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Summaries based on notes taken by members of the audience of twenty lectures given in Berlin between January 29, 1906, and June 12, 1907 (CW 96) The lectures in this volume, given in Berlin in 1906 and 1907, belong to the upbuilding phase of Rudolf Steiner's work within the context of the Theosophical Society. As he later stated, the anthroposophical movement, which eventually blossomed into a host of worldwide initiatives in the arts, sciences, education, agriculture, etc., had its first earthly home within the Theosophical Society--despite the fact that, in many ways, anthroposophy was at odds with certain spiritual trends in the theosophical movement. These differences of approach were acknowledged early on by the then leader of the Society, Annie Besant, who wrote in a letter to a theosophical colleague: ""Dr. Steiner's occult training is very different from ours. . . . He & I work in thorough friendship & harmony, but along different lines."" During these years, Rudolf Steiner traveled widely throughout Europe, giving lectures to a small but enthusiastic circle of people who recognized that he was bringing a unique, Western path of esoteric schooling. In between his travels, Rudolf Steiner would return to Berlin, where he lived, and continue his lectures for the local group of theosophists. These Berlin lectures cover a wide range of subjects, including health, education, volcanic eruptions (in response to an eruption of Vesuvius at that time), planetary evolution, the Rosicrucian way of initiation, the modern science of the spirit, the Lord's Prayer, the blood that flowed on Golgotha, and karmic law. In these pages, one finds echoes of the more philosophically oriented works that Rudolf Steiner had published in the 1890s, but the central motif of the lectures lies in his completely new approach to the science of the spirit. Theosophy was at that time mainly concerned with cultivating the old wisdom. Rudolf Steiner, particularly in his new teaching of karma and reincarnation and in his emphasis on the Christ Mystery, was looking toward the future. As he states in the lecture of October 15, 1906: ""Karmic law must above all throw light on our future. We should not think so much of the past, but more of the future."" This volume is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the foundations that underlie the mature work of Rudolf Steiner's later years. This book is a translation of Ursprungsimpulse der Geisteswissenschaft: Christliche Esoterik im Lichte neuer Geist-Erkenntnis, 2nd edition, published by Rudolf Steiner Verlag, Dornach, Switzerland, 1989.

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Rudolf Steiner (b. Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner, 1861-1925) was born in the small village of Kraljevec, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Croatia), where he grew up. As a young man, he lived in Weimar and Berlin, where he became a well-published scientific, literary, and philosophical scholar, known especially for his work with Goethe's scientific writings. Steiner termed his spiritual philosophy anthroposophy, meaning ""wisdom of the human being."" As an exceptionally developed seer, he based his work on direct knowledge and perception of spiritual dimensions. He initiated a modern, universal ""spiritual science"" that is accessible to anyone willing to exercise clear and unbiased thinking. From his spiritual investigations, Steiner provided suggestions for the renewal of numerous activities, including education (general and for special needs), agriculture, medicine, economics, architecture, science, philosophy, Christianity, and the arts. There are currently thousands of schools, clinics, farms, and initiatives in other fields that involve practical work based on the principles Steiner developed. His many published works feature his research into the spiritual nature of human beings, the evolution of the world and humanity, and methods for personal development. He wrote some thirty books and delivered more than six thousand lectures throughout much of Europe. In 1924, Steiner founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which today has branches around the world.

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