Discovering the Zodiac in the Raphael Madonna Series

"In the different arts...we are presented with different languages that give expression to certain truths living in the human soul. They are often the most secret truths, the most secret knowledge, which cannot readily be reduced to rigid concepts or clothed in abstract formulas but seek artistic expression." -- Rudolf Steiner, April 29, 1909

Raphael's paintings of the Madonna express secret truths. Rudolf Steiner described the healing effects of Raphael's Madonnas in August 1908, and from 1908 to 1911 he directed Dr. Felix Peipers to arrange fifteen images as a therapeutic meditation for patients suffering from emotional disturbances.

Sometimes called the "Raphael Madonna Series," these fifteen images invite active contemplation. Each painting can awaken inner visualizations that lift us into communion in realms beyond the physical world, stirring our feelings of wonder and reverence and opening our souls to divine mysteries.