Basics of Anthroposophy
Table of Contents
The Anthroposophical Meditative Path: An Orientation to the Anthroposophical Meditative Tool Box - Which one does what; why does it do that and how will it feel?
Presenter: Robert McKay Date: January 31, 2021 Note: No audio for this presentation. Slides will advance after 15 seconds, PAUSE AT ANY SLIDE to read the whole slide.
In the first of seven sessions on the anthroposophical path of knowledge, we considered the idea that human beings are designed to achieve enlightenment. Spiritual beings have sown the seeds of advanced forms of consciousness into our etheric/astral sheaths. Activating these higher forms of consciousness requires our effort. As we mature, we move from receiving gifts to taking on responsibility.
Dr. Rudolf Steiner guides the meditant to relevant regions of everyday consciousness which, like occult thresholds, hold hidden spiritual potential and explains the activities–such as cultivating reverence for truth–that stimulate the higher development processes.
In the second session, we will consider an overview of the anthroposophical path of knowledge, touching on many of the key exercises Dr. Steiner provides, including discussing how to work with anthroposophical mantras. In this description of the path, we will consider:
The foundational work that must be done and maintained in order to create the outer container required to hold the meditant in a healthy relationship to practical life as the inner work deepens
The task of learning to live as a meditant which creates the inner crucible that can contain the tremendous transformative powers which the meditant must learn to manage
The life of the advanced student for whom the spiritual world is coming into view through experiencing imaginative cognition
As with the first session, participants will be offered the opportunity to participate in meditative exercises and breakout discussions of these experiences.
The Anthroposophical Meditative Path: The Journey of Becoming a Meditant.
Presenter: Robert McKay
Date: March 7, 2021
In this 7th and final session of the series, Robert McKay speaks about the journey of becoming a meditant. He explores how the anthroposophical path leads the meditant into a living riddle: only through selfless effort can one become a truly unique personality. The session included a breakout group discussion, practical guidance on developing a meditative practice, and a question and answer period.
The Anthroposophical Meditative Path: Finding Hidden Thresholds in Everyday Experience - An Overview of the Anthroposophical Path of Knowledge presented by Robert McKay
Date: January 24, 2021
You are designed to achieve enlightenment. To the extent that you are striving to be a good person, in all the richness of that simple phrase, you are already on the path to enlightenment. The path has two segments. The first segment is long, winding and as gentle as it can be. It leads through many earthly lives. It is the path of karma.
At a certain point–different for each person who is striving to be good– the decision is made to take the steeper way that leads more directly to the goal but requires dedicated, conscious effort. This is the path of freedom. To tread the path of freedom, one must find the hidden thresholds that are presented everywhere in our daily experiences, and learn the incantations required to open these secret doors.
This is the true human adventure but it is not for the faint of heart nor for those who are easily defeated. Nor for the foolish, for as the mystical life unfolds before the seeker, she must undertake ever greater responsibility for herself in the flow of the present moment.
As preparation for the first session, consider feeling your way into the following verse by Dr. Rudolf Steiner:
The wishes of the soul are springing,
The deeds of the will are growing,
The fruits of life are maturing.
I feel my destiny,
My destiny finds me.
I feel my star,
My star finds me.
I feel my goals in life,
My goals in life find me.
My soul and the World are one.
Life grows more radiant about me,
Life grows more arduous for me,
Life grows more abundant within me.
The Anthroposophical Meditative Path: Your Higher Self and the Great Rosicrucian Mantra - The Mystery of the Trinity in Human Unfolding.
Presenter: Filip Karadzic
Date: February 21, 2021
In preparation for this meditation workshop, try to meditate or think about the deeper meaning of the holy trinity of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit and what it teaches us.
Use the following Rosicrucian mantra as a guide
Ex Deo nascimur [From God we are born]
In Christo morimur [In Christ we die]
Per Spiritum Sanctum reviviscimus [Through the Holy Spirit we are reborn]
Also try to bring an object you can hold in your hand, ideally a crystal or a rock or something metallic.
The Anthroposophical Meditative Path: The Rose Cross Meditation - Opening and Strengthening the Higher Self.
Presenter: Lois Macaulay
Date: February 28, 2021
What descriptions and directions did Rudolf Steiner leave us for its meanings, potency and practice? What insights can short and long time practitioners offer to get you started or deepen your work?
And for the ‘keeners’ among us, here is a little preparatory material to read before the session:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/torontoasc/permalink/1155850884845619/
