Man as Symphony of the Creative Word

All the work of Rudolf Steiner calls upon the faculty of imagination to understand it, but nowhere more so than in this astonishing series of lectures on the kingdoms of nature and their relation to man. The usual external biological relation is illuminated and over-powered by a new inner, artistic and moral one, We are led to experience the three great animal prototypes, eagle, lion and cow, in our own being. We grasp the relation of insect and plant in a way which throws new light on our own evolution and that of the world.

The elemental beings cease to be mere poetic names; we enter into their intricate working in the life of the earth. Fish, amphibia, reptile, take on a new spiritual dimension. We grasp the therapeutic power of metals through an inner sympathy with their forces.

As a mere feat of ordinary imagination these lectures would be outstanding; as a revelation of the actual workings and goings on of the world they are supreme. Everyone who studies them will echo the words they contain: Cosmic activity is indeed the greatest of artists. The cosmos fashions everything according to laws which give the deepest satisfaction to the artistic sense.