In this book, Rudolf Steiner deals with spiritual forces and how they influence world history and the karma of individuals. In a unique way, he connects spiritual forces with important historical figures (in science and the arts), while also referring to personalities such as Plato, Copernicus, Raphael, and Galileo and describing how they influenced the change of cultural and spiritual climate in different eras.

One of the most important points of this book is that R. Steiner emphasizes the inadequacy of the historical view only in the chronological sense. At the same time, he shows us that it is vital to recognize deeper meanings of historical events hidden in myths, as well as the spiritual impulses behind them.