A series of essays covering a wide spectrum of knowledge and experience, whose underlying theme is to show how our daily lives can be made a training ground for adepthood. It explains the different kinds of meditation and how to find the right esoteric teachers. Essays on the Tree of Life explain the evolution of modern esoteric Qabalah and how it has evolved from an image of God to a map of the created universe. A careful elucidation of the philosophy of Coleridge, and its relevance for today, is followed by a chapter on bridging the gap between psychology and occultism, with examples from the life of Dion Fortune and the 'ghost' of her Sea Priestess. Written by one of the world's foremost experts on Western Esoteric Traditions, this book is full of wisdom and insights that will help readers apply spiritual, magical and Qabalistic principles to their everyday life.

Selected from material given by Rudolf Steiner to members of his Esoteric School (1904-14), this volume features exercises, meditations and practices for spiritual self-development. In contrast to oriental methods of spiritual training, they derive from the western, Rosicrucian stream and are fully adapted to modern consciousness.Various exercises are given - for morning and evening, for the days of the week and the months of the year. In addition, there is much explanatory material to deepen and enhance meditative work, including several articles on the path of inner development and the obstacles to be faced on the way to attaining true consciousness of the self.This enlarged edition contains further clarification of the exercises, descriptions of the future evolution of the world and humanity, plus later advice given by Steiner on the nature of breathing exercises and ancient and modern methods of initiation.

Four of Rudolf Steiner's best-loved lectures are collected in this book. They are some of the most accessible presentations of the anthroposophic approach to life available in English. Included are: Practical Training in Thought Overcoming Nervousness Facing Karma The Four Temperaments The first lecture concerns the fundamental human activity of thinking. Everything we do, we do through thinking. The first task, then, is to realize the reality of thinking. To help us do this, Steiner gives exercises that will allow us to experience the cognitive, even clairvoyant, power of thinking. In "Overcoming Nervousness," Steiner shows us how exercises in thinking also give us the calm centered sense needed to lead purposeful, healthy lives. "Facing Karma" takes us to the heart of life, where we experience suffering and happiness. The law of karma that determines life's experiences and encounters also helps us develop the self-knowledge required for self-transformation. Finally, "The Four Temperaments" show us how the union of hereditary factors and our own inner spiritual nature shape our psychology. The guide here is the ancient classifications of sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic, and melancholic. Renewed understanding of these allows us to develop a truly modern spiritual psychology, which is the basis of all real inner development. With its many practical exercises, mantras, and meditations, this book is a fundamental introduction for anyone beginning or needing encouragement along the path of inner development.

Knowledge Of the Higher Worlds And Its Attainment By Rudolf Steiner Originally published in 1938. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Obscure Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. Contents include: How is Knowledge of the Higher World Attained? - The Stages of Initiation - Some Practical Aspects - The conditions of Esoteric Training - Some Results of Initiation - The Transformation of Dream Life, The Continuity of Consciousness - The Partition of Human Personality During Spiritual Training - The Guardian of the Threshold, The Great or Second Guardian of the Threshold

This collection gathers a sequence of statements by Rudolf Steiner on how to develop the faculties of higher, or 'suprasensory,' knowing Imagination, Inspiration, and Intuition.

"Contemplative practice means, among other things, becoming practiced in solitude. This does not mean brooding or self-indulgent musing, but instead practicing a special form of recollection of the past, mindfulness for the present, and envisioning of the future in a manner that is enlivening, clear, and insightful. We learn to be properly solitary, and to carry the depth of our solitude into the world with grace and selflessness." -- Arthur Zajonc When we turn to meditation, we are turning toward renewal, peace, and insight. Initially, we may take up contemplative practice as a means of tapping into the abundant resources of the mind and heart that bring serenity, but the meditative journey leads further--to the place where wisdom and love unite. In Meditation as Contemplative Inquiry, Arthur Zajonc offers an overview of the meditative life, weaving practical instruction together with the guidance and inspiration of the world's great teachers, from Rudolf Steiner to Rumi, and from Goethe to the sages of Asia. Zajonc reminds us that an ethic of humility grounds all practice, and that care of the soul is the basis for sound spiritual reflection and understanding. The author carefully describes each stage of the path and includes many recommended practices. Meditation as Contemplative Inquiry is the fruit of many years of personal practice and teaching. Arthur Zajonc developed his orientation toward meditation through working with hundreds of university students and professors, as well as with contemplative groups in the U.S., Europe, and Australia.

The seer and teacher Rudolf Steiner advised that specific 'accompanying' or 'fundamental' spiritual exercises should always be carried out in conjunction with meditation. While meditation is the foundation of any spiritual path of development, it can pose dangers to normal consciousness. These exercises offer a protection, by helping to develop inner certainty and strength. This is achieved, for example, through the first exercise by concentrating and intensifying the powers of thinking, through the second by developing the control of the will, through the third by mastering the outer expressions of the life of feeling, and so on. Florin Lowndes describes the fundamental exercises in thorough detail, giving suggestions as to how they may be carried out. He also relates an important and hidden aspect - that the exercises embody the means for developing and strengthening organic and 'living' thinking, which is intimately related to the enlivening of a new organ of perception: the heart chakra or lotus. Lowndes casts new light on many aspects of this question, and offers encouragement and stimulus to those seeking a modern path of spiritual development. FLORIN LOWNDES was born in Romania in 1938 and had an international career in architectural art and design. In 1970 he emigrated to the United States, where he taught at college level and in Steiner Waldorf schools. Since 1971 he has been engaged in the study of anthroposophy, and has written many articles for journals on related questions. He co-authored The Human Life, and founded the Center of Heart-Thinking in Boston. At present he leads training seminars in the United States and throughout Europe.

The spirit is very near. Only turn, ask, and listen. When her first book of guidance, Turning, was published anonymously in 1994, many readers responded gratefully to its message. It quickly became one of those "secret" books of consolation that is passed from heart to heart. In Becoming, a treasury of meditations "received in the soul," Claire Blatchford leads us more deeply into a way of spiritual trust and confidence and will be a further source of growth and renewal for many in times of need. Becoming is a wonderful gift for yourself or for a friend in need of inspiration and courage in life.

The long-awaited magical autobiography of Gareth Knight covers a long career in pursuit of the Mysteries, from the adventures of New Dimensions magazine to the calling of King Arthur, from the rituals of Sherwood Forest to the Somme, from the wrath of fellow ritual magicians to the shining allure of Faery.

10 lectures at The Hague, March 20-29, 1913 (CW 145) Address in Berlin, February 3, 1913 "The future of spiritual esoteric movements such as ours will depend more and more upon the realization that human spiritual development is necessary. Whoever rejects or is hostile toward spiritual development will thus have identified with what is no longer useful on Earth, with what is withered and shriveled, and will have abandoned cosmic evolution as willed by the gods." --Rudolf Steiner On February 3, 1913, the first General Meeting of the newly formed Anthroposophical Society was convened in Berlin. Six weeks later, in Holland, Rudolf Steiner spoke for the first time to an anthroposophic audience in a detailed, intimate way about individual esoteric training and the subtle effects of spiritual development on every level of one's being. Beginning with questions regarding the body's experience of food and drink --meat, coffee, alcohol, and so on --he lays out the progression of anthroposophic spiritual inner work, up to direct perception of "Paradise" and the Holy Grail. He discusses the role of human beings in our evolution that takes place between the forces of Lucifer and Ahriman. Included is Steiner's important lecture "The Being of Anthroposophy," which this volume introduces to the English-speaking world. This edition also includes Steiner's "introductory words," previously available only as an unpublished German typescript. The Effects of Esoteric Development is a translation from the German of Welche Bedeutung hat die okkulte Entwicklung des Menschen für seine Hüllen --physischen Leib, Ätherleib, Astralleib --und sein Selbst? (GA 145).