The Rudolf Steiner Archive

113. The Essence of Anthroposophy

[ 1 ] The meeting organized by the local Anthroposophical Society on Saturday in the parking garage, during which its founder and leader, Dr. Rud[olf] Steiner, gave a nearly two-hour lecture on the aforementioned topic, filled both halls to capacity. The audience followed the speaker, who spoke with powerful enthusiasm about the spiritual science he represents, with great interest right up to the end.

[ 2 ] Dr. Steiner began by noting that anthroposophy is likely viewed by the uninitiated as a more or less fanciful attempt to penetrate areas of the world and of life with which serious science should have nothing to do, and that it is even lumped together with all sorts of occult pursuits. In contrast, he emphasized that, based on its scientific foundations, anthroposophy is in no way at odds with the natural scientific worldview. While fully adhering to the conditions required by the natural sciences in their own domain, it represents merely an attempt to penetrate the realm of the supersensible, to which the human soul—with its eternal, immortal aspects—belongs. In doing so, it stands firmly on the ground of scientific rigor. It is precisely the limits of scientific knowledge of external nature (observation, experiment, rational combination) that it seeks to uphold. It aims to be just as scientific! It seeks to penetrate the supersensible realm—which cannot be accessed through philosophical speculation—solely on the basis of strictly scientific methods; and in doing so, unlike speculative philosophy, it arrives at conclusions that satisfy even the simplest human mind and are recognized by common sense. It avoids the pitfall of unscientific approaches as well as the pitfall of all things mystical, in which illusions and deceptions play a major role.

[ 3 ] Anthroposophy recognizes that human beings cannot penetrate the supersensible realm with their ordinary powers of cognition; but might they not develop powers lying dormant within the soul that would enable them to do so? Only practice can teach this! With that, the speaker turned to the practice of the soul as carried out in anthroposophy. Its prerequisite is intellectual humility, which acknowledges the progressive development of the soul’s life from the dreamlike state of a child’s soul to the state of an adult’s soul. According to anthroposophical teaching, the individual can further develop this state of the soul through certain soul exercises. As paradoxical as it may sound, Steiner says, the prejudice against anthroposophy is akin to that which was once directed against the Copernican system of the world. As he goes on to explain, when we first examine the life of the soul, it presents itself as an interplay of three forces: the life of thought, feeling, and will. Just as one can build up muscle strength, so too can one strengthen the powers of thought through meditation and concentration. Without succumbing to suggestion, a person can make use of an experienced guide in this process. It is important that these spiritual exercises be repeated over a long period of time in a rhythmic sequence; for everything depends on the imagination becoming intense. Then comes the moment—one must await it—when a person possesses within themselves an inner spiritual life that is no longer bound to physical embodiment, in which the body is no longer the counterforce. With this, the stage of imaginative knowledge is reached. This insight is still of a subjective nature; but such a person of insight stands, with his or her common sense, alongside what presents itself as higher knowledge, and approaches it with a critical eye. At a further stage of this strengthening of the soul, as Steiner teaches, a comprehensive spiritual tableau presents itself to the opened spiritual eye, reflecting what has been working and taking shape within us internally since nearly our birth—the entire inner workings of the spiritual-soul-super-sensible in the human being. One comes to realize that one carries within oneself not only a physical life situated in space, but also a body of time that is not spatial and that, like a flash of lightning, cannot be depicted—a second supersensible body, distinct from the physical body: the etheric or life body. In this way, anthroposophy has transformed ever-present intuitions into fully conscious knowledge. It has advanced to the certainty of the immortality of the soul. What was once a matter of faith has become a fact! The speaker elaborated further on the anthroposophical lines of thought, mentioning that for human beings there is the prospect of repeated earthly lives until their soul once again enters into an intimate connection with the soul-spiritual cosmos. As the third stage of supersensible knowledge, he described intuitive insight, which allows one to perceive the spiritual and soul forces in which a person’s moral life is anchored, as reflected in the conscience.

[ 4 ] This brings us to the most valuable conception of human life, in which we recognize that it bears responsibility toward the spiritual-soul world. Only through integration into the spiritual cosmos can the moral life of the human being be grasped on its proper foundation, and only then does it become clear what human morality means as a reality within the universe as a whole.

[ 5 ] Regarding the practical applications of anthroposophy, Steiner discussed the Medical-Therapeutic Institute in Stuttgart—which operates with scientific precision yet follows its principles—as well as the Goetheanum, the Waldorf School, and eurythmy. – The speaker also spoke of the constructive forces of the sun and the destructive forces of the moon. – He emphatically rejected the view that anthroposophists constituted a religious sect. He argued that this was by no means a new religion, but rather the scientific exploration of the supersensible, the results of which met people’s religious needs. In conclusion, Dr. Steiner emphasized that anthroposophy stands on equal footing with the natural sciences.

[ 6 ] The large audience greeted the finale with long, enthusiastic applause.