Saint John's Tide, June 24 - July 7, 2012

The first "Rudolf Steiner Returns" page, which covers the time period from 2005 to 2011, is still fully available at the link that follows this review, below. The original brief article, published online in the spring of 2006 at the request of a friend, developed into something of a chronological account, as years of study and retrospective analysis, writing projects, interaction with other anthroposophists, and the emergence and work of the Brunnen von Christus Group all brought - and continue to bring - increased understanding and development. This seven-year review will provide retrospective commentary on the content of the original article, in the reverse order of the presentation of that content.

"By dying to the outer world, we become assured that the treasure acquired in connection with the Christ-Impulse is carried into every other life. Through Christ's victory, death appears to us as a bridge that leads to the spiritual world, and we learn to understand the meaning of death for this spiritual world through this Christ-Impulse." - The Principle of Spiritual Economy: In Connection With Questions of Reincarnation, Lecture VI, by Rudolf Steiner, 1909.

The publications Intuitive Meetings, Books I and II describe four seven-year time periods of development related to the return of Rudolf Steiner. The four time periods are: 1972 - 1979; (December 4) 1981 - 1989; 1992 - 1999 (Studio Editions/TC Pubs); and (July 7) 2005 - 2012. This indicates, from knowledge of these particular circumstances only, that his new spiritual activities began in the early 1970s.

Commentaries

1. In the spring of 2011, the return of Rudolf Steiner in 2005 became associated with his 1921 lecture, A Picture of Earth Evolution in the Future, and with the Being of Vulcan. What led to this realization, as well as to a further degree of understanding of the spiritual activities of Maitreya, was the completion of a four-year project, from 2007 to 2011, that produced five articles, three of which were studies of "The Past Lives of Rudolf Steiner." These five articles are available online. See the tab at the bottom of this page titled "Articles."
2. January, 2009 brought to the page the announcement of the publication Intuitive Meetings, Book II, available as a book in print and online.
3. Regarding "The Significance of Naming" there have been no changes. The name Brunnen von Christus has been widely accepted. Some believe that "Der Christus Brunnen" actually is the spiritual name of the individuality of Rudolf Steiner.
4. To the paragraph that begins "Insofar as is understood, the entelechy of RS..." can be added a reference to The Writing of the Heart, Book I. This online 2008 publication, as well as The Writing of the Heart, Book II, published online in September of 2011, came about through the combined efforts of the members of the Brunnen von Christus Group. For a list of these hardworking, dedicated members, please see the introductory pages of each book. Book I especially describes how the individuality of Rudolf Steiner penetrated into my life of feeling and of will (in both 1981 and in 2005), and "insofar as is understood" this can only be initiated from the spiritual world in harmony with karma, thus taking karmic forms. However, everyone who acquires maturity in the development of direct spiritual perception in accordance with the "Path of the Three I's - Imagination, Inspiration, and Intuition," which likewise demands development of the moral character, should be able to have an Imaginative experience of the individuality of Rudolf Steiner. This has become especially possible since the beginning of the twenty-first century, and certainly must be connected with the return of Christ in the etheric world, which began in the 1930s of the twentieth century.
5. Regarding the section "Responding to Questions": The individuality of Rudolf Steiner works very closely with the Maitreya Bodhisattva, particularly in the spiritual world in-between death and rebirth. Increased knowledge of the connection of Rudolf Steiner with the Maitreya Bodhisattva is possible from a study of the past lives of Rudolf Steiner - especially in the transition "From Cratylus to Aristotle," and in the life of Thomas Aquinas. In the intense and demanding time periods following December 1981 and July 2005, no distinction was made between Rudolf Steiner and the Maitreya, only later in time, and through the past life studies, could the two spiritual forces be accepted as distinct. To say the least, my ability to accurately perceive the activity of the Maitreya Bodhisattva, who is of the Holy Spirit, is limited.
6. Devastating disappointment in the worldwide Anthroposophical Society, and serious disagreement with its policies and procedures had resulted in activist movements as a means of strong opposition to its Dornach, Switzerland leadership and Dornach's official worldwide affiliated groups - this was very evident on the internet in 2005 - 2006. After 15 years as a member of the Society, from 1982 until 1997 (and as a member of the "First Class" or "School of Spiritual Science" from 1986) I withdrew from the Society in 1997 for personal reasons. By July 2005, when Rudolf Steiner again manifested as an intense Presence, I had lost all contact with members of the Society. Questions about the Society, both in the United States and worldwide, arose following the publication of "Rudolf Steiner Returns" in the spring of 2006. My feelings about these issues - and they are only feelings or opinions - are the same now as then: Rudolf Steiner works more with individuals than with organizations, and to some organizations or groups insofar as sincerely striving and honest individuals are connected with them. The more that personal advancement and profit become the motives for active work through the Society or outside of it - rather than purely out of love for the work itself - the less likely are the Spirits of Anthroposophy to support the initiative. To my understanding a law exists whereby Initiates, upon their return to activity in the world, must make every effort to renew organizations that had been established earlier in time, established either by themselves or by their spiritual brothers and sisters, before such organizations or initiatives can be altered or abandoned.
7. Other public announcements of experiences of the individuality of Rudolf Steiner can still be judged in large measure by the claimant's connection or not with the Anthroposophical Society or Movement, and whether valid group support - whose members have been long attached to the Society or Movement - is soon forthcoming or not.
8. Whether there will be future Brunnen von Christus conferences is unknown. I am not personally able to initiate, organize and lead such conferences, and the current members of the Brunnen von Christus Group live long distances away from one another. I was very pleased to learn that the Brunnen von Christus movement has been well-received among members of the Society in Albuquerque, New Mexico.