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Collected Works of Rudolf Steiner #CW 265
Freemasonry and Ritual Work: The Misraim Service
Letters, documents, ritual texts, and lectures from the Cognitive-Ritual Section of the Esoteric School: 1904–1919 + Documents of a new beginning after the First World War: 1921–1924 (CW 265)
To ground his project of founding the new mysteries of Anthroposophy in spiritual history, Rudolf Steiner always sought to unite with and transform where possible the older initiatory streams such as Freemasonry and Rosicrucianism.
In November 1905, both Steiner, who was General Secretary of the German Section of the Theosophical Society and Arch Warden of its Esoteric Section, and Marie von Sivers were invited to “join,” in a purely formal way, the Order of Ancient Freemasons of the Memphis and Misraim Rite, allowing him to form his own Mystic Temple, Mystica Aeterna, in Berlin.
On this basis, Steiner created―freely and out of his own spiritual experience and inspiration―the Cognitive–Ritual Section, or Misraim Service, of the Esoteric Section. “Everything was done as it must be when spiritual reality is to be investigated directly and experienced in full consciousness.”
Though outwardly similar to existing Masonic rituals, forms, and legends, the spiritual content Steiner gave was new and vital. Especially important was the ritual work, reverently undertaken with a deep sense of responsibility and of the sacramental nature of all human activity.
This astonishing volume of rich, primary materials contains letters, documents, ritual texts, meditations, and lectures pertaining to Steiner’s teaching of the Misraim Service. Ritual symbols (such as the mallet, the triangle, the right angle, the compass, the rule, the Rose Cross, and the pillars of Jachin and Boaz), as well as the Temple Legend of Hiram Abiff and Solomon and the story of Cain and Abel, all find their place here. The ritual texts are given in full, with illustrations and descriptions of making the ritual objects.
There are numerous fictional and superficial books available on Freemasonry, but this unusual volume reveals the deep, esoteric nature of true Masonic rituals and practices and how they form some of the roots of Anthroposophy.
∞ ∞ ∞
Freemasonry and Ritual Work contains an introduction, a brief chronology of Rudolf Steiner's life, and an index. It is the first complete English translation of « Zur Geschichte und aus den Inhalten der erkenntniskultischen Abteilung der Esoterischen Schule 1904–1914 » (GA 265).
To ground his project of founding the new mysteries of Anthroposophy in spiritual history, Rudolf Steiner always sought to unite with and transform where possible the older initiatory streams such as Freemasonry and Rosicrucianism.
In November 1905, both Steiner, who was General Secretary of the German Section of the Theosophical Society and Arch Warden of its Esoteric Section, and Marie von Sivers were invited to “join,” in a purely formal way, the Order of Ancient Freemasons of the Memphis and Misraim Rite, allowing him to form his own Mystic Temple, Mystica Aeterna, in Berlin.
On this basis, Steiner created―freely and out of his own spiritual experience and inspiration―the Cognitive–Ritual Section, or Misraim Service, of the Esoteric Section. “Everything was done as it must be when spiritual reality is to be investigated directly and experienced in full consciousness.”
Though outwardly similar to existing Masonic rituals, forms, and legends, the spiritual content Steiner gave was new and vital. Especially important was the ritual work, reverently undertaken with a deep sense of responsibility and of the sacramental nature of all human activity.
This astonishing volume of rich, primary materials contains letters, documents, ritual texts, meditations, and lectures pertaining to Steiner’s teaching of the Misraim Service. Ritual symbols (such as the mallet, the triangle, the right angle, the compass, the rule, the Rose Cross, and the pillars of Jachin and Boaz), as well as the Temple Legend of Hiram Abiff and Solomon and the story of Cain and Abel, all find their place here. The ritual texts are given in full, with illustrations and descriptions of making the ritual objects.
There are numerous fictional and superficial books available on Freemasonry, but this unusual volume reveals the deep, esoteric nature of true Masonic rituals and practices and how they form some of the roots of Anthroposophy.
∞ ∞ ∞
Freemasonry and Ritual Work contains an introduction, a brief chronology of Rudolf Steiner's life, and an index. It is the first complete English translation of « Zur Geschichte und aus den Inhalten der erkenntniskultischen Abteilung der Esoterischen Schule 1904–1914 » (GA 265).
632 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2007
About the author
Rudolf Steiner
4,483 books1,182 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 - 1 of 1 review
January 30, 2024
Just like “Rudolf Steiner - Esoteric Teaching Activity” this is another book by Hella Wiesberger that has a predetermined conclusion, that she tries to fit all the facts into, and it doesn’t work.
She once again provides a ton of information from the archives, which is invaluable, but it is presented in the most chaotic way…
The english translators wrote to the archive if they could perhaps reorganise the info, but that request was denied, which is an absolute shame, because as it is, it is unreadable. The translators apologise for that in the foreword.
Only read this if you really want to know more about the rituals and tools etc used in the Mystica Aeterna, as I think this is the only book in which that has been compiled. But then only read it, if you already have a lot of knowledge on the esoteric within antroposophy, on the biographies of Rudolf Steiner and Marie Steiner, and are willing to endure be told what to think constantly.
I hope the publishers reconsider and have someone reorganise the info and then write about it objectively.
She once again provides a ton of information from the archives, which is invaluable, but it is presented in the most chaotic way…
The english translators wrote to the archive if they could perhaps reorganise the info, but that request was denied, which is an absolute shame, because as it is, it is unreadable. The translators apologise for that in the foreword.
Only read this if you really want to know more about the rituals and tools etc used in the Mystica Aeterna, as I think this is the only book in which that has been compiled. But then only read it, if you already have a lot of knowledge on the esoteric within antroposophy, on the biographies of Rudolf Steiner and Marie Steiner, and are willing to endure be told what to think constantly.
I hope the publishers reconsider and have someone reorganise the info and then write about it objectively.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review