Death, Karma & Reincarnation

Death, karma, and reincarnation form one of the most architecturally developed domains in Rudolf Steiner's anthroposophy. Steiner's treatment goes well beyond the general theosophical inheritance he drew upon, offering detailed phenomenological accounts of the soul's passage through successive post-mortem states — kamaloka (a purgatorial sphere of review), followed by the planetary spheres of Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn — before a 'cosmic midnight' and eventual return toward rebirth. These accounts are developed most systematically in GA 140 and GA 141, where Steiner describes how the moral constitution of the soul during earthly life directly shapes the quality of consciousness experienced in each post-mortem sphere: for instance, an immoral soul constitution produces a darkening of consciousness in the Mercury sphere, accompanied by states of fear, while the depth and duration of the entire post-mortem journey is said to influence the timing of the next incarnation.

Recommended Reading Order

1
GA 9: Theosophy

Start here: Steiner's foundational systematic text, 'Theosophy,' lays out the basic anthroposophical framework of the human constitution, soul, and spirit that underpins all later discussions of death and rebirth.

2
GA 135: Reincarnation and Karma

Read second for Steiner's focused treatment of reincarnation and karma as knowable realities, including practical indications — such as the relationship between undeveloped talents in one incarnation and brilliance in the preceding one — and social implications of these ideas.

3
GA 120: The Manifestations of Karma

Read third for a broader investigation of how karma manifests in concrete life circumstances, including illness, the distinction between human individuality and animal group-souls, and why karma and reincarnation apply to humans but not to animals.

4
GA 140: Occult Investigations into Life Between Death and Rebirth

Read fourth for detailed descriptions of the soul's experience between death and rebirth, covering the planetary spheres, the role of Lucifer as guide from the cosmic midnight onward, and the relationship between the timing of death and the length of the post-mortem period.

5
GA 153: The Inner Nature of Man and Life Between Death and Rebirth

Read fifth for Steiner's account of how karma is literally crystallised into the physical body — particularly the muscular system — and for his description of the human ideal held before the soul after death, including the Luciferic temptation to remain in the spiritual world rather than return to incarnation.

Essential Volumes

GATitleDocsWords
GA 9 Theosophy 16 53,356
GA 120 The Manifestations of Karma 11 72,044
GA 135 Reincarnation and Karma 5 29,442
GA 140 Occult Investigations into Life Between Death and Rebirth 23 126,773
GA 141 Life Between Death and Rebirth in Relation to Cosmic Realities 10 57,419
GA 153 The Inner Nature of Man and Life Between Death and Rebirth 9 60,287
GA 235 Karmic Relationships: Esoteric Studies, Volume I 18 104,284
GA 236 Karmic Relationships: Esoteric Studies, Volume II 17 88,629
GA 237 Karmic Relationships: Esoteric Studies, Volume III 13 67,720
GA 238 Karmic Relationships: Esoteric Studies, Volume IV 12 55,392
GA 239 Karmic Relationships: Esoteric Studies, Volume V 16 81,882
GA 240 Karmic Relationships: Esoteric Studies, Volume VI 15 93,220

Further Reading

GATitleDocs
GA 93a Basic Elements of Esotericism 31
GA 107 Spiritual-Scientific Anthropology 19
GA 109 The Principle of Spiritual Economy in Relation to Reincarnation 27
GA 143 Experiences of the Supernatural 19
GA 157a The Shaping of Destiny and Life after Death 9
GA 159 The Mystery of Death 20
GA 168 The Connection Between the Living and the Dead 8
GA 172 The Karma of Vocation 17
GA 176 Truths Regarding the Development of Humans and Humanity. The Karma of materialism 17
GA 179 Historical Necessity and Freedom The Influence of Fate from the World of the Dead 8
GA 182 Death as a Transformation of Life 8

Key Concepts

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life after death153 karma125 sleep81 reincarnation (also process of incarnation, descent to new incarnation)45 reincarnation43 death37 devachan, mental world, spirit land24 death, untimely, violent21 midnight hour, cosmic (life after death)8 ego-consciousness after death5 members after death5 death by accident4 life tableau (tableau of past life because of accident, initiation or death)4 sleep, disturbances of; sleeplessness, insomnia4 sleepwalking4 Vishvakarman3 death of high age3 death by heat2 death, second2 death, sleep of2

Related Topics

Core Spiritual Science Anthroposophic Medicine History & Civilization Esoteric Development