"I asked Rudolf Steiner, 'What will remain of your work thousands of
years from now?' He replied, 'Nothing but The Philosophy of Freedom.
But everything else is contained in it. If one realizes the act of
freedom described there, one can discover the whole content of
Anthroposophy.'" -- Walter Johannes Stein
Some people's path to Anthroposophy leads them directly to Rudolf
Steiner's early work Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path: A
Philosophy of Freedom, which becomes the philosophical basis for
further exploration. Steiner referred to this as a "safe" approach.
However, the destiny of many leads them directly to Anthroposophy
itself, perhaps through one of its practical initiatives such as Waldorf
education or biodynamics, sometimes making it difficult to relate to the
cognitive basis of Anthroposophy.
In this unique study, Prokofieff offers a fresh approach to Steiner's
crucial book, Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path. He shows why the
book is so important to Anthroposophy as the work in which Steiner lays
a foundation for his method of spiritual research. In Steiner's own
words, "One who is willing can indeed find the basic principles of
Anthroposophy in my Philosophy of Freedom."
Prokofieff discusses the Christian nature of the anthroposophic means of
cognition and how it is integral to freedom and love. This in turn
reveals the deeply Christian roots of Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual
Path and its importance for modern Christian esoteric work.
In considering its multifaceted cosmic and human dimension, Prokofieff
discusses Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path in relation to the
mystery of the Resurrection, the work of the hierarchies, the being
Anthroposophia, the "Fifth Gospel," Steiner's path of initiation, the
Rosicrucian and Michaelic impulses, the life between death and rebirth,
the Foundation Stone, the Christian mysteries of karma, and the science
of the Grail.
