ul. Bażyńskiego 1a 80-952 Gdańsk
Poland
ISNI ID: 0000 0001 2370 4076
GRID ID: grid.8585.0
Monika Rzeczycka
Studia Religiologica, Volume 56 Issue 1, 2023, pp. 47 - 64
https://doi.org/10.4467/20844077SR.23.004.19226Research into esoteric ideas and their permeating non-esoteric social practices has revealed a curious phenomenon: the influence of anthroposophy, one of the most important European esoteric movements of the twentieth century, on Polish agriculture in the Second Polish Republic (II RP), as well as the development of modern ecological thought in Polish scientific circles before the Second World War, especially among naturalists and agronomists. This article marks an initial attempt to name the sources, origin as well as methods applied in transforming esoteric ideas, initially presented by Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925) in 1924. The ideas were connected with spiritual aspects of agriculture of the future and proved to be a very attractive alternative for the development of civilisation, which inspired both Polish landowners and scientists in the 1930s.
Monika Rzeczycka
Studia Religiologica, Volume 53, Issue 1, 2020, pp. 1 - 14
https://doi.org/10.4467/20844077SR.20.001.12504At the beginning of the 20th century, national mythologies inscribed in the Christian tradition were held in high regard within the milieu of Polish and Russian followers of esotericism. The international anthroposophical movement initiated by the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner is a special case. Among his Russian and Polish devotees sprang the common idea of the Slavic spiritual mission in the service of Archangel Michael. The author of this article explores this idea using the example of a sculpture entitled Initiation/Archangel Michael made in 1927 by the Polish artist Amalia Luna Drexler, who belonged to the group of “first generation”anthroposophists.
