Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: realize that phenomena of the present have a starting point in the distant past and a fulfillment in the far future; learn that one is not a product of chance but results from the deliberate activity of spiritual beings while at the same time realizing that spiritual freedom is a hallmark of being human; apply the concepts of the nine ranks (hierarchies) of spiritual beings, the four embodiments of the earth planet to date. the time periods of our current earth embodiment, the Earth, as described by Steiner, and levels of development, modes of consciousness, and other physical, psychological, and spiritual characteristics of human beings to one’s own self-assessment; practice the basic daily exercise of reviewing each day in reverse order as the starting point for the development of the cosmic memory evident in the book; gain a growing sense of responsibility in regard to oneself, others, the environment, and to the spiritual beings who made the creation manifest; see oneself in a community with spirit beings; engender a sense of inner freedom upon realizing that the spiritual is accessible to healthy reason; develop the certainty that one has entered the path to higher knowledge and that guidance on that path is given into one’s own hands; explain the philosophical background to anthroposophical curative education and social therapy; describe human being as a differentiated being of body, soul, and spirit; explain the basic principles of karma and reincarnation; describe basic principles of oneself as a spiritual being; experience the cosmos as grounded in morality and love; participate effectively in disciplined group study and discussion; facilitate a study group discussion; explain the hierarchical order of the universe.