Fire Borne

Fire Borne: Anthroposophy in America

FIRE BORNE tells the story of the Anthroposophical Society in America, a small spiritual group inspired by Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), and “daughter movements,” like Waldorf Education, Biodynamics, RSF Social Finance, Arts, Camphill Villages, Medical/Therapeutic Centers, Publishers, etc. The author, Jean W. Yeager was the Director of the Anthroposophical Society in America between 1996 and 2006.

This book is a timeline, starting in 1886, that shows not only the major and minor happenings within the Anthroposophical Movement, but also what was happening at that same time throughout the World. This timeline is a richly illustrated history of the results of the work which this small group achieved in fighting the culture wars over its first century in America, and is amplified by voluminous endnotes, legal By-laws, and administrative documents from Yeager’s own files supporting the results of the work.

What makes the book different is that this story is told within the context of American political, economic, cultural events as they evolved generation-by-generation from 1886-2026. FIRE BORNE is structured on a series of cultural, generational cycles presented in the book The Fourth Turning by sociologists William Strauss and Neil Howe (Broadway Books, 1997) in which they establish their thesis of cultural and generational cycles which repeat throughout Western history.

About the Author

Jean W. Yeager was an award-winning writer in advertising, working for major corporations like Coca-Cola and 7-Eleven. In his mid-forties, he left the advertising world to become a consultant for socially-progressive nonprofits and pursue his interests in anthroposophy. He is also a playwright, essayist, and fiction writer.