Karmic Relationships : Esoteric Studies, Seven Lectures, Prague and Paris Between 29th Mar - 25th May, 1924

7 lectures, Prague & Paris, March 29 - May 25, 1924 (CW 239)

Near the end of his life, Rudolf Steiner took up the task that was his special destiny―to bring knowledge of reincarnation and karma to the West. Consequently, he gave more than eighty lectures in 1924 to explicitly reveal the destinies of various individuals from one life to the next. He explained how the general laws of karma work in individual cases and revealed many details of the karmic streams of the members of the Anthroposophical Society. These volumes constitute an immeasurable contribution to the understanding of reincarnation and karma and the tasks of the Anthroposophical Society in connection with the Archangel Michael.

In volume five, Steiner discusses the difference between “moon karma” and “sun karma,” the influences of Christian and Islamic thinking, the transformation of inner human qualities from one life to the next, and much more.

These lectures, contained in eight volumes, may be Rudolf Steiner's most important contribution to our understanding of life and death, reincarnation and karma, and our place in the spirit worlds.

This book is a translation of 7 lectures (of 16) from Esoterische Betrachtungen karmischer Zusammenhänge, in 6 Bdn., Bd.5 (GA 239).

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.