What do you think?
Rate this book
Collected Works of Rudolf Steiner #CW 182
Death as Metamorphosis of Life: Including "What does the Angel do in our Astral Body?" & How Do I Find Christ?
7 Lectures, various cities, Nov. 29, 1917–Oct. 16, 1918 (CW 182) “ Death as Metamorphosis of Life is a brilliant, exceptional collection. The lectures are intimate, existential, profound, and they address us in our soul lives―where we live, and where we strive for spiritual experience.... They make clear the necessary and living bond that must unite the inner work of Anthroposophists―the day-to-day inner, spiritual work in our ordinary lives―and the outer work of the manifestation of spirit in life; that is, the tasks of service that we take on in the world.... Steiner understood that, if Anthroposophy or spiritual wisdom does not live and grow as a spiritual reality in the souls of those who claim to practice it, then the practical wisdom―their actions in the world as called for by the spirit of the times―will come to nothing.” ― Christopher Bamford (introduction) The lectures in Death as Metamorphosis of Life address us in our soul life and speak to our hearts. They make clear the bond that must unite our inner, spiritual work and the outer work of manifesting spirit in life. For, if spiritual wisdom does not live and grow as a reality in the souls of those who practice it, then the practical wisdom of service called for by the spirit of the times will come to nothing. The particular realities that Rudolf Steiner focuses on are working with the dead (and the spiritual hierarchies) and coming to know the Christ. What these two have in common is that they are both Earth-centered. They teach us the fundamental importance of everyday human destiny and earthly life―not just for humanity, but also for divinity and the cosmos. We learn not only what the dead can teach us about the spiritual world and the working of the hierarchies, but also what it means to be human in a spiritual sense. We learn of the importance of working with the dead and the angelic worlds, both for our own and for their development, as well as for the future evolution of the Earth. The Mystery of Golgotha is equally important; we must understand it spiritually. As Steiner says, “It is the will of the gods that the most important event on Earth must compel us to spirituality.” The Christ must be experienced inwardly, not historically. At the same time, he must be found on Earth―for instance, in human destiny. The more we become aware of what is secretly, invisibly, and unconsciously working in our lives, the closer we will come to working with the dead and to the kingdom of Christ. How can we find the Christ? Steiner quotes the seventeenth-century mystic Angelus “The Cross on Golgotha cannot save you from evil if it is not also raised within you.” “The Cross is raised within us by the polarity of the powerlessness of our body and the resurrection of our spirit. There is no need for supersensory capacities to realize this only humility and sincerity in seeking are required. Resurrection from the soul death of powerlessness is the true Christ experience that opens the soul to the presence of Christ. Truly, these are astonishing lectures to be to be read, reread; to be thoroughly understood as something living; to be meditated and made one’s own; and to be carried as a transformative gift into the world.” ― Christopher Bamford (introduction) Death as Metamorphosis of Life is translated for the first time in its entirety from the German of Der Tod als Lebenswandlung (GA 182). Individual lectures have appeared in Selected Lectures; Selected Lectures; and Staying Connected .
216 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2004
About the author
Rudolf Steiner
4,489 books1,151 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 8, 2018
This is the first book I've ever read by Rudolph Steiner. I was pleasantly surprised. Up until today no one had been able to convince me that his ideas would interest me at all, however I like the title and cover of this book and decided to read it.
Now, I have several problems with Steiner's framework, and I will briefly comment on those, but I admit that my expectation were so low that even the sort of problems I found I have with his framework were a nice surprise.
Steiner's attempt to recover mysticism in the beginning of the 20th century is part of a general European effort (with spiritualism, Leo's Astrology, theosophy, and Steiner's antroposophy among many other examples). When looking at his writings we need to keep in mind that he is living not only on a post-Enlightenment world but during the rise of the great atheist forces of the 20th century (Soviet Russia in particular) which put him in a rather uncomfortable place. That's why I believe some of his statements sometimes are rather awkward. Also this book is the transcription of a series of lectures so we must keep in mind he is addressing this to people, and many of the rhetorical games applied derive from that context.
The good things:
Steiner's views are extremely similar to neoplatonic views. His view on the hierarchy of spirits (with humans at the end) are a nice counter point against the general attitude of his time.
Steiner has a political project that involves the betterment of humankind as a whole, so in that sense he has deep humanitarian concerns that he believes can only be obtained through connection with spirit. According to him, WW1 is the result of the total lack of connection between humans and spirit and, as he says, a much more terrible war was about to come if there wasn't a change in perspective.
Steiner's conception of the relationships between the living and the dead is very endearing.
His idea that the spirits should have a saying in politics reminds me of Plato when he says that Krono's Golden Age was Golden because there were no human leaders, only daimonic leaders. Naturally, Steiner's exeptionalism would never allow him to admit that Plato had outlined this idea before.
The bad things:
Steiner is too attached to Christianity. I understand the fascination with the mistery of Golgotha but other religions have amazing mysteries as well.
Steiner is too critical of Plato while ripping him off. Either he does not know enough about Plato (which I doubt) or he is consciously misleading his public. Either way, that cost this book a star.
Steiner is too keen on presenting absolute truths and his own way as the only possible way. Even Socrates, who is accused of founding the Western obsession with truth, speaks only of "likely stories".
Anyway, I was suprised with Steiner's ability to convey a message in the worst possible environment for that message.
Now, I have several problems with Steiner's framework, and I will briefly comment on those, but I admit that my expectation were so low that even the sort of problems I found I have with his framework were a nice surprise.
Steiner's attempt to recover mysticism in the beginning of the 20th century is part of a general European effort (with spiritualism, Leo's Astrology, theosophy, and Steiner's antroposophy among many other examples). When looking at his writings we need to keep in mind that he is living not only on a post-Enlightenment world but during the rise of the great atheist forces of the 20th century (Soviet Russia in particular) which put him in a rather uncomfortable place. That's why I believe some of his statements sometimes are rather awkward. Also this book is the transcription of a series of lectures so we must keep in mind he is addressing this to people, and many of the rhetorical games applied derive from that context.
The good things:
Steiner's views are extremely similar to neoplatonic views. His view on the hierarchy of spirits (with humans at the end) are a nice counter point against the general attitude of his time.
Steiner has a political project that involves the betterment of humankind as a whole, so in that sense he has deep humanitarian concerns that he believes can only be obtained through connection with spirit. According to him, WW1 is the result of the total lack of connection between humans and spirit and, as he says, a much more terrible war was about to come if there wasn't a change in perspective.
Steiner's conception of the relationships between the living and the dead is very endearing.
His idea that the spirits should have a saying in politics reminds me of Plato when he says that Krono's Golden Age was Golden because there were no human leaders, only daimonic leaders. Naturally, Steiner's exeptionalism would never allow him to admit that Plato had outlined this idea before.
The bad things:
Steiner is too attached to Christianity. I understand the fascination with the mistery of Golgotha but other religions have amazing mysteries as well.
Steiner is too critical of Plato while ripping him off. Either he does not know enough about Plato (which I doubt) or he is consciously misleading his public. Either way, that cost this book a star.
Steiner is too keen on presenting absolute truths and his own way as the only possible way. Even Socrates, who is accused of founding the Western obsession with truth, speaks only of "likely stories".
Anyway, I was suprised with Steiner's ability to convey a message in the worst possible environment for that message.
February 15, 2018
Heady
I do not understand all of Steiner's concepts yet, but I can not stop trying. Wonderful in the trying. Read on young pilgrim!
I do not understand all of Steiner's concepts yet, but I can not stop trying. Wonderful in the trying. Read on young pilgrim!
June 25, 2025
A prediction for our times.
Rudolf Steiner explores his viewpoint about the work of angels in the astral body during sleep. Paradoxically, only by being aware while awake will the angelic astral weavings imprint on the spiritual soul, and usher in a healthy human evolution. Slept through a darker future beckons. He suggests three manifestations of this future (after the third millennium is entered - now in other words. They are perhaps prescient. You will decide.
Rudolf Steiner explores his viewpoint about the work of angels in the astral body during sleep. Paradoxically, only by being aware while awake will the angelic astral weavings imprint on the spiritual soul, and usher in a healthy human evolution. Slept through a darker future beckons. He suggests three manifestations of this future (after the third millennium is entered - now in other words. They are perhaps prescient. You will decide.
March 16, 2026
Insightful for those seeking deeper awareness
Exactly as the audio book presented and accurately presented.
Not a light read and definitely for those on the path.
Exactly as the audio book presented and accurately presented.
Not a light read and definitely for those on the path.
April 27, 2026
que prazer foi ler em conjunto com tantos jovens, de tantas partes do mundo, no Gathering <3 a Antroposofia é mesmo um movimento em comunidade
April 12, 2017
There are angels working in the astral body who, if we didn't consciously acknowledge them by the year 2000, would start to descend into the etheric body and work on us while we sleep. This would have three effects:
1. We would become sex-obsessed
2. We would find pleasant but harmful medicinal knowledge
3. We would develop machines that gratify our egoism.
Check, check, and check.
I hope there's still time.
1. We would become sex-obsessed
2. We would find pleasant but harmful medicinal knowledge
3. We would develop machines that gratify our egoism.
Check, check, and check.
I hope there's still time.
August 10, 2025
The images Steiner creates are crystal clear and the need for them in this hysterical period of history is even clearer ...... if you struggle with Steiner you might like to look up my videos on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@TheException...
January 1, 2018
I only read “What Does the Angel do in our astral body”. It has a good message ... we can do better for ourselves ... we just need to see the work of the angel...!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews