As refounded by Rudolf Steiner at Christmas 1923, the core purpose of the Anthroposophical Society is to further the work of the School of Spiritual Science, whose own purpose and that of those who join the School is to enable ‘the principle of initiation to become the principle of civilisation.’ Thereby, the traditional separation of inner and outer, esoteric and exoteric aspects of life is replaced by them becoming the two sides of one coin, as it were, so that spiritual science can be brought to bear on human affairs.
When he inaugurated the School at Christmas 1923, Rudolf Steiner described it on 27 December 1923 as comprising three classes and n sections (initially five, now twelve). His explanation was accompanied by the adjacent grid-like drawing, which illustrates how, when one chooses to join the School, one does so as a colleague rather than as a pupil of Rudolf Steiner and via the first class of the School.
A su debido tiempo, se agregarían las otras dos clases, pero Rudolf Steiner murió antes de que esto fuera un paso claro o posible. Dicho esto, la idea y el hecho interno de las tres clases se pueden entender en términos de tareas, semillas o cualidades. (Véase “Tareas, semillas, cualidades y las tres clases de la Escuela de Ciencia Espiritual – Un tributo a Jörgen Smit”, en La iniciativa de Rudolf Steiner – Obra maestra sociológica / Testamento económico by Christopher Houghton Budd.)