Rudolph Steiner (1861-1925)

Rudolf Steiner broke from the Theosophical Society in 1907 and founded the Anthroposophical Society, headquartered in Dornach, Switzerland. Steiner, in The Submerged Continents of Atlantis and Lemuria (1911), wrote of the Akashic Records that contain all lost, ancient knowledge and are only accessible to those deemed spiritually ready. By “reading” the Akashic Records, Steiner added more details about the Lemurians and Atlanteans. He claimed that Lemurians lifted objects by willpower, lived in caves, reworked hills, and accomplished complex masonry. There were no temples or places of worship, only places of instruction in science and magic. Ancient civilizations rose from the knowledge of the gods.

Steiner emphasized the scientific study of the spiritual world. Unlike Blavatsky, he did not emphasize hidden masters or occult communication with Ascended Masters. He warns the clairvoyants must practice good judgment when talking to the spirit world. Steiner notes (1950:46), “We may meet some being of the soul or spirit world, but we do not necessarily know whether it is progressing in its evolution, or whether it belongs to the category of powers that have lagged behind.” He believed in the spiritual basis of reality, reincarnation, and personal experiences that could expand consciousness. “The passing of the individual through successive incarnations is of importance for the collective evolution of the human race” (Steiner 1950:11). Steiner believed that humans originally shared the spiritual consciousness of the cosmos and the present knowledge is only a vestige of primordial cognition (Ellwood 1973:107). For Steiner, all beings advanced though at every state, some were left behind (Steiner 1950:39). Anthrosophists placed importance on education, creative arts, and drama, later establishing schools called Waldorf Schools.

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