Counselling & Spiritual Development

And Other Essays from the Golden Blade

These essays cover a remarkable range. Whether his theme is as apparently mundane as driving the car or as little understood as the hidden connection between prayer and nature spirits, Adam Bittleston's insight into the reaching of Rudolf Steiner suggests reassuring practical advice. At the same time, he sets everyday matters in their historical context and perceives their spiritual origin in the stars and rhythms of the universe. In the gentle light of wisdom, the complexity of human relationships is fully appreciated and no easy answers are given. Yet, carefully read, these essays can help to draw forth self-healing and understanding for a fragmented world.

About the Author

Adam Bittleston (1911–1989) was an ordained priest of The Christian Community, a movement for religious renewal founded in 1922 with the help of Rudolf Steiner, philosopher and the founder of Anthroposophy. From his student days in Oxford, Bittleston was a close friend of William Golding, author of Lord of the Flies. Bittleston was gifted with the written word, as well as being a much sought after spiritual counselor. His wife, Gisela, once wrote that his "main interest was to help people sort out their destiny." His knowledge of Shakespeare was equal to that of any academic or writer of his time, and most of his books and articles draw deeply on Shakespeare's work.

Bikttleston had deep knowledge of language, history, and the "spirit" of the English people, as well as religion and the Gospels. He was also recognized as one of the foremost theologians of The Christian Community in Britain.

He was able to translate spiritual ideas into modern life and was the author of several books, including Meditative Prayers for Today (1953), Human Needs and Cosmic Answers: The Spirit of the Circling Stars (1975), Our Spiritual Companions (1983), The Seven Planets (1985), From Loneliness to Connection (1987), and Counselling and Spiritual Development (1988).