The Driving Force of Spiritual Powers in World History
GA 222
Steiner focuses here on spiritual events as causes of transformations in human consciousness as well as outer historical events. He also sheds light on a variety of other topics such as speech, experiences during sleep, and the future tasks of humanity.
Translated from shorthand reports unrevised by the lecturer. In the Complete Edition of the works of Rudolf Steiner the volume containing the original German texts of the following lectures is entitled: Impulsierung des weltgeschichtlichen Geschehens durch geistige Machte. Translated by Dorothy S. Osmond and Johanna Collis
| Lecture I | March 11, 1923 | |
| Speech and its relation to sleep. Effects of the materialistic epoch upon the development of the souls of men. Spiritual backgrounds of the Youth Movement. | ||
| Lecture II | March 12, 1923 | |
| Experiences of the human soul during the state of sleep and their significance for the whole of life. Goethe's Italian journey; its purpose and effects. Establishment of relationship with Angeloi, Archangeloi and Archai. | ||
| Lecture III | March 16, 1923 | |
| Spiritual happenings as causes of the transformation of consciousness in the 4th century A.D. Rulership of the cosmic thoughts passes from the Exousiai to the Archai. Experience of divine worlds through music during the epochs of Lemuria and Atlantis and the loss of this experience when perception of the interval of the third became possible. Experience of melody in the single tone. | ||
| Lecture IV | March 17, 1923 | |
| On the activity of spiritual Powers in the historical events of the Middle Ages and the dawning modern age. | ||
| Lecture V | March 18, 1923 | |
| Human beings are led to the development of free thoughts through the normally evolved Archai, to untimely nationalistic attitudes of thought through the backward Spirits of Form. | ||
| Lecture VI | March 22, 1923 | |
| Human beings are led to the development of free thoughts through the normally evolved Archai, to untimely nationalistic attitudes of thought through the backward Spirits of Form. | ||
| Lecture VII | March 23, 1923 | |
| The descending evolution of consciousness during the post-Atlantean culture-epochs and the future tasks of mankind. The mood and attitude of souls in the fifth culture-epoch and Wolfram von Eschenbach's ‘Parsifal.’ | ||