Life After Death
Although Rudolf Steiner spoke frequently about the importance of understanding the role of death -- and the Dead -- this subject remains perennially unpopular among American anthroposophists. Eugene explores Steiner’s often surprising and sometimes counter-intuitive indications about the nature of life after death, and suggests how much help they may provide us as we face the challenges of modern life.
Dynamic Diagrams
The Fourfold Human Being: A Dynamic Diagram
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Life After Death: A Dynamic Diagram
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The Spiritual Hierarchies: A Dynamic Diagram
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The Lectures
Lecture 1: Man Becomes Cosmos
Anthroposophy NYC, December 7, 2013
This first lecture looks at the growing interest in and consciousness of life after death -- even among anthroposophists! We examine Rudolf Steiner’s research into the unfolding of the etheric and astral bodies after death, and the powerful experiences that the dead have in the midst of the First Hierarchy and the “Teachers of Humanity.” The profound importance of our feelings and actions during earthly life is by no means diminished when we ascend into the spiritual worlds. The central role of the human being in relation to the universe is an important theme in all of Steiner’s lectures concerning death.
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Lecture 2: Cosmos Becomes Man
Anthroposophy NYC, January 11, 2014
This lecture will focus on the “second half” of our life after death, beginning with what Rudolf Steiner termed the “Midnight Hour” and ending with our new birth. As we examine this lengthy descent into matter, Steiner grants us insights into such issues as heredity and individuality, love and gender, and karma and human freedom.
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Lecture 3: Life Against Death (to be given on April 5, 2014)
As the proportion of an older population grows greater, issues surrounding aging and dying loom larger in the world’s wealthiest nations. On the one hand, the prolongation of life — even to the point of eternal life — is the expressed goal of some technocrats and biologists. On the other hand, the infirmities that accompany extreme old age generate grim statistics that confound hospitals, economists, and politicians alike. Between Luciferic defiance and Ahrimanic fear — what is the mission of death?
Lecture 4: Heaven Can Wait (to be given on May 17, 2014)
The presentation of death in today’s world — literary and lowbrow alike — may give us insight into the strange and subtle ways that light from across the Threshold is shining into the darkness of our century. We will explore some manifestations of this light as they appear in popular culture, and witness the surprising ways in which we are coming to understand death in our time.