For many centuries, the teaching of Mani was hidden behind the distorted picture that had been created by the adversaries of Manichaeism in East and West. In the course of the twentieth century, new light was shed on Manichaeism by the discovery of several Manichaean scriptures. These have shown that Manichaeism was a true, distinct world religion that, in the question of good and evil, for instance, offers insights that complement and deepen Christianity. Also in the twentieth century, Rudolf Steiner brought Anthro­posophy, Spiritual Science, which is a continuation of a stream of esoteric Christianity that has run through human history ever since the resurrection of Christ. Anthroposophy is centered on a new, deepened idea of Christianity that, as indicated by Rudolf Steiner, is so great and all-encompassing that it can be understood in its full depth only gradually. In this book, Christine Gruwez explores the essence of Mani’s revelation and then shows what Rudolf Steiner has communicated regarding Mani and his teaching. This generates an image of two spiritual streams that, each from its own beginning, are moving toward a future when a Christianity of the deed shall become reality.

Mani, the founder of the spiritual movement that has come to be called "Manichaeism," established an influential teaching that spread swiftly across Asia, Africa, and parts of Europe, but was later brutally suppressed. Little was known about this "Gnostic" religion until archaeological findings in the twentieth century revealed important aspects of Mani's biography and philosophical thought. Many years before those physical discoveries, Rudolf Steiner provided key esoteric insights based on his personal spiritual-scientific research, into Mani's life and work. Richard Seddon assembles pieces of the academic and esoteric puzzle, offering a lively and colorful picture of Mani and Manichaeism. He gives a succinct outline of Mani's life, the fundamental aspects of his teachings, and a description of the future spiritual role of Manichaeism. Seddon creates an image of a great Christian initiate leading a movement with the critical task of transforming and ultimately redeeming evil.

Means of serving in the world through spiritual science arose from the generous gifts of Rudolf Steiner. Such service requires ongoing inner development and presence to one's soul life as the medium of service, creatively and spiritually. Steiner was deeply aware and inwardly present to the reality of the spiritual tradition that inspires active service. The individual known as Mani, a third-century Persian mystic, and the spiritual streams that flowed from his teachings--the Cathars, Templars, and others--had the special purpose of "spiritualizing service," in that the spiritual worlds become the conscious wholeness through which we help others. Without the capacity to comprehend the nature of this wholeness and how to develop it, all of our attempts to serve can fall into mere functionality. The articles in this volume (previously published in the Journal of Anthroposophy) present a picture of Manicheism, which Steiner held in high esteem. The authors discuss the long-forgotten cosmology and practices of Mani, which hold important seeds for the future; the inner capacities inspired by Manicheism that relate to serving others; caring for the wounded soul; being able to help others in the most selfless ways; and working through the heart. Mani & Service presents these articles together for the first time. CONTENTS: Robert Sardello, "Anthroposophy and the Spiritual Stream of Mani" Rudolf Steiner, "The Cosmic Christ" (from a Christmas lecture) Déodat Roché, "Cathar Tales: 'The Man of All Colors' and 'The King of the Crows'" Hilmar Moore, "Listening Space: A Conversation with Alan Lovette" Andrew Welburn, "Manichean Writings" David A. Pellegrino, "Love in Action though Interest, Empathy, Caring, and Kindness" Thomas Popalowski, "Alcohol, the Family, and the Wound" Déodat Roché, "The Cathars and the Platonists of the School of Chartres" Albert Steffen, "Three Poems" Andrew Welburn, "The Genius of Mani" Cornelius Pietzner, "The Spiritual Heart of Service"

"It is my personal conviction that the question of our relationship to Rudolf Steiner is fundamental to the life of Anthroposophy itself." -- Sergei O. Prokofieff Even within the Anthroposophical Society and the anthroposophic movement, people's relationship to Rudolf Steiner is weakening and dissipating. This is problematic, says Prokofieff, as the future of both the Society and movement depends on a sufficient number of people aspiring to and realizing a true spiritual connection with the founder of Anthroposophy. Prokofieff deals in detail with this issue and asks, "Can one be an anthroposophist without being Rudolf Steiner's pupil?" In the second part of this book, Prokofieff elaborates on the mysteries surrounding the laying of the spiritual Foundation Stone at the Society's Christmas Meeting that began 1923. That event, he asserts, ensured that a personal relationship with Rudolf Steiner "would not remain within the realm of the generally abstract or intellectual, but would become a real inner deed." Thus, Steiner gave each anthroposophist the possibility of connecting with him through free inner work on the Foundation Stone. Both parts of this book are linked, in the sense that once a relationship with Steiner is established, an inner longing to work with the "new mysteries" will follow. In Prokofieff's words, "The will to take the foundation of the new mysteries seriously leads to a real, inner connection with Rudolf Steiner." Relating to Rudolf Steiner includes an essay on the "problem" of digitally publishing Steiner's most important esoteric texts and the esoteric background of the internet and electronic media in general. In response to readers' questions about how to counteract the harmful consequences of these developments, Prokofieff has expanded and developed his original essay on this subject.

Collected here in this 5-in-1 omnibus edition are five of Rudolf Steiner's most important works including Theosophy, an Introduction, An Esoteric Cosmology, Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path, An Introduction to Waldorf Education and Other Essays, and how to Know Higher Worlds. Rudolf Steiner was an Austrian philosopher, literary scholar, educator, artist, playwright, social thinker, and esotericist.

‘Let us be courageous and not draw back in fear when realities of the world of spirit that play into human life are unveiled. You see, the future of humanity depends on us learning to live with the world of spirit in the same way that we live with the physical world here on earth.’ – Rudolf Steiner In a wide-ranging series of lectures, Rudolf Steiner demonstrates the integral nature of spirit and matter and their manifold connections. Speaking to audiences in London, Holland, Germany and Switzerland, Steiner explains how, through a process of evolving consciousness, humanity lost its knowledge and direct experience of the spiritual sources of existence, but now needs to reconnect with them. Spirit is the essence and power of life which, in Steiner’s vivid image, ‘strikes a match in our whole being’ when we allow it to inform us fully. Our world cannot be understood only in physical terms but is inseparable from the divine realities continually creating and sustaining it. Reconnecting with the spirit calls upon us to heal the fractures between everyday consciousness and the metaphysical realms in which we are already embedded. In Steiner’s descriptions, there is no end to the numerous reconnections possible: between our past, present and future; between the active, individualizing principle of the ‘I’ and the physical human body it works upon and shapes; between our physical actions and limb movements in one life and the forming or sculpting of our head in a future one; and above all, between the moral actions and insights we develop whilst alive on earth and our developing ‘eye’ for spiritual reality in the life after death, with all that this can mean for the future of human evolution. Taking a truly holistic approach, Rudolf Steiner tackles an eclectic series of subjects throughout these sixteen lectures – all united by the common theme of rediscovering how spirit pervades life. Apart from a focus on education in several lectures, he discusses: experiences during sleep; the human spirit and soul between death and a new birth; how spirit ‘sculpts’ the human organism; Christ from the perspective of anthroposophy; the battle for human nature between luciferic and ahrimanic beings; karma and the creation of conditions for our return to a new life on earth; human experience of the etheric cosmos; and the human being’s faculties of hearing, speaking, singing, walking, and thinking. Together, these lectures offer a cornucopia of spiritual insights and wisdom for the present day.