Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner started the spiritual movement Anthroposophy in which humans are central. It held that everyone possesses a soul which would find a place in the cosmos and astral dimensions inhabited by spiritual beings.

Starting as a Theosophist, he held many beliefs in common with Blavatsky’s movement.

He held that humans consist of seven interrelated components visible to clairvoyants through astral light – auras. That we get purified of earthly passions in the afterlife. And interestingly, he believed that there were two Jesus figures simultaneously on earth.

Steiner developed education to train people to engage with others and themselves.

Summary

Rudolf Steiner was one of those spiritual seekers who tried to answer the big existential questions in life… What is human nature? What is the universe made of? and What happens to us after we die? Heavily inspired by Theosophy, he presents his unique answers to these questions with the movement he created, called Anthroposophy – meaning knowledge of the human – which differs from Theosophy, where the focus, at least in its name, is on the divine.

Explore with me Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy and what Anthroposophy is all about, including its Christian esoteric spin, by watching this episode!

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Austrian philosopher, social reformer, architect, and esotericist Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925). To most people, he will always be known as the man who started the spiritual movement known as Anthroposophy, which seeks to improve both humanity and the cosmos through a more holistic understanding of both.

In the early 20th century, Rudolf Steiner established the spiritual philosophy known as Anthroposophy. The central tenet of this worldview is the belief that each person possesses an immortal soul and that, through introspection and growth, we can better comprehend the true nature of things and our place in the cosmos. According to Anthroposophy, there are other dimensions of reality beyond the ones we can perceive with our five senses, inhabited by spiritual beings. Steiner theorised that we can expand our minds’ receptive and explanatory capacities to learn more about the universe and ourselves by tapping into higher spiritual dimensions. Anthroposophy is a philosophy that considers a wide variety of disciplines and social issues. Many people classify it as a subset of esoteric spirituality, and those who practise it see it as a means to enlightenment. Waldorf education, biodynamic farming, and anthroposophical medicine are just a few of the many endeavours and institutions that have drawn inspiration from Anthroposophy.

In his role as General Secretary of the German Theosophical Society from 1902 to 1913, Rudolf Steiner had the opportunity to study under Mrs Besant, President of the General Theosophical Society.

He also spoke highly of Mme. Blavatsky, the founder of the Theosophical Society, during this time. Still, he maintained that he did not voluntarily leave the Theosophical Society when he and the majority of German members were expelled from the organisation over their disagreements with Mrs Besant and her co-operator, Mr Leadbeater, on the issue of the “returning Christ.” Steiner’s anthroposophical beliefs certainly sound a lot like theosophy, despite his protestations to the contrary. They certainly share a similar “path” to enlightenment.

Dr Steiner recommends preliminary exercises for novices, to refine their perceptions and emotions in preparation for the work ahead. For example, they need to be able to work out specific mathematical puzzles, fine-tune their observational skills, cultivate an appreciation for aesthetics, increase their empathy for other human beings and so on. They then need to develop a sense of devotion within themselves through focused thought and meditation on specific topics, including aspects of the anthroposophical system that we will cover shortly.

The theosophical teachers also advocate for this sort of self-discipline, and in fact, Mrs Besant’s claims that Dr Steiner’s path leads not to a hazy understanding but rather to a clear comprehension mirror the ones found in theosophical teachings. Theosophy and Anthroposophy agree that a human being has not just three; body, soul, and spirit but seven interrelated components:

1 – The body is made up of three layers: the physical, the ethereal, and the astral, all of which need to be described in some detail. The ethereal body is also known as the “vital body” because it is what gives form and life to the physical body. Just as a person’s physical form belongs to the mineral kingdom, so does the astral form belong to the realms of plants and animals. Whilst the animal’s ethereal body is made up solely of its ability to grow and reproduce, a human’s ethereal body carries with it the imprints of one’s personality, character, and memories. The astral body, on the other hand, is not only the carrier of instincts and passions but is also sometimes referred to as the “body of the soul” (Seelenleib) or the “body of the sensations” (Empfindungsleib). Human beings, animals, and plants all share an ethereal body, but only humans and other mammals have an astral body. Although the astral body appears at puberty, the ethereal one is not born or set free until the time of the second set of teeth coming in.

2 – The soul consists of the sensational, intellectual, and conscious soul. The sensational soul is identical to the body of sensations, and the conscious soul with the first part of the spirit. Thus, the only part of the soul that is actually concerned with the external world is the intellectual soul, from which all other soul parts derive. Another name for it is the “I-body.” (Ichleib).

3 – The spirit consists of the spirit itself (Geistselbst), the spirit of life (Lebensgeist) and the spirit-man (Geistmensch). Buddhi, Atma and Manas are Indian names that have different meanings in Sanskrit, yet Steiner uses them in the same way that Blavatsky and Besant did in association with this tripartite spirit. Humanity experiences the world of the true, the good, and the beautiful through these three aspects of the spirit. The spirit, however, like the soul, is found only in human beings.

All these aspects of human beings, not just the physical body, are visible to the clairvoyant, according to Theosophy and Anthroposophy, though, of course not with the physical eyes. The astral body is shaped like an egg and contains spinning wheels and lotus flowers with varying numbers of petals and colours; the ethereal body encloses the physical one and has the colour of a peach blossom; and the astral body encloses both of these bodies. The “aura” of a person’s other attributes is described similarly.

What Dr Steiner thinks he’s read in the Akasha record, however, is even more incredible. Blavatsky first put forth the concept of the Akashic records, which is derived from the Sanskrit word for ether – Akasha.

She believed that anyone interested could gain insight into, not only the past but also the potential future, of the world and of humanity by studying this “memory of the world” or “memory of God” archives that Besant and Leadbeater revealed. There were many secrets of the Akasha chronicle that Mrs Besant and Mr Leadbeater revealed and Steiner merely finished what they had begun.

A sevenfold man is postulated in both Theosophy and Anthroposophy. It is also taught that seven epochs, or ages, and seven nations can be distinguished across all worlds and throughout all times. The number seven is considered to be a sacred number by which everything is ordered. So, for instance, the seven planets represent the seven continents of the world. These, in turn, correspond to the aforementioned components of the human body. Thus, in the Saturn state, the world was made up entirely of heat, just like the physical body of human beings, which is, therefore as old as the world itself. The next phase, known as the Sun State, was when humans first received their ethereal bodies and fell into a deep, dreamless slumber. While in the moon phase, humans dreamed and augmented their physical body with an astral one. We have developed to the point of objective consciousness now, in the era of the earth state, with our “I-body.”

The “spirit itself,” “spirit of life,” and “spirit man” in every person will flourish in the final three states of Jupiter, Venus, and Vulcan. When that time comes, human beings will be able to operate from a place of intuitive knowing, filled with visions and inspiration. Spirits, whose names are derived from both the Bible and modern culture, are responsible for all these transformations.

The Earth Ages repeat themselves every seven years. Following the extinction of the ancient cultures of the Polar, Hyperborean, Lemurian, and Atlantic regions, we have entered the Aryan Age, or more specifically, the Age of the Germanic Nation, which follows the eras of the Ancient Indian, Ancient Persian, Egyptian, Assyrian, and Chaldean civilisations as well as the Classical Greek and Roman civilisations.

Let’s now explore Steiner’s views on the afterlife.

Steiner thinks that after death, people will recall their entire lives or see them play out before them in a series of images. At each stage of his journey through the World of Souls, the person is cleansed of a different set of earthly desires and passions: in the first, of the sensual appetite; in the second, of superficial vanity; in the third, of “desiring nature:” in the fourth, of one’s “addiction to bodiliness;” in the fifth, of sensual wants of a higher nature; in the sixth, of the sensual eagerness to accomplish great deeds; and in the seventh, of their “last inclinations for the sensual-physical world.” All this cleansing causes excruciating pain, so the journey through the afterlife is similar to purgatory in the Catholic religion.

But then there’s more exploring to be done, this time in the land of spirits, which is itself segmented into seven regions. In the first area, a person can work on deepening their connections to loved ones so as to fulfil karmic obligations to them in the afterlife. The second region is where religious and moral leaders of the future are nurtured and where a strong sense of community is fostered. In the third region, those who do the best for humanity do their best to learn and grow. The fourth region is dedicated to enhancing culture; it is the source of inspiration for creatives, intellectuals, and innovators. The fifth region is the world of goals and aspirations, where past lives are recalled, and the future is envisioned. The understanding of “divine wisdom” and “the great ‘Why’ of being” comes in the sixth and seventh regions; it is from these places that the future rulers of humanity will emerge.

Rudolf Steiner, unlike former theosophists, claims that Christ is “the ruler of the sun,” the power behind the aforementioned spirits, and the one who ultimately decides the course of human history. With increasing clarity, he makes his appearance on Earth, though in a different form than anyone had anticipated. Two different Jesuses—the Solomonian and the Nathaniel—are born to two different sets of parents, meaning 2 Josephs and 2 Marys. Both merge in their twelfth year, which is why Jesus’s parents in Jerusalem’s temple couldn’t understand his parable. They break up again when they’re 30 years old, but the death of the Nathaniel Jesus, with whom the great Christ-I united itself at his baptism, has another unprecedented effect. His blood soaks into the ground, or the earth’s “aura,” and reaches the souls of human beings so that they may come to know and understand Christ, especially since the advent of modern occultism in the year I250.

Steiner has studied Gnosticism and Manichaeism extensively, two philosophical schools whose ideas are echoed here. Matthew and Luke both include genealogies that trace Jesus’ lineage back to David, but in Matthew, Jesus is traced back to David via Solomon, and in Luke, Jesus is traced back to David via Nathan. Steiner here, as well as in other aspects of his anthroposophical view, is trying to establish a new “mystic” or “esoteric” interpretation of Christianity by providing creative interpretations of elements of the Christian doctrine. And perhaps claiming to have discovered hidden secrets about it.

Another example is Dr Steiner’s interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer, in which he equates the seven petitions with the seven parts of human beings. Now in order to better understand Steiner’s view we have to clarify the emphasis here is not the study of the religion or the ethical views per se but the study of these things and their psychological and cosmological impact on human beings. That’s why it is called Anthroposophy – knowledge of man and not Theosophy – knowledge of the divine. Because here the emphasis is the significance and the type of change and the type of meaning that certain knowledge and certain interpretations have as effects on the human being.

So, for instance, the moral exercises he recommends are just a means to an end and it seems that Anthroposophy doesn’t particularly concern itself with conceptualising a distinction between religion, ethics and clairvoyance; all elements that Anthroposophy talks about, but always in relation to the human being, to the knowledge of the human being and the type of effects that certain knowledge, certain interpretations, even creative interpretations can have on the human being and our exploration of our own role in the world, in life, in relation to ourselves and in relation to others.

So this is it for today’s episode. What is the concept in Anthroposophy that shocked you or surprised you the most? Let me know in the comment section.

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REFERENCES

Carlson, M. 2016. No Religion Higher Than Truth [Online]. Princeton University Press. [Accessed 28 September 2022]. Available from: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691636337/no-religion-higher-than-truth.

Clemen, C. 1924. Anthroposophy. The Journal of Religion. 4(3), pp.281–292.

First uploaded 19 Feb 2023