Charles Kovacs (1907--2001) was born in Austria. After the Second World War he settled in Britain, and in 1956 he took over a class at the Rudolf Steiner School in Edinburgh, where he remained a class teacher until his retirement in 1976. Kovacs is the author of a highly-respected series of books for Steiner-Waldorf teachers based on his extensive lesson notes, as well as books on religion and spirituality, including The Apocalypse in Rudolf Steiner's Lecture Series, The Spiritual Background to Christian Festivals and Christianity and the Ancient Mysteries.

• Foreword1.At the Dawn of the Michael Age2.The Condition of the Human Soul Before the Dawn of the Michael Age3.The Way of Michael and What Preceded It4.Michael’s Task in the Sphere of Ahriman5.The Experiences of Michael in the Course of His Cosmic Mission6.The Activity of Michael and the Future of Humanity7.The Michael-Christ Experience of Humanity8.Michael’s Mission in the Cosmic Age of Human Freedom 9.World-thoughts in the Working of Michael and in the Working of Ahriman10.At the Gates of the Consciousness Soul11.How the Michael-forces Work in the Earliest Unfolding of the Consciousness Soul12.Hindrances and Helps to the Michael-forces13.Michael’s Suffering Over Human Evolution Before the Time of His Earthly Activity14.A Christmas Contemplation: The Mystery of the LogosReferencesIndex

'Steiner always asks us deliberately to make an effort to create imaginations from given words, be they on paper or through spoken word. Where Steiner is scientific, Kovacs tells stories. Thanks to his wonderful calm and sure way of leading us through what are fundamental and essential concepts, this effort is made a little easier for us. From clear ideas to imaginative pictures, from difficult-to-grasp spiritual facts to primeval fairy tale images, Kovacs helps us make sense of these in the context of human development and thus weaves a bridge between the known familiar and the cosmic truths hidden behind them...'-- Perspectives