Staying Connected
How to Continue Your Relationships with Those who have Died
Selected lectures by Rudolf Steiner

“Working with the dead” — maintaining, continuing, and enhancing our relationships with those who have died — was fundamental to Rudolf Steiner’s work. So, too, is the idea that human beings on both sides of the threshold constitute a single community. This book provides concrete, practical instructions for those who wish to engage consciously in the great work that the living and the so-called dead can do together.

Steiner speaks directly from experience, formulating meditation practices and verses that help bring the living into relation to the souls who have passed on. We learn of reading to the dead and of using verbs (not nouns) to communicate with them. We learn also about the importance of the sacred moments of falling asleep and awaking and of the way in which our memories are like “art” to them. Finally, we learn of the key soul moods to be cultivated: community with the world, gratitude, and confidence in the current of life.

Gradually, we come to realize that the dead, and indeed the whole spiritual world, care deeply about every aspect of earthly life. We understand that the earth is the only place where death can be experienced, as well as the only place where we can actively foster love and form connections and relationships. We learn, too, how this love extends beyond the physical world and how the living and the dead can help each other.

Trans: various (Selected lectures); 288pp
Anthroposophic Press
ISBN: 0 88010 462 7; paperback
 

Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) called his spiritual philosophy 'anthroposophy', which he defined as 'the consciousness of one's humanity', and the disciplined methods of studying this he termed ‘spiritual science’.  As a highly developed clairvoyant and spiritual initiate, he spoke from his direct cognition of the spiritual world. However, he did not see his work as religious or sectarian, but rather sought to found a universal 'science of the spirit'.

His many published works (written books and lectures) - which include his research into the spiritual nature of the human being, the evolution of the world and humanity, and methods of personal development - invite readers to develop their own spiritual faculties.  He also provided indications for the renewal of many human activities, including education - both general and special - agriculture, medicine, economics, architecture, science, philosophy, religion and the arts. He wrote some 30 books and delivered over 6000 lectures across Europe, and in 1924 founded the General Anthroposophical Society which today has branches throughout the world.