The nineteenth and twentieth centuries were significant in the history of mankind. For some hundred years, a person has significantly advanced in his development. This applies to absolutely all spheres of life, but the spiritual world of man caused particular interest among philosophers and scientists. During this period, various mystical teachings and schools of self-knowledge were actively formed, in which the human essence was considered as a combination of several equivalent components. Some teachings very quickly lost their popularity, while others were able to organically enter the life of society and radically change it. One of the most prominent representatives of the past century is Rudolf Steiner, whose biography is filled with the most incredible events and signs of fate. This man, during his lifetime, caused an ambiguous assessment of his contemporaries, so in the article we will not give an assessment of his activities, but simply tell about this extraordinary scientist who tried to change the whole world.
Rudolf Steiner: biography. Briefly about the main thing
The future genius was born in Austria, in the small town of Kraljevic, in February 1861 in a simple working family. In connection with the activities of his father, Rudolf Steiner often moved from city to city and managed to travel almost the whole country in his early childhood.
The boy studied very well, he was surprisingly quick-witted, and his parents sent the child to the Vienna Polytechnic School, where he received a very extensive education. Young Rudolph enjoyed studying science, religion, philosophy and history. Around the same period, he became interested in Goethe's works, which had a great influence on his entire subsequent life.
From early childhood, the boy discovered the psychic abilities and saw in them a huge gift from above, which must be developed and used for the benefit of people. Rudolf Steiner hid his abilities from his parents and acquaintances until a certain time so as not to cause a flurry of negative emotions. But the young man constantly improved, independently studying philosophy, Theosophy and the occult sciences. Steiner began to put on all his research in the form of books and scientific papers, which gradually began to be published throughout Europe.
In 1891, he received a doctorate in philosophy and began working with popular magazines, hoping to interest his ideas in a wide circle of the public. Unfortunately, the teachings and theories of Steiner remained beyond the understanding and interest of ordinary people. But he begins to work closely with the Theosophists and becomes in fact the leader of their society. All this time, the scientist has been working on new books and the theory of the science of anthroposophy, designed to give a person the opportunity to know himself through various spiritual practices and open new facets of consciousness and attitude. This science becomes the main brainchild of a scientist who, until his death, was developed by Rudolf Steiner. The biography of the talented philosopher says that his labor piggy bank was replenished not only with new books on anthroposophy, but also with work in the field of educating the younger generation, astronomy, architecture and art. It is difficult to name the area of āāpublic life that this unique person would not have touched in his works. Moreover, it is worth noting that he was not a theorist, Steiner successfully put all his ideas into practice. He created several schools, designed and built buildings, and also wrote scripts and staged plays.
Rudolf Steiner often gave lectures and at the end of his life he could conduct five classes in one day. The great scientist died on March 30, 1925, leaving a large number of unfinished works and a wide circle of followers still working and living according to the Steiner system.
Of course, in order to be inspired by the ideas of a scientist, it is necessary to study at least some of his works. They will fully help to understand who Rudolf Steiner really is. A curriculum vitae is not quite what readers need. Therefore, we will try to talk about this amazing person in more detail.
Spiritual development according to Steiner
The doctor of philosophical sciences paid great attention to such a topic as self-development of a person, and Rudolf Steiner believed that each person has his own path and speed of progress along it. Do not compare yourself with others and enter into internal conflict with yourself. This interferes with enlightenment and self-knowledge, closes the channels of communication with higher powers.
Steiner has developed a large number of spiritual practices based on a combination of ancient occult sciences, world religions and philosophical movements. He was the first in history to analyze the spiritual world with the help of natural sciences and formulas. The result was a surprisingly understandable and accessible guide to enlightenment of the mind and the development of their abilities. Steiner believed that the Universe with all its knowledge constantly interacts with a person, and he needs to be included in this process in order to feel the fullness of life. Otherwise, he will all his life be in a languid expectation and search for something unbelievable. One of the first books on this subject, which was written by Rudolf Steiner, is āCognition of Supersensual Worldsā. She, of course, was not the last in this cycle, but actually opened a series of studies on the spiritual world that preceded the formation of anthroposophy.
From theosophy to anthroposophy: the world through the eyes of a genius
Over time, numerous scientific works and books became a separate doctrine of Rudolf Steiner - anthroposophy. This creator himself called this amazing current "the science of the spirit" and positioned it as a new philosophy of society. The very name of the doctrine was formed from two Greek words: "man" and "wisdom", it fits the characteristics of religious-mystical and is based on the knowledge of the spirit through thinking and a rational approach. It is worth noting that this science stood out from Theosophy, which was extremely popular in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Theosophists actively studied the Christian religion and viewed the Bible and the history of Christ from a completely new perspective. The followers of Theosophy believed that the ability to contemplate and know God reveals to man the deep meaning of all things and events surrounding him. At one time, Rudolf Steiner was very actively interested in this teaching and even was the leader of the Theosophical Society in Germany.
The theory of Theosophy itself is based on philosophy, occultism and ancient spiritual practices. Moreover, almost all theosophists were highly educated people and actively studied world history and culture. At the end of the nineteenth century, Steiner made a presentation on Nietzsche at the branch of the Theosophical Society and for the first time in his entire life felt himself understood and in demand.
From the beginning of the twentieth century, Steiner began to work actively, for a short period of time he gave more than six thousand lectures and wrote at least a dozen books. He gave himself up so that people better understand the relationship of historical events with the level of spiritual and cultural development of the individual individually and of society as a whole. The interest in the work of the scientist around the world was obvious, because it coincided with the desire of people to penetrate the essence of the universe, which no longer seemed something separate from everyday life, as religion had previously presented this issue. Man strove for self-knowledge, and nothing could stop him on this path. Almost all of Steiner's lectures were based on his personal experience and therefore were more valuable to the audience.
The founder of the company, E.P. Blavatsky, had a very high opinion of Rudolf Steiner, because their ideas on many of the main points of the doctrine coincided. But by 1913, tensions between the leaders of society and the occult philosopher had grown, they completely disagreed, and Steiner, along with his followers, left the Theosophical Society, establishing his own organization.
Anthroposophical Society
The doctrine of Rudolf Steiner, which eventually took shape almost in a new science of society and its development, began to acquire followers. After some time, the Anthroposophical Society became a kind of educational institution, where science was taught as a modified material, which allows using theory and practice to discover new talents, aspirations and goals. Steinerās influence spread to many countries of Europe, even in Russia he had followers who continued his scientific activities.
Thanks to anthroposophy, Steiner was able to push the development of pedagogy, agriculture and the arts. He created an amazing current, which allowed to change not only a person, but also his environment. And also take activities to a new level, because, according to Steiner, even nature management can have a spiritual beginning and become more effective.
Waldorf pedagogy: a brief description
Rudolf Steiner paid great attention to raising children. He believed that their small souls can receive in the process of education a much more powerful impetus for development than this is happening at the moment. The scientist began work on the creation of a pedagogical theory based on the freedom of the individual and the priority development of her talents. Steiner believed that modern schools do not take into account the spiritual component and thereby miss the most important stage in the education of the younger generation. In the end, the real pedagogical theory saw the light, expressed in the course of lectures, which Rudolf Steiner collected several years bit by bit - "Education and teaching from the knowledge of man."
In 1919, he gave hens of lectures on parenting in Waldorf, which became the basis of a whole direction in pedagogy. Waldorf schools, which opened around the world, taught according to a new methodology. Currently, teaching on the Steiner methodology is conducted in more than a thousand schools in Europe.
The basic principles of the scientistās pedagogy are the simultaneous development of the so-called āthree soulsā:
- physical;
- ethereal;
- astral.
Steiner perceived them as some entities that were born not simultaneously with a person, but at different stages of his growing up. Therefore, the approach to the development and education of the child should be based on this knowledge. Moreover, each of the entities is responsible for certain facets of a personās personality.
Waldorf schools do not have textbooks or grades; many use this technique for home schooling. Until now, scientists have been arguing about the advisability of such a system of education and do not come to a consensus. But no matter how educators relate to Steinerās teachings, no one can deny that in his theory of education there are quite a lot of rational grains that can be used in combination with other methods.
Disclosure of the essence of Christianity
It is impossible to separate Steiner's scientific works from the understanding of Christianity. The occult philosopher has always studied religion, he managed to draw a parallel between the main religious movements and deduce their common features. In addition, the scientist practically from the point of view of the natural sciences proved the reality of the events described in the Bible, but managed to give them a slightly different color. On the basis of these scientific works, the Community of Christians was created, which for a long time was not recognized by the Christian Church and now in many countries of the world it is not an official religious movement.
The most famous book on this subject, which was written by Rudolf Steiner - "The Mysteries of Antiquity and Christianity." To create this scientific work he was helped by his own abilities as a clairvoyant and contactee with spirits. As a child, the boy saw the spirit of his aunt, who suddenly died. He was able to talk to her and find out the causes of death. Surprisingly, the parents of young Rudolph did not receive any reliable information about her death at that moment. Since that time, the child developed his abilities, and his spiritual experiments were the basis of many scientific works.
The society accepted Steiner's opinions about Christianity with interest. In the nineteenth century, it was customary to reject religion under the influence of technological progress and the development of scientific thought. The occult philosopher became the first person who, through science, proved the existence of higher powers.
Space and Astrology: Perception of Robert Steiner
The space scientist has repeatedly written about space and its conquest by man. Moreover, we can say that Rudolf Steiner and astrology are inseparable concepts. Her philosopher attached great importance to the development of mankind. He believed that horoscopes should be compiled only using serious mathematical calculations, and interpret them already with the help of philosophy and historical knowledge. In this case, it would be useful, according to Steiner, to make a horoscope of the planets, then human civilization would better understand all the processes taking place on Earth and other planets.
Surprisingly, Rudolf Steiner, whose quotes about astrology were often used by various magicians and clairvoyants, had no doubt that in the foreseeable future, man would master outer space. He talked about several development paths and suggested defining the right one in which the cosmos becomes a structure friendly to people. According to Steinerās teachings, technological progress should be based on completely different technologies than it actually is. After all, it is necessary to use the energy of the Universe and a personās own biofield, and not create new machines that consume the planetās resources. Another way of development, according to the scientist, is a dead end and does not bring a person anything good, even in the case of space exploration.
Architecture and Art in Steiner
One of the creators of the new trend in nineteenth-century modernism was Rudolf Steiner. Architecture has become the sincere love of the scientist. Personally, he designed more than seventeen buildings. Three of them are recognized as monuments of the nineteenth century and are admired by architects around the world.
Steiner's most famous works are the two Goetheanums. These unusual buildings combine a theater and a school belonging to the Anthroposophical Society. The first Goetheanum was built by people from all over the world, more than eighteen different peoples erected a building that became a haven for all who strove for self-knowledge and development.
In art, Steiner left a rather vivid and significant mark. He created sculptures, wrote and staged plays, painted paintings, mainly on a wooden surface, and did not even think how much his descendants would appreciate his work.
The influence of Rudolf Steiner on the development of society
I would like to note that in his activity Steiner touched on medicine, having founded a new brand, which today successfully operates in the market of natural health-improving preparations.
At the same time, the scientist was working on a new technology for nature management; we can say that he created biodynamic farming, which does not provide for fertilizing the soil with chemicals. Steiner's developments in this area are still used by people. In America, there are many biodynamic farms that are considered as a single organism. With this approach, the productivity and productivity of agriculture increases several times.
In parallel, the scientist worked on a kind of large-scale social project, which was supposed to lead to a complete change of worldview in society. In the end, humanity had to reach a completely new level of development, promising prosperity and enlightenment.
In Russia, the ideas of the scientist were very popular. One of his followers was Peter Dynov. He often spoke about Rudolf Steiner at his lectures, and many of his works were based precisely on the calculations of the Austrian scientist. Quite often he was called the "Slavic Steiner", although his activity was not so large-scale and comprehensive.
Rudolf Steiner: books
If you are interested in the works of this extraordinary scientist, then you can always find his books written in a very easy and accessible language. Beginners should be best suited for the following publications:
- "Essay on Secret Studies".
- "Philosophy of Freedom."
- "Cosmology, religion and philosophy."
- The Path to Enlightenment.
Each of these books fully reflects the worldview of the author and will open to readers a completely new world, unknown and unfamiliar.
It is difficult to give any characterization to Rudolf Steiner. His work led many people to change their lives, so the scientist's genius is not in doubt, and the scientific justification of the theories of the philosopher still surprises scientists around the world with his accuracy in calculations and extraordinary simplicity.