Ita Wegman

This unique collection presents Ita Wegman's principal writings and lectures on the Mysteries - both the Mysteries of the ancient world to which she felt personally connected, and the spiritual science of anthroposophy, which she saw as the contemporary form of Mystery wisdom. The volume begins with Ita Wegman's firsthand account of Rudolf Steiner's final days and hours on earth - written immediately after his death in 1925 - followed by several of her powerful letters 'To All Members' and their related 'Leading Thoughts'. Various longer studies are featured, including her lecture 'A Fragment from the History of the Mysteries' - delivered at the opening of the second Goetheanum in 1928 - articles on Ephesus and the Colchian Mysteries, and personal impressions of Columba's Iona, the island of Staffa (with its initiatory Fingal's Cave), and Palestine, the land where Christ once walked the earth. These writings - several composed specifically for an English readership - bring us closer to the inner being of Ita Wegman, offering insight into her knowledge, vision and understanding of anthroposophy. Her stimulating ideas throw light on the transformation of the ancient Mysteries to anthroposophical knowledge and activity today.

Following the death of the Austrian philosopher and spiritual scientist Rudolf Steiner in 1925, Ita Wegman - one of his closest esoteric pupils - began to publish regular letters to the members of the Anthroposophical Society. In Steiner's tradition, these letters were appended with 'leading thoughts' (or guiding principles). Esoteric Studies collects many of these 'letters to friends', together with various articles, reports and addresses by Ita Wegman on subjects such as the Christmas Foundation Conference, the Goetheanum building and the festival of Michaelmas. Featuring an informative foreword by Crispian Villeneuve and a commemorative study by George Adams, this book provides a fine introduction to the work of Ita Wegman, as well as a rousing call for courage and wakefulness in the spirit of the Archangel Michael!

Ita Wegman, born in 1876 to a Dutch family living in Indonesia, first met Rudolf Steiner in Berlin in 1902 when she was 26 years old. She studied medicine at the University of Zurich and in 1917, following Steiner's indications, developed a treatment for cancer using mistletoe. In 1921 she founded the first anthroposophical medical clinic, in Arlesheim, Switzerland, followed in 1922 by the Sonnenhof home for children with special needs. Karl König first met Wegman in 1927, and she quickly recognized his great potential, as well as his weaknesses. She invited him to work at the Arlesheim clinic as her assistant, and encouraged and advised him in his medical work. This book includes the complete correspondence between König and Wegman.

Tämän antroposofisesti laajennetun lääketieteen perustoja käsittelevän teoksen Rudolf Steiner kirjoitti yhdessä lääkäri Ita Wegmanin kanssa. Suomenkielinen laitos on syntynyt Arto Ingervon suomennoksen pohjalta, jota Suomen antroposofisen lääketieteen lääkäriyhdistyksen työryhmä on työstänyt vuosina 2002-07. Suomennoksen rinnalla kulkee aukeamittain aseteltuna saksankielinen alkuteksti.

Written in 1925 (CW 27)In this classic introductory work on spiritual medicine, Rudolf Steiner worked in a unique literary collaboration with the physician Ita Wegman. Their aim was to revitalize the art of healing through spiritual knowledge--yet in so doing they did not underrate or dismiss modern allopathic medicine; rather, they illumined ordinary medicine beyond its materialistic outlook to a fuller realization of the human condition. As Ita Wegman wrote in her preface: "The aim was not to underestimate scientific medicine in an amateurish way; it was given full recognition. But it was important to add to existing knowledge the insights that can come from true perception of the spirit, enabling us to understand the processes of illness and healing." Today this new extension of practical medicine--generally called "anthroposophical medicine"--is used and valued by many physicians in numerous clinics around the world. Contents: Foreword by Dr. Michael Evans1. Understanding the True Nature of Man as a Basis of Medical Practice2. Why Do People Fall Ill?3. The Phenomena of Life4. On the Nature of the Sentient Organism5. Plant, Animal, Man6. Blood and Nerve7. The Nature of Medicinal Actions8. Activities in the Human Organism--Diabetes Mellitus9. The Role of Protein in the Human Body and Proteinuria10. The Role of Fat in the Human Organism and Deceptive Local Symptom Complexes11. The Configuration of the Human Body and Gout12. Development and Separating-off Processes of the Human Organism13. On the Nature of Illness and Healing14. The Therapeutic Way of Thinking15. The Method of Treatment16. Perceiving Medicinal Qualities17. Perceiving the Nature of Substances as a Basis of Pharmacognosy18. Eurythmy Therapy19. Characteristic Illnesses20. Typical MedicinesThis volume is a translation from the German of Grundlegendes fur eine Erweiterung der Heilkunst nach geisteswissenschaflichen Erkenntnissen (GA 27).