This is a collection of excerpts from the writings of Rudolph Steiner, giving “spiritual perspectives” on epidemics. There are a few little gems of wisdom in here, but too much of this volume is contaminated with the idiosyncratic jargon and assumptions of Rudolph Steiner’s homebrewed esoteric cosmology and quasi-religion. I came across it in the clearing out sale of a big bookshop - evidently it was too strange for the general public to buy, but was irresistible for me given its title and my penchant for peculiar little volumes that you know you're unlikely to come across again.

One of the better sections likened the fear of bacteria (and remember this was written about 100 years ago when bacteria and viruses were conflated), to the medieval fear of ghosts. Which isn’t to say that there are not real dangers of bacteria, but rather that the vast majority of the population had (have?) no clear conception of what they are or do, have never seen them with a microscope, but fear what they do not know - taking accordingly vague and normally irrational measures to protect themselves against them. Just think of that colleague at work who is still going to the shops in gloves in the middle of summer (despite us now knowing that COVID19 transmission is mainly airborne), washing all their groceries under the tap when they get home, quarantining their post for several days before opening it, and wearing only one of those transparent face visors that don’t prevent aerosol intake. More than just a little whiff of the medieval sage burning and sprinkling of salt on your doorstep eh?

Another good observation, and a bit ahead of its time, is that bacteria are not necessarily the original causal factor of every disease where they have been found to be uniquely prevalent in the patient, rather there are causes further back along the timeline that lead to the patient being particularly susceptible to becoming a host for them. Hence killing the bacteria off will not necessarily cure the disease, it will only provide a temporary respite, with the underlying factors that predispose the bacterial accumulation (such as weakened immune system, bad diet or lifestyle factors etc) being the best target for the lasting treatment.

However while this volume does call out some irrational modern mentalities in places, it reveals its own bizarre superstitions in others. Central to Steiner’s world view are several unscientific (and unphilosophical) notions that he takes for granted. Ahriman – heard of him? Nope, I hadn’t either, and had to do a bit of googling. Turns out he’s an evil Zoro-astrian demon from thousands of years ago, but also a living force in the cosmology of Steiner – who just drops him into several passages here without so much as an introduction. Karma – a bit more popular than the big A-man at the moment, but again Rudolph, you’re undermining your sensible sociological and scientific suggestions by going on about cosmic rhythms, kamaloca, and the “ether body” that leaves our material body at night.

Overall a strange, yet thought provoking collection that has particular relevance now, dealing as it does with vaccines, contagion, death, plagues, and human responses to them, albeit through lenses of varying sharpness. ( )