = trials
See with the eyes of the heart. Hear with the ears of the soul.
Progress = trials
See with the eyes of the heart. Hear with the ears of the soul.
Read
November 5, 2025I expected more of a philosophical approach, instead it was manual-like. Definitely did have some interesting things in it.
Though I try to keep an open mind, some other things in here didn’t resonate all that much. I think it can be limiting to follow rules that are based on ancient mystics and manuscripts, humanity is different now, sure at the core we might still be the same but the way we approach life has completely changed. This why I say: move forward. Respect traditions but don’t be afraid to break them when finding your own way. This is not to say that traditional methods don’t have valuable aspects, I’m simply against copying everything.
Overall still interesting to read a different perspective, I would have enjoyed it more if it had a freer writing style
Though I try to keep an open mind, some other things in here didn’t resonate all that much. I think it can be limiting to follow rules that are based on ancient mystics and manuscripts, humanity is different now, sure at the core we might still be the same but the way we approach life has completely changed. This why I say: move forward. Respect traditions but don’t be afraid to break them when finding your own way. This is not to say that traditional methods don’t have valuable aspects, I’m simply against copying everything.
Overall still interesting to read a different perspective, I would have enjoyed it more if it had a freer writing style
October 22, 2021
A very fuzzy guide that somehow, despite all that, makes sense. Go figure!
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December 29, 2024When I was a kid, my dad told me once about having read a book and starting to do the activities recommended in the book, and that it scared him and so he stopped. I never forgot him telling me that. Then, years later, I asked him what book that was, and he claimed that he didn’t know what I was talking about, and that he never said that. But then more recently, I brought it up to him again, and this time, perhaps because he’s getting old and forgetting things, he just instantly sent me a link to this book. So this was the book that scared my dad.
Let me tell you a little bit more about my dad: he spent much of his youth as something of a spiritual investigator. It was the 70s, he joined a cult, he got out of the cult, he meditated, he went to different types of religious services, the whole 9 yards.
He raised us kids without any religion whatsoever. And I was an atheist of the highest order. I wrote articles about it in my college newspaper. I truly didn’t believe in any sort of supernatural phenomenon. And now I’m in my 40s and I’m once again learning a lesson that I have learned many times before, yet I’m still surprised every time I learn it again, which is that everything that I reject the hardest I will eventually embrace. Now I do believe in supernatural occurrences, although I am hesitant to say something like “I believe in ghosts and haunting“ when, in reality, I have no notion of what exactly causes supernatural phenomena and therefore feel a little silly labeling something a “ghost.” All I know is that there is a lot of weird shit out there, that clairvoyance and telepathy do exist, and I strongly suspect suspect that all religions have the capacity to allow their followers to tap into something real that is bigger than any of us. In fact, I think it is all of us. I think we are all one. Or something like that.
Anyway, I gave this book a quick read. I have not tried any of the activities laid in the book. I don’t believe that I am in the right headspace to do it right now. Steiner talks a lot about how you should only do these things if you are coming at them from a non-selfish, help-everyone-in-the-world kind of place. That’s simply not how I’m feeling right now. I have a lot of anger and a lot of desire to see many people come to harm. I’m just being honest here.
I do intend to come back to this book. I’m getting into meditation. Once I feel more comfortable with that, I will read this book again.
Let me tell you a little bit more about my dad: he spent much of his youth as something of a spiritual investigator. It was the 70s, he joined a cult, he got out of the cult, he meditated, he went to different types of religious services, the whole 9 yards.
He raised us kids without any religion whatsoever. And I was an atheist of the highest order. I wrote articles about it in my college newspaper. I truly didn’t believe in any sort of supernatural phenomenon. And now I’m in my 40s and I’m once again learning a lesson that I have learned many times before, yet I’m still surprised every time I learn it again, which is that everything that I reject the hardest I will eventually embrace. Now I do believe in supernatural occurrences, although I am hesitant to say something like “I believe in ghosts and haunting“ when, in reality, I have no notion of what exactly causes supernatural phenomena and therefore feel a little silly labeling something a “ghost.” All I know is that there is a lot of weird shit out there, that clairvoyance and telepathy do exist, and I strongly suspect suspect that all religions have the capacity to allow their followers to tap into something real that is bigger than any of us. In fact, I think it is all of us. I think we are all one. Or something like that.
Anyway, I gave this book a quick read. I have not tried any of the activities laid in the book. I don’t believe that I am in the right headspace to do it right now. Steiner talks a lot about how you should only do these things if you are coming at them from a non-selfish, help-everyone-in-the-world kind of place. That’s simply not how I’m feeling right now. I have a lot of anger and a lot of desire to see many people come to harm. I’m just being honest here.
I do intend to come back to this book. I’m getting into meditation. Once I feel more comfortable with that, I will read this book again.
February 7, 2016
This right here is the seed bed of the Late New Age. "Spirit Science" enthusiasts. Weekend reiki trainees. "Light workers" with round-the-world plane tickets, harem pants and deity tattoos. People who think channeling disembodied entities is beneficial for humanity. If this is you, put Higher Worlds on your kindle.
A weird thing though is that, unlike everything in the Late New Age, there's a bit of empirical heft to the teachings here. It's a little bit grounded. And some of what is being transmitted here is a little bit real. There is a legitimate energy in the text.
And something even more striking: Steiner wrote this before the first World War. Whole worlds away in terms of culture and consciousness. The only really meaningful experience of this book for me was an attempt to empathize with the awareness that could have produced it. The late edition's serial prefaces aid in this.
Steiner's a weirdo, but still demonstrates a creative spiritual intelligence that truly inspires. Some of his personal understanding of layers of consciousness connects with insights that career meditators and hallucinators would not write about for many decades to come. The intelligent combination of mental clarity and spacious awareness makes for a tolerable read even when he gets a little lost in his own idiolect. His constant exhortation that clairvoyant play MUST NOT take one away from daily life helps explain the worldly legacy he left through writing and institution building, and in this there is a sort of early 20th century grit amid all the chakra spinning.
But to what end? Ultimately Steiner seems to think clairvoyance is a gift from the dubious disembodied ghosts of the astral realms. The book is a preparation to make yourself into a channel for whatever or whoever wants to borrow your bodymind. That's awfully sketchy, especially given Steiner's exhortation not to depend on a teacher but to open up your consciousness to random occupation. That said, who knows, maybe the astral realms weren't such a dive bar a hundred years back.
Some of the techniques Steiner offers for dilating the upper chakras are genuinely creative and for that context. His warnings against cult tendencies and loss of personal responsibility are more than a little prescient with Crowley and the Theosophists on the horizon. Though I do expect some spacey readers of this book have ended up far dumber as a result of reading it, it is wonderful to imagine how readers a hundred years ago might have been opened up to new feelings of the cosmos as a result of Steiner's - well -clairvoyance.
A weird thing though is that, unlike everything in the Late New Age, there's a bit of empirical heft to the teachings here. It's a little bit grounded. And some of what is being transmitted here is a little bit real. There is a legitimate energy in the text.
And something even more striking: Steiner wrote this before the first World War. Whole worlds away in terms of culture and consciousness. The only really meaningful experience of this book for me was an attempt to empathize with the awareness that could have produced it. The late edition's serial prefaces aid in this.
Steiner's a weirdo, but still demonstrates a creative spiritual intelligence that truly inspires. Some of his personal understanding of layers of consciousness connects with insights that career meditators and hallucinators would not write about for many decades to come. The intelligent combination of mental clarity and spacious awareness makes for a tolerable read even when he gets a little lost in his own idiolect. His constant exhortation that clairvoyant play MUST NOT take one away from daily life helps explain the worldly legacy he left through writing and institution building, and in this there is a sort of early 20th century grit amid all the chakra spinning.
But to what end? Ultimately Steiner seems to think clairvoyance is a gift from the dubious disembodied ghosts of the astral realms. The book is a preparation to make yourself into a channel for whatever or whoever wants to borrow your bodymind. That's awfully sketchy, especially given Steiner's exhortation not to depend on a teacher but to open up your consciousness to random occupation. That said, who knows, maybe the astral realms weren't such a dive bar a hundred years back.
Some of the techniques Steiner offers for dilating the upper chakras are genuinely creative and for that context. His warnings against cult tendencies and loss of personal responsibility are more than a little prescient with Crowley and the Theosophists on the horizon. Though I do expect some spacey readers of this book have ended up far dumber as a result of reading it, it is wonderful to imagine how readers a hundred years ago might have been opened up to new feelings of the cosmos as a result of Steiner's - well -clairvoyance.
October 23, 2020
This is the first book by Mr. Steiner that I've read, I recommend it for those who want to learn more on their spiritual paths. A pleasant read that encompasses many subjects that I'm interested in. I was intuitively drawn to it, and , though I don't know yet how it correlates with other works of R. Steiner, as a stand alone piece, it is a comprehensive guide for the sincere seeker.
~~~
Completely off-topic now. Maybe someone needs to hear this "Not all those who wander are lost"
<3
Dream the words...
~~~
Completely off-topic now. Maybe someone needs to hear this "Not all those who wander are lost"
<3
Dream the words...
October 12, 2014
The fourth Steiner book I've read and one of the most straight-forward. Made a lot of good points and always has an interesting and thought provoking perspective. I enjoyed reading this, i like the ideas. Unlike Bees and Agriculture, this is not a series of lectures. Organized as a progression from the starting point as a novice this book doesn't have the asides that the lectures experienced by fielding questions from the audience.
August 7, 2023
The same exercises Steiner recommends can easily be duplicated by meditation on all the parables of Jesus on the Kingdom of Heaven. It would be a much cleaner and purer way of developing that seed within.
I enjoy Steiner's writing, but it ultimately leads souls away from Jesus and Christianity, even though he became very fond of Christianity late in his career.
I enjoy Steiner's writing, but it ultimately leads souls away from Jesus and Christianity, even though he became very fond of Christianity late in his career.
August 3, 2025
They pitched me Steiner as a scientific approach to the esoteric, instead all I got is dogmatic nonsense that I could write myself after a few glasses of wine. The style is bloated, an overdose of useless baseless information. I got one good idea from this book that I'm not sure Steiner even meant, he gave me the allure and I autocompleted it: Meditating about one specific thing you want to learn about, visualizing it repeatedly, exploring it with your mind's eye. Pretty basic. Everything else was insane but not the cool fun type of insane, but the "annoying overconfident & mentally ill."
January 18, 2024
Descripció molt clara i fàcil de seguir de com arribar a percebre aquests "mons superiors". Per contra, resulta molt difícil tenir la voluntat d'arribar-hi, es requereix un acte de fe molt fort per esforçar-se en arribar a un lloc que no sembla fet de res més que fum.
March 12, 2025
Steiner is truly other-wordly
November 26, 2013
This Book is the 5th Bible. As the Songs of the Mahabarata, Upanishads, and Vedas are the Bible of the Ancient Indians, the Zend Avesta, the book written by Zarathustra, The book of the dead and the OLD Testament, Egypt and the ancient Hebrews, The NEW Testament, the Ancient Graeco-Romans, so
Dr. Steiners Knowledge of the Higher Worlds is the Bible for the Anglo Germanic Culture, the 5th post atlantean epoch.
Dr. Steiner was also the Prophet of the 2nd Coming of THE LIVING CHRIST.
Dr. Steiners Knowledge of the Higher Worlds is the Bible for the Anglo Germanic Culture, the 5th post atlantean epoch.
Dr. Steiner was also the Prophet of the 2nd Coming of THE LIVING CHRIST.
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