Quick Look
- Describes the history and ideas behind each of Rudolf Steiner’s fourteen letters on the Archangel Michael
- A thought-provoking book, revealing how the Archangel Michael can help us overcome divisions of national identity today
- Includes beautiful colour illustrations
This thoughtful analysis offers a deeper understanding of Steiner’s letters on the Archangel Michael and how he can help us to embrace a truly universal view of humanity.
Description
Towards the end of his life, Rudolf Steiner published a series of weekly letters addressed to the members of the Anthroposophical Society. Among them were fourteen letters in which he described the mission of the Archangel Michael, the mighty spiritual being who has accompanied humanity's evolution from primordial times right up to the present day.
In this insightful book, Charles Kovacs draws on his knowledge of Steiner's work to provide a deeper understanding of the history and ideas that inform each letter. He shows how the Archangel Michael is the great champion of human freedom in the modern age and how he can help us transcend divisions of national identity to embrace a truly universal view of humanity.
Table of Contents
Foreword
1. At the Dawn of the Michael Age
2. The Condition of the Human Soul Before the Dawn of the Michael Age
3. The Way of Michael and What Preceded It
4. Michael’s Task in the Sphere of Ahriman
5. The Experiences of Michael in the Course of His Cosmic Mission
6. The Activity of Michael and the Future of Humanity
7. The Michael-Christ Experience of Humanity
8. Michael’s Mission in the Cosmic Age of Human Freedom
9. World-thoughts in the Working of Michael and in the Working of Ahriman
10. At the Gates of the Consciousness Soul
11. How the Michael-forces Work in the Earliest Unfolding of the Consciousness Soul
12. Hindrances and Helps to the Michael-forces
13. Michael’s Suffering Over Human Evolution Before the Time of His Earthly Activity
14. A Christmas Contemplation: The Mystery of the Logos
References
Index
Reviews
'Steiner always asks us deliberately to make an effort to create imaginations from given words, be they on paper or through spoken word. Where Steiner is scientific, Kovacs tells stories. Thanks to his wonderful calm and sure way of leading us through what are fundamental and essential concepts, this effort is made a little easier for us. From clear ideas to imaginative pictures, from difficult-to-grasp spiritual facts to primeval fairy tale images, Kovacs helps us make sense of these in the context of human development and thus weaves a bridge between the known familiar and the cosmic truths hidden behind them...'
-- Perspectives
Author
Charles Kovacs (1907--2001) was born in Austria. After the Second World War he settled in Britain, and in 1956 he took over a class at the Rudolf Steiner School in Edinburgh, where he remained a class teacher until his retirement in 1976. Kovacs is the author of a highly-respected series of books for Steiner-Waldorf teachers based on his extensive lesson notes, as well as books on religion and spirituality, including The Apocalypse in Rudolf Steiner's Lecture Series, The Spiritual Background to Christian Festivals and Christianity and the Ancient Mysteries.
