Anthroposophy

Anthroposophy, meaning "wisdom of the human being”, is a is a spiritual philosophy developed by Rudolf Steiner in the early 20th century. It explores the interconnectedness of the spiritual and physical realms, aiming to foster human development and understanding through a unique research-based approach.

Rudolf Steiner described it as “a scientific investigation of the spiritual world which sees through the one-sidedness of a mere knowledge of nature as well as that of ordinary mysticism, and which, before attempting to penetrate into the supersensible world, first develops in the cognizing soul the powers not yet active in ordinary consciousness and in ordinary science which make such a penetration possible.” Anthroposophy has its roots in German idealism, Western and Eastern esoteric ideas, and modern Theosophy.

Introduction

Rudolf Steiner

Rudolf Steiner saw his esoteric work as a modern continuation of Rosicrucianism, aimed at countering the reductionist science of his time. He taught that the evolution of consciousness requires the transformation of thinking, feeling, and willing, ultimately leading to true freedom and universal love. Central to this evolution, he believed, was the incarnation of the Christ. Steiner argued that over the past four centuries, Western humanity had lost touch with the inner reality of the self and the spiritual depth of the outer world.

In a series of letters to members written in the last year of his life, Steiner offered the following characterization of anthroposophy:

“Anthroposophy is a path of knowledge to guide the spiritual in the human being to the spiritual in the universe. It arises in the human being as a need of the heart, of the life of feeling. It can be justified only inasmuch as it can satisfy this inner need. Only those can acknowledge anthroposophy who find in it what they themselves in their inner lives feel impelled to seek. Only they can be anthroposophists who feel certain questions on the nature of the human being and the universe as an elemental need of life, just as one feels hunger and thirst."

Anthroposophy communicates knowledge that is gained in a spiritual way. Yet it only does so because everyday life, and the science founded on sensation and intellectual activity, lead to a barrier along life's way - a limit where the life of the soul in the human being would die if it could go no further. Everyday life and science do not lead to this limit in such a way as to compel the human being to stop short at it. For at the very frontier where the knowledge derived from sense-perception ceases, there is opened through the human soul itself the further outlook into the spiritual world.

According to Steiner, to be a thinking person one must relate lovingly to the universe, earth, the animate world, and to the human person, especially onesel. He inteded his edeal of spiritually active thinking as a call to the heart, to the affective and asrtistic capacities of each person.

A central concept within Anthroposophy is the threefold social order. It proposes a way to organize society into three independent spheres: the economic, the political/rights, and the cultural, to foster a healthier and more balanced social structure.

Anthroposohical Society

On December 28, 1912, the Anthroposophical Society was founded in Cologne with around 3,000 members. Between 1910 and 1913, artistic expression flourished with the Summer Festivals in Munich, featuring performances of Steiner’s Mystery Dramas. During World War I, construction of the first Goetheanum began in Dornach, Switzerland, involving artists and supporters from across Europe.

Following the war, Steiner introduced proposals for a "threefold social order," and in 1919 the first Waldorf School opened in Stuttgart. The same year also saw the beginnings of anthroposophically extended medicine. On New Year’s Eve 1922/23, the original Goetheanum was destroyed by arson.

Due to the Society's international growth—by then with national branches in 15 countries and around 12,000 members—a restructuring followed. Rudolf Steiner reestablished the Anthroposophical Society and founded the School of Spiritual Science, which included departments for General Anthroposophy, Education, Medicine, Natural Sciences, and more. Plans to rebuild the Goetheanum were set in motion, alongside the foundations for biodynamic agriculture and anthroposophic curative education.

The Building

Gotheanum in Dornach, Switzerland

The building associated with the Anthroposophical movement is the Goetheanum, which is located in Dornach, in the canton of Solothurn, Switzerland. The Gotheanum was designed by Rudolf Steiner and named after Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Steiner laid the cornerstone of the buidling on September 20th 1920. .

It opened in 1920 and was destroyed by fire on New Year's Eve 1922/23. Only the great sculpture of “The Representative of Humanity” on which Steiner had been working in a neighborhood workshop with the English sculptress Edith Maryon survived the fire.

In 1924 Rudolf Steiner presented his model for the second Goetheanum, which is made of reinforced concrete. It was constructed from 1925 until 1928 and now serves as a center for the world-wide Anthroposophical Society and its School of Spiritual Science. It was inaugurated in 1928 revealing its unique architecture. Originally designed by Rudolf Steiner, the building was finished in the course of the 20th century. The Great Hall (with 1000 seats) and the west wing staircase are particularly remarkable. The permanent exhibition hall that house the monumental sculpture of The Representative of Humanity, models, and sketches of the Goetheanum, as well as temporary exhibition rooms, are waiting for your visit. A cafeteria and a bookshop are also at your service.

Anthroposophy and Theosophy

On October 19, 1902, Rudolf Steiner was appointed the first Secretary General of the German Section of the Theosophical Society. The Society offered him a valuable platform—an interested audience, a working infrastructure, and access to the inner workings of a leading spiritual movement. It also provided him with a capable assistant, Marie von Sivers (1867–1948), who would become an essential partner in his work. At the time, the Theosophical Society had proven there was widespread interest in teachings such as reincarnation, karma, maya, and other Eastern and esoteric ideas. For Steiner, it became a training ground for what would eventually become his life’s work: the Anthroposophical Society. When Steiner parted ways with the Theosophical Society, most members of the German Section followed him. The Anthroposophical Society adopted a similar motto—“Wisdom is only in the Truth”—echoing the Theosophical Society’s “There is no religion higher than Truth.” Drawing on the Theosophical Society’s structure, which had evolved since its founding in New York in 1875, Steiner had a proven organizational model to build upon. After a decade of experience, he was ready to develop and refine this blueprint in creating a new path of spiritual inquiry—Anthroposophy.

Rudolf Steiner’s interest in the Theosophical Society endured throughout his life. Even after his departure in 1913, he continued to diligently collect its publications. His personal library includes Theosophical books spanning from 1877 to 1923. Notably, half of his English-language collection consists of Theosophy titles—164 out of 327 books—making it the dominant theme among his Anglo-language holdings. Rudolf Steiner spent comparable amounts of time within the Theosophical Society and within the Anthroposophical Society. The latter was informed by the former.

Anthroposophy builds on Theosophy’s mystical foundation but emphasizes practical application through spiritual science. While the pioneers of the Theosophical Society focused on understanding the divine and the cosmos through wisdom drawn from global traditions, Anthroposophy applied these insights to everyday life. It offers methods for personal spiritual growth and is actively applied in areas such as education (Waldorf schools), agriculture (biodynamic farming), and medicine. Both systems affirm a spiritual world accessible through inner development, but Anthroposophy prioritizes using this knowledge to foster individual and societal transformation.

Additional resources

• Anthroposophy in Theosophy World