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Fellowship
Brochure
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Spiritual Life and Anthroposophy

Spiritual life and anthroposophy are intimately related. This calls for some clarification. Many consider spiritual life to be formalized religious activity. Though there is no formal religious confession cultivated by the community, there are a number who attend religious services of one confession or another outside the community. Spiritual life in the community does includes independent search and work by the individual for the sake of deepening life’s meaning with a goal of joy in living, altruism and service (for the sake of ethical-moral purposes.) Spiritual life does include the support for the emergent individual with ever new skills and capacities. Spiritual life does include the sharing of ideas which are not of a specific confession, but are needed for a deepening comprehension and understanding of the human being. Spiritual life does include common study and the celebration of festivals during the course of the year. Spiritual life does include a study of anthroposophy for those interested.

Anthroposophy is a spiritual science which has been cultivated extensively by Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) Though the term anthroposophy has been present in mankind’s cultural history for two thousand years, it is through the extensive researches of Rudolf Steiner that this spiritual science now is becoming ever better known. It was Rudolf Steiner’s life task to elaborate the “sophia”, the wisdom concerning the human being, with at least forty books and 6000 lectures. Many works in the public sector have come into existence as a direct outcome of this human centered view of existence. Schools, agricultural enterprises, hospitals, as well as many different types of therapeutic facilities, visual arts, performing arts, social service activities, special educational settings, villages for the care of those in need of long term care, and even businesses have grown out of this deeply penetrating view of the human being.

As stated, Anthroposophy is a spiritual science. This spiritual science pays due respect to materialistic science and the further elaboration of this science so that it can include a comprehension of the soul and spiritual dimensions of the human being. The nature of Anthroposophy is such that it leads to a much deeper comprehension of the human make up than is usual and, because of this, can be mistaken for a religion, which it is not. Anthroposophy may help a given individual with his religious pursuits, but for the most part it leads to a sense of devotion to the human being and the world. Such devotion is needed in community building, service to one’s fellow human beings and the world as well.

Investigation into the make up of the human being with a spiritual science reveals the human make up to be threefold in a number of respects.

FIRST: The human being has been and can be discovered to have a body, a soul and a spirit.

SECOND: She or he can be found to have a threefold soul constitution. Thinking, feelings, and will activities are core dimensions for the multitudinous of other aspects which make up soul functioning—-impressions, perceptions, representations, reasonings, judgements, instincts, impulses, wishes, intentions, hates, loves, and the like.

THIRD: The human physical body, on careful research, can be found to be a threefold bodily revelation of the soul. This finding is what is totally new and follows from researches undertaken by Rudolf Steiner for a period of thirty years. With these findings the more head-like nerve-sense system can be seen as serving the thoughtful side of human existence. The more chest-centered rhythmic system with rhythmic cardiac and respiratory cycles furnishes a very mobile basis for feeling. The more abdominal-limb configuration of the human being can serve metabolism which permits the will to surface in action. With this perspective, the whole of man’s make up can be viewed as serving the soul.

FOURTH: The human being can be seen to be threefold in his social needs. First and foremost, the human being needs to find his freedom in spirit. Next, he as well needs to sense his rights as a full human being. And thirdly, human beings ask for a potential to work together in harmony with his fellow man. Today sensitive and thoughtful individuals want to take part in the globalization of economics. This last threefoldness demands real consideration of the social domains (spiritual, rights and economic) needed for human fulfillment. Participation, in all three domains supports the emergence of health in the life of human beings.

From the foregoing it can be seen that it is not a religion that is being addressed but the human being who has spiritual dimensions, soul seekings, and bodily needs, all of which place demands on a social service setting such as that of the Fellowship Community.