Written in 1913 (CW 17)

The Threshold of the Spiritual World contains sixteen brief chapters in which Rudolf Steiner provides aphoristic thoughts on trusting one’s thinking, cognition of the spiritual world, karma and reincarnation, the astral body and luciferic beings, how to recognize suprasensory consciousness, the true nature of love, and much more.

This book represents some of Rudolf Steiner’s most personal statements about his own spiritual path. He speaks directly from experiences of cognitive research and explorations. Each of the aphorisms arises from his spiritual research and demonstrates how such spiritual research is to be undertaken. The content is Steiner’s own, but readers can discover their own content. His method of awareness–a path of attention to one’s actual experience–is universal and truly human.

The Chadwick Library Edition represents an endeavor to republish–mostly in new or thoroughly revised English translations–several written works of Rudolf Steiner. The edition is named for the late horticulturist Alan Chadwick, whose life and work has served as inspiration to the small group from which the idea originated. Our extensive experience with special bindings led to the selection–for this trade edition of 750 books–of a leather spine binding, cloth sides, and a light slipcase. For the hand-numbered edition (100 books), the binding is full leather with a hand-gilt top of the pages in a fine, stiff, cloth-covered slipcase. The leather is blue calfskin, and the title stamping on the spines is in genuine gold leaf. All of this is being carried out by hand at one of the finest binders, Ruggero Rigoldi.

This volume is a translation of
Die Schwelle dre geistigen Welt: Aphoristische Ausfuhrungen (GA 17).