Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.
Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, from "A Psalm of Life"
***
High-sun, long days—summer is here at last! A wonderful time of year to step outside and read the book of nature (or perhaps a book).
Best wishes for your summer, John-Scott
New Release
The Silent Language of Life
Research into Formative Forces in Water Drops
Inge Just-Nastansky
The research published here — conducted over the course of fifteen years by Inge Just-Nastansky — reveals, through extensive illustrations, a side of nature that otherwise remains hidden to us.
The water drop — that small, transparent vessel — leaves behind remarkable structures after drying, structures in which its “experiences” are imprinted. Salt, minerals, gemstones, and plant organs — such as roots, stems, fruits, and seeds — are submerged in water for weeks or months. At regular intervals, samples are taken and dripped onto a microscope slide. After drying, characteristic and reproducible images of astounding harmony and beauty appear through the microscope. The variety of forms seems inexhaustible. We encounter in the phenomena under the microscope a language of images which in its lawfulness expresses another level of nature’s reality. The understanding of this creative world of life that lies behind the world of appearance develops through a living feeling and understanding of what is given as an active impulse in the images. “The silent language of life” is therefore inaccessible to a logical, abstract approach.
Body fluids (tears, saliva, cerebrospinal fluid, blood, and serum) are also a subject of research here. We perceive permanent structures with a saltlike character in the region of the nerve-sense system, whereas in the images of blood, we see ever-changing transformations under varying conditions. The necessary condition for everything that comes into existence is water as a mediator between idea and substance. All life processes originate in water.
New - 2025 Calendars
Stargazers' Almanac 2025
Bob Mizon
A beautiful illustrated monthly guide to exploring the stars and planets which is designed for naked-eye astronomy – perfect for both enthusiasts and beginners. With eco-friendly printing and packaging. READ MORE
Elsa Beskow Calendar 2025
Elsa Beskow
This monthly calendar is beautifully illustrated with Elsa Beskow's characteristic seasonal artwork, featuring joyful children and magical little folk. The main UK, US, and Swedish public holidays are indicated.
READ MORE
New in the Collected Works of Rudolf Steiner
The Language of the Cosmos
Cosmic Influences and the Spiritual Task of Northern Europe
11 lectures in Oslo, Berlin, Dornach & Basel, Nov. 24–Dec. 31, 1921 (CW 209)
READ MORE | CONTENTS
This previously untranslated volume in The Collected Works of Rudolf Steiner comprises eleven lectures given to members of the Anthroposophical Society in Norway, Germany, and Switzerland in November and December of 1921. In Rudolf Steiner’s biography, 1921 was a year of many trials. These lectures stand between the earth-shattering years of the First World War and the tragic destruction of the First Goetheanum.
Though separated geographically, the lectures share a common thematic thread: the need for modern humanity, freely and out of inner initiative, to learn once again the language of the cosmos. Abounding with penetrating insights, inspirations, and profound wisdom, this book speaks to all who seek a new understanding of humanity’s place in the universe.
“Today, everything depends on the awareness that the spirit, which lies hidden in European and American culture, is the important thing—the spirit from which people flee, which they would prefer to avoid for the sake of ease, but which alone can guide humanity to forces of ascent. But people like to build up foggy notions by preferring to repeat again and again that things will improve of themselves. They will not; the hour of a great decision has struck. Either human beings will resolve to elevate the spirituality of which I have spoken, or the decline of the West is inevitable. No hope, no fatalistic longing for things to right themselves will be of any help in this regard. Humanity has, after all, entered a time in which human forces are used in freedom; and it is essential that humanity actually apply these forces out of free will—in other words, it must now decide for itself whether it wants to have this spirituality or not. If the decision is affirmative, then progress will be possible; if negative . . .”
—Rudolf Steiner, lecture of November 24, 1921
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