By Anastacia Mott Austin "Whether one accepts anthroposophy as a science depends upon whether one accepts Steiner's interpretation of a science that extends the consciousness and capacity of human beings to experience their inner spiritual world." ―Freda Easton Many people have heard of anthroposophy through its application in Waldorf education. First founded in 1919, the currently-held Waldorf educational curriculum adheres to many of the tenets of anthroposophy in its education of children. Anthroposophy has been called a spiritual philosophy or the 'spiritual science', after its founder Rudolph Steiner described it as the application of clear, objective, controlled thought to the spirit or soul realm. Born in 1861, Steiner grew up in Vienna and studied mathematics and philosophy during his university years, eventually earning a doctorate in philosophy. After he graduated, he became the scientific editor for a collection of works by Goethe. Steiner became interested in the ideas of Goethe, and later expanded on the philosopher's assertion that thought was merely another sensory organ, like the eyes or ears. A methodical, practical man who nonetheless was profoundly interested in the spiritual experience of the human soul, Steiner felt that by carefully practicing meditation, and by becoming morally and ethically disciplined, one could achieve a higher level of spiritual existence. Steiner's somewhat paradoxical view was that, the mind itself could be trained as a tool of transformation―that instead of transcending the conscious mind and leaving it behind to experience spiritual elevation, one could use it to get there. Once enlightened in this way, one could then become an elevated being, more in touch with creativity, imagination, and able to be compelled in life solely by love. Though the term anthroposophy has as its Greek roots the word anthropos, or human, and sophia, wisdom, Steiner himself referred to it as Geisteswissenschaft, which translates roughly to 'the spiritual science'. Steiner believed that the material world had condensed from a spiritual realm, but that human beings could still access the original spirit world through mental discipline. He also felt that artistic expression could function as a connector between the two worlds. This foundational belief is evidenced today in the Waldorf curriculum's heavy emphasis on the arts. The application of anthroposophy in Waldorf education can be explained simply as the need to unite the sciences, the arts, and the spirituality of the individual. It is also the desire to develop and facilitate the life of the soul in the individual human, and extend that to the life of the soul in the community. Anthroposophy posits that humans evolved from spiritual, perceptive beings, who gradually became more reliant on cognitive functions, and therefore, lost touch with the spiritual world. In order to progress further as people, there must be a connection between that intellectual focus and intuition. The 'spiritual science' also claims a case for reincarnation. Each soul incarnates into a body on earth, lives that life, and then enters the spirit world when it ends. The previous earth life is examined, and felt in terms of how each action impacted other beings, before a new life and body is chosen for the next stage in the soul's development. Though his philosophy of a spiritual science might be seen by some as a bit dry and methodical, the aim of Steiner's work was to show others how 'the spiritual element in the human being unites with the spiritual element of the universe'.