Community Life, Inner Development, Sexuality and the Spiritual Teacher

Psychology / Inner Development COMMUNITY LIFE INNER DEVELOPMENT SEXUALITY and the SPIRITUAL TEACHER This collection of lectures contains Steiner's strongest statements on the issues of human relationships in a spiritual community such as the Anthroposophical Society. Occasioned by an unfortunate “scandal” involving people influenced by psychoanalysis, these lectures present Steiner's comprehensive assessment of Freud's work and of psychoanalysis as a whole. As Steiner shows, our physical life, including human sexuality, has spiritual roots; looking to sexuality for the explanation of human behavior is therefore looking in the wrong direction. In emphatic, forceful language, Steiner makes clear that becoming part of a spiritual community entails responsibilities/ indeed, a new way of being. Above all, members must become actively interested and engaged in the concerns of the group, rather than simply wanting to benefit from it. It is essential for members to realize that a spiritual community is not just a club of like-minded people, but a living entity, a being that needs the care and respect of its creators. Throughout these lectures the attentive reader will gain much insight into the nature of the spiritual life and the role of the teacher in that life. This book will be of interest to anyone involved in a spiritual practice or a spiritual community. RUDOLF STEINER (1861–1925), philosopher, scholar, scientist, and educator, was the founder Anthroposophy, a modern spiritual path or science. Out of his spiritual researches, he was able to provide indications for the renewal of many human activities, including education (the Waldorf Schools), agriculture (Biodynamics), medicine (Anthroposophical Medicine), special education (the Camphill Movement), economics, philosophy, and religion. In 1924, he founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which today has branches throughout the world.