In the architecture of Rudolf Steiner’s great cosmological temple, this extraordinary course of lectures on spiritual beings forms the central pillar, taking its place with other important texts such as the fourth chapter of An Outline of Esoteric Science (CW 13); The Spiritual Hierarchies and the Physical World (CW 136); and Inner Experiences of Evolution (CW 132). These works outline a revolutionary angelological cosmology and lie at the heart of Steiner’s mission to transform our understanding of the world by offering a new, non-dual, phenomenological path to a contemporary divine-spiritual-physical cosmology that is angelological and theophanic. Steiner’s approach is “contemporary” in that, being continuous with the most ancient understanding of the cosmos, he also discovers it for himself, through his own experience and consciousness, and expresses it in his own words with a logic and language appropriate to our time. Thus, he teaches us, his readers, to do the same. According to Rudolf Steiner, the world is made up of “beings.” This includes the very ground of the world itself, the “Father being.” His cosmology or angelology is personal, and it is known in relationship. Therefore, he presents it in terms of conditions and acts of consciousness and in relation to the divine spiritual beings whose conditions and activities they are. The spiritual world is always a world of beings. The twin realizations go together—that “I am an ‘I’” and that “reality is comprised of other “I” beings. Cosmology is angelology. Spiritual beings define all experience of reality.

10 lectures, Helsinki, April. 3-14, 1912 (CW 136) In the architecture of Rudolf Steiner's great cosmological temple, this extraordinary course of lectures on spiritual beings forms the central pillar with other important texts such as the fourth chapter of An Outline of Esoteric Science (CW 13); The Spiritual Hierarchies and the Physical World (CW 136); and Inner Experiences of Evolution (CW 132). These works--outlining a revolutionary angelological cosmology--are at the heart of Steiner's mission to transform our understanding of the world by laying down a new, non-dual, phenomenological path to a contemporary divine-spiritual-physical cosmology that is angelological and theophanic. For Steiner, what constitutes the world are "beings"--including the ground of the world itself, the "Father being." Steiner's cosmology or angelology is personal, and it is known in relationship; therefore, he presents it in terms of states and deeds of conscious, and of the divine-spiritual beings whose states and deeds they are. The spiritual world is thus always a world of beings. The twin realizations--I am an "I" being and reality is constituted of other "I" beings--go together. Cosmology is angelology. Spiritual beings define experience of the nature of reality. In these lectures, the reader is led through a series of meditations to recognize these spiritual beings and come to know their deeds. Steiner's approach is "contemporary" in that, while continuous with the most ancient understanding of the cosmos, he discovers it for himself, out of his own experience and consciousness, and expresses it in his own words with a logic and language appropriate to our time. Thus he teaches us, his readers, to do the same. In these lectures, the reader is led through a series of meditations to recognize and come to know the activities and beings of the nine angelic hierarchies: seraphim (Spirits of Love) cherubim (Spirits of Harmony) thrones (Spirits of Will) dominions (Spirits of Wisdom) virtues (Spirits of Movement) powers (Spirits of Form) principalities (Spirits of Personality) archangels (Spirits of Fire) angels (Sons of Life) Steiner's achievement in these lectures, as Valentin Tomberg said, "cannot be compared with the accomplishment of any contemporary seer or thinker, or with any of the Middle Ages or antiquity. It towers over them." This book is a translation from German of the book Die geistigen Wesenheited in den Himmelsk rpern und Naturreichen (GA 136). Translator unknown; original translation revised by Marsha Post.

Based on knowledge attained through his highly-trained clairvoyance, Rudolf Steiner contends that folk traditions regarding nature spirits are based on spiritual reality. He describes how people possessed a natural spiritual vision in ancient times, enabling them to commune with nature spirits. These entities - which are also referred to as elemental beings - became immortalised as fairies and gnomes in myth, legend and children's stories. Today, says Steiner, the instinctive understanding that humanity once had for these elemental beings should be transformed into clear scientific knowledge. He even asserts that humanity will not be able to reconnect with the spiritual world if it cannot develop a new relationship to the elementals. The nature spirits themselves want to be of great assistance to us, acting as 'emissaries of higher divine spiritual beings'.

How can the West rediscover its authentic spirit? Exploring the period from 1899 to 1945 – from the end of the US frontier and the writing of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to the conclusion of World War II and the dropping of the atom bomb – Luigi Morelli traces the events that led the United States to become the world’s dominating imperial force. America, he demonstrates, is deeply connected to Britain, Germany and Eastern Europe, particularly Russia. Yet despite their tragic collective histories, there is hope for the future – if only America can claim its true task. Searching for the Spirit of the West challenges many of the falsehoods that pass for mainstream history. Utilizing a wealth of documented evidence from the research of overlooked historians, economists, social and spiritual thinkers, the author takes a symptomatic view of the past, revealing hidden, longer-term trends. This approach offers a new understanding of events such as the rise of Nazism, the Great Depression, the new Deal, and even the roles of banking and clandestine ‘brotherhoods’ in world history. Morelli also appraises The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in parallel with America’s cultural achievements. Through imagination, L. Frank Baum’s contemporary fairy-tale enables us to intuit the true mission of the West and its potential contribution to world culture, now and in the future.

In this third volume in The Actor of the Future series, Dawn Langman continues to explore the integration of Steiner’s research into speech, drama and eurythmy with Michael Chekhov’s acting methodology. Her advanced applications of all the basic processes allow the art of the actor and speaker to evolve beyond the ‘soul and body’ paradigm – still broadly accepted in contemporary culture – to include dimensions of the spirit. The book contains a seminal analysis of comedy and tragedy, showing how an understanding of their esoteric roots – sprung from the Eleusis mysteries of ancient Greece – deepen our appreciation and our ability to implement the practical suggestions made by Steiner and Chekhov to differentiate the fundamental styles. A comprehensive exploration of the vowels in relation to planetary beings lays the foundation for many layers of artistic deepening and application. ‘Dawn Langman gifts us with yet another magnificent contribution to her book series developing an integrated acting technique based on the indications of Rudolf Steiner and Michael Chekhov, in which actors become the work of art. Venturing even further into the deeper alchemical mysteries of the work, Langman leads us into an imagination of future theatre that includes a genuine experience of the I AM, the origin of comedy and tragedy, Dante’s Paradiso as example of how we can experience the planetary spheres in word and gesture, and much more, inspiring the unfoldment of actors of the future.’ – Dr Jane Gilmer, actress and teacher, author of The Alchemical Actor (2021) and former Assistant Professor of Drama, VPA, National Institute of Education, Singapore ‘In this present volume, Dawn Langman continues her in-depth exploration of the integration of Michael Chekhov’s system of psycho-physical awareness with Rudolf Steiner’s indications for creative speech and eurythmy. In so doing, she genuinely models both teachers’ emphasis on experimentation and exploration absent the dogmatism sometimes associated with such work. The careful, conscious communication of her own advanced exercises created to develop this new methodology will be most effective when worked in conjunction with her previous books, The Art of Acting, The Art of Speech and The Actor of the Future, Vols. 1 & 2. Taken as a whole, Langman reveals the degree of empathy and responsiveness possible not only between human beings, but with all the manifold community of beings “between earth and heaven.”’ – Dr Diane Carracciolo, Associate Professor of Educational Theatre, Adelphi University, USA

"We live today at a time when the full mystery of the Resurrection body can become manifest to human beings out of the inspirations of Michael.... This was accomplished by Rudolf Steiner not just in a theoretical sense but also practically, and came about through the establishing of a path, accessible to all human beings, which leads to a union with the forces of the Resurrection body." Sergei Prokofieff approaches the deepest mysteries of the Turning Point of Time (the Christ event) through Rudolf Steiner's spiritual research. At its heart stands the question of the restoration of the "phantom" of the physical body and its transformation into the resurrected body of Christ through the Mystery of Golgotha. The author draws a broad and differentiated picture of the tasks and possibilities that the Easter event--as well as Ascension and Pentecost--present, both for the individual and humanity. The final chapter considers the mystery of Easter Saturday, through which the two polar aspects of the Mystery of Golgotha--death and resurrection--interconnect, also explaining the relationship between the Earth Spirit and the interior of the Earth. An appendix tackles the phenomenon of stigmatization from a spiritual-scientific perspective.