Written 1917 (CW 21)

This is the first complete English edition of one of the most important books by Rudolf Steiner, Vom Seelenrätseln. Dr. Steiner said of the first essay that it is written not with a pen, but with "soul spades that want to rip away the planks that board up the world" (that is, clear away the limits to knowledge set by natural science), "but wants to do so with inner work of the soul."

In the second essay he does battle with Max Dessoir, a typical foe of the spirit. Dessoir's response to Steiner's essay is printed as an appendix.

Steiner describes for the first time how the three soul forces (thinking, feeling and willing) relate to the body's three systems: the nerve and sense system, the rhythmic system, and the metabolic and limb system. This is a unique (though not easy) exploration of inner and outer frontiers and how bridges between them are built.

This volume is a translation from German of Vom Seelenrätseln (GA 21).