Foreword to the New German Edition, 2008
The present new edition of the book “Bridge Over the River” has been published for two main reasons.
For one, it seems in keeping with the times to reveal Sigwart’s “family secret”, since it has long since been possible to research Sigwart’s roots in today’s age of modern media. In order to avoid errors and misinterpretations, then, this information is being provided from the authentic source of his family itself and supplemented by a number of photographs from the family legacy.
Moreover, numerous alterations and mistakes were detected and corrected when the original documents still in the family’s possession were compared against the 1970/72 and 1985 editions. In addition, communications with no contemporary relevancy and most of the ones from Dagmar (Sigwart’s cousin) were removed and replaced by communications from Sigwart made between 1938 and 1949 that were unpublished to date and seemed important to us.
These communications are an event that began nearly simultaneously with the catastrophe of the First World War. In a time when first all of Europe and then large parts of the rest of the world were caught in the suction of unspeakable suffering exerted by a raging war, something happened within the quiet shelter of a family that was barely understandable, hard to accept and unique in kind: “A spiritual world checked in”, from which Sigwart spoke to his sisters and his sister-in-law. (You can read about this in the introduction by W. von Engelhardt.)
Entirely unprepared and unannounced, the family found itself in contact with a sphere that is a real component of our existence and the content of all religions.
At approximately the same time, that is, during WWI, Dr. Rudolf Steiner (the founder of Anthroposophy) began lecturing about how humanity ought to, even must seek contact with the deceased; that the latter “stand at the ready and are waiting to help us”. His admonitions became more and more urgent that we need such contact, so that we can approach the spirit world once again and contemplate on the meaning of our existence, which is to take our own development in hand and to serve the divine.
Sigwart’s communications not only confirm these admonitions; they lend them urgent emphasis.
When the communications were published in book form as “Bridge Over the River”, there was an abundance of feedback from many people who had derived comfort, hope, confidence and new perspectives for their lives. The book has been published in several languages.
All the communications included in the present edition have been rendered word for word and left unchanged. The reader to whom the book’s language sounds unfamiliar is asked to bear in mind that these words were originally intended strictly for use within the family, and that in a number of ways the language use of nearly a century ago differed quite a bit from ours today. We do not feel entitled to “modernize” Sigwart’s language.
Wuppertal, spring of 2008
Peter Gutland
printable pdf download:
Bridge Over The River: Foreword 2008 Edition, Beginnings
The present new edition of the book “Bridge Over the River” has been published for two main reasons.
For one, it seems in keeping with the times to reveal Sigwart’s “family secret”, since it has long since been possible to research Sigwart’s roots in today’s age of modern media. In order to avoid errors and misinterpretations, then, this information is being provided from the authentic source of his family itself and supplemented by a number of photographs from the family legacy.
Moreover, numerous alterations and mistakes were detected and corrected when the original documents still in the family’s possession were compared against the 1970/72 and 1985 editions. In addition, communications with no contemporary relevancy and most of the ones from Dagmar (Sigwart’s cousin) were removed and replaced by communications from Sigwart made between 1938 and 1949 that were unpublished to date and seemed important to us.
These communications are an event that began nearly simultaneously with the catastrophe of the First World War. In a time when first all of Europe and then large parts of the rest of the world were caught in the suction of unspeakable suffering exerted by a raging war, something happened within the quiet shelter of a family that was barely understandable, hard to accept and unique in kind: “A spiritual world checked in”, from which Sigwart spoke to his sisters and his sister-in-law. (You can read about this in the introduction by W. von Engelhardt.)
Entirely unprepared and unannounced, the family found itself in contact with a sphere that is a real component of our existence and the content of all religions.
At approximately the same time, that is, during WWI, Dr. Rudolf Steiner (the founder of Anthroposophy) began lecturing about how humanity ought to, even must seek contact with the deceased; that the latter “stand at the ready and are waiting to help us”. His admonitions became more and more urgent that we need such contact, so that we can approach the spirit world once again and contemplate on the meaning of our existence, which is to take our own development in hand and to serve the divine.
Sigwart’s communications not only confirm these admonitions; they lend them urgent emphasis.
When the communications were published in book form as “Bridge Over the River”, there was an abundance of feedback from many people who had derived comfort, hope, confidence and new perspectives for their lives. The book has been published in several languages.
All the communications included in the present edition have been rendered word for word and left unchanged. The reader to whom the book’s language sounds unfamiliar is asked to bear in mind that these words were originally intended strictly for use within the family, and that in a number of ways the language use of nearly a century ago differed quite a bit from ours today. We do not feel entitled to “modernize” Sigwart’s language.
Wuppertal, spring of 2008
Peter Gutland
printable pdf download:
Bridge Over The River: Foreword 2008 Edition, Beginnings