Why does evil exist? What is evil, really? What makes people do things that are `wrong', or `bad'? Though people are always talking about evil, its existence remains a riddle. That's why we find this selection of insightful lectures so satisfying and helpful. In them, Rudolf Steiner addresses the mystery of evil as illuminated by his own spiritual research, offering an original and complex picture. Evil, he explains, is a phenomenon which arises when something appears outside its true context, enabling something which is initially `good' to become harmful. He speaks of the effects of particular spiritual beings or essences - Lucifer and Ahriman - who work as polar forces, laying hindrances in our path. Yet, paradoxically, confronting and coming to terms with such difficulties ultimately furthers our development. Thus evil can be seen as a necessary phenomenon in our evolution, allowing for the possibility for freedom. 216pp, 138mm x 216mm, softback, 2003
By meditating on these verses we can learn to know ourselves by looking outwards to the substances and processes at work in the cosmos, and to know the world by looking inwards to the microcosmic depths of the human self.
At the heart of Rudolf Steiner's spiritual philosophy is the esoteric path of inner development that can lead to self-transformation. In these lectures, Steiner shows how - by developing certain qualities such as clear thinking, inner tranquillity an