Bees: Nine Lectures on the Nature of Bees

Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) was born in the small village of Kraljevec, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Croatia), where he grew up (see right). As a young man, he lived in Weimar and Berlin, where he became a well-published scientific, literary, and philosophical scholar, known especially for his work with Goethe's scientific writings. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he began to develop his early philosophical principles into an approach to systematic research into psychological and spiritual phenomena. Formally beginning his spiritual teaching career under the auspices of the Theosophical Society, Steiner came to use the term Anthroposophy (and spiritual science) for his philosophy, spiritual research, and findings. The influence of Steiner's multifaceted genius has led to innovative and holistic approaches in medicine, various therapies, philosophy, religious renewal, Waldorf education, education for special needs, threefold economics, biodynamic agriculture, Goethean science, architecture, and the arts of drama, speech, and eurythmy. In 1924, Rudolf Steiner founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which today has branches throughout the world. He died in Dornach, Switzerland. Gunther Hauk has been a beekeeper for more than thirty years. His is cofounder and director of Spikenard Farm and Honeybee Sanctuary) in Floyd, Virginia, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. He has been a Waldorf school teacher of languages, religion, and gardening for twenty-two years and is a cofounder and the program director of The Pfeiffer Center. He was also a faculty member at Sunbridge College from 1996 to 2007. He is the author of Toward Saving the Honeybee (2002). David Adams holds a Ph.D in art history education and has taught art history at state universities and art schools for eight years. He has written numerous published articles, essays, and art exhibition booklets. He is currently an adjunct faculty in art history at Sierra College, director of the Center for Architecture & Design Research, and a freelance writer and editor.