Reverse Ritual: Spiritual Knowledge Is True Communion

“Perception of the idea within the actual is the true communion of the human being” ―Goethe

Religious ritual is often seen as a way of bringing divine influences down into the material world. In this profound and stimulating work, Rudolf Steiner and Friedrich Benesch introduce the idea of “reverse ritual”―a way that each of us can raise our souls to the spiritual realm.

In this process, the everyday world becomes a portal through which we can enter the dimension of the sacred. Here, each of us can be a “priest,” and each of our actions can be a cosmic, ritual act.

This stimulating collection of writings on spiritual communion of humanity includes two further lectures by Steiner that show how this process can engage our social lives. Also included are two additional essays as appendices: “Sacramental and Spiritual Communion” by Dietrich Asten and “Human Encounters and Karma” by Athys Floride.

The introduction by Christopher Schaefer brings these ideas into focus for modern seekers.

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.