General Anthroposophical
Society Anthroposophy Worldwide
9/16
■ anthroposophy worldwide
Worldwide: Integrative Medicine
Meeting challenges together
1
2
Anthroposophy Worldwide
Worldwide: Integrative Medicine
Germany: Youth Seminar is looking
for alumni
3 Germany: Seminar on anthroposophy and psychotherapy
4 Sweden: Performance of Rudolf
Steiner’s mystery play “The
Soul’s Awakening”
5
Great Britain: Shakespeare Festival
6 Russia: Sofia Seminar for Curative
Education and Social Therapy
2
7
School of Spiritual Science
Natural Science Section: Part-time
study course in Goethean/anthroposophical science
Anthroposophical Society
Italy: Annual Conference at the
Goetheanum
8 Germany: New general secretary
Michael Schmock
14 Obituary: Aleksei Zhukov
15 Membership News
Goetheanum
9 Art Collection: Appeal for donations
Anthroposophy
10 Sensory and supersensible perception
Forum
12 The future of anthroposophy
13 Social Arts Manifesto
13 To the contribution on representation in the School of Spiritual
Science
14 Meditation: Forming a circle of light
Feature
16 Around Lake Constance: Germany,
Austria, Switzerland
As initiator and co-organizer of the first “International Congress for Integrative Health
and Medicine”, Anthroposophic Medicine showed that it holds a firm place within the
global movement for Integrative Medicine. More than 600 people from over 40 countries came together at Stuttgart’s exhibition centre in Germany from 9 to 11 June 2016.
T
he Congress was organized in a new
international collaboration of the
largest organization for Integrative Medicine in the US, the Academy of Integrative
Health and Medicine, and the umbrella
organization for Anthroposophic Medicine in Germany (DAMiD). Other medical associations of Integrative Medicine
in the United States and Europe, such as
Eurocam and Camdoc Alliance, also contributed to the programme. In Germany
it was above all the Hufelandgesellschaft
– the umbrella organization for naturopathy and complementary medicine – that
supported the Congress.
The Congress was also an invitation to
mainstream medicine and complementary medicine to enter into dialogue, because there are many preconceptions that
persist even though Integrative Medicine
is being used more widely now. Thomas
Breitkreuz, a member of the organization
committee and head of the Paracelsus
Hospital (DE), pointed out that “around
sixty per cent of general practitioners in
Germany have additional qualifications
in acupuncture, homeopathy or Anthroposophic Medicine”. Many patients were
asking for these methods, with the demand often exceeding the supply available.
A wider perspective
This international collaboration has
opened up many new horizons in various directions – for instance towards the
United States, where – much more widely
than here in Europe – medicine and health
are approached integratively as a field of
Photo: DAMiD/Heike Schiller
September 2016
No. 9
Opening the Congress:
Jan Vagedes, Thomas Breitkreuz, Tabatha Parker
ecological, social and cultural interaction.
Or towards the Middle and Far East, where
spiritual approaches are a natural part of
medicine. It has been shown that the multimodality of Integrative Medicine, which
integrates the patients’ lifestyle into the
therapeutic concept, can help to find answers to problems such as resistance to
antibiotics or chronic diseases and to the
challenges we are facing in the various
medical disciplines, such as oncology, cardiology, paediatrics, pain management
and mental healthcare.
The Congress was a great chance for
Anthroposophic Medicine to explore its
interfaces with other approaches and to
reflect upon its own systemic and spiritual orientation. Concepts for future congresses will aim at continuing to strengthen the connection between research and
practice in Integrative Medicine. | Natascha Hövener, Berlin (DE)
Extract from the DAMiD newsletter of July
2016. For more information about the Congress visit www.icihm.org
2
| Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 9/16
■ Anthroposophy worldwide
Germany: Appeal by Freies Jugendseminar Stuttgart
Looking for alumni
The Freie Jugendseminar Stuttgart (DE) –

an independent centre
offering an orienta
tion year for young people between 19 and
28 – had 1500 students in 50 years. Unfortunately the Seminar has lost touch with
many of them. What did they go on to do?
T
he Freie Jugendseminar Stuttgart (DE)
would like to find out what has become
of its former students, what they did with
their lives and what stories they have to tell.
It is therefore trying to renew or strengthen contacts with its supporters and former
students more intensively than it has done
in the past. As part of this endeavour it is
gradually updating its public profile.
In April the centre published its first
newsletter which will in future provide
news about the course, the people involved and independent educational approaches in and around Stuttgart four
times a year. A Facebook profile has also
been set up recently in order to keep people up to date with current events and developments at the Seminar.
The Seminar is sending out an appeal
to its alumni, asking them to update their
contact details and email addresses, either
- directly on their homepage: www.
jugendseminar.de/blog/kontaktformular
- by phone on +49 711 26 19 56 or
- by email to [email protected].|
Bijan Kafi, Berlin (DE)
Anthroposophy Worldwide appears ten
times a year, is distributed by the national
Anthroposophical Societies, and appears as
a supplement to the weekly Das Goetheanum
• Publisher: General Anthroposophical Society, represented by Justus Wittich
• Editors: Sebastian Jüngel (responsible
for this edition), Michael Kranawetvogl (responsible for the Spanish edition), Margot
M. Saar (responsible for the English edition).
Address: Wochenschrift ‹Das Goetheanum›,
Postfach, 4143 Dornach, Switzerland, Fax
+41 61 706 44 65, [email protected]
Subscriptions: To receive ‹Anthroposophy
Worldwide› please apply to the Anthroposophical Society in your country. Alternatively, individual subscriptions are available
at CHF 30.- (EUR/US$ 30.-) per year. An
e-mail version is available to members of
the Anthroposophical Society only at www.
goetheanum.org/630.html?L=1 © 2016,
General Anthroposophical Society, Dornach,
Switzerland
■school of spiritual science
Natural Science Section
Part-time study course
The Natural Science Section’s part-time course in Goethean-anthroposophical science
is for people who have worked scientifically before and have professional experience
but are seeking to deepen their knowledge through Goetheanism and anthroposophy.
Applications can be submitted any time…
This study course, which is not bound
to a particular place, is led by two mentors
and stretches over a minimum period of
three years. A research project on a scientific topic chosen by each student forms
the heart of this course; its main goal is
the development of new abilities. Course
graduates will receive an in-depth achievement report. The mentors are experienced
Goethean scientists who have made a
name for themselves with their own research, publications and teaching activities.
Project presentations and conversation
Every year at the end of January a
meeting takes place in the Glass House at
the Goetheanum, where students present
their ongoing or completed projects to
the mentors and some co-workers of the
Natural Science Section. A few highlights
from the most recent gathering on 28 to
31 January 2016 illustrate what topics are
being worked on at present and what such
a meeting looks like.
With botany being one of main subjects of Goethean research it stands to reason that a whole range of medicinal plants
is being examined (cinquefoils of Croatia,
wild teasel, Boraginaceae, Apiaceae). There
is a project on the connection between
the seasons and plant colouring; another
project, entitled “Cooking as a process of
transformation”, goes in an entirely different direction; and a third project deals
with the nutritional needs of bees.
The project presentations are usually
framed by a programme of evening lectures and the shared study of text passages in Rudolf Steiner’s work – for instance The Boundaries of Natural Science
(GA 322) – that focus on the nature and
methods of a natural science extended by
Goetheanism and spiritual science. During these meetings people also do exercises together that aim at enhancing their
perceptive faculties, for instance by trying to express the smell or taste of plant
samples through painting.
Each project presentation is subsequently discussed in a small group. At
Motif from the course leaflet: a monarch butterfly
present four languages are represented
among the students: German, English,
Slovenian and Croatian. It has been agreed
that the lectures and project presentations are either in German or English, with
parallel interpretation into the other language.
Essential differences
Looking back on the most recent conference we realized that people had come
to a centre from two European ‘poles’ in
order to work together on Goetheananthroposophical science, with this centre constituting a third element. We also
noticed how essential differences became apparent in this process: the English-speakers found that their research
referred them constantly to themselves:
what changes in me as a result of my research? How do my questions arise? With
the people from south-eastern Europe, on
the other hand, one was aware of a will
element as they presented their projects:
the will to understand the essence of a
plant, as a precondition for developing it
into a specific medicine for instance.
Facilitating such an integration of east
and west in Central Europe in the face
of the ubiquitous trend towards political fragmentation and isolation or, even
worse, towards the suppression of a free
spiritual life, could be an important task
of Goetheanism now and in the future! |
Michael Kalisch, Tübingen (DE), Ruth Mandera, Neuwied (DE), Jan Albert Rispens,
Techelsberg (AT)
Information: www.anthrobotanik.eu
Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 9/16| 3
■ Anthroposophy worldwide
Germany: Anthroposophy and psychotherapy seminar
Psychology of the ‘I’
Photo: Martina Rasch
The title “A Psychology of the ‘I’” was chosen by Wolf Ulrich Klünker to call attention
to the transition from a psychology of the soul to a psychology of the individual. Fifty
people attended the eponymous seminar, which was held from 9 to 10 April at the Delos research institute for psychology in Eichwalde (DE).
A new concept of ‘I’ and soul: (left to right) Johannes Reiner, Wolf-Ulrich Klünker, Maria Tolksdorf and
Roland Wiese
T
he “Psychology of the ‘I’” marks a new
stage in the development towards a
more humane life. In going beyond the
mere description of given states of body
and soul, this psychology intends to heal
soul and body, nature and world, through
the power of the ‘I’.
The ‘I’ as active spirit
For the psychiatrist Johannes Reiner it
is important to achieve a demonstrable
understanding of anthroposophical psychotherapy as a means of making it more
accessible to the wider public. He thinks
that, while aspects of anthroposophical
psychotherapy such as knowledge of the
human being, reincarnation and karma,
cosmological aspects and the training of
the therapist have been well defined, an
overall picture is still missing.
The social therapist Roland Wiese has
investigated the leading thoughts and
aspects relating to the ‘I’ in the Curative
Education Course from a modern point of
view. The ‘I’ is identified via a spiritual element that builds a body for itself to incarnate, and via the symptoms that need to
be related to this concept. This approach
is in opposition to a psychology where
symptoms are related to the self or to the
body, but not to the active spirit (‘I’) that
“inadvertently produces [these symptoms] in the healthy attempt to connect
with the body”. It makes it possible to see
disease and disability as an enhanced experience of this relationship with the body
and therefore as a possibility of the ‘I’ to
be conscious. This concept of the mobile
interconnectedness of body and soul presents health and illness as dynamic states
because it sees neither the body nor the
spirit in isolation: one is either incarnated
too much (epilepsy) or too little (hysteria).
Disease and disability are consequently
aspects of the individual. Using the example of Rudolf Steiner’s position as private
tutor to the Specht family, Roland Wiese
illustrated the influence exerted by the ‘I’
of the therapist.
Detachment as the new situation of
the ‘I’
The child and youth psychotherapist
Maria Tolksdorf sees the deep inner isolation and predicament of young people as
an expression of the new situation of the
‘I’. In her experience children and adolescents no longer have a natural sense of being included in social structures and value
systems. They feel disoriented and left to
their own devices and experience their
lives as empty and isolated. Tolksdorf
suggests that, in order to achieve a new
inner sense of integration, we need to develop a new sensitivity that originates in
our thinking and creates, as will activity,
an emotional space where this sense of
integration can unfold.
In conclusion, Wolf-Ulrich Klünker
presented a wider historical context by
relating the new psychology to the scientific discourse, starting with Aristotle
and moving on to John Scottus Eriugena,
Thomas Aquinas and Albertus Magnus
and to G.W.F. Hegel and Rudolf Steiner. He
pointed to a crucial aspect in the anthroposophical view of the human being: the
change from the ‘I’ to the ‘I’ that is touched
by the spirit-self. This change is caused by
the underlying effect anthroposophy has
had (over and above its contents) in the
last hundred years and it manifests in the
instability, loneliness and isolation of the
‘I’. The constitutional, psychological and
social pillars which used to support the ‘I’
are increasingly lost to us and the ‘I’ must
rely on itself. But how? Wolf-Ulrich Klünker
referred to the concepts and experiences
of abstract thinking and their effect on the
feeling life (“the feeling space behind the
thinking”) and on the abstract will which
unfolds a new will reality within this feeling space.
New research
The main starting point for the psychology of the ‘I’ is this new feeling space
that arises from a person’s spiritual activity and abstract will. It has the potential to
generate a new soulfulness that can carry
the ‘I’ – with all the physical, psychological
and social consequences this implies.
This new concept of ‘I’ and soul requires a new psychology with its own
ideas regarding therapy, self-image and
causation; it also requires new research in
fields such as anatomy or psychosomatics.| Martina Rasch, Horstedt (DE)
The results presented above will be published (in German) in October 2016 by Verlag Freies Geistesleben: Wolf-Ulrich Klünker,
Johannes Reiner, Maria Tolksdorf and Roland
Wiese, “Psychologie des Ich. Anthroposophie, Psychotherapie”
4 | Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 9/16
■ Anthroposophy worldwide
Sweden: Performance of “The Soul’s
Awakening”
Quite serious
Egypt
There are many things we still don’t
fully grasp but we are beginning to sense
that the spiritual world is closer and truer
than the reality that permanently feigns
to be the only one. Rudolf Steiner placed
something new into the history of humankind when he gave us his detailed images of the spiritual realities. He did not
say “This is what the kingdom of heaven
is like…” but “Here is Ahriman, here is the
Guardian of the threshold, here is a cosmic
state that governs this scene”.
Supported by Michael Debus
“Every question is like a seed from
which something living can grow,” says Ulrike von Schoultz, the director. “The question of how one can find a ‘door’ to Rudolf
Steiner’s mystery dramas has lived in me
for a long time. When we read the plays
together 30 years ago I found them inaccessible. In 2010 – by then I was a Council
member of the Anthroposophical Society
in Sweden – I invited Michael Debus to the
Kulturhuset, our cultural venue in Järna, to
speak about his book on Mary-Sophia. He
told us about the work on the Mystery Dramas at the Goetheanum and the lectures
he was about to give alongside the performances in the summer of 2010. I booked
my conference ticket straightaway.
Back in Sweden I suggested to Hans
Lindmark, our speech artist, that we
should work together. Seeing it was soon
Michaelmas wouldn’t it be a good idea ...
. He had studied the dramas for years and
From 26 June to 1 July 2016 around 50
committed actors performed Rudolf
Steiner’s mystery drama “The Soul’s
Awakening” at the Kulturhuset, a cultural venue in Järna (SE). As part of their
work on the play they also explored its
spiritual background.
worked on the texts weekly with a group
of interested people. “Creation out of
nothing” was the title of the Michaelmas
conference that included the end of Scene
1 as well as Scene 2 of “The Portal of Initiation”. After the conference we toured the
country performing these scenes.
Starting in 2011 Michael Debus visited us every year. He watched the performances and explained in his concluding
talks how our work could be most meaningfully continued.”
Aurora Klingborg talks about her work
with the costumes: when you portray spiritual beings, colours are very important.
Imagination and artistic sensitivity are
crucial. In addition you need to know how
to transform costumes for a variety of appearances, starting from a basic concept.
“Our project came as a surprise to the
staff at the Kulturhuset in Järna. Everything, even the funding, developed along
lines that were different from the usual
routine, out of spontaneous will impulses,” Ulrike von Schoultz points out.
A world in itself
When the first three dramas were performed in 2015 Michael Debus said, “Each
is a world in itself. The fourth drama has
a totally different character.” “He was
right“, Ulrike von Schoultz says, “We have
done the fourth drama now: preparing
for it as well as shaping it was more challenging than with the first three dramas
put together. The characters in the fourth
Strader
drama are left to their own devices. It’s
getting quite serious”.
“What is special about this drama
project“, many people ask – and Ulrike
von Schoultz keeps asking herself that
very same question. “There is the aspect
of ‘opening the door’. Suddenly a miracle
happened: a particular encounter awakened the seed, another one caused it to
germinate; and then the project kept
growing, stimulated by many other encounters, because it received love and
nourishment from many sides. We began
to love the dramas and, as a result, learned
to love each other in a new way”.
A loving presence
After working with the dramas for six
years new questions are arising in Ulrike
von Schoultz. “Why is it that these dramas
capture the interest of so many different
people? Why does one feel something like
a loving presence spreading in the room
during the (often strenuous) rehearsals
and performances? Are we – as actors
and audience of these plays – part of an
inspired presence that is conjured up by
the power of the word? Could these dramas be like a home for the being of anthroposophy?
Our theme for 2017 could be ‘The being of anthroposophy on its way. Scenes
from the Mystery Dramas.’| Felix Nieriker,
Tystberga (SE), with Ulrike von Schoultz,
Järna (SE)
Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 9/16| 5
Great Britain: Shakespeare Festival
Insights of head and heart
F
inding a fitting way to celebrate the life
of the Bard was something that was in
planning for a long time. How could we
do justice to Shakespeare’s life-work – not
only the parts of it that everyone worldwide is celebrating now, but our awareness also of something more hidden in
the great ongoing project that is Shakespeare’s plays? Would it be possible to answer the plea that Shakespeare/Prospero
addresses to his audience when he says,
“Gentle breath of yours my sails must fill or
else my project fails…?” That gentle breath
is the wisdom that Shakespeare asks us to
shine upon his work. Too much intellectuality can harm the arts. Insights of head
and heart in harmony, however, allow the
arts to speak with much more full a voice.
Could we do that for Shakespeare?
This was the challenge the Humanities Section, together with the Anthroposophical Society in Great Britain, set
themselves. I would say that those who
were there were able to experience a
kind of Anthroposophy that is unique to
the English-speaking world. Shakespeare
leads naturally to mysteries of language
and mysteries of the working into the
earth of the spirit; those who followed all
of the many, very different events taking
place were able to get a glimmering into
the future of the English language.
Eternal beauty
Each morning began with artistic presentations leading to a main lecture. The
conference was not heady, but these three
lectures did cast an important mood for
the day. I cannot possibly do justice to everything, but I’ll attempt to give something
of an overview. Over the whole conference
ran one leading thought like a thread – the
theme of immortal beauty and how it is in
conflict with the decay of everything that
is subject to the laws of physical reality.
Eternal beauty is a key to Shakespeare.
Andrew Wellburn traced hermetic
themes in Shakespeare and showed how
his sequence of plays is an extraordinary
journey into selfhood with the full human
being revealed in the various characters.
The true self holds opposite qualities together, and Shakespeare’s search for his
own transcendent selfhood culminates
in the character of Prospero. When Shakespeare writes The Tempest, it is as if his
work is done, for he has arrived at the concept of himself.
Andrew Wolpert looked at the theme
of “unaccommodated man” – the naked
human being that Lear sees in the character of Edgar when, acting the part of Mad
Tom, Edgar rushes out of the hovel he was
hiding in and into Lear’s violent world of
the raging storm. Lear reflects our own
journey of life after death, through karma
loca and into the spiritual spheres. Death is
a stripping away, and Lear’s meeting with
Edgar is the focal point of this journey, a
journey that is not completed until Shakespeare arrives at the character of Prospero.
Seeing the world in a new way
Coralee Fredrickson dealt more with
the language of Shakespeare and what
Shakespeare achieved through his activity in forging language. She quoted Blake,
“The fool sees not the same tree as the
wise man.” Shakespeare has such an effect upon us because he leads us beyond
the false picture of our separateness from
the creative processes of the world. His
metaphors lead us on a journey to become
able to see truly; we are transformed by
his plays and it is as if we enter a new
world. It is the same world but we see it
in a new way. Shakespeare shows us how
to encounter the terrain of our own soul.
Geoff Norris’ production of the
Tempest was a production that had had
major problems (it would be any director’s
worst nightmare to lose his Prospero
three weeks before opening night) but
which had managed to come through.
All that we had heard about Prospero in
the two opening talks we could see in this
production. His first action – drawing a
circle in the sand with his staff and then
striking onto the rock to release the three
Ariel spirits that brought the ship onto
Szene aus ‹Der Sturm›
Photo: PerformInternational UK
On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death a festival of performances, lectures and work groups took place at Rudolf Steiner House, London, from 21
to 24 April. Among the main themes were the human being as it manifests in the characters of Shakespeare’s plays and the mission of the English language.
the rocks of the magical island – defined
the magical world in which all characters
are aspects of himself. Mention should
be made of the group dynamics between
Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo (Caliban
especially gave some great physical
acting) and the interesting (and partially
successful) division of Ariel into three
separate aspects. The actors were a
group who have gathered around Geoff
Norris and Sarah Kane in London for this
production and one other. They brought
a new liveliness and sense of purpose to
Steiner House, and it is to be very much
hoped that their activities will continue
there. With a warning that it was a bit
like taking a cake out of the oven before
it was completely baked, Sarah Kane, who
directed Romeo and Juliet, gave us a taste
of her production.
A final bonus after the official close of
the conference was students from Ruskin
Mill doing scenes from A Midsummer
Night’s Dream. These students were fairly
near the beginning of their journey with
the Bard, but their enthusiasm and courage shone through all they did, and it was
heart-warming to see Shakespeare incarnating in such a very different setting. The
power of human redemption
All in all, this was a superb event in itself
but one that pointed also towards the future. The English language, guilty of being
the bearer of so many ills in contemporary
global culture, has other tasks that Shakespeare steers us towards; it carries within
it powers of human redemption. This festival was as a prelude to other tasks that the
English language still has to perform in the
twenty-first century and beyond. It was a
sign also that these tasks can indeed be accomplished. | Michael Hedley Burton, Syd-
6 | Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 9/16
■ Anthroposophy worldwide
Russia: Sofia Seminar for Curative Education and Social Therapy
Confident and cheerful – but the future is uncertain
The Sofia Seminar for Curative Education in Yekaterinburg (RU), which was founded
in 2001, has achieved much thanks to the commitment of Vera Simakova and Julia
Malkova and their collaboration with the Sofia aid organization in Järna (SE) and the
Nordic Association for Curative and Social Therapy in Sweden.
of Sverdlovsk. The Russian federal government has also promised its support.
Right from the beginning the Sofia
Seminar has been in contact with the Curative Education and Social Therapy Training in Järna (SE). Between 2004 and 2015
four groups of Sofia Seminar students
have travelled to Järna in order to attend
the “Nordic Study Conference for Curative
Education and Social Therapy”. As part of
this trip visits were also arranged to the
various institutions around Järna. The
Seminar is now authorized to carry out
international examinations accredited by
the Crossfields Institute in Great Britain.
Photo: Blagoe Delo
Critical situation
A meaningful life: one of the workshops at Blagoe Delo
B
lagoe Delo, a centre for social therapy in Verkh-Neyvinsk, 70 kilometres
north-west of Yekaterinburg, was founded in 2005 by Vera Simakova in response
to the desperate need in the area for possibilities to provide a meaningful life for
youngsters and adults with disabilities.
The region of Sverdlovsk, which is about
half the size of Germany, is situated in
the Ural Mountains, where Europe meets
Asia. Around 4.4 million people live there.
Sverdlovsk has its own regional government, with a governor who is appointed
by Moscow.
Working with the authorities
A close cooperation has sprung up in
recent years between Blagoe Delo and
the region’s political and administrative
authorities: in 2010 Vera Simakova was
invited to join the governor’s council and
carry out a training programme for twenty
directors of social institutions in the area,
in cooperation with the ministry for social
affairs, her colleagues at Blagoe Delo and
Petter Holm (NO). The aim of this training
programme is to restructure the regional
institutions, using Blagoe Delo as a model.
Blagoe Delo and the Sofia Seminar have
continued to develop since then. Thanks
to the support of the Nordic Association
in Sweden and from foundations and
friends’ associations in Germany and the
Netherlands it has been possible to buy
and gradually renovate a derelict building.
Transforming a derelict building
Today Blagoe Delo provides a meaningful and dignified life to 50 youngsters and
adults with various needs and disabilities.
It boasts seven workshops, a studio theatre, a band and a large vegetable and
flower garden. The studio theatre and the
band perform at cultural and informative
festivals in Russia, appear on TV, give press
conferences and have become famous all
over the country after winning second
prize (in 2014) and first prize (in 2015) as
Russia’s best social project. People with
special needs who, in autumn 2005, were
sitting huddled together in a circle, mere
shadows of themselves, incapable of communicating with one another, have grown
into personalities who are radiant with
confidence and cheerfulness.
In November 2012 Blagoe Delo organized the second Russian congress for
people with disabilities in Yekaterinburg,
collaborating for this project with the
Sverdlovsk ministry for social affairs and
the Russian Curative Education and Social
Therapy Association. The congress was
attended by 250 people from 15 regions
in Russia. For some time now Blagoe Delo
has been busy preparing the first Russian
World Congress for people with disabilities, scheduled to take place in September
2017. For this project it is working together with Thomas Kraus (DE) and with the
Governor and the social affairs minister
Despite all these achievements Blagoe
Delo is struggling to survive. While they
receive prizes and recognition, there is
no financial help available. Staff salaries
are four months in arrears and half of the
co-workers had to be laid off. The kitchen
had to be closed down because there is no
money to pay the electricity and heating
bills. And unfortunately it is impossible at
present to admit more people with special needs. Despite all this our protégés
arrive every day cheerfully and eager to
work. They see themselves as co-workers
– many of them are actively involved in
the practical side of running the seminar.
Because of the difficult economic situation in Russia three of the social therapy
training years cannot take place at present – neither the students nor the institutions can afford it. Blagoe Delo continues
to offer short courses, however. Lectures
are provided in partnership with the college for social studies in Yekaterinburg,
and there are joint projects with the Rudolf Steiner College in Oslo (NO) and the
Institute for Curative Education and Social
Therapy in Bergen (NO).
Carried by the strong impulse to stand
strong in the face of adversity the work
at Blagoe Delo is developing into a pilot
project of unexpected dimensions that
infuses the political life with the anthroposophical impulse and its humane image
of the human being. We hope that this will
eventually lead to the law being changed
so that the rights of people with special
needs to care and support will be officially
respected. | Brigitte Deck, Järna (SE) Italy
For more information and the full report
contact [email protected]
Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 9/16| 7
■ Anthroposophical society
The senses: wounds and
balm at the same time
T
raditionally, the Anthroposophical Society in Italy holds its annual conference every four years at the Goetheanum
(although seven years had passed since
the previous one). From 2 to 5 June, 270
people from all over Italy gathered at the
Goetheanum, studying the relationship
between human beings and the cosmos.
The Council of the Anthroposophical
Society in Italy is holding these meetings
in Dornach in order to enable interested
Italians – not just Society-members – to
get to know the Goetheanum better, and
as a way of strengthening their inner connection with the centre of the General
Anthroposophical Society and the School
of Spiritual Science. The theme of this
year’s gathering was the zodiac between
past, presence and future. As part of the
conference around 20 Italian eurythmists
worked together intensively under the direction of Gioia Falk. They presented the
Foundation Stone Meditation, the Twelve
Moods with music by Jan Stuten and an
impressive evening programme with
scenes from Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, set to music by Franz Liszt, depicting
Dante’s and Beatrice’s journey through
the seven planetary spheres. Conference
members also sought to connect with the
Christmas Conference of 1923/1924 and
with the tasks that lie ahead.
Silent sphinx
For individuals as well as for the community each conference is a new stage
on an inner journey. The most important
aspect is what happens between people
and between the words. Each conference
member arrives here after a long outward
journey; inwardly they are carried to dizzying heights, where matter and the condensed heavenly bodies “dissolve” at the
boundaries of our solar system, in order
to open up to the unfathomable and immeasurable world of the stars. The words
“Stars spoke once to man” – which Rudolf
Steiner gave to Marie Steiner – reveal that
this mighty language of the stars has faded away: the cosmos, the stars, the planets with all the beings that inhabit them
had to withdraw to make space for their
favourite creature, the human being. Now
this space lies outside of us, void of spirit
– a silent, speechless sphinx.
Out of this infinite space a kind of belt
has formed – our zodiac. It shows us a
boundary in space and time. Through the
zodiac we behold the powers that have
formed the sacred temple of our body and
that enable us to live on earth and develop
our ‘I’, the thirteenth ‘element’. It is our
task to “inhale” that wonderful old world
in order to create a new one.
The world of the senses
As human beings we are separated
from our true essence during life. The gods
not only gave us the disease of the original
sin but also the means to heal this disease:
our sense organization. The twelve senses
(the twelve precious stones of the Apocalypse) are witnesses to this separation and
to the reunion – they are the new spiritual
“respiratory organs” through which we
can take in the world again – the original
light of wisdom, the resounding power of
the logos, which we can inhale in twelve
different nuances, colours and sounds, in
order to exhale them again into the world.
The senses are bleeding wounds within us
and, at the same time, they are the balm
that can heal these wounds. The wound
can only be healed, however, by the one
who caused it – Gurnemanz says to Parzival – when we want this healing to happen or, in other words, when we become
inwardly active.
In the repeated eurythmy performances of the Twelve Moods we experienced a
continuous, ever moving cosmos: it is our
‘I’ which moves through the various zodiac signs like an inner sun, inspired by the
moral qualities of these constellations.
This is how our ‘I’ can fully unfold its inner
richness.
The sun being, the Christ, had to come
to the earth in order to make this possible.
He inhaled and transformed the twelvefold zodiac. Only with the Christ has it
become possible “that outer and inner life
fertilize each other; what used to be inside
now becomes outside and what used to
live inside time before, spreads out into
space so that the two can continue side by
side.. […] Everything temporal is arranged
according to the number seven. […] The
basic number of space is the twelve. And
time, in flowing out into space, is revealed
through the number twelve”, Rudolf
Photo: Wolfgang Held
Italy: Le 12 resonanze tra terra e cosmo.
Annual Conference at the Goetheanum
The cosmic origin of the human body: Scorpio
above Dornach, 22 August, just before 11 p.m.
Steiner explained in his lecture of 30 August 1909 (GA 113, “The East in the Light
of the West”), “Everything in time occurs
successively. […] We will understand what
evolves in time by passing from the later
to the earlier, from the child to the father.
[…] In leading time out into space we speak
of beings that exist simultaneously. […]”.
This is the new wisdom that has entered
the earth as the seed of the new brotherly
communities of the future. We have received the Foundation Stone Meditation
– our spiritual identity and tasks – from
the same spiritual source.
On the way to our true self
The founding and establishing of brotherly spiritual communities is the most
important and, at the same time, most
difficult task Rudolf Steiner entrusted to
us. It involves true tolerance and peace,
and a journey from our ordinary self to
our true human self. The human ‘I’ will
reach its spiritual archetype once it is reflected in the twelvefoldness, experiencing itself as the thirteenth element. Only
when we have absorbed, in our various
incarnations, the moral-spiritual qualities
through the twelve heavenly doors of the
zodiac can we become “truly human”.|
Stefano Gasperi, general secretary of the
Anthroposophical Society in Italy
8 | Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 9/16
■ Anthroposophical society
Germany: New general secretary Michael Schmock
Looking at what wants to become
Since June, Michael Schmock has been shadowing Hartwig Schiller who shares with
Gioia Falk the office of general secretary of the Anthroposophical Society in Germany.
Michael Schmock has experience as a board member of anthroposophical organizations and knows the Anthroposophical Society inside out – not least because he has
been a member of its council (Arbeitskollegium) for many years.
Sebastian Jüngel: You bring decades of
experience to the office of general secretary: you have led the anthroposophical work group in North Rhine Westphalia from 1991 and have been a council
member of the Anthroposophical Society in Germany since 2005. You also have
a close connection with the youth movement. Where do you see your strengths
and weaknesses?
Michael Schmock: I have always been inspired by the youth impulses – they have
kept me inwardly alive. I have always
been open towards, and willing to shape,
the future. Questions such as ‘Where are
we going? What is the next step? What
wants to become and what can I do to
support it?’ have always occupied me.
I have at times felt paralyzed when others were determined to adhere to established habits. That is maybe one of
my shortcomings. I tend to see what
wants to become rather than what has
become. Maybe I should be more openminded in this respect? But I somehow
enjoy looking at life – also the life of the
Anthroposophical Community – from
the future rather than from the past.
Swans or ducks?
Jüngel: How do you see the relation between the active engagement that the
anthroposophical work needs and the
open-mindedness you need when you
preside over an organization?
Schmock: I have lived with my own initiatives for many years. Some of them
were successful, others less so. It seems
to me that the secret of taking the initiative is to do this in a way that allows others to take their own initiative too. My
aim today is to support people so they
can achieve their own goals. I see myself
more as having the role of a midwife.
This is by no means less efficient. It is
just different. It requires mutual recognition and support rather than just focusing on the attainment of goals. What
would an Anthroposophical Society be
like that generated a cultural force by
appreciating others and helping them to
be born – acting as a midwife, as it were?
Enterprises can choose between different leadership styles: the swan or the
duck approach. Swans swim in front of
and ducks behind their young. I am asking myself whether it is appropriate at
all to speak of ‘pre-siding’ over a society
(from praesidere, Latin, sit in front of). Is
it not rather a matter of standing behind
it, covering its back?
Generating life forces
Jüngel: In the anthroposophical newsletter in Germany (“Mitteilungen aus der
Anthroposophischen Arbeit in Deutschland”, 5/2016) you listed as one of your
aims “to make the anthroposophical
movement as such more visible”. But
is it not true to say that the anthroposophical movement is visible and can be
experienced while the Anthroposophical Society is leading something of a
niche existence? Or to put the question
differently: the anthroposophical movement has its institutions and the School
of Spiritual Science its fields of practice.
What does the Anthroposophical Society have?
Schmock: In my view the Anthroposophical Society is not an authoritative
body that imparts worldviews and regulations. It is only meaningful if it sees
itself as a part of the School of Spiritual
Science on the one hand and of its fields
of application on the other. It used to be
an association of anthroposophists who
cultivated anthroposophy by studying
Rudolf Steiner’s lectures. This was, and
still is, an essential aspect. But with the
beginning of the 21st century an etheric
task has been added: this has to do with
the life forces of the entire anthroposophical movement. The Society facilitates the breathing between the School
of Spiritual Science and the branches,
groups and institutions. Its task is one of
integration. It forms the “etheric heart
Grateful for collegial support: Michael Schmock
organ” within this flexible and open
structure.
Jüngel: What will it be like in the future?
Schmock: The Anthroposophical Society of the future will no longer be only
made up of clearly defined branches
and groups but also of organs of anthroposophical life forces that connect the
School of Spiritual Science and the fields
of practice, or centres and institutions.
These organs form an in-between space
– an etheric heart. They are not separated or isolated, but arise from people’s
joint activity – as round tables or associations. If the Anthroposophical Society
is able to form such “etheric organs” it
will be a viable future society; if not, it
will have been an important transitional
stage in the evolution of anthroposophy
in the twentieth century.
We need partnerships
Jüngel: Being part of the public means
being interested in others. What do you
wish to learn from the public?
Schmock: Aside from many questionable achievements, our civilization has
produced many qualities that we need
today: openness and tolerance, acceptance without ideologization, and the
ability to be touched by the needs of
our time. People have a subtle sense for
what is true and genuine; one acknowledges that there is a darker element to
Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 9/16 | 9
■ Goetheanum
people as well as sensitivity to the needs
of others. People are beginning to feel
responsible for the complex – ecological as well as economic – consequences
of their actions. We can learn from this
without feeling that we anthroposophists are the only ones who have the
answers. There are many organizations
and civic initiatives today that we can
join in addressing the pressing concerns
about the future of humanity. We need
them as partners – and we can also learn
from them how we can feel responsible
together.
Jüngel: Do you think it is necessary to
move away from the “insider” language
we use?
Schmock: Yes, because it is no longer
necessary. Studying anthroposophy
means finding one’s own language. It
is no longer interesting to speak like
Steiner. We need to find the concepts
to express spiritual scientific aspects in
our own way – however imperfect that
may be. This immediacy of expressing
anthroposophical contents is crucial for
the future. Claus Otto Scharmer and his
ideas regarding organizational development are a good example of this.
Learning from others
Jüngel: You knew Jörgen Smit, who was
an expert in community-building. How
do you experience the forming of anthroposophical work groups? Are they
necessary and natural (maybe as an expression of karmic relationships) or are
they doing more harm than good because of their exclusiveness?
Schmock: The way the Youth Section
was structured at the time meant that
Jörgen gave us free rein. He kept in the
background. We felt that we were the
initiators of the anthroposophical youth
movement but he was always there to
answer our questions. This made us feel
special and trustworthy. I think this way
of working together inspired us to take
the initiative, while there were also certain boundaries. It was very special at
the time to belong to the faculty and the
forming of groups was important to us.
The trend today is for getting rid of
closed groups. This can lead to arbitrariness, however, and to the forming of –
sometimes trivial – circles. I would see
it as a step in the wrong direction if we
had no “internal” faculties or groups to-
day. People will need to come together
to take on specific – also spiritually motivated – tasks. And it won’t be irrelevant
at all who belongs to such a group.
Jüngel: The Anthroposophical Society
talks a lot about itself. Is there nothing
else to talk about? Or is that in its nature?
Schmock: If I focus too much on myself,
I lose sight of my tasks. And yet, it is very
important in the biography of any society to self-reflect from time to time, to
take stock and look at how one sees oneself and how one is perceived by others.
A learning society needs these experiences if it wants to grow. The question
is whether such self-reflection results in
it stewing in its own juice or in putting
questions to the world.
I have initiated a process of looking at
questions regarding the future of the Anthroposophical Society, as part of which
we also ask others (“outsiders” included)
and go on explorative journeys: we visit
other (non-anthroposophical) organizations in order to learn from them. I look
forward to seeing the results of this
work at the end of the year.
Guided by the stars
Jüngel: In November 2009, Jostein Saether described you on an online current
affairs platform (themen-der-zeit.de)
as modest, circumspect and confident.
How do you see yourself and what other
feedback do you receive?
Schmock: Maybe you should ask my wife
or my colleagues about this. Some experience me as a calm presence, a moderator or mediator. Some find me inspirational or supportive, others consistent
and perseverant, with a slight tendency
towards self-sacrifice. I see myself more
as an adventurer who is always on the
move – on a ship that is not so much
guided by beacons but by the stars. I
am excited to see where this voyage will
take me.
Jüngel: Is there anything others don’t
know about you?
Schmock: They presumably don’t know
how often I despair or feel like giving
up. And they probably don’t know either how grateful I am for the wonderful people around me who are willing to
work with me. I wouldn’t get anywhere
without them. This is a blessing that I
haven’t fully grasped yet. ■
Appeal for donations
Art Collection
T
he Goetheanum Art Collection consists of around 14,000 separate objects. As was made apparent in a series
of articles published in Anthroposophy
Worldwide (issues 3, 4 and 5/2016)
these former testimonies of anthroposophical art history that include original sketches by Rudolf Steiner and his
pupils are under threat because they
are not stored appropriately. Excessive
dryness, heat and danger of flooding
are the main problems.
During their summer retreat in June
the Goetheanum Leadership decided to
commission a project group to investigate what needs to be done next (Anthroposophy Worldwide, 7–8/2016).
The members of this group are Johannes Nilo (Head of the Documentation Department), Marianne Schubert
(Leader of the Visual Art Section), Bodo
von Plato (Member of the Executive
Council at the Goetheanum) and art
historian Heide Nixdorff (guest).
First an inventory will be prepared
so that the storage conditions can be
established. Then the collection criteria need to be set out. On the basis of
this information the storage size can
be specified as well as the necessary
climatic conditions. Then a decision
can be made on whether to hire premises or erect a special building to house
the collection. Since there are no funds
for this project in the 2016 budget, the
Goetheanum treasurer, Justus Wittich,
published an appeal for donations in
Anthroposophy Worldwide 7-8/2016. |
Sebastian Jüngel
Donations
(reference: Kunstsammlung KST 4901):
From Switzerland and other non-Euro countries: Allgemeine Anthroposophische Gesellschaft, 4143 Dornach, Schweiz. Raiffeisenbank Dornach, 4143 Dornach, BIC: RAIFCH22, IBAN: CH36 8093 9000 0010 0607 1.
From Germany, with tax-efficient donation
receipt: Förderstiftung Anthroposophie,
70188 Stuttgart, GLS-Gemeinschaftsbank
Bochum, BIC: GENODEM1GLS, IBAN: DE49
4306 0967 7001 0343 00.
From other Euro countries: Allgemeine Anthroposophische Gesellschaft, 4143 Dornach, Schweiz GLS-Gemeinschaftsbank,
44708 Bochum, Deutschland, BIC/Swift:
GENODEM1GLS,
IBAN: DE53 4306 0967 0000 9881 00.
10 | Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 9/16
■ anthroposophy
Sensory and supersensible perception
Resonating with other beings
Our senses are gateways to the world. Rudolf Steiner demonstrated that some of the
senses identified by him point inward while others are oriented towards a supersensible world. Anthroposophy explains these sensory aspects and how the senses can be
developed further. In working and sharing with others we can gradually finetune and
interpret our impressions.
T
he physical senses are windows to
the world. They show us particular
facets or properties of objects, elements or creatures. Each of the twelve
senses has a particular task. We combine all these impressions into an overall picture to which we automatically
attribute a concept: this shape, this
colour, this scent – “rose”. The senses
therefore help us in the first instance
to quickly gauge the situation we are
in and to survive (car coming from the
right – stop!), and they give us orientation in space. In everyday life we hardly
notice the information our senses communicate to us because this happens
unconsciously.
It is different with intensive individual experiences or experiences that
are composed of several sense impressions, a delicious meal in pleasant surroundings, for instance, or a swim in the
lake on a beautiful summer’s day – the
soul is either stimulated or made to feel
relaxed. We become inwardly peaceful
and we are fully present in the moment.
We can focus our attention on a particular plant, for instance, by observing,
smelling, touching and tasting it. In this
case the interest in something else has
priority. Our senses make themselves
available to this other (object). They
are actively passive or passively active.
I selflessly give myself and my perceptive faculties to this object, which
can now begin to reveal more of itself
and tell its story. Phenomenology, or
Goetheanism, has developed this cognitive method into a conscious science.
Supersensible perception
How is it with supersensible
perception? In ancient times people had
natural (dreamlike) clairvoyance but were
unable to have conscious clairvoyant
visions in this world. This has changed for
most people. We now have the possibility,
if not the mission, to bring these two –
initially separate – active worlds together.
It is no coincidence that a lime tree
looks so totally different from a coconut tree! Different spiritual beings with
their own qualities and tasks inhabit
and come to expression in them. When
we take in a landscape, animal or plant,
we can sense the particular properties of the spiritual essence at work in
them. We begin to read the script – colour, form, odour, voice, mood etc. – this
spiritual being uses in order to express
itself on earth. Our “inner eye” is subtly
engaged at this stage. In Spiritual Science as a Foundation for Social Forms
(GA 199, lecture of 8 August 1920) Rudolf Steiner establishes a connection
between our physical senses and our
supersensory faculties, relating the
senses of ‘I’ and thought to intuition,
the senses of word and hearing to inspiration and the senses of warmth, vision
and taste to imagination (from my own
experience I would say that the sense of
smell should be included in the latter).
External sense perception can be transformed into ‘inward’ perception: we are
no longer merely looking but seeing, we
are no longer hearing but listening.
Agent and instrument
Here is an example: the sense of vision conveys visible impressions of the
outside world. Based on our experience
we combine these impressions into objects to which we allocate concepts,
such as ‘salt cellar’ for example. Once
we have not only looked at the object
with this concept in mind, but have also
held it and used it, it is easy for us to
call up a mental image of it later. We
build up an inner representation of it,
a process in which we are active agents
(in our thinking and will).
When we have an imagination, on
the other hand, we are not the active
composer of the inner images that arise
– we are merely “letting them happen”.
We make our own power of imagination available as a design medium to
another spiritual being (which may or
may not be perceptible to the senses).
This needs a certain amount of selflessness for I am not the active agent in this
process; I am merely the (conscious)
observer. I see inwardly, with my inner
sense of vision, with my inner eye.
We can make mistakes when we perceive something with our senses and
the same is true for supersensory perception. We may experience a mental
delusion or misinterpret what we see.
The maxim “skill comes with practice”
therefore applies here as much as in
phenomenology.
The quality of my instruments
Both faculties are always subjective,
influenced by my soul and my ether
body, and therefore also by my senses
of word and vision. If my vocabulary is
limited, another being will only be able
to communicate with me in an equally
limited way. The result will be different
when this being communicates with a
person who commands an extensive
and differentiated vocabulary. The
more surprised I am with the result,
the less influenced the ‘im-pression’
has been by my own personality.
How is it with the lower senses: the
senses of life, movement, balance and
touch? They help us to perceive our
own body as well as our body in relation to the outside world. Is it possible
that these senses, too, could have a supersensible dimension? When we perceive our own body, we (unconsciously)
perceive our ether body as well (and
therefore the four kinds of ether). I can
make my ether body – like my sense
of word – selflessly available to others. It can then serve as a mirror, as a
resonating body for the etheric of other
beings, even of elementals, feelings, a
landscape or spiritual beings. The three
concepts of imagination, inspiration
and intuition do not really cover this
subtle resonance (or our perception of
it), which arises as a result of our inner sensitivity, sensation, scanning; it
is a different faculty altogether, to be
placed below the imagination. Steiner
did not speak of this explicitly and anthroposophy therefore has no name for
it. We could call it “sensualisation” in
line with Steiner’s designation for the
other three supersensible modes of
Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 9/16 | 11
perception. Frank Burdich calls it “resonance”.
The calmer the water surface the
better it reflects the surrounding landscape and the clouds above. Any movement in the water distorts these mirror
images. It is the same with the etheric
and the soul; because we can make our
ether body as well as our astral body
(soul) available to others in this calm
and selfless way for a period of time.
This brings us to the faculty that is today commonly referred to as empathy.
Any perception, whether of the senses or supersensible, will leave a more or
less lasting imprint in our soul and ether
body. This is something we can become
more sensitive to. What imprints itself
and in what way, differs with each of
us and says something about us – it can
therefore help us on our way towards
self-knowledge. If we keep practising
inner calmness and if we have the necessary trust we can develop a more objective kind of devotion. We will then,
again and again, momentarily become
an instrument that is made to vibrate
and resound by another being. And we
can learn to read and interpret these
sounds and streams, this play of colours
and these emotional nuances.
There is a difficulty involved, however. We human beings are not clear and
unruffled waters; we are not instruments that are all tuned to the same
pitch. We each have our own colouring, moods and sounds, which means
that, with every sensory or supersensible perception we have, subjective
influences intermingle with objective
experiences (i.e. the subjective experiences of others) in each of us. Working
together with others and sharing one’s
experiences of individual perceptions
with them can therefore be very helpful. It will lead to self-knowledge and
teach us to finetune ourselves inwardly
and become better at interpreting experiences. Learning to express our experiences in our own words is another
important step for us to take in the
age of the consciousness soul.| Jasmin
Mertens, Berlin (DE)
Photo: Sebastian Jüngel
Interplay
Transforming the senses: from looking to seeing, from hearing to listening (the trunk of a
tree in the Allerheiligen waterfalls, Black Forest, DE)
12 | Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 9/16
■ Forum
The future of anthroposophy
Skilful navigation
All in the same boat
Concerned that anthroposophical groups may have seen their
day and that the important and meaningful work they have
been doing could become a thing of the past, Ole Harald Dahl
looks at the history of the Oslo study group – eighty years after
it was founded.
T
he Oslo group was founded in 1936 by twelve relatively young people, mostly
men. Jörgen Smit, who was
only 20 at the time, was one
of them. By 1946 the group
had 126 members; its heyday was in 1985 when the
number of members rose
to 303. Today this vital cultural institution is kept alive
because a small group of
not yet extinct anthroposophists continues to meet
and study. With every year
the group shrinks like some
prehistoric creature that
is slowly disappearing and
that no one cares to rescue.
The anthroposophists themselves are only marginally
interested in embracing the
new times and cultural developments. They continue
unperturbed with their work
while gradually one after the
other crosses the threshold
of death.
In the last 25 years only
the occasional new member
has joined. Most of them
were close to the retirement
age and were convinced that
they had found a group of interesting peers with whom
they could work together
on their inner development.
Their annual meeting this
year, when the group’s 80th
anniversary was also celebrated, attracted 30 visitors. I noticed three visitors
who were under 50, maybe
four under-60s, the rest was
older.
Innovation and individualization
The problems of the Os-
lo group are by no means
unique to this country. They
are familiar to most anthroposophical groups in the
western world that were
founded in the twentieth
century. The Oslo group is
remarkable, however, in that
its active penetration, interpretation and further development of basic anthroposophical contents resulted
in some group members
taking up prominent public
positions and introducing
improvements in education,
agriculture, pre-school education, art, literature and
social therapy in Norway
and an original extended
concept of medicine and
therapy. Anthroposophists
have had jobs in finance and
administration and became
an avant-garde within the
establishment.
Anthroposophy as an impulse of cultural renewal is
not revolutionary, however,
but seeks to bring harmony
to human life and consequently to the earth. Rudolf
Steiner’s innovative activism arose from his original
aesthetic vision and his ability to work with all kinds of
people and create a network
of active supporters, based
on moral intuitions. He never tired of pointing out the
need for innovative individualization.
Occult imprisonment
The term “occult imprisonment” (Rudolf Steiner) has
nonetheless been brought
up repeatedly in recent years,
for instance by Johannes Ki-
The home of the Oslo Group
ersch. Kiersch was referring
to Manfred Schmidt Brabant
(1926-2001), a member of
the Executive Council at
the Goetheanum, who had
asked to what extent the Anthroposophical Society had
turned inward and whether
it was appropriate to speak
of “occult imprisonment”.
In all modesty, Johannes Kiersch suggests a few therapeutic measures. He believes
in a new way of studying
Rudolf Steiner – from the
outside; in a way that allows
the student to newly discover Steiner and his many
indications and approaches
and to take a wider view of
anthroposophy rather than
seeing it merely as the basis
for a safe community life. Johannes Kiersch recommends
that we place more emphasis on ethical individualism
and that we focus on the
concepts in Rudolf Steiner’s
pre-theosophical work rather than on esotericism.
Jörgen Smit (1916 to
1991) also presented his
thoughts on how to deal
with “occult imprisonment”
by placing the concept into
a wider context. He thought
that modern civilization on
the whole had reached an
advanced state of occult imprisonment.
Jörgen Smit also said that
“everything is destiny”. If we
can consciously penetrate our
will with our thinking we will
be able to observe ourselves
and examine our situation
from the outside. This would
mean that the stressful, consciousness-consuming linear
perspective of time could lose
its power and make place for
a space in which we can navigate confidently and skilfully
and where cooperation and
the forming of networks can
take priority over traditional
rights and privileges.
If we see everything passively as destiny and if the
anthroposophists are unable
to breathe a new and fresh
will into their thinking so that
they can see their present
situation with new eyes and
move forward, if they simply
continue as before – for instance by focusing one-sidedly on anthroposophical studies only – and if they forget
to practise how to deal with
people and embrace current
events, they will become ever
more isolated, however much
they intend to become active,
in their local groups or in the
wider society.
Learning from others
In their endeavour to bring
new life to Rudolf Steiner’s
impulse
anthroposophists
can learn from other groups
and cultural approaches, because humanity has reached
a stage where ideologies and
exclusive groups have come
to belong to the past. Today
we are all in the same boat.|
Ole Harald Dahl, Oslo (NO)
Extract from an article published in the journal “Cogito”
in June 2016
This English translation is
based on the Norwegian-toGerman translation by Dorothea Lehning.
W
ord has got about that
art – yes, art – might
be useful! But what for? It has
even come up in relation with
social matters: social art! But
how? It is generally believed
that art has to be provocative.
I agree. But what provokes?
Nowadays?
Maybe reality? The reality
of life is a growing provocation.
What does it provoke? Money
is ubiquitous: money, money,
money – much too much or
much too little. Where the one
is the other is too. The more
some have, the less others
have. The few on the one side
and the many on the other.
And everywhere pressure – exerted by some on others. That
is provocative: figures, figures,
figures, money, money, money
– too much for some, too little
for others. The one can’t be
without the other. Is there an
honest answer to this growing
provocation?
Provocation of the provocation
It is the provocation of the
provocation! What is the artistic answer to this enormously
inhumane provocation? Certainly not counter-pressure.
That is the reactionary answer
of those who call themselves
the “political elite” today: pressure, pressure, pressure… what
provokes the money-hoarders
and the sleepwalking consumers in equal measure today?
Renunciation. The renunciation of consumerism. But to
renounce one needs to be free.
True renunciation is a proof of
freedom. Leaving behind the
lie of growth at any cost and
turning to the simple truth of
renunciation.
Renunciation
sets you free. Renunciation
strengthens the will. Renunci-
1 12 8 45 9 56 56 90 39 24 3156 62 14 89 78 79 27 732 97 29 61 7
127 43 112 12 53 45 34 123 145 88 13 34 17 8
87 32 150 119 13 75 64 Grafik: S.J.
A manifesto for social art –
intended as a culture shock
4
21 23 5
45 87 23 85 46 37 58
Figures, figures, figures, money, money, money …
ation calms the soul. Renunciation clears the mind. The free
spirit cannot be controlled.
It controls itself. Yes! This is
true anarchy. The self-controlled cannot be controlled
by others. They are in charge
of themselves. No state, no
boss can control them. They
control themselves. The free
renounce power, above all the
power over others, and they
renounce the futility of consumption.
Freedom is anarchism
Social art means being able
to share in a brotherly way. The
free do not envy the rich their
riches. They know that these
riches have been accumulated
at the expense of the many.
Their wealth is bitterest poverty of the soul and it denotes
the sad absence of a free spirit. The free are self-controlled
spirits, anarchists; they are
uncontrollable because they
control themselves fearlessly.
Their powerlessness is expression of their free spirit, of their
soul’s true richness. Let us become artists who refuse futile
consumption: the gentle anarchism of the self-controlled.
Renunciation is a truly Christian and noble anarchism. |
Rainer Schnurre, Hildesheim
(DE)
Contact: rainer.schnurre@gmx
To Marc Desaules’ contribution on “Representation
as the only condition of
membership in the School
of Spiritual Science” in
Anthroposophy Worldwide
6/2016
I
would like to express
my support for Marc Desaules’ contribution and
his request to the Executive
Council to amend the admission requirements. I had not
noticed the new admission
criteria. While the requirements for admission – being
familiar with the foundations of anthroposophy and
meditating actively – are,
exoterically,
understandable in today’s culture of not
wanting to commit, they are
not in keeping with the tenets of anthroposophy!
Michael expects the freest deed
Michael, the spirit of
time and archai, whose inauguration of the School
of Spiritual Science was
conveyed to us by Rudolf
Steiner, rose to become the
‘spirit of freedom’, following the most sublime act of
freedom on Golgotha, and
stands against Oriphiel and
his hierarchical host. Rudolf
Steiner therefore said of the
modern Christian-Rosicrucian school, which teaches
the highest form of selfdevelopment, that “meditation [is] the freest deed”
modern humanity can aspire to. In loyalty to Michael
Rudolf Steiner emphasized
that the main qualities required for membership in
the Michael School were
“strictness” and “earnestness”. During his lifetime he
excluded several members
because of their negligent
and superficial attitude. All
spiritual wrongdoings will
invariably be followed up
after death by the individual
Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 9/16 | 13
in question. Presenting the
“blue card” can also be seen
as being mindful of this earnest strictness.
The absolutely free decision to become a member
of the Michael School is the
greatest proof of this strict
earnestness. The conscientious applicant will most
willingly meet the “conditions” mentioned above,
out of his own free insight,
possibly with some help
from a “class reader”. Being a member of the Anthroposophical Society for
two years before joining
the School of Spiritual Science also helps with this
decision. Aware of his earnest responsibility towards
Michael’s strictness and
towards Rudolf Steiner, the
applicant will take this step
after conscientious contemplation, in order to become
a “representative of the anthroposophical cause” – or
as Marc Desaules put it, in
order to strive to “wake up
in the will”. In the new mysteries only free human beings can promote the future
evolution of humankind.
Would freedom-restricting
conditions not darken Michael’s atmosphere of freedom-light?
Free and considerate selfexamination
The conditions for admission to the spirit sphere of
Michael are attained in the
“chamber of reflection”, in
other words through selfknowledge as an “earthly
trial” or a “passing through
hell”, or in the sense of
“How to attain knowledge
of higher worlds”. They
form the foundation of the
free decision to become a
“neophyte” in the School
of Spiritual Science.| Herwig
Herrmann, Rehau (DE)
14 | Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 9/16
■ forum
■anthroposophical society
Meditation
Forming a circle of light
An early morning intuition after a deep sleep began with a
very difficult realisation. It was like a problem that confronted
Monica Gold personally. With the help of a group of friends this
experience evolved into a worldwide initiative that could connect all human beings.
M
ost children today are becoming more and more
dependent on an all-encompassing, yet restricting way of
life. The dependence on computers and the daily use of cell
phones and texting by children
and young adults of all ages begins in schools, even in kindergarten. Many home lives have
moved away from gatherings
for family meals, from interesting discussions and from experiencing something together, like
playing musical instruments. In
short, what was called quality
time has turned into a social life
where most young people are
left to themselves.
Guided by the ‘I’
In favour of technological
progress, important human
abilities are neglected. These
are: to develop empathy for
others; to process and filter
information and think things
over; to do some activities together. Speed coupled with
cold intelligence is the predominant result with little
regard for the development of
the young people’s emotional
The Verse Uniting All of Us
Faith, Love and Hope
Will lead me in my will
When I light a candle and unite
With the ever present love of the
Almighty
And His creative force.
It works in me when I, lovingly,
Embrace all children
Who come to me in
Faith, Love and Hope.
This verse may lead us on our path
Of creating a circle of light around the
world.
It will unite us and disperse loneliness.
It will open our minds to imagination,
Strengthen our inspiration,
And bless us with intuition.
and social life.
Waldorf education seeks to
harmonize, integrate and develop a student’s ability to think
clearly, to feel compassion and
to hold a vision of a positive and
beautiful life. Rudolf Steiner
recommended that thinking,
feeling and will, the three soul
capabilities ought to be trained
equally to bring up creative human beings. He pointed out that
in our time thinking, feeling and
will have begun to drift apart. It
is the task of Waldorf Education
to strengthen the emerging ‘I’ of
the students by helping them to
find goodness in people’s biographies, to feel respect towards
true knowledge and to find
tasks which help other people
and communities.
Without this it can happen
that a young person with a
naturally strong will but with
feeling only for himself, is able
to engage his thought processes in such a way that he
may acquire a gun in order to
shoot those he feels have hurt
him in one way or another. The
situation is tragic for misguided
young people who are not fully
in charge of their ‘I’ yet, because
this curtails their own and others’ potential for a fulfilled life.
Groups in schools
As mentioned before,
Waldorf Education takes the
separation of thinking, feeling
and will seriously and incorporates appropriate measures
in its curriculum. But Waldorf
schools today are faced with
a variety of problems. They
are frequently attacked from
outside by critics who know
little about them. The schools
feel pushed towards more academically focused goals. Some
schools suffer from a lack of
qualified teachers with the
necessary background in anthroposophy. As a result, students’ inner expectations are
perhaps not being fully met.
In many families both parents
go to work in order to be able
to pay for the tuition of their
children. Often parents find it
difficult to make quality time
available and to be there for
their children to guide them
whenever needed.
I felt co-responsible for
the fact that there is hardly a
physician, judge, psychologist
or teacher who knows about
the separation of the soul faculties. Concerned about this
situation I had an idea.
Lighting an inner candle
It would be a beginning if
each Waldorf School, worldwide, could form a group or
groups consisting of parents,
friends, alumni and anthroposophists. They could – individually or as a group – make
an inner connection with the
verse printed below. When
people meet to work on questions or difficulties concerning
the school, they could read the
verse first and establish a connection with the Christ, asking
Him for help, for His protection
and guidance for their school,
or for individuals. Christ is
there for all of us.
If this were initiated by every Waldorf School in the world
great changes could be accomplished resulting in a healing of
today’s youth. Every participant
could light a candle in their
mind for all the schools, before
going to sleep. A ring of light
would then shine around the
globe and be perceived by the
Christ. He would respond by giving strength and inspiration. |
Monica Gold, with support from
Giselher Weber, Vancouver (CA),
and Monica Beer, Basel (CH)
12 January 1951 – 18 August
2016
Aleksei Zhukov
Aleksei Zhukov was born in
Moscow (RU) in 1951. After finishing school in 1968, and up
until 1974, he was editor of the
journal “Kunst”. During that
time he was introduced to anthroposophy by his colleague
Pavlov Platon Alexandrovich.
I
n 1974 Aleksei Zhukov began
to study history and art theory
at the University of Moscow.
After completing these studies
in 1980 he worked in various
institutions within the ministry
of cultural affairs. From 1992 to
1993 he attended the anthroposophical studies in Dornach
(CH) and went on from there to
train as a Christian Community
priest, doing his practical work
experience in Germany. From
1996 to 1998 he was the leader
of the Christian Community in
Moscow. After that he became
editor for the publishing company “Wort”; from 2000 onwards he headed the “religion
and society” section of an internet platform. He had started
studying anthroposophy in the
1970s, his main themes being the threefold social organism, the reverse cult and “From
Symptom to Reality in Modern
History”. From 2009 onwards
he was general secretary of
the Anthroposophical Society
in Russia| Vladimir Tikhomirov,
Moscow (RU)
The sudden and unexpected
death of Aleksei Zhukov is a
great loss for the Anthroposophical Society in Russia. Aleksei Zhukov was a conscientious
and loyal representative of his
country. He worked untiringly
up to his death to support the
connection between the global
society and the School of Spiritual Science. We are deeply
grateful to him. | Seija Zimmermann on behalf of the Executive
Council at the Goetheanum
Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 9/16 | 15
We have been informed that the following 97 members have crossed the threshold of death In their remembrance we are providing this information for their friends | The Membership Office at the Goetheanum
Ulda Pauleto
Johanna Knop
Valter Pauleto
Maria Cesar
Klaus Hadamovsky
Gerard Bannwart
Mario de Angelis
Hannelore Kändler
Kyoko Yoshimoto
Marilyn Hauk
Richard Hicks
Dineke Vis
Rudolf Kubalik
Johannes Overduin
Anneliese Laux
Jacoba Bos
Werner von Gundell
Paul Lamont
Jeannine Malfroy
Margaretha Schermann
Koop Daniels
Francisca Kuitert
Linda Folsom
Beth Calvano
Rudolf Gottschlich
Miklos Gratzer
Aulikki Visa
Gerardus Bunnik
Wilhelm Lang
Marion Klein
Mark Eisen
Ingrid Zickwolff
Käthe Paarmann
Sylvia Meyer
Erna Gutzeit
Elke Müller
Verena Hanck
Lotte Jacobs
Lore Mösch
Nicole van Schie
Heidrun Haase
Else Knudsen
Maria-Ursula Kühn
Samuel Moore
Wolfgang Schubert
Gerd Anvik
Astrid Aymon
Margot Böhmer
Bernard Morton
Porto Alegre RS (BR)
21 October 2014
Botucatu SP (BR)
in November 2014
Porto Alegre RS (BR)
10 March 2015
São Paulo SP (BR)
20 July 2015
Flensburg (DE)
28 September 2015
Buri SP (BR)
in October 2015
São Paulo SP (BR)
in Januar 2016
Überlingen (DE)
9 February 2016
Tokyo (JP)
20 February 2016
Denver/CO (US)
25 February 2016
Spearfish/SD (US)
28 February 2016
Zeist (NL)
13 March 2016
Ludwigsburg (DE)
20 March 2016
Middelburg (NL)
20 March 2016
Niefern-Öschelbronn (DE)
22 March 2016
Schellinkhout (NL)
23 March 2016
San Diego/CA (US)
25 March 2016
Stourbridge (GB)
3 April 2016
Le Bonhomme (FR)
3 April 2016
Zeist (NL)
8 April 2016
Brummen (NL)
10 April 2016
Doetinchem (NL)
10 April 2016
Durham/NC (US)
15 April 2016
Charleroy/PA (US)
19 April 2016
Bensheim (DE)
21 April 2016
Spring Valley/NY (US)
24 April 2016
Riihimäki (FI)
24 April 2016
Deventer (NL)
3 May 2016
Weingarten (DE)
5 May 2016
Zeist (NL)
11 May 2016
Chapel Hill/NC (US)
12 May 2016
Reutlingen (DE)
13 May 2016
Berlin (DE)
19 May 2016
Zürich (CH)
21 May 2016
Murrhardt (DE)
25 May 2016
Herdecke (DE)
25 May 2016
Monte (CH)
5 June 2016
Dortmund (DE)
5 June 2016
Reutlingen (DE)
5 June 2016
Clynderwen (GB)
6 June 2016
Augsburg (DE)
8 June 2016
Allingåbro (DK)
10 June 2016
Niefern-Öschelbronn (DE)
10 June 2016
Glendale/CA (US)
10 June 2016
Wedel (DE)
11 June 2016
Sætre (NO)
12 June 2016
Ossingen (CH)
12 June 2016
Kirchzarten (DE)
12 June 2016
Sheffield (GB)
12 June 2016
Margarethe Schütz
Rheinfelden (DE)
12 June 2016
Yvonne Woods
Stroud (GB)
13 June 2016
Fritz Dietz
Stuttgart (DE)
14 June 2016
Georg Mayer
Dornach (CH)
14 June 2016
Margit Adam
Järna (SE)
15 June 2016
Joyce Anstey
London (GB)
15 June 2016
Svea Nachtigall
Jüterbog (DE)
15 June 2016
Gertraude Stückert
Puchheim (DE)
15 June 2016
Jula Scholzen
Weissenseifen (DE)
16 June 2016
Hartmut Dentler
Hamburg (DE)
17 June 2016
Elisabeth Kiefer
Trier (DE)
18 June 2016
Christian Osika
Järna (SE)
18 June 2016
Ursula Grange
Wallbach (CH)
19 June 2016
Jeannette Dukes
Dornach (CH)
20 June 2016
Ernst Wilken
Freiburg (DE)
21 June 2016
Doris Hubach
Ludwigsburg (DE)
23 June 2016
Kurt Ingold
Heimberg (CH)
23 June 2016
Ursula Nantke
Wuppertal (DE)
26 June 2016
Johanna Ricard
Maykammer (DE)
26 June 2016
Eila Tapaninen
Pori (FI)
27 June 2016
Johanna Friderich
Zofingen (CH)
29 June 2016
Horst Heuwold
Wuppertal (DE)
29 June 2016
Ursula Jelitto
Pforzheim (DE)
29 June 2016
Sigrid Schultz
Berlin (DE)
30 June 2016
Helga Christen
Walkringen (CH)
1 July 2016
Elsbeth Gift
Vaterstetten (DE)
5 July 2016
Louise Hanmer
Den Haag (NL)
5 July 2016
Ursula Pellegrini
Schopfheim (DE)
5 July 2016
Helmut Schütz
Berlin (DE)
5 July 2016
Walter Kraul
Icking (DE)
8 July 2016
Ernst Prappacher
Mannheim (DE)
9 July 2016
Ursula Sandau
Wuppertal (DE)
9 July 2016
Erika Buris
Hamburg (DE)
12 July 2016
Erna Bächi
Dornach (CH)
13 July 2016
Ellen Biesenthal
Kassel (DE)
13 July 2016
Fiorenza de Angelis
Firenze (IT)
14 July 2016
Volker Haupt Ritter von Scheurenheim São Paulo SP (BR) 15 July 2016
Jacob van Dijk
Cresta (ZA)
16 July 2016
Elisabeth Freudenmann Ulm (DE)
18 July 2016
Max Haefeli
Basel (CH)
21 July 2016
Meta Bauder
Stuttgart (DE)
24 July 2016
Dietmar Bisterfeld
Nümbrecht (DE)
25 July 2016
Traugher Groh
Wilton/NH (US)
27 July 2016
Alfred Gross
Hergatz (DE)
30 July 2016
Johanna Hoek
Kassel (DE)
30 July 2016
Lucio Zannini
Milano (IT)
31 July 2016
Reg Read
Wareham (GB)
1 August 2016
Joan-Iris Holbek
Dunnington (GB)
10 August 2016
From 14 June to 16 August 2016 the Society welcomed 168 new members 221 are no longer registered as members
(resignations, lost, and corrections by country Societies)
16 | Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 9/16
■ Feature
Lake Constance: Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Impulses that change society
Many anthroposophical and other socially innovative initiatives, institutions and enterprises have settled around Lake Constance. They are living proof of how active commitment – based on the ideas of a threefold social organism – can change society.
I
have been actively engaged in the
threefolding movement for around 50
years. I have learned to observe social
processes on larger and smaller scales,
especially after World War II, when people were vigorously engaged in rebuilding the country and when a part of the
younger generation grew up with different notions of democracy and freedom.
In the 1950s and 1960s these ideas gave
rise to movements against rearmament
and peace marches, and later on to the
student movement and the founding of
the APO, the extra-parliamentary opposition. In addition to the main centres in
Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt and Zurich,
a small group emerged in the Lake Constance region which joined this wider
movement and brought to it its knowledge of the threefoldness of the social
organism.
The round-table discussions which
started on the island of Sylt (DE) in 1958
evolved in the late 1960s into open “ring
discussion” (Ringgespräche) with Joseph
Beuys, held at various cultural centres
around Lake Constance. At that time contacts were also established with Republican Clubs in Southern Germany. While
these impulses were not very noticeable
to start with in the Lake Constance region, the APO events in Germany and
the developments in Czechoslovakia
(the Prague Spring and its end) led to the
foundation of an international cultural
centre, Achberg, in 1971 (cf. Anthroposophy Worldwide 6/2016, p. 16). Major
congresses, symposia and study days,
which send out important impulses for
a new social order, took place at Achberg
in the 1970s.
Free spiritual life
People asked increasingly for a free
press and culture and an education that
was independent of economic interest
groups and state influence. Independent
schools and cultural initiatives, independent teacher training courses and centres
for curative education were founded, as
well as farms that offered cultural pro-
grammes. Rural areas were awakened to
new life and became interesting and attractive. Today, commercial enterprises
in this region cooperate with expanding
health-food firms and create educational
networks.
The Lake Constance Academy (Bodensee-Akademie), a cross-border learning
and working community in the Austrian
state of Vorarlberg is one example of this
development. It focuses on issues relating to education, health, agriculture and
politics, creates networks and organizes
conferences in the Lake Constance region
that deal with issues such as keeping the
region GMO-free, alternative farming
and alternative educational approaches.
These conferences attract visitors from
Switzerland, Austria and Germany. Christian Felber from Austria has introduced
the concept of an economy for the common good to the Lake Constance region.
And there is now also an initiative to
found a “Democratic Bank”.
Sphere of rights
In the sphere of rights we are dealing
with feelings. In the 1970s many people
felt that there was great injustice, for instance in the unfair treatment of working women, the growing poverty of the
elderly, and of the workers whose wages
decreased while the salaries of executive
and supervisory board members kept
growing.
Even before 1989 the wish for civic
involvement led to the introduction of
a three-stage popular referendum in
Baden Wurttemberg (Achberg). Today,
political life in Europe is unthinkable
without major civic action groups such
as “Mehr Demokratie” (more democracy)
and the “Omnibus for Direct Democracy”.
Following the recent Swiss referendum
the concept of an unconditional basic
income will also continue to change the
way people think in this region. Fourteen
towns around Lake Constance have now
bureaus for civic involvement.
The idea that land is a common good
which cannot be owned by individuals,
or treated as a commodity, and that the
right to use it can only be granted temporarily, has led to the foundation of notfor-profit associations and cooperatives.
In Switzerland an information network
on soil as a common good (“Gemeingut
Boden”) was formed which includes seven foundations.
The economic sphere
In the economic sphere everything is
built on natural foundations. After decades when the maximization of economic growth was the guiding principle,
there are now clear signs that, since
around the beginning of the new millennium, people have begun to rethink. This
rethinking is apparent in the way people’s voting behaviours have changed.
The throw-away society which was created by the one-sided focus on growth
is showing a growing interest in quality.
More and more people determine what
they buy on the basis of what they actually need.
The number of farms in Vorarlberg,
and across the border in Germany, that
have gone organic or biodynamic has
been rising for years. Today almost every
town and many villages around Lake Constance have their own health-food shops
and fairs for resellers of natural foods are
being held in the area. In addition to the
natural foods wholesaler in the western
Lake Constance region, there is now also
one in the eastern part, the Allgäu, that
has grown from a farm shop. They both
deliver healthy products to health-food
shops in the entire region. Cooperatives
of producers, gardeners and farmers are
emerging. Since the 1990s a number of
alternative economic cycles have been
established, such as talent or time exchange systems.
The old structures are no longer effective. We are now witnessing the beginnings of a change from a consumer society to a needs- or solidarity-based society. Rudolf Steiner spoke of this personto-person encounter in connection with
the Main Sociological Law (1905) and
with the fundamental phenomenon of
the social sciences (1918. | Ingrid Feustel,
Wangen (DE)
Ingrid Feustel is editor of the magazine “die
welle”. For more information visit www.iglebensgestaltung.de