GA 13

Occult Science - An Outline

Die Geheimwissenschaft im Umriß (1910)

This work, first published in 1910, contains Rudolf Steiner's most comprehensive account of the nature and development of humanity and its belonging to a cosmos that is itself in constant evolution. At the same time, the insights into the higher worlds presented in the writings "Theosophy" (GA 9) and "Wie erlangt man Erkenntnisse der höheren Welten?" (GA 10) are also included. (GA 10) about the nature of the human being and the spiritual path of training are supplemented and extended to the great cosmic connections in the development of the world and of the human being.

Rudolf Steiner was clearly aware of the difficulties of understanding which such a presentation must necessarily encounter in the spirit of our times:

„If today one begins to discuss with someone who is interested in such things the possibility of a cognition of spiritual life in connection with the sensuous-physical world, one generally finds a concession, so that at least the question is raised: Can man attain some kind of spiritual knowledge by any means? - But it often becomes apparent in the further course that one does not want to admit anything more than a knowledge of a spiritual world entirely in general terms and ideas, perhaps in some form of a blurred pantheism or also of a conception of life more or less reminiscent of the mystical: If, on the other hand, one then goes so far as has become necessary for me in my "Secret Science", that one attempts to describe a real cosmology, a science of the world's becoming and world's development in individual concrete forms, then today, for the most part, the discussion ceases to be open to the enlightened man. That anyone in our time could be in a position to say something about a spiritual origin of the world, about spiritually effective forces in the development of the world, about the possibility that the development of the world might again return to a spiritual form of existence, After it has passed through its sensuous-physical phase, this is more or less regarded, when it appears in my "Secret Science", for example, in individual concrete descriptions, in such a way that, as an enlightened man, one no longer wants to have much to do with the one who asserts such a thing. For one probably thinks: if someone presumes to say something about such things in detail, then he is probably basically close to losing his mind; at least one cannot compromise oneself so much as to get involved in the discussion of such details.“ (Lit.:GA 83, p. 135f)

Contents

CHARACTER OF THE OCCULT SCIENCE
ESSENCE OF HUMANITY
SLEEP AND DEATH
WORLD EVOLUTION AND THE HUMAN BEING
THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE HIGHER WORLDS (OF INITIATION)
PRESENT AND FUTURE OF WORLD AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
DETAILS FROM THE FIELD OF SPIRITUAL SCIENCE
The Etheric Body of Man
The Astral World
Man's life after death
The human life course
The Higher Realms of the Spiritual World
The human being's limbs
The Dream State
On the attainment of supersensible knowledge
Observation of special events and beings of the spiritual world
SPECIAL REMARKS

Literature

• Rudolf Steiner: Occult Science - An Outline, translated by George and Mary Adams, CW 13, The Rudolf Steiner Press 1963 rsarchive
• Rudolf Steiner: Occult Science - An Outline, translated by George and Mary Adams, The Rudolf Steiner Press 1969 rsarchive
• Rudolf Steiner: An Outline of Occult Science , translated by Maud and Henry B. Monges, The Anthroposophic Press 1972, ISBN 0-88010-368-X rsarchive

German

• Rudolf Steiner: Die Geheimwissenschaft im Umriß, GA 13 (1989), ISBN 3-7274-0130-3; Tb 601, ISBN 978-3-7274-6011-1 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org

Original editions

• Die Geheimwissenschaft im Umriss, 3. Auflage, Verlag von Max Altmann, Leipzig 1910 pdf (1910)
• Die Geheimwissenschaft im Umriss, Sechte, vielfach ergänzte und erweiterte Auflage, Verlag von Max Altmann, Leipzig 1913 pdf (1913)
• Die Geheimwissenschaft im Umriss, Siebente bis fünfzehnte, vielfach umgearbeitete, ergänzte und erweiterte Auflage, Verlag von Max Altmann, Leipzig 1920 pdf (1920)
• Die Geheimwissenschaft im Umriss, Philosophisch-Anthroposophischer Verlag am Goetheanum, Dornach 1925 pdf (1925)

References to the work of Rudolf Steiner follow Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works (CW or GA), Rudolf Steiner Verlag, Dornach/Switzerland, unless otherwise stated. Email: verlag@steinerverlag.com URL: www.steinerverlag.com. Index to the Complete Works of Rudolf Steiner - Aelzina Books A complete list by Volume Number and a full list of known English translations you may also find at Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works Rudolf Steiner Archive - The largest online collection of Rudolf Steiner's books, lectures and articles in English. Rudolf Steiner Audio - Recorded and Read by Dale Brunsvold steinerbooks.org - Anthroposophic Press Inc. (USA) Rudolf Steiner Handbook - Christian Karl's proven standard work for orientation in Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works for free download as PDF.