Elisabeth Vreede: Adversity, Resilience, and Spiritual Science

Rudolf Steiner entrusted the Esoteric Section and the Mathematics and Astronomy Section at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland, to Elisabeth Vreede (1879-1943) because of her special abilities. He commented, "Miss. Vreede is one of the people who best understands my lectures." Elisabeth Vreede was recognized as the "esoterically educated" member of Steiner's governing body.

Nevertheless, in 1935 she was stripped of all her positions at the Goetheanum in Dornach and prevented from resuming them. Lili Kolisko wrote of her, "Dr. Elisabeth Vreede was a member of the Executive Council whose opinion was considered of very little or--one could almost say--no importance." Herbert Hahn wrote to Elisabeth Vreede, "I feel we must thank your loyal custodial task and your unfailing enthusiasm for all of Anthroposophy for much, much more than we can grasp at this time."

This book--employing numerous, previously unpublished documents dealing with tragic misunderstandings in the anthroposophical movement--offers testimony to the greatness of this singular individual.

C O N T E N T S

Foreword

1. "All of Heaven seemed to be called down" (1879-1913):
The Way to Rudolf Steiner

2. "Dr. Steiner was very pleased with my lectures" (1914-1923)
Dornach

3. "Tested to the ultimate degree" (1924-1925):
The Christmas Conference and the Esoteric Executive Council

4. "Executive Council's Idylls" (1925-1935):
The Decade after Rudolf Steiner's Death

5. "May soul live in this house" (1935-1943):
The Final Years

Appendices:

Elisabeth Vreede: The Christmas and Michael Impulses:
Lecture at the Opening of the Second Goetheanum, 1928

Elisabeth Vreede: Isis-Sophia, Christmas Essay, 1928

This book was originally published in German as Elisabeth Vreede: 1879-1943 (Verlag des Ita Wegman Instituts, 2009).

Born 1963, Stuttgart.

1986-1993 Study of human medicine at the University of Witten/Herdecke, in Berlin and Zurich. Doctoral thesis: Attempt to systematize Rudolf Steiner's human physiological ideas. An analysis of the entire lecture and written work (Witten/Herdecke 1995).

1993-2000 Further training as a specialist in child and adolescent psychiatry and psychotherapy. Senior physician in the psychiatric department for adolescents and young adults at the Herdecke Community Hospital.

2000-2002 Research associate at the Institute for Applied Epistemology and Medical Methodology (Freiburg).

2002-2006 Head physician at the Ita Wegman Clinic Arlesheim (adolescent psychiatry and psychotherapy); since 2006 establishment and management of the Ita Wegman Institute for Basic Anthroposophical Research

Since 2007 professorship for medical anthropology and ethics at the Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences (Alfter near Bonn); teaching in the Studium fundamentale and in the accompanying studies in anthroposophic medicine at the University/Witten-Herdecke

Since 2020, co-leader of the Executive Council of the General Anthroposophical Section of the School of Spiritual Science (Goetheanum)