Steiner focuses here on spiritual events as causes of transformations in human consciousness as well as outer historical events. He also sheds light on a variety of other topics, such as speech, experiences during sleep, and the future tasks of humanity.

‘Did Rudolf Steiner dream these things? Did he dream them as they once occurred, at the beginning of all time? They are, for sure, far more astonishing than the demiurges and serpents and bulls found in other cosmogonies.’ – Jorge Luis Borges Rudolf Steiner, founder of anthroposophy, recorded his view of the world in many books, but also in over 5,000 lectures. Through the latter medium particularly, he explained his ideas on a wide range of subjects, including education, science, the social question, art, architecture, medicine and agriculture. Steiner spoke freely, using only minimal notes. But when explaining conceptually difficult subject matter, he frequently resorted to illustrating what he was saying with coloured chalks on a large blackboard. After the lecture the drawings were rubbed out and thus irretrievably lost – but not in every case. From the autumn of 1919, thick black paper was used to cover the blackboards, so that the drawings could be rolled up and stored. The trustees of Rudolf Steiner’s estate in Dornach, Switzerland, possess over 1,000 of these drawings, which visually document Steiner’s view of the world and his creative way of thinking. A selection of the drawings was first shown to a wider public in 1992. Since then, numerous exhibitions in Europe, America and Japan have generated great interest in Rudolf Steiner’s work. WALTER KUGLER, born in 1948, began working in the Archive of the Trustees of Rudolf Steiner’s Estate in 1982 as one of the editors of the Complete Works.

Carlo Pietzner speaks, out of his own ego-directed, inner experiences, about several motifs inherent to inner striving: the problem of self in relationship to the world, the disintegration of the three soul forces, the transition from sense perception to spiritual perception, the reality of evil, the condition of loneliness, and more.

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.

With the unprecedented global conflict of the First World War as an overarching theme, Rudolf Steiner addresses timeless issues such as the search for harmony between peoples and nations, the development of the human capacity for love, the contemporary presence of Christ, and the questions of reincarnation and life after death. Speaking in the German city of Stuttgart during and after the war years, Steiner discusses the perpetual tension between East and West – particularly in relation to Europe. The war, he says, arose principally out of the Anglo-Saxon peoples' determination 'to exercise world-domination'. Knowing that Slavic culture is destined to be the precursor of the sixth cultural epoch, Western national interests resolved to make Eastern Europe – specifically Russia – 'the field for socialist experiments'. These events were aggravated by the failure of the Central European peoples in their own world-historical task, to 'rise to a broad sense of vision' as intermediaries between the two groups. Throughout, Steiner refers to the work of individual Folk Souls, but distinguishes them from the scourge of nationalism – especially when it is based on blood – whilst emphasizing the sovereignty of the individual human being. Although more than a century old, the enduring themes of these previously-untranslated lectures will resonate with many readers today. The main text is supplemented with an introduction by Simon Blaxland-de Lange, editorial notes and an index. Sixteen lectures, Stuttgart, Sept. 1914–March 1921, GA 174b

One hundred years after Rudolf Steiner presented his lectures on agriculture in 1924, the impact of his words are self-evident. Around the world, biodynamic principles are practised in thousands of thriving farms, vineyards and gardens, and Demeter certification for biodynamic produce is recognized internationally as a mark of quality. Speaking to a modest audience of farmers in a village in modern-day Poland, Steiner launched the first organic agricultural movement. But what has come to be known as ‘biodynamics’ is distinguished by many unique aspects, including the use of herbal and mineral ‘preparations’ (which serve as dynamizing applications for compost and field sprays) and the concept of the farm or garden as a single living organism, encompassing animals, crops, soil and community. This definitive, centenary edition of the influential Agriculture Course has been reedited from primary sources to be as faithful as possible to Steiner’s original meaning. Shorthand reports have been freshly transcribed, archival discoveries added, and fresh commentary and notes inserted. In addition to the original eight lectures and four discussions, this volume features a wealth of new texts, including notes, addresses and resolutions relating to the Experimental Circle – founded contemporaneously to bridge research and practice – comprehensive facsimiles of Rudolf Steiner’s preparatory notes for the course; original programmes and attendee lists; questions sent in advance; written and verbal reports by Steiner, including his address to young people; photos of Koberwitz, and high-quality colour plates of his original blackboard drawings. Eight lectures, four question-and-answer sessions, Koberwitz, June 1924, GA 327

In our materialistic and skeptical age, it can be difficult to take seriously the existence of real spiritual beings. Nevertheless, countless individuals -- from the historic founders of religions to those who have been through near-death experiences -- have spoken of beings of Light, such as Angels and Archangels, and 'evil' beings, spirits of darkness.The author, basing his work on Rudolf Steiner's teachings, presents an epic picture of the forces of 'good' and 'evil' -- a battle of cosmic dimensions in which we are all intimately involved. He clarifies the pivotal role of the Archangel Michael, the 'Guardian of Cosmic Intelligence, ' who fights to hold the balance between the key powers of evil in our time -- Lucifer and Ahriman -- and describes other members of the evil hierarchies. He also discusses the biblical Apocalypse of St. John, the Mexican Mysteries, and much else.This book is an essential guide to meeting the challenge of evil at the new millennium.

Do you need a source of hope for the future? Do you wonder about the hidden, metaphysical causes of crises today? Is there a link between human thought, collective karma and world events such as natural disasters? This groundbreaking book will reveal many of these secrets, including the invisible government, the divine guidance behind America's founding and the soul of each nation. It will give you spiritual tools to create a better world. You’ll find many practical examples of a new evolutionary politics today and innovative public policies –even in Washington D.C.! “A fascinating and involving study of the cosmic, karmic and etheric dimensions of politics, world affairs and current events… Information-intensive and chock full of empowering suggestions, intriguing stories and uplifting examples of how individuals and groups can make an impact, this thought-provoking assemblage is an enriching, mind-opening book for seekers of spiritual wisdom and political solutions.” —Publishers Weekly

‘There is a physical world, which we all accept as real, but there is also a spiritual world, which interpenetrates this material world and is its cause and foundation. Between these two worlds exists a threshold that can be felt, seen clairvoyantly, traversed and passed through by anyone with a real desire to do so... At this threshold there is a guardian, whose task is to stop humans from passing across it unprepared...’ – From the Introduction Based on first-hand knowledge, Are Thoresen offers insights into the meaning of the threshold to the spiritual world. He describes his own experiences in encountering this threshold and going beyond it. But there are many thresholds to the spiritual world, he says, and many ways to pass them – as there are many aspects to the ‘guardian of the threshold’ and versions of the so-called ‘animals at the threshold’. The worlds beyond, too, have a variety of different constructions – or, as the Bible says: ‘In my Father’s house are many mansions’. The author describes the methods and techniques for opening the spiritual sense organs required to cross the threshold, and clarifies the differences between Imagination (seeing spiritual ‘pictures’), Inspiration (understanding those pictures) and Intuition (living ‘inside’ the spiritual reality). Structuring the book on his own biography, Thoresen conveys many of the lessons he has learnt through decades of familiarity with the invisible dimensions. However, he warns that there is only one good reason to attempt to cross the threshold, and that is to serve God and humanity in the name of love. If we do it out of curiosity, or to enhance our personal development, it would be better not to try.