About the Book
Our Dead collects Steiner's memorial, funeral, and cremation addresses, as well as a sampling of prayers and meditations for the dead. The context, intimate and sober with grief, means that his intent is quite other than if he had been speaking in a lecture hall. His primary concerns--while based on spiritual-scientific research and, in some cases, the actual living expression of it in real time--are ethical and existential and, at the same time, ceremonial and communal. He stands as speaker before and for the living--relations, friends, and community members--and for the one who has died, even, in a way, for the greater "cloud" of all the dead. With his feet planted firmly on the Earth, Steiner moves seamlessly between the sensory-physical, embodied world and the invisible, suprasensory, discarnate one. Speaking in an intimate, personal manner to both worlds, he unites the living and the dead with words that are both practical and healing. We meet Rudolf Steiner in this book in a different way.
Here, the substance of what he communicates is less what he says than how he says it; he emphasizes, above all, the tenderness and compassion with which he unites with both the souls of the departed in the spiritual world and those grieving on Earth. Through his words, Heaven and Earth, the spiritual and earthly worlds, are brought closer together. Through his example, embodied in his words filled with feeling, a bridge is revealed on which we, too, may cross. Shining through this book is Rudolf Steiner's love for humanity--how he loved his students and those with whom he worked, seeing the best in them as he lovingly crafted their biographies; how behind all of this stands his love for every human being and the whole of humanity as a single being; how, indeed, his interest in and care for each human being as a unique individual--in this case, members of the Anthroposophical Society--seems boundless.
Those who love Rudolf Steiner, as well as those who are simply interested in him; those who seek comfort and guidance when grieving loved ones who have died; those who seek ways of entering a real relationship with the dead, who wish to understand how the dead might influence our lives--these will find in this volume irreplaceable substance for meditation, thought, and practice. This volume is a translation from the German of Unsere Toten. Ansprachen, Gedenkworte und Meditationsspruche 1906-1924 (GA 261).
About the Author :
Rudolf Steiner (b. Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner, 1861-1925) was born in the small village of Kraljevec, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Croatia), where he grew up. As a young man, he lived in Weimar and Berlin, where he became a well-published scientific, literary, and philosophical scholar, known especially for his work with Goethe's scientific writings. Steiner termed his spiritual philosophy anthroposophy, meaning "wisdom of the human being." As an exceptionally developed seer, he based his work on direct knowledge and perception of spiritual dimensions. He initiated a modern, universal "spiritual science" that is accessible to anyone willing to exercise clear and unbiased thinking. From his spiritual investigations, Steiner provided suggestions for the renewal of numerous activities, including education (general and for special needs), agriculture, medicine, economics, architecture, science, philosophy, Christianity, and the arts. There are currently thousands of schools, clinics, farms, and initiatives in other fields that involve practical work based on the principles Steiner developed. His many published works feature his research into the spiritual nature of human beings, the evolution of the world and humanity, and methods for personal development. He wrote some thirty books and delivered more than six thousand lectures throughout much of Europe. In 1924, Steiner founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which today has branches around the world. Christopher Bamford (1943-2022) was born in Cardiff, South Wales, and lived for a while in Hungary and then in Scotland. He studied as an undergraduate at Trinity University in Dublin and earned his master's degree at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania. For nearly thirty years, he was Editor in Chief at SteinerBooks (Anthroposophic Press) and its imprints. A Fellow of the Lindisfarne Association, he lectured, taught, and wrote widely on Western spiritual and esoteric traditions. His books include a selection of his numerous introductions, Encountering Rudolf Steiner: Introductions to Essential Works (2022); Healing Madonnas: Exploring the Sequence of Madonna Images Created by Rudolf Steiner and Felix Peipers for Use in Therapy and Meditation (2017); An Endless Trace: The Passionate Pursuit of Wisdom in the West (2003); and The Voice of the Eagle: The Heart of Celtic Christianity (1990). He also translated and edited numerous books, including Homage to Pythagoras: Rediscovering Sacred Science (2001); The Noble Traveller: The Life and Writings of O. V. de L. Milosz (1984); and Celtic Christianity: Ecology and Holiness (1982). Essays by Mr. Bamford are included in The Best Spiritual Writing 2000 ("In the Presence of Death") and The Best American Spiritual Writing 2005 ("The Gift of the Call"). Christopher passed over the threshold on May 13, 2022, at his Mt. Washington, Massachusetts home.
Sabine H. Seiler, PhD, is owner of Columbia Translators & Editors, Albany, New York. She has translated and edited numerous texts, many of which are focused on Anthroposophy. She earned a PhD at SUNY Albany, an M.A. at Florida State University, a B.A. at Philipps Universität, Marburg, Germany.
