Anthroposophy
Anthroposophy, philosophy based on the premise that the human intellect has the ability to contact spiritual worlds. It was formulated by Rudolf Steiner (q.v.), an Austrian philosopher, scientist, and artist, who postulated the existence of a spiritual world comprehensible to pure thought but fully accessible only to the faculties of knowledge latent in all humans. He regarded human beings as having originally participated in the spiritual processes of the world through a dreamlike consciousness. Because Steiner claimed that an enhanced consciousness can again perceive spiritual worlds, he attempted to develop a faculty for spiritual perception independent of the senses. Toward this end, he founded the Anthroposophical Society in 1912. The society, now based in Dornach, Switz., has branches around the world.
Britannica
Now, according to http://www.waldorfanswers.org:
Anthroposophy is a human oriented spiritual philosophy that reflects and speaks to the basic deep spiritual questions of humanity, to our basic artistic needs, to the need to relate to the world out of a scientific attitude of mind, and to the need to develop a relation to the world in complete freedom and based on completely individual judgments and decisions.
A more detailed description would possibly point to four basic aspects and levels of anthroposophy:
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Anthroposophy is a spiritual philosophy, mainly developed by Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. It is born out of a philosophy of freedom, living at the core of anthroposophy.
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It is a path of knowledge or spiritual research, developed on the basis of European idealistic philosophy, rooted in the philosophies of Aristotle, Plato, and Thomas Aquinas. It is primarily defined by its method of research, and secondly by the possible knowledge or experiences this leads to.
From this perspective, anthroposophy can also be called spiritual science. As such, it is an effort to develop not only natural scientific, but also a spiritual scientific research on the basis of the idealistic tradition, in the spirit of the historical strivings, that have led to the development of modern science.
On this basis, anthroposophy strives to bridge the clefts that have developed since the Middle Ages between the sciences, the arts and the religious strivings of man as the three main areas of human culture, and build the foundation for a synthesis of them for the future.
The central organization for the cultivation of this in connection with anthroposophy is a School of Spiritual Science, having a center at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland.
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Anthroposophy also is an impulse to nurture the life of the soul in the individual and in human society, meaning among other things to nurture the respect for and interest in others on a purely human basis independently of their origin and views.
The main organization for this is the Anthroposophical Society, which exists in a world wide form, as national Anthroposophical Societies, and as groups formed on the basis of subject.
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While rooted in a philosophy of freedom, developed as a method of spiritual research and an impulse to nurture a purely human interest in other people, it also has possible practical implications and as such lives as applied or practical anthroposophy in various
daughter movements
of anthroposophy.The most developed of these daughter movements of anthroposophy are biodynamic farming, Waldorf schools (see European Council for Steiner Waldorf Schools and the Association of Waldorf Schools in North America for the largest Waldorf schools associations), anthroposophical curative education (see European Co-operation in Anthroposophical Curative Education and Social Therapy and the Camphill Association of North America) and anthroposophical medicine.
The main organization originally built for the cooperation between anthroposophical organizations, institutions and companies is the civil association General Anthroposophical Society, having a center in Dornach, Switzerland. The corresponding organization in the U.S. is the Council of Anthroposophical Organizations.
Is Anthroposophy a Religion?
No, anthroposophy is not a religion, nor is it meant to be a substitute for religion. While its insights may support, illuminate or complement religious practice, it provides no belief system. The Anthroposophical Society is open to persons of any faith but also those who do not adhere to a particular faith.
What is of interest in anthroposophy is the living spiritual insights of its members and the activities that flow freely from those insights. Members are not prescribed a specific form of spiritual practice but many [freely] practice meditation (contemplative thinking, visualization or imagery), artistic expression and study.
Anthroposophy has no profession of faith - no oaths or vows are required for membership. Anthroposophy has no sacred texts; members of the Anthroposophical Society are free to work with any texts they consider to be spiritually significant. While it is not a requirement, many members read the works of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of the Anthroposophical Society, in order to study how he arrived at his spiritual insights.
When anthroposophy is compared with religion we notice the following points:
- Anthroposophy has no dogma or creed - the Statutes of the Anthroposophical Society specifically forbid dogma.
- The Anthroposophical Society does not offer or prescribe any religious practices or sacraments.
- Anthroposophy does not claim to lead to salvation. Anthroposophy is concerned with understanding relationship of the human being to the spiritual world.
- There is no one spiritual guide, teacher or master within the Anthroposophical Society whose statements are beyond questioning.
- Anthroposophy is not a system of beliefs. Anthroposophy is a path to knowledge based on a spiritual understanding of humanity and our relationship to the spiritual world.
- The Anthroposophical Society is not organized as a church. It is a free association of individuals and independent study groups some of whom have sought to be formally recognized by the Anthroposophical Society. This formal recognition is not a requirement for a study group to be publicized by the Society.
- There are no priests, pastors, ministers or other religious functionaries. Anthroposophy supports religion without interfering with religious practice. Many members of the Society engage in the practice of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Shinto, Buddhism and other faiths. Others are not connected to a particular religious faith.
Anthroposophy honors each member's own faith and the moral injunctions of that faith.
Jean Yeager, Administrative Director of the Anthroposophical Society in America