Memories Of Rudolf Steiner

‘I rang the bell, the door opened, and there stood Rudolf Steiner in person. I was so taken aback that I dropped the basket which burst open and all my clothes and underclothes, together with my other belongings, were lying at the feet of the Doctor. A ball of wool got away and rolled between Dr Steiner’s feet into the long corridor. Somewhat surprised, but amused, he said: “I have never been greeted in this way.”’

What is the meaning of memory in the information age? When all knowledge is seemingly digitised and available for reference at any time, do we actually need human memory? One consequence of the proliferation of digitization is the deterioration of our capacity to remember – a symptom that is apparent in a steady increase in dementia within contemporary society. Rudolf Steiner indicates that memory is the determining factor in awareness of oneself. Even a partial loss of memory leads to loss of self-consciousness and the sense of our ‘I’. Thus, memory is crucial for the development of I-consciousness – not only for the individual, but for humanity as a whole. Rudolf Steiner’s research on memory, recollection and forgetting has many implications for the way we learn, for inner development and spiritual growth. This unique selection of passages from his works offers insights into how consciousness can remain autonomous and creative in a digital environment. It also provides ideas for improving education and emphasizes the importance of life-long learning. Chapters include: ‘The Development of Memory Throughout Human History’; ‘The Formation of Memory, Remembering and Forgetting in the Human Individual’; ‘Remembering and Forgetting in Connection with Education’; ‘How Remembering and Forgetting are Transformed by the Schooling Path – Imagination and Inspiration’; ‘Remembering Backwards (Rückschau) and Memory Exercises’; ‘Subconscious Memories of the Pre-birth Period and of Life Between Death and a New Birth’; ‘Memory and Remembering after Death’; ‘The Development of Memory in the Future’.

This illuminating collection of essays and reminiscences by Rudolf Steiner's pupils and early collaborators contains a wealth of personal details on Steiner and his work. What emerges is his great unity of purpose and breadth of thought, and his ability to attend to the smallest practical details while laying the seeds for spiritual impulses that would flourish far into the future. These essays reveal him as a man of vision, practical ability, humor, and selflessness.

Written 1904-1908 (CW 11) "Rudolf Steiner shows that the insoluble link between humanity and cosmos is the fundamental basis of evolution. As human beings have participated in the development of the world we know today, so their achievements are directly connected with the ultimate destiny of the universe. In human hands rests the freedom to shape the future course of creation. Knowledge of our exalted origins and of the path we have followed is indispensable if we are to evolve a future worthy of responsible human beings.... Through a study of Steiner's writings, one can come to a clear, reasonable, comprehensive understanding of human beings and their place in the universe." --Paul Marshall Allen In the best tradition of ancient wisdom literature, Cosmic Memory reconstructs, from the akashic record, events that span the time between the origin of the Earth and the beginning of recorded history. This spiritual research includes a profound investigation of the origins, achievements, and fate of the Atlanteans and Lemurians --the remarkable "lost" root races that developed the first concepts of "good" and "evil," manipulated natural forces, laid the foundation for human legal and ethical systems, and defined and nurtured the distinctive yet complementary powers of men and women that brought humankind, many centuries ago, to its highest artistic, intellectual, and spiritual attainments. Through this discussion of our true origins, Cosmic Memory offers a genuine foundation for our lives, allowing us to realize our real value, dignity, and essence. The reader is shown our human connection with the world around us as well as our highest goals and true destiny. This is a key volume for understanding Rudolf Steiner's early development as a Theosophist and how his ideas, terminology, and formulations during that time fit into the development of his anthroposophic epistemology and Christology. This volume is a translation of Aus der Akasha-Chronik (Rudolf Steiner Gesamtausgabe 11), Rudolf Steiner Verlag, 1986.

A single lecture taken from the volume Life Beyond Death.

Exploring dreams, fantasy, memory, and perception, Steiner develops here a remarkable, experiential path to higher knowledge. It is a very concentrated work that can be studied over and over.

Assya Turgeniev was a Russian artist and one of Rudolf Steiner's most important co-workers, best known for her engraving work on the colored windows of the first Goetheanum building in Dornach, Switzerland. In these unique reminiscences, she provides eye-witness reports of the burning of the first Goetheanum, the time surrounding the death of Rudolf Steiner, the early performances of his Mystery Plays, Steiner's lecturing and travels abroad, the artistic work on the Goetheanum, the carving of the "Group" statue, and the Christmas plays and "Faust. She also describes the development of eurythmy, and recounts her memories of Marie Steiner, Edith Maryon and others. Turgeniev initially set out to write a complete account of the period during which Anthroposophy was founded and developed, but illness prevented her from doing so. Nevertheless, the fragment which constitutes this book is one of the most valuable accounts available.