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General Anthroposophical Society Anthroposophy Worldwide 12/15

Conference of General Secretaries

Resolutions rather than decisionsThe meeting of General Secretaries concentrated mostly on preparing the 2016 Goetheanum World Conference (so far referred to as the 2016 Michaelmas Conference). The Goetheanum Leadership would like to use this conference to create a space where people from the Anthroposophical movement find their place and orientation in the challenges of our time.

After working together intensively for four days, the general secretaries were

pleased to announce on 6 November that their meeting was no longer about taking up the ideas and themes of others, but in-creasingly about how, by coming together, one creates something new as a commu-nity based on the strengths of each indi-vidual. This means that the group carried out methodically what the conference at Michaelmas 2016 strives to achieve: the preparation of a social space that allows something to become reality that is, as a result, more than just the sum of the indi-vidual parts. Bodo von Plato once referred to such a process as the creating of a field of inspiration. (Anthroposophy Worldwide 9/2003).

Adding method to content

Torin Finser (US) described this para-digm shift with the words, “It’s adding method to content. While some years ago we simply announced the annual theme, it now arises from conversations.” Against this background, the 2016 Goetheanum World Conference therefore promises to be for him a highlight of his time as gen-eral secretary. Marjatta van Boeschotten (GB) feels that “The preparation for the centenary of the Christmas Conference 1923/1924 has become a reality that lives in everything we do.”

Arie van Ameringen (CA) described the change in quality as a sign of our Michaelic time, which would lead to the next step, “So far we had ideas and thoughts; now we can ask, ‘What do we do with them?’” Bodo von Plato, who is a member of the Ex-

ecutive Council at the Goetheanum, point-ed out that “There is joy in the activity.” His colleague Paul Mackay added, “Rather than make decisions we will hopefully leave the conference with resolutions.” The aim is to strengthen one’s own actions and plans by inference to others. “Each one of us should support the anthroposophical cause from his or her place, from his or her world,” Paul Mackay continued.

Since only a limited number of people can come to the Goetheanum, the prepa-ration group consisting of Christiane Haid, Ueli Hurter, Constanza Kaliks und Paul Mackay are considering how the event in the Main Auditorium can be made acces-sible to more people. One possibility that is being discussed is broadcasting it. There are also plans to prepare all members for the conference at Michaelmas 2016 by sending out comprehensive reports be-forehand.| Sebastian Jüngel

Dezember 2015Anthroposophy Worldwide 12/2015

Anthroposophical Society1 Conference of General Secretaries I2 Conference of General Secretaries II3 Donation Appeal Christmas 201514 Obituary: Peggy Macpherson 15 Membership News

Anthroposophy Worldwide2 USA: Webinar13 Turkey: National Conference of

Waldorf-inspired playgroups and kindergartens

School of Spiritual Science4 Science Section6 Section for the Performing Arts6 Literary Arts and Humanities

Section 7 Visual Arts Section8 Medical Section9 Curative Education and Social

Therapy Council9 Youth Section 10 Section for Agriculture 10 Pedagogical Section11 Mathematics and Astronomy

Section 12 General Anthroposophical Section 12 Social Sciences Section

Forum14 Youth Conference on the question

“Can Science be Christian?”

Feature16 15 Years Eurythmy Folktale Ensem-

ble Berlin

■ anthroposophical society

Each from their own place

graphic: S.J.

See page 3 for another report on the General Secretaries’ Conference.

2 | Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 12/15

USA: Webinar

Mutually reinforcing

The idea for the webinar came out of collaborative efforts between the

Association of Waldorf Schools and the Anthroposophical Society. Both groups sponsored the webinar, and we have also sent our news magazine “being human” to parents in Waldorf schools this fall. All of this is part of an effort to better con-nect the initiatives with the Society and anthroposophy with the work done in schools, Camphill communities, farms etc. We all need to become more aware of each other and find ways to support our mutual work!

In this context we have also the pub-lisher Steiner Books. It is a real struggle to be an independent publisher these days. We encourage all our users of the Webinar to use the sources, in this case the publi-cations – hard copy or e-book – of Steiner Books.

The webinar has had a very positive response from several hundred people. | Torin Finser, General Secretary of the An-throposophical Society of America

■ anthroposophy worldwide

Anthroposophy Worldwide appears ten times a year, is distributed by the national Anthroposophical Societies, and appears as a supplement to the weekly Das Goethea-num • Publisher: General Anthroposophical Society, represented by Justus Wittich • Ed-itors: Sebastian Jüngel (responsible for this edition), Michael Kranawetvogl (responsible for the Spanish edition), Margot M. Saar (re-sponsible for this English edition).Address: Wochenschrift ‹Das Goetheanum›, Postfach, 4143 Dornach, Switzerland, Fax +41 61 706 44 65, [email protected] • Correspondents/news agency: Jürgen Vater (Schweden), News Network Anthroposophy (NNA). • We expressly wish for active sup-port and collaboration. • Subscriptions: To receive ‹Anthroposophy Worldwide› please apply to the Anthroposophical Society in your country. Alternatively, individual subscriptions are available at CHF 30.- (EUR/US$ 20.-) per year. An e-mail version is available to mem-bers of the Anthroposophical Society only at www.goetheanum.org/630.html?L=1. © 2015 General Anthroposophical Society, Dornach, Switzerland

■ Anthroposophical Society

The Goetheanum Leadership, in coop-eration with the general secretaries,

aims to establish a living and active re-lationship between the fields of life, the Anthroposophical Society and the School of Spiritual Science. Paul Mackay said, “If these three areas remain separate each of them will become smaller. But they belong together.” If one studies anthro-posophy, for instance, one also needs to develop social competences. Living with-in the Anthroposophical Society serves this purpose. This is what Rudolf Steiner meant when he spoke of “waking up through awareness of the other person’s spirit and soul.”

Apart from that, one can learn how to meditate in the Anthroposophical Society. This is important if one decides to become a member of the School of Spiritual Sci-ence, because this membership is about entering into a relationship with the spiri-tual world on the basis of meditative prac-tice, Paul Mackay also pointed out.

The meeting was informed by the fact that – apart from individual impulses – much was developed out of working together: in the plenum, in smaller work groups and by walking in pairs. The work on the Foundation Stone Meditation played a particular part in this. Its appeals to “Practise Spirit-Recalling”, “Practise Spirit-Awareness” and “Practise Spirit-Beholding” will be guiding principles for the 2016 Goetheanum World Conference (see page 1). For the next annual theme the group also referred to the four-stage exercise, given by Rudolf Steiner in the lectures of 25 and 26 October 1918 (pub-lished in GA 185 “From Symptom to Real-ity in Modern History”), which speaks of seeing, hearing, feeling and ‘digesting’ as initiatory activities.

Esoteric Youth

In 1922 a group of young people asked Rudolf Steiner for their own esoteric in-struction. Since then people have been

working together esoterically all over the world as servants of Michael. There are always rumours about regarding this eso-teric youth group. But it was also spoken of because of its natural connection with the School of Spiritual Science.

General Anthroposophical Section

The members of the Conference also discussed the tasks of the General Anthro-posophical Section. They include anything to do with the First Class, for instance the contact with the class readers (for some time there have been introductory meet-ings for people who have just taken on this task). As described before, the members of the Executive Council at the Goethea-num, who lead the Anthroposophical Sec-tion together, see it as one of the tasks of a general secretary to actively work with and represent the General Section, espe-cially locally, in their own country.

Work group on criticism

The general secretaries also discussed the possibility of a work group that would look critically at anthroposophy or an-throposophical initiatives. According to Helmut Goldmann (AT) such a group could highlight, on the basis of serious research, any justified concerns, even if they should turn out to be distorted because of a one-sided perspective or interpretation. It also happened that research results were instrumentalized to confirm a person’s own opinion. Helmut Goldmann summa-rized this part of the discussion by point-ing out that criticism could also be seen as “encouragement for self-knowledge”. | Sebastian Jüngel

Conference of General Secretaries II

From studying to establishing a relationship with the spiritual worldThe Conference of General Secretaries turns more and more into an active body that not only shares but also develops contents together. In order to be capable of taking action within the world society it needs the development of mutual awareness and consultation on the questions that are relevant at any particular time.

Webinar: youtu.be/6xD-0eEV5KMPublisher: steinerbooks.org

The information about the Conference of General Secretaries printed on pages 1 and 2 is based on reports from the general secreta-ries Arie van Ameringen (CA), Marjatta van Boeschotten (GB), Torin Finser (US), Helmut Goldmann (AT) and Kristina Lucia Parmen-tier (BE) and from Paul Mackay and Bodo von Plato as members of the Executive Council at the Goetheanum.

Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 12/15 | 3

Advent

Donation Appeal Christmas 2015

It is our endeavour for the Goetheanum to become increasingly visible as a School

of Spiritual Science. Many thousand ac-tive co-workers of the anthroposophical movement from the most diverse fi elds of life have contributed throughout the year and everywhere in the world to real-ize the impulse of this school and many have come together at the smaller and larger specialist conferences off ered at the Goetheanum.

The path of inner development within the First Class of this School will be the theme of a conference for class members. As part of this meeting, preliminary perfor-mances of scenes from Goethe’s Faust Part II will be shown – a step on the way to the premiere of the new production at Easter 2016 that we have been looking forward to for eleven years. Ticket sales are going well!

Social process

Dear members, maybe you can imag-ine how full this year has been for those working here at the Goetheanum. There have been painful periods and times of pleasant surprises and we again need your commitment and active will to sup-port us so that the year can also come to a positive fi nancial conclusion.

Already in January 2015 our planned balanced budget was hit hard by the removal of the cap on the Swiss Franc relative to the Euro. On the other hand it became clear to the Goetheanum staff and many members in the national soci-eties how strongly the Goetheanum is al-ready now connected with the world and its currencies and how active the part is that you, the members, are playing in carrying it. It is this shared responsibility that makes the life of the School of Spiri-tual Science, the place of Rudolf Steiner’s activity, possible today. We owe it for

instance to your special donations and support activities over the year that the Goetheanum staff members did not have to accept – as they had off ered – the full eight per cent cut in their salaries (which are very modest compared to the usual Swiss rates) but only half of that. This of-fer by the staff was an important internal social process of this working communi-ty! We would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continuing sup-port of the Goetheanum!

Financial risk

Work on the new production of Goethe’s Faust parts 1 and 2 also began in mid-January 2015 under the direction of Christian Peter (drama) and Margrethe Solstad (eurythmy). According to our plans, the performance time will be 18 hours and we hope to keep the overall costs to a mere fi ve million Swiss Francs, which is a small budget for such a ma-jor production. All those involved have committed themselves for this period of time and it goes without saying that the Goetheanum must take responsibil-ity for them! Should we put a stop to this major artistic investment and also to the ongoing renovation work and changes that are planned for the ground fl oor and the West Entrance? Or should we take the fi nancial risk and grasp the tasks of the future despite the diffi culties that have arisen? The willingness of Goetheanum staff members to shoulder a fi nancial cri-sis that has been infl icted on us from the outside, and the hopeful news of a larger inheritance give us the courage to go ahead with our plans – with great energy but also with caution and the will to re-strict ourselves to the most necessary ex-penses. It is true, however, that 1.55 mil-lion Swiss Francs for the Faust production

(we hope that the Faust cycles will be sold out) are still to be raised and that there is also a hole of 300,000 Swiss Francs in the current budget that we hope to close with donations.

Aware of the needs of our time

Luckily visitors have continued to come to the Goetheanum despite the currency situation. For 2016 we are looking for-ward to more work and active life, with several major conferences and six Faust cycles being planned. The Goetheanum Leadership will also send out invitations for a world conference at Michaelmas 2016 where the tasks and impulses will be discussed that the anthroposophi-cal movement intends to take up in the future in order to meet the needs of our time. All this is connected with the cente-nary of a social impulse that now lives in various affi liated movements and in the Anthroposophical Society. For this and all other tasks the Goetheanum needs your support and commitment. We hope that we can count again on your help this year – according to your means. With warm regards on behalf of the Goetheanum Leadership and Executive Council | Justus Wittich, treasurer

Christmas donations can be paid into the follo-wing accounts (it is important to enter as refe-rence: Christmas donation Goetheanum): From Switzerland and non-Euro countries: All-gemeine Anthroposophische Gesellschaft, 4143 Dornach, Switzerland. Raiff eisenbank Dornach, 4143 Dornach, BIC: RAIFCH22, IBAN: CH36 8093 9000 0010 0607 1. From Germany with charitable donation receipt: Förderstif-tung Anthroposophie, 70188 Stuttgart, GLS-Gemeinschaftsbank Bochum, BIC: GENODEM-1GLS, IBAN: DE49 4306 0967 7001 0343 00. From other Euro-countries: Allgemeine An-throposophische Gesellschaft, 4143 Dornach, Schweiz GLS-Gemeinschaftsbank, 44708 Bo-chum, Deutschland, BIC/Swift: GENODEM-1GLS, IBAN: DE53 4306 0967 0000 9881 00.

Dear members of the Anthroposophical Society


■ school of spiritual science

Sebastian Jüngel: What is particular about the research in this Section? Johannes Kühl: The Section works with Goethean and anthroposophical methods and includes “conventional” science wher-ever this is appropriate. What unites us with Goethe is that he was not concerned with establishing an alternative science, but that he was nevertheless opposed to Newton’s theory of colour and therefore, according to Werner Heisenberg, to a re-ductionist science. For us Goetheanism means looking at things from multiple perspectives. The Theory of Colours, for instance, means that we look at colour from seven related points of view (see “El-emente der Naturwissenschaft”, the jour-nal published by the Section’s Research Institute, Issue 100, 2014).

Many young scientists

Jüngel: Why does the colour theory take up such a central place in the work of your Section?Kühl: Anthroposophical natural science is concerned, among other things, with the transition from the sensory to the spiritual world. This applies for instance to research into (medicinal) plants and into light as such transitional phenom-ena. A second reason is that Goethe’s Co-lour Theory is his most rounded scientific work – it has a didactic, a historical and a polemic part. The third reason is the task Rudolf Steiner left us with: to bend the spectrum with magnetic forces. We are to this day not quite sure what he meant by this, but it seems to me to be important that we work on and with the spectrum here. Jüngel: A number of junior scientists from in and around your section are now teach-ing at universities.Kühl: This goes back to Georg Maier, Man-fred von Mackensen and Heinz-Christian Ohlendorf and their work on optics, light and colour. Only a few experts took notice of their work at the time, but these scien-tists went on to form an active and com-

mitted research community. As a result of this work people like Johannes Grebe-Ellis, Jan-Peter Meyn, Wilfried Sommer and Florian Theilmann went on to teach at university. Matthias Rang and I have a good relationship with the colleagues mentioned and are working with them, in particular during our Work Days for Physi-cists and Physics Teachers, which were first established by Maier, von Mackensen and Ohlendorf.

Complementing instead of opposing

Jüngel: Mister Rang, what led you to choose the topic of your dissertation “Phenomenology of Complementary Spectra”?Matthias Rang: When I was studying I came across André Bjerke’s book on Goethe’s Theory of Colours (Neue Be-iträge zu Goethes Farbenlehre) while I was preparing for a seminar. In this book Bjerke presented the symmetry of light and dark-ness. Following his thesis, I assumed that we needed to find some kind of Goethean counter-experiment for each of Newton’s experiments. The Goethean experiments are technically much more elaborate than Newton’s experiments and seemed impossible to put into practice – until I realized that they are not really counter-experiments but suppressed partial phe-nomena of Newton’s experiments. With the newly developed “mirror aperture” it is now possible to make this suppressed part of the phenomenon in each of New-ton’s experiments visible. After a while I then came across the work of Torger Holtsmark who also developed – on the basis of theoretical considerations – the idea of a mirror aperture, which was then put into practice by Pehr Sällström. Jüngel: What does your experiment show?Rang: Normally one uses an aperture to cut something out. An aperture is used, for in-stance, to focus the light in an experiment on a very small opening by making sure that the light around this area is darkened or absorbed. If one uses a mirror aperture

this part of the light is not absorbed but reflected. The experiment shows that the part of the whole phenomenon which is usually absorbed shows the complemen-tary spectrum to the aperture spectrum. Newton did not mention this because in his experiments it was suppressed by the blackened diaphragms. By using the mir-ror aperture it was now possible to show that both spectra belong together and that they condition each other. It turns out that Goethe’s and Newton’s experiments complement each other. Jüngel: Are you more interested in science or in teaching?Rang: My doctoral adviser Johannes Grebe-Ellis holds the chair for Physics and Physics Teaching at the Bergische Uni-versität Wuppertal (DE), which explains the orientation of my dissertation. The experiments mentioned are in the first place a scientific elaboration of the opti-cal symmetry of the spectra. Because of the fundamental importance of this sym-metry it makes sense, however, to make the results accessible to schools as well. I am, of course, really pleased with these re-sults. I therefore developed a mirror aper-ture for schools which can be bought from the Pädagogische Forschungsstelle (peda-gogical research centre) in Kassel. There is also an important social aspect to this: opposites that condition each other con-tinue to exist – one does not have to dis-solve them, together they form a whole. In the case of the Theory of Colours this means: Newton and Goethe each have their specific qualities; they have some-thing oppositional as well, but that is not the whole picture. Newton developed methods that he did not put into practice, whereas Goethe did.

Rehabilitating Goetheanism

Jüngel: How does the Section work and Matthias Range’s endeavours in particular affect research?Kühl: The impact of Goethean research on mainstream science is generally speak-ing minimal, but not zero. We can see that with the work carried out at Witten/Her-decke University. There are also research results from around the Section that have an influence on landscape ecology and aesthetics, on research into medicinal plants and pharmaceutics (at Weleda for instance) and on the teaching of physics. In the academic world Goethe’s Theory

Science Section

Light in connection with colourThe Science Section is the only section of the School of Spiritual Science that has its own research institute. Some of its research assistants, especially in recent years, have moved on to teach at universities. Not long ago, Matthias Rang wrote his dissertation here, which has already been quoted in prominent places.



of Colours has recently been noticed as a result of Olaf Müller’s book on the conflict between Goethe and Newton (“Mehr Li-cht. Goethe mit Newton im Streit um die Farben”). One could say the Theory of Colours has been rehabilitated. This was possible as a result of the work done by Johannes Grebe-Ellis, Matthias Rang and Ingo Nussbaumer, and Matthias Rang has conducted his research here at our insti-tute.Jüngel: What do you mean by rehabili-tated?Kühl: We still read today in poorly in-formed books that Goethe is good but that he was wrong with his Colour The-ory. Olaf Müller shows that the conflict between Goethe and Newton reveals something essential. Goethe discovered relations that Newton overlooked. To name one example: Goethe placed the purple-magenta spectrum opposite the green spectrum, the complementary co-lour in other words. This complementarity can be found and verified in experiments that go far beyond those of Goethe. Rang has shown this and it forms the founda-tion for Müller’s work – who leaves no doubt about its correctness. Rang: Olaf Müller starts out from Goethe’s polemic. He wants to show that Goethe had compelling arguments, such as the complementary phenomena or the de-pendence of a phenomenon from diverse

experimental conditions. This means that Newton developed his theory of light on the basis of selected special cases. Olaf Müller proposes that theses and theo-ries can never be conclusively developed from experiments, because they are un-derdetermined by the experiments used to explain them. And he shows how the spectral experiments allow for alternative theories. Which of the alternative theo-ries prevails in the scientific community depends, among other things, also on re-search habits and historical or biographi-cal coincidences.Jüngel: Is this the end of the conflict?Kühl: It has certainly been raised to an-other level. We are of course pleased with the results, particularly because we are often asked whether we are doing mean-ingful research. The journal “Die Drei” has devoted its November edition to the topic.

Possible uses

Jüngel: What is the Section going to do with this?Kühl: We are planning to show a new and extended version of the 2010 exhibition on Goethe’s Theory of Colours in 2017, in cooperation with the Philosophicum [a centre for culture and science] in Basel. Matthias Rang’s experiments will be part of this exhibition.Rang: There are also follow-up projects, such as relating these results to thermo-

dynamics Kühl: We may be able to develop a tech-nical application. The mirror aperture gives us two spectra. Not only the light that streams through the aperture is be-ing used but also the light that is usually absorbed by a conventional diaphragm. In the spectroscopy of mildly luminescent areas – as we find them in astronomy and bioluminescence – one could hope to achieve greater sensitivity and therefore more measuring precision.Jüngel: What would you need for such a project?Kühl (laughs): Half a million Francs to employ two new research assistants for three years … But it is above all a question of meeting the right person and creating the right conditions for him or her to work in. ■

André Bjerke: Neue Beiträge zu Goethes Far¬benlehre, Stuttgart 1961.Torger Holtsmark: Colour and Image, edited by Johannes Grebe-Ellis, Berlin 2012.Johannes Kühl: Rainbows, Halos, Dawn and Dusk, Adonis Press (USA) 2015. Johannes Kühl & Matthias Rang: ‹Ein Mu-ster …, wie man physikalische Forschung behandeln soll…›; in: ‹Elemente der Natur-wissenschaft› No. 100.Olaf L. Müller: Mehr Licht. Goethe mit New-ton im Streit um die Farben, Frankfurt 2015.Matthias Rang: Phenomenology of Comple-mentary Spectra (Dissertation), Berlin 2015. Pehr Sällström: Monochromatische Schatten¬strahlen, Stuttgart 2010.

Science Section laboratory: experimenting with complementary spectra using the mirror aperture

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Eurythmy is conveyed through demon-strations, lessons and performances,

through notes taken by participants dur-ing the courses and lectures Rudolf Steiner gave on eurythmy, his own notes and the knowledge passed on orally by the first eurythmists. “A hundred years later, the diverse sources available open up insights into indications (some of them personal), movement intentions and explanations given by Rudolf Steiner,” Stefan Hasler says.

Rudolf Steiner worked with a variety of methods, depending on the individu-als who had found their way to eurythmy. This became also apparent during the re-editing of his course on tone eurythmy: Stefan Hasler, Felix Lindenmaier and Mar-tina Maria Sam showed in how different a light this course appears when one evalu-ates all the available sources. It is the only way to find out more about the context in which particular statements were made.

Stefan Hasler and Martina Maria Sam will both lead the Eurythmy Research Cen-tre. Stefan Hasler helped set up and taught in the eurythmy department at the Alanus University of Art and Social Sciences near Bonn (DE) and carried out research projects. Since 2015 he has been leader of the Section for Performing Arts at the Goetheanum. Martina Maria Sam, who is a doctor of phi-lology and a eurythmist, has worked as an editor and published a comprehensive work on the history of eurythmy based, for which she conducted thorough research. Other co-workers will be consulted depending on the subject in question.

Authentic documentation

According to Stefan Hasler the Centre “aims at providing publications for prac-tical use and at meeting scientific expec-tations”. Martina Maria Sam added that “documentation on how Rudolf Steiner spoke with the eurythmists and how he worked with them should be as authentic and comprehensive as possible”.

The Eurythmy Research Centre will first evaluate all the material available before

starting work on a new edition of the doc-uments on tone eurythmy as part of the Rudolf Steiner Gesamtausgabe (complete works). Rudolf Steiner’s addresses for eu-rythmy performances will also be newly arranged and complemented by speeches that have so far not been published.

As a means of supporting the teaching of eurythmy the Centre also plans to collate all of Steiner’s indications regarding euryth-my and publish them in various languages, including English, French and Russian.

Appeal for documents

The work of the Eurythmy Research Cen-tre relies on its cooperation with the Rudolf Steiner Archives, the publishers “Rudolf Steiner Verlag” and “Verlag am Goethea-num”, the Goetheanum’s documentation department (Goetheanum Dokumentation) and other archives. Its research results will not only be presented in publications but also in demonstrations at specialist confer-ences and in seminars and lectures.

Stefan Hasler and Martina Maria Sam are appealing for help. “Please look in your drawers and in your lofts for anything you might find there on the early years of eu-rythmy – transcripts of eurythmy courses, biographical notes about the eurythmists who worked with Rudolf Steiner, work notes etc. It is important to find and in-clude as many of these precious sources as possible. This would be immensely help-ful.”| Sebastian Jüngel

Literary Arts and Humanities Section

Becoming more human through literature

As outlined in Anthroposophy Worldwide 12/2013 and 2014, the Literary Arts and

Humanities Section is conducting research into the humanizing effect and educational value of literature. The basis for this work is a historical examination of the idea of humanity from Pico Della Mirandola to the present time.

This research has so far provided us with a clearer picture of Rudolf Steiner’s understand-ing of language and its cosmological signifi-cance. Rudolf Steiner’s views have been com-pared with those of French and German philos-ophers such as Paul Ricoeur, Michel Foucault, Emmanuel Levinas and Hans-Georg Gadamer. This comparison has formed the foundation for the assessment, from diverse points of view, of the central role literature and language play in society. The encounter with one’s own self and with that of another, a stranger, is in the first place a linguistic act and is determined by lan-guage. What counts is not only what is being said but especially also how it is presented.

Wolfram von Eschenbach, Johann Wolf-gang von Goethe, Franz Kafka, Albert Steffen, Uwe Johnson, Nelly Sachs, Ingeborg Bachmann, Paul Celan, Peter Handke, Marica Bodrožić and other writers have produced texts that widen the reader’s horizon and are educational at various levels. So far, Goethe’s “Tale of the Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily” and Kafka’s novella “The Metamorphosis” have been ex-amined using scientific analysis methods and indications from Rudolf Steiner’s observations on language.

The project, which is carried out by Ariane Eichenberg and Christiane Haid, will be pre-sented in conferences and publications, but its results are also hoped to be of use for schools. | Christiane Haid, leader of the Literary Arts and Humanities Section

Section for Performing Arts

Eurythmy Research CentreIn October a research centre for Eurythmy was established as a joint venture of the in-dependent Alanus University (DE) and the Section for Performing Arts at the Goethea-num (CH). As one of its first steps the Centre will assess all the material for eurythmy made available up until 1925. The Centre receives funding from the Software AG Stif-tung, an independent charitable foundation.

Martina Maria Sam and Stefan Hasler

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Contact: Stefan Hasler, [email protected], phone +41 61 706 43

Hermann Linde: Der Tempel aus Goethes Märchen



The essay aims to refute the claim made by Jochen Schimmang in the latest

Morgenstern biography (Residenzverlag 2014) that Morgenstern “converted” to anthroposophy and became a follower of Rudolf Steiner by presenting a factual work interpretation that builds on the ar-guments of Professor Reinhard Habel, the late editor of the Stuttgart edition, and complements them by adding analyti-cal examples. Even in Christian Morgen-stern’s early work we find motifs such as the grail which he later discovered also in anthroposophy and was able to widen due to Rudolf Steiner’s research. Moreover, Ru-dolf Steiner’s own grail research was en-hanced and deepened by Morgenstern’s poetry, his presence and participation in Rudolf Steiner’s lectures.

A second essay on Christian Morgen-stern’s “Tagebuch eines Mystikers” (diary of a mystic) will be part of an anthology edited by Wolf-Ulrich Klünker and Christiane Haid and published by the Goetheanum Press (Verlag am Goetheanum). This volume will trace Morgenstern’s Johannine initiation experi-ence. Its title will be “Johannes-Lazarus. Die Geistselbstberührung des Ich” (Johannes-Lazarus. The ‘I’ touched by the spirit self).| Christiane Haid, leader of the Literary Arts and Humanities Section

Rudolf Steiner referred repeatedly to the way colour develops in plants and to

dye plants. A joint project carried out by the painter Robert Wroblewski and the scientist Torsten Arncken will investigate the plants described by Rudolf Steiner in an experiment based on Goethean observation. The two re-searchers will try to assess how the plant or-gans have changed relative to the archetype.

Insights gained through Goethean plant observation will be compared with Rudolf Steiner’s indications and Robert Wroblews-ki’s practical examinations regarding the production of vegetable dyes. The goal of the process is to observe plants intensively whilst going beyond purely formal descrip-tions.

New ideas for the production of dyes

When one observes plants one enters into an inner relationship with them that makes it possible to develop a sense of the forces one needs to call upon in order to recreate the plant inwardly. The researchers observe the plants several times a week, they draw and describe them and examine their taste and fragrance. Based on Rudolf Steiner’s lecture course on The Boundaries of Natural Science (GA 322), they strive to “allow perceptions to stream in without forming concepts and to

observe how the physical organization re-sponds to them with imaginations.” Under Torsten Arncken’s guidance the fragrance is transferred into colourful symbolic images. In addition, there will be photographic docu-mentation of the growing plant.

These studies aim at creating an inner connection between the plants, their or-gans and Rudolf Steiner’s description of the planets. They may also lead to new ideas re-garding the production of dyes, inspired by identification with the plants. Plants grown at the Goetheanum in pots or in the garden include common chicory (Cichorium inty-bus), dandelion (Taraxacum), common mad-der (Rubia tinctorum) and Reseda.

Metal effect on pigments?

In one experiment Reseda seeds are sown and then enriched with diverse salts such as sodium chloride, potassium chloride, copper chloride and ferric chloride. Based on research that the Science Section has carried out over the recent years, it can be expected that the effect of the metals will show in the plant’s form. The researchers want to find out whether the metal effect will also be reflected in the pigments gained from these plants. | Torsten Arncken, Research fellow at the Science Section

Visual Arts Section

Research at the renovated plant laboratoryIn October 2015 the Goetheanum reopened its plant dye laboratory under the auspices of the Goetheanum’s Visual Arts Section. Robert Wroblewski is conducting research into dye plants with the help of Torsten Arncken from the Science Section. There will be two Seminars in 2016 on the production and use of plant colours: the first from 22 to 24 April and the second from 2 to 4 June.

Literary Arts and Humanities Section

Writing as initiation – the work of Christian MorgensternChristiane Haid was asked by Waldemar Fromm, professor of German studies at Munich University, to contribute an essay on the topic of “Christian Morgenstern and Anthroposophy” to an anthology comprising the most recent research re-sults on Christian Morgenstern, due to be published in 2016.

The 18-year old Christian Morgenstern

Rubia plant in the metal experiment: growing, perception, processing and colour effect

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What do further training courses have to be like if they need to adapt to the

conditions prevailing in a particular coun-try? What needs to be put into place so that Anthroposophic Medicine and its therapies can become available wherever people ask for it? What kind of teaching methods en-hance the individual student’s acquisition and absorbing of the study contents?

Since 2002 the Medical Section’s Interna-tional Postgraduate Medical Training (IPMT) has been devoted to these questions. Quali-fied medical doctors can take part in a training that consists of various training weeks spread out over five years. These sessions are comple-mented by regular basic studies in small local groups and a period of at least two years dur-ing which the candidates work with a specialist medical mentor. Once these conditions have been met candidates receive their certificate as anthroposophic physicians (or a corresponding certificate for qualified therapists).

Training of competences

The first and foremost aim of IPMT is not to convey knowledge but to train compe-tences. For this it needs training courses that qualify the candidates to work on the basis of the anthroposophical view of the world and of the human being and particularly also of the related ethical considerations.

IPMT courses have so far been held in 25 countries on all five continents. Around 1300 people per year are presently taking part in these further training opportuni-ties. For 2016, IPMT courses are scheduled in eighteen different locations.

Without the lecturers who work on an honorary basis, without people who orga-nize the work locally and who mostly also work without pay, and without donations from those who support this work such a global project would be inconceivable.| Michaela Glöckler, leader of the Medical Section

Rudolf Steiner thought that “working thoroughly in all fields and going back

to the foundations” was an essential me-thodical principle of spiritual science (cf. GA 68, lecture of 28 March 1912). A proj-ect that reappraises the history of Anthro-posophic Medicine will therefore explore the sources and historical heritage of the anthroposophical-medical movement at the Goetheanum and worldwide.

We have had a number of medical stu-dents in recent years who asked about the possibility of evaluating the archives of the Medical Section with a view to mak-ing this the focus of their doctoral disser-tations. But before this can happen, the archives need to be assessed, organized and made accessible. These ideas led to the impulse to document the history of anthroposophic medicine in time for its 100th anniversary in 2023/2024.

Testimony of the thriving of anthro-posophy

Since there is a network that joins all the countries where Anthroposophic Medicine has evolved over the years, there is also a network of people and initiatives that bear testimony to the thriving of an-throposophy in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. We are fortunate in having a highly qualified colleague to take on this project but we still need help with finding the necessary financial means.| Michaela Glöckler, Medical Section leader

Effectivity studies are gaining ever greater importance all over the world in the seeking

of public recognition and acknowledgement for eurythmy therapy. There is also a growing search for qualitative research: what meth-ods – apart from the domineering “science of explanations” – should be developed for eu-rythmy therapy? Can there be a science of join-ing in and understanding? In his subtitle to the Philosophy of Freedom Rudolf Steiner speaks of “introspective observation that follows the methods of natural science”. Such a scientific method relating to eurythmy therapy must be able to explain the phenomena of “streaming time” (ether body) in the human body. For this it will rely on new empirical and phenomenologi-cal research models.

Last autumn, after many years of inten-sive preparation, the professional associa-tion of eurythmy therapists in Switzerland acquired the first public professional recog-nition of eurythmy therapy as a complemen-tary medical method. In the course of this process an in-depth presentation of euryth-my therapy as a method was put together in cooperation with the eurythmy therapy training at the Goetheanum.

Working for the future of eurythmy therapy

At the second World Eurythmy Thera-py Conference, which will be held at the Goetheanum from 16 to 21 May 2016, many research approaches will be presented for discussion by eurythmy therapists and phy-sicians. Multilingual specialist courses and work groups as well as exhibitions, perfor-mances and encounters will create spaces for questions regarding the future of euryth-my therapy. This future can only be shaped if we all work together. The conference will be organized by the International Curative Eurythmy Forum in cooperation with the In-ternational Young Medics’ Forum. | Angelika Jaschke, eurythmy therapy coordinator

Medical Section

Research questions in pro-fessional development The training as an anthroposophical phy-sician is a separate field of research within the Medical Section and can look back on many years of experience gained all over the world in the IPMT training courses.

Medical Section

Basic research on the history of the SectionInspired by questions from medical stu-dents the foundations of the Medical Section will be studied and published by 2023/2024 when the Section will cel-ebrate its centenary.

Medical Section

Research into eurythmy therapyIn the field of eurythmy therapy a num-ber of different methodical approaches have been developed by eurythmy thera-pists and physicians who are ready to join the academic-scientific dialogue.

ipmt.medsektion-goetheanum.org

The Medical Section archives need assessing and organizing

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For Information (also in English) visit: www.heileurythmie-medsektion.net



Rüdiger Grimm is working on two proj-ects at present: research into the sub-

ject-specific and historical context of Ru-dolf Steiner’s Course for Special Needs (GA 317). As part of this project, new light is cast on the uniqueness and significance of this work, on the one hand through Stein-er’s own references to contemporary sci-entists, and on the other, through inquiry into the cultural-historical, pedagogical and medical situation at the time.

Most of the books that were considered ground-breaking then are little more than his-torical remnants today, while Rudolf Steiner’s ap-proach has become the fertile ground from which curative education and social therapy have grown. Preliminary essays have already been published [in German] in the journal “Seelenpflege”. Plans are underway for a publication in 2016 or 2017 that will build on the comprehensive History of Anthro-posophical Curative Education and Social Therapy published by Volker Frielingsdorf, Rüdiger Grimm and Brigitte Kaldenberg in 2013 (“Geschichte der anthroposophischen Heilpädagogik und Sozial-therapie”) [so far only available in German]. The new documentation about anthroposophical so-cial therapy, work on which has been going on for some time, is due to come out in 2016.

Life stories

Bernhard Schmalenbach, head of the Institute in Alf¬ter, is completing his study of the biogra-phies of children with autism (“Zur Phänomenolo-gie des Autismus”) which is due to be published in 2016. The book describes in retrospective the biographies of people with autism, who are adults now, looking at their paths through life and at the education and therapies they have had.

Another Alfter project, which is carried out in a centre for social therapy, is called “Life Sto-ries” (Lebensgeschichten) and involves inter-views with people in special life circumstances. Other current projects deal with the questions of assistance at school and inclusion.| Rüdiger Grimm, head oft he Curative Education and Social Therapy Council

This year, Elizabeth Davison from Scot-land, River Parker from the United

States and Paul Zebhauser from Germany were responsible for the work here. For the Youth Section it is central who is actu-ally present, seeing that most of the work arises from encounters that then lead on to initiatives. In addition, the worldwide network needs looking after; the projects, initiatives and work of young people else-where need to be perceived, supported and maybe even visited. We hosted many events:

- Study groups on the School of Spiri-tual Science and on Rudolf Steiner’s kar-ma lectures of 1924 (weekly), on inner development (supra-regional) and on the Anthroposophical Society. Anyone is wel-come to join any of these groups, but we ask people to let us know in advance.

- Members of the School of Spiritual Sci-ence have been working on the class lessons.

- One group is working on the Leading Thoughts and Michael Letters. This is also open to all but please let us know if you think of attending.

- There is an open evening on Thurs-days at the Youth Section where we cook and talk together.

- The “February Days” were about “Meditation – within, without”, with con-tribution s, conversations, exercises and text study in German, French and English.

- The International Students’ Confer-ence “What connects us?” was planned and organized by the Youth Section and the Student Reps of German Waldorf Schools. We will continue working together!

- An important moment in the year was the meeting of 25 young people from 14 countries who are responsible for vari-ous initiatives. The main questions they discussed were what kind of connection people are seeking to make with the Youth Section at the Goetheanum and with the School of Spiritual Science, whether they feel that it is necessary to be clear and open about this connection and what effects that has on their work. To be continued.

- Meetings of youth project leaders who

work out of or with anthroposophy: two meetings held in Stuttgart (DE) looked at the possibilities and challenges that arise around the work with young people on anthroposophically oriented projects. The idea came up to do something together on the topic of “economy”.

- Colloquium on questions of our time, focusing on “meditation”.

Funding

Young people, especially if they are not from Central Europe, cannot afford the costs of travelling, accommodation, food and entrance tickets. The work and devel-opment of the Youth Section depends on donations, for instance from foundations.

We are looking forward to the follow-ing events:

- Colloquium on questions of our time, “Will as a seed for the future: transform-ing the will forces”, on 12 December 2015.

- February Days on “Sexuality and Spir-ituality. The transformation of creative forces and the possibility of freedom”, 25 to 28 February 2016, in German, English and French.

- Faust Youth Conference “Am I Faust?”, 25 to 29 July 2016, in German, English and Spanish.

- We expect the publication “I on the Net” to come out in spring 2016. | Constanza Kaliks, Youth Section leader

Youth Section

Encounters lead to initiativesThe Youth Section is a lively place where meetings and discussions take place and where questions are being asked. There is a constant coming and going. Young people are welcome at the Goetheanum. They come here, interested, open and prepared to take on an active part in our times. And they want to know and learn what lives here.

Curative Education and Social Therapy

Subject-specific and historical contextThe Curative Education and Social Thera-py Council, a department of the Medical Section, undertakes research projects in cooperation with the Institute for Cura-tive Education and Social Therapy at the Alanus University of Arts and Social Sci-ences in Alfter near Bonn (DE).

Study groups – meetings – initiatives

www.youthsection.org



Using acids to get rid of the parasites is a tough but possible step for bee-

keepers to take. For honey farms that try to keep their bees in a bee-friendly way, this varroa treatment is one of the most invasive interventions in the course of the year. It is therefore impor-tant to look for new ways.

Natural approach

Parasites which kill their hosts can-not survive for long in nature because they take away their own natural re-sources. Adaptation is therefore part of the biology of a parasitic relationship. In working with the bee colony this adap-tation between host and parasite has so far not been feasible because it can end in an immense loss of bee colonies. This not only goes against the interest of the beekeepers but affects important areas of farming and nutrition because of the pollination aspect. Intensive research is therefore necessary into the co-exis-tence of bees and varroa mites. It needs a well-controlled adaptation process to enable the bee colony and its parasites to live independently of each other.

What helps in this process comes from the pioneers who have moved for-ward in the question of the co-existence of bee colony and varroa mites, but they are few and far between. Our beekeeper has been looking after six to twelve bee colonies for nine years without using

any treatments that would eliminate the varroa mites. His hives are kept ei-ther individually or in pairs in a wood away from the other beekeepers.

He works with natural methods, try-ing to leave as much of their own honey to the colonies as possible. The method he applies consistently is the ashing of mites according to Mathias Thun. Oc-casionally, he yields some honey from his beekeeping but this is not the main aspect of his work.

Report about the first trial year

This individual approach to apicul-ture is being investigated and docu-mented. We would like to know the rea-son why the co-existence has worked for many years with this beekeeper. By observing the mite and bee population conclusions can be drawn about their joint survival. The knowledge gained in this way forms the foundation for fur-ther measures that support the co-ex-istence of bee colony and varroa mites.

The results of the three-year research project will be published on the website “summ-summ.ch”. So far, interested readers can access the report about the first trial year, 2014. This research proj-ect is supported by the Section for Ag-riculture. | Martin Dettli, Dornach (CH)

What we have absorbed and made our own as teachers comes to bear

directly as orientation and initiative. How can we connect with what Rudolf Steiner says in the Study of Man in such a way that these words can be transformed within us and through us into images and creative forces?

Here, meditation can be the permeat-ing force that can cause a reforging pro-cess. In “Meditatively Acquired Knowl-edge of the Human Being” (in GA 302a) Rudolf Steiner wrote that “We need to absorb the knowledge of the human be-ing, understand it through meditation, and remember it: then memory becomes living life. This is not just an ordinary re-membering, but a remembering that brings forth impulses.”

Effervescent education

At the conference “Sprudelnde Päda-gogik” (effervescent education), which will take place at the Goetheanum from 19 to 21 February 2016, we would like to describe and work on the qualities of the stages from study through meditation to remembering in the teaching situation: how is our access to the knowledge of the human being transformed through medi-tative work? How can we find individual approaches to and images for this re-melting of the knowledge of the human being through meditation? In the various work groups we will focus on the levels of experience: the bridge between the knowledge of the human being, medita-tion and practical teaching; meditation or the question of “How do we create effervescent silence?” and on the polar dynamic of the teachers’ meditations. | Claus-Peter Röh and Florian Osswald, lead-ers of the Pedagogical Section

Section for Agriculture

Co-existence of bee colonies and varroa mitesVarroa mites are considered to be co-responsible for the dying of bees. Every beekeep-er knows that if the bee colonies are not freed from the fast spreading varroa destruc-tor on time, more and more colonies are lost.

Pedagogical Section

Reforging the knowl-edge of the human be-ing through meditationEducation comes to life where new pos-sibilities, new spaces for development, open up in the teaching situation. In such moments of uncertainty and new discov-ery, the forces gained from studying the human being can emerge.

The beekeeper at work Eliminated varroa mites in the bee colony

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www.summ-summ.ch www.paedagogik-goetheanum.ch/8009.html



Each of the World Teachers and Educa-tors conferences focused on a particu-

lar question arising from teaching and they had titles such as “Forces of imagi-nation in the work of teachers and edu-cators”, “Educating the will – awakening the intellect” and “The Future Today – the Journey of the ‘I’ into Life”. The conferenc-es serve as a seed for the further develop-ment of education. Apart from that, the Waldorf movement which was steadily growing and becoming ever more interna-tional found its own identity in these con-ferences. The tenth conference “Gaining from resistance: courage for a free spiri-tual life” will look at how social capacity, social sensitivity and social understanding are formed through teaching.

New impulses

We live in the age of the conscious-ness soul, which is characterized by the impulse of freedom and individual au-tonomy. The relationship of individuals to the community on the one hand and the global human network on the other lead us to questions regarding freedom and brotherhood in society. The two are linked by the legal question as a question that concerns equality and humanity.

The institutions of Waldorf education can play a key role here. It is their task to make social education and learning pos-sible. In Rudolf Steiner’s indications for the curriculum we find many methodical and didactic indications. The motif of so-cial educating and learning is not only ad-dressed in individual subjects, but also in the curriculum as a whole. The conference wants to awaken new impulses.| Claus-Pe-ter Röh and Florian Osswald, leaders of the Pedagogical Section

As the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries unfolded, many scientists

developed an enthusiastic interest in the new projective geometry. Its beginnings trace back to early Renaissance times when the ability to “handle” perspective evolved, but its actual birth took place with the discovery of the principle of duality in the early nineteenth century. The high expectations for its application in science and technology were not met and general interest in developing projec-tive geometry decreased gradually in the course of the twentieth century.

The development of projective algebra

This was also the moment when Ru-dolf Steiner, shortly before he founded the School of Spiritual Science in 1923/1924, asked teachers, scientists and mathema-ticians in a number of lectures to take up and continue the impulse of projective geometry. A number of anthroposophists who were active in research and educa-tion acted on and elaborated these indi-cations. Synthetic projective geometry became part of the curriculum in many Waldorf schools or was taught in adult education courses. In the colloquium on mathematics and spiritual science, held by the Section at regular intervals, we also study projective geometry. Today it presents us with the task to open up the

rich experiences in the field of synthetic geometry to the analytically trained mathematicians and maths teachers. This is on the one hand required by research, which is why we develop “projective alge-bra” on the basis of synthetic geometry. On the other hand we present our find-ings at maths conferences. As a result of these endeavours we have been invited to take part in the Alterman Conference on Geo¬metric Algebra which will take place in Brașov (Romania) in the summer of 2016. We have been asked to present in more detail and defend the projective al-gebra we have developed, and to locate it in the context of Grassmann-Algebra, an approach known in general mathematics. | Oliver Con¬radt, leader of the Mathemat-ics and Astronomy Section

Mathematics and Astronomy Section

Research and dialogue on projective geometryProjective geometry is not a product of anthroposophy but arose out of the develop-ment of consciousness in Europe. It was in the anthroposophical context, however, where it was cultivated. Results will be presented and discussed in the summer of 2016 at the Alterman Conference on Geometric Algebra.

Pedagogical Section

10th World Teachers and Educators ConferenceThere will be a special anniversary to cel-ebrate in 2016: the tenth World Teachers and Educators Conference will be held at the Goetheanum from 28 March to 2 April. The first conference in this series was opened by Jörgen Smit. These con-ferences symbolize the development of the worldwide movement for Waldorf Education.

www.paedagogik-goetheanum.ch/6448.html

Example of a parabolic scale in a family of planes

Jupiter – the Journal“Jupiter” is the journal of the Math-

ematics and Astronomy Section with contributions and correspondence on astronomy, mathematics and anthro-posophy. The December 2012 issue contains among other things the essay “The Maya Calendar and the Kali Yuga” by Gerard Hermans. The June 2013 edi-tion consists basically of a 71-page es-say by Matthias Mochner, entitled “The fraternization of mathematics and art – Paul Schatz and Elisabeth Vreede”. Mochner explores for the first time the

involvement of Paul Schatz with the Mathematics and Astronomy Section in relation to his topics and to his way of working. In December 2015 there will be two more Jupiter issues. They will in-clude parts of the correspondence be-tween Elisabeth Vreede and the Mirbt-Mier family, 24 letters and 7 postcards from the period between 1928 and 1942 – published for the first time – as well as a contribution by Georg Sonder about the oloid. | Oliver Conradt



To this day people often think that the General Anthroposophical Section – if

they are aware of it at all – is the same as the First Class. When joining the School of Spiri-tual Science one first becomes a member of the General Anthroposophical Section and the First Class, before one decides whether to connect with one of the specialist sec-tions and if so with which one. The task of the General Anthroposophical Section is defined and open at the same time: anthro-posophy and general humanity. Anthropos-ophy stands here for the searching person who asks him- or herself questions; and the generally human for that which is anthropo-sophical in the widest sense.

Fertile for research, teaching and practice

In the late 1950s training centres for an-throposophical professions developed to meet the needs of the growing fields of work and life. The general anthroposophical as-pect played an essential part in these places. Since the late 1990s these training centres have seen themselves less as alternative and more as complementary institutions within the framework of the Bologna system. As – due to today’s reality of life – active people are less and less aware of anthroposophy as a possibility for development and knowl-edge arising from a general interest in hu-man beings and the world, the task of the Section lies increasingly in learning to see the general in the particular and the particular in the general and to make them both fertile for research, teaching and practice.

For our time and the future, one of the tasks that stem from the time when the School of Spiritual Science was founded be-comes again ever more relevant – next to the challenges of an intercultural and inter-religious consciousness: connecting public-ity and deepest esotericism in the sense of forming a world-oriented inwardness and a publicity that is not just phrase, convention or routine. | Bodo von Plato, co-leader of the General Anthroposophical Section

A future of freedom, peace and human dignity requires comprehensive social

rethinking and new beginnings. The Social Sciences Section is a place where thinking about a society of the future can be prac-tised free from political ideologies and economic restraints, and from where im-pulses for new social forms can stream out into the world. Many people in the world today share the experience that old forms, concepts and institutions are no longer satisfactory and they are looking for new social departures. The search for new ways is tangible everywhere. Anthroposophi-cal social science seeks to contribute in a fundamental way to the development and change of humanity and the world. A society needs to be built that is based on freedom, justice and brotherhood, where these three elementary con-ditions of human communal life are no longer abstract postulates but ac-tual reality.

The quality of responsibility

Within this research and its convey-ance the following points apply: abstrac-tions are unproductive. Gaining knowl-edge always means taking action and vice versa. Research is always self-experiment, self-development, a change of milieu and society. There is no protected field for ex-perimentation, each experiment has con-sequences, the ‘laboratory’ is the world and – our own soul.

Those who wish to convey knowledge or results gained from their anthropo-sophical research for particular profes-sions, situations or questions can only do this if they include themselves. But the work of the Section is no longer aimed at particular professional fields or groups, as it used to be, but increasingly at everyone. For it has long become apparent that each profession and activity must be seen as an individual as well as a social field of prac-

tice. No one only follows instructions. We each make decisions and in doing so not only shape ourselves but also our field of work and the world as a whole. The further training opportunities offered by the Sec-tion are essentially about this quality and responsibility. Their aim is to practise and develop social skills and moral techniques as well as a particular quality of social re-sponsibility, development and activity.

Making our contribution visible and accessible

In the further training courses people share their subjective experiences with meditation and exercises on the one hand and with the research into and application of anthroposophical insights in work and

social life on the other. Presently they focus on social threefold-ness, the func-tion and effect of money, the artis-tic approach to justice, business

management as self-management, the re-lationship of human beings and organiza-tion, on understanding and resolving con-flicts, on self-knowledge and taking charge of one’s own biography.

With a view to the immense tasks that are lying ahead of us the Section itself is in a state of restructuring. The beginning has been made with extending the section leadership. New research targets, work styles and events are being planned for the years to come. Our goal is to optimize the essential contribution the anthroposophi-cal social sciences can make to finding ways out of the crisis of materialism and towards a dignified society at a time when we are challenged by dramatic questions and tasks and to make this contribution visible, fertile and accessible for anyone interested.| Gerald Häfner, co-leader of the Social Sciences Section

General Anthroposophical Section

From the general to the particularThe Sections of the School of Spiritual Science define their present identity in the light of their historical development. In the case of the General Anthroposoph-ical Section it is particularly enlightening to gain clarity about its task.

Social Sciences Section

Towards a dignified societyIn the Paris attacks and in many other tensions and crises of our time unresolved cul-tural, political and social questions are flaring up urging us to look for answers. While the world is growing together, political barriers, economic conditions and social gulfs separate people and cause strife and violence.

There is no protected field for experi-

mentation, each experiment has

consequences, the ‘laboratory’ is the

world and – our own soul.

sozial.goetheanum.org


■ anthroposophy worldwide

Because the Turkish school system is keen to adapt to the speed and progress of

other countries and because people there believe in competition, the chosen approach to teaching is based on testing: everything has to be learned by heart. Computers are due to be installed in all classrooms. But this means that children only learn superficially. Many alternative parents who would like to see their children grow up more happily in a more humane way are looking for educa-tional alternatives.

Child-appropriate learning

Since the year 2000 parents and edu-cators have been looking into alternative school systems, including Waldorf educa-tion. Some members of the association Eğitim Sanatı Dostları Derneği (ESDD, Wal-dorf Initiative Istanbul) have been busy for years trying to make Waldorf education better known in Turkey. The parents of the Waldorf-inspired groups are glad that their children are given more time for playing and learning at their own pace. The children have more space to move and enjoy peace-ful and aesthetic surroundings. They don’t have to learn by heart contents that make no sense to them.

As in most families both parents are working it is important for them to know that their children are lovingly cared for in these private day care facilities. But the par-ents are also discerning, wanting their chil-

dren to have healthy food, and particularly also meat, in kindergarten. Every evening they want to see what their children have learned during the day and the educators have to live up to these expectations. The children are alert, some are nervous, many watch TV at home or play with their par-ents’ iPhones or computers. Having the possibility to move around in the garden, take part in ring games and listen to the soothing fairy tales helps these children find their own rhythm.

Mutual encouragement

Many young faces were seen at the national conference. These young people had come to learn more about Waldorf education and anthroposophy. It was only possible to hold this conference thanks to the help from many friends and interested people from in and around Izmir.

The conference members were very en-thusiastic about the eurythmy we did every day with Roberto Pel¬lacini from Hamburg (DE). Janet Klaar from Birmingham (GB) spoke of kindergartens in the diverse parts of the world, giving good examples of what they have in common. All felt they were part of and carried by a Waldorf community.

The Waldorf-inspired playgroups and kindergartens work with great enthusiasm. Everyone at the conference enjoyed shar-ing their experiences: they each had their say, and the individual group representa-

tives spoke of their problems and listed their wishes: – Since not all educators are able yet to

attend the Waldorf Seminar in Istanbul, they would welcome periodical visits from mentors who help them evaluate whether what they are doing is Waldorf appropriate.

– They wish to share information on the processes that lead to official recogni-tion in Turkey.

– They also wish to exchange learning ma-terials such as games, ring games, songs, finger games etc. in Turkish, and fairy tales that are Waldorf appropriate.

– There is not enough reading material on Waldorf education in Turkish. We would therefore like to create a work group for translations into German and English because some of us speak these lan-guages.

– The initiatives have to focus more in-tensively on the work with parents, by forming reading groups, for instance, where the literature that is available in Turkish is read, if necessary together. ESDD will ask lecturers or mentors to continue to take part in parent events. We will also continue to offer workshops and seminars for anyone interested.

– Educators are encouraged to form their own communication network and to observe and support each other at work.

– The initiatives would like to be included in the list of Waldorf-inspired kinder-gartens and schools so that they can buy Stockmar paints and crayons more cheaply.

– A new teacher training for lower school and class teachers should be set up in Is-tanbul because of the great and urgent demand.

New cooperation

From now on it will be possible to work together more closely. The most acute problem is that of mentoring. All initiatives need a mentor for a month or two who can show the educators what they can do and to help them. Janet Klaar will probably come as a mentor from time to time and Ulla Middelkamp will continue to regularly visit all initiatives. We all left the conference enriched and filled with hopes and new tasks.| Tarhan Onur, Istanbul (TR)

Turkey: National conference of Waldorf-inspired playgroups and kindergartens

Professionalization through networksTwenty-five early years educators and kindergarten teachers came to Izmir on 24 and 25 October to attend the first national conference there. They represented playgroups in Izmir and Eskişehir, and Waldorf-inspired kindergartens in Bodrum and Istanbul. Among the participants were also the founder and one teacher of a new home-school-ing project with five children in Bodrum.

New educational alternatives

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www.egitimsanatidostlari.org


■ forum

Youth Conference Summer 2016 on the Isle of Mull: “Can science be Christian?”

Cosmic Christianity is the connection of the Celtic

love of nature and the vision of Christ as the Sun Spirit in the etheric. In his lectures on the Hibernian mysteries and their association with King Arthur Rudolf Steiner pointed out that people in pre-Christian times perceived the Christ by enter-ing deeply into the elements (fire, air, water, earth). Nature became the new home of the Christ and the heart the organ where he could be found.

This might sound “typically Steiner” and like pure theory, but it is exactly this mood that one can still strongly sense on Iona. It was here where, in the fourth century, the Irish monk St Columban founded a monastery from which many movements radiated out to the east, taking this kind of Christianity to Central Europe. What Rudolf Steiner tells us of the druid mounds of Penmae-nmawr or of Tintagel, King Ar-thur’s castle, is also particularly true of Iona: the natural spiritu-ality there still fires our spiritual search.

Sinking into materialism or trying out new ways?

The current thinking hab-its will not open up future perspectives for us. The same applies to ecology in as much as it is subjected to the mate-rialistic science that prevails in a reputedly objective world “out there”. The soul has been squeezed out of the world and my own part in the world seems purely subjective. This leads to a sense of decline and of not seeing a way out – a mood that young people today grow into.

But there are alternatives: a love of nature, for instance,

that strives to learn how the spiritual can be experienced in the sensory world. This love of nature has its roots in Celtic Christianity and we find it also in Goetheanism – in a kind of Goetheanism, however, that does not just lovingly observe the phenomena but sees itself as a gateway to the real world of the spirit.

A group of researchers, artists and social activists are holding a nature camp on the Isle of Mull (which is directly adjacent to Iona): a week in nature, exposed to the ele-ments. We will stay in tents in the Highlands, but there also some roofs to sleep under. We will have workshops during the day where we observe nature, meditate, experience, digest. In the evening we all gather for a festival. There will be music, storytelling and drama yurts and a bonfire on the beach, where seals peep out of the water and white-tailed eagles swoop through the air. We will look towards the volcanic is-land of Staffa where druids ex-perienced the force of nature as they passed through their initiation rites in a cave where the waves came rushing in.

‘I’ and world belong together

Nature is still a place of ini-tiation. We just need to learn again, through practice and understanding, to experience strongly that our ‘I’ and the world are one – in an atmo-sphere of love, community and spirit knowledge that is turned towards the senses.

We still need funding! The conference is open to anyone interested.| Renatus Derbidge, Dornach (CH)

22 March 1910 – 12 September 2015

Constance Peggy Mary Macpherson

After a long and fruitful life lived with clarity and purpose to the very last

days, Constance “Peggy” Mary Macpher-son has crossed the threshold, aged 105.

Peggy Macpherson was a pioneer in bringing the philosophical and spiritual work of Rudolf Steiner to Australia. It was through this understanding of the picture of human development that Peggy lived her life and found personal nourishment and inspiration.

Peggy was born on 22 March 1910 in Berrigan, New South Wales, as one of six children to parents Sydney and Catherine. She was delivered at home by the wife of the boundary rider who happened to be working on the property at the time her mother went into labour.

Growing up on a large property in the country, Peggy’s life was strongly shaped by her love of the natural world and the native animals she met and kept as a young girl. Her early years were spent rid-ing horses, and contributing to the work of the farm. After an initial education via correspondence and with a governess, the children moved with their mother to Melbourne to pursue a formal education. Through income derived from a boarding house operated by Mrs Macpherson, Peg-gy attended Ruyton Girls School. When her secondary schooling finished she returned to the property her father rented in Jerilderi, New South Wales, where the whole family congregated, to look after her father and the farm.

On the way to becoming a chil-dren’s nurse

A turning point in Peggy’s life came when she left the country to holiday in Melbourne with her Aunt Mable who lived on Punt Road. Her aunt advised her not to “bury herself in the bush” and suggested that she consider nursing and further edu-cation. At age 17, Peggy commenced train-ing at the Old Melbourne Hospital. After a six week preparatory course, Peggy went on her first ward placement in a men’s sur-gical ward, where she saw her first naked man, who was being treated for syphilis.

Perhaps this initial experience helped pave the way for the switch she made to

nursing children: in this she found her pur-pose in life, spending most of the rest of her career caring for sick children, and support-ing their parents. She completed Mother-craft Training at the Tweedle Baby Hospital in Footscray, and later went on to establish a respite house for babies and children to re-lieve families in crisis called “The Little Folks Home,” Peggy worked in private children’s nursing and was on call at the Mercy, St An-drew’s and Freemason’s hospitals. In 1962 she commenced at the Aftercare Hospital in Collingwood, where she remained for 17 years until her retirement at the age of 70.

Meeting anthroposophy

The other significant turning point in Peggy’s life came in 1939 when immediate-ly after graduating from her nursing train-ing she travelled to Europe as a companion to her Aunt Ruby, who had a long standing interest in Anthroposophy. Visiting the Goetheanum, the seat of Anthroposophy in Dornach, Switzerland, Peggy and Aunt Ruby undertook as many courses as they could, in anthroposophical study, and in artistic work including Eurythmy, painting and sculpture. This meeting of a spiritual picture of the human being confirmed for Peggy what she intuitively sensed in her nursing of children – that they needed to be nursed for their immediate physical needs, but also in a way that recognised their spiri-tual reality.

From this experience in Europe, Peggy joined the Anthroposophical Society, the Michael Group in 1962 and was an active member, bringing speakers out, coordinat-ing events and expanding the membership of the Society. From this growth the seeds were planted for the establishment of the first Steiner School in Victoria. Combining her interest in health and nursing, with her commitment to Anthroposophy, she was instrumental in bringing the Anthro-posophical Weleda medical treatments to Australia, by working with the relevant countries’ regulations to import and dis-tribute these accordingly.

Peggy also was connected to biody-namic farming through her cousin Ileen Macpherson, who had been a forerun-ner in establishing biodynamic gardening in Wonga Park and Dandenong in Mel-bourne.

Always ready to help

A life on the land with no luxuries,


For more information, to re-gister or for our newsletter visit: sehenundschauen. ch/sum-mercamp-iona-2016 Contact: info@sehenundschauen. ch


enduring hard times including long droughts, and forging a life with the most basic amenities, Peggy was of a generation and culture that did not complain.

One of her regular visitors over the course of her life was Melbourne psy-chologist Rob Gordon, who recalled in the eulogy he gave at her funeral that in her mid-80s she was “caring for neighbours ten years her junior, retrieving them from wandering the streets, taking them to doctors and doing their shopping. Then she broke both hips in succession and recovered, albeit with reduced mobility. She sel-dom complained of anything but

in her mid-90s she sat down in her home in Brighton one day and said ‘I don’t think I can do this anymore’ and she moved into the Montclair Aged Care. Before this, there was no indica-tion of what she found difficult”.

Even in advanced age, Peggy maintained an authentic and lively interest in the people around her, world affairs, reading the Age news-paper every day, and fully present and content in the ‘here and now’’ Rob Gordon observed that “Peggy aged in a uniquely conscious way... in spite of deteriorating hearing she was still able to have a loving and clear conver-sation in the week before her death.”

Peggy had a relationship with a man but chose to decline his marriage proposal, saying “It was not what I wanted for my life.”

Her deep devotion to Anthroposo-phy was reflected in a comment she shared with a regular visitor: “I could not live without Anthroposophy.” Through the development of her in-ner life, completed over such as vast number of years, Peggy was an exam-ple of a person who was truly at peace within, deeply content and warmly connected to the people in her midst.

Peggy was asked “how it was that she had such a good memory?” Her answer was that she practised the

exercise given by Rudolf Steiner to say the Lord’s Prayer backwards every day, which she did! The Lord’s Prayer was spoken at the interring of her ashes (but not backwards!).

A funeral service for Peggy was held on 15 September at the Christian Community Church in Hawthorn, and her ashes were later interred un-der a lilac tree, as per her request, at The Michael Centre in Warranwood, Melbourne. | Tiffany Lovegrove from the Melbourne Rudolf Steiner Semi-nar, based upon notes and comments supplied by her relative Ann Fiedler, Rob Gordon and others who were connected to Peggy.

We have been informed that the following 80 members have crossed the threshold of death. In their remembrance we are provi-ding this information for their friends. | The Membership Office at the Goetheanum

Stuart Wheeldon Hexthorpe (GB) 14 February 2014Heike Hofert Merdingen (DE) 4 July 2014Hilde Wahl Eichenau (DE) 23 July 2014Nicolas Tromp Oosterbeek (NL) 2 Oktober 2014Hannelore Gerl Borchen (DE) 8 März 2015Margrit Dürger Gelterkinden (CH) 12 April 2015Geneviève Colle Ménilles (FR) 28 April 2015Johanna Dreissen Utrecht (NL) 6 May 2015Maria Kille Diedorf (DE) 11 May 2015Catharina Breedeveld Steenwijk (NL) 19 May 2015Edy de Munck Haarlem (NL) 25 May 2015Johannes de Laat Leiden (NL) 28 May 2015A Elisabeth Liefmann Zeist (NL) 2 June 2015Karin van Dunné Den Haag (NL) 5 June 2015Barbara Kowalewska Amsterdam (NL) 7 June 2015Theodorus van Steijn Rotterdam (NL) 12 June 2015Jan Sieniawski Kielce (PL) 13 June 2015Maria Driehuis Zeist (NL) 23 June 2015Herr JS van Dam Driebergen-Rijsenburg (NL) 30 June 2015Jörg Jungermann Herdecke (DE) 3 Jule 2015Réal Choinière Canton Hatley (CA) 8 Jule 2015Michèle Feschotte Pully (CH) 17 Jule 2015Frau H Fonds Soesterberg (NL) 4 August 2015Gertrud Finze Haarlem (NL) 7 August 2015Diane Hassell Thornhill (CA) 8 August 2015Christine Twyford Ceredigion (GB) 8 August 2015Maria Koppel Haarlem (NL) 13 August 2015Gerardus van Hulzen Uithoorn (NL) 17 August 2015James Lockie Eyemouth (GB) 18 August 2015Jean-Pierre Hermann Strasbourg (FR) 20 August 2015Olga Klimoff Breitenbach (CH) 21 August 2015Jantje Halvax Brielle (NL) 28 August 2015Sabine Krüger Grafrath (DE) 1 September 2015Ramses van Hees Driebergen (NL) 7 September 2015Laila Schnek Vledder (NL) 9 September 2015Constance Macpherson Brighton (AU) 12 September 2015Marie-José Jarno Colmar (FR) 21 September 2015Geertie Bronkhorst Den Haag (NL) 24 September 2015Maria Hakvoort Zeist (NL) 24 September 2015Gertrud Paulsen Bad Liebenzell (DE) 24 September 2015

Klaus Gutowski Aarau (CH) 29 September 2015Margot Kleinschmidt Staufenberg (DE) 3 October 2015Ursula Feuerstack Mannheim (DE) 7 October 2015Eve-Lis Damm Dortmund (DE) 9 October 2015Karl Gnatz Planegg (DE) 9 October 2015Harald Haakstad Ottestad (NO) 9 October 2015Dörte Mehrling Dornach (CH) 9 October 2015Tilo Reeder Nürnberg (DE) 9 October 2015Alice Rüedi Walkringen (CH) 9 October 2015Marie-Françoise Cavalier Chatou (FR) 12 October 2015Eva-Maria Meyer Reichenberg (DE) 12 October 2015Juliane Faiss Freiburg (DE) 13 October 2015Ilse Hoffmann Geislingen (DE) 13 October 2015Mabel Carlis Hansen Kopenhagen (DK) 14 October 2015Jacqueline Martin Paris (FR) 14 October 2015Margarita Billeter Pforzheim (DE) 15 October 2015Ilse Ebert Freiburg (DE) 15 October 2015Brunhilde Farsch Krefeld (DE) 15 October 2015Susan Junge Camden/ME (US) 16 October 2015Karen Böhm Witten (DE) 18 October 2015Helga Weber Niefern-Öschelbronn (DE) 20 October 2015Jürgen Ohl Weinheim (DE) 21 October 2015Ingelore Darmer Rot am See (DE) 22 October 2015Raija Tuononen Luopioinen (FI) 23 October 2015Lydia Kühl Hamburg (DE) 24 October 2015Huguette Meier Münchenstein (CH) 24 October 2015Mechteld Camman De Bilt (NL) 25 October 2015Lenie Seyfert Omagh (GB) 25 October 2015Nanna Wilkens Stuttgart (DE) 25 October 2015Hermann Bauer Bornheim-Brenig (DE) 26 October 2015Robert Patterson Chatham/NY (US) 26 October 2015Frieda Tielcke München (DE) 26 October 2015Lina Kurt Basel (CH) 27 October 2015Ursula Bergengrün Bad Liebenzell (DE) 29 October 2015Ruth Hunziker Dornach (CH) 29 October 2015Angelika Kaiser-Kassner Überlingen (DE) 31 October 2015Gisela Maus Genève (CH) 31 October 2015Dorothea Cloos Stuttgart (DE) 5 November 2015Sigrid Leber Ostfildern (DE) 5 November 2015Claudia Reisinger Berlin (DE) 5 November 2015

From 6 October to 9 November 2015 the Society welcomed 154 new members. 52 are no longer registered as members (resignations, lost, and corrections by country Societies).



■ Feature

Once upon a time, in 2001, the Euryth-my Folktale Ensemble presented its

first production at a charity event in sup-port of an extension to the Eugen Kolisko Waldorf School in Berlin Havelhöhe. They were received with so much enthusiasm that they decided to form a permanent eurythmy ensemble that would bring one folktale every year to public stages and curative education centres in Berlin and Brandenburg.

Travelling theatre

The eurythmy ensemble performs mostly folktales by the Brothers Grimm, but will occasionally draw from the stories of other countries or from the world of legends. During the festivities in celebra-tion of “100 Years of Eurythmy” the group showed a Jewish story (“Truth and Story”) and two years ago they performed the Swiss folktale “A Dwarf in a Cherry Tree”. At the moment they are busy translating a Japanese folktale into German. Masaaki Tezuka, who is a eurythmist and the en-semble’s composer, is from Japan and has much to contribute to this project. But as preparations have taken longer than ex-pected, the ensemble had to also use a Grimm’s tale.

“Often we are unwittingly in tune with the zeitgeist,” says Bettina Kandzia and laughs. “We choose a folktale and start

working on it and then we realize: it fits perfectly! “The Fisherman and his Wife”, for instance: the dissatisfaction, greed, want-ing things quickly, and then the burnout.” For the festive event at Havelhöhe we had prepared “The Old Woman in the Wood”, followed by “Little Red Riding Hood” – just to show something well-known for a change. This became the principle of the travelling ensemble which rehearses at the Rudolf Steiner Haus in Berlin: a well-known tale is followed by a less familiar story such as the Bremen Town Musicians or by something entirely unknown.

Reaching young people

In 2013 the ensemble performed “One-Eye, Two-Eyes, Three-Eyes” during the Berlin Folktale Festival (Berliner Märch-entage) at Rudolf Steiner Haus. “Hardly anyone knows this folktale about sibling rivalry,” says Astrid Heiland. In a review in the weekly journal “Das Goetheanum” it says, “With its regular gestures Two-Eyes represents the modern human being. One-Eye does introvert gestures that go out to the back. Nervous Three-Eyes anticipates the future. On the stage the three seem to become one figure.” Astrid Heiland says “This story was fascinating for boys. It was great when they called ‘That was cool’”. Bettina Kandzia adds, “The tree of gold and silver was most successful. From the

point of view of eurythmy it played a mi-nor part. Maybe they liked it because there was some quarrelling going on. Who is go-ing to win? Boys tend to find that exciting.”

Up until 2014 Ruth Barkhoff was in charge of the ensemble. At some point she left for five years to go to the eurythmy training in St. Petersburg. Since October she lives and works in China where she is helping with a Waldorf project. When asked who now was artistic director, the answer is unanimous: “We are!” We – that is Bettina Kand¬zia, Astrid Heiland, Ursula von Ristok, Ma¬rianne Tezuka-Weber and Masaaki Tezuka, who is responsible for the music and Christian Maurer, the speaker. All five eurythmists select the folktales together, prepare them for the stage and design the costumes. The animal heads are made from wire, fabric, baseball caps and lot of imagination by Marianne Tezuka-Weber.

Birthday wish: finding the room pre-pared

The members of the ensemble need to earn their livelihoods with other work be-cause what they take in with their perfor-mances just about covers their costs. Of-ten they arrive for rehearsal tired from the day’s work – and go home refreshed. “We don’t rehearse things to death,” Marianne Tezuka-Weber explains, “We enjoy our-selves.” Astrid Heiland agrees, “Everything flows together, the genre, we and the text. Sometimes the parts seem to be down-right therapeutic – just what one needs or what one should work on anyway.” She mentions the princess: a part for which she had to work hard. “I found the lightness a real challenge.”

When things are running well and ev-erything is ready, including the costumes, music and lighting, the artists are delight-ed to present their small work of art to the public. Sometimes they arrive at a venue where they first have to sweep the stage or set up the chairs, like the evil stepmother; or where no drinks have been provided. “That’s something I wish for as an anniver-sary gift,” Bettina Kandzia admits, “that the room is prepared when we arrive and that our show is well received.”| Ronald Richter, Berlin (DE)

15 years Eurythmy Folktale Ensemble Berlin

“That was cool”At the beginning of 2016, the eurythmy folktale ensemble “Es war einmal…” (Once upon a time…) will celebrate its fifteenth birthday. The group performs mostly tales by the Brothers Grimm, but draws occasionally also from the stories of other countries or from the world of legends. A new production is underway to mark their anniversary.

Known and unusual tales: from the productions of the Berlin Eurythmy Märchenbühne

Phot

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Contact: Astrid Heiland, Tel: +49 30 20 27 54 80, [email protected]: www.eurythmie-maerchen.de

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