Free Man Creator schooling

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The 'Free Man Creator schooling' is the name for the vision of a contemporary 21st century version of mystery schooling

  • .. in the Mystery School tradition going back all the way from the old Egyptian and Greek mystery centres),
  • but based on the injection of new knowledge since 1879 (see: Sources of spiritual science)
  • and incorporating what is needed for our contemporary western culture (modern/contemporary initiation in the age of the consciousness soul)

The goal is to collaboratively try to develop a form for this that can work in today's world.

In summary: the idea is that the work is done individually, as people are geographically spread around the world. The base premise is the questioning Parsifal consciousness soul who is looking for answers, and through study is brought to initiation. The key next step is then to develop ways to bring in the group dimension for connecting these souls.

The sections below explore various aspects and perspectives, and will be developed over time.

Positioning and challenge

Rudolf Steiner lectured extensively on the Mystery Centers from the Atlantean epoch onwards, and the Mystery School tradition across the different cultural ages and geographical cultural centers in the Current Postatlantean epoch.

Although this is a relevant and important contextual frame, it is important to position this into the current pivotal cultural age.

  • Firstly: Mysteries of the Spirit, the Son and the Father - Schemas FMC00.397 (and FMC00.100) illustrate how the Mystery of Golgotha (MoG) changed the Earth and led to the new Mysteries of the Son, versus the earlier Mysteries of the Spirit.
    • The teachings of spiritual science are now publicly available: there are books, and in the current 21st century this website is just one of the many digital online media sources. (See: Sources of spiritual science; Rudolf Steiner played a pivotal role in this part as a teacher)
    • Also the teachings of initiation are now no longer within the secrecy and circle of the Mystery Schools, but out in the public and for every human being. (see Franz Bardon and initiation and the last chapter in the book Frabato; Franz Bardon played a pivotal role in this part as a teacher)
  • Secondly: Schema FMC00.438 (and Schema FMC00.442) on Current Postatlantean epoch and Schema FMC00.441 on Christ Impulse - meeting of two streams explain how the basic 'formula' for how to understand the 'new mysteries' consists of 'MoG+consciousness soul', and how everything before the current times is a development towards and buildup to the current fifth cultural age. It is recommended that these schemas are studied to gain an in-depth understanding and insight in this matter, through the study of all related lectures and references. This is important because it is not unlikely that you may have been part of this lineage and tradition in previous incarnations and previous millenia, see The Michaelic stream and Impulses from waves of reincarnating souls.

With the above background, one is also able todevelop one's own views on what Rudolf Steiner called the new mysteries that are required for our age and culture, and his Foundation Stone initiative, see more on Mystery School tradition#.5B1.5D - Rudolf Steiner.27s new Mysteries and the Foundation Stone.

Aspects

How and Where: School location and group aspect

School meaning: an environment and an enabling way that supports people in their learning and growth, ao from the interaction with other people with shared interests and ideals. In today's world the conditions as well as the means to accomodate this have changed drastically versus previous ages. It is not a physical meeting place, but it does have a collaborative aspect of soul interaction to it.

1903-10-18-GA088

(SWCC) a speech was given to the first annual meeting of the German section of the Theosophical Society, this was reported by Rudolf Steiner in Luzifer of November 1903.

Humanity must be prepared for the great truth .. a kernel of humanity is to be formed that understands this truth when it one days comes unveiled. It is to be a kernel dat truly grasps the significance of this secret and uses it not to curse but to bless humanity.

Earlier races were formed from existing suitable individuals or families, they were then led by Manu to a suitable landscape that was empty of people. With traffic and commerce extending all over the globe today, this way of proceeding is no longer viable or necessary. In its place today the education takes place through the cosmopolitan, international movement which forms this kernel

[editor: the text says: 'Theosophical Society' instead of 'movement', but this has been replaced taking into account the nuances made by Rudolf Steiner more than 20 years later regarding the anthroposophical movement versus society]

1907-06-05-GA099

" a group of people must join together in order to prepare the future... but this union is not to be conceived of geographically. All ideas of locality have then lost their meaning ..

How and Why?

When multiple people share an interest, an ideal, and get together, there is the creation and building of 'a new center'.

When we interact on the topic of spiritual science, initiation, the Christ .. we do that because we have something in common, and by our sharing thoughts and words contribute to the community of souls inscribing in the spirit world and thereby create something new.

See also:

What?

Scope

We choose not to use the term spiritual science for good reason, because science is only the knowledge part. The scope is to take an integrated approach towards art, science and religion (re 1907-GA284). A holistic 'full life' approach towards philosophy, cosmology and religion (re 1922-GA215). This includes the practice and praxis part of meditation and personal exercises, as covered under Initiation and Initiation exercises

Three main elements

In the spirit of the ancient mystery schools, and as explained by Rudolf Steiner, the term school should by understood as a preparation and support for a better life, and not the study of theoretical knowledge and spinning thoughts. Therefore one can put forth three pillars:

1 - practice of exercises for spiritual development, see Initiation and Initiation exercises such as meditation, concentration, soul work, etc.

Specifically, see the pages on Franz Bardon and initiation and IIH, as well as Rudolf Steiner and initiation, Daskalos and initiation.

This part also includes biography work and karma exercises.

2 - study of spiritual science, as per the rosecrucian tradition

see: Tools and practical site info#About the study process and working spiritual science

3 - acting in the world, after assimilating all the above, so as to embed our worldview, moral conscience into conscious acts in the world.

See ao Application areas of spiritual science

Lineage, inspiration, teachers

The contents of this site reflects our focus on the teachings of four teachers: Rudolf Steiner (for spiritual science), Franz Bardon (for initiation), Beinsa Douno, and Daskalos.

Lineage schooling inspiration comes more specifically from (listed in chronological order)

  • the esoteric school of St. Paul and Dionysius the Areopagite in the 1st century in Greece (revived in the 9th century by John Scotus Eriugena)
  • the School of Chartres in the 13th century in France
  • the rosecrucian stream (see also Individuality of Christian Rosenkreutz)
  • initiation practices, as they were held secret before within the mystery schools, but have been made public in the 20th century (see Franz Bardon and initiation and the last chapter in the book Frabato).

For more details, also about what was taught, see the Mystery School tradition.

Some practical aspects

Logistically

In the ancient mysteries, the student-master relation was véry different from today: the master was a divine being and the student put his fate in the hands of the master. We are now millenia further, and the current mode is that it is up to us individually to do the work with and on our inner being. Up to the centuries after Christ, knowledge was handed over only with the spoken word. In the middle ages things were put in writing and distributed in book form.

Today we are in the age of internet connectivity and we though we may be physically separated, we have new opportunities to reach out and connect and get to know people in new ways. Rather than saying it is all no good, it is up to us to craft new ways that are valuable and can work for what is is important to us.

The value lies in the work we do ourselves on our own and on our self, but also how we can inspire, support, help eachother. That meaningful help can have many forms, also the less expected. Just one question asked by another person can make the difference in one's life.

Process and attitude-wise

This site is developed to support personal study and provide a common reference.

The essence of the interaction should be a focus on the feeling and willing aspects.

Explicitly: the focus is not on the intellectual thinking process, and not to provide spoon-feeding alternatives to the process of soul work which can only be owned by the individual. Hence it assumes an active mind ànd soul, to take responsability for self-driven study and soul work, and initiatory exercises, so as to be able also to actively contribute in a joint collaborative group process.

This does not mean you need to know everything! Asking questions is at least as important as giving the answer (that is a big topic, see 'know thyself' and/or 'Parsifal'). And of course a group exists for joint contemplation.

References

1 - practice

of exercises for spiritual development

A quote by Rudolf Steiner:

Once I am no longer there, an intellectualization of the anthroposophical spiritual science will happen. This is a great danger, because that means the whole movement will stagnate. That is why the right care for the internal esoteric work is so important.

.

People don't realize and they don't want to hear it but it so: even when someone is sitting all by himself in a room, but with deep inner seriousness and full devotion of his heart is reading the Gospel of John or other spiritual scientific matters, he is thereby doing more for the good of the world than then people who make themselves important for themselves and others by all kinds of anthroposophical meddling

1907-06-05-GA099

We must endeavour to come out of materialism again, and societies with a spiritual aim must undertake to guide humanity, not from motives of arrogance and pride, but as a task and duty.

So a certain group of people must join together in order to prepare the future. But this union is not to be conceived of geographically. All ideas of locality have then lost their meaning because it is no longer a question of racial relationships.

The point will be for people over the whole Earth to find each other spiritually, in order to fashion the future in, a positive way. For this reason, 400 years ago, when our epoch plunged the deepest into matter, the Rosicrucian Brotherhood emphasised that practical spiritual science which contains an answer to all problems of everyday life.

Here you have the ascending evolution following the descending. Just as old knowledge acts as a disintegrating force, ... so the spiritual current of thought seeks the unifying bond of spiritual wisdom.

Hence arises the new school of initiation which is directly concerned with leading humanity over into a new cycle of time.

Thus with the principle of human evolution is connected the concept of Initiation

2 - study of spiritual science

as per the rosecrucian tradition

See the various sections under: Tools and practical site info#About the study process and working spiritual science

3 - acting in the world

after assimilating all the above, so as to embed our worldview, moral conscience into conscious acts in the world.

Adelheid Petersen quoting Rudolf Steiner

From a lecture by Adelheid Petersen in 1950 quoting Rudolf Steiner (see: On educating yourself .. and Communicating over .. )

Schooling is an essential foundation and a prerequisite. However anthroposophy should not be thought or studied as theory or theoretical science, it should be lived. .. What matters is how our soul is affected, moulded and develops so we can act in life. This is so much more important than all theoretical knowledge about spiritual scientific concepts.

See also the quote here in German and more extended: On educating yourself in holistic spiritual science#Fred Poeppig

1923-06-17-GA258

And this point again, the important plea from 1923-06-17-GA258

If that became a reality in people's attitude, not necessarily overnight but over a longer time-span, the required impulse would certainly develop over a period of perhaps twenty-one years. Whenever anthroposophists encountered the kind of material from our opponents which I read out yesterday, for example, the appropriate response would come alive in their hearts. I am not saying that this would have to be transformed immediately into concrete action, but the required impulse would live in the heart. Then the action, too, would follow.

If such action does not develop, if it is only our opponents who are active and organized, then the right impulse is clearly absent. People clearly prefer to continue their lives in a leisurely fashion and listen to the occasional lecture on anthroposophy. But that is not enough if the Anthroposophical Society is to thrive. If it is to thrive, anthroposophy has to be alive in the Anthroposophical Society. And if that happens then something significant can develop over twenty-one years. By my calculations, the Society has already existed for twenty-one years.

However, since I do not want to criticize, I will only call on you to reflect on this issue to the extent of asking whether each individual, whatever their situation, has acted in a spirit which is derived from the nucleus of anthroposophy?

If one or another among you should feel that this has not been the case so far, then I appeal to you: start tomorrow, start tonight for it would not be a good thing if the Anthroposophical Society were to collapse. And it will most certainly collapse, now that the Goetheanum is being rebuilt in addition to all the other institutions which the Society has established, if that awareness of which I have spoken in these lectures does not develop, if such self-reflection is absent. And once the process of collapse has started, it will proceed very quickly. Whether or not it happens is completely dependent on the will of those who are members of the Anthroposophical Society.

Anthroposophy will certainly not disappear from the world. But it might very well sink back into what I might call a latent state for decades or even longer before it is taken up again. That, however, would imply an immense loss for the development of mankind. It is something which has to be taken into account if we are serious about engaging in the kind of self-reflection which I have essentially been talking about in these lectures. What I certainly do not mean is that we should once again make ringing declarations, set up programmes, and generally state our willingness to be absolutely available when something needs to be done. We have always done that. What is at stake here is that we should find the nucleus of our being within ourselves. If we engage in that search in the spirit of wisdom transmitted by anthroposophy then we will also find the anthroposophical impulse which the Anthroposophical Society needs for its existence.

Other

1909-06-03-GA109

This was realized in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. There were few at that time who were aware of this starting point of preparation in Europe. The first Rosicrucians were those who gathered around a significant individuality known as Christian Rosenkreutz. It was Christian Rosenkreutz, who could affirm with the most convincing clarity,

“From the Mysteries we have received a treasure-store of knowledge and wisdom of the super-sensible. If we adhere to this, we may hope in the future, too, to succeed in doing what was done in the past, namely, to send out individuals trained in our schools to instruct others when they have learnt and discerned the secrets of the primeval wisdom.” This old method of promulgating the primeval wisdom was to continue, but preparation was to be made for something else as well. Christian Rosenkreutz, spoke as follows. He said,

“A far greater number of human beings who long for the primeval wisdom will come to us and we could communicate it to them in the form in which we now possess it. But its acceptance demands belief in and recognition of our authority in a high degree—an attitude that will progressively disappear from mankind. The more men's power of judgment increases, the less will be their belief in those who teach them. Belief and trust were preconditions for the earlier form of communication.”

At the present time one would have to say,

“People will come who wish to test for themselves what is communicated to them. They will insist that they wish to apply to what is told them the same logical intellect that is used for observation of the material world. They admit that something in addition to this intellect is necessary for investigation of the spiritual world, but for all that they insist upon testing things by means of this intellect.”

Hence, at the beginning of our age it was necessary to clothe the primeval wisdom in new forms. The work of the Rosicrucians was to give expression to the primeval wisdom in a form enabling it to be acceptable to the modern mind and the modern soul.

Practical aspects today

Please read also: Communicating over spiritual science which is highly relevant to this initiative.

1/ The idea is not to establish a classical or physical school, but rather to be creative and explore new forms. The school 'idea' is left open quite deliberately, awaiting interested people to come forth and contact us to co-create and develop this initiative further .

Some ideas for a group process:

  • introductory exchange of personal biography elements and learnings, maybe also with 'haves' and 'wants'
  • interactions to align and converge towards (a) common chosen study topic(s)
  • facilitation of questions and answers sessions (on a certain topic)
  • everyone in the group sharing their study experience and contribute from a different personal perspective, eg how the topic touched your soul

2/ Currently we do take questions from students, and will consider taking students who ask for guidance and support in their study or development.

The following practical starting points are offered on this site:

a) the practical info in the section 'About the study process and working spiritual science' on the Tools and practical site info page

b) the Q&A section that offers Questions and Answers around various topics as an opportunity for study, discussion and exploration

c) the FMC study schemas for an explanation, examples and references to other study schemas.

d) the Study Modules (see main site menu), either already online or not yet, or in various stages of development, on three subject areas all broad and deep:

e) the information related to Initiation, as spiritual practice is so crucial to complement the study process

Discussion

Someone asked a question about this:

It is an idea and initiative that has not matured yet, and definitely is not a 'school' as we know today, in that sense the term may not be well-chosen, but the idea is to be a platform to connect people, imagine like around a campfire, but then virtually, and share experiences - life experiences, questions, insights .. contents-wise like the old mystery schools offered, stepping over the divisions in contemporary culture (science vs art vs religion) .. with an inner path ingredient of doing the work as in contemplation, meditation, concentration .. there are a few people that have been talking this idea, because we are scattered around the world dispersed 'in the diaspora', as one person put it. So we have been wondering how to get to creating soul value with all the means available, for example one experiment was/is to take up the writing of old-fashioned letter writing (as in the 18th century). There are many good ideas coming from various parties, but to answer your question: it is not an established school or institute as such.

The goal is that it is created with and through people, and there are a few starting and stepping stones to that .. sharing (spiritual or pivotal) life experiences, connecting on topics of the study process and 'living with questions', the striving for insight, and biography work know yourself

Given the difficulties we can all see and experience in online interactions it's not obvious to use virtual tools to connect, therefore it has to be a smaller close circle in order to get trust, respect, patience and core values. Do you see what I mean? For example the FreeManCreator or anthroposophy.eu is not used as a study tool to converse over or go in depth of certain topics, but mostly people flashing in and out 'zapping' with short attention spans. This is just exemplary for what is also happening eg on facebook forums. This is and stays on the surface, quick thoughts, no depth .. and no inner deepening can be expected from this.

see eg what is truly expressed in the following .. but one has to take this to the soul and let it work there to deepen and connect to one's feelings and life purpose, see:

https://anthroposophy.eu/Notes_on_the_study_process

https://anthroposophy.eu/Active_soul_participation

https://anthroposophy.eu/Study_process_and_developing_imaginations

https://anthroposophy.eu/Reverse_ritual

I conclude with my first question and invitation: please feel free to share more specific questions, thoughts or suggestions you may have

There are many things coming together here .. pregnant of something is trying to happen here’, is trying to unfold .. People who truly do the soul work themselves have something to offer that can be of great value to create something relationshipswise as souls together, just by connecting. Hence this small group of people could initiate this, so that it could offer support, a bit like a roped travel mountaineering whereby the group can offer a circle of trust and reflection and exchange of life experiences along the way.

Related pages

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