Selections from various volumes in The Collected Works of Rudolf Steiner
Contemporary interest in the meditative schooling of mindfulness is usually associated with Eastern traditions. Rudolf Steiner spoke of the same phenomenon, although he used the terms “attentiveness” and “dedication”―or, combining these two, “pure perception.” This way of mindfulness and reverence is not in conflict with spiritual paths founded on thinking or pure thought. However, as the texts in this anthology indicate, methods based exclusively on thinking cannot be successful if they are not supported by perception, feeling and will.
In counterbalance to today’s increasing intellectualization, the meditative exercises featured here connect with the perceptive activity of the human being’s sensory organs. They could also be understood as exercises for developing empathy, helping to make our relationship with the world around us more conscious and intense.
Rudolf Steiner’s texts are sensitively edited and arranged by Andreas Neider, whose introduction and notes add further clarity to the theme.
Rudolf Steiner (b. Rudolf Joseph Lorenz 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. Steiner termed his spiritual philosophy
anthroposophy, meaning “wisdom of the human being.” As an exceptionally developed seer, he based his work on direct knowledge and perception of spiritual dimensions. He initiated a modern, universal “spiritual science” that is accessible to anyone willing to exercise clear and unbiased thinking. From his spiritual investigations, Steiner provided suggestions for the renewal of numerous activities, including education (general and for special needs), agriculture, medicine, economics, architecture, science, philosophy, Christianity, and the arts. There are currently thousands of schools, clinics, farms, and initiatives in other fields that involve practical work based on the principles Steiner developed. His many published works feature his research into the spiritual nature of human beings, the evolution of the world and humanity, and methods for personal development. He wrote some thirty books and delivered more than six thousand lectures throughout much of Europe. In 1924, Steiner founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which today has branches around the world.
Andreas Neider (b. 1958) studied philosophy, ethnology, history, and political science. He worked for 17 years at Verlag Freies Geistesleben, first as an editor and then as publisher. Since 2002 he heads the cultural agency Von Mensch zu Mensch (From Person to Person). Neider organized the annual Stuttgart educational congresses for 14 years, and in 2015 co-founded the Akanthos Academy in Stuttgart. He lectures on anthroposophy, meditation, and media education in youth and adult education. He has numerous publications with the Freies Geistesleben and the Rudolf Steiner Verlag in Dornach, Switzerland. He is currently working on a dissertation at the Alanus University comparing the methods of anthroposophic and Buddhist meditation.
