Society Anthroposophy Worldwide 10/09
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General Anthroposophical Society Anthroposophy Worldwide 10/09 ó Anthroposophical Society Germany: Music for the Earth Being Attentive – and Listening The initiative ‹Music for the Earth› celebrated its seventh performance from 25 to 27 September looking at the question ‹Are Man and Earth in a process of impoverish - December 2009 ment?› This initiative symbolically represents support for actions and initiatives of oth - No 10 ers within the agricultural movement in general but especially for those researching seed quality. Anthroposophy in the World 1 Germany: Music for the Earth he four elements of earth, water, air 8 Germany: 33 years Eurythmy T and fire form the basis for human Training Nürnberg habitation. If they become unhealthy it re - 9 Israel: Publication ‹Adam–Olam› quires great human recognition of respon - 10 Lebanon: Day Care Centre Initiative sibility. Key subjects are ‹The bread of to - 10 Slovenia: Living with Language morrow – gene technology in agriculture?› (earth), ‹Source of life, water – recognition Anthroposophical Society of the danger – healing through courage 2 General Secretaries’ Conference to action› (water), ‹Climate change – ener - 2 Christmas Appeal 2009 gy for action› (air) and ‹Childhood and en - 4 Membership Strengthening vironment› (fire or warmth). Helmut 5 New Aspects of Leadership Lachenmann, one of the lecturers in 2006 8 Iceland/Norway: Working with and a true pioneer and partner in this ‹The Mission of Folk Souls› process of consciousness creating, called it 8 Great Britain/Goetheanum: «Music as an adventure of the spirit» be - Meeting between Executive cause it lives in every human being as cos - Councils mic legacy. Music allows an inner tranquil - ity, it awakens attention and listening and Environment Earth: Connecting to our cosmic School of Spiritual Science connects between interpreter and audi - le gacy with music 6 Youth Section: Working with the ence. Could this be a model for a social cul - Exercises from ‹Knowledge ture of the future? Daniel Barenboim says Association with the same name ‹Mu - of the Higher Worlds› quite clearly: «Music is something that sic for the Earth› and through friends. This 6 Humanities Section: Conference helps us to forget the world and music is includes much voluntary work, ensuring a ‹Templar Impulse in the 21st something that allows us to understand financial base through contributions, do - Century› the world». It is a social impulse that is nations and applications for subsidies. 7 Humanities Section: Conference looking for a way from a conscious experi - Any surpluses were distributed to those ‹The Outer Layers and the I› ence in the present to that of the future. initiatives which are representative for 7 General Anthroposophical the ideals in this area and are themselves Section: School of Nature’s Demonstrating Initiative dependant on donations. So far this has journey to Africa To enrich the events artistic displays included the Section for Agriculture at the were included such as a presentation of Goetheanum, the Centre for Cereal Re - Forum water sound images by Alexander Lauter - search in Darzau and the Future Develop - 11 Acoustics of a Building wasser, presentations on seed formation ment Foundation for their project to ob - by the Bingenheimer Saatgut AG, a docu - tain rainwater tanks for smallholders in Feature mentation about endangered butterflies Kenya. | Marianne Worel, Niefern- 12 Eurasia: On Tour for Direct as well as a painting exhibition by Uta Al - Öschelbronn (DE) Democracy beck entitled ‹Earth›. The idea of ‹Music for the Earth› is made possible by people Information: www.musik-fuer-die-erde.de. who met through an 2 | Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 10/09 ó Anthroposophical Society ó Anthroposophical Society General Anthroposophical Society: General Secretaries’ Conference Sebastian Jüngel: At the moment the General Secretaries’ Conference is taking Expanding One’s View and place (page2). What is the situation of An - Defining One’s Own Position throposophy in the world? Cornelius Pietzner: It is refreshing to note From 3rd to 6th November the General Secretaries met at the Goetheanum focusing how differently Anthroposophy is re - on three main aspects: preparation for Rudolf Steiner’s 150th anniversary in 2011, the ceived and dealt with in the various coun - status of the Anthroposophical Society and the necessity to pay attention to the im - tries. But Troels Ussing also gave us a clear portance of context of anthroposophical terminology. picture of the task we are facing as a worldwide spiritual movement with re - he mood of the General Secretaries’ Troels Ussing showed in his report on gard to terminology with his examples T Conference manifested itself through East Africa, how Anthroposophy can at from the development of Anthroposophy the experiences of its participants of a so - the same time enthrall and irritate with in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya. In Kenya, cially intensive working process packed its terminology (see interview with Cor - for example, a language exists where the with substance. This has been said for nelius Pietzner, pages 2f.). In Kenya, Ugan - word for ‹I› stands for something nega - years and remains the feeling in the re - da and Tanzania alone there are at pres - tive, something evil. You can imagine views by Jan Borghs (BE), Philip Martyn ent throusands of Waldorf School pupils what it would mean this term was being (GB), Hartwig Schiller (DE), Philip Thatcher and many teachers. used without previous reflection when (CA) and Leena Westergren (FI). What they talking about a «Strengthening of the I» have to contribute is taken up by the Affirmation of Bodo von Plato Similarly problematic for German speak - Goetheanum-Management. In addition, Members of the Executive Council up - ers in Europe today is the term ‹Folksoul›. the mutual perception of what is happen - dated on current projects such as the new Thus it is our task to find expressions and ing in individual countries helps to ex - production of Rudolf Steiner’s Mystery words which allow the terms and ideas pand one’s own view and to define one’s Dramas, Publications (‹Anthroposophy behind the thoughts to come to the fore. own position. Worldwide› No 9/2009, page 10), English For me, this indicates that Anthroposophy Week at the Goetheanum in 2010 and the is a living being that lives in different ways 2011 – The Year of Anniversaries financial pressures. At their retreat in Oc - in the human heart, depending on Individual General Secretaries report - tober 2009 they had also evaluated Bodo whether one comes from Finland, Kenya, ed about the planned events in their von Plato’s time so far as member of the Canada or Taiwan. This multiplicity and vi - countries on the occasion of Rudolf Stein - Executive Council. The result of the evalu - brancy is part of Anthroposophy. er’s 150th anniversary in 2011. At the cen - ation – as in the case of Paul Mackay’s po - Jüngel: Multiplicity and vibrancy are also tre of these events stands the task to sition as member of the Executive Council acknowledged by the Goetheanum. This work on the spiritual sources of Anthro - – will be presented at the Annual General year, however, some events had to be can - posophy using the themes which Rudolf Meeting in 2010. celled due to a lack of participants. How is Steiner illuminated quite specifically in A new member was the architect the Goetheanum doing? some countries. In Germany a venue has Michael Mösch (51) who will be Ingrid Pietzner: I believe this is a sign that we are been found in Weimar that represents a Böhringer’s successor from 2010, as Gen - going through a phase of change and de - prominent place of Rudolf Steiner’s life eral Secretary of the Anthroposophical So - velopment which allows us to discover and work as well as an important point of ciety in Brazil. In Kenya, Uganda and Tan - and define what we want, and what our identification for German cultural histo - zania there are thousands of Waldorf members and friends want and what is ry. Here, Rudolf Steiner’s effectiveness in Schools and many teachers. | Sebastian timely. If an event doesn’t draw sufficient the presence and for the future is to be Jüngel people, this could mean that it was really researched along side a confrontation just put on out of habit. Here we have to with the shadows of the recent past by re-think. Sometimes we plan an event asking about the roots of National Social - which will not happen until a year later ism. and by then the perceived spiritual im - 2011 is also the 100th anniversary for pulse may have passed. Rudolf Steiner’s lecture in Bologna on the being of the human I. This prompted the Springboard into the Future conference to discuss this lecture in small - Jüngel: Even the core conference ‹Evolution er groups following preparation at home and Freedom› by the General Anthropo - and led to a «higher standard». Hartwig sophical Society, on the occasion of Darwin’s Schiller and Paul Mackay, in their keynote Anniversary, had to be cancelled because of speeches, dealt with the status of the An - alackofparticipants.Whatisneededso that throposophical Society based on today’s events succeed which arise out of an im - conditions (see pages 4 and 5 for his and pulse or event that lies in the past? Paul Mackay’s ideas on membership Pietzner: When an anniversary is purely strengthening). nostalgic it is the least productive. To re - Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 10/09 | 3 General Anthroposophical Society: Christmas Appeal 2009/10 are more subject orientated.That is not al - ways recognised. It is therefore our duty to Inspiring Action draw more attention to the many small The Goetheanum faces a difficult financial task as do many other cultural initiatives. focal points and the ‹silent›work.