Rudolf Steiner's

    Path For Our Age





Steiner's Path of Freedom
How will we attain the “new” thinking and “empowered” community activism required to understand and transform the various spiritual, ecological, social, and political crisis confronting us today? Rudolf Steiner presented an answer over 100 years ago. To this day it is little known. Even if you have heard about Rudolf Steiner he is usually depicted as an occult mystic of some sort. Actually, his schooling was in mathematics, science, and classical philosophy that provided him with a training in scientific thinking; especially mathematics, which opened the door for him to what he later called "pure thinking". This training was then used by him in his research into the cognitive process. He published the results of his own introspective research in the Philosophy of Freedom described as, "some results of introspective observation following the methods of natural science."

His Philosophy of Freedom, originally published in 1894 in German as Die Philosophie der Freiheit, is his fundamental book that records the inner experiences on his path to freedom. These introspective descriptions, often given various philosophical names, act as a map to guide our own development of free thinking and free moral action.

Steiner's work appears in two phases; his training in scientific thinking which he applied to an introspective study of himself leading to freedom, and his application of scientific thinking to his perceptions of the spiritual world which he had experienced since childhood.

1. Steiner's Path of Scientific Training and Introspective Observation leading to Freedom: Philosophy of Freedom (1879-1899) Undergraduate studies at the Vienna Institute of Technology; Doctorate in Philosophy at the University of Rostock, Germany; Publication of The Philosophy of Freedom.

In 1897, he bought the literary journal Magazin für Literatur, where he hoped to find a readership sympathetic to his philosophy. His work in the magazine was not well received by its readership, including the alienation of subscribers following Steiner's unpopular support of liberal Émile Zola and anarchist writer John Henry Mackay.

Biographer Gary Lachman describes that time: "Steiner seems to have enjoyed hobnobbing with the bohemians; his acquaintances included poets, playwrights, novelists and political activists. In fact, his reputation among the demi-monde caused academics to cancel their subscriptions, and Steiner also earned the distinction of having a periodical banned in Czarist Russia, because its editor was known to socialise with anarchists."

With the failure of the magazine, Steiner turned to the only people who seemed interested in hearing him, the Theosophists. Before that, Steiner seemed willing to speak to any group, but after 1899 he started to give talks regularly to the members of the Theosophical Society, The catch was that they were not interested in his Philosophy of Freedom, but rather, they were entranced by lectures of his clairvoyant perceptions of the spiritual world. He became head of its German Section in 1902 and estranged himself from the other groups. The German Section grew rapidly under Steiner's leadership. It may have been that in 1899 the Philosophy of Freedom was ahead of its time.

2. Gift of Perceiving the Spiritual World : Anthroposophy (1900-1925) This consists mainly of books and lectures of his clairvoyant perceptions of the spiritual world (40 books, over 6000 lectures). It wasn't until 1900 that Steiner decided to "go public" with his ongoing stream of experiences that he claimed were of the spiritual world — experiences that began happening to him at an early age and continued throughout his life.

Steiner didn't undergo some form of mystic training so he could become clairvoyant, he was born clairvoyant. His training was in the scientific method and scientific thinking so he could understand his experiences. This was a different approach than others born with psychic abilities, his aim was to apply his scientific training to these unusual experiences to try and sort out truth from fantasy.

"History cannot show one pioneer who is worth the digesting of absolutely everything. Isaac Newton won't be remembered for his speculations about the Apocalypse of St. John. Steiner is not interesting because of his faults, but because of his project: To create a bridge between insights that until now have been reserved for religion and faith, and modern scientific reason. He wanted to rescue the individual and its humanness from drowning in foggy spiritualism as well as in stiffened materialism." Peter Normann Waage

The Philosophy of Freedom contains nothing of these clairvoyant perceptions. It is not a book that tells you what to think, but rather how to think. It stands on its own foundation with no need for his later work of building a body of knowledge out of his perceptions of the spiritual world, but rather inspires us to follow his example and apply clear scientific thinking to our own life experiences. As the old saying goes, "Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish (think); and you have fed him for a lifetime.”

Rudolf Steiner was a scientist first, as this 1897 comment about Theosophists and Spiritualists indicates: "It also proves advantageous to the Theosophists that they are able to stay on good terms with the Spiritualists and other off-beat, like-minded seekers of the spirit. Oh, sure, they [the Theosophists] contend that these Spiritualists treat the phenomena of the spirit world as external; whereas, they themselves [the Theosophists] seek to experience such phenomena as strictly within as well as totally spiritual. But they are not above walking hand in hand with the Spiritualists when they deem such an alliance to help them wage war on the unfettered science, the straightforward science of the modern era, which is solely supported by reason and observation."

3. Steiner's Mission to Renew the World: Applied Anthroposophy The principles discovered by Steiner have been applied to specific fields to bring renewal. For example, Theosophy has been advanced through the Anthroposophical Society, Waldorf schools are a renewal of education, and Biodynamic farming is a renewal of agriculture. Rather than being accepted on faith, the acceptance and application of these principles is properly done with the same scientific standards appropriate for any other theory of today.

Other Paths Steiner Gave
In The Boundaries of Natural Science VIII Steiner explains how The Philosophy of Freedom is the modern "path into the spiritual world that conforms to the needs of Western civilization" and is particularly suited to develop a new spirituality out of the scientific road taken by humanity.

His Knowledge of the Higher Worlds and Its Attainment ---along with various Eastern or religious paths of development--- are paths that are best suited for those who are not engaged in the cognitional striving of todays age of science.

Steiner's daily and monthly exercises from Guidance In Esoteric Training are another example of an alternative path often recommended today, but these exercises were originally put together by Steiner to meet the needs of early 20th century German Theosophists when Steiner was a member of the Theosophical Society and later released by Marie Steiner as a counter to a growing interest in "decadent" Indian and Tibetan Eastern methods.

Steiner gave the "proper" study of The Philosophy of Freedom as the appropriate thought-training exercise to further deepen todays scientific thinking. It is the path for those who want to know rather than believe; --those who seek truth.

“The primary purpose of my book is to serve as thought training, training in the sense that the special way of both thinking and entertaining these thoughts is such as to bring the soul life of the reader into motion in somewhat the way that gymnastics exercise their limbs.”

It is not meant to give “the only possible” path to the truth, but is meant to describe the path taken by one for whom truth is the main concern. --Rudolf Steiner

Steiner's Legacy
The Philosophy of Freedom is unique among his other works. When asked which of his works he would most want to see rescued if catastrophe should come upon the world, Rudolf Steiner replied without hesitation: "The Philosophy of Freedom" . It is a spiritual path complete within itself in that it contains all the fundamental principles of anthroposophy, it is a guide to freedom, and its study is a thought-training exercise to develop the new thinking sought in our age.

Much of Steiner's work after 1900 is culturally dated to specific people at a certain point in time, and may not have even been intended for the general public 100 years later for this reason, but the Philosophy of Freedom is meant to endure if Steiner's legacy is to endure. This website is dedicated to informing the world of Steiner's greatest gift, his path to knowledge and freedom.

While the loss of interest in theosophical terminology, promotion of outdated spiritual practices, and authoritarian lecturing and governance has lead to declining membership in the Anthroposophical Society, interest in the Philosophy of Freedom grows and maintains respect, even from Steiner's fiercest critics, because of its verifiable scientific foundation and the growing recognition of the value of individuality around the world (see introduction to the original Philosophy of Freedom). The Philosophy of Freedom awakens a person to realize that these lionized teachers and authoritarian leaders "are human beings as weak as themselves".

"The trouble is The Philosophy of Freedom has not been read in the different way I have been describing. That is the point, and a point that must be sharply stressed if the development of the Anthroposophical Society is not to fall far behind anthroposophy itself. If it does fall behind, anthroposophy's conveyance through the society will result in its being completely misunderstood, and its only fruit will be endless conflict!"

Further damage is being done to Steiner's reputation through exploitation by new age astrologers, warm-hearted love gurus, and academic historians who would lead us backwards to an outdated spirituality. They associate his name with their own questionable theories with the support of publishers like SteinerBooks. The Philosophy of Freedom provides a foundation for science, not the fantasies that the metaphysicians love to construct. What was spiritual science to Rudolf Steiner has become vague mysticism by those who have not undergone the scientific training and path of introspective examination Steiner did.

Without a strong foundation in the science and pure conceptual reasoning described in The Philosophy of Freedom, a seeker of truth may be tempted to submit to some assumed universal will, be drawn to the comforting warmth of yesterdays feeling mysticism, or become lost in the speculative metaphysics now being associated with Steiner.

Rudolf Steiner most closely identified with his Philosophy of Freedom and spoke of it often throughout his life. To truthfully represent Steiner to the world and his path of development appropriate for our age requires his name to be primarily associated with this freedom philosophy, which will help end the many misrepresentations.

The clear minded Steiner spoke of this problem;

"Too many seeking experience in all sorts of unclear paths, nebulous mystical approaches, attached themselves to what anthroposophy was trying to achieve in clarity. This group of people attracted the attention of a lot of ill-disposed persons who now attack what people with whom I have no connection whatsoever have been saying. But in these attacks they attribute to 'me' what these vague mystics have produced as their own twisted version of something intended to meet the urgent needs of our modern culture. What is needed is the brightest clarity in everything that has to do with thinking, not vague mysticism.”

Why do so many "spiritual" people have difficulty with The Philosophy of Freedom?
"It is important that we at least have the good will and make the effort to advance to the kind of thinking that is free of emotion—to begin with, free of the emotions we know so well in ordinary life. If the content of The Philosophy of Freedom appeals to people because their feelings incline them to a more spiritual way of looking at things, they have not yet achieved pure thinking. Only those people who take it in because of the thoughts logical sequence and the way they support each other are relating to the book in the right way."  Rudolf Steiner

The 21st Century
Young people today have shown a great enthusiasm for the ideas found in The Philosophy of Freedom. It is a generation with spiritual instincts attracted to the values found in The Philosophy of Freedom such as science, free thinking, ethical individualism, and free community.

Other than this website, you will have difficulty finding much about the unusual thought-structure of The Philosophy of Freedom that acts as a thought-training for anyone who studys it in the proper way.

What is “special” about the book's thoughts and thought structure?
”For in the case of a book like this, the important thing is so to organize the thoughts it contains that they take effect. With many other books it doesn’t make a great deal of difference if one shifts the sequence, putting this thing first and that later. But in the case of  "The Philosophy of Freedom" that is impossible.”

“Within this book thinking is experienced in a way that makes it impossible for a person involved in it to have any other impression, when he is living in thought, he is living in the cosmos. This relatedness to cosmic mysteries is the red thread running through the book.”

What is the "proper" way to study this book?
”Now what kind of reader approach did The Philosophy of Freedom count on? It had to assume a special way of reading. It expected the reader, as they read, to undergo the sort of inner experience that, in an external sense, is really like waking up out of sleep in the morning.”

“That is the reason why it is not exactly popular with people who read a book for information only. It was intended to involve the reader, page by page, in the actual activity of thinking, to serve merely as a score read with inner thought activity as the reader advances on his own from thought to thought.”

“The primary purpose of my book is to serve as thought training, training in the sense that the special way of both thinking and entertaining these thoughts is such as to bring the soul life of the reader into motion in somewhat the way that gymnastics exercise their limbs.”

What results can be expected from study?
”The book is a structured organism, and to work one’s way through the thoughts it contains is to undergo an inner training. A person to who this has not happened as a result of study need not conclude what I am saying is incorrect, but rather he has not read it correctly or worked hard and thoroughly enough.”

“Catharsis is an ancient term for the purification of the astral body by means of meditation and concentration exercises. If a reader takes this book as it was meant and relates to it in the way a virtuoso playing a composition on the piano relates to its composer, reproducing the whole piece out of himself, the books organically evolved thought sequence will bring about a high degree of catharsis.”

Who is Involved
The Philosophy of Freedom is a nonsectarian philosophy so this website is independent of the Anthroposophical Society or any other society or authoritative organization. Anyone can post here. The sites content is dependent on the contribution of whoever contributes. Early developers were Tom Last, illustrator; Lori Perry; organic farmer; Jay Harms, anthroposophical physician; and webmaster Luke Last.

What Does This Website Offer
Rudolf Steiner has been recognized by many as "the initiate of our age" and the Philosophy of Freedom has been called a "modern temple where self-knowledge may be found", yet it is largely unknown, has been ignored or misunderstood. To help get the word out about Rudolf Steiner and his path these projects have been supported:

• Online Community
• Production of Videos
• Work toward a new English translation
• Philosophy of Freedom Study Course
• Online Study Group
• Online Live Voice Study Group
• Local In-person Study Groups

How Can I Get Involved

• Train your mind and empower your will by studying The Philosophy of Freedom
• Register to the website.
• Get involved in current projects
• Contribute work by producing videos, writing Journals, opening an Art Gallery, or organizing a study group.
• Become a featured writer with regular Journals about POF.
• Report corrections or website malfunctions
• Propose a website staff position for yourself
• Spread the word to your friends or by posting links on other websites
• Make A Donation
• Use the “contact” email to discuss your ideas or post them to the site.

Tom Last

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