Karl Heyer (1888–1964), lawyer and historian, was one of the foremost pupils of Rudolf Steiner.
He was active in the threefold movement of 1919 and out of his experiences wrote a synopsis
of the threefold impulse, from an exoteric and esoteric point of view. This appeared originally
as an appendix in the book Wer ist der deutsche Volksgeist? (not yet translated). Heyer who had
a key conversation with Rudolf Steiner in 1911 and wrote an inspired book on Kaspar Hauser
(not yet translated) had a broad overview of this new social impulse. Heyer’s text, which will be
published as a series in the forthcoming issues, can serve as an excellent, profound introduction
for anyone trying to grasp the relevance of this new social impulse, born of both physical and
spiritual insights. We are very glad that this key text by Heyer is now accessible to our readers in
English translation.
T.H. Meyer
Read more: Threefolding: 100 Years Karl Heyer: Esoteric Foundations and Aspects of Social Threefolding
Translated by Terry Boardman
A Consideration from exoteric and spiritual scientific perspectives
in her introduction: what is public opinion?
I propose to deal with the topic in two parts. The I propose to deal with the topic in two parts. The first will be exoteric and the second will be from a spiritual scientific perspective. I do not want to go about it in an abstract and theoretical way, but rather introduce some symptomatic examples of what one can understand by the term “public opinion”.
Read more: What is Public Opinion?
Translated by Terry Boardman
The Dangers of Vitamin
Article from TPA Vol. 4 / No. 07 / October 2018
read more: The Dangers of Vitamin D Treatment
by Andreas Bracher
This speech was held during a conference with Barbro Karlén on 13 Oct 2013 in Budapest. See also the interview by T.H. Meyer with Karlén
Edited by Paul O’Leary
Barbro Karlén, The Holocaust and Reincarnation
by Thomas Meyer
The Seasons and the Seasonal festivals in the Southern Hemisphere
Geert Suwelack (1920–2003) was a priest of the Christian Community working in Sao Paolo. He investigated the question of seasonal realities in the Northern and the Southern hemispheres, based on numerous statements by Rudolf Steiner. We publish his üpionmeering work in this respect. It was first published 1979, 33 years ago.
Download der PDF: Geert Suwelack: The New Dialogue with the Spirit of the Earth
Notes on Wilde’s life and his posthumous writing De Profundis
The following contributions have been made on the occasion of the Oscar Wilde Conference organised by Marcus Schneider on 31 May/1 June 2008 at the Scala Basel, where the eurythmy ensemble, Eurythmiegruppe Stuttgart, (artistic director: Elisabeth Brinkmann) performed Wilde’s one-act play Salomé. The play was having its première in 1896 at the time when its author was serving his sentence in Reading Gaol. The following presentation has been edited and at some passages expanded.
Thomas Meyer
read more: PDF: Oscar Wilde and Hubris – Oscar Wilde and the Overcoming of Ambition and Vanity
The book Anthroposophie in Deutschland bears the characteristics of a political broadside by means of which the opponents – in this case Rudolf Steiner and Anthroposophy – are to be slandered. In order to accomplish this, the author employs various methods and “stratagems” such as, for example, de- contextualising quotations and thus changing their meaning, excluding facts or bringing unsubstantiated claims. Does this only concern a dissenter freely expressing his opinion? Perhaps there is more to it: If it is true that Zander qualified as a university lecturer on the basis of this treatise* then he would not stand alone when under public scrutiny—but also together with all the experts (that are needed in the course of a habilitation) and the faculty members involved, i.e. the „crème de la crème“ of the research community. In this case, the question would be: Is it possible that someone who presents a dissertation which so flagrantly disregards research criteria, nevertheless successfully clears all the academic hurdles and attains a university teaching qualification?
Dr. Jutta Schwarz, Zürich
* Ed. comment: The following statement is found in the epilogue of Zander’s book, pg. 1717: “Rüdiger von Bruch, historian at Humboldt University, Berlin, undertook the risk of assuming responsibility for part of this work as fulfilment of a postdoctoral thesis.” Zander does not indicate which part.
Helmut Zander’s publication Anthroposophie in Deutschland – Theosophische Weltanschauung und gesellschaftliche Praxis 1884–1945 (Göttingen 2007) [Anthroposophy in Germany – Theosophical worldview and its social practice 1884 – 1945] has aroused interest and has been met with approval in anthroposophical and other circles. The following analysis shows that Zander dismisses the scientific character of Anthroposophy, without himself having at his disposal a comprehensive, clear concept of scientific research and without himself having undertaken a genuine and serious study of the epistemological foundations of Anthroposophy.
For this reason, Zander’s work—despite a wealth of partially accurate, but also in part plainly incorrect, isolated fragments of information—has the character of a pseudo-scientific polemic against Steiner’s spiritual science. In November Der Europäer published a study by Dr. Peter Selg which provides carefully substantiated evidence that Zander’s representation of the development of anthroposophical medicine is characterised by allegations, half-truths and misjudgements.
Thomas Meyer
Articles by Meyer and Selg can be downloaded here as PDF files (in German):
Thomas Meyer:
Helmut Zander und sein dilettantischer Wissenschaftsbegriff Helmut Zanders voluminöses Vorbeigehen am methodischen Kern der Anthroposophie Rudolf Steiners – ihrer Wissenschaftlichkeit
Dr. Peter Selg:
«Helmut Zander und seine Geschichte der anthroposophischen Medizin» Teil 1
Z. Tóth Csaba
„The federation of Europe is the only hope we have“ – Lord Robert Cecil of Chelwood, 1897.
read more: PDF: Abduction of Europe
Eighty-Five Years Old, but Still Relevant: the “Threefold Formation of the Social Organism”, According to Rudolf Steiner
Nicholas Dodwell, Karlsruhe / Germany March 2004
Written for the German “attac”-group “Alternative World Economic Order” (AWWO).
read more: PDF: Abduction of Europe
Thomas Meyer
read more: PDF: «Mendacity as the basic characteristic of our times»
The “scientific research” methods of present day opponents of anthroposophy
In connection with the repeated, rehashed claims that Rudolf Steiner’s writings contain racist and anti-Semitic comments, various opponents of Anthroposophy have recently put in the pillory yet again the following statement: “Judaism as such has long since lived itself out and no longer has legitimacy within modern national life. The fact that it has nevertheless preserved itself is a flaw of world history, the consequences of which could not be avoided”. This passage is taken from an essay written by Steiner in 1888 about Robert Hamerling’s epic poem, Homunkulus, in which he defends Hamerling against the accusations raised concerning anti-Semitism following publication of the epic.
Taken in context, the cited comment refers to nothing more than the idea of a self-contained national entity—rejected by many Jews at that time—versus the complete assimilation of the Jewish nation “into modern national life” which many Jews had accomplished previously, over the course of centuries. Already in March 2000, Der Europäer corrected the misinterpretation of this and other passages by Steiner.*
The methods employed by most opponents at that time and also today can be described with the following analogy: Someone writes down the name “Douglas”; someone else comes along and claims that this name must be “taken out of circulation” because every person called by this name would be offended—for the name contains the elements D, O and G which undisputedly spell “DOG”! Using precisely this method, passages of Steiner’s writings are arbitrarily cited out of context and presented as offensive. There is no difference in the level of operation. Those who work with such methods cannot claim scientific credibility or the right to censor Steiner’s writings.
* See (in German)   «Neuere Tendenzen zu geistiger Rückständigkeit…», Thomas Meyer, März 2000)
