-Caveat Lector-
From
http://www.eyelight.webservepro.com/anthroposophy/whatis.html
}}}>Begin
Rudolf Steiner's Anthroposophy
What Is Anthroposophy?
Anthroposophy is a path of knowledge, to guide the Spiritual in the
human being to the Spiritual in the universe.
It arises in us as a need of the heart, of the life of feeling; and
it can be justified only inasmuch as it can satisfy this inner need.
They alone can acknowledge Anthroposophy, who find in it what they
themselves in their own inner life feel impelled to seek.
Hence only they can be anthroposophists who feel certain questions on
the nature of the human being and the universe as an elemental need
of life, just as one feels hunger and thirst.
[Rudolf Steiner, Anthroposophical Leading Thoughts, Feb., 1924]
The path that leads into Anthroposophy consists firstly, then, in
changing the direction of one's will; secondly, in experiencing
supersensible knowledge; lastly, in participating in the destiny of
one's time to a point where it becomes one's personal destiny.
One feels oneself sharing mankind's evolution in the act of reversing
one's will and experiencing the supersensible nature of all truth.
Sharing the experience of the time's true significance is what gives
us our first real feeling for the fact of our humanness.
The term "Anthroposophy" should really be understood as synonymous
with "Sophia," meaning the content of consciousness, the soul
attitude and experience that make a person a full-fledged human
being.
The right interpretation of "Anthroposophy" is not "the wisdom of the
human being," but rather "the consciousness of one's humanity."
In other words, the reversing of the will, the experiencing of
knowledge, and one's participation in the time's destiny, should all
aim at giving the soul a certain direction of consciousness, a
"Sophia."
[Rudolf Steiner, Awakening to Community, Feb., 1923]
I cannot think it is unduly paradoxical to say that it is really a
kind of betrayal of Rudolf Steiner to believe what he said.
He poured out his assertions because he trusted his hearers not to
believe.
Belief is something which can only be applied to systems of abstract
ideas.
To become an anthroposophist is not to believe, it is to decide to
use the words of Rudolf Steiner (and any others which may become
available) for the purpose of raising oneself, if possible, to a kind
of thinking which is itself beyond words, which precedes them, in
the sense that ideas, words, sentences, propositions, are only
subsequently drawn out of it.
This is that concrete* thinking which is the source of all such ideas
and propositions, the source of all meaning whatsoever.
And it can only take the form of logical ideas and propositions and
grammatical sentences, at the expense of much of its original truth.
For to be logical is to make one little part of your meaning precise
by excluding all the other parts.
To be an anthroposophist, then, is to seek to unite oneself, not with
any groups of words, but with this concrete thinking, whose existence
can only be finally proved by experience.
It is to refrain from uniting oneself with words, in the humble
endeavour to unite oneself with the Word.
*The word 'concrete' may here be taken as meaning 'neither objective
nor subjective'.
[Owen Barfield, orig. ca. 1927; reprinted 1944/ 1966/1986 in
Romanticism Comes of Age]
Every new mind is a new classification.
If it prove a mind of uncommon activity and power...it imposes its
classification on other men, and lo! a new system.
In proportion to the depth of the thought, and so to the number of
objects it touches and brings within reach of the pupil, is his
complacency....
The pupil takes the same delight in subordinating everything to the
new terminology as a girl who has just learned botany in seeing a new
earth and new seasons thereby.
It will happen for a time that the pupil will find his intellectual
power has grown by the study of his master's mind.
But in all unbalanced minds, the classification is idolized, passes
for the end and not for a...means, so that the walls of the system
blend to their eyes in the remote horizon with the walls of the
universe; the luminaries of heaven seem to them hung on the arch
their master built.
They cannot imagine how you aliens have any right to see --
how you can see;
"it must be somehow that you stole the light from us."
They do not yet perceive that light, unsystematic, indomitable, will
break into any cabin, even into theirs.
[Emerson, in "Self-Reliance"]
~~~
The best part of Emersonianism is, it breeds the giant that destroys
itself.
"Who wants to be any man's mere follower?" lurks behind every page.
No teacher ever taught, that has so provided for his pupil's setting
up independently -- no truer evolutionist.
[Walt Whitman -- in Specimen Days]
Porphyrigeniti sumus! *
In Man the centripetal and individualizing tendency of all Nature is
itself concentrated and individualized -- he is a revelation of
Nature!
Henceforward he is referred to himself, delivered up to his own
charge; and he who stands the most on himself, and stands the
firmest, is the truest, because the most individual, Man.
In social and political life this acme is inter- dependence; in moral
life it is independence; in intellectual life it is genius.
*"We are born in the purple." That is, sovereign by right of birth.
[Coleridge, in Theory of Life, ca. 1816]
End<{{{
From
http://www.anthroposophy.org/school/barnes.htm
}}}>Begin
The School of Spiritual Science
By Henry Barnes
At the Christmas Conference of 1923, Rudolf Steiner proposed that the
Anthroposophical Society take a courageous, far-reaching step. He
suggested that the Society should throw off every vestige of
sectarianism and establish itself as an absolutely open, public
society. Any human being would be welcome to join this Society who
recognized that spiritual science, grounded in anthroposophy, was a
valid contribution to our time. Membership in this society would
require no adherence to any philosophical, scientific, artistic, or
religious principles. It would be "an association of people whose
will it is to nurture the life of the soul, both in the individual
and in human society, on the basis of a true knowledge of the
spiritual world." 1
In addition, at the heart of this public society, an institution
would be established that was intended to be an esoteric school, a
"university" based on spiritual-scientific knowledge and research.
The education offered in this school, and the research it was to
develop, would be subject to the same rigorous discipline that
governs every objective search for knowledge. But, as already stated,
its methods are grounded in spiritual science rather than in the
natural sciences as we have come to know them today.
In its structure, the School of Spiritual Science resembles the
traditional universities of earlier times. The student enters a
general course of study�similar to a liberal arts faculty or school
in a traditional university�in which she or he seeks to attain the
capacities of spiritual-scientific cognition described in the works
of Rudolf Steiner. Fundamental to these capacities is a clear and
activite thinking capable of grasping ideas derived from
supersensible observation, that is, from a clear and accurate view
into the spiritual world. Such clear thinking can lead, step by step,
to cognition that is no longer dependent on the physical organism.
Body-free thought can then be enhanced through consistent spiritual-
scientific practice to three stages of higher cognition, described by
Rudolf Steiner in How to Know Higher Worlds: A Modern Path of
Initiation 2 and other writings as imagination, inspiration, and
intuition. Each of these stages leads the student to a new level of
experience of supersensible, or spiritual reality.
This preliminary course of study is known as the General
Anthroposophical Section of the School of Spiritual Science, which
Rudolf Steiner intended to consist of three esoteric classes.
Unfortunately, due to Rudolf Steiner�s illness and subsequent death
on March 30, 1925, he was only able to inaugurate the first of these
three classes. The basic nineteen lessons of the first class were
held by Rudolf Steiner from February 15 to August 2, 1924, in
Dornach, Switzerland. After a lecture series in England in September
1924, he had hoped to present the second part of the first class.
This would have been followed by a third part, then by the
institution of a second class and, eventually, a third class.
The cognitive capacities achieved through spiritual-scientific
training in the three classes of the General Section would enable the
student to fructify the branch of cultural and vocational practice in
which she or he is engaged. Thus the artist, scientist, teacher,
physician, or practitioner of any occupation could call on the
capacities awakened and exercised as a student in the classes of the
School and thus enliven and deepen his or her work in a given
profession or vocation. The opportunity to cultivate these vocational
insights and skills might then be developed in collegial work within
a particular section of the School, just as the student in a
traditional university, having achieved the basic skills of
scholarship in a liberal arts faculty, could enter a medical, legal,
pedagogical, or other graduate school for further specialized
training.
In this way, Rudolf Steiner conceived of a circle of cultural,
vocationally-oriented sections surrounding a human-centered,
developmental, anthroposophical, and spiritual-scientific core. The
method by which he called these special sections into existence was,
in itself, also fundamentally human, rather than theoretical or
bureaucratic. He did not proceed by deciding that a medical or an
educational section was needed and then set out to search for a
qualified individual to lead the endeavor. On the contrary, he first
recognized that such an individual was already present and had proven
herself or himself capable, creative, and reliable in a particular
field. As a result of this recognition, he saw that a section, or
division of the School, could be established because the qualified
person was already there. Having already worked closely with Ita
Wegman, MD, in the medical field, for example, he felt he could
establish the medical section under her leadership.
In this way, during the Christmas Foundation Meeting of 1923, and in
the weeks and months that followed, Rudolf Steiner was able to bring
the School of Spiritual Science into existence with specialized
sections surrounding the central developmental core. Anthroposophy,
or the methods of Spiritual Science, were to provide the creative,
transformative energies that could enliven the School as a whole.
In this way it was intended that the School of Spiritual Science
should be the sustaining heart of the community of individuals who
would come together in the General Anthroposophical Society to create
a home for Anthroposophia, the spiritual being whose help is so
urgently needed today.
How can one become a member of the School and how does the School
fulfill its function within the General Anthroposophical Society at
the present time?
If, after a period of time as a member of the Anthroposophical
Society�usually two years or more�the individual comes to feel that
she or he wishes not only to receive the insights of Spiritual
Science, but also to represent anthroposophy in some way, this
signals a new relationship of the individual to anthroposophy and to
the Anthroposophical Society. One has been a "quiet," receiving
member, who is now ready and willing to become "active" on behalf of
the anthroposophical movement and the Society. The readiness to
represent anthroposophy�in no matter how modest or quiet a way�is the
indication that the moment has come for the individual to consider
becoming an active member�a student� in the School, joining the work
of the first class.
The individual at such a point should ask herself or himself several
questions. Do I have a clear understanding of how Rudolf Steiner
characterizes the Society and the School? (His essays and letters to
the members following the Christmas meeting of 1923 are a primary
help in gaining this clarity. 3 Do I have enough experience in
meditation to be confident that I can sustain a meditative
relationship with the esoteric material of the class? Am I able and
willing to work with my sisters and brothers, as members of the
School, independent of personal sympathies and antipathies? Am I, in
other words, ready to put my own karmic house in order and strive for
objectivity and a genuine openness toward those with whom I am
joining? These self-directed questions are summed up in this basic
question: Am I ready, able, and willing to represent anthroposophy in
an undogmatic, unsectarian, honest, and unambiguous way? And, beyond
this, am I prepared to share through my own work and experience in
the task of research, even though I may be far from having achieved
supersensible perception?
If one answers these questions with an honestly positive confidence
that one is ready to become an active member, the next step is to
seek out a representative of the School and discuss the matter
openly. If you do not know an authorized representative of the
School, the Society�s national office staff can give you the name of
a qualified individual. If you find yourself confirmed in your sense
that joining the School is the right step for you at this time and
the reporesentative of the School with whom you have spoken also
supports and confirms your intention, the next step is simple. You
write a letter, addressed to the Chairman of the Executive Council at
the Goetheanum in Dornach, stating how long you have been a member of
the Society, your immediate life situation, and your reasons for
wishing to enter the School. You then give this letter to the
authorized representative with whom you have spoken, and she or he
will forward your letter to Dornach with an endorsement based on the
personal relationship that has been achieved between you. The final
decision rests with the
Executive Council. Assuming your application is accepted, a
membership card in the School and the first class is then issued by
the Goetheanum.
As a member of the School, you are then eligible to join a Section in
whose work you are actively involved. The different Sections have
somewhat different procedures for joining, and again the Society�s
office can help identify a Section representative whom you can
consult. The sections represented in North America have recently come
together as a working group, known as the Collegium. The current
sections and their respective leaders in North America are listed
below. Also included is a list of the sections and their leaders at
the Goetheanum in Dornach.
NOTES:
Paragraph 1 of the Statutes of the General Anthroposophical Society
How to Know Higher Worlds: A Modern Path of Initiation (Hudson, NY:
Anthroposophic Press, 1994).
The Foundation Stone: The Life, Nature, and Cultivation of
Anthroposophy ( London: Rudolf Steiner Press, 1996); The Constitution
of the School of Spiritual Science, (London: Anthroposophical Society
in Great Britain, 1980).
Collegium of North America and General Anthroposophical Society
Section Leaders
Back to Top
End<{{{
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Forwarded as information only; no endorsement to be presumed
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material
is distributed without charge or profit to those who have
expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information
for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking
new landscapes but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe
simply because it has been handed down for many generations. Do not
believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do
not believe in anything simply because it is written in Holy Scriptures. Do not
believe in anything merely on the authority of Teachers, elders or wise men.
Believe only after careful observation and analysis, when you find that it
agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all.
Then accept it and live up to it."
The Buddha on Belief, from the Kalama Sutta
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
A merely fallen enemy may rise again, but the reconciled
one is truly vanquished. -Johann Christoph Schiller,
German Writer (1759-1805)
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that
prevents us from living freely and nobly. -Bertrand Russell
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
"Everyone has the right...to seek, receive and impart
information and ideas through any media and regardless
of frontiers."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will
teach you to keep your mouth shut."
--- Ernest Hemingway
<A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A>
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic
screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are
sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis-
directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with
major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought.
That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and
always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no
credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html
<A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of
[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A>
http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
<A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A>
========================================================================
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
