Autobiography: Chapters in the Course of My Life, 1861-1907 (Classics in Anthroposophy)

Rudolf Steiner has been called "the best kept secret of the twentieth century." Who was the unique individual behind the personality of this individual? Who was the man who introduced the the world to the spiritual path of anthroposophy? What was behind the ideas that formed what we know today as Waldorf education? What led this teacher to approach inner development as a science that uses thinking as a path to inner freedom?

In this unique and fascinating autobiography, Rudolf Steiner recalls the first thirty-five years of his life as he wrote of them in seventy weekly installments for a newsletter. Although he seldom spoke of personal matters, here he offers us a rare opportunity to view the intimacy of his inner life, his personal relationships, and the events that shaped him. Steiner doesn't focus on life's successes and failures; rather, this is an autobiography of a soul, and we are allowed to witness the evolving consciousness of a modern spiritual master.

Steiner possessed a precise and probing scientific mind aided by his natural clairvoyant ability to see into the spiritual world. He recognized the integrity and importance of modern scientific methods and, as a result, developed a modern discipline he termed "spiritual science." Since then, his insights have touched and enriched many areas of life in ways that continues to change lives.

This book is the self-portrait of a man whose ideas remain ahead of our time-and whose ideas are sorely needed in an increasingly chaotic and materialistic world.

RUDOLF STEINER (1861–1925) became a respected and well-published scientific, literary, and philosophical scholar, particularly known for his work on Goethe’s scientific writings. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he began to develop his earlier philosophical principles into an approach to methodical research of psychological and spiritual phenomena. His multifaceted genius has led to innovative and holistic approaches in medicine, philosophy, religion, education (Waldorf schools), special education (the Camphill movement), economics, agriculture (biodynamics), science, architecture, and the arts (drama, speech and eurythmy). In 1924 he founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which has branches throughout the world.