Anthroposophy Worldwide What Is Happening in the Anthroposophical Society 7–8 /20
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Anthroposophy worldwide What is happening in the Anthroposophical Society 7–8 /20 ■ Editorial July 2020 • N°7–8 Pause for thought 3 Becoming institutionalized Anthroposophical Society 1 Humaneness 2 Rudolf Steiner: Devotion 3 Canada: Longing to gather 3 Brazil: Brazil is burning 4 General Anthroposophical Society: agm 4 South Korea: Many tasks to work on … 5 Finland: Important social questions Humaneness even if they live on other continents and speak 5 Sweden: Time in office ends for Mats-Ola Ohlsson Enabling breathing other languages, they understand due to their 11 Obituary: Jochen Bockemühl shared humanity. A concrete Whitsun experience 11 Membership News is possible – in anthroposophical institutions and Whitsun is the festival of communication and of organizations, too, as we hear from members Goetheanum the proximity of the spirit. Whitsun reminds us and friends in many places around the world. 5 Stage and exhibitions: Summer of culture that what lives in the heart can be understood in Comprehensibility, communication and active 6 Leadership: Understanding, nurturing all languages. This year Whitsun was celebrated interest in others have become a daily necessity and supporting life at a time when people across the world were during this time – they enable a dignified life and 6 Book on Corona troubled: about the earth and its climate, Co- allow us to breathe. 7 World Goetheanum Association: vid-19 as a viral infection, the lockdown of society, Economy of Love but also about the suffering and anger provoked Awareness and exchange School of Spiritual Science by the newly evident inhumanity and brutality of In an endeavour to address some of the questions 2 Correction: date of racism and discrimination. Environmental pollu- arising from the Corona crisis, the Goetheanum Michaelmas Conference tion, sickness, poverty and widespread violence Leadership has collected thoughts and inspira- 7 Section for Agriculture: make breathing impossible – even to the point tions from the various Sections of the School of Living Farms in Kenya of death. Spiritual Science and published them in a book 7 Medical Section: World Conference? Yes! of which an English edition is due in August 2020. 8 Visual Art Section: Call for art work Active interest in others We send warm greetings to the members from 8 Youth Section: Invitation Where can we draw strength from so that we our June Leadership retreat and from the video to shape the future can communicate what lives in our hearts; so conference with the country representatives on that spirit-presence can become the presence 8 June that made it possible for us to be aware Anthroposophy worldwide 8 Worldwide: Supporting Waldorf of humaneness, that the spirit can live in and of each other and share our thoughts on the around the world open our hearts to nature, animals and to our current situation across the world. | Joan Sleigh, 9 Turkey: Study courses fellow human beings? Constanza Kaliks, Goetheanum postponed to autumn But we also witness profound humanity ev- 9 Germany: Strengthening the good erywhere in the world. The experience of others Image Sources of strength enable breathing 10 Israel: Social impulse on the does not remain outside of us, it touches and in troubled times: the Goetheanum in the slopes of Mount Carmel concerns us. Where solidarity embraces the globe, spring by Xue Li/Goetheanum a protective layer of warmth is generated that en- Feature ables us to breathe again. Many people are busy www.rudolfsteinerpress.com 12 Clown: Heart of hearts helping their neighbours, helping those whom, Call: Clowns, show up! 2 | Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 7–8/20 ■ Pause For Thought Rudolf Steiner Becoming institutionalized Devotion Life is resilient Whatever lies ahead, whatever the Almost all of us presently experience the phe- next hour or morning may bring, I nomenon of institutionalization. It is usually cannot change it by being fearful reserved to those with disabilities or other or anxious. I will await it with the marginalized groups, and if we are exposed most complete peace of soul, with to it at all, it is only for a short period of time complete tranquillity of mind! […] and in exceptional situations. Anxiety and fear stand in the way of development and hold back what seeks to stream into souls out of Institutionalization means that an authority, the future. […] Devotion to divine rather than we ourselves, is in control of es- wisdom in all that happens; calling sential aspects of our everyday life. It means up again and again within us the that a person’s individual freedom is subjected thought, feeling and inner impulse to predefined actions implemented to protect that whatever will come must come them or others. Physical presence in public and that it will do good in some way: spaces in itself already constitutes a risk. Since calling up this mood of soul and let- the ‘threat’ is invisible and cannot be grasped, ting it live in our words, feelings and we depend on an authority that has exclusive ideas – that is […] the mood of devo- access to information and makes judgements for tional prayer. us. Because the measures relate to the physical, Source Rudolf Steiner: ga 59, Lecture of the authority feels authorized to interfere, if be considered from the point of view of fragility 17 February 1910. necessary, directly at the physical level. and antifragility. Dynamic self-regulation Growing through stress and trauma In contrast to this institutional top-down crisis The more ‘mechanical’ organizational principles management with its command and control prevail in a system, with their centralized su- Correction structures there are social organizational forms pervision focused on fixed targets and linear Unlike stated in Anthroposophy that emerge spontaneously in particular situa- process and communication schemes, the more Worldwide 6/2020, the Michael- tions and places. Action groups or disaster com- fragile the system’s response and the sooner mas Conference will be held at the munities based on individual initiatives are using disruptions will lead to a breakdown. On the Goetheanum on 26 and 27 Septem- existing networks or are creating new ones. Be- other hand, the more fully a community embod- ber 2020. cause these initiatives are directly in touch with ies the principles of self-organization and the the situation and the consequences of their ac- decentralized, dynamic-responsive processes tions, they can often act faster, adapt to chang- of self-regulation characteristic of living organ- ‹Anthroposophy Worldwide. What is hap- ing conditions and learn fast. All this requires isms, the better able it is to deal with stress and pening in the Anthroposophical Society› ap- people to have free contact with one another. trauma and the better it can grow and develop pears monthly in German, English, French and The quality of actions therefore depends on by overcoming them. | Jan Göschel, Goetheanum Spanish as a supplement to the weekly ‹Das the vitality of the acting social organism. Lifeless Goetheanum›. Publisher General Anthropo- bodies and systems determined by mechanical sophical Society represented by Justus Wit- laws are subject to entropy. For them, stress tich. Editors Sebastian Jüngel (responsible for the German edition), Margot M. Saar leads to attrition which needs to be constantly (responsible for the English edition), Michael ‘repaired’ by external order-imposing interven- Edited extracts from the Kranawetvogl (responsible for the Spanish edi- tions. ‘Antifragility’ (Nassim Nicholas Taleb) as a book Perspective und Initiativen zur Coron- tion), Jean Pierre Ablard and Anselme Killian characteristic of life is the exact opposite. azeit (cf. page 6) (French edition; coordinator: Louis Defèche). Living organisms have a dynamic and resonant Proofreader for the English edition: Amadeus relationship with their environment that enables Jan Göschel, born Bodenstein. Address Anthroposophy World- them to develop, renew themselves, change 1974 in Priem am wide, po Box, 4143 Dornach, Switzerland, Chiemsee (de), stud- fax +41 61 706 4465, aww@dasgoetheanum. and reproduce. They are not only resilient in ied psychology and com • We expressly wish for active support the sense that, after trauma, they are able to re- Waldorf Education at and collaboration. Subscriptions To receive establish a previous state of balance; they even Edinburgh (gb); he is a ‹Anthroposophy Worldwide› please apply to need stress and disruption in order to develop special education teacher and completed his PhD at Cologne Univer- [email protected]. Digital sub- and increase their abilities. This is due to prin- scriptions are free. As a supplement to ‹Das sity (de) with a dissertation on the Child ciples of dynamic self-regulation and responsive Study in Anthroposophical Curative Goetheanum› ‹Anthroposophy Worldwide› self-organization that are inherent in the organic Education. He lives in the Camphill is also free. If the printed edition is posted to formative forces and life processes. Community Beaver Run, is managing you directly, we ask for a donation to cover director of the Anthroposophic Council costs. Printed by Birkäuser + gbc, 4153 Rein- All social organisms – partnerships, commu- for Inclusive Social Development and ach, Switzerland. Design concept according nities and organizations of any size or shape, head of the Camphill Academy. to Karl Lierl, Unterföhring, Germany. © 2020 municipalities, states and transnational net- General Anthroposophical Society, Switzerland. works as well