Over the last decade the theme of the relationship between Rudolf Steiner and Karl Julius Schröer has received growing attention. It has been said that Steiner's life task was that of spreading the spiritual-scientific understanding of karma and reincarna-tion. And Steiner himself told us that, had Schröer being able to master intellectuali-ty, he could have offered anthroposophy to the world. If this is true, this is only the beginning of numerous questions. The lecture cycle Karmic Relationships, Volume 4, is at the heart of this explo-ration. In these lectures Steiner points us in the direction of his relationship with the Cistercians. Much is said that has rarely been explored and that offers us new keys to understanding. Steiner also points to his repeated attempts at bringing the teach-ings of karma and reincarnation, and their relative failure. These finally came to the fore in 1924, tragically close to Steiner's death, which made the penetration of these revelations challenging. From the above themes emerge a set of questions that this book explores in depth. How do the teachings of karma and reincarnation stand out from the rest of anthroposophy, in terms that justify an initiate's specific life task? What do they re-quire from us, and how is this different from what the rest of anthroposophy de-mands? What is the depth and width of the teachings of karma and reincarnation? What are the fields of application that result from them?
