Angels: Selected Lectures

“Traditions or belief or theology cannot help us if we are to attain knowledge of the reality of higher beings through spiritual self-development and independence. Adherence to any such tradition would hinder our spiritual freedom, as would any categorized teaching or doctrine about the higher hierarchies.... Rudolf Steiner’s descriptions do not form a doctrine; this would be antagonistic to a new knowledge of the angels based on our spiritual individuality. The Illumine a path rather than asserting a truth.” ―Wolf-Ulrich Klünker

Religious and spiritual writings have always referred to beings of the spiritual hierarchies, especially those understood in Christian tradition as Angels, which are the closest to human beings and act as invisible human guides and companions. They influence the lives of individuals, the evolution of humanity, and the cosmos as a whole.

Through his own clairvoyant vision, Rudolf Steiner confirmed the existence of such spiritual beings and showed how modern minds can gain access to their world. As he explains in these inspiring lectures, it is important for us to understand and cooperate with the work of the angels today, as this is crucial for the continued development of humanity.

This collection of lectures was first published in German as Vom Wirken der Engel und anderer hierarchischer Wesenheiten by Verlag Geistesleben, Stuttgart (1991).

Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) was born in the small village of Kraljevec, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Croatia), where he grew up. As a young man, he lived in Weimar and Berlin, where he became a well-published scientific, literary, and philosophical scholar, known especially for his work with Goethe's scientific writings. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he began to develop his early philosophical principles into an approach to systematic research into psychological and spiritual phenomena. Formally beginning his spiritual teaching career under the auspices of the Theosophical Society, Steiner came to use the term Anthroposophy (and spiritual science) for his philosophy, spiritual research, and findings. The influence of Steiner's multifaceted genius has led to innovative and holistic approaches in medicine, various therapies, philosophy, religious renewal, Waldorf education, education for special needs, threefold economics, biodynamic agriculture, Goethean science, architecture, and the arts of drama, speech, and eurythmy. In 1924, Rudolf Steiner founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which today has branches throughout the world. He died in Dornach, Switzerland.