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The Rudolf Steiner Archive

a project of Steiner Online Library, a public charity

Anthroposophical Leading Thoughts
GA 26

This volume contains 185 "Leading Thoughts," many of which are accompanied by letters to the members. The overlap is great between this book and two others entitled The Life, Nature and Cultivation of Anthroposophy and The Michael Mystery. These two books are also titled Letters to the Members.

A comparison of the contents of the above-mentioned three books reveals that they are related to each other in these ways:

  1. All of The Michael Mystery is contained in Anthroposophical Leading Thoughts.
  2. About one fifth of The Life, Nature and Cultivation of Anthroposophy is contained in Anthroposophical Leading Thoughts.
  3. Almost all of Anthroposophical Leading Thoughts is contained in The Life, Nature and Cultivation of Anthroposophy and The Michael Mystery taken together.
  4. The Michael Mystery (1956)

    Translated by Marjorie Spock These letters and guidelines were among the last writings by Steiner. Their significance has yet to be fully recognized. This is a human guidebook for the 21st Century. It is a collection of 29 letters to the members of the Anthroposophical Society. These letters are in addition to the 18 letters contained in the collection, The Life, Nature and Cultivation of Anthroposophy, cited above. This book is also known as Letters to the Members, Volume II.


    The Life, Nature, and Cultivation of Anthroposophy (1963)

    A collection of 18 letters written to the members of the Anthroposophical Society in 1924. These letters first appeared in a supplement to the German language periodical “Goetheanum Weekly” and in the English language version “Anthroposophical Movement.” This book is also known as Letters to the Members, Volume I.


    Anthroposophical Leading Thoughts (1973)

    A collection of short essays by Steiner for the members of the Anthroposophical Society. They were written near the end of Steiner's life and in a way summarize, in highly concentrated form, the whole of anthroposophy. Each essay ends with a short summary of its contents and these are known as the “leading thoughts.” The leading thoughts are mantras and can be used quite fruitfully for meditation.


    Anthroposophical Leading Thoughts (1973)

    Rudolf Steiner schrieb nach der Weihnachtstagung zur Begründung der Allgemeinen Anthroposophischen Gesellschaft (1923) bis zu seinem Tode im März 1925 eine Folge von 185 "Anthroposophischen Leitsätzen" sowie regelmäßige Briefe "An die Mitglieder", die im Nachrichtenblatt "Was in der Anthroposophischen Gesellschaft vorgeht" wöchentlich gedruckt wurden. Die vorliegende Ausgabe enthält sämtliche Leitsätze und die dazugehörigen Briefe "An die Mitglieder".