2025

The Mystery of Saint John

June 17, 2025

Giuliano Bugiardini - The Birth of John the Baptist

On June 24th, people around the world celebrate the birth of John the Baptist, often by enjoying bonfires the night before. St. John's festival is held approximately six months before Christmas since John, the Herald of the Christ, was born about six months before Jesus. This festival occurs shortly after the summer solstice which is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. At this time, the fiery Sun reaches its highest point in the sky. Then six months later, around the December solstice, we celebrate the birth of Jesus in the darkness of winter.

This article outlines some of the complexity surrounding the mystery of John the Baptist discussed by Rudolf Steiner.

Ascension & the Call for a Personal Pentecost

May 29 & June 8, 2025

With the blossoming of spring, we celebrate Ascension Day and Pentecost. Ascension Day is traditionally celebrated on the 40th day of Easter.^{1The risen Christ appeared to many people for 40 days after the resurrection and prior to His ascension. See Acts 1:3} This Holy Day commemorates the ascension of the Christ as witnessed by His Disciples. Pentecost, also known as Whitsunday or Whitsun (“White Sunday”), has its roots in the Greek word pentecoste which means "50th day." It is celebrated on the seventh Sunday (50 days) after Easter, ten days after the Ascension. Pentecost commemorates the arrival of the Holy Spirit to the Disciples.

In 1923, after the destruction of the first Goetheanum by arson, Rudolf Steiner stressed the urgency that his anthroposophical community awaken to the spiritual world. There, the spirit of the original Goetheanum — a spirit transformed into love — could be found together with the risen Christ. Not only did Steiner beckon them to receive this Holy Spirit within themselves, he called for an awakening to the Holy Spirit in their interpersonal encounters. By doing so, they might plant the spiritual seeds of brotherly love within the hearts of mankind.^{2See Awakening to Community, 23 January - 4 March, 1923, Dornach.} With the death of the Goetheanum and its capacity through Christ to fill the Human Being ("Anthropo-") with Divine Cosmic Wisdom (Sophia) (together, "Anthroposophy"), this call rang out for the enlivening of individual souls. In his address to members in June, he warned the Anthroposophical Society would surely face collapse if the members did not have the courage for the self-reflection necessary to wake up to the spiritual world. A personal Pentecost was needed within the souls of his pupils.^{3See The Anthroposophic Movement, GA 258, Lecture VIII. Responsibility to Anthroposophy, 17 June 1923, Dornach.}

New Translation of the Calendar of the Soul

January - December, 2025

Formulae Essential for Anthroposophy

Our novel translation focuses on mirrored "corresponding verses" of seven lines each, four "light verses," and four "dark verses that serve as warnings to the soul at turning points each quarter of the year. Week 5 is a "light verse" as it is one of only four in the fifty-two verses of the Calendar of the Soul that starts with "the Light." Two of them land five weeks before and after Easter (verses 5 and 48) begin with "In the Light." The verses five weeks before and five weeks after Michaelmas (verses 22 and 31) begin with "The Light." While the difference is subtle, it reveals our shifting relationship to the light of the Sun as we move into the light of summer during weeks 5 and 48 and withdraw from it during weeks 22 and 31 as we move into winter.

Holy Week & Easter — The Revival of the Soul

April 12, 2025

SOL Collage including The Resurrection of Christ by Liane Collot d'Herbois

New 7 Line Translation of Corresponding Verses for Holy Week and Easter

Every Easter, Rudolf Steiner's Calendar of the Soul begins anew, offering powerful riddles to awaken the soul to an experience of the Divine. This masterful work is intricately woven to reflect the effects of the seasons on humanity and offers formulae for our proper evolution.

In this article, the Holy Week verse is translated and outlined in seven lines to both resound the biblical events of the Passion as well as the spiritual forces at work behind the physical each day of the week. A careful review of the original German text reveals the repetition and inversion of key words and phrases in the corresponding verse for Easter. This shadowing reflects the heavenly beauty flowing down to the human soul during the dark days of Holy Week and then a pivot on Easter to the drawing forth of our spiritual nature as nature blooms in Spring.

Carrying Rudolf Steiner's Legacy Forward

March 30, 2025

Thousands of New Additions & Extensive Biographical Timeline

In honor of the 100th anniversary of Rudolf Steiner's death, we have made nearly the full corpus of his life's work searchable online in English so it may enliven the spirit of people world-wide. Nowhere else is Dr. Steiner's legacy so completely chronicled telling the story of his life and travels through published books, lectures, articles, and correspondence. His mission to bring spirit into matter shines through his work. Additionally, we have made an extensive timeline of Rudolf Steiner's life story with links to thousands documents from his books, lectures, articles, and correspondence by year.